Archive | October, 2010

The best part of camping

by Mir on October 30, 2010 in Oh look! Something furry!!

Outdoor dining, of course!

(Photo by Otto. Fur-face by Licorice.)

Comments { 14 }

Push and pull, laugh and cry

by Mir on October 29, 2010 in Aspi(e)rations, Offspring: ecstasy and agony

We’re going on a camping trip this weekend. We planned it… oh, I don’t know. Months ago. Last camping trip of the year, before we put the trailer back behind the house and cover it up and then, two weeks later, I will discover I need something from in there and have to bat my eyelashes at Otto to get him to go out back, undo the cover straps, venture into the cave-like inside, and retrieve it.

We don’t do as much vacationing as a family as I would like, and as the kids get older it only gets worse. Their time is limited. Rather, I should say Chickadee’s time is limited. She’s branching out into The World That Is Not Us, and that means she often has somewhere “better” to be, whether that is something educational or with her friends or whatever. And, of course, we split their free time with their dad, so that’s a constraint, too.

I want us to have more time to just enjoy being a family together, having fun. (more…)

Comments { 77 }

Clenched with anticipation

by Mir on October 27, 2010 in Health is overrated, My name is Grumplestiltskin

The time has come for me to dance with the devil in the pale moonlight.

Oh, wait. I already did that. (He stepped on my toes and had halitosis, by the way.)

No, actually the time has come for me to spend quality time with my dentist, and by “quality time” I of course mean “all of my money.” So that’s what I’ll be doing today, and I’m all kinds of excited.

Well, “excited” may be the wrong word. I am looking forward to not being in pain anymore. Might that happen? Hope springs eternal. As long as it’s not on the left side of my jaw, that is.

I’ve know for years and years that my dentist wanted to tackle my TMJ, but it wasn’t until my recent difficulties that I became willing to succumb. Which should tell you how miserable I am, right there. (more…)

Comments { 59 }

Hypothetical

by Mir on October 26, 2010 in Haven't been hit by lightning yet!

It would be wrong to give my perpetually-ass-dragging, non-morning-person 12-year-old a cup of coffee in the morning to see if it helps her navigate the morning routine more than my constant nagging, time checks, and exasperated yelling does, right?

I’m just asking. For, um, fun.

Comments { 81 }

Brainworm

by Mir on October 25, 2010 in It's not a regret, it's an "experience"

The piano piece that Chickadee was never able to master before the recital-that-wasn’t is stuck in my head. Da-da-da-dada, da-da-da-dada, dadadadadadadadadaddaaaaaaaaa ARGH. There’s now a 50-50 chance I can play it better than she can, and I don’t even play piano. At the very least, I can da-da-da it for you, though I may need to rock in the corner while I do so. I have Exciting Follow-up Piano News for you in a minute, though, so there’s that.

At the moment I am looking outside and feeling decidedly weird. While I enjoy not having to deal with snow here in the south, I’m not sure I fully appreciated the weather alternatives to blizzards, before moving down here. For example: it’s the end of October. Back home, we’d be ready for the first big snow ’round about now. But here, when I took the dog out at 6 this morning, it was 65 degrees outside. And now, the light in the yard is hazy and yellow because HI TORNADO WATCH.

I’ll be sure to let you know if I have to abandon this post halfway through to go hide in the storage space under the stairs. Or—more likely—to go try to wrestle open the door to the storage space under the stairs, blocked though it usually is by laundry baskets and the electric broom. (Emergency preparedness: The preparations weren’t optional? Whoops!) (more…)

Comments { 57 }

Fixing what’s broke

by Mir on October 23, 2010 in It's not a regret, it's an "experience", Offspring: ecstasy and agony

One of the things the kids were most excited about when we moved to Georgia—aside from the pool, because ZOMG A POOL WE MUST BE RICH—was that they were finally going to start taking piano lessons. I can’t give you a definitive answer on why we never did it before we moved, but I think it went a little something like: Sorry, we don’t have the money right now; well now you’re doing something else, instead; now we have the money and possibly the time but you no longer seem interested; and finally, HOORAY we have both the time and the money and you’re interested but… we’re about to move, so screw it.

So we waited until we moved. And then we got a recommendation. And the teacher was conveniently located and well-regarded and affordable and we said okay, let’s do this thing!

