Halloween Pre Game

Oooh I just love Halloween. And seeing as today was the first day in a week where I felt better when I woke up than I had the night before, I knew it was going to be a good day. They were sanding and staining our floors so I was more than happy to escape to the kids' Halloween parties.

Naturally, Eion was difficult during his, cementing my decision not to go on any field trips with him. He just can't keep it together when I am there. He took his craft, a bat puppet, and rather than cutting it out, he cut it in half and said, "I will never have a bat puppet." Thanks bud. Glad I took the time to come.

Maggie's class was better if for no other reason than I wasn't in charge. Clearly, many other Moms shopped at Target too:

Eion was better behaved during Maggie's party than his own though I think it was directly proportional to the number of M&Ms he ate during the course of the party. It was so bad that the teacher intervened.

So later it was off to the Club for the annual Halloween party. I felt more than a little bit melancholy knowing that we were coming to the end of our years at this particular soiree. Morrigan was on the older side and I feel certain will tell me in a year or two that this party is for babies.

In the meantime, they had a blast this year. We took John Paul with us and after a brief session at the buffet, scarcely saw the lot of them.

Well, except for E. We all saw allot of him. He didn't care for his droid costume, save that it gave him something in common with friend Sam, and wanted to change.

I sent him to the bathroom with his clothes and told him to go ahead and change. Which naturally meant that he returned, through the dining room, clad only in his underwear, carrying both his costume and clothes. Based on the comments I heard throughout the evening, nary a single attendee missed this display. Again, thanks E.

But largely, the party was a success. And I was in no way planning to interfere with my children's consumption of sweets. It is Halloween after all. John Paul in particular appreciated my relaxed attitude in relation to dessert. On the way there, he asked if he could have whatever he wanted. When told he could, I just heard a murmured, "Whoh."

And as a lovely postscript to the evening, when we got home and started putting the kids to bed, Morrigan asked how her bed got so bloody. Which, really, is a rather alarming question when you have been out for the afternoon. Indeed, her comforter was splattered with blood as was my freshly painted wall. Despite a rather exhaustive search, I could find no rodent carcass but I can only assume that some slaughter occurred in our absence at the paws (and jaws) of Midnight. Thanks kitty, but I prefer my blood at Halloween to be fake.

Better, Better, Better

We will call today an improvement over yesterday. I am STILL sick which is more than highly inconvenient especially seeing that Melanie had her baby almost two freaking weeks ago and I still haven't seen her since I am unwilling to risk being patient one in a family outbreak over there. But as Mel says, they are planning to keep her so I will have many years to visit.

The house is a mess. I really admire people who are involved in large home improvement projects and survive intact. We are only getting new floors in a few rooms and it is darn near unbearable. But I think that is mostly due to the girls being stationed in my room for a full week (in their own beds, mercifully.) It has made me think that the "family bed" types are complete wackos. I can't even bear the family room. They think it it great. We are all "camping."

But so far, the sacrifice is worth it. The stairs to the basement are much improved with the removal of the hideous forrest green berber carpet. Additionally, I am happy to see the carpet in the girls' room and the office to go. It only took me six years of lobbying to get that accomplished. Seriously, if Tim were on capital hill, there would be no special interests groups. They would give up.

Now just a week more with the "family room" to go. I especially like the way the girls get up in the middle of the night to let the cats in. But really, who needs a good night's sleep anyway?

Yeah

I am indeed quite irritated. Would that I were otherwise or had that ability to not sweat the small stuff but I am most assuredly not that girl. First on the docket, we have my son's complete inability to finish an art project without tearing it into two or more pieces. How do I know? Well, they come home in one piece, complete with tape. Way to make destruction a way of life.

Next up, my eldest, who this afternoon told me how she did not want to play piano anymore. I launched into an explanation of how it would be beneficial down the road blah blah blah she could teach piano and play at weddings rather that wait tables - not that there is anything wrong with the service industry, yours truly tended bar in the not so distant past - and her response was, "I choose to wait tables." My retort, "You will do so with an mastery of the piano."

And then there is Maggie, who quite proudly today told me that she received her first "D." Fortunately it was on her spelling test. The one for the group in which I lobbied for her presence. THANK YOU MAGGIE. I CANNOT TELL YOU THE AMOUNT I LOVE TO EAT CROW. I PREFER SLOW ROASTED. In her defense, she did fine on the spelling. It was the sentences in which she felt no need for punctuation and capital letters that brought about her demise.

