Really-- Why would I want to live anywhere else?

Especially when I can go sledding in our normally perfectly level side yard on the mountain of snow that has been thrown from the parking area and fallen off the roof. We had 6-8 fresh inches of perfect snowman snow this morning. 3-5 more on the way tomorrow! It will be a happy new year!

Free at last!

After years of hard work (mostly Jeremy's) and diligent penny-pinching and financial wizardry (mostly mine), we are finally debt free! I thought it would be nice to start the new year off right, so I paid off the minivan today.
Now we can start actively pursuing getting into lots and lots of debt by buying a house. That is, provided we can find one that

• wasn't built for midgets.
• doesn't have train tracks in the front or back yard.
• doesn't have an electrical substation in the back yard.
• doesn't have a lumber yard across the street.
• doesn't have a stipulation involving allowing the seller's family member to live in the attached apartment rent-free for a year.
• has actual walls and floors.

Unfortunately, the houses currently on the market in our price range suffer from one or more of the above issues. One day...

RockBand, how I love thee!

Thanks to the coolest mom in town (or just outside of town as the case may be) we got to play RockBand again today. Dustin's mom had us over to blow us away with her amazing guitar skills. A 302 note streak-- are you kidding me?! And she made us cupcakes! Watch out, Dustin! We're going to steal her while you are away... So foolish to leave... Bwah ha ha!
We hope to rock your world over the interweb shortly. Beware!

Lesson for today

Apparently, even after having a chocolate cupcake, a child may still pick up a green bean and eat it.

Or he may chew it up and then spit it back out. But at least he tried, right?

Oh, dear

Sebastian now has decided he needs to make his own Animusic. When I explained to him that we would need to learn some sort of computer code and that people go to college for years to learn how to do computer animation, he was unfazed.
"Well, we've got a good homeschool here. I can get some good work done. Dorian, guess what? We're going to make our own Animusic!"
"Yay!"
The first two songs will be called "Breakfast Birthday" and "Metal Strings." He'll be working on the "exhibits" tomorrow.

What did I get myself into?

From chaos comes a hat

Yes, I know it isn't a very exciting hat, but I didn't have my cable needle with me at KidsPlayce yesterday. So it's just your standard stockinette hat with a little ribbing. It's made from this really plush yarn, though, and is very warm and comfy. I'm trying to decide if it needs a pompom. Any thoughts?
I finished it last night while watching Arrested Development (another wonderful Jeremy gift). I don't think I'll ever get enough of this show. This will be my 3rd trip through the series.
I probably seem like a knitting machine these days, and maybe I am. As soon as I finished the hat, my fingers got itchy again, so I started the next panel in the blanket I'll be working on for the rest of my life. It's black and involves a new technique for me: wrapping the yarn around several stitches to make a cluster. I have a feeling I will not be doing this pattern often, or even again. It's kind of a pain. But I do like the way it looks, and I only have to do it for one skein of yarn, so who cares? At least it isn't a whole sweater.

School

The best thing about school? Most of the rotten children are there most of the time.
The worst thing about school? Christmas vacation

Okay, that's probably not true. It's probably summer vacation. Especially since I don't like to be hot and I certainly don't like to be hot with rotten children around.
We went to KidsPlayce today. And now I'm very tired.
When we got there it was swarming with boys. There were 2 girls, one of whom we already know, and one with whom Sebastian "fell in love". It was complete chaos. The noise died down for approximately 30 minutes before reaching a fever pitch again, this time with all girls and 3 boys. I don't know what was going on. All I know is that I NEVER should have promised the boys we would stay there for 4 hours today. (All this because I felt bad that we arrived on Wednesday to find KidsPlayce closed, resulting in the largest public scene we have created to date.)
At one point I was accosted by another mother who was apparently uncontrollably attracted to everything I had and was doing.
"Oh! What are you knitting?"
"A hat."
"Oh! That's so cool!"
"---"
"Oh! I saw that bag [the undeniably cute owl one Jeremy got me for Xmas] at Boomerang! It's so cute!"
"Thanks. It was a gift."
Several minutes later:
"So, you have little ones?"
Apparently, my rapt attention to mindless stockinette stitch was not enough to dissuade her.
"Yes, they are 2 and 5."
"So, the 5 year old is in school?"
"No."
"Oh! You are homeschooling?"
"Yes."
"But just 'til next year, right?"
Why would she assume that? "I don't know. I really don't want to send him to kindergarten. He can already read on a 5th grade level. I think it will be a little boring for him."
"Oh! He's a brainiac, huh? That's great!"
Where did this woman come from?!
"Yep."
"But his maturity is probably normal."
I finally just had to pack up my knitting, take my cute bag and walk away.
I thought we sent our kids to school to learn, not just to hang out with kids of their "maturity" level. Oh, and I left out the part in the conversation where she told me she had 3 kids and then slapped herself on the forehead while making a loud "cluck!" with her tongue.

