Halloweeners

Mr. Fantastic and Johnny Danger read up on their predecessors.
picture courtesy of ganap!

Our first Halloween, and I'm still not sure about the the whole trick-or-treating business, but I let the kids try it out in my friend's neighborhood. After several houses, D said his bag was too heavy and began to turn away offers of candy! Needless to say I was already completely exhausted from the previous weeks activities, and had almost forgotten about Halloween, when the boys asked me at 4pm if trick-or-treating was today or tomorrow. I think I'd rather just buy the candy, let the kids dress up and call it a night. Am I turning into a scrooge? I don't know. I just don't have the energy required for holidays (or cultural festivities, whatever you want to call them). Once upon a time, I used to love any and every occasion for dressing up, in fact many of my birthday parties have been costume parties, but I just don't have it in me right now.

Happy Birthday!

Today is L's 2nd birthday. Where has the time gone? Oh, yeah, I remember...


Today we also celebrate the birth of my friends', Inge and Greg, newest addition, Joshua Thomas! It's a great day for birthdays! Welcome to the world, Joshua.

School Marm

My least favorite thing about homeschooling is having this conversation:

person: So are you working, or do you stay home?
me: I stay home, I homeschool my children.
person: (eybrows raised) Oh you homeschool?
me: Yes
person: Wow, I could never do that. I mean I love my kids and all, but I could never teach them. They wouldn't listen to me.
me: hmmm (thinking: you've taught them plenty already just being their parent), well it isn't easy, it's a lot of work, but I'm glad that I am doing it. It is really important to me.
person: I really respect people who can do that, but I never could. I would just go crazy.
me: (wondering how to change the subject without being too obvious) Well, even though I live in the "best" public school district in my county, I don't trust the government to educate my children the way I believe they should be educated. And my kids really like it too, so that helps make it easier. (trying to soften my reasons. now please talk about something else!)

Whenever I have this conversation (or one like it) with someone new, it makes me really uncomfortable, I don't want my new friend or acquaintance to think I'm a kook or some crazy right-wing fanatic...I also don't want them to feel like I am judging them, that I am looking down my nose at them for not homeschooling. It is very difficult to feel strongly about something and talk about it without rubbing someone the wrong way. I guess I just need to get over it. I think what really gets to some of these people is how I am homeschooling as a single-mom. I think that perhaps they feel threatened by this. They have already decided they can't homeschool, so how can I without a husband helping me at home? I'll tell you. It is a decision I made, and I just do it. Yes, my house looks less than perfect most of the time, I have dustbunnies, and dirty dishes and piles of laundry, but that stuff is really not all that important. I've learned that the people who judge me based on these outward things aren't really friends anyway. Those who know me and my children, my real friends, can attest to the fact that, whatever it is I'm doing, it's working.

15 year reunion

I graduated from high school in 1990, this weekend was our fifteen year reunion at Oregon Ridge. It was very low-key, and only about 40 or so people of our class of roughly 400 showed up. This was not your typical "t.v. reunion episode" where everyone comes hoping to show up all the others, attempting to impress with their successes. This was a gathering of real folk, many of us with kids, husbands or wives, some with divorces, and ordinary jobs. Absolutely no putting on of airs, which considering the fact that Dulaney was/is the most prestigious public high school in our county is a pretty big deal. I think I was the one there with the most children, some others had two, and there were some with brand new babies just starting their families. I was glad to have gone, because six of my old elementary school girlfriends were there (Missy, Alicia, Heather, Tricia, Molly, and Ellen) and they are all still local to Baltimore. It was fun to reminisce about old teachers and boyfriends and share who we've bumped into at the supermarket or other places around town. We swapped some phone numbers and plan to keep in touch. Isn't that what we said at the end of senior year?

toothless K

Kid quotes from the day

D said to K, "You're a genius!" and then added "but I'm more geniuser than you are."

L (not quite 2 years) is now attempting knock-knock jokes as she mimics her brothers attempts at humor. There is nothing more surreal than two year old humor.

L: knock-knock (she gesticulates knocking when saying this, it's so cute)
me: who's there?
L: meow-meow (her word for cat)
me: meow-meow who?
L: baby...apple

In other education related news, K is now officially slightly literate. He is reading and writing short-vowel words, but impressed me today at the grocery store when he told me the door said "Fire Exit". He is also "doing addition" and reading prices on things. I find all of this rather exciting. The reading has been slow in coming, but I think now that it is finally beginning to "click" he will love it. He also has his very first loose tooth, which is getting looser by the day. The rice crispy treats we made yesterday have done their job well. Perhaps the toothfairy will be visting our house by weeks end? or maybe by months end, you never can tell with teeth.

update: 10-19-05 The tooth fell out today! I guess I need to find my fairy wings! :)

(sing en francais accent) Thank Heaven for little girls

Prettiness (special effects unintentional)

Prettiness, my littlest bundle of joy turns two in a couple weeks. And she really is a bundle of joy (-ful energy).

Which is it? or are both equally true?

