February 2005 Archives

I keep almost finding time to get on the computer.  Almost.  I took lots of pictures lately that I want to download, if I can, and post.  So, I'm off to give it a whirl, and I'll  try and get back soonish. 

I was the token asshole parent at the park today, by the way.  You know there's always one.  The one the other nice parents shake their heads about when the asshole one isn't looking.  Lexy got his cast off and is going to get a splint tomorrow, but is supposed to, doctor's orders, take it easy for awhile.  He was tearing around the playground and I kept hissing at him.  I even chewed him out when he fell down and cradled his arm, because I was so mad at him for not listening to me.  Luckily he was okay.  Anyway, not knowing the backstory, I'm sure the other grown ups around thought I was awful.  Really, though, I think we are done with casts. 

Let's see if the pictures will load.

John is sick.  In bed with a fever sick.  I've never seen him this way.  I think my turn is coming, what with the sore throat and nasty painful headache that showed up today.  I'm not happy.  Especially since I had to cancel plans to see a friend tomorrow who moved to Mass. a year ago and is returning for the first time with her two girls, one of whom is just a new little thing.  Hopefully, I'll get to see them before they go.  This flu is way too rotten to take any risks. 

Today I cleaned up the kitchen from yesterday's cooking, mopped the floor and took all the kids to get Lexy's cast off.  The cast was vile.  Sophie looked in it and said, Oh look, there's poop in the cast!  We are thrilled to have it gone.  Then we all went to the post office and finally to Peets for celebratory hot chocolate.  I couldn't resist buying myself some tea, even though John just got me some. 

I didn't realize how expensive it was until I just looked at that website.  The kids had me occupied and I paid cash but not attention, I guess.  Anyway, it's worth it, and I treated myself since I just got a little babysitting money.  Next I get to go spend a credit at Victoria's Secret.  Hooray!

I told John that I felt like I was gaining weight.  He is smart, so he said that I didn't look like I was.  But my pants are all too tight, and even some of my underpants!  I said that if I cut out sugar and cut back on carbs (I love love love buttered toast) for two weeks, I'd be back to fitting in my clothes.  He said he'd like to do that, too.  He got the flu, and hasn't eaten much.  I, on the other hand, have been baking and cooking like mad, using lots of butter and cheese, and cream sauce.  Oh well.  I can use the gift certificate to get bigger underpants and break out the elastic waist skirts, right? 

Nate wants me to come cuddle with him.  He's such a snuggler.

cause the pendulum is currently swinging toward "happy."

Often John and I will talk about something unusual, only to look up from our conversation and see that thing on a billboard or something similar.  It's weird and it happens all the time.  All the time, being, like, at least ten times in the past few years.  Sunday, as we drove from the library to the grocery store, he told me that when JFK said he was a Berliner, what he said translated to I am a jelly donught.  And I said that nooooo, that had to be an urban legend.  We talked about sandwiches and hamburgers and food named for places and people and decided to google it later.  We then of course forgot all about it until

John pays attention to the million things I yammer about.  He brought me this tea for Valentine's Day.  I didn't get him anything.  But I baked some cookies and apple spice muffins, if that counts at all.   

I called the company who makes (that makes??  Hmmm.  It's people in the company, but the part is probably machine made.  Elayne?) our fridge.  I told her that I couldn't locate the part I needed in the diagrams I was checking.  There are lots of diagrams to choose from and I was looking at the one that had HINGE in the title, since the broken part is part of a hinge, and I also looked at the diagram that covered the fridge side door and I looked at a couple other ones.  I skipped the one titled, DRAINS AND ROLLERS, because it didn't seem applicable.  But, there's the piece I need.  Go figure.  It's called a shim bottom hinge, and set me back all of fifty cents.  Course, it's $5.50 to ship the thing, and I still have to install it, but overall much preferable to calling a repair person. 

It's rainy and windy and several of the small people here are suffering from coughs and green gicky noses.  One of the big ones is sick as well, but he went to work in the outdoors anyhow.  I ought to get the kids fed and dressed and shod so we can go to the grocery store and the bank.  But.  I know they're getting kooky from being pent up (there's no school this week) and I fear that they will run wilder than usual at said places.  But.  We are out of coffee filters.  That's bordering on emergency situation in my book.  I'm drinking caffeinated tea until I can figure out what to do.  Maybe the rain will ease up and we can walk.  If I put Willow in the sling and Sophie in the umbrella stroller, the boys can walk and it shouldn't be too traumatic. 