Cozy red mittens

Yay! I finished the second pair of mittens this morning!
No more fighting over who gets to wear the first pair!

Best husband ever

So, of course I spent too much time finishing the Xmas ornaments and building the kitchen set to mop the floor on Xmas eve.

I woke up this morning to find that Jeremy did it for me while I was sleeping.

Yeah, I know you're jealous.

Blue Christmas

So, below you'll find the happy-go-lucky version of our Christmas, which was a very nice one. But I'll admit that I am not the happiest camper right now despite the good in our life. All around me, it seems that people's lives are marred by tragedy and misfortune. I'm not going to get into specifics because it wouldn't be fair. However, these friends and family are dealing with a variety of health issues, money problems, family problems and even death, and there isn't much I can do for them. I feel so powerless. I'm thankful that none of these things are affecting us within our immediate family, so I do have the time and energy to help others instead of focussing on my own stresses. But what can I really do to help? In almost all of the cases, practically nothing. I can listen (when I manage to shut my mouth for 10 seconds), but little else. I would happily help carry their burdens, but it seems that I'm not really alleviating anything for anybody and just letting it all crush me, too. Unfortunately, kissing owies doesn't work in the real world. (Shh... don't tell the kids)
If you are one of the people to whom I'm referring, please know that I'm thinking about you.
Maybe too much.

Holiday roundup

Well, overall, we had a wonderful Christmas. I heard the first little stirrings around 6:30, so I went and put the coffee on and turned on the lights for the Christmas tree.
Sebastian came out and said, "Oh no! I think I overslept!" No you didn't, dear.
Commence unwrapping!
The kids got some really great presents. (I won't deny that I'm particularly fond of some of the ones I picked.) The boys are demonstrating some of the fun to be had with the Bilibos they got.
I originally asked my mom to get one for Dorian and then I saw that there were lots of cool things to do with two of them, so I ordered another one for them to share. They spent a long time standing on top and then jumping off. And, as you can see, they are also good for pretending to be a turtle, or for sitting in and rocking and reading.
They also got a plasma car which is powered by turning the wheel back and forth. The grown-ups can even use it since it supports up to 220 lbs. (You know I tested this one out myself.)
My brother sent two games, one of which is Cranium's Hullabaloo. We played for a long time yesterday. Basically, you spread these colored, illustrated shapes out on the floor and follow the directions called out by the electronic doohickey. Sometimes you just have to bounce to a circle. Other times, it gets more complicated and Twister-like. For example, you might have to touch a circle, put your elbow on red and touch your nose to an animal. (Not exactly pleasant, as it seems to be off-gassing.) Eventually, you freeze and whoever is on the lucky shape wins. Then you have to do a funky dance. They were begging for this one as soon as I woke up.
We also got a kitchen set, some pattern blocks, and some fun kits. Enough to keep the kids busy for another day or two, at least.

Jeremy was the proud recipient of a new pair of mittens from me. You don't even want to know what his old ones look like. Knitted probably 10 years ago now, they were green acrylic, loosely knitted, too short in the wrist and starting to unravel. I've learned a thing or two since then. You've got to give the man credit for wearing them faithfully for so long and not losing one or both of them. I love you, Bister.
I got lots of goodies I won't bore you with, but they were all lovely.
Here are some of the more notable ones:
Most practical: the tent, so we can go camping at Acadia Nat'l Park next summer
Most unexpected: a PeeWee Herman knitting stitch marker
Most horrifying: a candy toothbrush (Yes, the "bristles" are made of a lollipop type hard candy, while the handle is filled with candy tooth powder. God bless America. Jack, you win forever--Lifetime Achievement in Terrible Candy Procurement!)
Most inspirational: a tie between Nicky Epstein's Knitting Beyond the Edge and the three pack of exciting grains: amaranth, kamut berries, and flax seed
Cutest: also a tie between the owl bag and the frog flashlight

Thank you everyone for everything!
Hope your holidays were merry!

