Happy New Year!

Tomorrow night we will continue our tradition of ringing in the new year with a bunch of friends and their families.  We all go to one house, let the kids play together, and have some relaxed grownup time.  We chip in with all the food and drinks.  Let's face it, this is a lot easier than trying to find a bunch of babysitters so all of the parents can go someplace, and it's a lot cheaper than eating out someplace and then paying the sitter (or groveling, if it's a family member).   :-)

The economy is in a miserable state, 'tis true, but as I look back on 2008 I see that my three children did a lot of growing and changing.  I am very proud of all of them.  I'm smiling as I get ready to switch to a new wall calendar.  Love to all of my special people.  Wherever you are in the world, you know who you are!

Wii Wish You a Merry...

Sunday was first night of Hanukkah, which we celebrated with a houseful of friends.  Great fun!   My father-in-law and his wife sent a Wii game system for the kids, which hubby and Son #1 opened up yesterday.  It was all set up by the time I arrived home from work, and it was in full swing.  It's attached to the living room TV.  From the time we set up the PlayStation 2, it has been attached to the TV in our bedroom.  The only other TV is in the basement (an older, smaller model) so that's fair game for some other game system someday, I suppose, but we'd have to put some heat down there.  Someday.

Of course, it's not all fun and games.  When they were doing Wii bowling, Son #3 began whining because he couldn't get the hang of it.  Both brothers were hassling him about his whining until he finally bowled his first strike.  Whew.  They were also playing Guitar Hero, which came as a Hanukkah present.  We've been enjoying Rock Band for the PlayStation for some time now, and I have to say that the drum set from Guitar Hero seems a lot more sturdy.  Hubby recently repaired the older drum set; we'll see whether it holds together.  The kids are excited (as am I) to hear the different collection of songs in Guitar Hero.  They have become acquainted with many of "my" rock and roll tunes from the 70s and 80s, and actually seem shocked that I know many of the songs well.  Heh heh heh.  I'm all thumbs when it comes to trying to play the guitar or drums, but I do take the microphone and sing a few.  

Whether it's rock and roll or holiday songs, here's to music appreciation!  I'd better embrace it, since all shreds of peace and quiet (few as they were) have now disappeared from our household.

When Kids Make Music...

Last night our elementary school had its winter concert, hosted at the middle school which has a much larger auditorium (and real seats, much nicer than sitting at tables in the cafeteria!).  The third and fourth graders sang and played recorders.  The fifth grade chorus, orchestra, band, and recorder ensemble performed.

Some of the groups added special features to their acts, which made the experience even more charming.  (When children have their concerts, particularly the little ones, I tend to melt into a puddle on the floor to begin with.)  The third grade chorus got to wave to all of their families before they began to sing, presumably so they could settle down and concentrate on what they were supposed to be doing up there.  They also had some hand clapping going on, and they sang a song welcoming the snow (as if today's forecast needed any help).   The recorder ensemble got to show off the three different varieties of recorders that they were playing.  The senior chorus did a song called Christmas Rush which was about shopping and hustle and bustle, using several props including gift bags, perfume bottles, neckties, toys, and Santa hats.  Undoubtedly the most entertaining part was when the band director announced that he was tired of waving his arms and asked the audience for a volunteer guest conductor.  Son #1 and a classmate of his were both yelling out to "Mr. D" that they were his best students and he should pick them; he actually chose the classmate's youngest sister.  She did an outstanding job, getting her little arms high enough for everyone in the band to see.  The musical quality was very good for a fifth grade group, but that piece was overshadowed by the audience's chuckling throughout the entire thing.

Son #2, who was part of the fifth grade chorus and band, had his entire immediate family in attendance for the first time, and was pleased as punch.  Hubby's sister, her husband and their two kids, plus my household and my mom.  When the chorus lined up on the risers, it was obvious that the lights were too bright, but my little hambone was squinting and shading his eyes to see whether he could find us in the crowd.   Of course we were waving at him, and when he recognized us he flashed us his typical broad grin.  

At the beginning of the concert, our principal said that the winter concert is perhaps the most enjoyable evening event of the school year.  I'd be hard pressed to disagree.

Yes, Virginia...

At an open discussion at the dinner table, we discovered that -- alas -- our seven-year-old no longer has stars of mystery in his eyes when he thinks of Santa Claus.  It had to happen sometime.  He knows it's Mom and Dad (truth be told, it's Mom who does all of the planning, shopping, wrapping, schlepping, etc.).  I was toying with Son #2, asking him if he's ever really seen anyone bringing the presents...but he said he knows they're in the basement somewhere.  Our oldest said something really sweet (out of character).  He believes that Santa is the spirit of Christmas...meaning the good will and the gift giving and the gathering of family.  I really liked that, because it transcends the religious part (although the kids are Jewish, we have never talked about a Hanukkah Harry or whatever they call it).  I think our living room looks pretty neat with the little Christmas tree (with all of the kid-created ornaments) and the electric menorah and the snowman decorations in the windows.  I'm beginning to enjoy the holiday season now that the cards and presents have been sent to faraway places, teachers' gifts have been sent to school, AND...I finished wrapping presents this morning!

If the Shoe Fits...

Yikes!  I was shocked into reality today.  All three boys needed sneakers, since they'd ripped through the toes as usual.  Well, at size 5 1/2 to 6 (the range of shoes the older two boys were seeking) they now have to go into the men's department.  Holy cow!   As soon as you move into men's, even if it's just a bit larger than the largest shoe in the kids' section, the price is at least double.  Luckily we found a "buy one, get the second half price" sale.  I'm going to have to pay attention to the sales at the shoe stores, or in the shoe departments of department stores, from now on.  Just one warning that the puberty stage is going to be lots of fun.  The feet will keep growing, right along with all else...

Hockey Dad

Recently, hubby found out about a deck hockey place near our house.  The new owner has an adult league in full swing, but is trying to get a kids' league going.  One Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago, hubby took the two older boys there to check it out.  They loved it!  They have been playing there for about an hour each Saturday since then.  Hubby now refers to himself as Hockey Dad (since Mom stays home with the little guy, who doesn't like hockey).  Funny coincidence...we mentioned this to our dentist (a friend of mine from high school) since his son is really into hockey.  Turns out that the dentist and the new owner of the deck hockey place met there about 15 years ago when they were both playing in a league.  Isn't it wonderful how life's circles go round and round.  What do we think of the kids all clad in their gear?  Pretty impressive, eh?

Silly Cereal, Part Deux

I think I'm all settled in, back at the ranch after being away in Boston for almost a week.  Laundry is caught up, and the Christmas and Hanukkah decorations are done.  My seven-year-old helped decorate, with much enthusiasm, while his brothers were at religion this morning.

Tonight we went to dinner as a late birthday celebration for hubby, whose day was really Thursday while I was still on my business trip.  We tried going to a new branch of the Bay Shore BBQ joint Smokin' Al's which he liked, but at 4:30PM (which was early, we thought) there was a one hour wait for a party of five.  Birthday boy said, "Sorry, can't be done!" since he'd already taken his insulin.  We headed hopefully down the road to Olive Garden which is notorious for long waits, but we got in there just in time to get a table.  Over dessert, something reminded us of the silly Raisin Bran story (see 21 November) and then hubby got us going down a related path.

