on the mend

Last week was not what I intended it to be. We were sick (we being the children and I, Super Man seems to rarely ever get sick and he already took his turn for the next 10 years or so). Grace even stayed home one day. We lounged a bit in our pjs, coughed on each other, and relished in the idea we had no where to go. The next day everyone felt better. Well, everyone but me. I pretended I felt better, because I had better things to do than sit around being sick. Who has time for that? I played that way all week until I couldn't play anymore. Saturday it hit me. Super Man agreed with my self-diagnosis of bronchitis (it helps that I had that last year the the symptoms including the old-man wheezing where the same). With the help of some appropriate meds and some serious veggeing, I started the mending process. I played hookie from church (and napped during the time my family was gone - oh how I love a good nap in a quiet house). And today, well I'm better. I can move about caring one load of laundry after another without being short of breath. I'm not achy and I'm not too cranky (though the children might disagree, but we're all entitled to our own opinion, right?) So here's to a new week - may it be one without wheezes and crankies and one full of sunshine and fun.

we're back

We survived a Spring Break Road Trip. And by survived I mean that we went, we're back, the laundry's done, and we're all still speaking to each other. Fourteen hours each way makes for a lot of togetherness. We went up to Northern California and saw Nate's old stomping grounds (and lots of other things). We visited cousins and friends and San Francisco. We pondered why we don't live there and found the answer to our question at about 5:50 p.m. one evening (traffic - its easy to forget how awful it is when you haven't been in it in a decade). We were rained on A LOT and found it ironic our first day back to the grind in AZ it rained A LOT as well.

Today we think fondly on our trip in the comfort of our own home as we cough and sneeze at each other. Grace has the added bonus of coughing and sneezing on us and not her school mates. A nap is in order for some and I think 2 out of 3 of us may actually cross the line of sleep.

Wishing you a restful Tuesday. May you find joy in your journey (wherever it is you are going - across country, across town, or across the living room) and relish in the laundry when you get home too.

the cape

An amazing and talented gal who used to live near me in STL (both she and I now reside in different parts of the country) made this cape for Jimmy's Halloween costume many, many moons ago. She had no pattern but she certainly had know-how.

The cape can be worn while riding one's scooter or bike, while making breakfast, and playing with cars or trucks. You should note it is effective at Target to keep all the bad guys at bay. Its also helpful when watering the garden and a nice accessory to tooth brushing.

The cape is constructed with two layers of material cut into almost a triangle shape (with a straight edge at the top). When first made, the cape came to about mid-to-upper calf on him. (I guess he's been growing up, huh?) An extra swath of cloth was used to make a fastener that went in front of the neck. It was secured so it was not tight in the least with Velcro tabs. (This allows the superhero to disrobe as quickly as possible when he is trying to regain his incognito status). The "J" was then stitched on top in an applique sort of fashion.

The only role I played in the construction of this masterpiece was hemming and hawing over which material to use and that took about 2 minutes (its all about color combinations, people). Then the MacGyver of Domesticity whipped it together in no-time and we have been forever grateful.

So if you are even slightly crafty and unafraid of your sewing machine (its a fear I still need to overcome), I bet you can whip out one of the guys in no time!

dream on

The following actually took place in one of my vivid dreams of last night-
Donald Trump came up to me with that crazy flop of hair while carrying an acrylic pitcher of Diet Coke. "You want to split this?," he said. "Sure," I said.

We were of course sitting across from an immaculate-looking Sophia Loren named Donatella Versace. She of course was sitting with Valentino.

Now if only I could remember what I was wearing, I'm sure it was amazing.

wild kingdom

The children have decided to use their new nets (the butterfly variety) to catch rabbits. The plan is to just swoop the net over the bunny's head. They have conducted a thorough search of the backyard on tiptoe (one in actual sneakers, the other in frog boots - kind of hard to tiptoe in those as it becomes more of a quiet clunk).

After a few minutes they requested some vegetables to bring outside. They were given leftover sliced red peppers from last night's dinner. This allowed for the next step in a proper rabbit hunt: tiptoeing around the yard with their nets and produce. After a few minutes of that, they decided the rabbits wouldn't come if they (the children) were still outside.

Its now time for the next step in the rabbit hunt - Rabbit Trickery:
G: Hey, I'm real, real sleepy. Aren't you Jimmy?
J: No. I not sleepy.
G: (whispering) Just say that you are
J: (whispering) Okay. I am.
G: Okay bunnies, we're tired. We're going to bed.
Then they tip-toe around the corner.

Still no bunnies to behold.

Next they ask for carrots. Because you know, bunnies really like carrots - not red peppers.

They now are sneaking around the yard with their new produce (not sure of the fate of the red peppers yet).

J: Carrots, Carrots!! Any bunnies in the yard want carrots at my house?

Wait!

I've now been asked to find lettuce. I was instructed not to worry though, as they are just going to place it by a rabbit hole. Minor problem is that they haven't found one yet. However, they now are armed with shovels. The consensus is that the rabbit hole is buried and all they have to do is just dig it up.

Could this be a yard-sized conspiracy to get out of eating salad tonight?
hmmmmmmm

queen of cool

Third Grade is cool. Its a place where just about everyone is cool and everyone does cool things. Its also a place where you can say if someone isn't cool. Someone like Justin Bieber. Apparently he's fallen out of coolness with this third grade crowd. What does this mean for his career, I wonder?

Also, there's a new "cool" game one plays in the Third Grade. Its called Slug Bug. This has nothing to do with a burnt out headlight though, it only has to do with VW Bugs. When one sees one, one punches one's brother in the back seat. It is delightful. We've scaled it back a bit to just yelling "Slug Bug" whenever one comes into view (less bruising that way). This is how it went this morning:
G: SLUG BUG!!!!
Me: That's not a Slug Bug, that's a Porsche.
G:Oh, well they look alike.
Me: That's grounds right there for not being ready to play Slug Bug

In other news when we went to check on our automotive enthusiast last night, she woke up a bit. Then she sat up in bed and gave us a mini-lecture on the metric system. The hilarious thing to me is that she was totally awake. Who does that?!! Only my girl.

We are so lucky to have her!
I sure to love that girl of mine.

day of rest

Yesterday was Monday, and it really felt like a Monday. I got a lot of things done, but in doing so found myself 5 minutes late for everything. That is why I am grateful for Tuesdays.

Tuesday lately has been our day of taking it easy. One of its beauties is that Jimmy doesn't have school. So he and I take a casual approach. We even are casual in our dress. I generally opt for sweats for a good part of the day. He goes for something a bit more freeing than that.

Once I convince him to put clothes on, we venture outside. He'll ride his bike, or we'll go to the park. Sometimes if we are wild and crazy we may run an errand or two. In between all our activities we'll do laundry, watch whatever fine entertainment Disney Jr. is offering, we'll swashbuckle, and play rousing games of Goldfish (you may just call it Go Fish). And we'll wait with anticipation for The Bus.

The Bus is an exciting thing for Jimmy because it brings home his girl. She'll bound into the house full of news, drama and tragedy all from the world we call The Third Grade.

We slog our way through homework (Jimmy will often join in and do his; lately he's really been into dot-to-dot and writing his letters) and then we're done. No more responsibilities, no more places to go. Just plenty of time to play with our toys, dabble in more card games (Goldfish and Blackjack), build forts, etc. Sometimes an early bath is in order. Then its Jammie Time. I love Jammie Time. Don't you?