NaBloPoMo, Thou art a cruel and relentless taskmaster.
Alternate title: NaBloPoMe, I did it!
I may have had a couple of lame posts but I did manage to get up SOMETHING every single day. Did I learn anything? Hmm. Yes. It is better to not post when you are sick because no one wants to hear (read about?) you whining, that sometimes the posts you write just to have SOMETHING turn out to be your favorite ones, and that people do not comment as much when there is a new post everyday, even if they do visit the site more often. I am going to go back to a couple of posts I think were skipped over too quickly this week, but will try to continue posting at least 4-5 times a week.
H came over to play and we made period American Indian headpieces from traditional materials like construction paper, polyester, and scotch tape.
H is here representing the Wampanoag tribe at the first Thanksgiving in 1621. Isn’t he cute?
Here is The Son with his interpretation of a Pequot brave in 1636. He is mighty displeased at how his people have been treated. That and he did not want to wear his headband.
New topic, How was your Thanksgiving? I had two, and they were both awesome and totally completely different. One involved a picnic outside, followed by a tractor ride and a swing in the hammock. The other involved china and crystal and the fine film Herbie goes to Monte-Carlo (that part is a lie, the movie was not fine, it blew.). The Son was good for both dinners and still had room for pie. On the way home yesterday The Son and I were talking about Christmas, and I asked him who brings presents on Christmas? His answer? Shoeshe does Mama!
Happy December.
Filed under NaBloPoMo | Comments (8)Another um, thrilling? Episode of Ask Hey You.
I keep getting emails from people whom I sorta know or have never met asking me things. There are only two days left of NaBloPoMo and I am running a little low on new stuff so how about I just answer some of them for everybody and we call it a post okay? Good.
Is there really such a thing as computer contests? Yup! I mentioned here The Husband won second place in a national computer troubleshooting competition last year. They have these things all the time, but he almost never goes because he has to work so The Son and I can stay at home eating goldfish and watching Mighty Machines. Here is a picture of him winning. Just thrilling isn’t it.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE The Son’s black winter coat! Where can I buy one because all I can find are ones with Sesame Street characters on them. Thank you, I really like his coat too, it is actually the coat I bought for him last year, I bought it big hoping he could wear it again this winter, and it fits much better this year since it is a 24months and he is a wee bit on the small side. The brand is French Toast and I found it on Amazon. I tried to find it online to link for you but the only one I found was on eBay for $65 and that is insane. I think I paid $30 for his. I had to look really hard to find a cute non-character coat , but look online, and don’t be afraid to try a new brand, or check out consignment sales in your area. I swear I get almost all of his clothes gently used. Here it is again for those who have no idea what coat I am talking about.
Last year:
This year:
I am sure your house is probably really clean since you are a SAHM, but what is your least favorite household chore? I am going to start staying home after Christmas, do you have any advice? HAHAHAHAHAHAH ha, hmm, oh sorry, you were serious? Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but my house is not cleaner now that I am a SAHM, In fact, it is worse. The thing is we are now home all the time to mess it up, we use more dishes, we make more trash, we live in our house instead of just sleeping here between workdays. I am sure if I were okay with plopping The Son down in front of Nick Jr. I could get a lot more done, but I am staying home because I want to be with my son, to be the one to teach him, love him, play with him. We do tons of crafts and play lots of games and do tend to move from one thing to the other pretty quickly. I am trying to get in the habit of cleaning as we go along, but am not willing to dampen his creativity. So, good luck, but remember you are not going to be staying home so your house can look perfect and ignoring your kids will do a lot more damage than having dishes piled in (on, around, under) the sink. What is my least favorite chore? Laundry! I hate it I hate it I hate it. So I avoid. See Exhibit A. I found his Halloween costume in this pile and this picture was taken on Tuesday, so it had been about a month since I really washed all of the clothes. I will just toss in a load of “have to haves” (underwear, jammies, etc.) every few days. I may have just crossed the shares too much line.
Exhibit B. The Son was playing mountain climber.
