Reason Enough...

After Eight Years, You'd Think We'd Know How

2009-05-26T18:38:00.003-04:00

One night, Lars went to bed before his comforter ('Bob', since it has Bob the Builder on it) was done in the wash. When Chris went up later with Bob, he found this note on the pillow next to Lars, who was fast asleep:

"Bob gose on top of me. OK. Good night!! take blanke off of me before you put bob on me please!!"

Single Note Arias

2009-05-21T21:23:00.001-04:00

Every now and then, Lars will take a pause, draw himself up taller, form his mouth into a very operatic O, raise his eyebrows and emit a single, wavering note which he holds for a few seconds. He will then instantly return to whatever he had been doing (homework, whining about what's for dinner, running after a friend in the yard, tying his shoes, whatever...). He's been doing it for the last week or so, sometimes even using port de bras to highlight the moment. I have no earthly clue where this new habit came from but it's pretty amusing.

Something Audrey Will Totally Understand

2009-05-20T22:57:00.003-04:00

At the 4th grade concert tonight, Chris pointed out the girl he thinks has a crush on Ross. "How do you know she likes him," I asked?

"You'll see tomorrow when he gets home from school. She sits at the window of the last seat so she can see him get off the bus each day."

"Oh, she's that local? We can never get a dog." Chris looked at me like I had three heads, so I elaborated, "We can't just hand him such a great excuse for late-night walks!"

Birth Announcement: TWINS!

2009-05-17T21:43:00.011-04:00

We had a birth today! Chris noticed a mama deer and two tiny babies out our kitchen window (yay for bay window in new kitchen!).

We cautiously went out and took some pictures. I watched the fawns wobble a few steps at a time and saw how mama licked them every time she could and I determined they were VERY new. Chris guessed within a week; I guessed within the hour.

After about twenty minutes of watching, Lars got impatient with being so far away and climbed on the playhouse for a better view. Mama was fine with me (mothers know) and ok with Chris (he's a good dad) but was a little skittish about the excited eight-year-old, and decided to move her new brood off toward the creek.

When they'd gotten far enough away, Chris decided to check out my "within the hour" theory - and, lo, found fresh afterbirth right there where mama had been laying. What can I say? Mothers know these things.

I asked him to take a picture from the birthplace to the house - they were close! We're usually the wildlife nursery yard anyhow - a few weeks from now, mother deer will swing by and drop off their cherubs to eat my plants while they wander off to have their hooves done - but this is a new thing for us to see.

Chris got some videos, too:

Mother's Day Activity: A New Tactic

2009-05-10T19:37:00.003-04:00

This Mother's Day, I decided to spend time with my kids doing whatever they wanted to do, which turned out to be playing Tony Hawk's World Skaters 3 on xBox. After watching the kids play for a while, I got to make my own character and try the game out. With a lot of help and instruction from the boys, I achieved a grand score of 3,475 on my first run through the Foundry (note: the lowest milepost score is 30,000) and I only fell into the vat of molten steel twice! I did achieve cries of delight from the boys for some skill I executed along the way but since I had NO CLUE how I did it and couldn't repeat it or teach it to them, I lost esteem. After that first exhilarating run, they decided to show me how it's done and I spent a few hours watching the great ones trash my poor score. We also had bacon with breakfast (we're using it liberally to prevent Swine Flu) and Chris made (and cleaned up from!) a delicious dinner. All in all, a great day.

When Daddy's Away: Two Vignettes

2009-04-30T10:47:00.005-04:00

"Awwww, why are we having a normal dinner? When you go away, Mama, Daddy makes us special dinners. Hot dogs!"

"That's because I don't like hot dogs much, so Daddy serves them when I'm not around."

"So?!? Serve a special dinner that Daddy doesn't like, since he's not home."

"Daddy doesn't like fish."

"Thanks for making us pasta, Mama!"

===============================================

"You need to finish the bottom four questions on your homework and then I'll quiz you on your spelling."

"I never do the bottom four. Daddy doesn't make me."

"Oh? I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure he'll ask you to do them from now on."

"No, I mean I never do them and he doesn't check!"

"Oh! He doesn't check because he trusts that you do all your homework. He'll be disappointed to learn that you need to be checked all the time."

"Mama! Just don't tell him! Why do you check? I don't want to do it! AND WE DON'T NEED TO WORK ON SPELLING. I CAN SPELL ALL THE WORDS."

"Fine, spell 'Indiana'."

"I-N-D-(pause)-... I-N-D-A-N-A."

"Missouri."

"M-I-S-U-R-I-E"

"Maryland."

"M-A-R-R-Y-L-A-N-D"

"Louisiana."

"L-O-I-S-I-E-A-N-A"

"Illinois."

"I-L-L-O-N-I-S"

"Sit. For the record? You're right. You sure can spell all the words...you just can't spell any of them correctly."

"WHEN will Daddy be home?"

"Tomorrow. You can mangle the other 45 states for him then."

===============================================

Perfect Weekend

2009-04-27T22:24:00.002-04:00

I would never hope for better weather than we had this weekend - it was absolutely perfect! Sunny and just hot during the day, cool in the evenings but nothing you'd shiver in without a jacket.

On Saturday, Ross put new batteries in the old talkie-walkie set and then went adventuring with a friend. They discovered full communication between their houses using the talkie-walkies, so Sunday morning I woke to find Ross idly chatting with his friend via radio while playing xBox in their underwear (each in their respective houses). If you're planning to appear at my house on a non-school morning, consider yourself duly warned.

Lars spent Saturday morning asking when it would be time to go to his friend's birthday party and Saturday afternoon at the party. He had a fabulous time! The party was carnival themed and full of water balloons, games of chance with candy prizes, a bounce house, and a great climbing gym. The whole class had been invited and I couldn't help thinking how lucky the hosts were to have backyard weather for the festivities!

After Ross had gotten dressed and Lars had been adequately sugared up, we all piled in the car and headed for Chéz Stoll for an evening of great food and RockBand. I honestly can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday night and I hope we get to repeat it often (or at least enough for me to figure out how to use that damned blue fret button).

On Sunday, the kids played outside with friends from the neighborhood and called in a few spares. Chris and I cleaned a couple of bathrooms and made a big pot of chili in preparation for an invasion of overnight guests, including a pile of cousins and a friend from college.

Chris made breakfast for the army this morning, a great start with pancakes, eggs, fruit and good coffee, before we all split off on separate journeys to the elementary school, DC, SC, NYC, and Edison. An extra car in our driveway is the only sign of last night's festivities and our house seems so quiet with only us in it!

Take Your Child To Work Day

2009-04-23T21:08:00.002-04:00

The fourth Thursday in April is National Take Your Child To Work Day, a program aimed at giving kids a chance to see how what they learn in school might be applied in the real world someday. For TYCTWD today, Lars ventured into the city with me to get a look at exactly what it is that I do when I'm not at home.

In an effort to make the day as authentic as possible, we started the day with a stop at Starbucks before the train. Then, in an effort to make the day as exciting as possible, I got rear-ended at a stoplight on the way to the train. Thankfully, my effort was pretty much used up by then, so the rest of the day was just fine.

Lars and I went to my office first, where he was introduced all around, did two small project take-offs and was scheduled to help in marketing after lunch. Then, I showed him a simple product kit and we took it to demonstrate to two specifiers - getting in a subway trip and a taxi ride for flavor. The second specifier's office was also participating in TYCTWD, so we had a business lunch out with all the Junior Associates. After lunch, per schedule, Lars helped our marketing department prepare for a two-day seminar (they were actually glad for extra hands, since most of the print materials for the inservice just showed up today!) and then we capped the day by attending the seminar's cocktail hour kickoff where Lars was lauded for his help and also enjoyed a lovely light dinner.

The biggest shock of the day for Lars, I think, was the discovery that I only play my DSi on the train. He seemed affronted by the lack of recess-like breaks and slightly confused when he learned, after some petitioning, that not everyone in my office has a DS and/or a World of Warcraft account. He clearly wondered just how they manage to live but was polite enough not to voice it.

Lars was also a bit surprised that we didn't see his classmate, who'd gone to work with his father in NYC today. "They are In The City, Mama. So are we!" As if we would, of course, run into everyone who was In The City. Don't you? Thinking I might try to fix something up last minute, I asked Lars where the other child's father worked. Lars gave a very tiny, exasperated pose, glanced to the sky and said, "Mama, I just told you - he works in New York." Well, there's always next year...

Post-season Haircut

2009-04-22T20:33:00.000-04:00

With hockey season behind him, Ross declared he no longer needed helmet hair and asked if I'd cut it off. Behold, before:

It is cool to stick your tongue out in photos these days.

And after:

Unfortunately, the '80s skater haircut only lasted one day. Ross asked me to cut it all off when he got home from school - he was a little annoyed that nobody had noticed his haircut and a little annoyed by the bangs in his face. Too bad - I thought it was really cute!

That Was Just The Kick-in-the-Pants I Needed, Thanks.

2009-04-21T16:08:00.004-04:00

What, Amelia? It's been how many months since I posted? Who?

*vigorous head shake*

Really? Wow.

Sooooo...what's been going on since I dropped off the writing side of the planet back in, oh, November? A lot. There are a myriad of reasons why I stopped blogging for the while - computer problems, hockey season, winter blues, overwork, guilt (I never did post the "TA-DA" pictures or video of our new kitchen...or the pics from holidays or birthdays), holidays, birthdays, coping with a kid who doesn't see a need for school or homework (no idea where THAT comes from...*innocent fidget*), and on top of all this, I took a new job. It's a great new job, to be sure, but it has me out of the house more often on a daily basis and I've also had to travel quite a bit for it recently. Good news, though, as I will be able to work from home more often once I'm settled in and travel is only an occasional duty.

With all this going on at once, blogging was forgotten. I've been reading other people's blogs when I can, although I haven't been commenting much and have missed the fun of following comment conversations. I did feel small pangs of guilt each time I'd read someone else's, "I'm going to stop blogging for a while," post, thinking perhaps I should put up my own...but sitting down to write an "I'm going to stop writing," post seemed silly, especially after a few months had gone by - if you all hadn't figured out I was on break, my telling you wasn't going to help.

Things are evening out and I'd like to start posting again. I'm settling in to my new job, the house is not a complete disaster, we have established a sort of framework for the summer, the cats are getting along, we've pretty much recovered from the kitchen renovation.

I'll leave you, for now, with a pictorial highlight from March. This is just about as happy as my family gets:

A Little Haircut

2009-02-16T22:30:00.005-05:00

Lars, before. The pictures are as clear as pictures of a kinetic eight-year-old can be - these are the best of about 40 attempts:

Lars, after. He stood the stillest while holding the cat:

The tongue thing is his own idea. He was trying to get Kippah to do it, too, but she wouldn't cooperate.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T12:24:00.002-05:00

When we started the kitchen, we knew it would limit what we could do this year for Christmas. Then the economy started it's abysmal decline and we found ourselves not alone in planning a smaller-scale celebration. I had a few worries that the kids would question the differences this year but I shouldn't have stressed - the boys are delighted with all we've done so far and were beside themselves with excitement about opening presents. Santa brought the REAL basketball hoop the boys have been after and a Star Wars game for DS to share, too. Some new Webkinz have joined our menagerie and Chris is industriously helping assemble the new Lego kit.

