Thinks By Me

Yesterday brought a new, unprecedented thrill to our household. Little Chic flew off the bus lugging not only her backpack, but her new viola. She has been looking forward to joining the orchestra, one of the privileges of fourth grade, ever since last year when she had her orientation at the "big school" i.e., the building that houses 4th-6th grades. We've never quite figured out the fascination with the viola, rather than the violin, but she's never swayed! We paid the bargain price of $50 for a school year's worth of lessons, including the viola rental and yesterday, she officially became part of the orchestra. Tall PTA Friend saw Little Chic during her first lesson and observed that Little Chic was quite enthralled, wide-eyed, soaking it all in. In fact, school pictures occurred on the same day, and Little Chic had to briefly leave the lesson to have her picture taken, and she was not happy to be interrupted. The second she got into the house, the case wa...

GRRRRRRR...... I finish kickboxing class at 11am. I say "I'll run by the school to see if they need extra help for School Picture Day". I think "They are probably done with their morning shift and they'll be heading to lunch and I can go with them." I park my van, go inside and see Little Chic eating lunch in the cafeteria. I chat with her and her buds for few minutes, telling several that "No, they can't come over today, but maybe over the weekend." I then go peer behind the stage curtain to see if the photographer is still snapping away. He's not. No PTA moms are anywhere to be seen. They must've finished up and already left for lunch. I decide to run into the office to check the PTA mailbox for any more submissions of volunteer forms. I see an envelope that needs to be forwarded to a teacher, so I write a note on the envelope, pop it in her mailbox and prepare to leave. I CAN'T FIND MY KEYS. I didn't carry anythi...

I did a weird thing today. I put my application in at my kids' school district to be a substitute for support personnel (things like teacher's aide, cafeteria worker, office staff, health office). I've been increasingly stir-crazy in my 10-year stretch as a medical transcriptionist working out of my home, and the lack of interaction when I actually work as much as I should, is taking a toll on me. It's strange because I actually really need my own space at times, but all-in-all, I am a people person. I've actually considered my transcription job a dream come true, an answer to prayer, a blessing that I was handed by God. When Brainy Boy was tiny, I was still working at my 50-60 hour a week career, dragging home exhausted and feeling like I wasn't doing a great job at anything. I wasn't able to continue putting insane hours into my work but I was gone from home to much to be Mom as much as I wanted. After months of begging God for an answer, He literall...

I'm cooperating with my Sis (well, truthfully I've been slacking in the blog responsibilities lately as I have not even had my rear in my computer seat, which is bad for several reasons, namely my transcription income). But anyway, here's what it is... 1. Grab the nearest book. Don't think, just the nearest book... 2. Open the book to page 123. 3. Find the fifth sentence. 4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your Blog (Please include the book and author) along with these instructions. 5. DonÂ’t you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest. 6. Tag five people. (Anyone who wants to do it!) This one was laying open on my dresser, as it is the current selection for Little Chic's and my Mother/Daughter Book Club. Unfortunately, we were supposed to have had the meeting last week at my house, but we've been slacking in the book club department as well...

The day started out well today. Actually all of our days have been starting out well, if I do say so myself. In no way do I proclaim to be a 'morning person' so it is with fear and trepidation that we begin the school year each fall. However this year, I've been in fine form, actually leaving the house showered and properly dressed when I drive the kids to school. Admittedly this is strange, because for the five years prior, let's just say it's a good thing my van windows are a bit tinted from the outside, and I drive fast. Morning drop-off time has not has not featured my best look. But I digress. The day started out with each of us calm, collected and following our morning routines. As Little Chic came into the bathroom for me to help her with her 'part' (as in hair) I noticed that she had on a royal blue shirt with a navy blue skort. Even now I can't explain why I made note of it. That is one battle that I thought I had long given up with her...