I'm worse than the kids

I think that the kids probably forget about Christmas for at least part of the day... but I can't! Chances are I'll be lying awake tomorrow waiting for them to wake up and be excited to see all the gifts under the tree. ( I swear I'm more excited to see them open presents than to open my own. Really.) Normally, if stuff comes in the mail, I'll put the wrapped presents under the tree when they arrive and just add ours Xmas eve when they go to bed. But I think a certain young man in this house would have had too much trouble resisting temptation this year, so everything is in the closet until tonight. So it will be a big surprise tomorrow.

We have a couple of things to put together tonight, which really makes me feel like a parent. And I should probably finish the ornaments I started for them. And I should also mop the floor since I said that would be my Xmas present to myself so I could stop retching every time I enter the kitchen.

But who can think about mopping when it's almost Christmas?!

Christmas Eve Eve

What I learned today:

1. Diane is quite capable of hosting a low key Christmas. It was perfect. Thanks again.
2. We received a special box to keep our eggs in while camping so they don't break. The Americans call it an "egg carrier." The Spanish speaking call it a "portahuevo." The French call it a "cassot." Why do the French have a special word just for this?
3. I can eat just one slice of buche de noel and be a much happier person than when I have two.
4. Nothing will EVER make Sebastian happier than when he opened his copy of Animusic 2.
5. Despite not being in the least bit religious, I really love the true Christmas carols best. Rudolph and Frosty are fine, but "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Oh Holy Night" are so stirring. (Maybe I just like songs that start with "O"...) The one secular Xmas song that I find truly touching is John McCutcheon's "Christmas in the Trenches" which sings the story of British and German soldiers celebrating Christmas together during WWI. One more thing to make me misty eyed this season.
   

What I'd like to learn today:
Which three of you "always" re-gift, so I can stop shopping for you, you picky people.

O is now for Okay

I received further clarification from Sebastian last night regarding Daddy's status. As it happens, I have slightly more "life talent" than Jeremy, simply because I am 31 and he is only 30. Which must make Great Grandma extra extra special at 92.

Jeremy's company holiday party was last night, so last weekend I needed to find something to wear so I wouldn't have to wear the same old tired top I wear to everything and wore last year. I had read about Sarah Jessica Parker's (henceforth to be referred to as SJP as I have a tendency to turn her first name into Sarica if I'm not careful) clothing line in a magazine and was surprised by how simultaneously tasteful and affordable it was. Now, I do not personally hold SJP up as the fashion icon that some do, but I was willing to give her stuff a shot considering I have not successfully purchased any dressy clothes in a very long time. I looked her horribly named line, Bitten, up online and discovered it is only available at the equally horribly named store Steve & Barry's. S&B is only located at the Hadley Mall, the strangest mall I've ever been to. The Hadley Mall is also the site of the nearest Trader Joe's, so we packed up the kids and off we went.
Steve & Barry's is horrifying. The men's side looks like a fraternity's closets threw up and the women's side features lines by the dubiously qualified SJP, Amanda Bynes and Venus Williams. They do not sell anything that costs more than $19.98. There were down coats available for $9.98. On sale from $14.98. The dressing rooms were littered with bits of tags and dust bunnies (or as the British call it, slut's wool, a much more evocative name).
So, the SJP dress fit and was flattering, was fully lined, and even had little thingees to hold my bra straps up, all for only $19.98. And the $14.98 glitter shoes came from Amanda Bynes' teeny-bopper line. So for $35, I was ready to go. But I definitely felt like I needed a shower afterwards to wash off the blood of little Chinese children.
When I came out of the dressing room to model the outfit for Jeremy, Sebastian was immediately outraged. "You can't wear that dress! It doesn't have sleeves! It's winter! And I want one!"

O is for Oedipus

Yesterday, after being pelted with beans from the Don't Spill the Beans game, I felt like I'd had enough. So I told Sebastian and Dorian that when Daddy came home, I would probably need to go out for a little while. Sebastian immediately started protesting, as usual, that I couldn't go anywhere without them, he would be lost without me, etc. I said something about how nobody yells this stuff at Daddy. To which Sebastian replied that Daddy is not as special to them as I am. I asked how that could be and he said Daddy was "a notch below" in terms of being special.

Poor Daddy.

Pass the tissues, please... sniffle

Maybe I'm just exhausted from the cold and congestion I've been fighting off for the last week. Or from trying in vain to wrestle some peace and quiet from my days sans nap time.
So, I broke down and let the kids watch Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas. And then I broke down and cried.
How could you not with lines like, "Oh, Emmet, stop talking about Christmas. You know we don't have enough for regular days."
It certainly makes me appreciate what we have. And it makes me sad that others are not so lucky. I don't have to knit socks to get pumpkins to bake pies to sell to buy more wool to knit more socks... I can just knit the socks. And for that I'm grateful.