Chris and I exchanged repeat gifts this year. I gave him the title to the car he got four years ago (paid off early!), a gift certificate to get it hand-detailed so it'll be like new again and a new travel mug - stainless steel so he can't break it this time. He had loose stones in my engagement ring and a pendant he gave me when we were in college reset and got me a GPS so I can stop getting lost trying to find hockey rinks. He also got me the soundtrack to Dr. Horrible and there's a hint that the DVD will be here for Christmas Round 2 with Momo & Opa later this week!

We're all camped in the living room, with STNG reruns on SciFi (we're taping A Christmas Story for later). I'm enjoying my new laptop desk from the boys, Ross is eating a pear, Chris has made popcorn, Lars is running the new DS game. Later, we'll put the basketball hoop together and have tacos for dinner. Not exactly traditional but it's what the boys wanted (we'll have our formal dinner when MoPa are here) and our plan for today is to hang out with each other. I hope all your Christmases are as merry!

Happy Birthday To Me!

2008-12-12T10:02:00.006-05:00

I celebrated my birthday on Tuesday - the first numbered year that's actually given me pause - I can't possibly be this old, can I? The feeling shook off quickly though and I enjoyed the rest of my day, including some wonderful presents.

We had the backsplash tile installed in the kitchen! It looks even better than I'd hoped it would and makes me very happy to see.

Chris got me a new pair of my favorite slippers - a perfect gift for the time of year and very much appreciated since my last pair were being held together with DigiComp tape.

Lars gave me a Brown Cow Webkinz. I'm planning to name her How Now.

Ross was going to give me his first school choral concert but he wound up staying home sick from school. I got hugs instead and a wonderful feeling of relief when his fever broke and he stopped puking.

My mom knitted a beautiful hat and scarf for me. I wore the scarf today and got several compliments!

My in-laws sent a perfect bracelet with hammered silver links and a bit of olive jade that will go very nicely with a lot of my wardrobe.

My best friend called and we got to spend an hour chatting away with minimal distractions, something we get three times a year - my birthday, her birthday, and WTHS. (WTHS. *longing sigh*)

Chris also ordered a raspberry tart from Wegmans and I enjoyed opening cards from far-flung friends and family. All in all, a very good day in spite of that pesky number, which must be wrong.

Breaking In The Kitchen

2008-12-08T20:19:00.005-05:00

Chris set up the automatic coffeemaker, so we'd have fresh coffee awaiting us for our first morning in the new kitchen. The house smelled wonderful when we woke up! I marvelled at how funny my brain was, thinking that coffee from the same pot could smell so much better in the new room, especially when the coffeemaker is much farther from the stairs than it used to be. Then, I heard the startled gasp Chris made as he hit the kitchen and I flew downstairs. It turned out that Chris had celebrated the return of the dishwasher by washing the coffeepot...and then forgot to put the pot in the coffeemaker. We had eight cups of coffee all over the counter and about two tablespoons of coffee on the floor. Only two tablespoons hit the floor! Our new counters are LEVEL, baby.

A day or two later, I accidentally tested an oven rack with my finger while stirring dinner. I have a great blister to prove that the new oven gets REALLY HOT.

Yesterday, I dropped one of a pair of small china vases while unwrapping things to restore the china cupboard. It hit the porcelain tile and converted into shards. If I hadn't wrapped it with its' mate, I might never have deduced what all those tiny pieces had once been. Boy, oh boy, there is no give to porcelain tile. Gardiner told me that and he is absolutely right. Tonight, Chris shattered a jar of sesame seeds. That new floor has been vacuumed almost more often in the first two weeks than the last floor was in four years! Maye when we drop some jelly, we'll mop.

I'd say we're doing a pretty good job with breaking in the kitchen...good thing we're also getting some great food out of it, too!

Tournament Wrap-up

2008-11-29T15:54:00.005-05:00

Seven games in two days; one amazing win, six hard-fought losses. Our kids, defeated in the first moments after the game, are joyful now - playing knee hockey in the hotel hallway with their friends. A lot of our families are staying tonight to let the kids celebrate being together and detox in the pool. The parents are already swapping stories from the games and reliving great moments, of which there were many. We'll remember having a great time at this tournament - a memory win, game scores and all.

What's More, There's A Floor

2008-11-07T18:26:00.003-05:00

And so it was that the tile guys came to lay the floor on Thursday, while I was in the City and Chris ran around with the kids, who were off school because it's November. We'd left instructions for the floor tiles to be set randomly but when I came home, I found them carefully arranged in a checkerboard - not exactly what I'd had in mind when we discussed random placement! I blinked several times and asked Chris if I was being difficult but he agreed, the tiles did, in fact, look like a checkerboard.

I immediately messaged our project manager, to ask if they could be rearranged. No, he said, by morning they will have set up; prying the tiles off the cement would probably crack them. He said there was a chance they could be pried up right away, washed and left until morning...so Chris and I went in. We managed to rearrange enough tiles to take away the checkerboard feeling without damaging any and the guys showed up to install the grout this afternoon. By Monday, we'll have a real floor! Week 8 pics in my Flickr.

Kitchen Update - Week 8

2008-11-05T23:25:00.003-05:00

Late this afternoon, we heard heavy footsteps on the back deck heralding the arrival of boxes of floor tile which will be installed tomorrow! They'll grout on Friday and it will cure over the weekend. Counters are expected Monday and everything can finish in a hurry, once the counters are installed.

We are, finally, at the edge of our tolerance for microwave and toaster oven meals. I've worked an additional take-out meal into our weeks, hoping to reach the new kitchen without snapping completely, and am trying not to count the hours until we'll have a real kitchen again.

Floor tomorrow!

November: A Month of Many, Many, Posts

2008-11-01T16:39:00.004-04:00

I've never been tempted to participate in NaBloPoMo. I write this blog for my own amusement and to give far-away family and friends a peek at our actions. While it feels as if I've always got something to blog about, there are days when I just don't feel like doing it. Since writing when I don't feel like it takes all the fun away, forcing myself to do it would probably result in uninspired posts. So, to spare you all the boredom of posts lacking inspiration, I am not participating in the month-long effort this year, either. I am, however, going to contribute to the Worst. Mama. Ever NaBloPoMo effort (I'm Thursdays). If you don't find a new post here on a day, you might click through to support Joy of Joy in Chaos and Heather at Screw Perfection who are giving it a go.

Chris and I are going to a get-to-know-you dinner with the Squirt B parents tonight. Rob agreed to come down and stay with the kids while we go, proving either that moving to NJ really was a sign of increased dementia or that he was still drunk from Vegas when I asked.

Spookfest 2008

2008-10-31T22:06:00.000-04:00

Halloween here follows a loose pattern, speckled with rituals from which none of us will deviate without a fight:

Momo makes the kids' costumes. They arrive a week or two before the event and there is huge celebration and a lot of trying on and wearing the outfits to practice because we all know a person just can't put on, say, a ninja outfit and suddenly BE a ninja...ninjas must be secretive and highly trained.

Chris and I always go up for the Halloween Parade at school. While there, we cement plans with other parents about where and when to meet up later since we know there won't be any chance of talking at the bus stop because the kids will all be psychotic.

Dinner is always Messy Mac & Peas (translation: frozen mac & cheese with frozen peas, both of which require minimal involvement to prepare. If we happen to eat this for dinner in March, it is still called 'Halloween Dinner'). While dinner is making, I roast pumpkin seeds to snack on. Ross is very fond of hot, crunchy, salty pumpkin seeds - he doesn't need the pumpkin carved into any shapes (although that's fun, too).
Lars always asks for his face to be painted but gets impatient and only has a little makeup put on. Ross always stands still longer, dictating more impressive scars be added here, better gashes there. He always starts off very smug about his better paint job but gets his comeuppance when it takes four times as long to wash the stuff off his face than it takes to clean up Lars.
The Dads take the kids around and the Moms hand out candy. Because our 'hood involves a lot of walking and the kids are all still pretty young, the Dads usually have a fleet of wagons (one of which is a beer cooler, atop which one kid can ride...) and the Moms often consolidate their efforts on porches here and there, to maximize social time and lessen the acreage the Dads have to cover.
As the hordes lessen and the children begin to drag, friends gather to wind down and share stories from the evening before heading to their own houses where candy will be admired and sorted.

These are the things we do every year, things that define Halloween here, things the kids talk about sporadically throughout the year as they dream fondly of the next October.

This year, though, we did some stuff off the plan:

Ross got invited to trick-or-treat with friends in a nearby neighborhood, so he cooked up a plan to go out early in our road and then have me drive him over to be with his friends. In this way, he managed to canvas two neighborhoods and now has enough candy to fuel his hockey team for a week.
We did not carve the pumpkin. The thought of attempting to wash the seeds without a colander in a sink that barely fits a coffee mug was just too daunting and besides, I don't have an oven to roast them in, unless I'm prepared to do tiny batches in the toaster oven (which I was apparently not). Also, it's amusing to watch the kitten try to figure the pumpkin out.

It felt a little odd not to have a jack-o-lantern out and I missed both the pumpkin seeds and Ross in the evening but everyone had a great time...and that's really what Halloween is all about.

Three Things About Today

2008-10-27T21:03:00.008-04:00

1. I won a Scribbit giveaway! Michelle Mitchell writes about motherhood in Alaska at Scribbit and often hosts giveaways. Last week's was for a set of personalized cards from karen cole PAPER, a shop with some totally adorable graphics for notecards, announcements, or invitations. It took me a few turns at browsing the site before I settled on a set of notecards with this cute, pink & green dress graphic.

2. It snowed. About two inches landed, looked pretty for a while, and then turned to slush. The weird thing is that it's been in the 40's all day - chilly but not really cold enough to snow. I popped up the local school closing advisory sites and waited for a call but the district surprised me and kept the kids all day, in spite of the snow.

3. I am historically good at growing mold. Chris was impressed early on by my vast display of colors and textures but it's been my ability to grow mold on things he didn't know would mold that has kept his attention all these years. I fondly remember the first time he saw mold on coffee...the look of horror on my own face when I found some on chocolate...and - Mom - remember the vibrant greens and blues from that bologna sandwich from my desk in third grade? This morning, we discovered I've outdone myself in this arena yet again - I grew a very pretty white mold on hard-boiled eggs. Kind of looks like snow, doesn't it?