As of today school has been back in session a full two weeks, and I have to admit, I'm a bit disillusioned. I had visions of blasting through the house getting absolutely everything caught up, making us rich by putting in hours of transcription- but the days are passing and I'm barely able to keep up with even my blogging--imagine that! I look back over my calendar and I find there is just too much black space and not enough white. I think that six or seven hours of daily "empty" time seems like the jackpot it's a combination of me thinking I have more than adequate time to get the necessities done and everybody else figuring I have nothing better to do than to sign up to help them with their projects. Now I readily admit that I volunteer for many such activities like going into the classroom for various events, working on PTA plans, coordinating some things at church--all very worthwhile time investments. But other things like exercising, the quick lunch with...

Today is the day that our little girl, whom Hero Guy calls "Chickadee", is turning 9. It's weird to think that nine years ago ended our experience of being expectant parents. There's just not much that compares to waiting for a baby--whether through natural channels or adoption. It's that strange combination of being so excited you can hardly stand it, but also being apprehensive, hoping the baby will be healthy, hoping you'll know how to do everything you're supposed to take care of; and then the day comes and your life changes forever, whether the baby is your first or your last. Little Chic is our youngest, but as I tell her, she's the oldest sister. And she's nine today. She's been reminding us that it's been coming since September first. She's been singing Happy Birthday to herself since Friday. She asked Hero Guy, Brainy Boy and me "What's tomorrow?" about a million times yesterday. She drove Brainy Boy cra...

I am amazed as I look back over my week this week--No wonder I'm pooped. I can barely see the white space on my calendar due to a lack of restraint on my part from waaay overscheduling myself. For instance, I kickboxed twice, skipped a PTA meeting to make it to a Sunday School meeting on the same night, took the kids to Wednesday night church, had breakfast with a friend before running to a Children's Council meeting, made a presentation to the church Leadership Team, skipped kickboxing once to cook a pasta lunch for Little Chic's fourth grade class in honor of author Tomie dePaola's birthday since her class had finished reading Strega Nonna, went to soccer practice and did some birthday shopping for Little Chic. To end the week, here's what we did today.... After picking up Brainy Boy's friend at 7am from a sleepover (and he'll be sleeping over with us tonight) Played landing strip to a tiny butterfly Won the soccer game 3 to 1 with an awesome save by L...

Looking for something to read? Try this book just out, written by the dad of my church's Youth Pastor. It's a bio about Gene Moore, Tara Beth's granddad. As the book says, "He was a baseball prodigy. At the age of fifteen, Gene Moore was a boy, playing like a man, in a game where men, play like boys. Headed for baseball stardom with the Brooklyn Dodgers, his destiny was interrupted by Pearl Harbor. His life... and maybe our national pastime...would be forever altered." I went and bought my copy yesterday since it was the day of release and I'm gonna hand it over early when Mr. Moore comes for his book signing at Barnes & Noble. I'm sort of a groupie like that. The sales guy at B&N was laughing when he told me the author's daughter had been in earlier that day and insisted that he buy it right away and read it. I thought I'd help her a little with her marketing efforts.

I just have to post an update. This family will not be getting a pig. I took my two offspring to see the little darling after school, and I was so excited as I pulled in the driveway in anticipation of seeing them want to pet the pig, want to hold the pig, want to carry the pig, want to own the pig. I am clueless as to why the first time I visited this little guy he had no smell. But today... well it was just indescribable-in the worst possible way you can imagine. This adorable little black piglet with the cutest pointed ears was having a case of the runs, which apparently is completely normal for pigs. The mess had just been cleaned up by Next-Door-Neighbor Friend and you couldn't see it anymore, but it was still there, in fumes. My kids would barely go near the crate and I thought Little Chic was going to throw up. After encouraging each of them to take a big breath and hold it, I finally coerced them each into giving it a quick pet. I had planned to come back later ...