For some odd reason these two expressions popped into my head during my walk on this very fine autumn day. I'm not even sure what I'm asking, but for some reason it didn't seem possible for both to be true...and then my head started to hurt. Tell me what you think.

"If you are not for me, you are against me."

"If you are not against me, you are for me."

THE dress

This is my dress...I was hoping for some better pictures, but my dad's thumb was in the way, so this is all you get.

From the past

I saw my second grade teacher last week at the grocery store. I had to introduce myself, she happened to be one of my favorites from elementary school. Her name was, Mrs. Smith. She said she remembered me, can this really be true or is that what all teachers say when they meet former students? and that I looked just the same. It must be the bangs... She said I still have "the same sweet smile". (I couldn't help but think the only reason I recognized her was because she looked exactly the same except her hair was more salt than pepper, but she styled it the same way.)
What made me think to blog about this? Seeing my picture posted below, I do look the same...damn bangs...is it time for another "do" I wonder?

Duct tape me!

Please don't make me regret posting these!

Duct tape me!

My friend, Sandy, and I had this running joke in high school, whenever we did something bizzare or stupid, of saying afterward, "So, what did you do last night?" It was to mimic how we would answer the question the following day after having done something relatively inexplicable or completely embarrassing. So you ask me, "What did you do last night, Joyella?" Oh, I'm so glad you asked.....

I did this last night, and just in case the link is faulty for whatever reason, I will briefly explain. I have wanted a custom dress form to help me with my fitting when I sew for myself. When I sew for others it really isn't an issue, but my critical eye can't see and do what it needs to when I'm wearing the garmet I am trying to fit on myself. Many years ago I saw an article in Threads about making a body double or custom dress form using duct tape. I have wanted to try this ever since, but never had the guts to ask one of my friends help me with it, it is a rather intimate job. It takes a pretty close friend to see you wrapped in a tube of thin cotton knit and then to cover your body with strips of duct tape. But I overcame my body image fears and asked Tree, and she obliged me. We made a night of it, drinking cosmos and laughing so hard I nearly burst out of my silver cocoon. In the end I looked like a female C3PO, I kind of walked like him too. I could barely move once it was done, and cutting me out of the thing made me feel like a snake shedding its skin. Now all I have to do is tape it back together, stuff it and mount it on my old (skinny) dress form. Voila! Another me is born.

Seasons of change

It's October and yesterday the Stuntman (D) was running around inside and out with no shirt on. It's been unseasonably warm, which is kind of nice, but it makes me forget it is actually fall. The leaves are still mostly green although some varieties are dropping to the ground and getting crunchy. I love these seasons of transition, in weather, in life the transition seasons are much less comfortable. I am learning in my Bible study on Colossians, God is more concerned with what is going on inside of us than in our comfort. What is life, though, if not a series of changes and transitions from one thing to the next? Nothing stays the same...and that is good. Growth requires change, otherwise you just have stagnation...and we all know what happens in a stagnant environment. All kinds of nasty things begin to grow and fester, and so even remaining the same becomes a change for the worse.

I remember my Life Fitness teacher in college said in order to maintain our level of fitness we need to excercise 30 minutes twice weekly....that's for maintenence! In order to improve our level of fitness we need to exceed that amount. I am thinking that if our physical bodies need that much attention for maintenence, how much more attention does our spiritual body need. I have always, always struggled with the whole quiet time thing. Perhaps it began in my rebellion as a child living in such a revered Christian family. (The rebellion of my youth manifested itself in subtle forms most often.) The importance of having a daily quiet time or devotional was hammered into us from day one. But now I know it is vital to my spiritual health and yet it still is such a challenge to accomplish. I have three little excuses for not having a quiet time who disrupt my mornings. It seems no matter how early I wake, the very fact of my consciouness wakes them earlier too. And I'm not a morning person, but today I did manage to steal a few minutes with the Lord before the ambiant noise of my children rolled into a ruckus. It is my aim to be consistent with this, even if I do have to wake up earlier. Ugh.

The concert adventure: Coldplay

There isn't a whole lot more I can say than what my dear best friend wrote here , except perhaps that despite the "adventure" of the concert, Coldplay was awesome. They put on a good show.

Having a Fit

In dressmaking, a fit is also known as a fitting. I've been attempting to fit myself with the dress I am working on, which for most aspects is okay (but not ideal-Mom usually helps me with fitting issues, but she is away at present!). I only have trouble with back adjustments, hemming and now in the shoulder over which I am just about ready to have a geniune fit, as in hissy. I have no idea what has happened, in the mock-ups the shoulder was never an issue and now all of a sudden I have this diagonal wrinkle indicating stress at the shoulder. I've tried resetting the sleeves. No change. I've since taken out the shoulder seams, but that didn't seem to make a difference either. Now I suspect the collar is creating the strain, which is what I feared and now I dread re-doing. I have clipped the seam allowances to 1/4 inch already, which will make reconstruction a challenge, but I've got to get this right. The wedding is Saturday, and I pretty much lose tomorrow since I'm going with friends to see Coldplay in Virginia. I don't like the other options in my closet, and I'm getting down to the wire here.