Weekend Update

2008-10-26T22:32:00.002-04:00

Halloween news: Costumes are here! Both boys (and just about every other kid on our road) decided to be ninjas this year - a challenge Momo met with flair. Ross solemnly accepted the box from our mail carrier on Saturday, transporting it with reverence to the house where he and Lars attacked it with scissors. If I hadn't been choking between equally forceful desires to yell "STOP! YOU'LL CUT THE COSTUMES" and "WAIT! YOU'LL STAB YOUR BROTHER", I probably would have laughed. Luckily, nothing was cut, nobody was hurt, and everyone is excited about the fabulous ninja outfits.

Hockey news: Lars passed for two assists this morning! He also had a great shot on net from the point but it was stopped by the goalie. Ross shut everything down again, keeping the puck out of his net and helping his team win both games this weekend. We celebrated with dinner and ice cream out on the way home.

Kitchen news: Tile choice #3, different size tiles (bigger, we'll have them installed in a different pattern), different style (not tumbled), but still multi-colored slate. We think it will look great and we hope this place can deliver in the 7-10 days they say. We'll know for sure tomorrow, when they call to confirm. All crossed fingers appreciated!

Grrrr...

2008-10-23T22:40:00.001-04:00

Tile place #2 called, cheerfully, to confirm our order and say they can ship for delivery in January. We will be sourcing tile place #3 tomorrow.

Week 6 Overslept

2008-10-22T20:38:00.002-04:00

When last we met, the countertops had been templated, tile had been picked, and I was revved up for the finish of the kitchen renovation project! Then, we hit some snags.

After clearing the tile choice and installation plan with our contractor Friday and then spending Saturday ferrying the kids around to hockey and friends' houses, we went to buy the tile on Sunday. Problem - the tile we'd picked on Friday was no longer available as the company had gone out of business. I suppose it's good that we hadn't placed the order on Friday but it was annoying. We did find a very close substitute, though, and got it on order right away. It's doubtful that our PO will sustain a company but hopefully this one will stay solvent long enough to ship our tiles!

On Monday, we got shocking information about the cost of changing the color of our countertops. After a bit of hyperventilating, I did some research and sent counter information to our contractor, who did some research of his own and found that my hyperventilation was well-founded. It took a day and a half but we now have a reasonable change order. Also, it seems that despite the fabricator telling me it wasn't possible, a coved backsplash CAN be done in a kitchen and I will have one.

The electrician came over today and we sorted out the cabinet lighting so, despite the sleepy start to this week, a bit of forward progress has been made. Sadly, though, nothing to take pictures of.

We're Getting Close!

2008-10-17T14:43:00.006-04:00

With the selection of these tumbled slate tiles to finish the counter backsplash and go behind the stove, we are all done choosing things for the kitchen! Everything is either here or on order; we're just waiting now for it all to be assembled and installed. I hope my patience holds out...

I've been having a hard time getting to sleep at night - I keep stopping in the kitchen on my way up to bed and, before I know it, I've spent a good half-hour planning where the dishes will go and imagining coming home from the grocery with different foods to put away or how the making dinner dance will go (pots here, spices there, food prep on this counter -ooh! a choice of counters!- etc...). I wonder how long it will take me to stop being excited about this kitchen?

Counter Templates and Box Fort City

2008-10-15T23:34:00.006-04:00

They said the cabinets would be ready for counter templates to be done on Wednesday and, sure enough, the fabricator showed up early today. The contractors got the counter-relevant appliances into the kitchen, so the template could be fitted, so I got a peek at the new stove - six glorious burners and an oven large enough to easily fit a disobedient child!

Neither the wine fridge nor the cow made any difference to how the counters will be made, so I have to be happy with my imagination for now. Lars is happy to help me imagine every time he can sneak into the kitchen. I think he will be very disappointed when the actual appliances are filling their holes! I made baked ravioli in the toaster oven today, peeking in at my new stove now and then and wondering what we'll make for our First Meal In The New Kitchen.

Also, as I cooked, I watched the neighborhood kid-gang collect in our yard. Did you know that children are magnetically attracted to cardboard boxes? The more boxes you have, the more children will come. For those of you without a mountain of new kitchen boxes, I've recently discovered that Home Depot sells cardboard cartons for not much money. You, too, can get hours of barely supervised fun for a modest sum (and without weeks of contractors tromping around or making all your meals in a toaster oven).

It's fun to see how many different pretendings can happen at once. In this shot, the little girl is adding a turret to her castle, the little boy is defending base from aliens and Lars is sitting in the penalty box. He sat his first penalty ever last weekend and I gather he was not mentally prepared...so now he's practicing in case there's a next time!

A Picture of Something Other Than The Kitchen

2008-10-14T09:31:00.000-04:00

Lest you think that we have sold the children to finance our kitchen extravaganza (something we might do if we could only figure out how to make it work...), I submit recent photographic evidence of at least one of our cherubs:

As Ross was undressing after his game on Sunday, he asked if we could bring one of his teammates home for the afternoon, since they "never get to do anything but play hockey together". We had no fixed plans for the day, so I agreed.

Four seconds after achieving the house, I found them crammed into the tiny square of space in our living room that is not filled with kitchen-related clutter, playing something other than hockey...sort of. I teased them about it a little, so they only played one contest before taking themselves downstairs to - wait for it - play passing games with our SweetHands stick handling jig.

I finally told them it was much too nice to be cooped up in the basement, so they donned costumes and ran out to play in the woods. Neither one combusted, so we know that it is possible for them to play something other than hockey together and the potential value of my eldest as a kitchen funding device is intact, in case anyone is interested in acquiring a sometimes moody nine-year-old.

Week 5 Starts Strong

2008-10-13T20:15:00.004-04:00

The painters were here early and got the ceiling and windows done, as well as getting a base and primer coat on the walls. The primer is done in the lighter Pumpkin Cream color, so we can see what it looks like and change our minds to the darker color for the finish coats, if we want.

The painters finished around lunch time and the carpenters arrived. By the time I got home with the kids at 4pm, the carps had gotten about half the cartons opened and had the resulting cabinet parts lined up. They had also gotten the pantry tower installed! There was some confusion over what to do with a few parts of the assembly but they were on the phone with the cabinet engineer and had things sorted out by the end of the day.

Rumor has it that the rest of the cabinets will be installed by the time I get home tomorrow and they'll be bringing in appliances to template for counters by Wednesday!

Color Choices

2008-10-12T14:43:00.006-04:00

The yard sale was a blast! We made about $60 (woo!) and loved the chance to spend the day hanging around outside with friends. Votes on color were amazingly even, which was a little surprising - I really expected there to be a bigger divide.

Here are the choices, pictures taken in daylight without flash. At left, Pumpkin Cream is next to the window, Buttered Yam is below. In the interests of fair comparison, at right, Buttered Yam is next to the window with Pumpkin Cream below. Alec, if you're reading this, I put the paint on paper so I could move them around! If I'd painted them right on the wall, I'd have to wonder how the colors would look in the slightly different, position based light conditions.

So, internet, which do you like better? FYI, my choice is already made and Chris agrees...but I'm still curious about your answers!

Rounding Out Week 4

2008-10-10T20:42:00.005-04:00

Week 3 ended with delivery of the new appliances, Week 4 just finished with an unexpected twist...MORE BOXES! Cabinet lighting is now in the house, making me wonder again where on earth we're going to put everyone tomorrow.

By the way? How much cabinet lighting did I get? When I ordered LED lighting, I was thinking small and the actuality of four large boxes has me a little stunned. I'm going to have to screw up the courage to open the boxes and see what all the bulk is about. The dimming shipment earlier this week was not at all scary - see the little box, mid-frame on the left, atop the vent hood? That was it. Four dimmers and a scene station, very manageable. This fixtures business is scary.

We've also narrowed our paint choices down to two and the painter comes Monday at 8am. Swing by this weekend if you want to vote - I'll be putting big swatches up on the wall. Come Saturday and there'll also be some grilling going on...just don't expect a fancy choice of places to sit unless Bibliofilly's couch hasn't sold.

Upcoming Event, or, Did You Guys Think That Through?

2008-10-09T21:33:00.003-04:00

So, we're sitting around watching drywall dry. The guys came back to do a second coat of mud yesterday but were off today while it all cures. We're suspecting they'll sand tomorrow, then pre-paint work on Saturday and cabinet install will start Monday!

In a typically chaotic move, we're having at least six guests over on Saturday. Our entire house is filled with enormous cartons of cabinets and appliances and there will be a team here adding a nice fresh paint-smell to everything. Our driveway is filled with an enormous dumpster. The nice wicker furniture on our front porch is actually balanced atop some of the cartons of cabinetry and one or two of the appliances.

How does it happen that we've got a pile of people coming over when we can barely fit our selves into our domain these days? Well, we got the notice for our semi-annual neighborhood yard sale - always a good time - and we've only got one partially conflicting hockey game, so I signed up (half of us can go to hockey for a while). Then, I realized that I can't reach most of the stuff I'd planned to put out for the next yard sale, due to all the boxes. Fearing we would be the poopiest house on the yard sale map, I called in reinforcements. Our regular yard-sale pals just had their own town sale last week, but two other friends are getting married and combining households - they were thrilled with the prospect of a yard sale and are even starting to cart their duplicates over a day ahead. Epiphany and her clan will also be over, for moral support (a yard sale is always more fun with extras).

So, Chris and I are marinating the better part of a hen house to barbecue. I'll steam some veggies in the microwave to toss with a dressing, we've got assorted bags of chips and dips, and plenty of beer to cover what we might otherwise be lacking. I hope the weather's good because, if it's not, we're all going to be milling about in the approximately twelve square feet of floor space still available downstairs or partying in the now ridiculously large master bathroom.

Bibliofilly? Lady E? Consider yourselves warned.

We Have Drywall!

2008-10-06T21:16:00.003-04:00

Those of you tuning in for the kitchen updates may drool over drywall here. Rumor has it there may be painting on Friday. This only scares me a little, as we have not yet chosen a paint color. I suppose we should get on that...

What I'm Up To

2008-10-04T21:06:00.000-04:00

I read this list at Joy in Chaos and then at Adventures in Becoming Myself. Both posts made me feel a bit closer to faraway friends so I thought I'd put up a summary of my own.

Sitting...on my back deck with the toasty remains of a fire-bowl fire. We roasted hotdogs over it for dinner - Paige gave me the idea. Actually, she had a much better idea for caramel apples but we only had one apple and no caramel.

Smelling...the cedar burning in the fire bowl.

Listening...to crickets heralding the dusk. Also to Chris, who is cleaning the basement. He comes out now and then to get my advice on whether to toss something out or not. My answer is almost always yes.

Drinking...Blue

Reading...Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

Also reading...a lot of energy codes.

Loving...feeling at home, even if it is in New Jersey.

Dreading...fall cleaning my room (what else is new?)

Eagerly anticipating...the new kitchen! And a clean basement.

