Well, yesterday was fun, wasn't it? Let's get back to trivial matters, however. That's what I do best. We just made the teens watch a DVD of Bob Newhart doing all his old comedy routines. I'm not sure whether they will ever forgive us, but I cannot get enough of that guy. The Driving Instructor, King Kong on the Empire State Building (as viewed by a very flustered night guard), President Lincoln's handler convincing him to "keep the beard, Abe; just keep the beard." I heart Bob Newhart. He's not bad-looking for - what? - over 70 years old? And if anyone can remember (or figure out) which season of The Bob Newhart Show had the moo-goo-gai-pan episode in it, please let me know. I want to show that to the kids, too.
See? Trivial...I warned you...
Time change coming right up! Gosh, isn't that a great idea? Trying to drag the kids out of bed an hour earlier than their bodies are used to, and in the dark? Who thought it was smart to get rid of the morning sunlight? I've been waiting all winter to have that sun streaming in my windows in the morning, and now it gets yanked away so someone can have a BBQ in the evening? In March? Last I checked, more than half of you were still buried in snow.
I don't get it. I just don't get it. I would be happy if we could just leave those clocks alone, all year-round. There was research done (in Indiana, which finally got with the clock-switching program) that proved that DST actually uses more energy, not less. Because (surprise!) people still need to get up for work and school in the morning, and no one likes to shower and get dressed in the dark. Duh.
Nothing like a time change to make me realize just how powerless I am...
It's my bedtime, folks (well, for 2 more nights, anyway...). If you're staying up, hop on over to Mrs. G's for some dead-on marriage advice...you'll be glad you did.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Thursday, March 06, 2008
The Fundamental Things Apply....
5000 steps yesterday (but I started a few hours late); 8000 today. I've got to work on this.
I would like to issue a formal apology to Mental Tessarae for my ranting in her comments today. She posted a thoughtful essay on not wanting people to gender type her little girl; and I went on and on about how the sexes are indeed hardwired differently. I sounded irate. I don't know why. Maybe because I see parents worrying so much over things they have no control over, rather than just enjoying their kids for what they are.
Look - I have 3 boys and 3 girls, and even the least masculine of the boys would never dream of putting his hands on his hips when he gets mad. Girls, however, do this before they are even 2 years old. The girls also do these weird things with their feet when they are just standing around, pointing them while slinging a hip to one side, that boys never do. Girls smile and bat their eyes at strangers; boys, when feeling bashful, run and head butt the intruder. I don't know why.
These differences show up before age 2. Don't even ask me for the list of differences at age 13. I could write a book.
Acknowledging gender differences doesn't threaten the notion of equality between men and women. Just because girls have different mannerisms than boys doesn't mean they aren't capable of being engineers or astronauts or whatever. But we need to recognize and celebrate the differences between the sexes rather than try to ignore them. When we ignore them, we are ignoring an integral part of that person.
I want my girls to grow up to be strong and beautiful, but I also want them to be able to be vulnerable, scary as that might seem. It's hard to be nurturing to your own children and intimate with your spouse without being a little bit vulnerable. I want my boys to grow up gentle and caring, but they need to be strong and protective, also, to take care of my grandbabies (and to chase bats out of the house). Women and men complement each other very nicely, you know. I mean, do I have to draw a picture? This is a G-rated blog, after all.
(Sigh) Can you tell this is a pet peeve? I think I need to soothe my nerves with some Girl Scout cookies (see? Boy Scouts wouldn't be caught dead selling cookies) (Ha, ha! Joke! It's a joke!) and move on. This is just my predilection for traditional gender roles rearing its ugly head again...
I would like to issue a formal apology to Mental Tessarae for my ranting in her comments today. She posted a thoughtful essay on not wanting people to gender type her little girl; and I went on and on about how the sexes are indeed hardwired differently. I sounded irate. I don't know why. Maybe because I see parents worrying so much over things they have no control over, rather than just enjoying their kids for what they are.
