Bring a Book to Bed Day

Herewith, our participation in Bring a Book to Bed Day! At bedtime we are currently reading Laura Ingalls Wilder books.

We're on our way through Little House in the Big Woods for the second time, and here DB is posing with Farmer Boy, and we've also started -- but have returned to the library for now -- By the Shores of Silver Lake.

For the record, DB is only pretending to read this book. He's a good reader, but these are still text heavy for him.

I'll Take It

Here I am at the ladies-only Oscars party Sunday night. I'm so proud of myself for doing my hair!

Tonight Husband and I are going to go see the new production of Guys and Dolls tonight for my birthday. Got several online greetings today, two from actual individuals and the rest from sites I'm members of. (Hey, I'll take it!)

Husband has dragged DuckyBoy directly from the bus to the store to buy me a card. Why do men wait until the last minute for things? This is NOT the way to teach the kid to plan ahead.

But, if he learns that it's better to do it last minute than not at all, well, I'll take it!

I sent in my "What I want to change and why" essay to the New Year, New You contest and now I'm procrastinating actually contacting Guideposts about a job opening they have.

Isn't it ironic that the ultimate feel-good magazine sometimes makes me feel bad about my skills? Ya see, they have a particular writing style that is sensory-detail-heavy that's not really me. And sometimes when I read the magazine, which is every month since my mom sends it to me, I feel like I'm not good enough for them.

I actually changed that previous paragraph to be less of a bummer than it originally was, since not only do I not always feel bad when I read the magazine, I also did complete a project with the Guideposts team that left me feeling like I'd really done my best in areas where I am strong.

Nevertheless I feel pretty weak on skillz lately, other than blabbing about my life and being DB's mom, plus I'm overweight, under-exercised, and don't cook what my whole family should be eating. So I hope I win their contest.

Here's the photo I sent with the entry. I wasn't sure what the photo is for, so I went with the full-body "before" shot. At least it was taken today, after my highlights (Tuesday) and facial/eyebrows (today).

The other contender was the Oscar party picture; what do you think, did I do the right thing?

Church and Autism, Part 3

The church we have been attending (more on that wording later) has just released a newly revised set of guidelines for playing in the gym after church. They have published guidelines several times, and each time they get more restrictive in the name of safety.

Among them are:

• No more scooters.
• The trikes are for "kindergarten and younger."
• The gym will close at 1 pm.
• While no paid or volunteer personnel will be on hand to supervise, there will be a volunteer at the door to remind everyone of the rules.

1. If the trikes can be out, why not the scooters? Just asking.

2. While the trike age is a bit arbitrary - why K and not 1st grade? or why not use a weight or age guideline? - I do understand it on 2 levels. One, several of the the much-bigger boys (age 11 or so) like to commandeer the trikes and are a nuisance for the littlest kids in the room. Two, choosing K was probaly an easy call in that the weekday school those trikes are there for goes up to kindergarten.

Unfortunately, though, one of the main things DB likes about the gym is riding the trikes and scooters.

And, as Husband pointed out, using the age of the school as the rule inverts the way the relationship between the school and the church is supposed to be: The school is supposed to support the church, not vice-versa.

3. Closing at 1 is probably because the paid church staff is supposed to be able to lock up and go home at 1. (That's my theory anyway.) Last week was a lovely February day so people lingered until after 2 in the outdoor playground. So deputize one of the parents to lock up!

4. If someone can be there to police the rules at the door, um... why can't there be someone there? The wording was odd on that anyway--"staff and church school volunteers will no longer be available..." As far as I know there never was anyone scheduled to be there. When DB would go to the gym before we had finished speaking with people at coffee hour, I knew he was there "at his own risk," as it were.

Frankly, the main reason I'm not going to service this week is because I don't want to break the rules, again, on the first day they are announced. If safety is really the primary concern, just don't even open the gym.

