Note To Self

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

Recurring Fantasy - Monkey Edition

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

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

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.

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

Löwen und Tiger und Bären, oh vey!

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

Vacation, An Update

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

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

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)

* 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

"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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

...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.