He recalled when his mother tried to get him to eat Grape-Nuts as a kid.  He likes grapes, and all sorts of different kinds of nuts.  But does Grape-Nuts cereal contain either grapes or nuts?  Not a chance!   Just some crunchy amalgamation of whole grains, which can break your teeth if you're having an unlucky day.  I rather enjoy it myself, as a sprinkling to add a little crunch to less chewy cereal, but hubby's description of it had all three kids laughing so hard that we had to shush them as we didn't want to disturb the other diners.  We also tried to figure out why Special K was called that.  Maybe they had tried other special formulas, but formulas A through J all were pretty awful.  Or maybe K stands for Krispy (Son #3's guess) and the name Rice Krispies was already taken.  

The various bits of chocolate, cheesecake, and ice cream we all shared were wonderful though.  And the Olive Garden's version of the birthday song was almost sillier than the discussion we'd been having...lots of clapping but no real singing, and we were unable to make out what they were actually trying to say!

Winter's on the Wing

Today I drove up to Boston, on business.  This is one of three trips I do each year.  I assist our marketing and publications efforts by talking to myriad scientists at our booth in the exhibit hall at the Hynes Convention Center.  Have I said how much I cherish these trips?  Sure, it's work, BUT all I need to do is get my own self out of bed and dressed each morning (and not at 5am, neither!).  No cooking, cleaning, chauffering, or overseeing of kids' activities.  I can read the newspaper (well, USA Today is technically a newspaper) each morning as I munch on some breakfast in a nice bathrobe without worrying about anyone walking in on me.  Alone time.  

I have to admit that I was psyched when I exited from the Orient Point Ferry this morning and saw that the rain was mixing with snow in Connecticut.  I love driving in the snow.  I suppose this is a throwback to my undergraduate days in upstate NY.  But I also think I'm ready for winter to arrive.  Yesterday I wrapped a bunch of Christmas presents before dinner.  Hanukkah is all set to go (and the kids know this -- because if the presents weren't wrapped already, they'd be snooping all week while I'm gone).  Holiday snapshots of the kids are in envelopes with stamps on, ready to be mailed after I arrive home.  Yes, part of this is the geek compulsiveness, but it's also that any extra projects at home require advance organization...there are only small chunks of time here and there, to work on them.  Whew, I feel pretty good now.

Time to iron my business clothes for the week and unpack.  Oh yes, and I just turned the heat in the hotel room up to 73.   

Teach Your Children Well

Monday night I attended the parent-teacher conferences for my two elementary school students.  Boy did we hit the jackpot this year (I mean this in a good way -- usual sarcastic M.O. aside).

My fifth grader was in a really bad spot last year at this time.  I thought for sure the teacher was going to dress me down or throw a chair at me.  My son wasn't handing in a lot of homework, his attention was constantly wandering in class, his behavior was disruptive, he wasn't fitting in socially, he wasn't showing his intelligence...and it went downhill from there.  The teacher was enormously frustrated with him in just about every way.  But we perservered.  By the spring, we'd worked with the principal and the school social worker/psychologist and done some evaluations to determine that my curly haired fourth grader fit 80% of the profile of an ADD child.  Lo and behold, the teacher tried a few basic strategies with repetition and focus -- and all the behaviors improved pronto.  At the end of the year, the principal told me she had the ideal fifth grade teacher:  a stickler for classroom behavior and a stickler for academic performance, all rolled up in a patient personality.  I couldn't wait!

This year's conference had taken a complete 180 degree turn.  This fifth grade teacher is exactly what the principal promised, and my son's performance shows that he excels in a supportive environment.  Dare to be different as long as you are encouraged to be your best, no matter what.  My little guy's second grade teacher also fits this bill.  Son #3 dances to his own tune:  literally!  He loves the latest teeny bopper artists like Miley Cyrus and Vanessa Hudgens, and loves to draw butterflies and make paper snowflakes.  He holds the second highest record for jumping rope at the after school program.  He worships his girl friends and everything that is theirs.  Instead of telling him that he's a sissy, his teacher gets him to bring out his unique perspective and talents in his writing and in the books he chooses in the classroom.   He is also excelling academically.

In addition to their approach, both of these teachers have bright eyes, warm smiles, and animated voice and body language.  Their faces come alive when they are discussing individual students.  I'll bet this really helps my boys relate to them as people as well as educators.  Three cheers for the fabulous teachers out there (including my wonderful friend Jen who home schools her four children).  I have come across a few stinkers in my time, and am thankful for the winners!

Speaking of which, I hope that all of those I hold dear are able to reflect on something positive during their Thanksgiving celebrations.  Keep smiling!

What Have You Done Today to Make You Feel Proud?

This morning, I was doing the post breakfast ritual of brushing my teeth and washing my braces so I could pop them back in, and from the bathroom I heard the bickering of the two older offspring as they ate their cereal:

"Stop chewing with your mouth open!"

"I can chew however I want.  Stop being so annoying!"

"Well, you're annoying me."

"You don't have to pick on me all the time."

Blah, blah, blah.

By the time I was finished in the bathroom, I'd heard enough.  I went over to the table and told them I was tired of that game and that we were going to play a new game called Fill in the Blank.  I told Son #1 that he was to look at his brother and fill in the blank at the end of this sentence:  "Something that you do that I think is really great is..."   With a sarcastic smile he replied, "Nothing."  That earned him 15 minutes early to bed tonight, and the turn passed to Son #2, who said "Math."  Definitely true there.  

Finally my oldest wanted to play.  He said, "Well, you're great at farting."  Although I was hoping for a different kind of answer (something that would instill pride in his younger brother) I really couldn't disagree.  If you haven't yet read the November 16 posting, see that for reference.   And, BTW, my niece and sister-in-law want to see "Fartacus:  The Musical" on Broadway someday.  It might be a welcome addition to the mix after Spamalot closes.

No Raisin in the Son

At 6:40 this morning, ten minutes after his alarm clock had rung, I went upstairs to rouse my twelve year old.  Thus began the weekday ritual.

"What kind of cereal would you like?"

"What do you have?"

This part sometimes changes, based on the contents of the pantry.  "Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, Honey Bunches of Oats, Rice Chex, Wheat Chex, Special K, Raisin Bran, Cheerios, and Honey Nut Cheerios."

"Does Raisin Bran have raisins in it?"

I looked around for Allen Funt's camera, and then recalled that the dear funny man had gone to meet his maker some time ago.  Then I looked back at my son, who seemed to be conscious but whose eyes were still closed.  Come on, this kid's an honor student.

"Apples and oranges.  No raisins."  Then he cracks a smile.  I continue.  "Oddly enough, that's how they came up with the name.  Bran flakes and raisins."

"Well, I don't want the raisins.  Can I just have a bowl of bran flakes?"

So I go downstairs and shake out a bunch of the cereal onto a paper towel, push the raisins to the side, and then slide the flakes into the bowl.  I repeat the process until I have a whole bowl of flakes and a handful of raisins on the tablecloth.  My ten year old, who's now ready to eat his breakfast, asks what I'm doing.  I explain.

"Can I have his raisins?"

I guess that's why I had more than one kid.

Quote by Robert Frost

"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence."

I do cryptoquotes to keep my mind active, and occasionally I see a really excellent saying like this.

Happiness Is a Warm Hug

Tonight I ran a bunch of errands after dinner (primarily to get a few more Hanukkah presents for the kids...shh, don't tell 'em).  It is quite the blustery evening, so I was cold when I came in the house, and my hands were REALLY cold!  Son #3 dragged me over to the couch and he climbed on my lap to warm me up.  Son #2 came into the room and said, "Let the Human Furnace do the job."  Son #3 insisted that he was the Human Furnace Junior.