Worrying...that I don't appreciate what I have enough; that I've forgotten something important.

Wishing...for indulgences: cleaning lady, lottery win, early retirement.

Praying...to keep my luxuries: true love, happiness, health, faith.

Grateful...every single day.

Sharing...my thoughts with you.

Gala Invitation

2008-10-04T12:02:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago, I received this autumnal card with the date of the upcoming USGBC-NY fall gala. Pretty, right? I'm invited because I sit on the USGBCNY Green Codes Task Force, Lighting & Daylighting committee.

This week, the actual gala invitation came. I noticed the envelope was heavy and no wonder - the formal invitation is printed on a copper plate! The enclosure notes, "This copper has one of the highest recycled content of any engineering metal (98%). Copper shingles will never end up in a landfill as they are 100% recyclable and hold a salvage value." Environmentally friendly and completely gorgeous. Anyone want to send me $750 so I can attend the gala?

Friday

2008-10-03T23:31:00.006-04:00

In case we didn't have enough cartons around, a few more arrived today. Appliances! Cabinet hardware! The kitchen passed building & fire inspections and is all insulated and ready to be sheetrocked on Monday. Week 3 pics here!

There's a neighborhood garage sale next weekend and I'm beginning to wonder if I'll be able to get at any of the things I'd planned to put out for it. We've signed up anyhow and have invited friends to bring their stuff over so our yard won't be empty if I still can't reach anything in playroom.

Despite her festive head cone, Kippah managed to untie one of her sutures today, so we made a quick trip to the vet to have it retied (and all the sutures glued, for good measure). Kippah is not letting the cone get in the way of much. She continues to protect me from printed documents and has even figured out how to get through the cat door (not always on the first attempt...).

We hosted our first dinner guests in our temporary kitchen - Bibliofilly and Robert came over for an informal toaster-oven meal of quesadillas and pizza. I cooked one by one, cut and served to share, appetizer style. Baking on foil, serving on paper plates and drinking beer right from cans made cleaning up a snap and a good time was had by all.

A weekend full of hockey awaits - I'm off to get some sleep.

Wednesday Update

2008-10-01T22:51:00.003-04:00

Kippah is home and doing well. She doesn't think much of the head cone she's in but it should only be on for a week or so, until her incision heals.

The kitchen work passed first electrical and plumbing inspections today, and is scheduled for a building inspection tomorrow. The plan is to be insulated by the end of the week and to start closing the walls on Monday!

It's Not All About The Kitchen

2008-10-01T08:47:00.001-04:00

We are also focused on Keeping The House Safe From Printed Documents. We'd also shred those documents for you, if our claws weren't trimmed.

Kippah's at the vet today. We (surprisingly, that's 'we' as in 'we and also Pixie') miss her already but she'll be home later, only missing a few parts in the middle. I'll be floating prayers all day that Kippah will get through surgery ok and will have an easy recovery.

The First Before & Afters

2008-09-30T19:35:00.006-04:00

Before...note the windows and that lovely cinderblock chimney that is (and, apparently, always has been) completely useless:

After...ta-da! They'll put cedar shakes on the framing once the caulk is dry:

That chimney that went right through the master bathroom?

Gone! The master bath is now enormous, making me think probable thoughts about a larger closet someday...

In other news, the kitchen/dining room door is moved! See the progress in Week 3 photos at Flickr.

Why It Was Hard To Be Away From Home Last Week

2008-09-29T19:48:00.007-04:00

It was hard to be away from home last week!

Lars called on Tuesday, "Mama! Ross and I were wrestling and he punched me and my tooth came out!" Lars was still proud of the missing tooth and happy to have been visited by the Tooth Fairy when I got home.

On Wednesday, the new windows were installed! Chris took photos of Days 3 &4 and uploaded them for me to see but viewing them on my phone was awkward (internet in my hotel room didn't work). Based on the postage-stamp size photo not looking as I'd expected it to look, I panicked about the location of the bay window and Chris got the guys to stop working on repairing the outside until I could get home and determine if I wanted them to move it or not. Luckily, I liked it better in person than in the photo, so it doesn't have to be moved.

On Thursday, I talked Chris through answering the EC's questions at the start of rough-in. I was not in a position to spend a lot of time on the phone, so Chris translated as best he could and gave the EC a bunch of .pdf cut sheets so he could see the expected equipment and get started. I cleared up the EC's remaining questions when I got home Friday and he was able to finish rough-in.

Friday brought truckloads of cabinets our way. The cartons are EVERYWHERE! Playroom is filled to the roof, there are huge boxes on the front porch, in the dining room, and in the back hall. I honestly don't know how they're going to fit everything in the kitchen - it's not that big a room! I'm excited to see what happens next and prepared to be amazed by the magic. Chris pointed out that the cartons are no doubt oversized, so some of the bulk will go away when the packaging is removed...but still! There's a LOT of carton in the house right now.

In other news, we've determined the floor (for sure) and counter color (we think; final decision will be made once floor and cupboards are in), light fixtures and cabinet hardware are on order, and appliances will be delivered on Friday. First permit inspections are scheduled for this Thursday - once inspections are passed, they'll close the walls and the real fun will begin. Chris and I still need to determine paint color, pick a faucet, and figure out what we'll sort of fireproof treatment we'll have behind the stove. We're on a mission to figure these last details out and hire a painter (the one thing our GC doesn't do) this week.

We ran out of salt in the little salt cellar this weekend and I realized that the refill box is packed (along with 98% of the kitchen). Rather than dig through everything to find it, I just put salt on the shopping list - it's not as if it will spoil. Chris returned from the store mildly irked and without salt. His comment was, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to buy Kosher salt just before Rosh Hashanah?" Oops.

Chorus: Kippah Got Out Again

2008-09-21T22:29:00.003-04:00

On Thursday, the guys came back and the carpenters worked hard to get a level subfloor in place. They'd finished by the end of the day, so it'll be quiet here until Tuesday, when they'll return to frame out the new door & windows (windows are being delivered on Monday). Photosets are up on Flickr.

Thursday evening brought some neighbors in to see the progress so far and, as they were leaving, a woman collecting donations to fund "education and lobbyists to hold our legislators accountable for providing quality healthcare for everyone" showed up. She couldn't give me any specifics about what, exactly, they were going to teach or to whom they were going to teach this unspecified curriculum. She was also extremely rude, poking at me with her clipboard and pen and, when I glanced down at the page on the clipboard she'd thrust at me, she squatted down so she could MAKE EYE CONTACT WHILE SPEAKING TO ME. If I broke eye contact to look at her form, she'd stop speaking and dodge a little to get my eyes again. While I respected her tenacity, she was indescribably annoying - I wanted her gone and gone fast. As I was backing into the house, though, Kippah came out to the porch to see what was going on. Over-does-it-girl squealed, "Is your CAT supposed to come OUT," and Kippah fled under the porch. Fifteen minutes later, Lars and I had tracked Kippah to under the back deck, where we planned to keep an eye on her until she chose an exit point. Annoying girl? Was still standing on the front lawn. I finally told her we were going to be a while and I didn't want to waste her time - she could go. She actually asked if she could come back later! I said, thank you, no. When we finally retrieved Kippah, I took her up for a shower, which she's actually a pretty good sport about.

I enjoyed the quiet to work in on Friday, something that will be rare until the project is done. I ran out at 4pm to pick up dinner and groceries and came home to find Chris stalking Kippah in the yard. He'd been on the phone in Playroom and had suddenly seen her come strolling around the back of the house, onto the deck. ?!? After we caught her, I yelled a bit about the importance of keeping an eye out for her when entering or leaving the house and took her up for a shower, which she was still a pretty good sport about.

Saturday morning saw us all getting ready to go to a Squirt hockey game. On the way downstairs after my shower, I thought I heard Kippah crying like she was trapped somewhere. I opened the bathroom and the hall closet but she wasn't in there. I went out to playroom and there she was, OUTSIDE the door. AGAIN. As I scooped her up and whipped her into the shower with Chris, Lars discovered the kitchen window was open - must have been left open by the workmen on Thursday and we'd never thought to go in and check (the room is draped shut). Kippah was not so sporty about showering with Chris, or maybe she was just sick of showers; she bore it noisily.

Saturday afternoon, after I'd apologized for yelling at the boys about letting Kippah out, and after Kippah had learned the hard way (bang!) that the window is now closed, we went to a party for the Mites' families. About half the kids are returning vets; the others are new to the team, if not new to local hockey, and the gathering was a chance for the kids and parents to get to know each other. We all had a great time and I'm glad to know the people I'll be spending so many cold 6ams with are fun.

Sunday featured more hockey - another Squirt game, this time a win - a quick Target run, and some housework. At some point in the weekend, we thought we'd lost both Chris' AmEx and his reloading Sbux card, but both were found stowed safely (if absentmindedly) in our own pockets.

I leave for a tradeshow in the morning - I won't be back until Friday night. Chris is charged with taking pictures of the construction while he's home and I'll update when I get home...by which point I'll be much more eager than any of you to see the progress!

On The First Day Of Demo...

2008-09-18T23:36:00.000-04:00

...My true love cleaned the refrigerator. We had to take everything out of it to move it anyway, so he figured why not? That was at the start of the day. To fit the fridge parts into the basement scrub sink, Chris took the washer drain hose out during the chore. At the end of the day, he ran a load of wash which (hose is out, remember?) flooded the basement. So, we got in a little wee-hours wet-vaccing. At least we figured out the problem before calling the contractor in a panic. (Water! Everywhere! Help!) The thing is? Our GC rocks - he totally would have come over - so I'm glad we figured out we were dopes on our own. The clean fridge is now installed (loose interpretation of installed, here) in the dining room, completing our temporary kitchen setup. The enormous table I bought last year is really handy for storage underneath and lots of temporary counter space.

In an hour and forty-five minutes, the guys had deconstructed everything but the floor. Getting the floor up took most of the afternoon but the guys left the site at the end of the day with demolition complete. After they'd gone, I went down to the basement and took pictures looking up through the kitchen. Hi, Second Floor! They got the subfloor laid - LEVEL! - today. We tossed marbles on it and watched with glee as they stopped in the middle of the room, short distances from where they'd initially landed.

We've discovered a few interesting tidbits about the house. The wall between our kitchen and dining room was an outside wall - there were siding planks hiding out behind the drywall. An old door was also uncovered across the room. There are not as many unsavory discoveries as we were expecting, and the ones that are turning up (like the wall supports that aren't actually long enough to reach the header) will be fixed.

Pictures from the first two days of construction are up at Flickr.

Stay tuned...

On Patience

2008-09-17T23:25:00.001-04:00

Good things come to those who wait.
Patience is a virtue.
(S)he that can have patience can have what (s)he will.
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under Heaven.

Say what you like, MY WAIT IS OVER. My time to break down is here! My time to build up is on the way, and there is MUCH rejoicing! Before pictures with descriptions are up at Flickr.