Look - I have 3 boys and 3 girls, and even the least masculine of the boys would never dream of putting his hands on his hips when he gets mad. Girls, however, do this before they are even 2 years old. The girls also do these weird things with their feet when they are just standing around, pointing them while slinging a hip to one side, that boys never do. Girls smile and bat their eyes at strangers; boys, when feeling bashful, run and head butt the intruder. I don't know why.
These differences show up before age 2. Don't even ask me for the list of differences at age 13. I could write a book.
Acknowledging gender differences doesn't threaten the notion of equality between men and women. Just because girls have different mannerisms than boys doesn't mean they aren't capable of being engineers or astronauts or whatever. But we need to recognize and celebrate the differences between the sexes rather than try to ignore them. When we ignore them, we are ignoring an integral part of that person.
I want my girls to grow up to be strong and beautiful, but I also want them to be able to be vulnerable, scary as that might seem. It's hard to be nurturing to your own children and intimate with your spouse without being a little bit vulnerable. I want my boys to grow up gentle and caring, but they need to be strong and protective, also, to take care of my grandbabies (and to chase bats out of the house). Women and men complement each other very nicely, you know. I mean, do I have to draw a picture? This is a G-rated blog, after all.
(Sigh) Can you tell this is a pet peeve? I think I need to soothe my nerves with some Girl Scout cookies (see? Boy Scouts wouldn't be caught dead selling cookies) (Ha, ha! Joke! It's a joke!) and move on. This is just my predilection for traditional gender roles rearing its ugly head again...
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Steppin' Out
(To the tune of "On top of Old Smokey...")
"The grave will deca-a-a-y you,
And turn you to dust...."
Doesn't that sound like a good verse for a song on a children's CD? And the guy sings it so cheerfully, too...I almost drove the car into a hydrant while trying to (hurriedly) turn the volume way down. I'm surprised the next verse wasn't something like, "The worms and the ma-a-a-ggots, Will eat out your eyes...."
Just finished paying another chunk of money to our local library. I don't really want to talk about it right now. Amazing but true.
I stopped off at the grocery store after my weigh-in this morning (down 2 pounds - go, me!) (even with all those Twix and Girl Scout cookies) and realized at the checkout that I had left my wallet in the car. Normally, I would have been all annoyed at myself, having to waste time to run out there and run back in. But not today! Nope! Because, from now on, inefficiency pays off. I bought myself an official Weight Watchers pedometer this morning, so leaving my wallet in the car translated into 400 extra steps.
I've heard that one's goal should be 10,000 steps a day - I'm only up to 3,000, so I need to get up and jog around the living room or something. Maybe I'll march in place while I prep dinner.
It's so exciting to have a goal.
We woke Larry up last night and demanded mousetraps for the attic above Anna's bedroom. It was that bad. He was pretty nice about it. So, understandably, I have mice on the brain. Which may explain why, just now, I thought we had mice running up and down in the walls of our den. Lots of them, hordes of them....until Theo kindly explained that those were raindrops I was hearing. I wouldn't believe him until he opened a window.
They sounded like mice.
Maybe it's the food deprivation. I'm hallucinating. Yeah, that's it...time for an emergency Twix...
"The grave will deca-a-a-y you,
And turn you to dust...."
Doesn't that sound like a good verse for a song on a children's CD? And the guy sings it so cheerfully, too...I almost drove the car into a hydrant while trying to (hurriedly) turn the volume way down. I'm surprised the next verse wasn't something like, "The worms and the ma-a-a-ggots, Will eat out your eyes...."
Just finished paying another chunk of money to our local library. I don't really want to talk about it right now. Amazing but true.
I stopped off at the grocery store after my weigh-in this morning (down 2 pounds - go, me!) (even with all those Twix and Girl Scout cookies) and realized at the checkout that I had left my wallet in the car. Normally, I would have been all annoyed at myself, having to waste time to run out there and run back in. But not today! Nope! Because, from now on, inefficiency pays off. I bought myself an official Weight Watchers pedometer this morning, so leaving my wallet in the car translated into 400 extra steps.