Anyway, the two of them each took one of my palms in their hands and warmed them.  Then they each hugged me on either side, then gave a big group hug in the middle.  Sigh.  Snuggle.  Next time you feel chilly, hug someone for warmth.  Or just hug someone you love, because you love 'em.  Hug someone because it just feels good.  Hurrah for hugs!

You've Heard of Spartacus?

We have the silliest things happen at the dinner table sometimes.   Son #2 broke wind during the meal, and Son #3 said, "Nice going, Fartacus."  No idea where he got that, but we thought it was funny.

Today ended Son #1's soccer season.  Cold, windy day.  Both of the other kids were actually wearing long pants, and the littlest didn't mind wearing a hat.  Soccer dude didn't give me a hard time about wearing a long sleeved shirt under his team jersey.  This was not a winning season, but I think all the kids stretched themselves with regard to skills and positions.  How can that be a bad thing?

Social Acceptability

Apparently I alarmed a few people with my last post, which was sad and introspective.  Sorry, gang.  Pollyanna occasionally gets a reality check. 

Something amusing just happened at work which I'll share.  I happened to overhear the last ten seconds of a coworker's phone conversation.  It went like this.  "Right.  OK.  Oh.  Thanks for your suggestion.  Bye."  Then I heard the click of the receiver going back into the cradle.  Then:  "You're out of your mind!"  Of course I started giggling at this.  Turns out that it was a contractor who was giving her an estimate for some work to the outside of her home, and she'd done the research to know that the quoted price was way too high.

I know there are other people who would have said "You're out of your mind" directly to the contractor, and possibly would have included a few other choice words.  But my coworker was being polite and pleasant (plus, she is just a very classy lady).  It's often an interesting decision whether to be socially acceptable or direct.  Both have pros and cons.  But in this case the polite script was funnier.   :-)

Ogres Are Like Onions

When we get to know someone who becomes a friend, the first layers of personality that we see are often attractive to us.  Sense of humor.  Easy to talk to.  Helpful.  Common interests and opinions.  Lots more than that, probably.

As time goes on, we are bound to expose layers that may be annoying or distasteful.  Insensitivity.  Fear of discussing sticky issues.  Tendency to complain or obsess.  Some conflicting moral fiber, possibly.  A couple of physical nits, maybe, such as a laugh that's a bit too loud or nasal.  But, in solid friendships, we can get past a small collection of these low points because the complete package is still so attractive.

What do we do when we realize, somewhere down the line, that we have kept exposing these sour layers to the point where the entire picture seems crisscrossed with them?  Maybe we've uncovered a major issue such as the realization that a friendship is really one sided, or we realize that we are often smarting from an increasing frequency of harsh judgment.  It can be painful to leave things the way they are, but even more painful to disengage from the relationship...particularly if this is a person who is a neighbor or coworker or someone else you cannot avoid seeing on a regular basis.  What then?

In my struggle to find the right answer for myself, it seems that we must grieve the loss of a relationship as we would grieve the loss of a loved one who has passed on, whether we're mourning a friendship that was once terrific but has deteriorated or whether we're mourning what we thought was a terrific friendship but is not so in reality.  Whether it is possible to gracefully back away, or whether one must dramatically cut the cord, depends on the exact circumstances.  I hope that sharing my thoughts will help you with your own disappointments.  I remain ever appreciative of my support network.

Old Friends, New Friends

Today's title sounds like a Berenstain Bears book, doesn't it?!?

A few weeks ago I went to the David Crosby/Graham Nash concert at Westbury Music Fair (OK it's really Capital One Theatre now, but I still refer to LIPA as LILCO and COSTCO as Price Club in true dinosaur-like fashion).  Two of my girlfriends accompanied me.  I know one of them for 20 years, from work, and the other one 30 years, from high school.  They hadn't known each other but hit it off famously.  Tonight the three of us had dinner together, having resolved to get together again after the concert -- and sat at the restaurant for nearly three hours talking.  Jobs, kids, our own childhoods, relationships...and we were in a complete groove.  We could have easily talked for another three hours if we weren't all headed home to our families.  I am so grateful for my friends, and so thrilled that we can build more friendships together! 

Art Appreciation

Son #2 had his first meeting of the after school art club yesterday.  There were eleven kids in the group.  They were taught how to make 3-D paper ornaments to decorate the school for winter.  You have to begin with a square, fold it, and then make some cuts as if you were making a snowflake, but not quite.  When the cutting is finished, you carefully unfold the paper, wrap it around, and tape it to create the 3-D effect.

How do I know all this?  Because all three kids were using a bunch of our laser printer paper, basically all night long (with breaks for eating and showering) to create them.  Many of the pages ended up as candidates for recycling because the square wasn't perfect enough (!) or mistakes were made while snipping away.  Lots of grunts and whining heard about failures, but oh when they managed to create a good one:  "Mom!  Mom!"  I'm not sure what we're going to DO with all of the ornaments they made, but hey -- they were happy.

What Do They Want? Blood?

Yeah!

Last night I sat at a table outside the gymnasium of our middle school from 8:00 to 9:00, recruiting donors for the district wide PTA blood drive in January.  I was impressed to see the number of voters who kept arriving at that late hour, and even the last few stragglers after 8:50.  I performed a valuable service which I hadn't anticipated:  I was able to direct many people to the voting booths as they wandered down the hall cluelessly.

I asked people to help our cause as they were headed out of the gym.  We filled up the pledge sheet, which was great.  It was encouraging to hear from the few people who told me they go over to Long Island Blood Services to donate regularly, as I do, and from the handful of people who said that they donate blood at work.  I was particularly touched by a conversation I had with an older gentleman who said he'd love to help but he takes Coumadin (an anticoagulant).  He promised to ask his wife and other family members to donate in his place, and he thanked me for volunteering my time.  He didn't say so, but I wonder whether he has received donor blood in the past.  A couple of other people praised me for supporting a positive community effort. 

Although it was late, and I was tired at the thought of folding laundry and doing other chores once I arrived home, I had a nice fuzzy feeling when I walked out through the double doors in the front of the school building.

Whoo Hoo, No Apathy Today!

Normally, when I show up at our elementary school to vote before work (at 7:00 or so) there are a handful of other people voting, and the election workers outnumber us.  Not this morning!

I arrived at 6:10 to find the parking lot pretty full.  People were steadily pouring in and out of the building.  I figure there were plenty of people lined up, waiting, before the 6AM starting time, in order for that many people to be finished already.  

Inside the gymnasium, there were two or three workers at each table, whereas under normal circumstances there is often only one.  There was a gal dressed in a business suit who was walking around and approaching voters who were unsure which table was theirs.  Obviously my local area is representative of the predicted high voter turnout.  In spite of the long lines, it was very well organized and I was finished with the entire process in ten minutes.

I get the feeling that many people voted this time to try to prevent one or the other candidate from winning.   Whether that's the right reason to vote, I'm not sure.  But I was pleased to see the crowd.  Maybe some of those who have not voted much in the past will get into the groove and continue to make their mark in the future.

Graveside Chat

On Sunday morning I got to spend a couple of hours with my best pal from childhood (no I DON'T want to say how long we know each other!).  She was in NYC visiting her honey, and they came out on the Long Island Rail Road to pay respects to her parents and grandma at a Jewish cemetery near Pinelawn.  Her mom is gone six years now, and her dad passed in 1980 -- but they were like a second set of parents to me.  So we were by Mom and Dad's monuments, reflecting upon the height of the bushes and sharing some memories.  All of a sudden, she notices a stone on the ground, a few spots over, with some worn writing.  Her eyes grow wide, and she asks:  "Does that say ATHEIST?!?"  I remarked, in flip fashion, that there might be many atheists there but no one really wanted to advertise this by carving it on stone.  Turns out the stone really said AT REST upon closer inspection.  Were we demented to have had a laugh over this?  Good company, regardless.