We've planned to wash as little as possible over the course of the renovation, since the downstairs bathroom sink is tiny - we'd have to haul anything larger than a teacup upstairs or down to be washed. So we've stocked up on recyclable dishes and will cook on foil or in recyclable bags. I was thrilled to discover they make crockpot condoms, so we can have stews and chili. Everything else will be cooked in the toaster oven or microwave. I am optimistic that we'll be able to make reasonable meals and hopeful that it won't get too frustrating before we're done. Since we packed all the glasses, Chris found champagne in cans (with straws!) to celebrate the construction kick-off. It's not our usual, but nice (in a trailer trash sort of way).

Teeth? Who Needs Teeth?

2008-09-11T10:48:00.005-04:00

Lars is not the only Mites player with "Professional Hockey Teeth" this year.

Homework - A Survival Story

2008-09-09T19:03:00.003-04:00

"Mama, I have to do this multiplication using the Traditional Method, the one that's been used for hundreds of years, like when you were in school." I regard him silently, considering whether he is cute enough, today, to live. I decide to give him the benefit of the doubt and he instantly abuses the privilege, "Did you have to do it this way because there weren't any calculators?"

"We had calculators. We were just smarter than kids are now - we didn't need to use calculators to get the answers right."

"Mama! I can do these problems without a calculator." I just smirk at him. Incensed, he whips his pencil into position and cranks out the answers. I arch an eyebrow at the completed assignment, impressed. I hope taunting will be as effective for the whole school year!

It's 8:11am, and...

2008-09-03T08:43:00.002-04:00

...they're on the bus! Pictures and details in my Flickr.

Labor Day in Canada

2008-09-02T11:09:00.006-04:00

There are no pictures of the perfect weekend we just spent at the cottage, mainly because we forgot the camera. Even if had we had remembered it, though, we might not have used it. Our days were spent languidly moving from cottage (eating, sleeping) to beach, (swimming, sailing, playing Kubb, playing catch, searching for lucky stones and looking at fossils on the point) as whim directed. Our nights were spent chatting with family and falling asleep to the sound of waves rolling on the beach. Even the long drive home did little to dampen our relaxed spirits.

Today, Ross is going to a birthday party, Lars is moping about not being allowed to play his DS, Chris is circuit-tracing in anticipation of our kitchen construction, I'm working. We're all a little edgy - aware that tomorrow our fall schedule will crash into life with no easing in - but I'm still riding the benefits of our weekend away and only a tiny part of me is wondering if we're ready for what tomorrow will bring.

How To Distract Boys Who Are Worried Their Kitten Will Die

2008-08-22T22:20:00.004-04:00

During tonight's shower & get ready for bed extravaganza, the toilet was filled and not flushed and our kitten, an adventurous sort, leaped up to investigate. She slipped on some drips on the seat, though, and fell in. SPLASH! She immediately leaped out and began to lick her leg. EEEEEWWW! KIPPAH'S DRINKING PEE-PEE!

Chris, being of sound (if angry & frustrated) mind, picked the dripping kitten up and deposited her in our shower, where she could be enclosed for a nice wash. The children finally got their wits about them and fled to their beds, tearful that the kitten might be about to die. SHE DRANK PEE.

I washed the kitten. Then, as Chris hadn't been successful at calming the boys, I went in...with this:

"Drinking pee-pee is gross. It is disgusting and you should NOT do it, BUT...it will not kill you. In fact, if you are stranded on a sailboat on the ocean, you should drink your own pee-pee, you should not drink the salty ocean. If you are stranded in a sailboat on Lake Erie, though, drink Lake Erie - it's marginally better than your own pee. IF YOU ARE NOT STRANDED ON THE OCEAN IN A SAILBOAT, do not drink your own pee. Even though it won't kill you."

Lars tried to interject with a question, but I cut him off, "NO QUESTIONS. GO TO SLEEP."

Both boys seem to have forgotten their worry that the kitten might die.

cross posted at Worst.Mama.Ever.

No Longer On His Menu: Corn on Cob, Whole Apples, Candy Dots

2008-08-20T08:21:00.002-04:00

7:10am - Ross climbed out of bed and farted and Lars hollered, "My tooth came out!"

Ahhh...morning boys.

Mastering My Inner Squirrel

2008-08-19T11:19:00.007-04:00

As summer wanes, I usually begin to stock up the pantry. Despite the fact that snow here barely lasts long enough to get hungry, I'm not comfortable facing winter without at least a few days' worth of food in long-term storage. I expect I'll retire to Florida with kitty litter and a blanket in my trunk, too - old habits are hard to break.

This year, though, I'm mastering my need to stockpile. In spite of the calendar, we are eating down the pantry and emptying the freezer. Why? Because in just a few weeks, we will be living without a kitchen and my desire not to move or throw out a lot of food is stronger than my need to horde for winter.

Last week, I pulled a sirloin roast out of the freezer. It was too big to make just for us, so we called in Bibliofilly & Robert for help. They gamely arrived on Friday in time to help us finish off a couple of cheeses before the meal. In a gracious gesture, the meat thermometer volunteered not to be moved. The roast was still delicious.

Die Siedler von Catan

2008-08-18T07:40:00.001-04:00

Our family souvenier from Germany is a board game, Die Siedler von Catan. It's a game of strategy and luck, you collect resources to expand your settlements to a certain size before your opponents can expand theirs. The board changes shape every time you play and resources are collected based on die rolls. A band of robbers move about the board whenever a seven is rolled, depriving you of resources from a particular piece of land and also stealing some resources from your existing hand. Extra points can be earned from things like having the longest road, the largest army or plain luck - you can trade three resources for a development card that might have a library or marketplace worth a point. Lars is especially fond of the game. As soon as he gets over his love of the longest road (he builds ALL his roads before anything else), he will win the game. Until then, I win all the time. I can trail the entire game - by enough points to get depressed about - and then, suddenly grab four points at once and surpass everyone at the end. I like to think it's due to my superior intelligence and ironclad strategy but a lot of it is luck. Either way, it DRIVES CHRIS NUTS. He doesn't mind losing sometimes but losing ALL the time, especially when he's feeling confident of a win right up until the moment of the loss, really gets to him. I'm coaching Lars in head-to-head games a couple of times per week with the hope that he'll be able to share the winning sometime soon!

Germany, Part 1

2008-08-16T10:13:00.002-04:00

A month ago, I was lounging (as much as one can lounge while on vacation with kids) in Germany, surrounded by family, friends, amazing sites and great food. Thanks to the digital age, processing our copious pictures did not break our budget - instead, they just take time to sort and process into sizes I can share. I'm about half done, so here's the first batch of highlights from our trip.

We visited Ronneburg as our first outing - a fabulous castle that has been carefully kept. Other castles I've been to can be described as picturesque ruins, this one seems as if it's just waiting for you to pull up with a moving truck. Unlike historical sites in the States, Ronneburg is a self-guided tour, with very few places cordoned off so you can take your time and let your imagination run as you wander freely. Don't miss the "Guide Peacock" (he's inside) in the pictures, he was Lars' favorite part. A bucket is provided at the castle well, so you can drop a little water down to hear how deep the well is. Ross took a video; so did I.

Büdingen is the town at the foot of the castle. We enjoyed wandering around a bit, had some ice cream and played on a Spielplatz (playground) - the first of MANY we visited along the trip. Pictures here...

Near Katja & Tommy's home is Edelbrennerei Dirker, maker of fine schnaps in every flavor (except maple, which we've decided might be a good idea). Their Apfel Strudel schnaps is just heavenly - I'm content to just sniff it but it tastes good, too.

Wuppertal has a hanging train! We stopped for an amazing ride on our way from Frankfurt to Dortmund. We also had lunch and a stop in Starbucks (our only for the trip) for a blast of caffeine and warmth. Picures here; video here.

Seligenstadt featured my favorite sign of the trip, at the road to the ferry across the Main. There's also a beautiful Benedictine Abbey, which was founded in 830. More pictures here. We had ice cream while waiting for the return ferry - another theme of the trip.

I Go To The City For Work And Just LOOK What Happens

2008-08-13T18:18:00.001-04:00

Vertical Naps

2008-08-04T19:10:00.007-04:00

Bethany sent some lovely compliments about my blog recently, mentioning that one of the things she likes is the occasional cute kitten picture. Since I'm still working on the Germany pictures, here are a couple of cute kitten shot to tide you over - Kippah folds herself vertically to nap:

I am working as fast as I can on the Germany pictures both because I want to share them AND because I will be able to blog about our kitchen renovation very soon...we go to contract tomorrow!

Finally, today is the one-year anniversary of breaking my leg. I'm happy to report all my bones are back together and no, I'm not planning to break anything in memory of last year's experience.

At The Boardwalk

2008-08-01T21:30:00.004-04:00

It's the part of summer when Bibliofilly's niece is here to visit, which means many things to the three kids between us...namely mini-golf, ice cream, and the beach. This year, we all did mini-golf and ice cream but since we just got back from Germany, we weren't going to make the beach. Never one to shrink from challenge, Bibliofilly offered to take the kids - Robert's car would fit everyone and then her niece would have someone to play with. We compromised on sending Ross with them for the day. Lars spent the day with his friends at Summer Playgrounds and then played World of Warcraft as a treat when he got home. The beachgoers arrived back at our place in time for dinner, full of sun, sand, and stories shared over the meal (grilled pork with apricots & red onion - yum).

In other news, Chris solved my photo problem by setting up a 500GB RAID array. Now that my computer isn't choking on 40GB of picture data (not all from Germany), I can run my photo editor again, which means Germany pictures will come soon!

Note To Self

2008-07-30T13:17:00.002-04:00

Memorize official name of important professional panel you are on; "Green Code Thing" just doesn't pack the right punch.

Recurring Fantasy - Monkey Edition

2008-07-27T19:24:00.005-04:00

Two summers ago, Monkey Rescue was born. In the years since, Monkey Base Camp has been revisited often. Adventures are had, jubilant reports are brought back to the house to share over snacks. Less often, the monkeys are all on vacation so important repairs can be made to Monkey Base.

When maintenance had been completed today, I asked if Ross knew where the monkeys had gone. "Not really, but I'm sure they couldn't go anywhere exciting because they don't know the rules about your shoes and your belt at the airport."

"Monkey's don't generally wear shoes or belts," I pointed out.

Ross gave me an exasperated look. "The monkeys live on a jobsite, Mama, they have to have work boots and tool belts."