I don't want DB to be the exception, the one first-grader on the trikes. And I don't want to have to pick between 2 separate after-church events:

1. Coffee hour for those without children and those whose children want to sit at the child tables and have a child-approved snack. (Children are not allowed to take the food from the "adult" coffee hour tables; DB almost had his wrist slapped by the paid church staffer who sets up coffee hour, and she is is entirely unapologetic about shooing the kids from that food. They are given goldfish and animal crackers and that is good enough for them.)
2. And an after-church open play in the gym for parents of Those Other Children who need to run around. No food, no coffee.
   

I don't say "our church" since our distance from the physical plant makes me feel like an outsider. Husband said the only way to change this situation would probably be to get all the parents together and figure out some other way to handle the concerns -- rotate volunteers in the gym, offer to lock up ourselves, or whatever.

But we're too far away to spearhead the kind of meetings that requires. We're also not part of the local-school crowd. It's going to be harder for us to make friends with the other parents because we have less in common. (Now that I think of it, you'd think that raising our kids as Christians would be a common factor, right? Not a lot of openness there about issues like that.)

Frankly, we only came back to this church because we wanted to be somewhere, and haven't found one closer to home yet. But this isn't the way to be family friendly. (And, I'm sure it's parents, church members, who keep revising these rules!)

I know churches aren't perfect. We just need one where the 3 of us can all live with the imperfections.

A Nice Family Day - Something I Don't Take for Granted

I have prayed that we would be able to enjoy time together as a family, and we had that happen today.

The morning was lazy as usual, though I did get DB to read to me AND practice his typing program.

Then we went out for lunch -- unusual for us to leave the house so early as noon -- and Husband and I picked the place. Though we did select a place DB would enjoy, it was not his choice.

After that, we went to Home Depot, Stop & Shop, and a liquor store. No arguments, no whining, not even a lot of annoying behaviors. From anyone...

Then again, we did cut them short at the beginning of the trip: About 1 block from our house DB asked me to tell a story -- one of his favorite things to request when he's bored -- and not only did I decline but, when he tried to determine when exactly I MIGHT tell that story he had requested, Husband intervened and said, "Not on this trip, and if you ask again, [appropriate consequence I can't remember]."

A few seconds later DB asked one or both of us "Do you love me?" and, since he asks us that ad nauseum these days, Husband again intervened immediately and said, "Know that we love you, and if you ask again, [another appropriate consequence I can't remember]."

After that, DB didn't ask for a story until we got home, and caught himself every time he asked "Do you love me," which was less than usual. At one time I offered my opinion that he may do that when he's bored, and why not since it's a way to get a positive response -- and I think what I said helped validate him as opposed to merely shut him down.

We also (finally) held our funeral for Skinny, the fish, today. DB said a few words and even a prayer after we buried him, and then we went to the playground which was a good distraction.

His prayer was something like this:

"God, Thank you for Skinny and what a good fish he was and how long he lived. And please let our next fish live even longer.
Skinny, you were a good fish and I miss you. Amen."

It's Official

We haven't seen any movement from Skinny since last night. This morning he looked as though he had wedged himself into the rocks near the filter/bubble thing. How amazing is the survival instinct that a little fish would hang on for a day past when he was clearly not going to make it?

AND...

'Splain to me why he spent most of the day yesterday with his eyes pointing toward his Fish Day card. 'Splain that.

It's the DB effect, that's what it is. I'm not saying he's Francis of Assisi, I just think animals know he's a friend. That's all.

RIP Skinny...Maybe?

When DB went to bed we thought our goldfish, Skinny, had died. We saw him just this morning, and for whatever reason at the end of the evening we were talking about how he'd surely live a long, long time ... um, and then we saw him lying at the bottom of his bowl.

"That's how fish sleep!" DB wailed, and wailed and wailed. For once neither of us, me or Husband, told him to stop crying.

I thought it was very emotionally articulate of him to say "I feel like a baby." And I reassured him everyone feels like that when a pet dies. (Me, especially.)

He finally settled down to sleep. Then I checked the tank. Skinny was not lying in the spot where he'd been. Had the force of the bubbles pushed him under his car? No, there he was, bravely swimming around! Not very healthily, but swimming nonetheless.

A few minutes later he lay down in the corner of the tank. I put DB's "Fish Day" card near him where he could see it.

