Giving Up

It really wasn't a bad week this week. Things got done. Lots of eye appointments (for everyone except Russell). By Friday, when I had mine, I was practically on a first-name basis with the receptionists. Which, I suppose, is a good thing.

We cleaned and rearranged the basement. That's always nice. Plus, I made Art. Out of postcards and with Caitlyn's help, but still.

Megan went to prom and had a good time. She finally reappeared after 1 today.

Church was good. We got a boundary realignment a couple weeks ago, so we had new people. It's amazing the difference 25 active people will make. Sunday School was actually full, and there were more than 3 people making comments. And my friend Karen is now Relief Society president, which will be a Good Thing, I think. I really wanted to hear her lesson today, but I ended up in Primary doing music. I can't complain about that. It was fun.

Megan and Russell had a good experience at KU, not the least of which was meeting up with a former faculty member/friend from our time in Mississippi. That was fun.

Our flowers are blooming. One of my favorite things is sitting by the window and smelling the hyacinths. It makes me happy.

I worked.
Russell worked.
The kids went to school.
We had the sister missionaries over for dinner on Thursday. That's always a good thing. We really do love the pair we've got now; they're fantastic.

I think we got the program for Kristen's baptism all hammered out. The trick was finding something for all her sisters to do.

And that's about it for us.

Enjoy spring.

I Never Write on Monday

But it was a long weekend. If you remember, Alison got sick last Sunday, and we chalked it up to dehydration. When Russell, Caitlyn, and I came down sick Friday night/Saturday, we chalked it up to food poisoning. But when Kristen came down sick yesterday, we thought, "Hmmmm. Maybe it's a bug." Sure enough, Megan's not feeling terribly well, even though she was still game to get up early and head to KU for their Scholar's Day today. Hopefully, she'll make it through in one piece.

Kristen had a birthday before we all got sick, one that involved lots of presents, a few screaming and running kids, and a sleepover that lasted until 2 a.m. She had fun, though, which is what really counts.

It was event week for me at work. Monday, we had Robert Gates, and since I had to work, Russell decided to go. It turned out to be a fascinating event; he's a good speaker and an interesting man. Thankfully, we weren't out too late. I was supposed to have Tuesday off to sign Caitlyn up for the library volunteering this summer (I got there a half hour before the library opened, and there was already a line! We did manage to get her a spot, though.), but I ended up going in then and on Wednesday to do a presentation for the district's elementary school librarians. It went okay -- especially considering it was REALLY last minute -- but it wasn't my best work. And then on Saturday, even though Russell and I weren't feeling terribly well, we decided that we really wanted to go see Stephan Pastis (we were going to make an evening of it before we got sick. Oh, well). I'm glad we did; he was really funny!

Somewhere in there, we also managed to get Kristen a dress for her baptism. I think she likes the one she picked, and she didn't just pick it because it was on the clearance rack (though that helped). It's very lovely.

Conference was good, as well -- what we caught of it, in between being sick. (I fell asleep during Sunday afternoon, so I couldn't tell you what was going on. AT ALL.) Thankfully, we heard Sunday morning, which was what I needed to hear, anyway.

And that's about it for us. Here's hoping that we manage to make it though this week.

In Need of Sleep

I feel like that's the theme of the week. Tired. Tired. Tired.

I want a nap.

Alison was up sick in the night last night; seeing as she's perfectly fine now and ate Anne's Chicken with us for dinner, I'm chalking it up to dehydration and not a bug. I REALLY need to figure a way to engrain in that girl's brain that she MUST drink water if she is going to play outside. Sometimes it's worse than others. Last night was one of those worse times.

Wednesday, Megan came home. She was pretty exhausted. But, she made it home in one piece. Her sisters accosted her for their presents, and then were too wired to go to bed, so we ALL stayed up really really late.

Then, we had to figure out room arrangements. For now, because it's best for everyone if Alison has her own room, Megan and Kristen are bunking together. It seems to be a decent arrangement; Kristen's pretty low-key, and Megan (hopefully)will get a job and not be home much. We think. And it doesn't involve moving (much) furniture. Though I did go on a 2 hour quest yesterday for a small bookshelf, and came up completely empty.

We are slowly hearing tales about India, but more like little facts and tidbits. (i think she's downstairs explaining how a Bollywood movie is similar/different real life.) It's too bad you all can't be here and sit and chat with her. I should take pictures of the presents she brought back;  the fabric is pretty amazing.

The rest of the week is kind of a blur. Russell and I had a bookish event on Monday; a friend of his -- Rod Dreher -- came into town to do a book event (which Russell helped arrange) and I sold books at it. And I did PAD on Wednesday and the Women's meeting last night was nice.

I think that's it. I'm going to go sleep now.