I've heard that one's goal should be 10,000 steps a day - I'm only up to 3,000, so I need to get up and jog around the living room or something. Maybe I'll march in place while I prep dinner.
It's so exciting to have a goal.
We woke Larry up last night and demanded mousetraps for the attic above Anna's bedroom. It was that bad. He was pretty nice about it. So, understandably, I have mice on the brain. Which may explain why, just now, I thought we had mice running up and down in the walls of our den. Lots of them, hordes of them....until Theo kindly explained that those were raindrops I was hearing. I wouldn't believe him until he opened a window.
They sounded like mice.
Maybe it's the food deprivation. I'm hallucinating. Yeah, that's it...time for an emergency Twix...
I Can Dream, Can't I?
It's about the mice today. Anna heard scrabbling in the ceiling above her bed - and considering she sleeps in the top bunk, she was a bit freaked out. For some reason Larry was not anxious to climb up into the attic to hunt rodents after a rough day at work (how rough? specifically, "sucky, but not too sucky," whatever the heck that means). Methinks he is losing some of that youthful energy that I so admired when I met him. But, being as that I am not exactly the sweet, energetic girl he married, I can scarcely complain.
Ah, Twix, how I love thee! Is there anything more glorious than having both extra Weight Watchers' points at the end of the week and a bag of Twix in the house? What a marvelous confluence of events! In fact, the only reason I am still awake is that I had to wait until my kids were asleep to break into my chocolate-y stash.
I'm trying to remember what made me happy before I had kids. I'm pretty sure it was something more exciting than a bag of candy.
We had a glorious spring day today, warm enough to sit out on the deck and bask in the sun. And I felt skinnier because I didn't need my long johns on underneath my jeans. Hey! That should take a couple of ounces off my weigh-in tomorrow - pass me some more Twix!
My best friend came over with her daughter; and while the girls played, she told me how she wasn't sure what she'd do with herself all day once all her kids were in school next year. And no, she wasn't joking. I told her I'd give her a list. Not that I fantasize about that or anything. But I do wonder whether, devoted homeschooler that I am, I'll suddenly do an about-face the year my youngest is old enough for kindergarten. "Hey, kids! Remember all that stuff I told you about school? Kidding! It's not that bad! Here's your lunch, have a great day, see ya later!"
Sigh. Yoga 3 days a week, knitting classes, catching up on all the photo editing and albums - and you? What would you do (or what do you do already) with 6 or 7 blessed hours every day, 5 days a week? Go ahead, make me weep...
Ah, Twix, how I love thee! Is there anything more glorious than having both extra Weight Watchers' points at the end of the week and a bag of Twix in the house? What a marvelous confluence of events! In fact, the only reason I am still awake is that I had to wait until my kids were asleep to break into my chocolate-y stash.
I'm trying to remember what made me happy before I had kids. I'm pretty sure it was something more exciting than a bag of candy.
We had a glorious spring day today, warm enough to sit out on the deck and bask in the sun. And I felt skinnier because I didn't need my long johns on underneath my jeans. Hey! That should take a couple of ounces off my weigh-in tomorrow - pass me some more Twix!
My best friend came over with her daughter; and while the girls played, she told me how she wasn't sure what she'd do with herself all day once all her kids were in school next year. And no, she wasn't joking. I told her I'd give her a list. Not that I fantasize about that or anything. But I do wonder whether, devoted homeschooler that I am, I'll suddenly do an about-face the year my youngest is old enough for kindergarten. "Hey, kids! Remember all that stuff I told you about school? Kidding! It's not that bad! Here's your lunch, have a great day, see ya later!"
Sigh. Yoga 3 days a week, knitting classes, catching up on all the photo editing and albums - and you? What would you do (or what do you do already) with 6 or 7 blessed hours every day, 5 days a week? Go ahead, make me weep...
