A Look At Our Week...

This has been a busy week. We've had a lot of those recently. It seems like the older the kids get the busier we are. It's the carting them around from one activity to the next that does it. We really aren't one of those families that has the kids in every imaginable club. But with three it adds up. There's also the fact that I'm at the school more this year and trying to pick up extra hours at the studio when I can. And then Steven is working three jobs so he lives in a world separate from us filled with law, law, and more law. Of course we're also going into flu season and we kicked it off with a bang. Sicily has been out for the count since Tuesday. Poor baby. She is the most pitiful thing in the world when she's sick. She has a sad look that makes me want to just hold her in my arms all day. Until she vomits and then I just want to throw her in a bath as quickly as I can. Sorry, was that too much information? Oh well. So what has kept us on our toes? Here's a look:

• Analiese had Environmental Club on Monday after school. Yes, she's an eco-chick. Next week they're taking a field trip to the Recycling Center. I'm so proud.
• As soon as I picked up Analiese I took Sicily to Ballet.
  
• Steven gives an hour long lecture on Mondays on the basics of the law as part of job #3. That comes after putting in a full day at the courthouse.
• I spent Tuesday morning waiting around for the heat repairman. But he fixed our heat so I can't complain. At least we've been toasty while busy.
  
• Tuesday, Chris had art class and I taught at the studio until 8:30pm.
  
• Wednesday, I had a parent meeting, after dinner, about Odyssey of the Mind. Chris is starting that next week. His problem is to build a mobile mouse propelled solely by mousetraps that can complete a series of tests, such as raising a flag. Sometimes I think my son is smarter than me.
• Steven gives another hour long lecture on Wednesdays on more law basics as part of job #2. Yes the two jobs are really similar. (Note to self: I should write a post soon about exactly what he's doing.)
• Thursday was Veterans day which meant a day off of school. However, Sicily had a 102 degree fever and Chris had a social studies project to work on so it didn't feel like much of a day off for anyone but Analiese.
• Thursday I taught two classes at the studio and Analiese had art class.
• Steven grades papers and tests for job #2 and #3 on Thursday until late into the night. (I'm starting to miss my husband.)
• All of this includes the daily school routine, work routine, and the school volunteering. (Note to self: I should post about that soon too.) (Note to self: I am really behind in blog posts.)
  

And that brings us to Friday. Friday is usually my day off, but I'm behind in the chores and Sicily's body is rebelling against getting better so she's gotten a lot of baths this morning. We are very weekend ready. Though Steven's decided to add a 5K and a day in the country with friends to his list for Saturday. And that social studies project has to be finished. And the laundry is overflowing on my floor again.

Sunday is looking great.

Heat is a Necessity

We've spent the last few days living like the Ingalls. Five quilts on each bed and a roaring fire in the fire place. Last Thursday we turned on the heat for the first time this season. But instead of warming us, it blew out cold air that seeped straight into our bones. No one appreciated that as much as you might think. It turns out that we would prefer the heater to be working. Especially if the weather is going to finally drop to a seasonally appropriate 30 degrees each morning.

Thankfully, we come from a family of quilters. So we piled the beds high and crawled deep beneath. Even the cat got cold and stubbornly insisted on working her way beneath one of those quilts. No matter how many times I put her out of the bed within minutes she would jump back up. I eventually gave up because it was too cold to come out from under my blankets to put her off.

We lit a fire, but the flue of our fireplace isn't built to be particularly efficient so the heat was lost in this drafty old house. Though it was a lovely sight and it did warm the living room a bit. I love a nice wood fireplace.

It's come to wearing gloves and scarves in the house. I've been very jealous of my family the last few days. They get to leave and go to other heated buildings. I'm teeth chattering cold sitting here!

Today there is an old man here tinkering with the furnace. He tried to help us out yesterday but the furnace was grumpy and wanted to hibernate a little bit longer. Today the old man is determined to wake it up. I know we will all be very grateful tonight if he can get heat flowing through this funky little cottage. Though we might keep the quilts on the beds and a fire going. Those are comforting cold weather sights that make you feel cozy deep down inside. And when it's 30 degrees outside cozy is just what we need.