Criminy! A little while later, he was up again!

I changed some of the water as gently as I could, and the last I saw him, he'd wedged himself between his car and the rock/filter, I think it's basically breathing for him.

He's on life #3 at this point, having been wedged into the bottom section of his previous tank for several days a year or so ago. Who knows what could happen in the morning!

I put DB's school photo where Skinny can see it. If he passes in the night, he'll be looking at his owner who loves him.

Fast Food, Now! Costs More!

I can't believe it cost me more than $8 to feed a 6-year-old. OK, so I ordered a couple of little sides. Off the supposed dollar menu, though!

This is one Big Kids 6-piece nugget meal -- the most expensive out of all 6 or so kid meal options, as I now know-- and a side of onion rings (sometimes it's hard to decide between rings or fries), plus 2 of the new little mini "burger shots."

Yeah, no wonder they put an exclamation point in the middle of the receipt!

I gotta tell you, when we got home and he wanted something else to eat, I told him he had to eat the rest of his fries and nuggets! They were probably better here at home -- reheated in the oven (both items were cold, even though we had to wait at least 5 minutes for the food) and with a little salt, which the fries had lacked.

Oh, and be sure to notice the price of those Burger Shots: $1.49 , NOT the $1.39 which is the price emblazoned IN HUGE NUMERALS on the side of the bag they were served to me in (along with an asterisk that said, of course, "Prices and participation may vary." And! And! The guy suckered me in for cheese. He simply asked me if I'd like cheese. He didn't tell me it was going to cost extra-- not only extra but 40 cents extra for 2 microscopic squares of cheese!

That's not gonna happen again! (The Burger shots were good, by the way, but probably not worth the effort -- next time I'd need to order them plain --as in, no ketchup or pickle -- for DB to really enjoy.)

Oh, and they have removed the playspace from this Burger King. Do you see a reason for me to go back???

Wednesday Morning Comin' Down

I should be working on my resume this morning but first I have to post this link to Susan's new blog, Prayers for The First Hundred Days. What a thoughtful idea! Feel free to spread the word.

Yet again, someone with a blog idea that's got more viral potential than mine. Ah well, I've got a year under my belt as part of the blogosphere, one step at a time!

In other news, 2 weeks after starting Special K diet, no loss whatsoever. In fact I may even be up a lb or two, although I weighed myself with my clothes on this morning so that may be those 2 lbs. I don't feel any larger so I'm probably just the same.

I didn't do the diet at all this weekend --too inconvenient for all 3 of us to need different food for 2 of 3 meals --and I'm drinking soy milk instead of skim, so a few more calories.

I also had trouble last week sticking to it, I was stressed about paying the bills and I had my period.

Just like my days at Weight Watchers -- I'm full of excuses, excuses! I do like the simplicity though so I'm going to try it for weekdays only. At least for another couple weeks until the 3 boxes of cereal I have invested in* are gone!

* At $4 a box I do consider cereal an investment!!

Brought to You by The Letter P

Here are 10 things I love that start with the letter P, having seen this on the very busy hokgardner's blog by way of Cathy's blog (aaaaaand, I just realized I was supposed to ask Cathy for the letter. I'll catch on to this stuff someday, I promise!)

Anyway. P?? I didn't expect P. At first I couldn't think of anything good for P, and then the words came, well, pouring out:

Places -- I love to go new places and see new things. I've always thought the best job for me would be one for which I'd have to go somewhere new every few weeks or so. If not sooner. The consistency would come from doing the same or similar thing at each place, and I'd meet new people and be somewhere new all the time.

Psalms -- This book of the Bible has brought me great comfort since childhood. Number 100, 150, even the good ol' 23rd. And many in between as well.

Pets -- This is bittersweet since I find losing pets to be the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life. Ever. But that doesn't stop me from loving dogs and cats and wanting them.

Puns -- I can't help it, I've always made jokes with words. And now (much to Husband's chagrin) DuckyBoy is learning to appreciate and make word jokes as well.

