Miscellany

We've got some sunflower sprouts coming up! And a few little herb shoots. It's so satisfying to see that something I planted hasn't died.

For many months Corey has been into making wings for things. He sizes, draws, colors, cuts out and then tapes paper wings on to anything that strikes his fancy - stuffed animals, plastic animals, toy guys, Randy's toy Hummer (which he was pretending was Bumble from Transformers), himself, me. Is there any way we could use this interest and obsession?

Jenna is home from school today with her weird dizziness/throw-up symptoms. Even though she's sick I like it when she's home - we're all together and I don't have to hurry her up to get ready for school. She got in the car after school yesterday telling me all about Bloody Mary - how you have to say her name in a dark bathroom, etc. I could tell it was bothering her because she kept bringing it up, asking questions about it, wondering if she should try it. I told her it was all made up and that I'd heard that story as a kid and I tried it and it didn't work. It seems like I was in 4th or 5th grade, not 1st. So, I can see how it would feel more scary to her. (Don't you love the great things other people's kids teach your kids?) She ended up having to sleep on the floor in our bedroom.

Randy has peed in the potty several times - YES! We left him in underwear while we went to a friend's house to roast marshmallows on Sunday. (It was very fun. There were about 6 couples there - we sat around their portable fire pit while a herd of kids rode scooters and bikes up and down the street. I'm glad we went. I always start out not wanting to go and be forced to socialize, but it always turns out to be enjoyable.) Anyway, when we got home Randy was still dry. He started dancing around and so we had him sit on the toilet and . . . success. The whole peeing thing makes him nervous - he's reluctant to relax and let things flow, and he never seems to let it all out. (Sorry if that's more than you wanted to know.) Of course, he's had about 10 accidents - one while we were at Payless Shoes. Now I'm remembering why I haven't been so gung-ho about potty training this time around.

If I could have hired help I think I'd want: 1) a scullery maid - to do dishes, sweep/mop and clean up while I'm cooking and afterwards, maybe clean out the fridge and cabinets; 2) a professional shopper - I don't mind grocery shopping, but I just need someone to keep us all stylishly and modestly dressed on a reasonable budget. Almost all of the kids jean have holes in the knees and I dread going to look for new clothes. It takes so much time - you look and look, sometimes for hours and then find one or two things. The kids are usually nuisances - getting into stuff and running around so I have to stop and hunt them down every 5 minutes. It's miserable. It's a bit easier to grab clothes for the kids, but for me I want to try stuff on and see if I really like it - so time consuming. 3) a house cleaner - to do bathrooms, dusting, and vacuuming. I could do the tidying and organizing myself. 4) a grounds keeper - to do repairs around the house and keep the lawn and beds looking nice. I could do the planting and weed pulling in the veggie garden. What would I be doing if all these people were here to help? Working on projects like updating our 72 hour kits, planning/acquiring food storage, laundry, reading to and going places with the kids, cooking meals, exercising, putting together photo albums, trying new recipes, writing in a journal, going on hikes, etc. If only house elves were real . . . I'd be a very nice master. I don't really want hired help though - it makes me feel incapable. I mean, here are people taking care of YOUR house, when they have to take care of their own homes, too. You'd think I could keep my own affairs running smoothly - I'm still figuring it out.

It's raining. I like it. I wonder if Corey's golf will be cancelled.

Dion took the van to Honda today to get the back door fixed. The hydraulic things that hold the door up don't work anymore. Whenever I have to get out bikes or scooters I feel like Atlas with the weight of the door on my shoulders. Then, when I'm done and I try to close the door by letting it drop, even just a few inches, it makes such a loud bang that I'm sure it would kill any kid who happened to inadvertently get in the way.

Yesterday for science we watched the IMAX Deep Sea DVD from the library. It was cool.

OK, I've got to get on with the day.