Spring Break Edition: In Which Loki is There When We Arrive Home

Megan messaged us a little while back, informing us that she's going to prom, and that she needs a life-sized cut-out of Tom Hiddleston. Well, we ordered Loki, and he was waiting for us when we got back from our little weekend trip. He's downstairs watching How To Train Your Dragon with Alison and Kristen (it was, as they informed me, what HE wanted to watch). The trick is, I think, to keep him in relatively one piece until Megan comes home (on Wednesday!)

Where did we go, you ask? Well, back in December, when we were watching the Sing Off, we discovered that they were doing a tour. And since we like things like that -- a cappella concerts -- and the stars aligned, we decided to make a weekend of it. We puttered up through the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve (and discovered that it's better to go the end of May) on Friday and up to Topeka to see the state capital. While there, we decided to be daring, and take a tour of the capital dome. We got up to the lower part of the rotunda, and those of us who aren't all that keen on heights (which include Caitlyn and Kristen and me) were a bit shaky, but not terrible. And then we started to climb up the next set of stairs, and I freaked. out. Literally. Couldn't move another step up. So, Kristen came down with me (I was shaky for a good 20 minutes) and Caitlyn braved her fear. Alison and Russell said it was "Cool"; Caitlyn told me to be glad I didn't go, because it just got worse. Oh, well. I used to be daring. Thankfully, I have a daughter to keep me company.

We got to Kansas City by dinnertime and hung out in the hotel swimming, peeking in at the Wichita State game (I can't watch; if I do, I'll curse them. Yes, I am superstitious) and watching Food TV. We've decided that one of our favorite parts of vacations is having cable. I wonder if that makes us pathetic?

Saturday, Russell and I got up and went to the temple, which was nice. It's been too long since we've gone together. And then we headed out for some Kansas City barbecue at Arthur Bryant's (not nearly as good as Memphis, but I think I've said that before) and to the KC Zoo, which was fun. It was a bit of a chilly day, so we didn't so as much as we could have, but we did enjoy what we saw. Especially the penguins. Kristen said she'd do anything to have a penguin as a pet and was making plans for keeping it in the bathtub. I said no. We went swimming again, had a quick dinner, and then headed downtown for the Sing Off Concert. We were all in awe of the building: it was one of those old, gorgeous opera houses. Caitlyn said she was going to move in there. And the concert was fantastic. Good music, funny, entertaining. The only downside was that one spotlight on the back of the stage hit us directly in the eye when it was shining. But such a minor quibble. And then we discovered they were doing autographs after, so we waited in line to say hi and get our tickets signed. A very cool night.

We did other things: had play dates and sleep overs with friends. Worked both at the bookstore and outside, prepping for spring. (Which will get here, eventually. We hope.) And watching movies and TV and just being lazy. At any rate, it's been a good break.

Now back to real life.

Five Things We Learned This Week.

1. WE LOVE SPRING. Seriously. We all came out of our shells, and turned our faces to the sun, and soaked it in. Enough so, that when it turned a bit cold and windy today, we ALL grumbled. I really couldn't live any farther north, I don't think. Also: we're really grateful for rain.

2. Sometimes getting what you want isn't all it's cracked up to be. So, Caitlyn had her three friends (Meagan, Allie and Kaitlyn -- we observed that she's friends with people who have the same initials/names as her sisters. What does this say about her?) for her birthday on Thursday, and since it wasn't a school night (spring break started on Friday), she wanted to go play Laser Tag. So, we did. And they wanted to play two games. I hadn't budgeted for that, but it was only $20 more so, I acquiesced. The first game was a lot of fun, and they had a grand time. The second game, when it was just them and four other people... not so much. Let me just say that some people don't know how to teach their kids good sportsmanship. Caitlyn and ALL of her friends were highly upset (understatement) afterward. Enough so, that we complained and got free games. Which they're going to turn around and use at Allie's birthday in a couple of months.

3. Marketing is a good thing. So, I was in charge of a kids event on Friday night. It was actually kind of fun -- we built 3D structures out of glow sticks and Styrofoam balls -- but the only people there were my kids. Because I dragged them there. It's the one thing that frustrates me about my job: we really don't have a sense how to market things to the wider public. Or maybe, we do and the town doesn't care. It could be that. But, in this case, it's because no one ever sent out ANYTHING about it. I don't like stepping on toes, but I also don't want to show up to an "event" and not have any one show up. Kind of like my book group every month. SOMETHING needs to be done about that.

4. I went to donate platelets on Friday. Mostly because the Red Cross called and told me I have a hugely high platelet count and I should. So, I'm like: sure, why not? Once there, I got more and more intimidated/scared: it's a serious PROCESS, nothing like popping in and giving whole blood. (I can donate a pint in about 45 minutes, from interview/check in to when I walk out. No biggie.) And I didn't realize how EXHAUSTING it'd be. I donated a triple, which I can physically do, given my height/weight/platelet count, but MAN, I was beat for the rest of the day. Seriously. And my arm still hurts. So, maybe I'll go back, but not for a triple.