It all had me so unbalanced that I forgot bath time. Again. We are just about 2 days beyond normal tolerances on bathing. Those stinky nimrods, they are mine.

Alright children. We are going to need to reboot here. Tomorrow is a new day, full of new promise and the distinct possibility that I will not sleep well since the girls have to sleep in my room as their floors are being redone. To hell with it. There is no new promise.

When Halloween Parties and Sick Children Collide

Last year, illness kept me away from a killer Halloween party. This year, cold or not, I was going. So dressed as Glinda Good Witch of the North, the Scarecrow, and Officer Dangle, we made our way to this year's soiree.

And it lived up to the hype. It started at nine so we intended to go, stay for a few hours and then get to bed not too too late knowing that an early morning swim meet awaited. That plan quickly fell apart largely due to beer and dancing. My dress made it feel like prom all over again. It actually worked fine as long as you were comfortable that every 10 minutes or so you would be stuck as someone was standing on the skirt.

We danced the night away and were loathe to leave when JT & Ilona suggested we share a cab. But since we didn't get home until 1am, they really did us a huge favor making sure that we weren't any later.

And then around 5am Morrigan came calling. And vomiting. It was unpleasant to say the least.

So at 7:30am, I was sick (with a cold), sick (with a hangover), working on 4ish hours of sleep and headed out to a swim meet with Maggie.

Let me tell you, being in a place with lots of shouting, overhead announcements, and a very loud starting buzzer might have been more unpleasant than the late night illness. But in that misery-loves-company kind of way, I saw many other party attendees looking a bit green around the gills too.

Maggie swam the 25M backstroke. She came in 7th but as she just started this Fall and it was her 1st meet, I was pleased. She got rattled when it was time to swim the 25M free and started crying. She never recovered and missed that event and the relay for which she was scheduled. Leaving the pool was not that bad really. I just wish that if she knew she was going to back out, that she had done it before I sat there for 2 hours between events. One morning, 7 events entered, 1 event swam. Oh well. Better luck next time.

Thankful

Today Morrigan's Brownie troop threw a birthday party for all the kids at the local Rescue Mission who have a birthday in October. One of the girls blew out her candle and turned around and said to her mother, "I wished for a home." Needless to say, I'm feeling even more grateful than normal for all we have.

Grandparents Day

So I am still sick but I refuse to miss the Halloween party. By sheer force of will, Zicam, luck or all three, I am under the weather but haven't been laid out quite the way Tim has. Which enabled me to be a part of the Book Fair, I mean Grandparents Day.

Since Dad retired this year, my parents' flexible schedule allowed them to come down. First up was Eion's room.

E introduced Dad as "Zombie Opa" [after a game where he chases around the kids moaning like the undead as they shriek in delight.] Lovely. But he was largely concerned with getting a cookie. After the mission was complete, he ignored us all and went off to play. Glad we could be there for ya E.

Then we went to Maggie's room who was also concerned with cookies but wanted to remain with us. The kids all read why Grandparents are special. Overwhelmingly, they were deemed special because they provided ice cream or other sweets.

Maggie's had something to do with them being far away. Maybe their visits made them special? Honestly, I wasn't sure what she meant.

And after the cookies we were herded off to the book fair where Grandparents happily shelled out (well, mostly happily) for books for the little ones. Luckily for my parents' budget, the kids have a fondness for hardcover books. All I have to say is I warned you.

Then we packed up to go home as Eion cried the entire way because he didn't get to take the bus. Overall, I think Mom & Dad must have found this well worth the 10 hour drive.

Huh?

As Eion transported a large cache of weapons from the basement to the family room, I asked him, "Are you bringing up all the swords I put in the basement?" Taking a cue from his father, he simply replied "Huh?" and kept moving.

Down for the Count

My quarantine and OCD hand washing proved ineffective. I woke up at 4am nice and sick. Rats. May be off the grid for a while.....

All is Well

This weekend went by so fast that it took a comment from Fraught to make me realize that my last post was one of despair over the potentially ruinous spelling group placement. And the issue plagued me all weekend as I spent entirely to much time and effort worrying about that which is truly minor. Well, minor since it all worked out.