Pennsylvania -- I'm proud to be from this nice, beautiful state. That's how I think of it, as nice. Upright. Honest. Family-oriented. As I get older there are times I'm sorry I left it for (sometimes nasty) New York.

Philadelphia -- I loved the college semester I spent in Philly. A good friend, a (later-to-be) boyfriend, and a lot of fascinating experiences came out of it. Smiths album. Chocolate croissants. Being late to the one press conference my boss requested specifically that I not be late to. Going to the tippy-top of City Hall. (Hi, William Penn! Remember me? Photo by Jeffrey M. Vinocur)

Taking the train to Germantown for our classes and Center City for my internship. My roommate's shrine to her boyfriend. Taking the bus to the end of the line. Taking the bus to the grocery store, to the little shopping plaza where I bought my pot and pan, and realizing I could only buy what I could carry. Being the one who noticed that the conductors on the commuter trains did not check tickets until after the train had gone from one end of Center City to the other.

Walking around on South Street. Seeing My Beautiful Laundrette (high point). Watching the Thanksgiving Day parade. Seeing Blue Velvet (low point). Causing a (minor) traffic accident as a pedestrian. Getting laughed at for my essay about my view of how my life would be in 10 years (real low point).

And, last but not least, the knowledge that as it fades, the scent of Obsession isn't nearly as nice as the perfume itself.

Paper -- I have always, always had a thing for nice paper. Wanted to be a card designer for a long time, in fact.

Puzzles -- In first grade I could read well enough that the teacher would ask me to read the directions for our worksheets to the class. At recess one day, one of the boys pinned me to the wall and demanded to know my secret. Frightened, I stammered out the only thing I could think of -- which is that each day I did the newspaper's "Little People Puzzle" -- it was like a crossword except it showed a picture of what word you needed instead of a hint. Now I like Sudoku. And jigsaws. And word puzzles. but the Sunday Times Crossword is just too hard to be fun. One time in high school I did a crossword with John Haglin in graphics class. (High point.)

Pennies -- My dad collected coins for a long, long time. I still check my change for anything interesting and have the urge to save any wheat pennies I find. But at this point I have so many, they just take up space. So I've been enjoying the find, then leaving them in circulation for the next collector.

Last but not least, DB suggested one that's perfect for #10:

PTA -- I'm enjoying being part of DB's school. While I'm not eager to take on a larger role just yet, and I'm sure Husband would prefer that I never do so, my favorite part of the meetings has been that a couple of us go out to a diner afterwards and dish while we munch for a few more hours.

Do I have to stop at 10? Husband just suggested a few more for me...

Paris-- Husband took me to Paris for my 30th birthday. The memories are much, much warmer than the temperature was that weekend. Our hotel overlooked the Louvre and the Seine, which on our budget was amazing. We ate at McDonalds (which was a low point and a high point at the same time), and we also had one of the best meals of our life at Auberge de Deux Cygnes, sitting next to an elderly couple and their equally elderly dog; I finally remembered just enough high-school French (after being stymied for 3 days) to order the oldest, sweetest bottle of dessert wine that was so expensive they triple-checked with us before opening it.

We went back with DB in spring 2003, when he was around 8 months old, on our way to my in-law's rental house in an outlying region I can't remember right now, and had a taxi driver take us to all the main sights for a photo. And on the way back home we stayed overnight in a hotel with a great bathtub for a baby to play in, and I've got a great photo.

Photographs -- I've put my husband's childhood photos in an album, I've put my brother's childhood photos in an album, I have some of our vacations and some of DB's life in albums, and I hope to do my own someday as well as organize the photos of my father's life before he dies.

Paycheck -- Yeahhhh, I'd like to be getting those around now. Not doing so well on the DIY motivation. Pretty sure Mama's gotta at least look for a job working for somebody else.

Pajamas -- I do like to hang around in pj's, especially the 2-piece menswear style. Still mad about the careless way the tailor mended the hole in that silk pair. If I'd wanted a scratchy iron-on patch that made them unwearable, I could've done that myself!! They ruined my favorite lounging-around clothes, and I had to pay for it. Humph! Note to my sister: If your husband ever gets another pair like that, feel free to shrink them and send them to me, OK? Or just send them preshrunk!