Trick or Treat

Today I participated in the office Halloween festivities by dressing as Sarah Palin, complete with black power suit, red blouse, glasses, updo, and Son #2's hockey stick.  Son #3 dressed as a snake (yecch) and his brothers kindly took him out trick or treating before I got home from work.  I took over as it began to grow dark.  Quite the haul.  All the candy we won't use is going to a local library to be boxed up and sent to the troops.

It was close to 7:00 when we were finally ready to go to dinner, and Diabetic Man's sugar was on the low side when he took his insulin...so we decided to hit the local neighborhood Italian place.  The entrance to the restaurant is through the pizzeria side.  As we're walking up to the door, I see a woman with her back to us who looks a lot like my mother.  When we were nearly inside, I said, "Kids, that IS Grandma!"  She was waiting to place an order for a couple of slices to take home, and it was a mob scene.  So we brought her next door to sit down and eat with us.

As we were leaving, the kids said good night to Grandma and we all got into our car.  When we were getting ready to pull out of the parking spot, my mom's white SUV pulls up next to us.  She lets down the window and jokingly says:  "Hey lady!  You wanna get that hunk of junk outta here?"  I jokingly gave her the one digit salute. 

After she'd pulled away, Son #2 asked what she was talking about.  Son #1, without missing a beat, answered him.  "She meant Dad!"  Even hubby had to laugh at that.  I practically had a coughing fit myself.  We were giggling the entire way home.  OK so it's only a five minute trip, but still.  Happy Halloween!

Why Have a Dull Saturday Night at Home?

Son #1 received quite an exciting call on his cell phone today.  It was a police officer, telling him that his dad had been found sitting in his car in a hypoglycemic state.  (He'd been out doing electrical work, and had just finished his last job of the day.  He had intentions of grabbing a snack but never got that far.)  Local homeowners, seeing him unresponsive, notified the authorities.  So Mom had to go over to Nassau County Medical Center, where they were bringing Dad in an ambulance.  I was on the phone with my sister-in-law at the time, listening to her excitement with plans to adopt two kittens tomorrow.  Knocked me right out of my reverie.

Hubby was just fine, of course.  He's been on insulin since age 9, the only child diabetic in his family (the others have the adult onset version).  Too little food, too much insulin.  The EMT stabilized his sugar level before taking him to the hospital.  We were impressed that, within an hour after I arrived, they'd taken his vitals a few more times and had all of the lab results.  Grandma and the Three Amigos ordered in pizza for dinner, and were nice enough to order extra for Mom and Dad (since they were famished when they arrived home eventually).  Of course, we discovered that this was only because the first pie didn't make the $15 minimum for delivery.  Sigh.  This was knowledge I could've done without...

Clubbing

Our eldest joined the math club at the middle school (yeah I know, he's a chip off my old geek block, what can I tell you) and had his second meeting yesterday after school...they meet each Wednesday and have to get a special late bus pass from the club advisor.   (Did anyone check bus passes when you went to school?  We used the bus system like free public transport, taking a different one when we wanted to go to a friend's house or to an after school job.)

Middle son asked permission to join the art club, which will also meet Wednesdays after school, beginning in a few weeks.  They have no late bus from the elementary school, so if hubby can't pick him up at 4:30, he has our permission to walk home (about a 15-20 minute stroll, crossing only one secondary road at a traffic light).  Not sure whether that will fly with the school administration, but if it doesn't we can ask Grandma to head over to fetch him.  It is indeed nice to have Grandma three miles away, but we can't impose too much because she also has a full time job...luckily she quits for the day at 4:00.  Our little art enthusiast is excited that he and the other club members will be making decorations for the fall and spring musical concerts, among other special events.  So Mom can take pictures of her bass clarinetist along with his art work in the background.  What could be nicer?

This club experience also brought forth a charming expression of brotherly love yesterday afternoon.  I called home to see how my fifth grader was doing, because he was home by himself for a little while until his brother came home from Math Club.  However, at 4:45, brother had still not shown up...about half an hour overdue.  It might have been heightened by anxiety of being home alone, but younger brother was quite concerned about his "missing" older brother, and was quite relieved at 5:00 when he finally walked through the door.  It turns out that a clueless bus driver had to go through his route twice because he missed several stops, and our kid had the misfortune of being the last one left riding.  I took him aside and told him that his brother was genuinely worried, and he seemed pleased in his somewhat smug and superior style.  Those two didn't fight at all last night.  Sigh.  Swoon.

How Proud Should I Be?

Recall that Son #1 has a cell phone now.  (And he's figured out how to download games onto it...so much for emergency calls only, harumph.  But I digress.)  He gave it to Dad to hold during soccer practice today.  Mom picked up Son #3 from after care and met Dad at home after he dropped off the other two at practice.   This stuff is kind of typical in our house, although I understand that some others feel like ping pong balls when they hear about what we do...

Anyway, I'm making dinner when the dad comes into the kitchen and says, "Let's see how well you know your children."  Huh?  He flips open said cell phone to show the wallpaper picture, and I have to guess what it is.  OK.  At first glance, it looks like four bean bags that are overlapped in the middle.  It also looks a bit like four Pillsbury biscuits-in-a-can baking together on the tray.  I have a third thought, rather absurd, which I immediately discount.  After staring blankly for another few seconds, I return wide-eyed to thought number three.  "This is Son #2's butt, isn't it?"  Yup.  Hubby did seem mighty impressed that I recognized my ten year old son's naked butt cheeks and upper thighs in a postage stamp sized fuzzy photo.  As he walked away, I found myself smiling and thinking, "Heh heh heh..."  But then I wondered:  should I really be this pleased?  Ugh.

Well, 'tis true that I have three boys (FOUR, if you count the 44 year old who is the natural spawn of my mother-in-law) and they do resort to loud raucous play which involves the occasional nudity.  Mooning.  Extreme wedgies.  Rat tails with wet towels after trips to the beach.  Shower shenanigans.  Sigh.  Must I be the sole tie to civilized behavior here?  Tough job, but somebody's gotta do it.

Holiday Preview

I become annoyed whenever I'm in a retail store before Halloween and see all sorts of Christmas merchandise.  Happens earlier every year, it seems.  However, I don't mind at all when the kids begin practicing the music for their winter concerts.  Today I was treated to Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town on the clarinet.  The arrangements alternated between melody and harmony because Son #1 is a "clarinet one" instead of a "clarinet two" which is most prestigious for a seventh grader, or so he says, and all the other seventh graders are in the "clarinet two" section.  OK aren't we glad we know all that?  Anyway, I sang along to both songs as I was working in the kitchen.  I didn't sing along to Carol of the Bells because I didn't quite recall all the words and it's kind of monotonous anyhow.  I am now reminded that I have to begin making lists for holiday shopping (we do both Hanukkah and Christmas in our house).  Arggh!

Slaves to Technology

Tonight I have to pick up Son #3 from after school care because hubby has a medical appointment.  Before he goes there, he is dropping off the other two at soccer practice.  Son #1 will call me, on his new cell phone, to let me know what time to fetch them from the field.  I find myself straining to remember what I would have done before cell phones were an option.  I guess I would have gone there, with Son #3 in tow, after about an hour and waited in the car until practice was finished.  Now I can go home in between and at least get dinner started.