Vacation Spoils

2008-07-26T13:17:00.003-04:00

In addition to approximately 20kg dirty underwear, we ~~smuggled~~ brought back:

2 tubes mustard
some Zuckerrüben
a new Spätzlepresse
2 litre Kraftbräu flask
1.5 litre schnaps
2 bottles Kleiner Feigling
a puzzle
a poster
a game
a couple of books
2 model cars
1 lizard named Upsilon
1 frog called Spike
3 kilos Gummi Bears
2 kilos chocolate
a tiny tripod LED flashlight
a garlic press
kitchen tongs
a shirt from Modehaus Hochstetter
6 pairs Birkenstock

First Day Home

2008-07-24T08:46:00.003-04:00

The children must have been worn out from travel yesterday, as they did not get up at 2:30am! They slept until 3:30am. Everyone was up, dressed, and fed by 5:30, so our guests took off at 6:00am for parts north. Fraukow and the boys really miss Joe and Chris' Mom and Dad are stopping to pick up their new puppy on the way home, so the early start is good thing for all. Also? It's 8:30am and I'm already unpacked and doing laundry here. I'm back at work tomorrow, so today's my day to recover the house and get groceries. The kids can't do their playgrounds program today, due to rain, but it's probably good for them to have a quiet day at home, too.

2008-07-23T19:04:00.002-04:00

We made it home! We had no problems with the flight or customs or the shuttle (the shuttle rocked so much that we will certainly be using that service again). We ordered Thai for dinner and watched a glorious rainstorm from the sanctity of the porch while Chris and his Dad went to get the food. Most everyone has turned in, the few of us left up are struggling. I'm torn between fighting for 8pm to attain normal time faster and going to bed now so I'm better prepared for the kids, who will no doubt spring awake at 2:30am, looking for breakfast. We tried to explain the finer points of jet lag but I'm pretty sure they missed the point completely.

Vacation, Last Night

2008-07-22T14:48:00.000-04:00

Löwen und Tiger und Bären, oh vey!

Home in 24; just not ready for it to all be over.

Vacation, An Update

2008-07-20T11:34:00.004-04:00

In case you don't follow my Twitter, Germany rocks. Let's do the numbers so far:

4 countries: Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg...three of them at once!
786 pictures (the keepers will someday show up in my Flickr)
5 rainshowers, mostly at times we were planning to be inside anyhow.
1 completely amazing double rainbow
6 children
4 ice-creams
2 rental cars, one from France
1 hysterical childrens' show about reproduction and birth
15 postcards
2 Roman ruins
4 buildings built in 830 (or earlier); still in active use today
Between us all, more glasses of wine than can be counted using ordinal numbers

Miss you (and your blogs) all; home on Thursday.

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

2008-07-08T01:16:00.002-04:00

Tuesday will bring five guests to our house for an overnight pitstop before we all head to the airport to begin our vacation - two weeks in Germany! I'll be toting electronics but have no idea if, or how often, I'll be able to blog. If there's a gap, count on stories and pictures upon my return!

Conversation Shorts

2008-07-06T20:24:00.001-04:00

Me: I've had to change the bank password AGAIN. Do you care?

He: Are you dead?

Me: Not yet.

He: Then, no.
=========================================

She: You guys didn't show up for the party! Are we shunned?

Me: *sigh* *eyeroll* Hampers flew at heads, walls were pounded, loud bad words...

She: Everything ok?

Me: In the end, sure.

She: *conspiratorial grin* Glad you didn't come, then. By the way? I'm TOTALLY using this as an object lesson for my kids.

July? ROCKS. (A List)

2008-07-05T13:29:00.001-04:00

* Money for new kitchen!

* Completely unexpected professional honor of such magnitude that I had trouble breathing when I got the call. I feel SO not worthy but am delighted all the same.

* Three Wishing Wells on a row. Not the middle, so I still have reason to play...

* New printer - one that actually prints without incantations and chicken killing.

* Playroom has been kept neat for three weeks on end, so far. Yesterday, the boys cleaned up when they were done WITHOUT BEING REMINDED. Mamas everywhere are dropping in shock. A brief interview revealed the boys have realized they like going in there to play when it doesn't look like a swirling, toy covered death trap.

* Hot new haircut.

* Germany! Two weeks.

* Chris weeded his dresser and his desk. I know he only worked on his desk because he was looking for something (and no, I did not plant what he was looking for at the bottom...) but still.

What other wonders might this month hold?

Daddy Said We Could Dig

2008-07-03T10:34:00.005-04:00

"Mama, I'm going to meet Ryan on the far side of the shed, by Rachel's house. We're going to DIG!"

"Wait! You're going to what? Dig?"

"Daddy said we could dig a hole the size of a hockey net!"

"Do we have bodies to hide? I shouldn't think you'd want to bury the hockey net." I get only a puzzled look in response. I try again, "Why are you digging?"

"Because it's fun." Of course.

Later, I find Chris. "You told the kids they could dig a hole the size of a hockey net?"

"Oh, did they work on it today?" He looks pleased. I nod and wait. "We've been talking about a compost, right? And we'll need a hole to start it in?" Comprehension dawns and I marvel at my husband's brilliant plan.

Pantene Beautiful Lengths

2008-07-02T14:30:00.004-04:00

I donated my ponytail to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program! I forgot to bring a camera to my hair appointment, so there are no pictures of the actual event, only before and after pictures.

Before:

After:

Changing My Major

2008-07-01T00:05:00.001-04:00

I am totally changing my major to something in bio-research.

Update: "Related Videos" is an evil time-suck vortex apparently populated, in large part, with biology students and Russian Synchronized Swimmers.

Getting Back To Nature - Parent Edition

2008-06-30T14:11:00.001-04:00

Every June, our school sends home a barrage of suggestions for activities we might do to encourage continued development in literacy and creativity over the summer holiday. This year, there seems to be a get-back-to-nature theme and we are urged to inspire our children to keep a journal of prose or poetry - perhaps haiku - and drawings of natural things around them. Parents are instructed to also keep a summer journal, as an example and so discussions about summer journaling will not be one-sided.

My hackles are up about being assigned summer homework. I don't even like the kids having homework during the school year. I know the justification is that starting earlier forms a better habit but, frankly, the boys are still working on much more basic habit forming, like remembering to brush their teeth each day. Also, our school pretty clearly places the homework burden on the parent. It is, of course, the student's assignment but when the homework isn't done it is the parent who gets a series of stern notes and then calls for meetings where lectures on the importance of homework and maintaining a unified link between school and home are given. That punishment for failing to do homework falls to the parents is absurd. It's my job to punish my children for not doing things they are responsible for at home, like their chores. The school should assign consequences for failure to meet expectations at school.

Sadly, the school seems unlikely to assign its' own consequences. They fancy themselves a nurturing place where students learn and grow through encouragement...but I think the lack of punishment-type activities keeps them away from lawsuits. So, they don't get sued and I'm supposed to be a thug and force my children through their homework each day (and now, delightfully, over the summer break). Some parents we know actually do the homework for their children, which rubs us wrong. Even though we don't agree with the kids having the homework, we feel it gets done or it doesn't but BY THE CHILD.

While I didn't even consider for a minute making the boys (or us) do summer homework, I did think about what the consequences might be. What will happen when I don't turn in my summer journal? Will it cause trouble or embarrassment for my children? Will the school send home a make-up assignment? Can I just point them to my blogs? Tune in mid-September for the answers to these pressing questions.

Rafting with Rob

2008-06-29T13:10:00.000-04:00

In summers before we had the kids, I went rafting in the Delaware Water Gap at least once each summer with friends and Chris has been going since he moved down here, too. After the kids came along, we stopped going. Rafting on the Delaware, at least the section we go on, is not exactly high-risk but it's also not something that would be fun to do with babies or toddlers so we skipped seven years, until Lars (our youngest) was five. Last year, we missed rafting due to my broken leg so it was with great anticipation that we got on the river yesterday to enjoy a perfect afternoon with Rob.

We spent six hours floating lazily down the Gap, leaping off to swim as desired, stopping to explore the shore now and then, paddling a few times when the upriver wind was stronger than the current (Chris wished for a sail). The kids are not ready to make the big jump off the cliff at the end of the trail but they love watching others make the leap. On the way home, we stopped for dinner and cones in a Dairy Queen, topping a great day with a once-per-year treat.

Everyone slept well last night!

Nerd Camp

2008-06-28T11:56:00.000-04:00

Lars has been interested in 4H activities this year. Our local chapter advertises by distributing fliers in the schools and Lars asked to go for events about science and puppets. The last 4H flier that came home was a week-long day camp that would run right after school let out for summer. Lars was predictably excited when he found out we'd signed him up. Ross was not. Ross went into a pouty funk that lasted - in bursts - for weeks, right up to and including the ride to drop them off for the first time. He did not want to go to a camp where there would be LEARNING. It would be SUMMER VACATION. Only NERDS would go to a camp with LEARNING. Ross is NOT an NERD. He did not want to go to NERD CAMP.

Nevertheless, Ross was deposited at Nerd Camp as scheduled. At dinner that night, we got an earful from him! There were snakes! A lizard you could touch! He demonstrated how lizards smell with their tongues. He said there was a goat! And snack! They made knapsacks to carry their camp things! And got water bottles! He really liked one of the counselors and a friend from school and hockey was in his group. Chris and I listened with smiles and during a break toward the end of his enthusiastic diatribe, I couldn't resist sticking in, "So Nerd Camp was ok?" Ross tried to glower at me but he couldn't pull it off.

Lars added that his group had done Educal outside. Educal? We looked at him quizzically. "You know," he said, "Educal Physication. It's like gym at school only outside and with games. E-P?" Ahhhh, we sighed with comprehension. EP.

The boys spilled out of the car after Day 2, each sporting a large, decorated cardboard box. They ran into playroom, dropped the boxes, and then ran outside shouting they were going to get everyone on the street for the Magic Show! Sure enough, the neighborhood attended in force and the kids each demonstrated five or six magic tricks they'd learned that day. "Nerd Camp has a magician who shows you how to do tricks? Cool!" I exclaimed (I have no restraint).

"Mama!" Admonished Ross, "Stop calling it NERD CAMP. It is FOUR-H."

On Day 3, Ross began his dinnertime recap with an impish grin and, "It was Water Festival Day at Nerd Camp!"

Day 4 was all about plants. They made flowered pens that sit in little pots of beans. They planted herbs that they brought home for me. They went on a Nature Walk. Lars learned that the four H's stand for Head, Heart, Health and - he thinks, Fingers.

Day 5 was full of games and making ice cream and getting ready for the Farewell Ceremony, which featured a video montage made by the oldest campers (5th-6th graders) during the week. Lars was proud of his starring role jumping rope and his several cameo appearances.

The Camp Director (also head of 4H here) and I were chatting when I picked Ross up on the last day. I told her about "Nerd Camp" and she burst out laughing - her own son calls it Nerd Camp too! There's no question that the boys want to go back next year and I think they will be sad on Monday when it is not time to get in the car and go down to 4H.

