Xmas gift #2

I just cast on for the second Xmas project, and it is way different from the way I usually do things. It is a scarf. (This isn't really a spoiler, as it was a request. But there will be no pictures until after it is received.)

Normally when I knit a scarf, I cast on the width (+/- 20 stitches) and just keep plugging away until it is long enough. Well, the design I chose (and was ratified by 2 other members of the household) needs to be knit the other way: lengthwise. Which means that I cast on 305 stitches. Lordy, lordy.

I keep trying to remind myself that this means I only need to knit 19 rows and it will be done. But it is too easy to do the math and see that I will be knitting 5,795 stitches overall, not including the 305 cast on and the 305 to bind off. I don't usually know that sort of information, so I can just be blissful in my ignorance. No such luck this time.

Only 18 rows to go...

I guess that's why they call them "Doorbuster" sales

How crazy is this story about the guy being trampled to death in a Wal-Mart? Do you really need their poorly manufactured goods so badly that you actually need to kill someone to get to them? The worst part of the whole tragic tale is that shoppers were refusing to leave even though someone was dead and there was an investigation going on. Good gravy!

I haven't been to a party like that in a looong time

Last night, I went to a friend's birthday party and felt like I had been transported back about 10 years. Now, granted, I haven't been to many parties in the last 10 years, what with being wildly unpopular and all. Somehow, Jeremy's work parties aren't usually this exciting. Damn bosses!

At the party, I was witness to the following things:

• A moody, skinny girl moping about her impending 26th birthday. (Baby!)
• A doofus who left sort of early, saying, "Happy birthday, but I need to go make my music."
• Many, many people who I'd never seen before or had seen before but never met.
• The birthday girl gushing about the babies her guppy had the night before. (They were pretty cute.)
• The landlord bringing some weed. (I kid you not.)
• The unveiling of a new, slightly infected tattoo, applied by the owner of the leg it was on with a tattoo needle gun built by this other creepy dude at the party.

It was reminiscent of the time we went to a party at our friend Dylan's and I got to see a penis piercing that had been performed earlier that day. (Seriously, do not click on that if you are at all squeamish or easily offended. Don't say you weren't warned. And the one I saw was all sad and swaddled in gauze.)

They need they cornflakes

One of the things I'm thankful for this year is WIC. It has always been pretty awesome getting 4 pounds of Cabot cheese for free every month, but with grocery prices being what they are, I'm more appreciative than ever.

So, here's to you, guv'ment cheese!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Why is it?

Why is it that:

• my son's class supposedly doesn't have time for the nature program run by volunteers, but does have time to watch the movie Prancer? (First of all, what?! And second of all, Xmas movies before Thanksgiving?!)
• I still don't know exactly how many people I am feeding this holiday?
• the kid in class that Sebastian worships is the one who has: made false calls to 911, climbed onto the roof of his house, allegedly spray-painted on his neighbors' house, and cut school, prompting a search by the state police? (He's a second grader!!!)
• I decided it would be a good idea to let the kids stay up until 9pm watching commercial television tonight (Charlie Brown Thanksgiving), cutting into my valuable me time?

So I wasn't entirely truthful...

You know how just 2 or 3 short days ago I showed you all a little tease of someone's Xmas present and said something about how there would be no more personal projects for a little while? Well, that was sort of a lie. Okay, it was a lie. Sue me.

I had already started this project a few days ago with the yarn left over from the hat, scarf and wrist warmer set that I made and didn't show you. So it isn't like I started a whole new personal project or anything. Here are the new winter woollies:

Anyway, I love that scarf. I pretty much wear it all the time. Especially because I'm afraid to spend too much on oil this winter so it's always freezing in our house. (Unless someone is coming over. Don't worry, I mostly only torture myself.) I love the yarn from the scarf and I had 4 skeins left, so I decided to make a little short sleeved sweater with it. Well, this is what I came up with:

Perhaps if I would bother to use a pattern, I might make something slightly more flattering for myself. I also did not really have enough to make the sweater as long as it should be for me. Oh, well. It's a 2x2 rib to the breast, then stockinette for the top.

Then I used my paltry crochet skills to make a ruffly collar and "sleeves". Once again, not quite enough yarn for what I had in mind.

Here it is on me:

I'm sucking in the gut in case you can't tell. If I don't, the effect is far less pleasant, and it's silly enough right there. So what do I do with this thing? Keep it? Or try to sell it to someone with a smaller frame?

2 movies in 2 days

Both of the movies we watched this weekend featured the "filming within a film" conceit. One was far more enjoyable than the other.