Opinion poll attn: Paul, Astrid, Inge, MK, Mom, and other comment makers

To those of you who actually post comments, how do you like Haloscan as opposed to Blogger comments? I'm torn myself, there are pros and cons which are about equal so if I get some response to this query, it may sway my decision.
My favoritist thing about Blogger was the free email notification of new comments, this is especially handy if someone responds to an old post where I am unlikely to check, Haloscan provides this feature for $...I don't wanna pay for it, but Haloscan has better spam blockers....hmmm

My day "off"

Today, Saturday, I got so much done! I think I'm getting better at having time to myself. I started the day early 7ish am, so I could cram in a lot of stuff on this my day "off" (of mothering, that is). I made sure to begin right with reading all of Colosians, since that was last week's homework assignment for my new bible study, then I planned the meal I will be serving to some new friends tomorrow evening. After breakfast I had errands: video store, to return Star Wars IV again; fabric store for notions and thread for the fabulous dress I am working on; hair cut (not so happy about this, but it will grow back); supermarket and finally the liquor store. I needed bourbon (which I learned is whiskey, bourbon sounds much more sophisticated) for a pumpkin cheese cake recipe. I got carded again...must have been the bad haircut. After putting the grocercies away, I was off to the park to walk a couple miles, then came back home, had some lunch and set to work on my fabulous dress.

I have designed this dress based on shirt and skirt patterns that I had developed in my patternmaking class last spring. The motivation for getting this project completed is to be able to wear it to my friend's wedding on October 1...which is fast approaching. It is a simply elegant claret silk dupioni wrap dress with 3/4 sleeves and A-line knee-length skirt. The skirt sports a little surprise interest in back with three on-seam godets. I founds some sparkly rhinestone buttons which I will most likely use at the front closure, unless I find a brooche or something better. I've been "in the zone" on this dress, and it feels really good to be sewing something beautiful.

At 5pm the kids came home from being with M (their father) and I was "on" duty again. L has been sick and the boys were exausted (which means easily prone to melt-down) so I distracted them with videos while I made bannana muffins and sausage for dinner. (I was going to make pancakes, but decided muffins wouldn't make them all sticky on the couch.) In the middle of my mixing and baking, L got really sick- more vomitting all over herself and me. So I repeated the bath, change clothes and all vomitous items into the laundry drill from the other day, and then finished making dinner. Promptly after L finished eating, I popped her into bed, let the boys finish their movie while I baked homegrown pumpkins for the cheesecake. The cheesecake is cooling now, and between it and the muffins, my house smells delicious.

Someone must be praying extra for me today...

This day started with disaster written all over it. We all overslept, and I was awakened by the phone ringing (usually a mood buster). It was my mom on the phone calling to say she couldn't help watch prettiness this morning for couple hours while I taught the boys their lessons, because she was feeling ill. We had just made this arrangement for Thursdays, just to give me a little more uninterrupted teaching time, so I being still groggy, hadn't even remembered about it. As I started to wake up a little it did begin to bum me out a bit. It has been especially difficult to get in the groove of teaching again since our foiled vacation plans last week. Anyway, I got over it, but the children had their own funky mood today which compounded matters. D did not want to do his math lesson, or phonics for that matter, and K was getting so frustrated over his reading, the boy needs to be more patient with himself. Meanwhile L didn't want to get off my lap and insisted she have the linking cubes (math manipulative that D was supposed to be using) or was grabbing at my book. Flustered with her beligerance, I finally put her in her room and closed the door. Two seconds later she comes out (she can open doors now, don't know what I was thinking) and proceeds to throw up on the living room floor. At this I decide it's time for the boys to go have some outdoor play while I clean up barf.

Outside L seems totally fine, collecting feathers and stones while I play soccer with D and K. It was the perfect day, warm September sun, crisp leaves gently floating down on soft breezes. We kicked the ball around until it was lunchtime and things seemed to be calming down. L actually ate most of her lunch, D and K ate all of theirs! (my kids aren't big eaters, yet) But, she seemed extremely sleepy so I put her down for a nap right after lunch. After sleeping about 45 minutes she woke crying (not normal behavior) so I go in and she starts throwing up all over me and herself. Poor thing. I give her a bath, change my clothes, strip the crib and start some laundry. I was planning on using her nap time to finish our lessons, but that just didn't happen, she didn't go back to sleep. So, we watched a little bit more of the specail edition Star Wars DVD we rented and then played outside some more. L wanted pizza for dinner, so I indulged her with a homemade mushroom (and pepperoni for K and I, plain cheese for D) pizza. She ate well and then looked so tired I put her right to bed again. After dinner I took the boys outside, made a fire in the chiminea and we roasted (or is it toasted?) marshmallows until it got dark. For bedtime reading we read our history lesson, about the pyramids, so we wouldn't be so behind tomorrow. It was a perfect evening.

Several times today I had the thought "this is a perfect day" and then remembered how the morning went and the afternoon, and still despite those unplanned events, it was still a really good day. I guess it's all about frame of mind, a couple weeks ago this sort of day would have undone me.
Thank you, Lord.