The napless wonder strikes again

Today, darling Dorian looked exhausted, and having finished his lunch, was ushered off for the nap time routine. Approximately 3 minutes later, the doorknob starts rattling accompanied by the announcement, "I'm done!" He is maybe, but I'm not. Sebastian, king of the lunch hour, is still eating, and Dorian goes out to investigate. "Oh, Bastian... you having apple? I have a bite?" Then, he wanders out to the living room, stuffing Sebastian's crackers in his mouth. Seeing what I was doing was too boring, he heads back to the kitchen. Two minutes go by. Clink! "Who's in the cookie jar?" I call, rushing to block, and tackle if necessary.
Cut to Dorian, cookie jar lid in hand, cookie crumbs all around his grinning, little mouth.

Damn him for being so damned cute that I couldn't help but laugh! This child is a menace. A charming, lovable menace.

A question

If you were a music teacher, and you decided to host a holiday sing-along, would you learn the words to the songs you were planning to play? Or would you insert the word "something" wherever necessary, a la "Frosty the snowman was a something something soul"?

The only thing that sort of made up for it was the coffee and munchkins provided afterward.

Are you havin' a laugh? Is she havin' a laugh?

I can't help it-- I thought this was hilarious. Hope you do, too.

Sweetie DeeDee

This adorable child has somehow suckered me into a ridiculous bedtime routine. Everyday, twice a day we go through this:

Me: Okay, DeeDee, lie down. Put your legs down.
D: Dark blanket. Giraffe blanket. Kitty blanket. Mama blanket. Mimi blanket. Boat blanket. Star blanket.
Me: (sigh) Okay. Goodnight.
D: Kiss. Nose kiss. Hug.
Me: I love you.
D: I love you. See you in a little bit.

If it's naptime, you can bet it will be a littler bit than I really want. He has now skipped his nap 3 days in a row.
I know what you are thinking and, yes, he really does require 7 blankets. Even if the blankets are already in the correct order, I must demonstrate their existence by laying them out one by one at his request. Occasionally, the order changes, always without any warning, and apparently requiring much screaming to get the point across. And god forbid the hug is not to his exacting standards, or the whole process must start again.
I love him. But how two can you get?!

Winter in VT, part 2

We have had a lot of snow.
A lot of snow.
As you may recall, I needed to have my windshield replaced, and the appointment was scheduled for Thursday at noon. Around 11:30, it started snowing, postponing my appointment to Friday and spoiling our plans for a last group dinner with Dustin and Cortney and Rob and Quinn. Boo to that. I look out the window Friday shortly before my windshield was supposed to be replaced to see... what else?... more flurries. Luckily, it was not enough to stop the repairman. New windshield! He even managed to preserve my inspection sticker. The only catch was that one window had to be cracked for 24 hours so that when the door closed the pressure wouldn't break the windshield again. So, I opened one of the rear vent windows and vowed to close it Saturday afternoon after picking up the Xmas tree. Did I remember? Of course not. So, the Sunday snowstorm rolls through, and I go out in the morning to do the first round of shoveling. There is now a snowdrift in the backseat of the minivan. As I am trying to brush the snow out, more is blowing in. I'm so clever.
I'm not really sure what the official totals for the area are, but yesterday we probably got somewhere in the neighborhood of a foot of snow. That is my 43" tall son with snow literally up to his neck. And that hole is not dug out all the way to the grass.
And winter doesn't officially start until the end of the week.

Goodbye, top tier!

Sadly, tomorrow, Dustin and Cortney will be taking their kitties and hitting the road for 5 months. Five months without them is going to be very depressing. When Sebastian says "Papa J", who will "Woo!" back? Who will teach Dorian wonderful phrases like, "We got money!"? Who will encourage me to try on baby phat denim mini dresses and almost convince me to buy them? Who will stare expectantly at me for my reaction to some silly movie as I fall asleep on the couch? Who will indulge "the sickness"? Who will have a cheese party on the hottest day of the year (other than Rob and Quinn)? No one, that's who. At least until we find a suitable replacement. As if that would be possible.

I'll miss you guys.

