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Last Sunday, after much agonizing over subject matter and scouring the internet for inspiration/patterns, we carved our pumpkins.
There were vampires…
…and skulls…
…and Buzz (Go Jackets!)…
…and even Count von Count, who declined to be photographed for this interview. (All of the patterns were found on the internet, and I did not save links – sorry! Except for Buzz…I created that stencil myself.)
You’ll notice I didn’t take too much care with the photography, because certainly, I would set these on the front porch soon enough for a quick photo session, as usual. Yeah…did I mention the whole flu thing? By the time it occurred to me to do anything about the pumpkins, it was Thursday. I attempted to pick up my jack o’lantern, and my fingers went through its bottom. Oh dear. Upon closer inspection, we found that all four pumpkins were covered inside with a nice layer of mold and fuzzy, white “hair.”
We moved them out to the front porch, anyway, hoping we could at least light them on Halloween night, but by the next morning, they were caving in. Since we haven’t set up a compost bin yet, they’re currently awaiting the garbage truck. You should probably be glad I didn’t take pictures.
Jason and the boys are currently out for Round II of The Great Candy Grab. Round I ended with shivers, followed by a halftime with a giant pizza and the first half of The Sorcerer’s Stone, our usual Halloween night movie. The boys donned hoodies under their costumes and hit the streets to see what else they could haul in.
How about those blasters? I saw this tutorial linked on Geek Dad this week and immediately sent it to Jason. (Not that I couldn’t – or wouldn’t! – make them myself, but he did ask what he could do to help. He had fun with it, and he rarely gets to be involved in the Halloween costuming.)
In an effort not to pass Hamthrax H1N1 onto the entire neighborhood, we decided to leave our candy out on the porch for the neighbors. In an additional effort not to let the first three kids get all the candy, I did this:
The boys are back, not-so-patiently waiting to restart the movie, so off I go. Once they’re in bed, Jason and I will cross our fingers and hope AMC is showing some wonderful old Vincent Price movie.
Have a safe and spooky Halloween!
Today, the one I’ve seen several times is “Hamthrax.” Heh, cute.
Whether you go all clinical (like we have around here), calling it H1N1, or can’t quite let go of the original, media-hyped Swine Flu! (OMG, PIG Flu! Like Bird Flu, only with hooves and a funny snout!), we seem to have welcomed it into our household this week. The evidence is there, and I can only say we’ve been blessed with a pretty mild case. It’s sure a lot more mild than the flu I had while pregnant with Nicky nearly ten years ago. Now, that was a flu to write home to the sty about…*
But back to the Hamthrax H1N1. Nicky came down with A Fever Sunday night, so of course he stayed home from school the next day, and I cancelled my Monday trip to Costco and my volunteer time at the library. (Mondays = excitement. Yeah.) Kalen skipped happily off to his first grade class. (From my car in the school parking lot. I’m not quite ready for him to walk to school alone. Give me a few years.) Nicky watched some movies.
Tuesday morning at 2:00am, Nicky’s Fever broke. He stayed home, though (that pesky “24-hours fever-free” rule), and The Fever returned mid-day. We watched the Real Star Wars trilogy. That evening, Jason and I came down with Fevers (both of us), chills (me), and a sore throat (him). Wednesday through Friday found me missing the school bus stop in front of our house in Georgia desperately, as we took turns getting a surprisingly healthy Kalen to and from school. It also found the remaining three of us holed up in the living room with an odd assortment of The Today Show, Jason’s work lap top (he’s still contracting = no paid sick time = EARN, Baby!), Phineas and Ferb, books, quilts, pillows, The Deadliest Catch, and I really can’t remember what else.
Everyone seems to be improving in time for at least some of us to hit a street or two for Treats tomorrow night. (Sans adult-sized Jedi robes for Jason et moi. *Sob* The sacrifices one makes for illness.) My pesky Fever lingers on. It’s little more than an annoyance, causing wooziness whenever I stand up long enough to, say, load the dishwasher, take a shower, or walk into the school to pick Kalen up from his after-school Nature Club. Given its obvious efforts to keep me from accomplishing anything beyond becoming addicted to the adventures of Sig Hansen and crew, I’m tempted to christen our version of h1n1 The Sloth Flu.
See? It even sounds less menacing. The Sloth Flu. Sloths are slow. (Who among us has ever seen a sloth race at the county fair?) Certainly we can all outrun this pandemic before it gets off the ground.
*Yes, yes, I know this flu can be very dangerous and deadly. It hasn’t been for us, though, and we are grateful. Seriously, that ‘99-’00 (I had it over The New Millennium New Years, for crying out loud! And our anniversary! And I was pregnant!) flu really knocked me for a loop, so that’s my basis for comparison.