Green Eggs and Ham

I was treated today to a little Seuss, the musical version. Oh, the Thinks You Can Think. I was told about Horton and McElligot's pool. And of course, we had Green Eggs and Ham. It was delightful.

So I thought I'd share a little Seussical with you to brighten your weekend. Who isn't cheered by Horton or the Cat in the Hat or even that nasty Grinch? And Dr. Seuss set to music, sung by some pretty awesome second graders, is even better! "Green Eggs and Ham" anyone?

Boo!

Once upon a Halloween, I came upon a shipwrecked pirate.
He'd seen better days.

It turned out he'd been searching long and hard.
Don't worry. He eventually found Waldo...

who found a forest fairy.

And then Ladybug Girl landed among our trees.

She's Ladybug Girl. She can do anything.
"Feeling as big as the whole outdoors, Lulu stretches our her arms and flies down the hill with her wings bobbing behind her."*

She was hanging out with Little Red Riding Hood.

Make that Mischievous Little Red Riding Hood. You can see it in her eyes. No wolf would dare mess with her.

The ladies were fierce!

They all gathered together in the spooky darkness to loot the nearby houses of candy galore.

They were victorious!


It was a pretty awesome Halloween.




*Ladybug Girl by David Soman and Jacky Davis

Happy Halloween!

Twas the day of Halloween and all up the coasts
Every creature is stirring, including the ghosts.
The pumpkins are carved into a spooky sight
with candles to light up the eerie night.

The children are jumping up and down on their bed
While visions of candy corn dance in their head.
And I in my fairy wings and him in his cap
Know that by tomorrow we'll all need a long nap.


When darkness falls, in our costumes we'll go
up and down streets in the moon's soft glow.
We'll knock on the doors shouting "Trick or Treat"
'Til the bags have more candy than we can eat.

Then we'll skip back home and settle down
To watch The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
The children will crash from sugar highs
And be carried off to bed with sleepy eyes.

We'll gather up wings, tutus, and boots
Then raid the best chocolate from their loot.
And this brings an end to our fun and fright
Happy Halloween to all and to all a good night!

Kindergarten Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday I got to help chaperon the kindergartner's trip to the pumpkin patch. It was incredibly fun and incredibly exhausting!

If you have, have had, or will have a child in kindergarten, give that teacher chocolate and a gift certificate for a massage. Trust me, they deserve it. Five year olds have to be some of the funniest people in the world. They're also a little scatter-brained, which adds to the overall fun of a five year old. Releasing close to 200 five year olds into a field full of pumpkins is chaos waiting to happen. It's like releasing wind up mice. The go in all directions and even loop around a bit. And the adults are the cats frantically trying to catch them. It has to be hysterical for the farmers.

Eventually they all picked a pumpkin and loaded back into the hay ride. Then we headed to the barn to terrorize a few animals before releasing them into a field full of silo's made into playground slides. They all eventually ran out of steam and trudged wearily back to the bus. Thankfully we left with all of the children we came with (I think).

We all rode back to school nearly silently, exhausted from the experience. A lot like this poor terrorized pony.

It was a day well played with the added bonus of an extra pumpkin on the mantel .

Baby Love

Is there anything better than a baby? I really don't think so. So soft and new. I love the smell of freshly washed baby skin. A baby snuggled to my chest is just about the most comforting feeling in the world for me. Oh, such sweetness.

I got to spend my weekend with a very sweet little one. Little Miss Harlee Kate. She's beautiful. And she is my first niece. We have had the only children on both sides for the last ten years. Finally, there is a baby among us again. And we are all thrilled. Steven and I are especially excited to be a first time aunt and uuncle. We finally get to be the ones doing the spoiling. And the bonus of being the aunt and not the mother is that I get to love on the baby all day and then go home to sleep at night.

Oh my, I've forgotten how demanding a newborn is. I was reminded Saturday night at around 3am. But truthfully I would be lying if I said I didn't love every minute of sitting up with her. Even with the sleep deprivation, the newborn stage is my absolute favorite. It is truly one of the most exhausting things a person will ever do. And it is equally one of the sweetest times in life.

Thanks Hilary and Jon for letting me get my baby fix. You have made a very beautiful baby. Harlee is very love out here in North Carolina. She's a lovely ball of precious.