She Laughs at the Days

Officially we are done with school for the summer. I have filed attendance and grades for the last 4 quarters. I am not keeping records right now. This is the fun time. We can go on trips, we can hang out all day and do nothing if we want and yet, guess what we are doing?

If you guessed school you are correct.

When my son wakes up two days into summer vacation and says, in tones of horror, "Mom, we forgot to do school yesterday. We had better not forget today." Who am I to say, "No. No more learning for you, it's summer vacation."

So we continue with lessons 3 or 4 days a week. We are reading through The Story of the World together, just for fun before we start our ancient history classes in the fall. We are still learning new math stuff. We are still doing piano and theory lessons, and I have added voice. He is reading his way voraciously through everything that I and the local library can provide at his reading level. And attempting some things far beyond it.

Mos…

I have been going crazy at bed time around here. Some nights the whole process is so frustrating that I am in tears. The kids mess around. They play with each other. They play chase with the Baby. They smear toothpaste all over the bathroom and break the teeth off of my hair cutting comb. What should take minutes takes at least an hour and then some. I feel like I have to stand over them waving a stick while they slowly inch their tiny frames from one task to the next or they will escape and scatter again and return to the silliness and time frittering that is their regular unsupervised modus operandi. By the time they are in bed I am emotionally exhausted from dealing with the naughtiness, the tears, the sheer mental energy it takes to try and force small independent beings to do something that they don't want to do.

Saturday night was a very low point in our bedtime history. I had to discipline the Girl for going off task several times. The Boy was loud and obnoxious, distracting…

I've always been bothered by the idea of bloggers tailoring their blogs for readers. It's a bit irrational I admit. But there it is.

I guess that some of it comes from the fact that I view blogging as so personal. The blogs I read and love have so much of the blogger's personality tied up in them that it seems to change the blog to be what other people want to read is like changing yourself so that other people will like you. And that is where I find it bothersome, because the idea of anyone changing themselves just so that more people will like them bothers me.

Not that I am saying that this is in fact what people who change their blogs a lot are doing. Just like people who change their shirt a lot aren't doing it so that more people will like them either. I'm just trying to explain the personal obstacles I have had in thinking about what the people who read this may like.

And then, I had an epiphany. Meredith, the lovely and gracious host of Like Merchant Ships, whi…

So things continue on in pretty much the same vein around here since the decision to move to Thailand. Sure I keep being frustrated in my attempts to download free editing software so that I can upload files from my own computer to our fledgling website. And the kids and I talk about it a lot as they process the impending change. We talk about Thai customs an learning the language. And our new reason for not frivolously spending money on silly whims is that we need to save it so we have enough to buy plane tickets to go to Thailand. The Girl's evening prayers have taken an interesting turn of late.

"Please help Daddy to lots and lots of money so that we can go to Thailand...and to the movie theatre! And please help us to remember when, when, when, we are in Thailand not to touch people's heads...and to keep our feet off the walls. Amen."

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Then there was yesterday, when I felt like I was caught in a three ring juggling act with no intermission.

It started with…

Well, I talked to the person from CNN today for all of 30 seconds. That was just long enough for her to tell me that she didn't know exactly what was happening with the piece anymore or where they were taking it but they were "taking it in a different direction" and wouldn't need to interview me any longer. It was such a classic showbiz phrase that I barely resisted the urge to laugh out loud.
Ah well, at least I didn't end up sounding like a total moron after all. :)

I now wish I had asked exactly what other direction they were going with it. Just because I'm curious.

Instead today I hung laundry to dry at my MIL's place. And we had our customary Shabbat meal together. This afternoon my sister's in law and I collectively convinced the Genius Husband to finally join Face Book. I think it was reading all of the banter on my Brother in law's official fan club page that finally sucked him in. Yes, my BIL has a devoted fan site, it's a long story. Hi…

So the oil change company is accepting full responsibility for the damage done to the GH's car due to their gross negligence. Whooo. We will not be without a functioning car much longer. They are also paying for the rental car while they fix his. Add one more thing to the list of things to be thankful for.

In other news, tomorrow I'm going to be interviewed by someone from CNN. See how I typed in that all casual like, no caps or exclamation points? That's because I want you to think I'm all nonchalant and unperturbed by such an event. Ya know. National news networks call me to ask my opinion all the time, it's no big deal. Hah. I'm such a liar with the typey fingers. I trained them to not betray nervousness during all those years of performing in front people on the piano, they are good at fooling you. My heart on the other end is beating faster just thinking about it and I only hope I don't sound like a TOTAL MORON tomorrow!! There my fingers caught up and …

Yesterday I gave away my mammoth double jogger stroller. I need the space in my storage room more than I need to save it in case I have another child this year. Actually, I'm trying to wait until next year to have another child but that's another story. I'm also packing up what feels like a ton of other stuff that we don't need to give away. I feel a bit like I am drowning in stuff these days and it's time to purge.

But here's the thing. Getting rid of all of these things has me thinking about how well we have been taken care of the past few years. It's a count my blessings type of moment. And I wanted to share some of it with you.

I couldn't have gotten rid of that stroller, which I was able to buy at cost because the store where we bought it was owned by our friends' family, if I hadn't won a brand new stroller last year in the Chico stroller giveaway that Mel hosted. It's just like the stroller we gave away before we left Canada, only prett…

I can't get over how big you are. I don't just mean physically either. Sure you've grown a bit. You are in a new size of shoes and the 9 month dresses you've been wearing for months suddenly don't reach past your bum anymore. But the bigness is mostly in your personality.

When we were in Canada you reacted as I thought you would the first few days. You were shy with strangers, you withdrew into my arms when people you didn't know tried to hold you, and you would bring my shoes when you were done with being in each place. You would put them on my feet and drag me toward the door. You kept trying to go home and couldn't figure out why I wasn't cooperating. And then, something happened.

You opened up, blossomed, accepted everything and became the life of the party. You smiled at people. You charmed them. You started to pose for the camera and smile on cue. You wrapped everyone around your little finger. And, remarkable to me, you accepted the ever changing s…

She wants to help me sort through clothes. We eliminate every thing that the Baby has out grown and then the real fun begins. She wants to go through her old clothes and find things to give to the Baby. There is a denim jumper with pink buttons and kitty cats on the front that fits and she wants to put it on her right now. We negotiate a wait until tomorrow.

This morning while I am in the shower she changes the baby's diaper all by herself, and gets her dressed in the little jumper. They are both so pleased with themselves as we sit down to breakfast.

And then, she dumps the milk from her porridge bowl all over the the Baby's head, wetting the dress as well.

???????????????????

Man Made Hunger

Thanks Mary for the link.

Have you all been waiting with bated breath? Or did you forget about it entirely?

Here at last are rattlesnake pictures. It was a Mohave Green Back BTW. At least, That's what we call them around here.

Here are the kids examining the headless snake. The body was still coiling and striking for a while, even after it lost it's head.


The Genius Husband also knows how to skin and cook a rattlesnake. This is not his first.


Watching Daddy.


And the Girl, zealously eating something that could kill her, And asking for seconds. And thirds.