You gush about your husband all the time, is there not anything he does that annoys you? Do I gush about The Husband? I might, I do love him an awful lot, and I do tend to tell him about forty times a day, he is just so wonderful, you would gush if he were your husband too. But yeah, sometimes he does annoy me. Well, sometimes the things he does annoys me, not him as a person annoys me. Does that make sense? Hmm what annoys me? Oooh, I have a story! We are never fully clothed at my house. The likelihood of one of us having on pants is pretty slim when you knock on our door. During the month between when H was born and The Son was born, our neighbors came over to show us the newly born H. I threw on a shirt and answered the door, while The Husband was in the kitchen wearing a t-shirt and boxers. They had the baby and a gift so of course I invited them in. Now The Husband was stuck in the kitchen pantless. When I sat down on the couch to hold the baby, I looked up and could see The Husband’s barelegged reflection in the blank TV screen. Ever since then, he comes home and drapes his pants and belt over the back of one of the kitchen chairs, because he is afraid of being caught pantless again. That annoys me, and he gets annoyed when I tell him he could just wear pants if he is so paranoid. What else? Oh when his allergies are acting up he makes this horrible throat scratching noise that makes me want to stab a pencil in my ear. He would never ever mow the lawn unless I made him. He sometimes gives The Son cookies for breakfast. There are more, but really I could write a tome equal to War and Peace on his wonderful characteristics, so if he makes me delete this post because of the pants story I will not mind too much.
Two birds? One stone.
This is Ang. Today is her birthday! Happy Birthday Ang! A few months ago I wrote a post about my bridesmaids, and she said that she never got a single picture from my wedding. Hmm, I know! How about I scan some of the pictures from my wedding that have her in them and post them on my blog! That way I can give her a free but lovingly scanned and posted birthday present, and get a post for NaBloPoMo on a day that I am still in a turkey coma. Two birds. One stone, but please nobody throw a stone at Ang on her birthday. Maybe a cupcake, but not a stone.
If you have no interest in wedding pictures of people you may not know at a wedding that happened over five years ago, please scroll down and read and comment on this and this, I really want to know what you think! Really!
Here she is walking down the aisle. That flower ball was apparently very heavy. Maybe that accounts for the grimace, or it could be trying to walk in a straight line after all the wine at the salon.
Speaking of wine…..sorry Cat. That red, white and blue tent? Sigh. Another post for another time.
See Gabs’ feet? And the bottom of my mom’s dress? Sigh. Ang looks like she is having fun, and when I bought them I had no idea how much we would need those navy flip-flops
This is Joe, they have been together for eleventy-billion years. Or ten. Whatever.
This would be the bridal party dance right before water got into the speakers and stopped the music for good. I wonder why the bride is not wearing a wedding dress? Sigh.
Toasting! More wine! Is Shoeshe okay? She looks a little like she might pass out.
Ha ha ha Joe, very funny. Now put it away.
Speaking of Joe, here he is again. Walking. You know wedding pictures are kinda boring.
Who is that cutie on the right? My darling groom. He looks happy, I was too.
At the time the flower balls seemed like a good idea.
How come the women have to do all of the heavy lifting and the men just have to stand there. See that guy on the far right? Another blog post all his own.
I hope this is what you were looking for Ang! Happy Birthday!
Filed under Friends-All three of them, NaBloPoMo | Comments (5)Forget the cup, my cistern, um if I had one, runneth over.
Alternate title: A prayer of Thanksgiving.
Thank you heavenly father for your church, for giving me the opportunity to know you, for giving me the ability to worship you and honor you openly. For your son.
Almighty God thank you for my husband, for his love, for his patience, for his parenting skills, for his career that provides for our family, for his arms that hold, for his smile, for his brain and his wit, for our intimacy, for his taste in wives.
Father of Glory thank you for my child, my son, for his giggles and his cries, his smile and his eyes, for his perfectly healthy little body, for his countenance, his vitality, his faith in you, his fearlessness, his intelligence, his strong will, even his mischievousness, for his naps, for his love.
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob thank you for the body you have given me, for keeping it healthy so that I may use it to serve you, for the arms that hold, and the heart that loves.
Great I AM thank you for my mind that gives me reason to overcome fears, that lets me better understand you, that lets me enjoy the brilliance of others, that lets me turn within to better know you, so that I might know myself.
King of kings thank you for my mother, for her wisdom and guidance, and unconditional love, for her teachings, and understanding, for her companionship, for her future, love of my husband and son.
Lord of lords thank you for my father, for his sense of humor, his experience, his good judgment, the example he sets of hard work and trust in God. For the time he spends with his family, for the patience he extends to toddlers, and his love.
