MY BOGGY BLOG: find your way through the murk
Notes from the Homefront -- Theresa Jarosz Alberti, writer and mother... http://sapphire.albatross.org
Okay, blogging every day... even just remembering to do it... is not as easy as I thought it would be.
I'm hoping this week is a little less hectic. Last week it was getting ready for my party on Saturday, with me spending a good portion of my time sorting through about 10 old boxes that have been sitting around the basement for three years. The boxes needed to be out of the basement and ended up in the kitchen, and I know I needed to get rid of them by the party. I have a big mental block against sorting through heaps of clutter, but I did it. And found lots of stuff that I hadn't known the location of. Lots of pictures and old stuff of the kids'. It was such a relief to get it done! And then there was the cleaning and shopping and etc., for the party.
But it was a great time, worth all the work (I'm not sure my DH would say this!). We had a perfect sunny day in the 70s, and people coming and going from 3:00 to midnight. We had potluck so it was a great variety of food, and lots of kids around, lots of talk and laughter. I was honored so many people showed up to celebrate with me. I had a blast and didn't get too much teasing about getting "old" (especially since almost everyone I know is older than me!).
Today I taught the 6th graders at church school, and they were a good bunch and the class went very well. I'd been a bit worried about it because I don't think I've ever taught 6th graders, and it was the first time with this new curriculem and new teachers to teach with. And it was the day after a late night of partying. I don't *think* I had a hangover... just a bit of a headache.
And we enjoyed the day by going on a family walk around Lake of the Isles. I thought it was a smaller lake and that was why I asked if we could walk there. It was almost 3 miles around, so not that small. But the weather was so great and the lake was gorgeous, and it is less crowded on the walking paths there than at Lakes Calhoun or Harriet.
Now it's back to Monday tomorrow. I did get my new writing toy for my birthday, a wireless Alphasmart laptop. It has a tiny screen and runs on batteries so I can take it anywhere. I think it will be perfect for writing!
What can I say? I've been thinking a lot about this day, this changing of the decades. There's some trepidation going on for me, but also excitement, about turning a page and writing what comes next, making my life be what I want it to be.
The 30's were all about kids and depression, and trying to figure myself out. I had my youngest when I was 30, and all the little kid times were wonderful but hard, all the physical work of being home with little kids. Last night, after a day of going through boxes of old stuff, I uncovered this little notebook where I used to write down funny things the kids said or did when they were little. It was a blast, and the kids loved hearing how they used to be (except older DS, who was embarrassed!). It really brought me back to those times, the joy and craziness of it all.
Now I have a little more time and a lot less "physical" work with kids, so I can focus on me, too. It feels very freeing and scary and exciting, like looking forward to a roller coaster ride.
So here's to 40, and this decade of the 40s. May I follow my dreams!
Why oh why do I stay up so late? Every morning when I wake up so groggy, desperate for even a few minutes more sleep, I pledge that I will be a good girl and get to bed at a decent hour, like 10:30. Instead it's often 11:30, or 12:30... me riding on my second wind.
DH and I have the same bad habit, and we both remember and refer to an old Jerry Seinfield sketch, about Morning Guy and Night Guy. How Night Guy just wants to stay up and party, and Morning Guy pays the price. Morning Guy hates Night Guy. I will have to look up that sketch again sometime. Maybe there are some hidden truths I could glean from it.
I guess I'd better go to bed... sigh!
In 8th grade at our Unitarian Universalist church (First Universalist Church), the kids go through a 7-month program called OWLs-- Our Whole Lives. It is a sex education curriculem, taught by three instructors who are not parents, and this year, the teachers all have extensive sex ed backgrounds. They strive to create an open environment for kids to ask questions (they put them anonymously into a question box), get accurate information, and discuss with instructors and peers many aspects of sexuality. I've heard so many great things about it over the years, and now my twins will be in it!