I'll end with one more P of my own:

Porch -- I cherish my memories of the screened-in porch in the front of the house I grew up in, the house my dad built. He built the fireplace on the porch the year I was born. Our Christmas tree was always on the porch. There was a large hunk of a log, about 8 or 10 inches in diameter, that was smoothed at one end and had a hunk of carpet tacked onto the other end, for a stool to sit on and watch the fire. I could watch the flames and the embers for hours.

I remember reading nursery rhymes. Getting ready to go to the beach. Running in to tell my dad about my first home run. Finally meeting my mom's cousin Janice, the first other person I ever knew of with my name. Being cold on Christmas morning, and sitting close to the fire in my long flannel nightie.

Watching Chippy, the chipmunk we kept in a cage, run on her wheel and hearing her scratch around in the closed-in top section as she came out of hibernation in the spring. Setting up a HotWheels track to zoom from the doorway into the living room. Getting slapped hard! on the leg by a girl from the trailer park down the road when I didn't play the way she wanted to. Handing out Halloween candy. Going out the door to trick-or-treat.

Threading those shoelace puzzles little kids do for hand-eye coordination on the wide wooden steps that connected the porch and the rest of the house. Years later, watching my brother's friend's little girl toddle up and down those same three stairs and repeat, after someone said it to her, "It's a doozy!"

Watching The Hardy Boys --Shaun Cassidy, what a dreamboat, sigh! -- with the TV specially turned (and tuned) so I could watch it on the porch. Playing solitaire. Finding my mom's Cosmo hidden under a chair cushion (my Barbie doll and I had some hot times after that).

Bringing in firewood. Building a fire myself. My grandparents meeting their first grandchild (my nephew). Grabbing my black vinyl, not-at-all-warm, "winter" coat that matched my friend's from the coat rack. My high-school graduation party. And, finally, people carrying out the things they bought at the auction of all the stuff we couldn't take with us when we moved.

Happy Belated Blogoversary to Me...

Pathetic. I missed my own blogoversary date. I knew it was sometime in February but didn't know quite when. Well, guess what, it was last Wednesday. Woo hoo.

It about sums up how I'm feeling right now--completely scattered.

At least now I can see that I felt like this last year at this time also--maybe this is why I've latched on to Groundhog Day as a way to make the holiday feeling last. And then, the cliff ends and I've gone over again.

What's this? I didn't even post about Groundhog Day this year. We had a fun party in DB's class on the Friday before the big day. He was sick on Monday the 2nd, so I didn't get to read to more library classes, but that was OK.

And I sold 2 copies of my Groundhog Day party ebook. Despite having my link misspelled in the ad I had in my side column here. (It was right on the 3 other blogs it appeared on, including the one I paid for.)

One to the librarian at DB's school, and one ... drumroll, please ... to someone I don't know! Another mom said she tried to buy it but couldn't -- will have to look into that more with her.

Ok, back to scattered thoughts. (Not that I ever really left them...) I guess that's all of them for now, really. That and I need to reduce my cleaning lady's hours (or let her go) due to our income situation, and I don't have the nerve. But I have another week or 2 before I have to do it. She probably makes more than we do at this point--- definitely! -- yet I am afraid to say anything to her.

*Sigh.*

Am I Having Fun Yet?

I don't usually do this, but I just registered at fuelupthefun.com to see if I win a Toyota Prius. I bought a couple of Freschetta pizzas yesterday at the store, and the box advertises this instant-win game.

So, I took the bait.

And let me tell you, this is the cheesiest site I've ever been to. (Oh, maybe that explains it... pizza, cheesy, I get it...)

Anyone know why so many sites require me to "join" all these sites just to play a flippin' game? I long for the days of a little instant-win card IN the box. I usually opt out at that point of "Register here," but this time I wanted to see it through.

So now I am officially registered, even though after May this password will be entirely useless and just taking up valuable space in my passwords book, AND it makes me enter a security code AND age AND state AND input my UPC code (the entry) before I even know what's going on or how it works.