I have been scatterbrained and completely unfocused on doing anything fun and creative lately. My blog has been withering, the posts have been piling up in my Google Reader, I haven’t done a scrapbook page since leaving Atlanta, the crochet hooks are cold and lifeless.
The final straw? I forgot 12 of 12 yesterday. I love 12 of 12. It’s no Bench Monday, but it does make me happy.
The solution? I’ve given up on Project 365 (one less thing to think about on a daily basis), and I caught up on my Google Reader, which has inspired me to at least get blogging again.
Balance. Isn’t that always the key? It is for me. Funny that using that particular key also happens to be one of my biggest challenges in life.
All of this is not to say that life has been boring or that I’ve been unfulfilled – quite the opposite, in fact! We made the decision upon moving here to refrain from participating in any time-consuming extracurricular activities for a while. This has resulted in an unprecedented amount of family togetherness. Board games and garage saling and letterboxing, dinners with all four of us gathered around the table…these are incredibly good things. The boys and I walk back and forth to school most days (a new experience for us all!). They play on the playground after school while I chat with other moms and [hopefully] form some new friendships (…and thank Heaven for my friend j., who provided me with a built-in amazing friendship and support system and tour guide, all in one.).
On top of all of this, I desperately need what is usually the first thing to fall by the wayside – creative outlet. Something that’s all mine, and mine alone. My feet on a bench. My hook in some yarn. My hand on the mouse. My fingers on the keyboard. That’s all I need…a lot of one, or a little of each.
So, since I spent yesterday morning ironing shirts, this morning calling doctors in Seattle (requesting appointments) and Atlanta (requesting records), and the afternoons on the school playground, I dedicate this evening to me.
Oh, to have the energy of a six-year-old when I don’t feel my best!
Kalen has a stinker of a head cold. Sleep last night was intermittent, and given the paranoia reasonable concern about germs these days, we decided a day home was probably best for everyone involved. The kids at school would have less exposure to the nastiness Kalen’s carrying, and he would have less exposure to potentially worse viruses while his immune system is run down. Win-win.
Today has reminded me a lot of when he was in preschool. Cuddle time on the couch, PB&J’s in front of a movie (old-school Pooh Bear, complete with blustery days and little black rain clouds!), and coloring.
There is one notable difference between four-year-old Kalen and six-year-old Kalen when it comes to coloring, however. The stories…the really, really destructive nature of them, to be exact. I was just treated to an hour-long (at least it felt that way – perhaps it was only about five minutes) explanation of certain “Vulture droids”* in various stages of exploding. Pre-explosion, impact of missiles and other droids/ships/somethings, actual explosion and/or crashing into what I observed to be a flame-engulfed planetoid of some sort.
He didn’t start the explanation in a seated position…this was only after a lengthy dancing/jumping/arm-waving speech that had me nodding and “uh-huh-ing” in a confused, sort-of-listening manner. (I’m sorry, after a while, I just have to tune it out.) Once I pulled him in for a hug and explained that perhaps Daddy would find this much more comprehensible, after all, he’s the Mythbusters-style explosions addict, the Vulture Droid Annihilator gave me the same sort of “uh-huh” before settling into the chair to expound a bit more. Touché, kiddo.
Incidentally, it was the bottom center photo that clued me into what he really needed, besides a semi-listening ear and a hug or two. Another difference between four-year-old and six-year-old Kalen: he now understands it when I explain the need for nap time when he’s sick.
*And with this, we have proof that the boys’ Star Wars knowledge has officially surpassed my own. Sigh.
One of my least favorite types of blog post is that “Ohmygod, I can’t believe I haven’t posted in so long, I’msosorry” post we all seem tempted to do now and then. Soooo let’s just pretend I didn’t just say that and move right along, okay?
Seriously, though, inspiration has been lacking. I’ve been completely distracted by the house (and, yes, life). My favorite sister, upon being asked what I should blog about, promptly replied, “Me!” Mmkay. I did ask.
Yep, that’s her! The J.D., the soon-to-be Esq. (only two more months until we get confirmation she passed the Bar!), the soon-to-be Californian (again). You can tell by her windswept, carefree look that this photo was taken before she began law school, and indeed, I snapped it when I visited her on my birthday weekend in 2006. A few months later, she would move to Virginia and start the three-year Stress Fest that is law school, followed by BarBri, followed by The Exam Itself, followed by the Yeah-Right-I’m-Supposed-To-Wait-Patiently?!? period of post exam deflation. (Hmm. Methinks the girl deserves a break.)