This morning was the mandatory parent meeting about OWLs. The room was full of parents, and since I taught 7th grade last year, I know there are tons of "new" kids, or at least kids who were not made to go to Sunday school last year. Parents want their kids to take this class... it will be interesting to see if that continues throughout the year.
The questions and desires of the parents in the group as to what they want their kids to get out of this class showed the trepidation, seriousness, awkwardness, joy and excitement of the topic. I felt it too-- I want my kids to have the info, yet can hardly believe they are old enough to know everything and start making decisions about their sexuality. I want them to be able to talk to me or their father, but I realize that they might not want to. They are growing up, and it's exciting to have them come into a new stage, but sad too. Life isn't so innocent anymore.
One parent wondered if there were classes like this for adults, and the instructor said that the church has a whole OWLs curriculem for ages preschool through adult, but this 8th grade one is the one our particular church uses. There is such a hunger for real information about sex, real understanding... it is so confusing with the way our culture commercializes sex. A lot of myths.
In absense of an OWLs for adults nearby, I've been conducting my own studies, reading all kinds of sex books. It's been interesting...
It is 9:30 pm, and I've just come in from having a bonfire with the kids in the backyard. I built the pit last summer, after looking around at the over-priced fireplace thingies you can buy for over $100. Instead I dug up some grass and a shallow hole, put rocks around it and called it a fire pit.
The kids love having campfires, and that is always one of the highlights of camping for them. So now we can enjoy one in our own back yard. We haven't done too many this summer, but now that it is September and we are getting our belated summer weather, we had one tonight.
(I'm finding out how easy it is to start a fire when you use the pine needles and branches from last Christmas's tree. What recycling!)
We asked two neighbor kids to join us. DH is away, so it was 6 of us total. We had a bag of smushed marshmallows and s'mores fixings, and the other kids brought marshmallows, too. Everyone was so excited and crazy and playful, and the crickets rang out in the rare moments of silence.
After a bit of rambunctiousness, I called everyone togethe to tell spooky stories, the most notable one being DD's: "One day George Bush was re-elected." That's me girl! I told a longer, more suspenseful one about 5 kids (all 5 of the kids present) house sitting a big house on the River Road. One by one, after the lights go out, each kid disappears, leaving the youngest one alone. Then the electricity comes on and he's glad to have the video games to himself, and he turns to see a space ship taking off with all the other kids on board.
Now the fire is out but the kids are still running around, and it does seem so summery, that fun outside crazy play, when the darkness is like a playground in itself. The crickets are singing outside my window. I smell of smoke. I think we'll all sleep well.
I am now into my last week of being in my 30's... I turn 40 next Thursday, the 23rd. Yikes, where does the time go? I've been thinking about this switching of decades a lot lately. On the one hand, I feel quite young since almost all of the people I hang around with are mid-to-late 40s, or already 50. Bob and I had our kids relatively young, so most of our parent-friends are older, and call me "the baby" since I'm only 39. But I'm also the oldest child in my family, so the sibs all think I'm old. But 40 seems like a milestone, an age when I think "I always thought I'd've done (fill in the blank) by the time I was 40."
I thought I'd have almost all of my issues worked out! Be skinny! Have written several novels! Be making money off my writing! Etc.
Well gee, I haven't. And it's kinda depressing, gets me to be judgmental about my life and feel like a failure.
But I'm trying to get centered and just "be" with it. This is where I'm at, and where I'm at is fine. This is life. It's okay.
And then use the turning of the decade as an impetus, a fire under my butt. I don't have all the time in the world. So follow my dreams! Do what I really want!
So mixed feelings. But I know I'm going to be ready and willing to *c*e*l*e*b*r*a*t*e* next week!
If I have to hear one more time about George Bush being 2 points ahead of Kerry in the polls now I'M GONNA SCREAM!! Honestly, I heard it on about 4 different news venues about 20 times today, and I think it doesn't mean a damn thing. Poll numbers are about as important as the daily temperature, yet the news plays it over and over like it is some big news and will make a bit of difference in the long run.