On the next screen, I have to fill in the rest of my address details AND opt out of being Among The First To Receive Special Offers!! etc. etc. from this company which I am liking less and less by the second.

Then, the box refreshes and informs me I have not won. And I should be sure to come back and play again tomorrow.

Wait! I bought 2 pizzas, I have 2 boxes hogging valuable space next to my computer right now, I want to enter both codes and be done with this nonsense!

Tomorrow my eye. I guess I want that car, because I cut out the UPC code from the other box. Even though I don't really need a UPC code at all, because it's a "No purchase necessary" game which means that anyone who goes to the trouble of registering, they'll give you a code right there online.

None of you better win my car!!

How Sick Is Sick Enough to Stay Home?

I almost never know.

DB is generally pretty healthy and when he does get sick, for one thing he hardly complains and for another thing, he's not usually so sick -- like, throwing up or high fever -- that he HAS to stay home.

Yesterday he had a cough, sneezing and a drippy, runny nose, so I decided for everyone's sake to keep him home.

Now, in the past -- meaning 2 years ago, when he was in preschool -- I leapt at the chance for him to stay home. Sniffles? Oh, stay home. He wasn't getting that much from preschool that he couldn't miss day or so here and there. I doubt it was even once a month, but maybe that, at most.

Today, he woke up and announced he was still sick and needed to stay home again, which he does simply because he'd rather be at home than at school. But he does have a raspy voice and then, a hard, sharp cough -- I'd say hacking but that implies productivity and this is pretty dry.

So I decided not to put him on the bus to give myself more time to decide.

Mind you, I put off a few things yesterday, because he was home, that I wanted to get to today. And I read a job listing that so intrigued me that I laid awake for a while last night thinking about what ideas I could bring to the position. I was psyched to work on my resume today so I could apply.

But after an hour or so, when that loud cough continued, and he'd pretty much stayed on the couch, I decided he could stay home for day 2.

He perked up quite a bit today, and whined a lot more for my attention than he did yesterday.

But just because he got bored, does that mean he shouldn't have stayed home? My husband certainly thinks I made the wrong call.

Is it my fault that sick days are harder when both the adults work from home?

*Sigh.*

When is it MY Day Off?

One of the men I live with says I put the eggs in the refrigerator backwards. And I am in trouble for whatever was dripping in the refrigerator as well, as if I deliberately put something dripping onto the shelf.

The other says I stir his dinner ingredients, which is going to be popovers that are being made to order, with a spoon and in a bowl that hurts his ears. SO don't his feet work, leave the kitchen already until I'm done!

And I was flippin' hungry All.Day.Long. Flippin' Special K... and a pear and a kiwifruit and darn it I've got too much on my mind to be this hungry, some tortilla chips as well that someone left open on the counter.

I saw a job I want to apply for and I was trying to work on my resume and every 5 minutes I was either hungry, had to use the bathroom, or DB and going stir crazy -- home sick for the 2nd day in a row -- was asking me if I was ready to play with him yet.

And the downside to being the co-author of Husband's book on resumes is that MY resume has to fit our mold, which makes sense but means I didn't get it done today. He knows the system better -- I was more of the backend of the book.

I think TOMORROW is my day off. Anyone else think so?

Special K Diet, Start of week 2

Ok, so I started the diet last week Tuesday morning. That means I'm 1 week in out of 2 they say "Drop a jeans size!" in.

As of this morning I weigh exactly the same, maybe a little more, than last Tuesday. Last week I think I had clothes on when I weighed myself, this week I didn't, and I got 150 both times.

Hmph. If this diet weren't so easy I'd give up. But I'll give it the second week. As of last night I felt a little slimmer, even if the scale says the same number.

I'm certainly eating less during the day since the portions are clearly delineated. Yesterday was hard not to snack (and I didn't succeed entirely...) since DB was home sick. Who can resist tomato soup with goldfish crackers??

For the record, I ate exactly 2 boxes of cereal in 1 week. Oh, and I am not doing the diet exactly as prescribed: I am substituting soy milk for the skim.