Little pitchers

I'm in a little smidgen of trouble now, due to a certain nosy, 5 year old eavesdropper living in my house. (Not that I was ever one of those, mind you.) I was speaking in a hushed voice, in another room, while the little darling was engrossed in something, but apparently that is not enough. So, he heard me talking to a friend about how the woman who runs the playgroup we go to is terribly passive-aggressive. Almost every time we go, she says to Dorian things like, "Did Mommy forget your hat?" (No, it's 65 degrees and sunny outside.) or "Didn't Mommy bring the stroller inside to warm up so your bottom wouldn't get cold?" (It's a huge jog stroller, so, NO.) She is saying this to a 2 year old, but obviously directed at me. I am secure in my ability to parent. In my humble opinion, I have two happy, healthy, well-adjusted little monkeys who are doing just fine, thank you very much. What I don't appreciate is that she never says these things to me directly and I don't like that she is using a small child to get her misguided point across.
Anyway, Sebastian overheard this discussion. I was trying to figure out, this morning, when I would be able to bring the kids in to Daddy's work to visit the co-workers and make our family's donation to the food drive there. So, I asked Sebastian whether he wanted to go to playgroup on Tuesday, as that seemed like the best thing to skip of the activities we had planned. He said he didn't want to go there anymore because of this woman. But really it's about what he overheard me say about her behavior, because she is nothing but nice to them as children.
So, I guess I'm going to have to be even more careful about what I say within a 5 mile radius of him. I'd use pig Latin, but the boy's too quick. Amanda, we need a secret code!

Signs, signs, everywhere signs

Occasionally, Sebastian goes through periods of compulsive writing. This time, it comes in the form of notes from his alter egos to ours, and signs. The signs are all quite welcoming, mostly featuring the phrases "Hello!" and "Come in!" and "Join the fun." This is all very sweet and lovely...
...But my house is becoming plastered in signs. Note the 4 on the door, 3 on the walls and even one on the floor-- and that's just one corner! Far be it from me to stifle the boy's creativity, but I'm drowning in his handiwork.


The signmaker on the job:














Now, it has extended to labelling every instrument in the "drum machine." Where will it end?

In the works

Here is my current project, which will probably remain my current project for the next year. Or so. One day, this will be a queen-sized, warm and toasty, 100% wool blanket for my bed. (Jeremy's too, but who's counting?) At left is the first rectangle, which was completed relatively quickly. It looks sloppier than it really is. I probably should have laid it out better before photographing it, but I didn't. I am the sloppy one.
I will need 4 of these rectangles plus a border to achieve the size I want. Each color/rectangle/patch, call it what you want, is a different pattern. I'm finding
that cables and ribs are the best as they hold their shape better. Some of the patterns are my own-- in fact, all but 3 of the first block are-- but I'm running out of inspiration, which forced me to buy my new favorite book 220 Aran Stitches and Patterns, volume 5 in the Harmony Guide series. When I say "was forced", I really mean "had an excuse to finally buy what I was coveting." So, now, in the second block, only the section in progress is of my own design, and only because I managed to totally bungle my math and had to rip half of it out and start again. So, thanks goes again to Katrina for the gift of some of the yarn for this little endeavour. (Too many British mysteries... can't spell endeavour with no "u"...)
And, for something totally different... mittens! Sebastian wanted red mittens, and what Sebastian wants, Sebastian gets-- IF I feel like making it for him. And this time I do. Unfortunately, this one is a little on the small side for him, so I'll finish the pair, but I will make a slightly larger pair, too. Dorian can always wear these. This one mitten took approximately 1 hour including finishing with the kitchener stitch and sewing in the ends. My new love the kitchener stitch! It's a hassle to do, but it gives the illusion of there being no seam, thereby making me look like a miracle worker. In 3 hours, I could be finished. Or I could be asleep. Guess which one I'll choose.
So, if you've been wondering how I fill all the time I'm ignoring the children, there you have it.

Ahhh... Winter in Vermont

Here I was, thinking everything was going pretty well for us these days. We're healthy, both physically and fiscally.

Then this morning, I struggle through getting the kids geared up so we could go to KidsPlayce, load them in the car, turn it on, look up... Smashed windshield. (Click on the picture for a better view.) Sometime between yesterday afternoon and 10 o'clock this morning, the snow fell off the roof and shattered the glass. So, I had to get the kids back out of the car, go inside and call the windshield repair place. Back out to the car for the drive downtown with a fractured, sparkly view. Luckily, the deductible is only $50, and they will come to the house to fix it tomorrow. Exactly what we needed right before Christmas, the spendiest time of year. And exactly what we needed to knock me down a peg or two. No more feeling guilty for not being stressed out enough.