When The Knobs Fall Off They Are Staying Off

2008-06-27T17:22:00.002-04:00

5pm Friday finds us in the kitchen enjoying a champagne toast to the old kitchen, which will soon be a memory! Now that I can taste the new kitchen (mmm...bubbly!), I realize there are actually things I will miss about the disaster in which we currently house our food:

1. Ease of access. At least half the cupboard doors do not stay shut, so most of the time, you can just reach in and get what you need. Some of the cupboards that have working doors are missing side walls, so you can still just reach in and get what you need.

2. Ready Communication. Several gaps in the floor open to the basement, so I can speak in a normal voice and be heard by anyone down there. It's also very easy to check if the kids have left the lights on.

3. Flexibility. Since nothing in the kitchen is currently attached to anything else, I have ultimate flexibility to change the shape of the room at any time. Don't like the butcher block there? Trade it with the Formica piece over there! Sick of the corner cupboard (which is not in a corner) (and is an upper cabinet sitting on the floor) next to the refrigerator? Why not just move it over by the silverware drawer! really, the possible combinations are endless.

In spite of these, I am sure I will grow to love the new kitchen in time (approximately .3258µs) but I will forever treasure certain memories of the old.

Good To Know

2008-06-25T23:13:00.001-04:00

In a Google search for "leprechaun named steve", my blog comes up first (thank you, Ross). While I can't begin to explain why, I feel this is good to know and I'm excited to see if my traffic goes up due to my strong listing postion. Just think! Twos of people must search "leprechaun named steve" every day! And I am first! The potential? HUGE.

We're Going To Pretend I've Been Posting All Along

2008-06-24T21:30:00.012-04:00

In order for you to keep up pretense on your end, here are a few things you should know:
Our heirloom peonys (from Chris' Great-Grandfather Browning's garden) bloomed this year, the first time in this house! They are the size of a nine-year-old's head and smell wonderful.

Pixie will tolerate Kippah at close range (even without support of wooden hippos) but she remains unamused.

Lars didn't seem to notice he was smaller than the his Spring League 3-on-3 opponents and they had a heck of a time keeping up with him.

A friend of thirty-two years (or so) was ordained as a Minister in the Unitarian Universalist Church at the Fourth Universalist Society in New York City. My family and hers are spread to the winds but this is the second year in a row we've all been together for a celebration! Last year was my sister's graduation from nursing school.

The daughter of a blogging friend broke her leg (we know how that feels around here...) and Lars stepped in with some cheering-up.

We now return to our normally scheduled posting.

Today is SO Hot That...

2008-06-09T18:35:00.003-04:00

...Pixie did not even lift her head or comment when Kippah shared the favorite chair.

...the light in our freezer is frozen off.

...a popsicle melts to a puddle in under four minutes.

...school closed early due to excessive heat.

...the boys are laying on the floor near each other, calmly taking turns asking & answering BrainQuest questions.

...I am seriously considering serving ice cream for dinner.

Some Days Are Waaaaaay Better Than Others

2008-06-07T23:48:00.000-04:00

Today, Grandmoo, Sister K and I:

1. Saw Jersey Boys matinée - great!

2. Had burgers with a friend of mine in Galaxy Café.

3. Tourist shopped.

4. Witnessed a fine example of Jersey Driving. Just how special do you need to be to plow your nice car through a wall of traffic cones into a huge hole full of wet concrete?

5. Ran into an old friend of mine on 9th Avenue.

4. Got walk up seats in center orchestra for the evening performance of A Chorus Line - fun!

Tomorrow will find us cheering for the boys at hockey and then in the City again for the Ordination of one of my childhood friends. Life could be worse.

What Ross Did At School: Architecture Edition

2008-06-05T16:58:00.001-04:00

"What did you do at school today, Ross?"

"Architecture."

*pause* "...Architecture?"

"Yes. I planned a building that looked like a tree branch with seven floors in the shape of leaves."

Talk about green design!

Fear In The Hearts At Our House

2008-06-05T12:10:00.003-04:00

Oh, the terror felt when an envelope such as this arrives in June!

Thankfully, ours helpfully began with, "This is not a bill" (no doubt an effort to stall heart attacks) and merely contained information regarding our economic stimulus payment (which we've already received, thankyouverymuch). Tune in next time for an update on just how long it takes my heart to stop pounding...

Pie From Awa's Rhubarb - Total Yum

2008-06-05T00:56:00.003-04:00

This picture also posted at Worst.Mama.Ever, along with the tale of the boys not having any today. If Grandmoo shows up soon enough, there might still be some left. I say 'might' because it's so good I had two pieces tonight and there's breakfast to deal with in the morning. Yes, I am the sort of person who would eat pie for breakfast. No, I won't feel any guilt about it because rhubarb is healthy! A vegetable! Vitamin C! Calcium! Dietary fiber! Oh, leave me alone. You can come back and be snarky when I have popsicles for breakfast.

Probably Time To Clip Claws

2008-06-04T22:37:00.005-04:00

Gardens, Family, Friends (and maybe a new kitchen)

2008-05-31T22:33:00.000-04:00

In the garden of each house we've shared, Chris and I have had peonys from his great-grandfather's garden. I think most of his relations have got a peony plant or three from Seedy's garden - it's fun to see familiar plants when we travel to visit family. Our plant struggled along the first three years in this house. It got a few buds last year but despite all the ants in our kitchen, the peony never had any ants, so didn't bloom. This year, no ants in our kitchen but plenty on the buds and look - peony blooms!

We shared dinner last night with Bibliofilly and her new friend. Between sickness and busy schedules, we haven't been together since the new year turned and it felt really good to see her again. It was also a pleasure to meet her new friend and we hope to see them both again soon.

Today, we had dinner with another set of friends we haven't seen in a while. The kids spent the afternoon playing together (their little boy is two) and the weather cooperated so we were able to enjoy drinks on the porch and then grill dinner.

Tomorrow will find us busy with 3-on-3 hockey games and getting ready for Grandmoo and Aunt Kat to visit next weekend! We've got tickets for Jersey Boys and will attend the Ordination of a friend I grew up with.

In refi news, we're rate-locked! Appraisal should be this week and the bank thinks we'll be signed and funded by the end of June.

Hope, Held Out

2008-05-29T11:44:00.003-04:00

We're hoping to take advantage of this time of troubled housing market by refinancing our mortgage. If we're successful, the cash we get out WILL go to the kitchen renovation. Whatever other part of the house decides to crumble will just have to wait until the next refi!

Word Verification Contest

2008-05-28T17:30:00.004-04:00

Does Word Verification drive you crazy? Camille at Archives of Our Lives is running a contest that actually makes consideration of those pesky letters amusing. Act fast - it ends tonight!

Summer Kickoff

2008-05-26T23:57:00.009-04:00

We ventured to Vermont this weekend, to catch up with a part of my family I really haven't seen much in over twenty years. It was great! My happy memories of childhood trips up there are not delusions - the people and places are exactly as wonderful as I remember. Some of my cousins have married and have kids and it was great to learn that I'm as fond of the new family additions as I am of the old. The kids bonded instantly - you can't tell in this photo but they are actually wearing yellow hardhats and dangling from an I-beam.

We stayed with Awa (my grandmother), so the boys had a chance to be coddled in the morning with cups of her cocoa and to go exploring in the fields and woods, bringing back rock treasures and tales of secret trails to amaze her with. I loved falling asleep again to the sound of Awa's cuckoo clock and snuggling under the federdecke a few more minutes each morning until the clock would tell me the time.

My aunts took us on trips to the White River National Fish Hatchery, where the kids got to feed 4+ year old Atlantic Salmon (video), and to Neighborly Farms of Vermont, home of calves and lambs born this week - CUTE - and the first time Lars ever got to see a cow "manure" - NOT CUTE - which prompted him to declare, despite cute lambs and calves and the promise of fresh milk & cheese, that dairy farming is not for him.

We had something of a family reunion barbecue Sunday afternoon, with glorious weather and gorgeous views. Here's a group photo before anyone said, "Ross, put down the stick! Lars, stop sticking out your tongue!"

...and here's the same group, after:

All in all, a great time and we can't wait to go back!

Fabulous Frige Find

2008-05-19T21:47:00.001-04:00

Nutshells

2008-05-05T10:30:00.003-04:00

Kippah had hiccups this morning, marking the first time I've ever known a cat to have hiccups.

Three and a half years after putting my printer into service, I finally figured out how to have the pages print 1-10, instead of 10-1. I only had to re-order four printouts twice before I started remembering I no longer need to reverse the pages before stapling.

When Rob was over on Saturday, our lawn was getting close to knee-high. It's high enough that we could lose Ross in the yard today. I'm going to don a long calico dress and play Little House on the Prairie later.

I leave for the airport tomorrow at 6am. I should probably think about packing, or maybe doing some laundry so I will have something to pack. Kath, if you read this, I am not packing a party dress...so no formals, ok?

If Only...

2008-04-29T23:48:00.002-04:00

If only I were post-menopausal, I would spend a year in East Anglia eating chocolate in the name of medical research because I am totally giving like that.

Using Parents

2008-04-28T19:33:00.003-04:00

"Mama, my teacher would like you and Daddy to come to school on Friday, May 30th. She's having a Parent Appropriation Breakfast! And you don't have to bring anything! Can you come?"

Chris and I look at each other quizzically. "A Parent Appreciation Breakfast," I venture? Chris smiles.

"Yes! And I get to serve you! Well, everything except the hot coffee - you can help yourself to that."

"We'd love to come," we assure him, "It will be great!"

On My Calendar In May

2008-04-28T09:40:00.006-04:00

Visit from Rob (mmm...bbq)
Trip to Birmingham, AL for work
Trip to Plano, TX for work
Trip to Austin, TX to visit my sister. New townhouse! New kitten!
Trip to Albany, NY to visit Carol and maybe meet another Worst Mama
Two Bonus Snow Days (extra days off school for the kids, since they weren’t used as snow days)
Trip to Vermont to visit family (a trip Chris and I have been meaning to take for, oh, twelve years or so…)
12^th Anniversary!

In between all these excitements, I’ve got a ton of appointments for work scheduled and several birthdays and anniversaries to remember. June may bust out all over but I hope it does it in a slightly less busy way than May!

Fact

2008-04-27T23:57:00.002-04:00

Working late Sunday night is infinitely more enjoyable with a warm kitten sleeping in your lap.

National Day of Puppetry

2008-04-26T21:39:00.004-04:00

Did you know today was the National Day of Puppetry? No? Don't feel too badly - I didn't either. Lars has been going to activities in our local 4H center, though, and today's was a Puppet Adventure. The event was co-sponsored by the Garden State Puppetry Guild and offered three classes in puppetry before lunch and a puppet show after.