But first, the weekend! The girls both had tennis matches on Saturday. The level of play for this age group is, umm, let's just say I have been told by those with older children that things will pick up in a few years. Maggie and her partner lost their match but she seemed not to care a bit.

Morrigan and her partner won but she was still bent because she didn't feel she played well. In some ways, I can see her point. She poached a serve for goodness sake. But a win is a win and if I were unhappy every time my own matches were won due largely to my partner's skill, I would be unhappy allot. But all was made right with the promise of post-match donuts.

We then invaded Ann & Hans' for beer, football and white bean chili, which in spite of its lack of meat, was pretty good. The kids largely played without incident and left us to socialize unimpeded.

Tim woke up Sunday feeling sick. My reaction was to bitch him out. Now, on the surface, it is a nonsensical reaction but in practice, you have to realize what is at stake here. We are scheduled to go to a big, fun Halloween party next Saturday that I missed last year because I was sick. Tim is likely to get well and I will be in full sickness swing by then. I have quarantined him and am washing my hands every 5 seconds. We'll see......

But back to Maggie. Her teacher emailed me back and said to wait until Monday as that is when the reading and spelling groups would be assigned. I don't know what the last few weeks were but apparently they were just a ramp up. In the end, she is in a group that is more challenging and I can stand down and stop worrying that what happens in first grade will determine the rest of her academic career.

In Theory

Today, in theory. Pick up my smart little girls after school. Head out to the Club for tennis team practice. Pick up Eion at Melanie & Jerry's. Back to the Club for family night where I would enjoy a nice, large adult beverage while my children happily played with the other family night attendees. Catch up with friends. Take tired children home and put them to bed. Read my new vampire book.

Today, in practice. Pick up girls from school. Stop to chat with other Moms on the way to the car. Realize to my complete horror that Maggie has been placed in the nimrod spelling group. Maggie. I had several other Moms ask me what her spelling words were because they assumed that if their kids were with Maggie, they were in a good group. Incorrectly assumed it appears. Return home and make frantic phone calls trying to determine best course of action. Write a very nice email to Maggie's teacher asking for a conference and that she be moved up. Realize I am that Mom. Drive to tennis with a splitting headache.

Drop girls at tennis and head out to Melanie & Jerry's. Bore them with my spelling group drama. Drag my crying son out of their house as he sasses about how he doesn't like me and he never wants to leave John Paul's. Consider the fact that he is most definitely underbeaten. Drive back to the Club. Get stuck in a traffic jam due to a three car accident on the highway. In a misguided effort to improve his standing for the day, Eion pees his pants and car seat. Arrive at tennis shop and place Eion in a corner. Break the news to the girls that family night is a bust. Avert tears by offering them McDonald's their brother cannot have.

Return home. Pour extra large adult beverage. At least one thing went as planned.

School Days

So today I went to Maggie & E's school to make some photocopies for Mag's teacher and I stopped in on E's class to tell his teacher happy birthday. He took one look at me and said, "It's not time to leave. You can't make me go!" Don't worry buddy, I have a tennis lesson. You're not going anywhere.

We also received his 9 week progress report today, which was a bucket of cold water for those used to his sisters' report cards. A full half of the categories were "needs improvement." Unprecedented. But I guess considering we were afraid he was going to fail out of preschool, we should be glad he mastered half the tasks.

Maggie, on the other hand, seems to be following the example of Casa Fraught in the "lets work ahead" motif. She brought home a reading book tonight and was assigned two stories to read. She did so, and then blasted through the entire book. Her enthusiasm might have contributed to her 9 week status report which was top to bottom 100%/A. So the question remains, in the evaluation of my parenting, do I get to average out the kids?

And as an aside, I checked with E's teacher and he took two school pictures, one with hat, one without. I cannot tell you how much I want them to send me the hat picture. It would be priceless.

Picture Day

Today was picture day. E was dressed like this. We'll see if he won the fight with his teacher and got to wear the hat in the picture.

Friend Suggestions

I adore the Facebook friend suggestions. Sometimes they are actually helpful. But I find this to be the rare occasion. Mostly, Facebook seems to have a sick sense of humor and loves suggesting over and over and over that I befriend a hookup from high school that ended very badly. My only solace is that he is likely logging in and seeing my face in his friend suggestion box all the time.