5. We are NEVER to give in to our kids begging and pleading and show them a (scary) PG-13 movie at night. We have the Mummy (ah, Brendan Frasier) and wanted to watch it, and Alison BEGGED and Kristen BEGGED and I ended up sleeping in Alison's bed for a while last night because they BOTH came in during the night because they were scared. And we only watched a half hour of the movie before they were freaked out and we had to put on something else! Ah, our sensitive children. We love them.

That's about it for us. We're off this week. Well, they're off, I still have to work. Here's hoping the weather is gorgeous.

They're Telling Me

That I should just write that I'm cold (even though it's actually nice out today) and I'm tired (because I just adore losing an hour of sleep) and I'll write more next week.

But, honestly, I probably won't.

Caitlyn had Solo and Ensemble yesterday. She got a 2, which she was disappointed it. But I thought she sounded good (but that's just a mom speaking) and at the very least hopefully the judge will have some good pointers. She just hasn't had a good year with singing this year.

Alison went to a birthday party last night that involved  a salon visit and a fashion show. She was very happy. And her hair was fabulous when she got home.

We showed the girls E. T. (again; though the first time was 10 years ago) this weekend. Caitlyn wondered why we don't own it (because she and Megan had negative reactions to it before) and Alison and Kristen bawled and then declared it the adorable and  best move ever. Kristen re-watched it on Saturday morning, first thing after breakfast.

Both Caitlyn and I had bad days on Wednesday, and she suggested watching Firefly. Don't know what else can pop a person out of a bad mood quicker than that show. That set off a chain reaction, and she and I are working our way through the 14 episodes. She might even get me to watch the reaver one again...

And that's about it. It's nice that spring decided to show up for spring break which starts on Friday. Here's hoping it'll stick around.

In Like a Lion

We're in the middle of a snowstorm (I'm not complaining. Really.), and it's MARCH. Dang it, I WANT SPRING.

The week was the last of our busyness for a while (hopefully; this week there's nothing on the calendar. Yet.) Caitlyn had rehearsal on Monday night for All-City, and the concert was Tuesday night. It was a wonderful concert. I put up the four pieces the middle school choir did, but didn't record the High School choir, which was amazing. I have always enjoyed all-city band concerts (and band concerts in general), but this blew me away. I'm glad she was able to participate.

Wednesday, I took of during the day (from volunteering which wasn't a huge deal) and went to have lunch at the elementary school with Kristen and Alison. I brought in pizza for them (they were more excited about the pizza than they were about me coming) and enjoyed hanging with them for their lunch periods. I do really like my daughters; they're interesting and a lot of fun. And that night I had PAD with the girls. We did popcorn Olympics, which turned into a huge popcorn mess, but they had fun. I find, though, that being the sole adult in a room full of (crazy!) 8 to 10 year old girls has its toll, and I always crash afterward. That said, I'm glad they enjoyed themselves. (We even had a few cub scouts wander in and want to participate. The girls -- well, Alison -- are very protective of their girls only activities.)

Thursday and Friday Caitlyn had lessons to get ready for solo and ensemble next weekend. And Friday night was the bingo night fundraiser for the elementary school. Maybe it was just a bad year, but I found myself wondering why we do this. The girls complain incessantly about not winning -- even the door prize raffle tickets didn't win this year -- and it's hot and crowded and the pizza is horrible. We finally bailed before the last two games (which we wouldn't have won, anyway) and went and go frozen yogurt at Orange Leaf. Maybe I'll remember we don't actually like bingo night next year and save ourselves the hassle. (Then again, you can't win if you don't go....)

Saturday was supposed to be a busy day, but weather blew in, and most everything was canceled. We did get out to buy Caitlyn's birthday presents (Alison and Kristen in Hot Topic was pretty fun. The hard part was deciding which one.) and I did make it to yoga (first time in a month! I need to be better about that) and Russell did get his hair cut. Then we curled up in the cold (after I repurposed some of the toy shelves for DVD shelves so we could use the DVD shelves for CD shelves because our CD cabinet fell apart. It was really time to downsize the toys anyway) and watched Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which still is pretty hilarious and fun after all these years. The girls particularly liked the twist at the end.

And church today was small (57 people!) and we're huddled against the snow and cold.

Hopefully it'll warm up for everyone soon.

Getting from Point A to Point B

It's usually just a straight line, right?

Well, this week's straight line included a whole lot of pit stops and bumps. Mostly because we had a whole lot going on.

Some weeks are just like that.

Caitlyn was the busiest. Not only did she have All-City choir practice and singing lessons, she stayed after a few days of school to practice for Wilburpalooza -- which is, essentially, their pop concert for the year. The practices were horrible, and she didn't come home happy, but the concert Friday night actually turned out really quite well. Alison and Kristen had a grand time (it's always more fun when you know the songs, right?) and the kids all performed really well. She also went with the Girl Scouts to volunteer at the food bank on Tuesday. It really was a busy week for her; no wonder she was exhausted yesterday.