My refuge, thank you for my brother, for his well being, his cleverness, his many talents, our rapport, his friends that love him like family, his chance to branch out from our roots.
Creator of the heavens, thank you for my mother-in-law, for the awesome job she did raising my husband, for the love she has extended to me, for her gifts that she shares with so many people, for her empathy to all living things, for her love for her whole family.
Gracious and merciful God, thank you for my father-in-law, for his devotion to his family, for illustrating so perfectly the image of a loving husband and father to his sons, for his joyful levity, for his health, for his resemblance in so many ways to my son.
Adonai-Jehovah, thank you for my brother-in-law, for his renewed health, for his persistence, his wit, his faith in you, for the chance to find his helpmate, for his relationship with his family.
Alpha and Omega, thank you for our grandparents, the ones that we are still blessed with, and the ones that now rest with you. For being able to know them, love them, and honor them. For my son to be able to have a relationship and fond memories of so many of his great-grandparents, and pictures and fond stories of the rest.
Great Counselor, thank you for the gift of friends, for their fellowship, their devotion, the fun times we share, the shoulder they let me lean on, the ability to stay close though miles are between us.
Everlasting Father, thank you for your creatures, specifically the ones that live in my house, for their affection, and comfort, and health, for their tolerance of my son.
Oh, holy God, thank you for our finances that provide everything we need, and many things we want, and the jobs that provide them.
Living God, thank you for our home, it’s comfort, it’s protection, it’s security.
Abbah, thank you for the blessing of our transportation, it is reliable, and safe, and let’s us spend time with those we cherish, and go to the jobs we need.
El Shaddai thank you for our nation, for the ability of all people to have a voice, for democracy, and the freedom to worship you.
Oh majestic Father thank you for your creation of this earth, for the gifts it provides us so that we may feed, and clothe all that inhabit it, for the fresh water to drink, and clean air to breathe.
God Our Savior thank you for the ability to express myself freely, for this free and easy medium that allows me to share my thoughts and feelings.
Thank you, we praise you, we glorify you, Amen.
Filed under NaBloPoMo, faith | Comments (4)Has feminism hurt our boys?
Am I going to get kicked out of the club for having a post so entitled? I have been getting ready for some Thanksgiving travel around here, so read this–everyone, but especially if you have a son, and scan through this, and discuss. I will update with my thoughts later.
Are you kidding me, Mom?! Why can’t you just write a post about what you are thankful for like everyone else? Why do you need to start a debate?
Maybe if I close my eyes and wish really hard it will just skip straight to where you say, “everyone has a right to their own opinions,” and move on.
Oh Lordy, this face.
Special bonus post because it is just not fair to the world not to share this face. Oh, this face. Those cheeks are as soft as they look, the eyelashes just as long, the dimples just as deep.
Alma miss you too.
Shoeshe’s birthday was Thursday and that seemed a good excuse to go visit our old home town, just in time for Alma Mater’s last home game of the season. We were not really going to see football but rather to see Shoeshe and eat at some of our favorite old haunts. The Husband used to work at a hotel in *Alma Mater, so he dropped the owner’s name when we were making reservations and got us a huge discount…big enough that we stayed two nights instead of one. When we got to town on Friday night we checked in, fed Ellie-Mae and met Shoeshe at the best Italian restaurant ever. We told our server it was her birthday and she got free cake, which she gave to The Son, because she hates us and thought it was fun to watch his head spin around backwards.
Ang and JHJ both used to work at the best restaurant ever, and the menu had not changed a bit. When the waitress brought my 24 with extra mushrooms (penne and chicken in cream sauce), I remembered why Ang and I would always share an order. Ang would pick it up, between her lunch and dinner shift as hostess, and bring it to me while I worked at the senator’s office. I would close the door, and we would sit at my desk, eat and watch Rosie O’Donnell on the TV that was supposed to stay tuned to CSPAN. That was just the beginning of a weekend full of memories. Some were bad, but they were overwhelmingly good.
The next morning we perused the awesome new mall they have built at Alma Mater, and The Son beamed a little girl in the mall kiddie corral. In his defense, the child was sitting at the bottom of the slide as he was coming down it. We left and took him to a real playground instead, and I swear, it was the BEST playground I have EVER seen, and that is saying something because I do consider myself a bit of a playground connoisseur. It is located at a nearby lake, the lake where we had church cookouts, and Ang and I walked miles upon miles so I would fit in my wedding dress. It was really cold, but that did not slow us down any.
