virginia

We just got back from Virginia, where we visited my husband's favorite professor from college, Dabney Stuart. We got to introduce him to Jemma - and Jemma got to introduce him to the ipad.



My husband is convinced that one day we'll retire down there - and I (northern girl that I am) am equally convinced that we won't...

But we had a wonderful time. It's a beautiful part of the country, and a magnificent time of year to be there.

Everything about the trip was pleasant: we had great visits with the people we had gone down to see, the weather was perfect - even the music in the airport as we were waiting to come home was great - as though they were playing a soundtrack just for me... (they went from XTC to Elvis Costello, to Morrissey, to R.E.M. - it was pretty remarkable.) When I commented on this, my husband turned to me with a smirk, and said, "So, you want to live here?"

Well, no. I don't want to move into an airport in Virginia - but I sure enjoyed my visit.

light at the end of the tunnel

I finally received the last document I need to get Italian citizenship. (I think... you never know what they'll have to say when I'm actually trying to register.)

So now I have to go to the consulate to make an appointment for a meeting - they never answer the phone - about whether I have all of the appropriate documents. After that meeting I can make another appointment for the actual meeting when I'll submit the documents and request my Italian passport.

Sounds easy enough (albeit time-consuming). The only concern I have at the moment is that I think they keep my US passport while they're processing everything... And they could keep it for several months (yikes!). So I need to be careful about the timing...

mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful

We had a great time down at my parents' house this weekend. There were the perfect ingredients for fun: magnificent weather, lots of kids around for Jemma to play with (including her best friend, Janie), and mud.

Maybe I should explain 'mud'...

The kids were playing together outside in a dirt pile - the boys digging tunnels and the girls carefully wheeling away spade-fulls of dirt to the driveway. And I was keeping an eye on them while my sister went shopping.

Everything was going smoothly. Everyone was getting along with everyone else, and I was relaxing in the sun trying to soak up some vitamin D. Then one of the boys brought over a bucket of water and turned the dirt pile into a mud pit. And that's when I had a choice...

I knew that it would be a pain in the you-know-what to clean up if I let them play in the mud, and that my sister (the mother of two of the kids) would be really mad. I also knew that the kids would absolutely LOVE it.

I said to Ben (my sister's little boy) "You know if I let you guys play in the mud your mom's going to kill me."

"Yes," he admitted. "She will. But we won't get in trouble." He was right. It would be my fault for letting them do it. And my getting in trouble didn't seem like much of a deterrent. But I need to mention one thing...

My sister hates dirt. She doesn't just hate it - she won't tolerate it. Her house - and her kids - are always immaculately scrubbed and spotless. I pity the speck of dust that dares to settle on her floor. However, this didn't stop me from saying, "yes." In fact, I think it encouraged me. First, because when would they ever be able to do this again? (Certainly never at home.) And second, because if my sister can expose my daughter to massive amounts of refined sugar every time we have a visit (which she does, without fail) I certainly have the right to expose her kids to a little dirt now and again... or, better yet, mud.

Now, before you think I'm the worst sister ever, you should know that I had the kids showered and dressed before she got home. I even rinsed out their dirty clothing...



We did lots of other great stuff this weekend, too - like horseback riding, building hay forts, and carving pumpkins - but I suspect what they'll remember most is the mud.

grrrrrr

I’m going to vent today. I have to because I’m angry. I hate it when parents send their kids to school sick. It is possibly one of the most inconsiderate things a parent can do. Do they really think that somehow their child will not infect everyone around them? I don’t get it. Have you seen the way kids sneeze and cough?

I have three kids which means I have three kids that can get sick. Trying to keep germs from spreading in my home is hard enough, but impossible in a class filled with little children, especially the little runny nose ones.

It is probably a good thing I am not a teacher because I wouldn't be able to hold myself back from telling those parents exactly what I think. I get exposing children to germs makes their immune system stronger, blablabla, but this is just plain rude, and cruel.

just zip it

This morning I was talking with one of the other moms at my daughter's preschool. It started out innocently enough, with her asking if anyone had any opinions about the ipad. So I told her - very enthusiastically- what I thought. I love it, by the way. But apple hasn't hired me to sell their product, and I probably didn't need to be as vehement as I was about it...

I guess that wasn't so bad, though - I just looked like an overly enthusiastic consumer. At some point, however, the conversation shifted to iphones - and to cell phones in general, - and for some reason I felt the need to give this person a lecture on radiation. Well, that led into the general topic of potentially harmful things that we don't think about (or in some cases, even know about.) I could tell I was losing her, but my lips kept moving faster and faster, as if by getting out some vital bit of information I could salvage the conversation. I had moved on to genetically modified foods when her eyes started to glaze over.

Of course, I realized I was going on and on - and I really was about to stop... But then, this poor woman (who was simply trying to contribute something to the conversation) made the mistake of making what she probably thought was a general and innocuous comment. What she said was, "it's important for government to be involved with food regulation to make sure foods are safe for us." (There was no way I couldn't say something about that...)

I'm not sure whether I stopped talking first, or whether she stopped pretending to listen... but I finally was able to get a grip on myself and zip it. (Which is probably the only reason she'll ever speak to me again.)