I was having similar thoughts last night.  Son #1 had to make a family album for his French class, with a photo and short narrative about each person.  Of course, we took the pictures with the digital camera and loaded them onto the computer so they could be interspersed with the text.  Years ago, we would have had to get film for the 35 mm camera and go over to one hour MotoPhoto or other such place.  Once we had the pictures in hand, we would have had to crop and glue them to each typewritten or handwritten page.  Yuck.  Seems ridiculous now, doesn't it?!?  

Since we have the photo images, I'll include them in the blog.  Isn't technology fab...

Good Food Weekend

I should've known that it was a good sign that hubby said he was in the mood for pizza on Friday night.  He almost never is!  

Saturday I bought some boneless pork ribs for the BBQ, and marinated them in a combination of barbecue sauce and lemon juice.  A winner.  I also baked some banana bread in the afternoon (which I often do when we have bowling night -- guaranteed night out once a month on a Saturday).  I mixed in 1/2 cup of plain nonfat yogurt, which we happened to have in the house, and it got rave reviews at the bowling alley.  I had to write the recipe on the back of an advertisement flyer for a friend.  

Sunday morning breakfast was pancakes with Canadian bacon.  I grated a fresh pear into the batter (first time for that -- normally I do applesauce) and my ten year old said it tasted just like the pancakes at the diner.  High order compliment!  Yesterday evening we ended up having two families over for a BBQ through an unexpected chain of events.  In addition to chicken, burgers, and franks on the grill, I made a pasta recipe as a side dish (which I'd planned to make if it was just the five of us).  I had bought an 8 oz. package of imitation crab legs, and went to the manufacturer's web site for meal ideas.  King Crab Pasta Alfredo was a big hit, including my kids and my friend's five year old.  Saute 3 cloves of garlic in 1/2 cup of your fave margarine, and then add the fish (chopped or shredded) along with 3/4 cup of fat free half and half and 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan.  Season with parsley or chives and black pepper to taste.  Add skim milk to thin out if desired.  Heat through and mix with 3/4 pound to a pound of cooked pasta (we used spaghetti).  My twelve year old helped cook it.  After all, he IS taking Home Care Skills now...

One Day Maryland Boomerang

Yesterday I arose at 4:00 so I could travel to our Maryland office for the day.  7AM Southwest shuttle, with two coworkers, to Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI).  A cohort of mine who works at the Maryland office was nice enough to fetch us on his way to work.  I only get to do this trip a few times a year at most, so it's a real treat.  

I work for a science publisher, in the editorial office.  Our other office does all the other functions it takes to run the business including financial services, marketing, and HR.  Many of the people in the Long Island office (over 125) have not been to the Maryland building, and I have been doing my part to try to bring someone new with me each time I go.  I'm lucky enough to have business with their marketing and IT folks that will keep me making trips.  There are some very bright, personable folks whom I wish worked closer to here so I could see them more often.  One thing that has struck me during my last two visits:  some of their operations are organized in the exact opposite way from ours, but theirs works well and so does ours.  Strange and nice, all at the same time.

Although I could've probably made productive use of a couple more hours, we left at 3:00 for BWI.  A friend who works in the area, who is also one of our remote editors, met me for dinner and a lovely chat at the airport, so I took a 6:50 flight home.  When the driver pulled up in front of my house, at 8:45PM, I noticed that the trash cans and recycling bin hadn't been taken down to the curb yet (we have Friday pickup for both).  Harumph, welcome home, Mom!  They all seemed happy to see me, though...but I was not at my most energetic this morning after such a long day.

Jazzing It Up

Last Thursday, Son #2 called me at work to tell me that he had the chance of a lifetime.  Being that he's only 10, I figured this had to be something pretty awesome.  To him, it was!  His band director chose him to try out on the bass clarinet (instead of the regular clarinet which he has played since last year).   There are about 15 clarinets in the school band but only ONE bass clarinet!  Plus, his older brother has only ever played the regular clarinet so this would be all his own (and I do try to be sensitive to the competition and the middle child dynamic).

Ever seen a bass clarinet?  It's huge!  The size of a saxophone, with the same curved mouthpiece and curved bottom -- but the overall look of a clarinet otherwise.  And it is possible for an instrument with bass tones to squeak when it's first being learned...they're just not high pitched squeaks like you get from the B flat clarinet.  But the enthusiasm is there, so we're going with it.  This was the first morning he had to bring the new instrument to school.  Good thing he's tall and broad for a fifth grader, so he could manage the case by himself.  The kids in the before care center were pretty impressed!

Speaking of transporting instruments this morning...at 9:40 last night, when I had both eyes shut, Son #1 wakes me to tell me (oops) that today is the first day of Jazz Band for the school year.  We did this in the sixth grade too...no complaints on principle since it's a select group and he passed the audition.  But we have to leave the house at 6:40 Tuesday mornings to get him to the middle school by 6:50.  Not that I mind the early schedule, since I'm an uber morning person, but that's the window of time when Son #2 and Son #3 have to be rousted out of their beds.  Well, we just about did it this morning to get out of the house by the customary 7:20, but it was awfully close...this parenting thing really is a huge commitment ain't it... 

Happy to Do Dishes?!?

Normally I cook dinner six nights a week.  Friday is the end of the work week for me, and I'm exhausted; we go to the food court at the mall or the local Italian place etc.  Well, yesterday Son #1 had a soccer game at 4:30 which was approximately 20 minutes from the house.   They started late and we didn't get home until 6:45, which gave hubby all the time in the world to cook dinner after he got home from work.  Striped bass (which they caught on their fishing trip Saturday night) plus rice and black beans and broccoli.  He's a good cook -- certainly better than I -- but rarely takes over in the kitchen.

Last night after we finished, he said that he would like to cook Sunday dinner from now on.  I tried to control my exuberance but now I can say YIPPEE WAH-HOO OH BOY WHEEEEEE!!!  Y'mean I don't have to spend an hour and a half cooking various dishes, and timing them to be ready at the same time, and I have to do ten or fifteen minutes worth of dishes instead?  Maybe I can force myself to sit on the couch and watch some sporting event while a meal is being cooked for me.  Heh heh evil grin...

I'm Bracing Myself

I have been wearing clear plastic (Invisalign) braces on my teeth since the middle of June.  My dentist (a friend from high school) had been telling me for years that it would be a good idea, but insurance doesn't cover it for old folks over 19 like me.  Finally he told me he would give me the braces at his cost.  It didn't seem possible until my company gave me a bonus for my 20 year anniversary (this past April).  

I had to bite down into a tray of pink gooey stuff in order to create an impression of both my jaws, and then we waited for the Invisalign company to make a computer model of what my teeth would look like after the treatment was complete.  Tres cool.  My bottom teeth needed the most work by far, due to my wisdom teeth pushing everything around when I was a college freshman. 

I receive a new set of plastic aligners every two weeks.  Each set is part of the progression of straightening the teeth.  They are always pretty tight for the first couple of days, and my teeth become sore until they have moved to match the aligners.  Whenever I eat, or drink anything other than water or seltzer, I have to remove the braces beforehand.  Afterwards, I have to brush my teeth and clean the braces before I pop them back on.  This cuts down on casual snacking, since eating now requires a process.  I have also curbed my tendency to be a diet cola junkie -- at least temporarily.