The Son fit in the tire swing much better than the adults. Like his new hat? Target special in Alma Mater colors.
This is one of those barrel rolling things. The Son had it easy.
Although The Husband also did really well.
Shoeshe pretty much sucked. So did I, and there is a picture of me on this thing as well, but it is my blog so I get choose which pictures to publish. Awesome.
This may look like a normal slide but it is made of of lots of tiny little rollers. I was worried about his fingers getting caught, but he was fine.
The Husband thought he would be fine too….but it was not made for more ample adult-sized bottoms. He tried it on his stomach the next go around and now we can not have any more children.
We had so much fun playing that we were late for the game! When we got there they were already doing…um something. I have no idea. But doesn’t the field look pretty?
There was a lot of um hugging? And running. And throwing. I just cheered when people around me cheered and started to boo when they booed, but The Husband said that was teaching The Son bad sportsmanship, so instead when other people booed we just yelled, “Awe that’s a shame. Better luck next time!” Shoeshe pretended she did not know us.
We really enjoyed the band! They were entertaining. They could play and dance at the same time. Ohhhh. Ahhhh.
We left after the half time show. It was just way too cold, especially since The Son flat out refused to wear his mittens and I had already flashed our whole section when he threw a temper tantrum demanding to Nur-Nur during the second quarter. Whoever thought it was a good idea to plan a game at nap time obviously did not have a toddler. The score was tied when we left, but I hear Alma Mater won, so YAY! I guess. Whatever. They still have a great debate team.
The Son fell asleep in the Huckablazer before we were even off campus so Shoeshe gave us a tour down memory lane. Campus is completely unrecognizable from just six years ago. My dorm is now Co-ed! The student union is so massive it takes up the whole center of campus. The college owned apartments, that were considered the height of cool with their T1 lines, are now obsolete because they are the only part of campus that is not wireless. Trees are gone and a parking garage is in their spot. The Wesley foundation where Cat and I spent so many hours looks so much better, and has bought out the Church of Christ next door. The new science building has a lovely greenhouse on the top, and the road I used to speed down to get to work on time is now just for bikes and pedestrians. Get Cat to tell you about the time she got run over by a bike on that road.
Since The Son was snoozing away, we drove by every apartment either of us lived in. The first one, still across from a mosque is now owned by HUD, that should tell you something. It was never a nice apartment complex, when I first moved in just for the summer while the dorms were closed, I was so scared to live there by myself that I begged HYR to live there with me. She complied, and we toughed it out together. The next apartment we lived in was bought out by my old church and they tore it down to put up a parking lot. It was a change for the better. My first apartment I ever lived in alone** was so small that I could not open the front door without hitting the coffee table, and yet I still crammed in a full-sized Christmas tree. It looked exactly the same, as did the huge old house turned duplex The Husband and I first lived in as newlyweds. That is where he carried me over the threshold and hit my head on the door frame. Oh the memories. We drove by his old apartment too, the one he shared with BIL and had so much dust that the first (only) time I cleaned it for them I found thirty-seven dollars in change under the dust on their entertainment center. It looked the same as well, although that part of town seems to really be going downhill.
We went back to the hotel to finish naps, check on the dog and to lose some of the layers we had on, and then met Shoeshe for sushi and hibachi. The Son thought a Boston roll was a cupcake and got mad when it tasted like kelp instead of icing. We told our server it was her birthday and she got free cake, which she gave to The Son. Because she hates us and thought it was fun to watch his head spin around backwards. Hey Deja Vu!
We finished the night in the indoor pool at the hotel doing something The Son has been begging to do since August.
The next morning we made it just in time for the contemporary service at the church I went to the whole time I lived there, and only saw one person I knew. We finished the trip up with lunch at the same place The Husband and I had our third date. I asked him if he remembered that date and he told me he did because he really liked the v-necked sweater I wore.
When we pulled out of the parking lot after giving Shoeshe final kisses, The Son cried saying, “Shoeshe, Shoeshe, you come back, I want you back!” and it was not just because she gives him presents.
We will be back soon. Alma Mater has a basketball team right?
*Alma Mater is code for the town the actual university is located in.
**I used the term alone very loosely because The Husband and I were newly engaged and were pretty much inseparable.
Filed under Friends-All three of them, NaBloPoMo, Photography, The Husband, The Son | Comments (3)