The girls did have Monday and Tuesday off, even though I didn't. Russell stayed home on Monday and "supervised". Alison had a sleepover (at our house) Monday to Tuesday.  We've discovered that Alison likes the idea of sleepovers, but not the execution of them. Even so, they had a great time. It helped that it warmed up on Tuesday, and was actually nice enough to play outside.

Alison and Kristen had half days for the rest of the week due to parent-teacher conferences. Yes, they're doing fine. Yes, they're brilliant. And they even managed not to argue (too) much during the afternoons they were home. Alison even managed to make box macaroni and cheese the one afternoon I had to work until 3. She only freaked out once because she had let the water boil too long, and couldn't get the lid off. She called me, and I talked her through it, and she did the rest herself. Yay!

Russell took a van full of students to St. Louis for Model UN this week. Unlike last year, there were no major bumps getting out there and they had a great time. He did sound like he was having a good time, anyway.

And today was stake conference. A lot of talk about having faith and sharing the gospel. We all sang in the family choir (the rehearsals have been an exercise in hating mom for volunteering us), and it turned out really nice. They're all glad it's over, now.

Olympic Junkies

What we wanted to do: watch Olympics.

What we did: watch Olympics. Mostly. Generally, the rule is no screens after dinner until 8:30. But with the Olympics, the TV went on at 7 p.m. and didn't go off until 10. Most nights, anyway. We love the slopestyle (especially the snowboard), still love the speed skating, and what was with the male figure skaters?? We missed the halfpipe (sad) and too much speed skating, and in the end, didn't get ENOUGH. I'm a bit miffed at NBC, not only because of their commercials, but because they've tied their web site to having cable. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO FREE TV. Corporations.

When we weren't watching Olympics, we were running places. Caitlyn had practice for All-City Choir, Alison and Kristen had school and piano. We all had church, and the sister missionaries came over for dinner on Thursday. Saturday, Alison and I had our book group and Kristen had a baptism preview meeting at the church. And the town started digging out when the temps began rising. It was in the 60s today, and the snow is almost gone. The girls tell me I can't declare it spring, though. It just might snow again.

It doesn't sound like much when written down, but it was a pretty crazy week. And this one is just going to be more of the same: the girls are off tomorrow and Tuesday, but Russell's leaving Wednesday for St Louis and Model UN. Fun times!

Snow Break 2014

We have one a year, generally speaking. (I think there were a couple of years when we didn't...) A week, where the snow comes down, and the town decides that it just can't handle anything so EVERYTHING shuts down. Watermark closed early on Tuesday (oh, joy, I got to close. Which wouldn't be so bad, except I haven't closed -- done the money -- in a year! In other news: we're finally going to get a science fiction/fantasy section. I have secret hopes of being in charge of it, but I've already got my hands full with the kids' stuff. That said, it's nice being known as one of the geeks on staff), as the roads became impassible. Not because of the amount of snow -- only 8 inches here in town -- but because, for some reason, they forgot How to plow. Whether it was the temperatures or something else, it's been nearly a week, and very few roads are actually clear. (They've got sand on them, though. Does that count?)

Monday night when they canceled school, there wasn't a flake on the ground. (Wow! The meteorologists were right?!) So, the girls -- well, Alison and Caitlyn -- called friends on Tuesday and had them over for a mid-week sleepover. Which is something you can do when you know there's not going to be school the next day. It was fun, and they were glad for the company. Wednesday, we got outside to play a little, but that Arctic Vortex made it down here, and the high was in the low teens (don't laugh!) and we didn't stay outside for long.

Thursday, Russell and I both had to work (Russell got Tuesday and Wednesday off), so Caitlyn was nominally in charge. Though she wasn't up when I left. I told Alison to let her sleep in until 9:30 and then get her up. At 9:35, Alison went and woke Caitlyn up. And felt proud, because she let Caitlyn sleep in five whole minutes longer.

 And then we became Olympic Junkies.

We started watching snowboarding (slopestyle, which is way cool) and the team figure skating (which should have been TEAM figure skating: imagine synchronized swimming on ice) on Thursday and haven't looked back. We had fun with the opening ceremonies, though both Alison and Kristen crashed before the end of it. One thing: that digital floor? WAY COOL. The rest of it was fun, though I ended up thinking, "You know guys? Tchaikovsky wrote more than just Swan Lake.... " Firebird was a perfect ending. And then last night, more snowboarding (I just think it's fun to watch) and figure skating. I don't get to be a junkie tonight because Russell needs to watch the Beatles retrospective though...

(*sad*)

And that about sums up the week.