The boys are cute today.  They're hanging out in their room, playing with transformers and writing in some workbooks and dot to dot books I hauled out for the rainy day occasion.  My brother and I had this huge Richard Scary rainy day book that I loved dearly.  Maybe the easter bunny could procure one this year. 

Suppose I ought to go shower and whatnot.  I'd much rather sit here, blog reading and listening to Sigur Ros. 

I am handy.

I am capable.

Why can't I figure out what part I need to order to repair the refrigerator door?  I see the part in the diagram on the parts website, but there's no labeling or numbers there.  Does that mean I'm SOL?  (What was that crash I just heard?  Hmmm.  No one is crying.  Are they fine, or perhaps unconscious?)  I need to fix the fridge because the gas/electric bill was

Well, hey, it's one of those online quiz things.  I got this one from Veggie Mama.

Tonight I walked over to the corner supermarket to get some chewable supermarket brand tylenol for Lexy, who has a high fever.  Flu?  It's whatever Nate had last weekend, only minus the barfing, hallelujah.  Anyway, I finally remembered that I wanted to jot down that since they remodeled the supermarket, walking in the produce section (which now has lots of organic stuff, overpriced though it may be) always makes me laugh.  Before the sprinklers come on, they play a sound recording of thunder.  The lights go wonky too, I think.  That just strikes me funny.  Maybe because I grew up and spent summers in Texas, and people here don't know thunder, unless they are from somewhere else.  I have seen Californians go stand outside in a hailstorm.  That is just plain dumb. 

Honey, I'm home, I braved the storm to bring you this curly endive! 

Sophie was standing on a chair in the kitchen helping me.  Willow came up to her, grabbed her by the hand, and said, "C'mon!" and led her into the living room to play.  Is it weird that I can't decide if I'm heartbroken or happy about the fact that my last baby isn't a baby anymore? 

I've been getting more serious about getting my esthetician (gotta learn to spell it first, though) license, but am running into a roadblock.  The classes are 21 hours a week, split Monday through Thursday nights from 5:30 to 9:45 and Saturday morning from 9-2.  Not ideal for me.  John gets home from work at either 4:30 or about 10, but one of the two 10 o'clock days changes each week.  You're confused?  Imagine me trying to hire a babysitter so I can go to class!  You need me every Tuesday and one other day  a week, but you won't know which day it is until the Friday of the week before, or possibly that Monday?  Uh, and you're paying how much?  Well, I think I'm busy then. . .

I'm going to send in the application anyway, since there is a waiting list and I wouldn't be able to start until the fall of 2006.  Maybe I can figure something out by then!

The boys are at school this very minute, having Valentine's Day parties.  There is no school for them next week, and we are all ready for the break.  Perhaps I'm a whimp, but going back and forth to school two or three times a day with the little ones is a pain.  Somebody already has or needs to poop.  Somebody is or needs to be sleeping.  Both the girls shuck their shoes quick as I can shoe them, and I swear I put on nineteen shoes for two girls so we can go.  Today we took Nate at 11:20 and Sophie wore red footed pjs with bumblebee striped rainboots and a hot pink coat.  Hair and teeth were unbrushed, of course.  Quite the sight. 

Suppose I ought to finish my cup of Mate Latte tea (I want to get my hands on some Peet's Lemon Rose tea, it's so so good) and be somewhat productive before I go get the boys and their tons of Friday before vacation papers.  I'll try and be back more often.

Walking home from taking Nate to school this morning, Sophie asked me, "Mom, do jellyfish sing?"  By comparison, the most probing question on my mind today is, "Ick.  Why does Soph's hair smell like barf?"

People joke about standing around talking about the weather, but you know something?  I think it's a pretty damn important issue.  It's been like spring the past couple of days here, and even though I know full well we have a cold and wet March and most likely February coming, the weather has made me feel happy.  I don't mind cool weather, and I like grey rainy days most of the time, but spring coming feels really really nice.