I'm scaring myself. I actually put my fall decorations up yesterday. Instead of blogging. And while I still have a cold. Scary, I know. First of all, I love decorations, but hate decorating, so how in the world do I even have decorations for that season? I usually tell myself that I'll put up fall stuff right after the kids start school, but I'm never really anxious for fall and so I generally put off any type of autumn look until at least the week of Thanksgiving. Then it's so late in the season I can just skip it and go right to the Christmas tree and I don't have to put a bunch of stuff away that's only been out for two months. I would have taken a better photo to give the full effect of the whole room rather than just a snippet of what I did, but I was trying to "hide" the extra loveseat that is now sitting by the fireplace waiting for Hero Guy to help me haul it to the Unfinished Basement. I was on such a roll that I would have attempted ...

It's bonus time, people. In my cold-induced stupor I wrote this post before I realized it really wouldn't do to post the 9/11 topic tomorrow, so rather than make you wait, I'm giving you a double-dose today. Three things I SAW today: 1) A kindergartener and his dad anxiously waiting at the bus stop (which for some reason they thought was in the parking lot of the drive through car wash where I was vacuuming my car). The bus never came. 2) Myself in the mirror at kickboxing class, attempting to work out while having a head cold (NOT a pretty sight) 3) 30 pictures of various deer wandering in the woods, captured by Hero Guy's very new digital game camera that he mounted on a tree (not sure why we needed pictures to prove that upstate NY has deer in the woods) Three things I HEARD today: 1) That a kindergartener in some town fell asleep on the bus ride home after school and she was discovered still sleeping by the girls ball team that had an out-of-town game that evening....

It was five years ago that Hero Guy made his first out-of-town rescue trip. He headed to NYC on around Day 14 post- 9/11 and ran rescue calls for the city while they were saving their own. He was able to see firsthand the aftermath of the tragedy, experiencing the sights of Ground Zero, the abandoned cars in parking garages, the various buildings in disarray. He spent the night on USS Comfort and headed back home a changed person. Since that time, he has been on various rescue missions as far away as New Oleans with Hurricane Katrina though most are rescues he makes at home. No matter where the place, no matter who the person, coming to people in their most needy hour is his joy and privilege. He always has loved his rescue hobby of putting out fires, running out to a heart attack in the middle of the night, but since September 11, 2001 it has been his passion. It's a pretty neat thing to know your calling.

Last weekend, Hero Guy worked as a medic at a local farm festival. During the daytime, I got a phone call from an extremely excited person blabbering on about the possibility of owning a piglet. Listening closely, I realized the fast-talking frenzy was coming from Hero Guy. Apparently the festival was holding an auction as one of the events and piglets were among the prized items for sale. Since they were small and young, they were going for quite the bargain. Now being the animal lover that I am, I immediately envisioned having a little Wilbur of my own, training his pink cuteness to use a litter box, and running down to our brand new PetSmart to buy a dashing collar with matching leash. I even peered at the calendar making a mental note to call for a vet appointment for his first checkup. Imagine my horror when Hero Guy described the pig run he would erect in the back yard, explained how we could bring him into the garage during the particularly bitter winter we are bound to ha...

I have always been a die-hard summer gal; the hotter and stickier the weather, the more I like it. But living in the way north for the last 18 years, I somehow let myself get drawn into the anticipation of the changing of the seasons. I never did see the big deal about watching the glorious warm weather fade, about no longer seeing the green grass and flowers, of not being able to dress closer to what nature intended. I just can't understand the thrill of having to dress in layers (who wants to look fatter, anyway?) of seeing all types of naked trees (just like people, they look much more attractive when they are dressed) and decorating in orange and brown (I never have met anyone whose favorite colors were one of those two--well, except for Brainy Boy who loves brown because it reminds him of chocolate, but I digress). But not wanting to spread my party-poopiness to the world, I use the colder weather as an excuse to get some new clothes. I make as many trips as I can justify...

I had a new experience yesterday evening--I 'hatched' my first chrysalis. Each year in school my kids have had a caterpillar that they observed turning to a cocoon and then into a butterfly, but I've never seen it myself. On August 22, a friend gave the kids & me an active chrysalis and told us to watch for it to change, first into black and then emerge shortly after. We've watched and waited for days, and Super-creative Teacher Friend who gave it reported that all of theirs had hatched. Ours hadn't even begun to change. I began to think it was a 'dud' and that somehow I'd killed it as I often do to any plants that are in my care. But alas, yesterday at lunchtime I realized the cocoon had turned from a bright green to a dark color with Monarch patterns showing through. I shot off an email to S-C Teacher Friend to ask how many days it would take to come out--I had forgotten the schedule in my despair over its presumed death. I sent Little Chic ...