Even if they are not people I choose to friend, most of them make sense. Even Mr. high school and I have 31 friends in common, as I am reminded of routinely. But for the past two days, Facebook seems to be on the blink. They really want me to be friends with Santhanam G. I was curious what our connection may be and looked at his friends. They are Subash N., Maheswaran K., Rajarajan P., and Ragumuthukumar A. Now, while I am sure they are all really nice people, I don't get it. I am half tempted to friend him just to make his day a little more surreal.

Reflections, Continued

We have determined the entries for the Reflections contest. The theme: Beauty is. And as you can see by Maggie's entries, beauty is cats.

I don't see the first two lighting the photography world on fire but the last one isn't all bad. And it is such a sweet representation of the mind of a six year old. Nothing is as dear as her kitties.

Morrigan was a bit more artistic.

I have no idea what the competition is and if she will win but those sunrise pics are good stuff. A great subject makes all the difference. Not that the cats aren't good subjects.

And then we find ourselves at the dance choreography. Morrigan abandoned Good Girls Go Bad for Hot and Cold by Katy Perry. I was a bit concerned when she told me her plan was to wing it but she made it through. She's really happy with it. I did ask before I posted it here and she was down with the whole world seeing the outcome so here goes....

What was the best was when we were filling out the entry forms. They require an artist's statement. I asked her how her dance related to the theme (beauty is.) Her response, "The scenery and song are about love and love is beautiful, except when you are divorcing." You will all please excuse me for the fact that I chose to act as her editor on that one and left out the last tidbit.

And Your Future Is....

You know, nine hours of sleep really changes your outlook on life. The sky is bluer, the air crisper. Tim and I were both falling asleep on the sofa so we went to bed at 9 last night. Great decision.

I was feeling pretty positive about life anyway as my kids were just cracking me up. Morrigan donned her Cleopatra costume, got her magic 8 ball, and set up shop as a fortune teller. She and Maggie made signs advertising their fortune telling/beauty salon (Maggie's venture) complete with hours, a phone number, and prices, which were mercifully reduced for family members.

I visited first and asked if I would have a happy future. Morrigan consulted her 8 ball, then smiled, and shook it again. It took about three rounds before the answer she was looking for came up. But yes, for those worried, I will have a happy life.

When I was done, I went back to laundry of whatever other exciting Saturday night task I had lined up. Their lack of clientele caused them to go on the offensive. They made coupons for $0.25 reading (half off, I was robbed) and delivered them to Tim and myself.

So he went for a reading and I had Mags file my nails. She offered makeup services as well but seeing the blue rings around here sister's eyes, I took a pass. And we were all shocked when after only four shakes, Tim was told he too would have a sunny future. So far, her predictions are true.

Friday Hike or Why My Tennis Game Will Never Recover From Summer

So in what can only be an effort to sabotage my tennis game, Tim suggested we skip the Friday clinic and hike McAfee's Knob. Knowing he has wanted to do this for years but we never had enough kid-free hours to do so, I sacrificed my backhand and set off for the 7.5 mile hike to an altitude of about 3200 feet. And while I do love something to bitch about, it was fun. Beautiful view too.

That afternoon the kids were fried from a long week and we made the executive decision that tennis team practice would be skipped and pizza consumed. As Eion is still in bed this morning (7:45am) and shows no signs of life, the afternoon off seems like it was a good idea.

Rob & Leigh Anne hosted poker last night and I was not feeling it. Knowing Tim had to go to work early today, I played many hands downright recklessly (by my standards anyway) in an effort to get to bed at a reasonable time. And so did Tim. Apparently, this is the plan we should adopt every month as he placed 1st and I was 3rd. It did not help at all on the sleep front and I'm a wee bit sluggish today. But that $10 victory was worth it, right?

The Hunter

So this was the scene at the back door on Thursday just as we were about to leave the house to see Zombieland. Midnight, obviously proud of her victory over this chipmunk, seemed utterly confused as to why we wouldn't let her in. I told the sitter not to let her in with the rodent but I failed to say that once she dropped it, the kitty was welcome once again. Hence a somewhat cold and irritated kitty upon our return a few hours later. But the silver lining was that she disemboweled while the kids watched. It's like live Wild Kingdom around here!