Tonight I received tray 9 of 9 for the top, and tray 9 of 13 for the bottom.  Assuming that all has gone according to plan, I could be done with the upper jaw in two weeks, except for wearing the last tray as a retainer at night.  Eight more weeks for the lower jaw.  Yippeeeeeeeee...

Some Dreams Really Don't Come True

I now get agita every time I hear one of those "dollar and a dream" lottery commercials.  Sigh.  If it were really only a dollar.  I'm not talking about the gambling addicts you see on the A&E program Intervention, I'm talking about run of the mill people who lead otherwise normal lives but hang on to a shred of hope that a lottery will put them on Easy Street and it's just a matter of time before they get there.

Someone I care about has just fallen for an international lottery scam for the second time, for the sum of thousands.  The first time caused him to start living paycheck to paycheck, and to eventually rely on bus transportation because he couldn't afford to replace his old clunker when it conked out.  The second time has left his bank account seriously in the red because he deposited a counterfeit check and drew against it to pay "processing fees" for a contest he thought he'd won.  It seems certain that he will lose his apartment and become a ward of the county. 

Could friends and family lend him enough to start over?  Last time we said yes, and did.  This time we no longer have it to lend, and some of us now need what we previously had lent, but it's all gone to some scammers.  PLEASE tell everyone you love about this heartless cruelty that's being dished out by con artists around the globe, via email and via snail mail.  Here are some authoritative web sites (including the Federal Trade Commission):

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/intlalrt.shtm

http://www.fraudaid.com/scamspam/lottery/index.htm

http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/lottery.asp

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/email-lottery-scams.html

Renaissance Faire Photos

Here's a handful of pictures from our trip to the Renaissance Faire.

Am I a wench, or what?  Son #2 shows off his costume too.

The boys get ready to watch the human chess match, after enjoying the rankout session prior to that (fans from different sections hurl insults at one another, aided by coaching of Faire employees).

The pickle vendor sets up shop before the event, and hawks his wares.  "Wouldst thou like a large spicy one, m'lady?" "My pickle's larger than yours, squire!"  "This young lass has excellent taste in pickles!"  etc.  You get the idea.

The chess match pits Robin Hood's band of merry men (and ladies) against the Sheriff of Nottingham and his crew.  When one piece threatens another with capture, hand to hand combat results to see who will actually win the square.  

Staffs, knives, swords, shields, verbal daggers, and other weapons are used.  No gender discrimination here:  women and men do fight each other.  Plenty of acrobatic skill goes into these demonstrations.

Naturally, one builds up an appetite after seeing such sport.  There is an extensive foo

d court including turkey legs, mead, boar, stake on a stake, dragon wing chips, an

d some of the usual fast food kind of nonsense that one must have in modern times when traveling with small and/or fussy children.  One of the food huts was of particular interest this year...spicey thighs?!?

Who could survive all that eating and drinking without a visit to the privy?  Many secluded places to create one's own privy in the forest, but we luckily didn't need to use that option.  Many locations in the Shire had port-a-privies, but some actually had real flushing privies!   How exciting!  A wondrous day by all accounts.

Change of Season

Here on Long Island, we still have much of the summer humidity but the fall temperatures are sneaking in slowly.  It will be October in a couple of days.  Tonight begins Rosh Hashanah, and we will be having a holiday dinner at home.  I'm working today, so yesterday morning I prepared most of the holiday meals (for tonight and tomorrow night).  I made the batter for the matzo balls (using my mother-in-law's secret ingredient, seltzer).  Two kinds of noodle pudding:  one with raisins and one without (for the kids, natch) but both with plenty of cinnamon.  An apple honey cake with bananas (sort of a variation of my usual banana bread) for dessert.  A casserole (traditionally called kugel) with mashed butternut squash, sweet potato, apple, and carrot.  There's enough sugar free maple syrup in there to keep the kids happy and to make it accessible to Diabetic Man.  He will roast the chicken tonight and the turkey breast tomorrow night before I get home.  The holiday foods have a bit of sweetness in the ingredients so we will be off to a good start for a sweet New Year.  I'm all for that!

Double Fours

I feel very lucky to have received so many emails and Facebook posts and phone calls and cards to help celebrate my birthday yesterday.  Thank you to my loved ones!  You're the best.

At my office I was brought chocolates of different kinds, a fall candle lamp, a neat bobble head scarecrow, a spa product ensemble with orange scented goodies, a homemade apple nut bread, three gorgeous pots of perennial mums, and two sacks of my favorite white whole wheat flour.  I collected quite a few birthday hugs too.  Last night I got some roses and some birthday cupcakes at home.  Can I wait 365 days for another event like this?  Sigh, I guess so.  

I am still smiling!!!

Is This How a Ping Pong Ball Feels?

Yoicks!  I've just returned from my middle school child's open house.  Ten minutes in each of nine classes, with five minutes in between.  I don't know how these kids do it.  I guess they need this to stay in shape.  There are two buildings.  One has two floors and the other has three.  I had to go from the second floor of one building to the third floor of the other, and I could feel my heart pounding from taking all those stairs at a good clip.  Well, I finished the parental exercise.

What a pleasure to see the enthusiasm and excitement in the way the teachers spoke.  The math, social studies, English, and science teachers all said that they have a deep appreciation for the work ethic and commitment of the kids in the honors classes (OK so mama geek was an honors student too) and they said they were skipping a great deal of their usual spiel about turning in homework on time, studying for quizzes, and extra help.  It's also lovely to see that our tax dollars have paid for "smart boards" in most of the classrooms I visited tonight.  The art teacher explained that, with a touch of the screen, she can zoom out to the Internet and call up an image of a famous painting that comes up in class discussion (for instance, the students were incredulous when she mentioned that the Mona Lisa does not have eyebrows).

Ninth period (the last of the day) is Technology, what we in my day would have called Wood Shop.  The teacher seemed very nice, and very competent at what he does, but he spoke in an even monotone.  I could have kept time using my son's metronome that we bought for his clarinet lessons.  Not too loud, not too soft, but just flat.  The ends of the sentences didn't even drop off.  He just began a new sentence and we had to be paying attention to break his words into groups logically.  I amused myself by trying to imagine how these kids maintain focus; they're either falling asleep or they're dying to get outside at the end of their school day.  Hopefully they can concentrate on using the tools correctly.  They're going to make a gumball machine, a marble racetrack, and a paper towel holder.  Well, I guess we all endured this rite of passage.

I do feel a bit gypped that I didn't see the Home Care Skills teacher (that's an A day class).  For the over 40 crowd, that would be Home Economics.  :-)

A Faire Weekend

The time between Friday afternoon and Monday morning went unusually fast.  After work I fetched the little guy from after school care and met up with the rest of the family at the elementary school.  They were having a fundraiser for St. Jude's Hospital.  The local Chili's donated burgers and franks, local parents donated desserts, a supermarket donated the drinks, and one of our gym teachers entertained us with his rock band.  A fun time was had by all, but as soon as we met up with hubby and the other two kids, they took off to go on an evening fishing trip.  They caught seven large weakfish (yum) but of course didn't arrive home 'til 12:30AM.

And now...we left the house shortly after 8AM Saturday to go to the New York Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo, NY (a.k.a. Sterling Forest ski resort).  It's not a terribly long drive for Lawn Guylanders and it's an awful lot of fun.  Expensive day to be sure, but worth it.  They are there weekends from the end of July through 2/3 of September.  This was their last weekend this year.  Son #2 already had a Renaissance outfit, and we bought an outfit for Son #1.  One year we might get the dad to do a warrior kind of outfit.  Rumor has it that the mom makes an attractive looking wench.  I might have to post some pictures after I load them from the camera.  We stayed late to watch the end of the joust, so didn't arrive home 'til almost 9:00.