Last night, we watched Tropic Thunder. I was less than impressed. (Keep it to yourself, Dustin.) I had read such great things, but not so great that I felt like it would be impossible to live up to what the reviewers were saying. Frankly, I was bored. The fake previews were funny, and I liked Robert Downey, Jr. That's about it. Ben Stiller is like SNL. They both need to learn that just because something is funny for 5 seconds does not mean it will be funny for 5 minutes. I'd give it a 6.5 out of 10.

Today, we took the kids to see Bolt (aka The Truman Show with a dog). I liked it. The action sequences were crisp and fresh. The story line was a little predictable, but it is a kid movie. Unlike Ben Stiller, somebody knew just when to pull the plug on the silly supporting characters, like the pigeons and the hamster. They came in small, enjoyable doses. Some of the animation was a little awkward-- the humans often looked mechanical when walking and one looked exactly like the Barbie in Toy Story 2-- but for the most part it was well done. The boys and their friend Lydia loved it. This one gets an 8.

My hands are not so idle

May I introduce Miss Kiki? You may have seen her already over on the boys' blog where she made several appearances in the birthday post. Somehow I never got around to photographing her until now. So here she is! Sebastian specifically asked for a pink kitty with yellow spots and purple eyes. I contributed the striped tail idea, as well as the other yellow detailing. This was supposed to be a Christmas gift, but a rainy birthday afternoon was all it took to whip her up, so she became a birthday present fresh off the needles. Sebastian picked this acrylic/wool blend whose only redeeming feature (in my eyes) was the $1 per skein price tag. I think the color and yarn make her look a little Grannycraftfair, but that does not make her any less loved. It was a real tragedy when I asked to borrow her for an hour and a half to take to knitting group. Rest assured, she came home safe and sound.

The other thing that came home with me was this:



Oh...Malabrigo! I have often lusted after this yarn. It is so plushy and soft! When I finally settle on a pattern, I will be making my next sweater for me with this yarn. Not this color, though. Alas, now is not the time for personal projects, as Christmas is fast approaching. So you may be getting the occasional tease such as this, but I don't want to spoil any present surprises for anyone.

Boo to that

So, no RockBand last night after all. But it was probably for the best since I didn't escape PTA until 8:45pm anyway.

You know how they say you can't fight city hall? I think you might not be able to fight the powers in the PTA either. Especially when one of them will be there for at least the next 12 years because of all her children, the youngest of whom is 1.

I'm pretty tenacious, though, so they haven't shaken me off yet. And I've still got plenty of shaking up to do.

When it's the dead of winter, I'll wish for this much activity...

Just a little taste of today:

8am-9am: Make healthy snack at school. Requires cutting the largest carrots I've ever seen into about 3lbs of carrot sticks and cutting apples in half.

9-11:30: Playdate for Dorian/awesome gossip session for me. I must remind myself that having a friend who is a cop's wife is a very good thing. I'm sure Martha Stewart would agree.

11:30-3:30: Come home to make lunch and share aforementioned gossip with my two best gossip recipients. Catch up on email, blog, get some little things done.

3:30-4: Stand on street corner freezing butt off waiting for school bus.

4-4:30: Feed school child copious amounts of snacks before...

4:40: Dropping him off at appointment and returning home to...

4:50-5:30: Make healthy dinner instead of the junk food I seem to be constantly craving these days.

5:35-6:45: Eat dinner, help with homework, etc.

6:45-8: Go to PTA meeting

8pm-?: Escape PTA after-chat to rush over to good old Walker Farm for some RockBand 2.

And you ask yourself why I'm the Hott Mama...

Big Day!

Today is an exciting day! After we go to All School Sing, Dorian will be attending Little Peoples [sic] camp for one hour and fifteen minutes. This will be his first time going anywhere other than a friend's house without me.

And this will be my first time having an entire hour to myself on a weekday that doesn't involve my going to the gynecologist, dentist, therapist, etc. Woo-hooo!

Maybe it wasn't the nicest thing to do...

But I don't think you can blame me much. See, earlier in the week, mother of the Children Across the Street (who are similar to the Children of the Corn) tells me that she forgot to drop off an invitation to the youngest's birthday party which was happening today. I noncommittally told her I wasn't sure what we were doing but I'd let her know. (Read: not going. Nuh-uh. No way in hell.) I hoped that was the end of it.

