it's all good

ok, my writing is going even sloooowwweeerrr but i'm having a fun few days at home with the boys who are enjoying a remembrance day long weekend. today was a series of monopoly games and reading (enjoying the newest vogue and a stack of books i keep switch-hitting between) we made more of our favorite homemade pizza pops and a few apple turnovers. recipe here. we figured out the cost per unit was 21cents. ridiculously cheap, preservative-free and ultra yummy. on a note of caution -- this is what happens when you ask your 12 year old to pose for your blog post ;)

i needed that sleep-in

(theirs, i mean, altho i did sneak a little mid morning nap myself) ah the luxury of the whole family's day off (but the eye twitching that is going on now, i tell you -- the boys are wrestling and yelling -- bouncing off the wall feels too tame a phrase ;)

a few more days of this -- their school tends to group proD days and the like into many convienient long weekends (oh so handy if you have a cabin to pop off too, if not, get the activity brainstorm flurry going ;) so the oldest played squash with his grandpa and the middle one went shopping for a new mp3 and the littlest one felt left out

while i tied together some fat red beads for this birdie perched on branches in front of the fire place (more stealth Christmas decorating) he made what looked like an advent calendar. turned out it was a "being good" chart (complete with money holding envelopes to fill) -- he was busy brainstorming too and has decided that he wants his mp3 version in red.

mmm hmmm

parent like the Joneses aren't watching

i nod when i read jacki kennedy's famous quote: "If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much."

but i also think that what contemporary society worries is bungling would be to stop making life so bump-free for their kids (what would happen if we didn't buy new things every time our children broke theirs? natural consequences, that's what)

i'm not advocating for ignoring bullying and making kids "deal with it on their own" or not providing any activities or stimulation for the kids while spending over the top on the "happy mommy lifestyle"

but there is something to be said for parenting children for their path and not preparing the path (free of any trouble or distress) for them. the negative stuff of life is what makes them happy and resilient people. if they have never had to deal with it before, good luck to their adulthoods.

hang up this quote (i saw it in my friend [fabulous, involved parent] christine's house and decided it fit my parenting philosophy too and was tres reassuring because every time i read it, it feels right and makes sense big-picture wise.

The best thing to spend on your children is time.

(some of that time is spent engaging negatively with them -- explaining why you're saying "no", but the other stuff -- giving them everyday memories and a picture of adults who are content and happy and enjoying life, even with its challenges and short-falls -- will trump every time)

nodded through this article too on how we as society are driving ourselves crazy trying to over-provide for this give the kids everything you can lifestyle because we don't want our kids falling behind their peers. (at the most noble, we just want them to be happy; at the least admittable, we want them to be have better/be more than everyone else's)

this is not making them better kids, or smarter ones, or happier ones (you HAVE to read "The Price of Privilege" by madeline levine)

it doesn't have to be a severe lifestyle shift. just start asking yourself at each new day, request, situation, if this is how your life and parenting resources are best spent. you'll know what is big-picture worthy.

________________

i am signing off to drink coffee and write solo. the whole family has a day off so i am hoping the late night family b-day dinner will have worked its magic and guarantee a sleep-in or two ;)

ok, i warned you i was craving Christmas

i've been wanting a nativity set for a while now, specifically the willow tree one, mostly for their adorable little lambs -- but mostly in a dreamy way -- not enough craving to save up or plunk down plastic for it.

today i found my perfect set. you know when you find those mini (fairly ugly) little plastic sets? did you ever think of what would happen if you covered it in a few coats (or add a few more for me -- the one who let her five year old paint it orange first to occupy him while she coffee-ed with a girlfriend) of semi-gloss enamel? it's a beautiful transition and it's like my instant deck saga -- things are now just fine without the first image i had in my mind.

i'm lucky enough to have the computer without the boys hounding me for it so now am off to type out some story. let me know if you are inspired to cover unattractive figurines with porcelain white too.

FYI post script: funny things can happen when you are rushing the seasons -- my five year old told me today he knew where the wise men were buried.

me: (impressed. very in depth sunday school classes, perhaps?) really? where?

him: flanders fields

ok, so we need to do some prep for remembrance day and Christmas both.

it's not like i'm short on time ;)

before i had boys i did not imagine PG-13 gingerbread sessions

forget slugs and snails and puppy dog tails. heckling, gingerbread men in combat and missing gingerbread clothing, that's what i have to deal with ;) silliness aside, i'm not sure why the ginger-crafting is calling us so early this year. (maybe it's that the stores were marketing gingerbread houses even for halloween -- they were cute, but that's a stretch) we made our own mix (oh, too late for that you already saw the mix box on the counter ;) --ginger cookies adapted to house constructing consistency -- extra egg, milk, and flour -- worked well. i have to confess -- i even took out the ornaments and decided which ones for this year (green, cream and bling) a girlfriend and i are hosting a swap at month's end so we'll see if there are any ornaments wanting to join my crew then. now, on to work. e-mailing out an interview and sketching up some fiction for later.

it's a new day, longer list

i love fall. sweaters, movie nights, the kind of weather that just calls out for lattes with whipped topping...

this morning i'm wanting to write, but distracted by my to-do list. grown-up household stuff is constantly trying to get in the way of fun. but i won't be deterred from trying to make the fun the focus. fit in some relaxing crafting yesterday afternoon (see finally finished mini book and my little ninja's b-day layout) and today i am going to be all about fiction. (after i tackle that list, that is)

ok, it wasn't as terrifying as i thought it'd be ;)

none of my friends seemed to think i'd run out of things to say before my hour was up (in fact, they were laughing that i thought i might) but secretly i was.
not to worry. the chwk chapter of M.O.M.S (mentoring of moms society) were a gracious audience (lots of participation and the best goodies to snack on) i tried to recruit a few more bloggers to the blogosphere and talked about the usual subjects of my connectmoms.com articles : life/work/dreams and balancing them all.

in my dreams it's a lot easier

the writing life, in my dreams it's a lot of leisure and caffeine and introspective moments

the real version features caffeine (of necessity equal parts to pleasure) but fits in school fundraising, courtesy car securing, house tidying, early morning homework cramming, work deadlines, aspirations. ok, you get the picture. it's not that i want these things to disappear. i want to do them all. and

i know (because my dad reminds me if i forget) that all these things fuel my writing. i am never without an idea, because if i am, there are binders of ideas still to be put into words.

that said, there is a cramp in my neck, a messy little house to tend to, and a talk to put the finishing touches on for tommorow AM. i am sitting down right now. this is why i claim to be both a night (hang out with D on the couch and watch a movie) and morning (get up and get some work done before the interruptions start) person.

ok, taking a moment to squeal about today's finds -- more ribbon boards -- matching ones -- the little one for in the hall closet (so i can post inspiration to read when i'm looking for a towel) and a light one to contrast with my middle boy's dark one in his room. love where his and my style's intersect.