To the surprise of no one in the family, Heather did head out to California to take the Bar Exam in July. It’s been obvious to all of us since the family moved away from SoCal in 1991 that Heather would be back eventually. There had been some discussion about staying in Virginia after law school, but really. Heather out of California always has a temporary feel.
So, January it is! The road trip begins then (sadly, not for me – the munchkins require me here). I wonder if she’ll let me blog it?
Did we make it to Seattle?
Did the movers get here with all our stuff?
Do we have too much of said stuff?
Have we gotten any unpacking done?
Is it just beyond great to have the family back together again?
Tomorrow at this time, most of our stuff will probably be packed on the moving truck. I wonder if the whole moving thing will hit me then. Or will it be when we’re getting on the plane? Or will it be in a few weeks, when we don’t “come home” from Seattle?
I have been a packing fiend the past few days. I didn’t realize quite how much stuff we had scattered through Mom and Dad’s house, but it’s all done now, except for a few key entertainment things: the Wii, a bin of DVD’s, the lego bin, my computer. Easy enough to finish up this afternoon and evening. (And in the case of my computer, probably late tonight.)
This may be my last post before we hit Seattle, so here’s a proper Bench Monday send-off:
The tape gun and I are very close friends now! We have a lot in common. You need to keep us fed to keep us working, and neither of us works as well out in the humid garage as here in the nice air conditioning. It bites when it’s in a bad mood, though. I don’t tend to bare my teeth that often. (I hope.)
As I was lying in bed last night, a list of people began forming in my mind. These are the people without whom this move might not have happened. I think I’ve thanked them all profusely in private, but they also deserve a public hip-hip-hooray:
Mom and Dad: Duh. Hello, they offered up their home long before the thought would have occurred to us. They rearranged the house, gave up grandparental spoiling rights for a few months, and allowed us the greatest gift of all: choice. Because of them, we had the choice of following our dreams when Jason was laid of.
The G Family: Who have put Jason up rent-free since he got to Seattle in early March. They gave up their privacy and their guest room (a special Thanks to all their other visitors during this time, who were displaced to couches and play rooms), and they provided transportation to and from the airport, great advice, and amazing friendship. Also to their boys for being our boys’ built-in, ready-and-waiting friends in a new place.
Jason’s Mom and Dad: Their basement/garage has been our storage area since December, when we started getting the house ready for market. Like my parents, they have also been extremely supportive of our decision to move so far away.
My Swister: She told me it was okay if I couldn’t afford to come up for her law school graduation in May, which was incredibly selfless and made me more determined than ever to be there.
The R Family, here in the ATL: Heather keeps me sane (and sometimes simply identifies with and validates my insanity), their pool kept us entertained, and the whole family are the best friends we could ask for.
The O Family in OKC, and the E Family in Wyoming: They provided housing on our drive across country, and they both gave me awesome birthday celebrations, too. Not to mention, they’re simply great people & friends! (Best of luck to the O Family with your own move this weekend!)
The June Mommies: They keep me sane, too, and are an amazing gift.
Our Awesome Realtor, Cheryl: She worked hard and was so helpful in selling our home. She had an emotional interest in doing the best she could for us, and it showed.
Dave Ramsey and his Total Money Makeover: We’d been following his plan for nearly two years when this thing began, and without that plan, we would have been in much more dire straits.
Everyone Else: Who has prayed for us, visualized us in Seattle, bit their tongue if they thought we were nuts, and loved us.
…and last but definitely not least, Jason, Nicolas and Kalen: Jason made the biggest leap possible outside his comfort zone in moving three thousand miles away, not knowing how long it would last, and never having lived apart from family before. The stress has been unbelievable, I know. The boys have handled this thing with amazing grace for nine- and six-year-old kids.
To all of you (and to anyone else I’ve forgotten in my current scatterbrained state):
Happy Birthday, Kalen!
When Kalen realized that his birthday dinner party was approaching quickly, he began making plans. “We have to make decorations! Can I have a banner, Mom?”
A banner? Sure. I’ve been wanting to make a pennant banner for a while anyway…and wouldn’t it be neat if it were a permanent one that we could hang up every time one of us had a birthday?
Of course, it had to be made out of materials on hand, but hello, we’re living with my mother! Being a lifelong artist and craftsperson, she’s always a good great phenomenal resource for this kind of project.
She and I are also a great brainstorming team, and she manages to turn my ideas into great end products. Some felt, paint, and ribbon (plus a few days of work) later, and voila!
Behold our two-sided Family Birthday Banner, courtesy of Grandma Wanda!
The letters are done in Aunt Bertha, which I think is such a fun font for a celebratory banner. Thank you, Mommy.