I have no intention of picking up where I left off here... But here are some interesting links if you're inclined to investigate further (without my having to listen to my rant.)


GMOs:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/02/genetically-modified-organisms-are-a-looming-threat.aspx


Government 'safety' legislation:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-smith/youre-appointing-who-plea_b_243810.html

mermaid

My brother-in-law, Ben, just sent me these photos he took at the end of summer...

rules of conduct

This morning I set out to visit one of the schools we're considering for Jemma for next year. As I was about to leave the house Jemma said to me, "Mommy, you look nice - you look very fashion."

It's not often that I look 'fashion'. (It pretty much just means that I wasn't wearing sweat pants, and that I had brushed my hair - but I enjoyed the compliment anyway...)

I did the tour with a bunch of other parents - all of whom were also looking quite 'fashion' (because we're all extremely aware that the schools are evaluating us, too.)

This particular school seemed like a nice environment - one in which the kids were respected and valued for their unique qualities (which, of course, made me a fan).

In one of the classrooms I noticed a poster that the children had made, listing behavior guidelines they had come up with.

One of these read: "Don't laugh at somebody when they fall down."

I like that. It strikes me as a very good rule... and not just for little kids.

Especially today, when the very best way to be 'fashion' is to wear purple - to support kindness and acceptance.

slippery slope

I had forgotten my old steadfast rule for pushing through difficult times until a good friend gently reminded me of it today. She said, “Don’t focus on the question, how do I get there, but instead, where do I want to go?”.

I know (and whole heartily admit) I have let myself get caught on this slippery slope yet again. I know I am consuming my brain with stupid logistics (thus the real and present danger my head could explode at any given moment). The worse part is I know I don’t have a shot in hell of figuring out where I want to go because there is no room left in my brain from all my “how do I get there” questions. This should be simple to fix, right?

I’m always baffled how easily old lessons seem to slip away. Thank God for good friends, especially when self-induced amnesia sets in.

music video

My daughter's favorite band is The Wiggles. The other day she noticed that they had never made a video for a song of theirs that she really likes, so we decided to make one of our own... After I recorded her dancing to the song she said, "Great. I want everyone to see it."

"Okay," I said. "I'll show it to Papa when he gets home."

"I mean everyone," she responded. "Everyone in the world."

So I said, "I guess I could post it on my blog - that way more people would see it..."

Then she told me that she knew just how to introduce it. (So I took dictation.)

"My child did a very groovy dance. She danced to Balla balla balla bambina. And it looked like this."





"And it looked so nice that I put it for everyone in the world - and if everyone sees this blog everyone will get to see this video."

back to school

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this is Jemma's last year of preschool, and we're in the process of looking at schools for her for next year. So I've been thinking about education a lot lately...

This is a fascinating (and very entertaining) talk about education by Sir Ken Robinson:

be calm...just breathe

We are well into the first week of Taylor driving. I'm going to be honest here. I have been dreading the moment I would find myself planted in the passenger seat with Taylor behind the wheel. I have been putting it off on her dad and even our babysitter as long as possible.

But happily I am here to report my anxiety ridden thoughts are worse than my reality. Thank God Tay has a healthy fear of driving, and more importantly, a healthy respect for the law. I think my car has made more complete stops in the last week than in the entire last year.

And other than being scarily close to cars on the right, she is doing pretty amazingly well. Tay nervously joked about her "car spacial issue" today, and said it is becoming a trend with 15 year olds at her school not to have side mirrors.

thinking about the weather

Some days it's easy not to get out and exercise (or get out at all), take vitamins, or get enough sleep... Some days it's easy not to shave your legs - or even shower... Easy not to care if the other mothers notice when you pick your kid up from school wearing the same sweats you were wearing the day before because you slept in them... Easy not to write...

But today - glorious and sparkling - nudged me into making an effort - in spite of my overwhelming feeling of inertia. Sometimes good weather helps...

bang bang

I've always hated bangs... Maybe that's because when I was a kid mine were always too short. My mother wanted them above my eyebrows... Way above. (I remember trying to trick the barber by raising my eyebrows while my bangs were being cut, but I think that probably just made them more crooked than usual.)

So when my daughter's hair grew in - she was essentially bald when she was born- I grew out her bangs as soon as I could.

But Jemma can't stand wearing barrettes. Or hairbands. Or elastics. If I put something in her hair she takes it out after about three minutes. She's just not a hair combed and coiffed kind of girl...

I think her wild-looking hair suits her. But then, I may just think that because I like not having to 'do' her hair... (I don't even brush my own...) But having your hair in your face can be a hindrance. Especially if you're in preschool trying to work on art projects...

Jemma doesn't seem to mind it, but I'm sure her teachers have some opinions on the subject.

So I decided to cut Jemma's bangs. (After-all, she's not the one who hates them.) I figured it would make her life easier - she'd be able to see, and she wouldn't have to keep saying, "no thank you" every time I offered to pull her hair back.