The morning started a bit differently than I anticipated with me hitting the snooze button at least three times, causing a little rush getting ready for the first day of school. The excuse was valid--Hero Guy was out on a rescue squad call until midnight and I didn't get to sleep until he got home and told me all about it. I was quite proud of myself for putting things in high gear without inciting panic among the troops, and we delivered our two at the front door of the school in record time. Due to a 4-mile ride to school that takes 40 minutes via bus, Nice Mom drives the kids each day. They think I'm Mean Mom because I won't also pick them up, but I figure 20 minutes home is a good character-builder and I can't get them home much quicker because of traffic anyway. We took our sweet smiling son into his classroom as he proudly invited us in and showed us around. We had to slink back to our daughter's classroom quietly because it just won't do for an almost...

Every year I determine to make the last free day before school one of fun, laughter, family bonding, adoring my children...well, you get the picture. For some reason, though, in full overachiever style, I always agree to help put on the Back To School luncheon for our school's teachers and staff. For two years, I was heavily involved, coordinating with the other Co-Prez of the PTA. This year, I took a more backseat role, just picking some of the food, helping set up and clean up afterward. The problem is that the wee ones have to come along and spend half their day letting mom get her volunteer jollies. Little Chic goes right along with the bustle since she is dreaming of the day that she gets in high school and can be old enough to get a job at Subway. Fixing food and setting tables is right down her alley. Brainy Boy, on the other hand, suffers through, lollygags around the playground, says "Hi" to some of his old teachers and chats with any other unfortunate drag...

Today we did not labor. We initially had great plans of getting some things done but for us in the way north, school starts in two days so we caved. We slept in, we sort of pretended to bustle around the house moving things from place to place to look like something, anything was getting accomplished and we did what I call "piddling" ( not the sort of piddle that puppies do on the floor when they come to their new home). About halfway through the day I convinced Hero Guy that we really should go to the miniature golf place that Little Chic has been begging to visit all summer. It's not that she loves mini-golf because she actually is quite competitive and hates not coming in first place. For for some reason though, she loves the gigantic pink elephant at hole #14 complete with its nose squirting water that then runs under its belly like it is peeing. I knew with the end of summer coming, the putt-putt places up our way will be closing soon. So it seemed fitting on...

WARNING!!!! Unless you want to gain pounds overnight, do not tell your hubby that you need a little "alone time" and you've decided to run to the Christian bookstore to select the music for your next solo at church since you will be singing on September 17 in the 11am service. Because in the back of your head you will be remembering that advertisement you saw for the new Coldstone Creamery shop that is just across from the community college, and that is not too far from the bookstore. And the reason for the sudden need for alone time is that you don't want to bring the wee ones along who will cause you to settle for the "Like It" size rather than the "Love It" size that you really want. And after you get on the road and realize you forgot the $1 off coupon included in the ad, you will say "O well, I'll just use it next time I go." And when you get there and the line is stretching out onto the sidewalk, you will say "It...

I imagine your household has the same setup as mine in the grocery arena...for the most part, you have one family member assigned to do the grocery shopping. In my experience it just works better that way. Whoever does the most cooking knows what they need, and they run to the store, be it once a week or several times, and gather the same general ingredients based on the family's preferences. So, in our household, the grocery/cooking person is usually me. When the "non-assigned" person (like Hero Guy) gets the groceries for some reason (I'm sick or otherwise occupied) they come home with all sorts of unusual products that looked really great on the TV commercial or sitting on the store shelf. Although he will have succeeded in spending the entire grocery budget, we have no real food . We'll have a couple of new varieties of cookies, chips, maybe even some health food item that looks like the weight loss miracle, but we'll have nothing to cook for dinner....