I had no real intention of going. Those kids make me feel "ooky" as my grandmother would say. The youngest came over to play again Thursday (because I can't possibly take Dorian out to play without someone showing up). This time she wore no shoes or a coat again but at least it was 45 degrees. Her face is covered in crust and her lips are chapped from smearing her runny nose with her shirt since Jews don't believe in tissues. I suspect they also don't believe in laundry detergent, but I have no proof of that.* So she starts asking why Sebastian won't come out to play. I told her he was at school. "Why?" she asks, "It's boring." I said, "Have you ever been to school?" "No. I'm home schooled. That's because we're Jewish. I'm a Jew. But I'm not sure if you are."** Now, either her parents are filling her head with lies or she thinks everything she does has to do with her religion. Either way, I'm getting tired of it.

The last thing I wanted to do was have my family involved with a 3 hour party to which only one other child was being invited. I certainly didn't want to be in a house where there may not be toilet paper, nor did I want to send my children alone into that lion's den, so I decided to play the avoidance game. "I'll just pretend I forgot" was the preferred strategy. No such luck.

As I'm plating dinner last night, she comes knocking asking whether we'd be coming. Jeremy mumbles something while Sebastian announces he's "organically grown-- straight from the banana patch." I steadfastly continue to prepare the meal, trying to pretend she isn't 10 feet away from me outside my kitchen door. Finally, Jeremy says, "You don't really need to know right now, do you?" and she left.

So despite the fact that I just wanted a lazy weekend at home, we had to come up with somewhere to be for the whole afternoon. I didn't want to be a complete asshole, so I went over to let them know we wouldn't be coming before we headed to another state. Lucky for me, the speech-impaired boy came out just as I stepped in their yard so I gave the message to him. Whether his mother could understand it or not is none of my concern.

*This particular family, not Jews in general.
**I'm not, but my husband Jewremy might be.

46 hours, 34 minutes later...

I finally beat The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess last night! Thank goodness that's done!

I have to say this one is only slightly higher than the second Zelda game in my ranking. If you ever played The Adventures of Link you know how bad that game was. I beat the first Zelda probably 6 or 7 times, I loved it so much. The second was a stinker. Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask were great and I spent years anticipating this most recent installment. It tore me up inside that we couldn't get a Wii sooner so I could play this game.

I guess it was a case of "Be careful what you wish for" because I hated Twilight Princess with a passion for the entire first half. Jeremy continually admonished me to just stop playing. "Why are you doing this to yourself?" he would ask. Why? Why?! Because I waited so long for this game, that's why. And I wanted it to be so much better than it was.

The entire first half was just fighting. That is not what I buy Zelda games for. I buy them for the awesome logic puzzle aspect. In Princess, you are not allowed to wander around, there are no little tasks to achieve, you just fight, fight, fight for about 16 hours. That is too long.

Once that horrible beginning is completed, the game returns to the traditional Zelda model, but by then I was too mad to appreciate much. There were some challenging new puzzles and some cool new gadgets, like the spinner and the double grappling hooks, but overall I was underwhelmed.

The controls were unwieldy. For example, 90% of the time, if you wanted to back out of a screen, you would push B. However, the other 10% of the time, if you pushed B you would end up equipping or using a piece of equipment you didn't intend to use. There was a lot of that kind of irritation. And this is kind of a general Wii complaint that applies to this game: there is not enough enjoyable use of the motion technology the Wii could deliver.

The graphics were okay, but much better for the evil characters than the good ones. That Link looked like an empty-headed dope. And his girlfriend was worse. I was not a fan of the plastic hair look.

I'm not sorry I played it, but boy am I glad it's over! At least it didn't take me the extra 8 hours Jeremy spent on it. On to Super Paper Mario!

I ain't no helicopter parent!

Last night, I went to the parent education event at Sebastian's school hosted by "Dr. Rob" (who is not Quinn's fiance, no matter what he says). The topic was "Raising Authentically Happy and Resilient Children" and it couldn't have come at a more opportune time for me.


Sebastian has struggled with some bullying issues at school. And then at our conference on Monday, his teacher said he was socially immature even for his age. While I was trying to process that information, he comes home Tuesday from school saying things that only the saddest people say. I was devastated and felt enormous guilt.

Should I not have sent him to school even though he wanted to go? Did I fail him in some way in my parenting? Should I never have had children at all, knowing what I know about my own mental health and heredity?

What the talk helped me see was that Sebastian is having a hard time, but he is already a very resilient child. He has never once said that he wanted to stay home. Instead he says things like, "I know I have some little problems on the bus, but I really love to ride with my friends." That's a tough little cookie.

I also felt encouraged to continue doing the things I have always felt were important: giving the kids responsibility and chores from an early age to make them important members of our household, and trying to praise the things they do well to create real self-esteem.