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Quiet as Mice
Quick note to any dieters out there: it may not be in your best interest to leave an open box of Girl Scout cookies (Trefoils) next to your keyboard. Just take my word for it, okay? And did you know that Trefoils are best when you chew them up really well and then just sort of keep them in your mouth for a minute or so? I mean, in theory? Ahem.
During my cleaning frenzy this morning, I decided to go above and beyond by actually cleaning the furnace filter. I entered the furnace closet only to find that apparently Larry has stopped checking the mousetraps nightly. Which means, who knows what might be decomposing in our attic even now? That's a fun thought.
I was complaining to Larry that I couldn't finish writing the stuff that I might actually make money from (as opposed to these blog posts that he sees me wasting time over) because, by the time I sit down to work at 9 PM, I'm too tired to do anything but mindlessly surf the blogosphere. And I can't write during the day with 2 little girls dancing around my computer chair and trying to sit on my lap. The Yarn Harlot, I pointed out to him, has been sequestered this week in a cabin in the Canadian woods, just so she can get her writing done. Larry was kind enough to refrain from pointing out that she is a professional writer, as opposed to being a whining dilettante (um, that would be me). But he did call my bluff by taking the 4 youngest to the aquarium for the day. The teens are out at chess club and flute choir all afternoon. Which left just me at home, with no distractions whatsoever....(well, aside from the box of Trefoils, of course)....
Do you know how hard it is to concentrate with no distractions? It's so damn quiet in here. I actually had to take a walk to the bookstore to get anything done. (And to get away from the blogosphere...) (Not that I am blaming you guys for my lack of productivity or anything...)
Nothing interesting is happening here, nothing. Not even anything cute and endearing...although I took Bia's advice and had a family night here yesterday evening (the teens were out, which made it easier - they don't want to know from family nights at their age). David was in charge and he chose pizza and monopoly to be our food and activity for the evening. We had Hershey's kisses and mini-Reese's cups on free parking - aren't I fun? A good time was had by all, so thank you, Bia, for encouraging me to be a nice mommy for once.
And yes, I've been writing down all the chocolates and pizza - and I haven't gone over my Weight Watchers points. But if someone doesn't grab this box of Trefoils away from me, I'm definitely in trouble.
During my cleaning frenzy this morning, I decided to go above and beyond by actually cleaning the furnace filter. I entered the furnace closet only to find that apparently Larry has stopped checking the mousetraps nightly. Which means, who knows what might be decomposing in our attic even now? That's a fun thought.
I was complaining to Larry that I couldn't finish writing the stuff that I might actually make money from (as opposed to these blog posts that he sees me wasting time over) because, by the time I sit down to work at 9 PM, I'm too tired to do anything but mindlessly surf the blogosphere. And I can't write during the day with 2 little girls dancing around my computer chair and trying to sit on my lap. The Yarn Harlot, I pointed out to him, has been sequestered this week in a cabin in the Canadian woods, just so she can get her writing done. Larry was kind enough to refrain from pointing out that she is a professional writer, as opposed to being a whining dilettante (um, that would be me). But he did call my bluff by taking the 4 youngest to the aquarium for the day. The teens are out at chess club and flute choir all afternoon. Which left just me at home, with no distractions whatsoever....(well, aside from the box of Trefoils, of course)....
Do you know how hard it is to concentrate with no distractions? It's so damn quiet in here. I actually had to take a walk to the bookstore to get anything done. (And to get away from the blogosphere...) (Not that I am blaming you guys for my lack of productivity or anything...)
Nothing interesting is happening here, nothing. Not even anything cute and endearing...although I took Bia's advice and had a family night here yesterday evening (the teens were out, which made it easier - they don't want to know from family nights at their age). David was in charge and he chose pizza and monopoly to be our food and activity for the evening. We had Hershey's kisses and mini-Reese's cups on free parking - aren't I fun? A good time was had by all, so thank you, Bia, for encouraging me to be a nice mommy for once.
And yes, I've been writing down all the chocolates and pizza - and I haven't gone over my Weight Watchers points. But if someone doesn't grab this box of Trefoils away from me, I'm definitely in trouble.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)