While our kids enjoyed that show, we went to dinner at the SoRo Chill and Grill which had, again(consistency is important), some pretty good food. We, at Tim's insistence, sat in the bar which was a much better scene than the dining room. If they were taking my suggestions, I would ditch the dining room altogether and make the whole thing one big bar.

I thought Zombieland was funny and entertaining though no one would mistake it for high art. Brent was our lone dissenter who thought it was a little underwhelming. Well I guess Tim wasn't exactly in favor of the movie as his review was, "It is pretty much the same as all the other sh*t you drag me to." Oooh careful Tim or I will drag you to Hugh Grant movies. Ok, that's a complete lie but you should still be glad I don't have a penchant for chick flicks!

Wednesday Golf

Tim's schedule can be a blessing and a curse. The lack of continuity can cause all sorts of troubles when trying to plan regular car pools, dinner plans and kids' activity schedules. And he can have a Wednesday off and directly interfere with your tennis plans, and lord knows my game needs the work lately.

But then you go out to the Club and spend a few hours walking around here:

and realize that it is some time well spent. And that your golf game sucks even more than your tennis game.

Tough Times for Dads

You know, it's hard for Dads of little girls. Their judgement in matters of beauty is always under attack. Just the other day when Tim was recommending that Morrigan brush her hair (she has some aversion to neatness - at camp she apparently didn't brush it all week) she told him, "Why you are so worried about good looking hair? You're never going to look like Elvis Presley no matter what." Tim and myself, we were unaware that was the goal.

And our friend Eric, who is follicularly challenged, was telling us about how when helping his daughter wash her hair, he was informed, "What do you know about washing hair. You don't have any." His argument that he did once have hair was received with skepticism.

As for me, the girls don't question my knowledge, they just complain about my directives.

Reflections

The City schools have a contest each Fall called Reflections. There is a theme and the kids can submit entries in various categories: photography, art, dance, video, poetry etc. Despite my plans to have the girls send something in each year, we never quite do. Some years I forgot, some they refused to participate. But this year, they both have designs to enter their ideas of "Beauty Is."

Maggie chose photography. I set her loose with the camera and it came back with pictures of our dying flowers on the deck, our yard by the street (fortunately full of weeds), and the cats. I tried to encourage her to take some more but she told me that she was done. The cats are the most beautiful thing she knows. I just wish they were doing something in the pictures other than laying in my ill maintained yard. (There is a reason I live a little off the SoRo grid.)

Morrigan also plans to enter in photography. She is set on sunset pictures which, while laking originality (sorry, it's true) sound lovely. She also plans to enter a choreographed dance. To the tune Good Girls Go Bad by Cobra Starship. God help us.

New Baby Dinner

Tonight we participated in one of the best traditions in town, the dropping off of dinner to new parents. [I'm sure other towns do it too, of course.] I don't always succeed, but I try to cook for all of my friends who have new babies. The meals we received were so greatly appreciated the first time around, when you are more tired than you thought you could ever be, for the second time around, when you are overwhelmed by the prospect of caring for two and the third time around when your brain has just turned to mush anyway and what you really wanted to know was did they bring drinks as well.

I remember being in pjs at the end of the day, covered in spit up, when a friend would breeze in with something delightful. Often they were experienced Moms who smiled and reassured me it would all be fine, though a few were realistic and said it would get better in a few years!

I'm not sure that I had that reassuring confidence when I arrived at Andrea & Lynn's with with pulled pork (homemade with sauce from scratch of course) and my three baby waking machines. And certainly we could question my competency overall as a parent when while we were touring the nursery, Andrea glanced out the window and said, "Is that Eion running outside?" I doubt she appreciated the kids going on a self guided trip through the house but I promise, the food was great. And I did bring drinks.

The Challenging Boy

E.B., he's been a good guy lately. But let's not let that improvement lull us into submission and thinking that the Eion of days past is no more.

Today I went to Kroger with the kiddos. I turned around to get a head of cabbage and poof, he was gone. I started to search the store to no avail. Eventually, we found him lurking near the roasted chickens, to warm up as it seems, but not before I had enlisted half the store including a parent I know from school and my boss' husband. Thanks E.