It has been a real wake up call for Sebastian being at school and not hearing a lot of empty praise. I know that people mean well when they tell him he's "perfect" or a "genius". But no one is perfect and that is a lot of pressure for a little boy. He's beating himself up for every little mistake. That's no way to live. I know.

So I have some work ahead of me. But I knew that already.

"Little" Mr. Dorian

Oh, Dorian, my little chunk-a-lunk. Three years ago, your gigantic 9 lb 4oz self emerged and you are still larger than life. A big personality with an even bigger head, you somehow weigh more than your brother did at 4 and a half.

Those chubby cheeks so sweet to kiss, those pudgy hands so soft to hold, those big blue eyes that melt my heart-- as crazy as you are, I can't imagine our family without you.

Another rest-free weekend

This weekend fell smack in the middle of the boys' two birthdays, hence there has been a lot of excitement around here. Yesterday was their birthday party which went very well, despite my feeling less organized than I should have been. Yesterday was also Rob's birthday, so Mimi babysat so we could go to his chili hoedown. Less than 6 hours of sleep later, it was time to get up again so the kids could have their surprise from Mimi, a trip to the NH version of Chuck E Cheese. That went well also, and after an expensive shopping trip, we stopped by Stonewall Farm where I saw this:

A little hard to read if you don't click on the pictures, but the top cow is named Allison, while the bottom picture features Quinn and Amanda side by side. Coincidence? I hope so.

Then Sebastian fell in the brook in his brand new shoes and it was time to come home.

Please let me have an uneventful evening...

Little Mr. Sebastian

It hardly seems possible, but 6 years ago today at 4:15pm, I pushed out the entirely unique little boy we named Sebastian.


He's a dreamer, he's an artist, he's a musician, he's a troublemaker, he's a lover, he's a reader. But most of all, he's enthusiastic. He throws himself wholeheartedly into every endeavor. (Unless it's something I asked him to do, but that's neither here nor there.) If he can keep that level of energy and interest, he will surely be able to do anything.

I'm glad he's my kid.

Best Day

This is the first time that I am not disappointed in the results of a national election I participated in. (And for the record, I have voted in every election available to me.)

I never thought I would see the day that we would have an African American President. When I think of what this must mean to all the black kids I grew up with, and what this means for my own children, I get all choked up.

I may even start saying the pledge again...

A scene from Election Day All School Sing

Three teachers run out wearing "voting booths" over their heads and turn in their "ballots" to the music teacher. He starts to read them...

Music teacher: (pulls out first ballot) McCain...

5th grade girl: (audible gasp)

Music teacher: (pulls out second) McCain...

(Silence)

Music teacher: (pulls out third) Obama...

The whole room erupts into applause and hoots. One girl boos with a double thumbs down.

The final tally of the 3rd through 6th graders at Sebastian's school was 165 Obama-37 McCain. If only that were indicative of tonight's results...

The honeycomb hat

I had this idea for a honeycomb hat after doing a section in that stitch for my blanket. I decided it would make a nice birthday present for Dorian and found some bee buttons. Then we went to the yarn store yesterday, and when we got home I just couldn't stop until it was done. It was a design I just had to get out of my system. It was kind of a pain in the butt because the alpaca yarn I was using was so soft the stitches kept slipping off the double-pointed needles. But it turned out the way I had envisioned in my fevered mind, so it was worth it.

And, of course, I was too impatient to save it for 9 days, so I gave it to him this morning.

There are consistent honeycombs around the bottom that fade irregularly to the crown, and two little bees bring pollen back to the hive.

And this morning, I started on Sebastian's present, the pink kitty named Kiki. He picked out the yarn himself. It is mostly acrylic and extremely pink and nothing I would have chosen. But it is his kitty. At least I have design control otherwise...

My Halloween

I managed to get a few things done between fantasies of the candy the boys would be bringing home to me later in the evening. The first was getting Jeremy ready for work. (He still needs help dressing himself on occasion.) Not too far from what he usually wears:
But, look!

Half Casual Jeremy, half The-Board-Is-Coming Jeremy. He actually sewed the shirts together himself with my sewing machine. I really need to cut the rest of his hair today because I cannot look at that monstrosity anymore.

I also laid out all the pieces of the blanket and sewed them together!

I still need to sew in all the loose ends and knit and attach the border. But that didn't stop me from sleeping under it last night. It was just as cozy as I'd hoped.

Now, I need yarn for the next 2 projects: a honeycomb hat for Dorian and a pink kitty named "Kiki" for Sebastian. And I'm still a little in denial about Christmas coming and the several babies friends have on the way...