The kids have been studying with him for three years. Correction: The kids HAD been studying with him for three years. Because yesterday I fired him. And today I am still pissed off, but not nearly as much at him as I am at myself. (more…)

Comments { 51 }

Love and affirmation

by Mir on October 21, 2010 in It's not a regret, it's an "experience", Offspring: ecstasy and agony

In addition to the whirlwind that is a quick family visit (into which you feel like you really OUGHT to be able to cram a good six month’s or so worth of time together, even if it’s only a few days), the kids are having conferences this week at school. I love school conferences, because they represent a unique opportunity for me to embarrass my children.

Oh, I kid. About the embarrassing part, anyway. I mean, if Chickadee is to be believed, I can turn anything into an opportunity to embarrass her.

[Aside: One day before something at school she came upon me applying some mascara. "Why are you putting on MAKEUP?" she asked. "It's not a big deal."

"Oh, I just figured I'm so embarrassing to you just by existing, I'd at least make sure I looked okay, is all," I told her.

"You look fine without it," she said, and for a moment I smiled, until I heard her muttering on her way out, "It's not like mascara is going to keep you from being embarrassing."]

Anyway. Conferences. (more…)

Comments { 20 }

It’s a rough life

by Mir on October 19, 2010 in Oh look! Something furry!!

While I am busy grumbling that my dad and stepmom are here for such a short time and I still have to work and go here and there, they are perfectly content to amuse themselves and dote upon the dog.

Licorice is clearly not enjoying herself in the slightest. I mean, sure, she normally spends the entire day sleeping under that futon and now she follows my parents around and jumps up to sit beside them and demand petting at every possible opportunity, but really, she’s suffering on the inside.

As are they. Obviously.

Comments { 25 }

Nature, nurture, and ice cream

by Mir on October 18, 2010 in It's not a regret, it's an "experience", Offspring: ecstasy and agony

So my parents are here for a visit. That’s completely awesome because they are fun people, and also because our favorite collective hobby appears to be eating. I mean, sure, yes, we also talk a lot and go do stuff and watching Monkey grow in frustration that Grandpa’s sole mission on this trip isn’t actually to play Legos with him 12+ hours/day, but the main reason we all get together is so that we can order approximately twenty different things from our local Chinese restaurant and then sit at the table talking about how we really overdid it, this time, and we have WAY too much food, yes, and could you pass that one down, I haven’t tried that one yet, and yes, there’s dessert later if anyone wants ice cream….

You get the idea.

(Ha! You thought we only made food the central vacationing activity while on a cruise, but it turns out that we are gifted in the eating-excuses department, and can even make food the main attraction without ever leaving the house. Viva la oink!)

Anyway, when we are not eating, we are often discussing how much the kids have grown and how aggravating adorable they are. As one does. (more…)

Comments { 26 }

Together and apart

by Mir on October 15, 2010 in Offspring: ecstasy and agony

We have well and firmly entered the “Go away! I don’t have to listen to you! You’re not the boss of me! Wait, can you make me some eggs and also can I have a cuddle? God, LEAVE ME ALONE!” phase of Chickadee’s life. It’s infuriating magical. There’s nothing quite like that special bond between mother and daughter, where they love each other so much and yet regularly ANNOY THE CRAP out of each other.

Still. We do find our way to each other now and then. I don’t know that the sweet moments mean as much to her as they do to me, but that’s okay. Nor am I above clowning for her to get those moments in, you understand. Like, the last time I picked her up at school, her friend Joe was standing on the corner waiting to cross the street as we pulled out of the school driveway. So I said, “I’m going to run Joe over, okay?” and then delighted in her screeching laughter as I pulled the car just a leeetle too close to the curb. (Joe startled and then laughed as we waved at him.) (Technically I should maybe not be threatening to run kids over just to get a laugh from my daughter, but desperate times, man.)

One of the things I’ve recently discovered is that IMing or texting with her is often a lot easier than talking in person. It’s just enough distance to take the bristly bits out of the equation, you know? So yesterday I was sitting here working when she IMed me from school. Because apparently they don’t do any actual work, there. (more…)

Comments { 31 }
Older Entries »
Design by LEAP