Sunday was filled with chores and errands, basically everything I would have spread out between two days on an ordinary weekend.  Many loads of laundry squeezed in between a supermarket trip, a COSTCO run, a soccer game out east, and meals.  Dinner was very good, actually.  Hubby barbecued some of the fish they caught, and then we mixed it up with a pot of whole wheat spaghetti and tomato based sauce.  All three kids liked it (somehow that makes it taste better to Mommy).

This morning it was back to permission slips, PTA fundraising tally sheets, school picture order forms, clarinet cases, and backpacks.  Seems like I could use another weekend to recuperate!  

The Cuteness Factor

Isn't technology a hoot?  Last night, a few minutes before 9PM, the phone rings.  Nowadays, when we hear the phone ring, if we're in the kitchen we can just glance over at the wall to see which number comes up on the display.  OR...if we're in the living room or the grups' bedroom, we can glance at the TV set to see the name and number as displayed by Optimum Voice.  But I digress.  When I heard the phone, I looked up from my reading to see the name of the second grade teacher displayed on the television screen.  Uh oh.

As luck would have it, my husband picked up the phone.  After a few minutes of what sounded like animated conversation, he walked in and asked, "Is our little darling still in the shower?"  He was.  It wasn't too difficult to hear what happened next, even over the sounds of water.  "Your teacher says you haven't been handing in much homework."  Thunder clap.

Seems our seven-year-old cutie pie has been smiling, shrugging, hiding, ducking, and doing just about anything to avoid direct questions from his teacher...and if we don't know he was assigned the work, we can't check it.  Now, I warned this teacher at the open house on the fourth day of school:  don't let our little con artist con you, as he can be incredibly evasive when he doesn't feel like doing something he should be doing.  When my husband reminded her of this on the phone, he said she giggled like a schoolgirl.  Sigh.  Swoon.  If they don't have a cuteness category on the report cards this year, with its own rubric, they ought to add one just for my son.   Little Mr. Sneaky Pants is now going to have his homework book checked before he leaves the classroom, to make sure all the assignments are making it in there.  And more rigorous checking will be done at home until he is deemed trustworthy.

Can we buzz forward ten years in our imaginations to picture a teenaged Lothario and the effect this will have on his female classmates?  I have only a halfhearted confidence that his forty something teacher will have the resolve to get tougher with him, considering my own daily struggle.  Sigh.  Swoon.

When You Care Enough to Do Your Very Best

Wouldn't be the first time I sounded like some sappy commercial jingle, would it?!?

Last night, after the two older boys came home from soccer practice, ate dinner, and showered, I discovered that our fifth grader still hadn't completed his homework.  (Thunder clap.)  Naturally at this point in the evening, one hour before bed time, he wanted to rush through.  Eleven math problems, twelve English questions, and a spelling test that had to be signed by one half of the parental unit.  

My attention was piqued when he was struggling aloud with the analogy "cool is to heat as soothe is to..." having to select the correct word out of twenty new spelling words for the week.  Turns out it was "excite" which is not obvious to a kid who only knows soothe in the context of putting aloe on a sunburn.  But we got past that by having him write all the verbs on a separate piece of paper so he'd have a shorter list to contemplate.  

Frustration mounted, naturally, as time grew short.  I decided to check the math problems.  One obvious error, probably due to haste, in the "place" section.  The 2 in 72,999,999 isn't the ten millions but the one millions.  Fifteen minutes before lights out, he didn't want to be corrected, so Taurus the Bull emerged.  "So what, Mom, it's only one mistake!"  Trying to explain that anything less than his best effort is not acceptable fell on deaf ears.  Sigh.  He has the brains but not the focus or patience.  Finally we moved past that with ten minutes to go.

Sign the spelling test, put everything away, take one last potty break, and under the covers.  Right?  As overheard in Sarah Palin's backyard, "Nyet!"  He's upset about getting a 95 on the test, because he's used to 100 on spelling tests.  Can't blame him for transposing the i and e in neighbor, but he may not have been doing the daily review of the weekly words.  Can't change that now, but here's the final chutzpah.  The teacher had the temerity to point out that his cursive d looks an awful lot like a c and l that are not quite joined, so she drew some very lovely cursive d examples.   Towards the bottom of the page was written:  Practice.  So I informed my son that I would sign the test after he'd done some rows of cursive d.  You'd think I asked him to saw his foot off, or something.  After some whining and grunting (on his part, not mine) he sat down and wrote several lines of near perfect lettering.  And then I gave him my autograph.

To his credit, he's also stubborn about good causes, such as sticking up for the underdog.  But I have to admit I was feeling pretty worn out before I retired for the evening.  Maybe part of that was because I had to fold laundry and make lunches after El Toro went to bed.  

Fromage

How wonderful that I can learn some things right along with the kids!  My seventh grader had to research French cheeses as a side project for his French class.  He made a poster with pictures of nine different cheeses and a fun description of each.  Who knew which are made with goat's or sheep's milk, or which date back to the early centuries A.D.?  (OK if I were a chef I'd probably know, but anyone who's eaten at my house is aware that I'm kind of a hack in the kitchen.  Good news is:  I haven't poisoned anybody...yet.)  

I actually have been of some use...because I studied French during my senior year of high school and during my undergraduate days, I have some books around the house.  So I was able to give my son some extra vocabulary words.  He felt he wanted to learn more than the teacher was providing.  Sigh...makes this geek mom so proud!

Guess the Weekend Activity?

Did you guess that we had soccer games this weekend?  Ding ding ding we have a winnah!

Yesterday's game was the fifth grade group.  We left the field with a sour disposition because the coach of the opposing team was trash talking.  Towards the end of the first half, he yelled at his players to gang up on one kid because "he's the only good one."  Can you imagine how the rest of the team felt?  The other coach thinks we all suck.  Our coach, who had been remarkably patient, finally called asked the referee to curb the tongue of the opposing coach.  The referee was visibly annoyed at this.   Is it that tough to get coaches and referees that the league allows such unsportsmanlike conduct?  I'm not usually on a soapbox but it was truly appalling.

Today's game with the seventh graders was played in extremely hot and humid weather.  They were impressively energetic.  They were also enthusiastic, considering that the game was not an official one because a) no referee showed up, and b) the other team was short two players so we lent them two of ours.  I really enjoyed watching the guys who played with the other team come back into our huddle during half time and at the end of the game.  They got high-fived and congratulated by their teammates even though they helped the opposing squad.  I wish one particular soccer coach could take a sportsmanship lesson from these kids.  

Hubby is watching House M.D. in the other room (kids are playing Over the Hedge on Playstation in here) and I think I'll go in and join him with my crocheting after I shut down the laptop.  I'm about two thirds done with my latest afghan, a mix of mostly maroon and hunter green that should be festive for the fall equinox.  It's a neat way to be mindlessly productive while sedentary but it's also a labor of love.  Every time I finish one of these four foot blankets, I think of my cousin's daughter who lost her battle with cancer last June.  A bunch of ladies where I work donate handmade afghans to a local children's hospital and other humanitarian organizations.  I'm happy and proud to help.  