The Superb Owl

The conversation before dinner today:
Alison: "Go Broncos!"
Me: "I'm amused that my children, who know nothing about football, are actually rooting for someone in the Super Bowl."
Alison: "Mrs. Harman [her teacher] roots for the Broncos, and whatever she says, goes."
Russell: "It's only worth watching for the commercials anyway."

There you have it: one geeky family.

The last week was, well, much like the rest of January. Alternately warm and cold (my main issue with that is that when it's 60 degrees one day and 20 degrees the next, it kind of wreaks havoc with your immunity. PICK ONE PLEASE WEATHER.), alternately busy and not (there were meetings and school and work). Caitlyn and I went to an electives fair prior to registering for high school. (eeep.) She picked as her top three electives choir, drama, and French. Hopefully she'll get in. (I'm actually excited about the idea of her taking French. Maybe it can be an excuse for me to learn it!) And then on Wednesday. Russell and I went to another meeting a the high school on scholarship opportunities for Megan. The downside of the first kid: the learning curve. We learned that 1) we should have done this last year.  And 2) DANGIT SHE'S OUT OF THE COUNTRY. That said, we've talked to people at KU and looked at some websites and maybe there's some opportunities she can apply for. *fingers crossed*

Russell, Caitlyn, and I watched Quantum of Solace, which was a hot mess -- though it had a car chase, a foot chase, a boat chase, AND a plane chase. But no train chase. Thankfully, we didn't pay anything for it. And yesterday, we were REALLY lazy and after the stake choir practice (a family choir which I volunteered our family for, to much grumbling) we didn't go ANYWHERE.

And today, Church was nice enough. Russell and I got into an interesting side conversation about friendship with another person during Sunday School, and got glares from the teacher. But it was an interesting idea: the value of friendship and all. Perhaps there needs to be an after-hours Sunday School class.

And I went into work for their Book Club Sunday (because, you know, why not have Book Club Sunday on Superb Owl Sunday?) where I pitched my kids book group for 2 minutes. I was supposed to give a "what YA books should Adults be reading" but they forgot. Oh, well.

That's about it for us. (I think I'm over writer's block!)

Musings on Writer's Block

What we do on lazy Sundays.

Alison says, "Now you know how I feel: Clueless."

I don't think it's clueless. I think it's lack of motivation. I'm doing everything else but this.

It wasn't a bad week (there were some bad days, but overall, not bad), and everyone (even Caitlyn) had a positive day at church (hurrah!). But, I just am feeling... unmotivated.

We even did fun things. The girls had friends over to play on Monday (which wasn't bad, weather-wise) and Alison went to a sleepover on Friday. Caitlyn was home sick on Thursday, but finished a video project on Saturday when her partner came over. And  Kristen -- who was such a darling when I was having a bad day -- and I took advantage of the 60 degree weather (!) yesterday (don't worry, it'll be back down in the 20s tomorrow) and went for a walk in the nature park, and out for ice cream and to get her hair cut. And Russell and I got out to see the Wakefield Mysteries -- a re-translation of a 14th century Bible Cycle play. (It was.... interesting.)

But it all seems so... ordinary.

I suppose that's what these letters are: making the ordinary a little bit extraordinary.

Even so, sometimes, it's just plain.

Which is okay, too.

Staring at a Blank Page

I've been sitting at the computer for more than an hour, trying to figure out what to say. And coming up short every. single. time. So I'm going to let the images do the talking.

 

Sunday:

The best 1 1/2 hours of television we've seen in a long time was season 3, episode 2. Seriously great.

Monday:

Russell was back to work, the girls were back at school (again), and I tried to sell books.

 

Tuesday:

I taught myself how to make origami cranes. I was quite proud of that. (I did the display below.)

 

Wednesday:

Caitlyn was having a bad day, and I was out and about, so I got donuts.

Thursday:

Was a normal day Except Russell got asked to do his sometimes gig at the local TV station. He likes feeling like a pundit sometimes.

 

Friday:

We realized that Alison and Kristen had never seen this. So we watched it. They loved it. Russell didn't.

Saturday:

Because it was nominated for an Oscar, it had an encore performance at our local movie theater. We went. We were gobsmacked. Not the deepest movie ever, but it was gorgeous and intense. Best seen on the big screen.

Annnddd... Acton!

Monday morning hit us hard. NO ONE wants to get up when it's cold, dark, and we've all been sleeping in until late for two weeks. Especially me. I've decided that bears have the right idea. Either that, or I need to find a winter home in Florida (or Hawaii!) to hide from this. There was a headline in the newspaper on Tuesday or Wednesday that essentially said, "Americans are wimps" because of the cold.

Yep. You got that right.

We shivered to school, to work, and back home, crawled under blankets, and prayed for the cold to go away. We also got out and took the kids rock climbing, but that seems kind of beside the point, when there's so much COLD. Have I mentioned how much I dislike the cold??

Quite possibly.

The rest of the week was much of the same. We came out of our freeze on Thursday, I think, and things started to become more regular.