And he went to a birthday party today. Upon arrival, he unwrapped the gift for the birthday boy immediately. We gave him Bakugan and Eion just couldn't wait to show him. At the party's conclusion, Eion left in tears. They had been playing football and he was so happy and just didn't want to leave. It took him 45 minutes in his room at home to pull it together. But he rallied and slept with the nerf football that was his parting gift.

Circle the Block Party

Saturday was the neighborhood Circle the Block Party. It ran from 3-6pm. We arrived promptly at 3 figuring we would stay for part of the time since we had dinner plans that night but the time flew by and soon it was 6 and I still hadn't talked to everyone.

Many of the little boys, including my own, came packing lightsabers and epic battles ensued. No eyes lost as far as I could tell...

The fire and EMS trucks were there and the kids could go inside and get a close up look. In practice, that particular EMS employee got to spend a large part of the afternoon with my son, who might have been in the truck half the party.

While keeping tabs on the kids (somewhat,) Tim and I mingled with friends and neighbors and caught up with everyone.

A local band, Monkey Fuzz, was playing and by the end of the party, a pile of kids were dancing. Including Morrigan who did a clogging-interpretive dance combo, complete with rubber gloves.
The kids were all sad to leave but Tim & I were off to dinner at Christy & Andrew's.

They recently completed a large addition and I was curious to see it so being me, I invited us over. [If you are friends with me long enough, this is bound to happen. I am just over exuberant and plan dinner, football parties, and poker games at other people's homes. I should feel bad. I don't.] But we toured their beautiful new rooms, making me think I really need to get cracking chez moi, and had a fabulous dinner. I was still full this morning - I skipped breakfast and I never skip meals! It was a busy, fun day.

JT's Birthday

Curses internal clock! While I am happy your accuracy and punctuality allows me to get my kids to school on time daily, it is Saturday and I really didn't need to wake up at 6am. Tim has a much more agreeable biorhythm and is still upstairs though I think I hear the three little manual alarm backups doing their job as I type.

Last night we went to a dinner hosted by friends JT & Ilona at the Plantation at Sunnybrook in honor of JT's birthday. Her brother is a caterer and made all the fantastic food. And it was great to meet JT's parents who had come in from California for the occasion.

But what really made it special was the hosts. We've known JT & Ilona since about forever (well, since we moved to Roanoke) but jobs and kids and everything else get in the way of spending as much time as we'd like together. When we do manage to carve out the time, we are always sorry we don't do so more often. And the same goes for last night - great time as ever, let's do it more often!

Easily Pleased

Seriously, some days it seems that nothing will make my kids happy and then I am forced into lecturing them about how good they have it, how much worse it could be, how I walked uphill to school in 6 foot snowbanks.....But then there are the days when you give them their new swim team suits AND let them wear them right away. You would have thought it was Christmas.

Tree Begone!

It does appear that 2009 is the Year of Getting Rid of Crap I Hate. The basement carpet, track lights in our room, the old roller blinds in our room. It's getting silly around here. And today, we can add the tree up by the mailbox that leaned precariously over the garage, dropped car denting acorns in the Fall and gutter blocking seeds in the Spring.

I can't say it was great to come home from Sam's Club with a carload of groceries and see the driveway like this:

But a dozen trips or so and it was all safely inside. E just got home from school and is fascinated by the process. He is playing in all the debris (supervised by Tim) as I type. He said he wants to grow up and be the guy in the tree. Guy in the tree recommended staying in school.

Good Day, Sunshine

Today was great. It's always good to start out with this view:

From there, I'm not sure if it was the perfect fall weather, sunny but cool enough for jeans. Or maybe my newly highlighted hair; goodbye rapidly multiplying grays! I blame you on the boy. Or that it was quarterly tax day at work (I fall into that very small segment of the population that loves to fill out IRS forms. It's a sickness, I can't explain it.) Or that E's teacher referred to him as "her big sweetheart." I think we all know how far he's come if that describes him! Or the way the girls love swim practice. Or maybe it's just the fact that Tim has three days off and we have dinner plans on Friday and Saturday with couples I adore but with whom I don't spend nearly enough time.

Whatever it was, the sun was shining on me both figuratively and literally. And I'll take sunny days anytime.

In the News

You have to be careful in a small town when firing off emails to local reporters because you never know when you'll end up in the paper.

South Roanoke neighbors ready to get grilling

He did warn me first and I don't really mind being on record that I love my neighborhood!