Dragons and Anniversaries

Last night, our oldest was revising a rough draft of an essay on names for his English Language Arts class.  Because hubby is Jewish, the kids have Hebrew names too.  So he wrote a paragraph explaining his English name, and one on his Hebrew name.  He also wrote a third paragraph explaining how the class did an exercise for fun, with all the kids choosing new names for themselves.  He chose Dragon because of its strength.  He definitely could have done worse.  Apropos, maybe, as I could swear I've seen him breathe fire at his brothers on occasion!

Today is our fifteenth wedding anniversary.  Gadzooks that went way too fast.  I called a local seafood/steak house to make reservations for the family for dinner tonight (yes all the kids get to celebrate with us).  The hostess asked whether we needed any highchairs.  I laughed and said thank goodness our youngest child is seven.  And I volunteered that my 44 year old husband didn't need one either.  I think she was still laughing when I hung up.

I didn't comment on 9/11 yesterday because I hadn't spoken with hubby all day about it, and wasn't sure how to gauge his feelings.  He'd been working in the post office in Church Street Station that morning, and ran with his helper once they saw the second plane hit.  Luckily all he got was a bunch of horrible memories and some shards of glass in his shoulder.  Last night, he said he didn't feel so badly about this anniversary of 9/11.  I hope the healing process is happening everywhere else too.

I Get a Kick out of You

My soccer fiends are just loving life this week.  At yesterday's practice for the older boys, middle son tagged along and was invited by the coach to scrimmage with the team.  (And boy was he thrilled to be asked!)  He held his own, too, from what I saw.

Son #1 was asked to be the assistant coach for his brother's team, since he shows up to all the practices and games and always seems to be helping out with something.  So his little chest is puffed out with pride over that honor.  (Puberty has not yet begun, so there is currently no other reason for his chest to be puffed out!)

Tonight we do the soccer field cha cha that was supposed to be done on Tuesday...so of course I precooked part of tonight's meal.  Spinach croquettes, using a stupidly easy recipe involving two boxes of chopped frozen spinach and one box of Stove Top stuffing.  The kids actually eat it...and I found a way to make butternut squash last night that they all like.  Whip the cooked squash with a little butter, a little sugar free pancake syrup (so hubby, a.k.a. Insulin Man, can eat it) and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.  It's these small victories that matter...

50 Cent

No, not the rapper, the coin.

My second grader is doing a unit on money in the classroom.  The teacher asked that we send in a container with our child's name, and the following denominations of money:  30 pennies, 20 nickels, 10 dimes, 4 quarters, and 2 half dollars.  Well, it isn't that easy to find half dollars, at least where I live.  They're not too common in circulation, apparently.  I had to call around to several banks, and luckily found two banks which each have one.  I reserved them in my name and they must be picked up at the bank.  It was almost as if I were tracking down the latest fad video game..."oh no, we don't have any"..."you could try one of our other locations"..."oh yes, we do happen to have one, but only one."  Whew.  The things we do for our children.  

My Life Is a Circle...

Or how did the chorus of that Harry Chapin song go?  I feel like I'm going around in circles today.  To my horror, this morning I thought about today's timeline and realized I would have no chance to cook dinner while shuttling back and forth between work and the soccer field and my second grader's after school program and home and the wake for my mom's neighbor.  So I cooked a pot of rice and a tray of fish fillets at six o'clock this morning.  Whew, now hubby will not have to feed the kids junk food for dinner (he is a good cook but usually doesn't feel like cooking).

Mother Nature sent us enough rain to have soccer practice cancelled so at least I don't have to rush and cook dinner now.  Good thing.  I'm feeling a bit weary!

Step Right Up and Greet the Teachers!

Long night, but the elementary school open house is over.  Both of my sons' teachers seemed friendly, energetic, and utterly delighted to have my kids in their classes.  What does that mean, other than the obvious?  Time will tell.

Hubby has the boys at the baseball game tonight.  I am reveling in the peace and quiet as I finish making all of the lunches for tomorrow and figure out what I'm going to wear to work.  Yeah, I know, I'm compulsive.  I'm good at it, though.

New Beginnings, and One Ending

This afternoon began soccer season for my oldest.  His team had a scrimmage against a team of older girls from our town.  They looked to be a year or two older, which made them quite a bit taller, given what puberty does to girls at this point.  The twelve and thirteen year old boys actually beat them 4 to 2.  Impressive.  Official games will begin next week, I think, against other boys' teams from other towns on Long Island.  Wonder what the boys will think of that after having faced the older girls, who were pretty fierce competitors.  Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?

A friend of ours from New Jersey, whom we met on a Club Med vacation before kids (now that's definitely another story) called to tell us that he'd just gotten engaged.  He comes from a beautiful, salt of the earth kind of family.  His folks are originally from Cuba.  His now-fiancee hails from the Philippines and seems to be from the same kind of traditional warm family.  How fantastic for the both of them.  How wonderful if we will be able to join them at their wedding!

Later in the evening, my mom called to tell us that our neighbor in my old home town had passed away at the age of 85.  She'd been suffering from dementia and believed that she was dying of incurable cancer, so she'd gone on a hunger strike for almost six weeks.  Doesn't seem medically possible to live that long without food or fluids, does it?  The hospice people were baffled.  But at least our old friend is no longer suffering from mental anguish, and her family can take comfort that she is now in a better place.  

Tomorrow is the open house at our elementary school.  I've got to fly over there after work, and be there for various sessions, hopefully leaving by 8:30PM so that I can make lunches etc. for Tuesday before my energy runs out.  The boys have tickets to a baseball game with my husband tomorrow night, with a fireworks display to follow.  I wonder whether my mom's neighbor is enjoying her fireworks.

I'll take a moment to recall the sunny spots in between the rainy weekend weather, as I attempt to prepare mentally for another week.

Wet and Wild

Soccer season began today.  My ten year old had the honor of being the first to have a game.  When we woke up this morning we hadn't known what to expect from the Tropical Storm Hanna wind and rain which I heard at about 1 AM.  It was a pleasant surprise that the entire soccer field was not under water, and between 10 and 11 the sun actually tried to emerge.  Humid and sticky morning, even for spectators.  Depending on whom you ask, my son's team won 4 to 3 or 4 to 2, due to a highly contested call by the referee, who was standing mid field and called a goal for the other team based on the other team's players screaming that the ball went over the line when the goalie caught it.  Sigh.  At least the win itself was undisputed.

My Saturday morning weekly grocery trip was delayed until 3PM and it is now raining again.  We'll see what we get tonight.  There's to be another soccer game tomorrow afternoon.  I have to go back out because I forgot the frozen waffles (favorite breakfast food of my seven year old) and by then it will be time to attend to the chicken cutlets and corn on the cob for dinner, and to choose another vegetable.  This domestic goddess mystique is really a unique animal.

Another School Year and Soccer Season!

Welcome to the scattered thoughts of geek girl turned soccer mom!  Thanks for taking the ride.

My three boys have just begun their new school year.  My seventh grader, who ought to be called Mini-Me because he's even more anally retentive than I am, already had his middle school class order and classroom numbers memorized the weekend before school began, and was working on memorizing the teachers' names too.  My fifth grader is completely at the other end of the spectrum.  He's happy go lucky and very honest and primal, but suffers from attention deficit (which he partially tried to blame on poor eyesight but that's another story) and just conquered his first homework battle last night, completing a simple assignment six hours after he arrived home.  The youngest, a big shot in the second grade, is every bit as smart as the others but knows he's cute as a button so tries to exploit that whenever possible.  He is taking a break from soccer this season because he was really never interested in playing the game last year; his interests instead were socializing with his teammates, sucking up to the coach, and checking himself out in his soccer uniform.

I'm glad this is a short week!