Building

It has been building, rising, creeping and now boiling over.

In their defense, we've had a hectic fortnight of holiday, trip to Myrtle Beach (five and a half hours in the car each way), rehearsals, recitals, practices, homework, testing, etc.

But today, they were cranky and defiant to the point that it resulted in a one week ban of use by either child of anything that requires electricity in any form. Be it outlet or battery, computer, DVD, television, video game, etc.

I think they'll be the better for it. We have let technology overtake us little by little and have discovered that we need to launch a counter-offensive. We are instituting a sharing policy of electronics with time limits strictly enforced.

So far we have played monopoly, visited the Wildlife Center at Georgia Southern, played outside far longer than usual, despite cool temperatures, and done some toy sorting in anticipation of Christmas.

More deep thoughts on this later. For now I am emotionally drained. It is very, very important to me for my children to appreciate that they are very lucky and to treat people with respect. Our meltdown (which involved both children AND parents) was a huge revelation to me that we have some work to do on that front. I don't mean to say that I want them to be pious and meek and let themselves get walked on or to crush their spirits under the weight of rules and regulations, but that we have to achieve a balance between good self-esteem and compassion and respect.

Full

My heart.
My belly!
My home.
My life.

Today is Thanksgiving. A day full of family, love, food made with love, lots of laughter and gentle reminders all around how very lucky we are to have things, life, but most of all people we love who love us back.

It might be the only day of the year I gladly woke up at 5:30 a.m. It is my first year being responsible for the star of the feast.... the turkey. He was placed in the refrigerator to thaw on MONDAY. This morning he was still in the frozen tundra state. A quick google later and he was immersed in cold water and warmed up to ready to bake temperature quite nicely.

There was turkey, chicken, cornbread dressing, sweet potato souffle, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, green beans, mustard greens, butter beans, dumplings, broccoli salad, cucumber/tomato salad, pear salad, rolls, yeast rolls, cornbread, pecan pie, chocolate delight, rum cake (mmmm!), strawberry cake, apple slices, strawberries and donuts. We're full... all seventeen of us... and sleepy.

Tomorrow is Black Friday and stores will open for Christmas sales at 4 a.m. Guess who WON'T be there. If I get up at 4 a.m. it will be because Hugh Jackman and Nathan Fillion are on my doorstep. Since shopping isn't in my top five list of things I enjoy doing, I have to say that the prospect of battling hordes of savings crazy maniacs in the aisles of Walmart or the mall stores is my idea of hell.

Photo Diary

Fair Week Parade

Tacky Day

Halloween Costumes

The Fair

November? Really??

Oy vey. We've been busy.

Parades, The Kiwanis Fair, Tacky Day, guitar recital, dance lessons, school, homework, family portrait session... and we're only halfway through November! 36 days until Santa!! 101 things to get done, places to be, gifts to wrap..... oh my. Taking a deep breath now.

I have photos to share of what we've been up to.... but blogger is not cooperating and won't let me load photos much less video.

But I'm still here! Still breathing (despite the strep near death experience) and thinking of fascinating blog posts to write that stay stuck in my head and get nowhere close to cyberspace.

Status Update

Did you know that having streptococcus invade your throat is a really, really painful experience? That it could take an adult female out of commission for THREE DAYS? That swallowing could threaten to bring you to your knees and dry mouth make you consume your body weight in water in 48 hours... while your mouth remained dry? Did you know that you would be in such agony that someone would have to drive you to the doctor, help you in and out of the car and that you wouldn't care that you had no makeup on and hadn't combed your hair? Did you know that you would beg your beloved to amputate your throat?

Now you know.

I had planned to blog about J.T.'s Halloween concert and Abby's newly learned skill of crying on demand. But I felt it most important to get this important health bulletin out. Wash your hands... stay far away from your germy children, disinfect everything. You do NOT want to get this.

Lines

This song is on high rotation around here since our friends Chris and Ashlee turned me onto it.

I look at the little creases around my eyes and wonder at how many hours of laughing it took to etch them there. The wrinkles that crowd my forehead when I squint or frown will become more prominent in time...testament to those days that end in frustration and moments I wish had never happened. But I'm glad that there are fewer of them than the laugh crinkles around my eyes and the little crescents on the edges of my mouth that are reminders of grins gone by. All of these lines upon my face, tell you the story of who I am.

It's Official

I'm an old person. What follows is a rant about "today's fashions". Much like my father, who complained about paying good money for jeans that looked like they were ready to be thrown out, I find some of the offerings on the store racks to be less than appealing. This is completely hypocritical of me, whose historical closet included stonewashed jeans, hightop reeboks, and jelly shoes, but remember, I'm OLD now and I get to complain about the younger generation and their nutty fashion choices.

The jegging, for example, is sure to be to 2010 what legwarmers were to 1985. Jeans, yes. Leggings, okay. Combining them? No.

The romper suit for grownups makes me think of dress up in reverse. Abby has a romper and looks quite adorable in it. On a twenty-something it looks weird. Particularly when it is a short romper.

The Beiber haircut. Barbershops/Hair salons the world over should be barred from allowing anyone old enough to shave to inflict this hairstyle on the rest of the world population. Perfect for the thirteen and under crowd. But goofy looking on say, Tom Brady (and there was a collective: "Who the heck is Tom Brady?".... he's the guy married to Gisele Bundchen).

The herd pocketbook. An animal print shoulderbag that is now yesterday's must-have. Lovely visual commentary on following the crowd there. Have a matching bag and you can hang out with my herd, ahem, group.

The rain boot. It hasn't rained here in weeks, yet rainboots are everywhere! Why would you wear them when it's not raining!! It dements me, as Mary would say. Not a puddle to be found and people strolling around in rubber boots. I keep staring at their feet thinking, your poor feet must be sooooooo hot!

I wonder if it has spawned an epidemic of athlete's foot?