I had my first Primary Activity Days -- I've been released as music in Primary (did I mention that? Did I also mention that I MISS IT??) and called as PAD leader -- and it went well. It's an interesting dynamic. We have two sets of sisters -- Alison and Kristen (who's coming a few months early because, well, it's easier) and Sarah and Bekah -- who have been friends forever. And they often are quite, well, crazy together. There are two other girls, one who is outgoing (but can't read very well) and another who is painfully shy. Anyway. We worked on goals and played a get-to-know-you Jenga (which was silly) but mostly I just wanted to see what the dynamic is. I think that I'm going to have to do a lot of games -- especially at the front end when they first get there -- and a lot of hands-on activities. This is not a contemplative bunch. But, I think once we figure each other out, we'll have a grand time.

Russell spent the whole week sick with a head cold. Which I caught Friday night. Not fun.

Speaking of Friday, somehow War Games ended up on our Netflix queue, and we didn't remember anything untoward in it (except for the language; I still remember that from the summer -- 1983? 1984? -- we watched it so many times, we ended up counting all the swear words in the movie) so we watched it as a family. And, you know what? It holds up as a movie. The technology is delightfully out of date (dial-up modems! Commodores! Pay phones!) but it still works as a story. And the girls -- especially Alison and Kristen (who ended up crying at the end) -- really liked it. Count that as a win for the 80s.

Yesterday we cleaned and were lazy. It warmed up enough for Russell to go out and tinker with the gate in our back fence (one of the boards keeps splitting, because the wind slams the gate shut, so we needed something that was self-locking and yet so that Kristen and Alison can open it from the outside). I cleaned the laundry room (my spring cleaning goal: clean a room when it gets so bad I  can't stand it anymore) and was sick.

Church today was okay. Nothing major, either good or bad. And now we're settled in for the afternoon, reading and watching movies. And resting up before another week of crazy.

Stay warm.

An Introvert's Nightmare

Two things first: 1) I'm really not a die-hard introvert. I do work in retail, and have to interact with people when I'm there, and I do like hanging out with small groups of friends on occasion and 2) I married an extrovert, and some of that has rubbed off over the years. I'm not as introverted as I could be. (In fact, in some crowds -- like at KidlitCon -- I'm the extrovert.)

That said, some weeks are such that by the end of them, the idea of running away to a quiet house with absolutely no interruptions for a very long time sounds like my idea of heaven.

It was one of those weeks.

It's not that it was a bad week. It wasn't. I went to work on Monday and Tuesday, we celebrated Russell's birthday, and Russell took the younger two girls to see Cloudy With a Change of Meatballs 2 on Tuesday. (It was barely worth the "flashback" price of $1.50 per person, but Alison and Kristen liked it.) We stayed up late drinking hot cocoa, watching stupid viral YouTube videos (Google goat remixes, if you're curious) and Skyfall (which was okay until Mr. Penelope Cruz showed up. It went downhill from there, and the ending was outright mockable).

Wednesday was our New Year's party. I am always grateful we have so many friends, but sometimes having them ALL in the house at one time is a bit... exhausting. I think everyone has a great time, there is good food, and fun games, and lots and lots of talking (football? They play football on New Years Day?? *sigh*). But, by the end of it all, I'm happy that they all go away.

Then, Thursday, I faced one of my big fears and gave an hour-long presentation to two groups of (probably) fifty middle- and high-school teachers. I wasn't alone -- the store owner (and my boss) came along to help and lend some gravitas to the program -- but since I'm the designated "expert", it was my show. I went into the store for a couple hours before, and I was a nervous wreck. (Then again, I am always a nervous wreck.) The presentations went fine (the first better than the second. Next time, bring water and peanuts!). You wouldn't think talking for two hours would make you tired, but, I was. How do teachers do it day in and day out? (Makes me happy I didn't choose teaching as a profession.)

And the kids have been home all week, and getting increasingly restless. We decided that winter break is more difficult than summer, if only because you're stuck inside and with your family with no escape for two solid weeks. By the end of it, though no one really wants to get up early and go to school, we're all more than happy to get back into a routine.

Friday, we decided that we needed to get OUT and dragged the girls to the art museum. It really is a nice museum, for what it is. We finished (I think I've been there two or three times total since we moved here), and I went away with the feeling "that's all?" But that's only because I've been spoiled: Detroit, Chicago, Washington D.C., New York. Wichita can hardly compare. But there were some nice exhibits -- our favorite was the virtual/digital art from San Jose -- and the girls had fun (or enjoyed it at any rate). But we got out, which was the most important part.

There was Dr. Who watching and cleaning and failed sleepovers, and not-so-failed play dates, and a funeral (for a ward member) in there as well. And today we're back to morning church, much to my enjoyment (yay!) and the girls displeasure (they miss sleeping in!). And tomorrow, in spite of the cold and snow, we're back to a SCHEDULE. Yay for those!