And they look great on her - in spite of the fact that she's got curly hair - which sometimes just doesn't work with bangs... (Granted, I'm biased. I think Jemma looks cute in anything - even poison ivy.)

In fact, I'm feeling a little jealous. If I didn't look so terrible in bangs they'd be the perfect solution to the lines on my forehead.... For now I'll just enjoy Jemma's.

Charlotte's Web

“Life is always better when you're waiting for something to grow”, Charlotte from Charlotte's Web, E.B. White

I was in my daughter's 4th grade classroom yesterday and this quote was posted on the wall. Her class is in the middle of learning about planting vegetables and flowers, so the quote is pretty relevant to them. I was thinking more in line with things like growth in friendships and love, but flowers work too.

And then there is the other point of view, which is much funnier. A friend told me Charlotte's Web was the first book she had ever read. She remembered shedding a lot of tears from it (must have been a ton of tears since she still remembers. You see, my friend is as old as me thus requiring this traumatic event to have occured decades ago). It so profoundly effected her that to this day she has never wanted to kill a spider.

I bet EB White has saved millions of spiders from being smashed.

dress for success

Today I got into my work out clothes. Never made it to the gym... But, hey, it's a step in the right direction.

Tay's blog

talk talk

While many conversations with children are about things that might not interest the adult a whole heck of a lot, (i.e. comparing the voices of the guys in 'The Wiggles') it's unwise to assume you can just throw in "filler" conversation. They know the difference.

The other night I was putting Jem to bed and said something like, "I'm so glad to have Papa home. Aren't you?"

And she said, "Of course I am, Mommy. Why do you ask?"

"Ummm. I don't know... Just making conversation."

representation

So, I went to the doctor yesterday - after nearly a month of trying to battle this cough on my own I figured I ought to - and it turns out I have bronchitis and possibly pneumonia... (I wouldn't let them do the chest x-rays to be sure... the treatment's the same, and I don't have any need to spice up my life with extra radiation, thank you.) It sounds rather serious - but it's really not that big a deal. I just take antibiotics (I refused the steroid inhaler) and I should get better.

At this point I should address the fact that I sound like a pain in the you-know-what patient, refusing certain tests and treatments - but I'm not. Really. I'm just very conservative about what I subject my body to. Always have been. And, quite frankly, I'm pretty sure my body's grateful. It should be - considering all the 'fun' I could have had in my younger years, when I behaved myself instead. (Plus, I don't just make crazy medical choices willy-nilly - I always get input from the doctors in my family.)

Anyway, none of this is very interesting. It's simply the setting for something that is. Very. While I was hacking away, sitting amidst a pile of tissues, I had a phone conversation with my agent. Yes, that's right - I said, "my agent." My agent. Meaning that I have one.

For the past couple of days the sound of "WOO-HOOO!!!" and "YIPPEE!!!" has been echoing off the walls around here... Kind of glad you can't hear it, actually. Makes me sound too excited - like it's a big deal. Which, of course, it is. At least for me, because I haven't had a literary agent before. And now I do.

I wonder, can you call yourself a writer once you have an agent, or do you have to wait until you've been published?

Also, do any two words sound better together than 'my' and 'agent'? Nope... Not at the moment.

behind the wheel

My daughter just got her learners permit. California law regarding young drivers is pretty good.

At 15 1/2 years old, Taylor had to pass an online test before she could go to the DMV (this part was only 4 hours. Ouch) and take another written test. Now with an official learners permit, Tay has to get 6 hours of driving lessons and 50 hours of driving time with an adult before she can get her drivers license at the age of 16.

Even with all of that, I am still hesitant about the whole idea of a 16 year old being mature enough to get behind the wheel (and of course that is completely hypocritical since I know for a FACT I was mature enough to drive by myself at 16). Although I can think of a few people that would take issue with that comment.

more movie recommendations

(Because there's nothing else to write about on this rainy day.) Except that, yes, I'm still sick - which I don't think anyone wants to hear any more about...

Two films I saw recently were "The Social Network" (which I didn't really want to see) and "The Town" (which I didn't really want to see either). There wasn't really anything else out that my husband and I could agree upon... (I had no chance of convincing him to see "Easy A").

Interestingly, they were both good. Entirely different - but entertaining and satisfying... and both movies I'd recommend.

cough, cough

I know being sick isn't much of an excuse for not posting... but there it is. I've had a miserable cough for the past three weeks, and whatever it is just decided to kick in with a fever, headache and chills... so I figure not posting is a kindness (who knows what delirious things I might write in my condition?)

I wasn't feeling too sick to go out and see a movie last night, however. And I'll recommend it - even though as a general rule I hate documentaries. (This makes my husband laugh, because some of my very favorite films have been documentaries... I think I just have a mental block with them. I really really really don't want to go see them, and then - if they're good - I'm really glad I went. Kind of like yoga, that way.)

Check out Waiting for 'Superman' if you have a chance. It's good... informative and interesting. A little depressing, too - because it very clearly describes the situation in public schools in the US, and isolates the problem - but unfortunately it's not a something you can fix (even by raising enough money...)

I'd like to open a can of 'whoop-ass' on the president of the teachers' union. Maybe that would help...