Lars made a turtle shadow puppet, which was eaten by the Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (we don't know why). Lars also made a rat sock puppet, which came in handy for The Pied Piper of Hamlin. Ross had no interest in signing up for the day and had even been a bit grumpy over having to go see the puppet show this afternoon. He stopped fussing when he found out we'd have subs for lunch and then, when he found out that Lars would be IN the puppet show, you could tell Ross was thinking he might have enjoyed the program after all. We all sat to enjoy the different puppet performances and nobody was more happy than Ross when the man leading the Pied Piper skit needed a kid who could read - one who had not made a rat sock puppet - to play the Mayor. Ross is the arm with the yellow strip running shoulder to elbow and the Mayor puppet; Lars is the black rat that pops up just to the right, in front. I forgot to bring an actual camera so, wound up taking the pics and video with my phone.

After the puppet fun, the boys played ball in the side yard with the neighborhood kids and we had roasted chicken with new potatoes and asparagus - one of our favorite one-pan recipes for dinner, which made a great finish to the day.

Kitten Update: 11 Weeks

2008-04-25T14:50:00.000-04:00

Kippah's first trip to the veterinarian went very well. Our vet is only a few blocks away, so the car ride (seemed to be the worst part for her) was quite short. Once at the vet, she charmed everyone with her total cuteness and was even adorable while getting her shots. She weighed in right on schedule - almost three pounds at almost three months. The vet said to expect her to gain about a pound a month, which means she'll be about the same size as Pixie by the fall.

In social news, Kippah is very fond of chasing scraps of paper, laser dots, strings, and bugs. It only took her two head bashes into the sliding glass door to learn that it will always be more solid than her head. We're on six water squirts for climbing the screen door and, while I don't think she's quite got it out of her system, she's at least looking around to see if anyone's watching before climbing up it. Pixie is also a tattle, if nobody seems to be noticing Kippah scale the screens, Pixie can be counted on to raise the alarm. Kippah has not yet thought to seek revenge for this betrayal. When she does, I'm guessing that will be a good time to get her spayed.

Reflections

2008-04-24T22:51:00.005-04:00

On seeing the photos in my last post, my mom sent evidence that my kids don't resemble me at all:

Mom wouldn't let us have pets in the house, so I was forced to read to my sister.

Twenty Minutes A Day

2008-04-22T00:41:00.003-04:00

Twenty minutes of reading per day is a constant homework assignment. Ross is currently plowing his way through the Bruce Coville books. We own many of them but Ross prefers to get them from the school library - he seems to think his reading time is weighted more heavily if he reads a library book than if he chooses something from our own shelves.

Kippah had a vet visit and shots today and wasn't feeling her best. In an effort to lift her spirits, Lars dragged a chair over near the cat tower and read to her. I think she liked his reading because she stopped looking so glum and fell asleep.

Scary Bushes

2008-04-21T20:31:00.004-04:00

Lars and I are on the way home from hockey team tryouts. He's in the back, telling me which parts of the tryout were fun and which part (only one exercise) he didn't like. Lars feels pretty confident that he'll be called back for the second tryout session on Wednesday and is excited about skating for the Bears again.

After hockey talk, there's a bit of quiet as he checks out evidence of road construction starting up soon. "Mama," he says, "Can we rent a pick-up truck?"

"Do you have something we need to pick up?"

"Yes, something SCARY!"

"You have something scary to pick up? What is it? Is it big?"

"You have too many questions, Mama. We only need a pick-up truck. A red pick-up truck. And big. It should be really big."

"Ok, then. Only one question...what scary thing do we have to pick up?"

"Bushes."

Spring Flowers

2008-04-19T21:20:00.005-04:00

It's been sunny and gorgeous this week and the kids have been out playing in the woods. After school on Thursday, a day I spent in the city, they picked armloads of flowers for me. Chris helped them with vases (including milk pitchers and shot glasses for the shorter stemmed blooms) and water and I came home to a house that smelled wonderful and looked even better! To burst my heart even further, Ross informed me that they'd ONLY picked the flowers that were far into the woods - the ones we can't see from the house. Sure enough, the patches of wild daffodils we can see from the kitchen and upstairs bath are still dotted with yellow and white. Last year, the boys picked all of those for me and, while I loved the gesture, I missed seeing the flowers out the windows. I'm in awe that Ross remembered that fact.

I got to work at home on Friday, so was able to enjoy my flowers all day. I love the little bunch in the cow pitcher, which has all our different kinds of daffodil, the only hyacinth they could find that wasn't in a garden, and the little white flowers that provide the great scent - I have no clue what they are called. Daffodils are, for the record, the only flower our deer have never eaten, so we have huge patches of them all over the place.

Today, when I got to the point of the day when I wanted to wring a little neck or two, I went and sniffed the flowers a bit before going upstairs. There were still some stern remarks regarding bedtime but, on the whole, it will be better if the boys never know just how much I love their gift!

Pixie Is Not Amused

2008-04-15T22:33:00.003-04:00

We learned a few things about Pixie this week. She speaks at least seven languages! We heard from her about the kitten in all of them. Despite Carolyn's mild mannered disguise, I know now that she had a secret life as a cargo sailor...some of the words her cat knows made me blush! It's a good thing the kids are of an age where they just don't listen, otherwise there'd be notes from the school for sure.

Kippah is clearly not yet classically schooled. At 11 weeks, she barely speaks cat, let alone Urdu or port Greek, so she pretty much ignores Pixie's comments. For two days, this infuriated Pixie so much that she'd stalk off, yelling, whenever Kippah entered a room. Today, though, Pixie reduced the comments and even (grudgingly) allowed Kippah to exist in the same room!

A few more days and Pixie will have figured out that kids are around to do all the pesky chores you don't like to do and all will be right in our world again.

Morning Play

2008-04-13T10:21:00.002-04:00

Kippah!

2008-04-12T19:55:00.009-04:00

Friends of ours foster rescued cats and took in a pregnant boarder at Christmas. Five kittens were born on Sunday, February 3rd, and we decided to adopt one. A few weeks after the kittens were born, we made a visit so the kids could meet the kittens as infants - so small they fit into the kids hands! Ross and Lars were both very gentle and very much in awe of such tiny cats. Chris decided which kitten we'd have - he liked the pink nose and pads on the little white girl with black spots. Also, she reminds us of Oliver (although she will hopefully not get quite so large as he did!). We had to wait ten weeks before we could take our kitten home.

Angela, the woman who fostered the cats, is amazing! The mama cat didn't seem to know what to do with her kittens. When the kittens would get out of the box, the mama cat would just cry for them - she wouldn't go get them! So, Angela stepped in to help with things like moving the kittens around and litter training them.

Angela's brother took some wonderful pictures of the kittens, which were fun to get during the wait. Today, finally, the waiting was finally over! Ross cleaned our cat carrier and set it up with a fresh towel and a new toy. He also scooped the litter box, a chore he's going to help with now that we're a two-cat family. With all the preparations made, we went to pick up our kitten this afternoon.

Initially wary of her new surroundings, the kitten spent about an hour checking out our dust bunnies, darting from under one chair to under another. The boys watched from the edges of the room, hopefully waving toys and calling gently, and curiosity finally won out. By the two hour mark, the kitten was playfully batting toys from all directions and happily trotting out to meet the neighborhood kids who flocked over as soon as word of our new kitten got out.

We've named her Kippah because it looks as if she's wearing a yarmulke and because "kippen" means "tumble" in German, which kittens do a lot of.

Ross was delighted when Kippah jumped into his lap. Lars was a gentleman when he decided he could wait for his laptime - he found Kippah parked on the still-warm heating pad Chris had been using on his shoulder and was kind enough to leave her there.

For all the playing, Kippah didn't nap at all this afternoon. She tried to once or twice but there was just too much excitement. Even after the kids went to bed, Kippah wandered around for a while, calling, and wouldn't settle. Finally, though, she calmed down. After trying and failing to nurse from my couch cozy, Kippah fell asleep. Here's a life-size picture...I think she likes us:

Send Me All Your Spoiled Eggs

2008-04-11T23:44:00.004-04:00

A lovely family in my town sent their child to school today KNOWING THEIR CHILD HAD HEAD LICE. I gather they did not want to waste any vacation time taking care of their child, since they'd just returned from a vacation (where their kid got lice).

So many facets of this baffle me, especially since there was an outbreak of lice in the fall and we had to endure a month of Head Lice Lockdown at the school, so we know what we're in for. During Head Lice Lockdown, all personal belongings must be secured in large, sealed garbage bags which are kept in the school hall, not in the classroom. Each time a seal is breached, the bag is discarded and another bag must be used. The school custodial staff must de-louse every inch of the school. Concerned Parents will hire Lice Specialists and host head-check parties (I'm not kidding - we got invited to three last fall).

The school nurse will whip out her cheery notes to send home each day, reminding us all that Head Lice Can Happen To Anyone, Head Lice Does Not Indicate Socioeconomic Status, People With Head Lice Are Not Unclean, etc. Great pains are taken by administration to prevent anyone knowing which child(ren) is(are) affected. In this case, I imagine the protection will be doubled as I am absolutely certain that if any of us find out who the rude, socioeconomic equals are that sent their louse-ridden child to school, we will all go egg their house.

Send your kid to school with hives! Hives are not contagious. Send your kid to school with a cold! We have tissues. DON'T SEND YOUR KID TO SCHOOL WITH HEAD LICE. We do not want to nit-bomb our house and burn all our sheets. Excuse me, I have to go scratch my head.

4H Sciencesational Day

2008-04-05T16:10:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, Lars came home from school glowing with enthusiasm. He LOVED SCIENCE! Science was SO COOL! He could do science EVERY DAY! His enthusiasm was contagious and we were all in a good mood as we listened to him gush about how much he adored science. After a while, the germinal fact came out. 4H had come into his classroom for a special "dairy science" activity where the kids made (and ate) yogurt parfaits. Suddenly, it all made sense!

Lars continued to be vocal about how much he loved science (particularly, though not exclusively, when in the dairy aisle...) so, when the school sent home a flier advertising the 4H Sciencesational Day, we signed up. The kids each got to attend three classes and there was also an opening presentation by a "Scienceteller". The scienceteller wove several audience participation science experiments into a story about a dragon kingdom. The experiments involved something exploding or dry ice or fire, so everyone was completely absorbed. Both kids elected Dairy Science (make-your-own ice cream). Lars also did classes on Reptiles and the Seashore; Ross got Star Labs and Panning for Gems.

After the opening show, Chris and I had Two Hours On Our Own, which was an unexpected (and very welcome) bonus - we'd thought the parents had to stay to chaperon in the classes. When we returned from our coffee date (during which we didn't have to remind each other about manners or behavior even once) to have lunch with the boys, we found them blissfully unaware we'd even left. They'd found friends from school in their morning sessions, so we all had lunch together and then observed the last class before heading home to bask in spring sunshine and play baseball in the yard.

It's A Good Thing We Bought The House

2008-04-04T09:55:00.002-04:00

I just dumped approximately 11oz of coffee on my desk. It's a good thing we bought the house...

The mortgage statement saved my cell phone.