Only two more weeks until Sherlock. (It makes January seem shorter.)

Merry Movie Week

It seems that we've spent the week being lazy and watching movies. We must be on break.

It snowed on Monday, I think, which means that even though I went to work, most people were homebound. Including the kids. Which is why they watched so many movies. Kristen and Russell have basically finished Goblet of Fire, and so they watched that movie. It took several days, but they did it. She says the movie is just "eh".

We also had an impromptu fondue-night (fondue is so good, why don't we have it more often?) and watched the Sing-Off finale. Our favorite group (Home Free) won, so that made us happy.

Tuesday, we went out to the actual theater and saw Frozen. It's a terrific movie, silly trailers aside. It's got a great heroine, some good songs (so what if they turn it into a stage musical!) and some really fine moments. All the girls loved it. And Russell and I even teared up. Afterward, we ate our meal and went across town to a really nice service (with a handbell choir!) at St. James Episcopal church. It's in College Hill near the bookstore, so I saw a few regular customers there. That was kind of fun. The best part is still singing Silent Night by candlelight. It's not Christmas without that. We watched the George C. Scott Christmas Carol after the kids went to bed, because I'd had enough crying for the day. It's a Wonderful Life will have to wait for a less tearful Christmas Eve.

Wednesday, the girls were nice and didn't get us up until 7. We opened our few presents (they get smaller and more expensive as the kids get older...) and Skyped with Megan for a couple of hours, which was quite nice. The younger girls watched Monsters University, which Santa brought, and Caitlyn and I watched Pitch Perfect. Which is on the crass side, but has good music and some funny moments. And I love Fat Amy.

Thursday, I had to go into work, and I think the Chavezes came over. There was more movie watching, but I don't quite know what. Thursday night, Russell and I watched The Blind Side, which was an okay story. It needed more football.

Friday, we were lazy (yet again). I don't actually remember what happened. I fell into a vortex and didn't come out until this morning. The tree got taken down, the Christmas decorations got put away (with help from the elders), I climbed the stairs at work at least 20 times, and more movies were watched (The Emperor's New Groove and The Incredibles, I think.). The Chavezes were played with, as was Alison's friend, Sophia. Russell, Caitlyn, and I went to see Saving Mr. Banks, which is bad history but a good movie.

And today has been good. Cold, but good.

And now: on to January. Ugh.

The Joys of Christmas

Are plentiful, and this week was full of them.

There was:
baking
and gift-giving
and laughter
and friends
and stories
and plays
and good food
and carols
and singing
and family
and snow.

Sometimes I feel like December is "fake it till you make it" time. I do all these fun things for the kids, hoping that somewhere along the line, I catch the spirit of Christmas and start to enjoy it myself.

I think I finally did today.

Just in time, too.

Have a Merry Christmas!

A bonus Megan picture, if you haven't seen it yet. (She said when we talked to her this morning that Blogger keeps crashing, which is why she hasn't put up a blog post lately.)

The Rotary Club of Dibrugarh gifted me with a mekhela chadar!! It's gorgeous. 

I asked what a mekhela chadar was and she wrote this:

A saree is, besides a blouse and an underskirt, is one loooooooong piece of fabric.  A mekhela chadar is an underskirt, blouse, a piece of fabric for the skirt and piece of fabric for to wrap around the top. It's mostly seen in Assam, and is eaiser to put on than a tradition saree. I love it.

Late Nights and Culture

Christmas Busy is different from Regular Busy. Well, what it is, really is Regular Busy on top of Christmas Busy, which just means we're twice the Busy. Which also means that tempers are often short and we're tired. But, we're Determined to Have Fun and Enjoy Culture this Christmas.

Dangit.

So, it was Culture Week at the Fox house. Monday we got up the tree (can that count as Culture?) which is always fun. Though we had to finish it by 8 p.m. because the Sing Off is back. Which makes us a cappella lovers around here VERY happy. It also meant we were up late... which was nothing new for the week.

Tuesday's culture was a free orchestra concert at Century II. I think the kids were more excited about eating out -- we found a diner and got some good greasy burgers and fries before the concert. Once there, we were treated to some nice enough pieces. At least it was worth the price we paid.

Wednesday was more Sing Off. Turns out it isn't a regular mid-season replacement, but rather a two-week extravaganza, so we're going to cram as much a cappella into two weeks (on top of everything else) as we possibly can. (Dangit.)

Thursday, we had the sister missionaries over and introduced them to Danish Culture by making rosettes. I mentioned to them that this was a very stressful tradition for me -- hot oil plus little kids and all -- and Caitlyn made a joke that I'll still be stressing about the hot oil when the kids are 20. I'm here to say that no, when they're 20, making rosettes is a WHOLE lot easier. And a whole lot more fun for me. And they even ate some, which is a bonus. Kristen was disappointed because they had brought a game for us to play, but we did rosettes instead. ("STUPID ROSETTES.")

Friday, our culture was to go to Cowtown for their Victorian Christmas. It was INSANELY packed, because every girl scout in the city got a free ticket and it was hugely discounted for families (um, which is why we went). So we didn't see Santa, and we kinda sorta popped into some of the houses and all of us didn't stand in line to sent a telegraph to Santa. BUT, we did get a wagon ride, talk to a magician, and spent some time chatting with the historical interpreters at the farmhouse. I even played their pump organ. I'm glad I don't have to pump my own organ every Sunday.... We had a good time.

And yesterday, after chores and a shopping trip for gifts for each other and friends (only three stores! We found most of our presents at Watermark. I love my bookstore.) we went to see the Nutcracker. I enjoy going when we can, and I'm glad we get a deal with Friends to see their version, I'm starting to think we need to Branch Out. Maybe do something different? That said, Kristen Loved it. Very much.

And today's been good. Not spectacular, but good. And I had a reminder that maybe the best gifts aren't the ones that come from a store. (Maybe Christmas means a little bit more?)

10 days.

(I adore the Minions. Period.)

One Row on the Advent Calendar

Eight days fly quickly past
when there's so much to do.
The bookstore is busy (at last)
And early nights there are few.

Christmas music is (mostly) no irritation
as we loudly sing along.
(Snow Miser/Heat Miser is constantly in rotation;
Mom is tired of that song.)

There are concerts full of singing.
Caitlyn with the school choir,
Church music programs in the evening,
But nothing by the fire.

Decorations up and mailing done
Homemade wreath on the wall.
Chemistry cupcakes made and assignments filled.
Driving kids to school is such a ball.

Celebrating Alison's birthday
With presents and good cheer,
Happy birthday, we say,
As she turned another year.

Christmas time is full of cheer
This we all know.
Even though the weather turned cold
And there is still no snow.

On Skype and Being Lazy

Because Christmas is not complete without
bacon-flavored Candy Canes.

We have spent the better part of the last five days doing... nothing. Or mostly nothing. Vacation mode is bliss. And it means tomorrow morning is going to hit us all hard.

The week leading up to Thanksgiving break was short, thankfully. I had training at work (for a new computer system. It's daring to implement it at the start of Christmas season, but honestly? It's soooo much better. Yay for upgrades!) and the girls had school. Well, Alison and Kristen did. Caitlyn got out of her second day of school by getting hit on the head with a basketball (for the second day in a row), getting sent to the nurse's office, and getting sent home (which involved me leaving work early, picking her up, giving her strict instructions, and then heading back) with a mild concussion. She was fine by Wednesday. (Of course.)

Wednesday was Baking day. Thanksgiving was at our house this year, but we didn't do the turkey. The guests we invited had a Dream of doing a bacon-wrapped turkey, and so we let them. We did all the carbs. From the rolls, to the potatoes, to almost all the pies (I don't cook pumpkin or apple, so a third party -- we had more people for dessert and games -- brought those). And while I baked (well, Caitlyn made the French Silk pies and Alison made the chocolate pudding pie), Alison and Kristen played. All day. The house was trashed, but I was glad that they got along so well.

We also spent the break watching Dr. Who. I mentioned off-hand to Caitlyn that I was interested in a Dr. Jack Harkness episode, and that evolved into her picking the "best" episodes of each of the past three doctors for us to watch. And Alison got interested, and so she started watching as well. It's been, well, fun. I have no interest in being Thorough and watching all of the episodes. But I have enjoyed what I've seen.

Thanksgiving was nice as well. It's been gorgeous weather (by my standards) here; sunny and in the 50s. We Skyped with Megan in the morning for an hour and a half (in spite of tech issues on her side; we could see her, but she couldn't see us). It was nice to see her and catch up with her. She's doing well. And we did our Thankful leaves with her. She said she was thankful for Skype and Facebook, and I have to admit: I am, too. This would be much harder if I didn't have the internet to keep me in touch with my daughter.

And then we had people over for dinner. We ate until we were all rolling, we laughed and talked and played silly games and just had a grand time until we kicked everyone out at 6ish.

Friday, Caitlyn and I braved Black Friday to get some clothes and a coat for her and managed to pick up a few Christmas presents in the process. We didn't go first thing, though, which made it not-so-bad. And I took Alison and Kristen shopping for some jeans. Why is it that jeans grow holes in the knees and crotch? Oy.

And Saturday, we got out Christmas stuff. When Thanksgiving is late, there really is no downtime for catching your breath. Twenty-four days and it's over. Hard to think about it that way.

Church today was nice. I bore my testimony, which is never easy for me. But I've been thinking about it for a while. And it was good to get up and do it. And I braved Relief Society for the first time in YEARS. It was, well, dull. I miss Primary, but that can't be helped, can it?