***
Went to a dinner party at a sushi restaurant last night. I've had sushi before a few times, and I'm still kinda iffy on it. I'm not overly fond of fishy flavors, and can only take small bits of wasabi. I was amazed, however, that I liked the teeny tiny cavier that was covering one kind of sushi-- I've never liked cavier befre, but this little seed-bead type of cavier was tasty.
***
God, why do I crave junk food so much? I love it, want it, eat way too much of it... meanwhile my little health-food-goddess side of me nudges me to forsake it for good healthy food. Guess what I end up eating?
***
If I say Donut Ice Cream and Red Velvet Ice Cream, do you know what show I was watching tonight? One word of advice: don't piss off The Trump. Wicked!
***
Just more of those moments today when you sit back and say to yourself: Wow, I have great kids.
In the parking lot of the co-op, I paused my driving to let a poet cross in front of me. I see him around the neighborhood on occasion, MDB, a poet and former professor of mine from the University. I took Contemporary Poetry back in the 80s and felt totally out of my league, naive young thing that I was. The only thing I knew about poetry back then was the old English poets I learned about in high school. So contemporary poetry was quite an eye-opener... and one that I don't think I was ready for. Yet.
I know MDB doesn't remember me, but I perk up when I see him... just like I do seeing Robert Bly around town. It's great to be in Minneapolis and live among poets... and in my own way, I've become one too.
Today was the day for the Primary Election, and I was really really trying to be an informed voter this time. Mainly I went to vote because the Minneapolis School Board had people up for re-election and newbies trying to take the slots. I haven't been impressed at all with our school board, am disappointed in fact. So I wanted to find out who to vote for ahead of time, so I wouldn't just go and stare at the ballot, and end up voting for people whose names sound "nice."
Well, darn it, it turned out to be very difficult to find out the information I needed. I looked all over the Internet and tried to find ot the names that would be on the ballot, and I really couldn't find anything. I ended up finding what I thought was a helpful article, with names of at least Republican-supported candidates and DFS-supported candidates. I wrote down the DFS ones and took the paper to the polls. Well, wouldn't you know, none of these names were on the ballot at all-- how did I get this mixed up? I ended doing the nice-name-vote thing again. Very frustrating.
So where can I find just some basic information about who will be on local ballots and some facts about the candidates, for any race? I guess I have two months to try and find some answers... but if anyone knows where to look, drop me an email!
With crappy weather this summer, I didn't end up spending a lot of time outside. June was wet and the mosquitoes were absolutely awful. July was hot and mosquitoey, then August was unreasonably-unseasonably cool. I let my garden go to weeds, and I think the kids and I got out to a beach one time the whole summer.
So yesterday at the Renaissance Festival, and this morning in the garden, I've been out in the sun and remembering that high that comes from soaking it in. I don't think I have a big case of S.A.D. like my friend D., but I do notice that my mood goes way down when there are many dreary days. And I've been feeling like I'm glowing, like I'm giving off light myself. I think I've needed this!
And it's time for me to get my garden back into some kind of shape, anyway. I got half-way through the front garden, and if I do a bit each day, hopefully I'll be done with the back garden by next week. At least it is an instant gratification activity-- the gardens thank me by immediately looking purty, and I've had all the therapeutic effects of yanking out those nasty weeds.
Time to change the sprinkler!
We went to the Renaissance Festiveal today, a perfect summer day with temps in the 80s and sunshine, and a merciful breeze. Minnesota has a great RenFest out in Shakopee... large grounds, tons of cool shops, hordes of costumed folks to greet and taunt and joke with, dozens of shows and lots of great food. We were easily amused from 9:30 am until closing at 7 pm.
This was the first time I think I've ever gone with actual money to spend. Not gobs of money, but enough. Usually we've been on the verge of broke with back-to-school expenses that we've doled out our dollars carefully, sometimes even bringing a lunch along to make it affordable. But this year DH has his nice long-term contract and we are paying bills, so we indulged a bit... a leather hat for him, some jewelry for me. Nothing extravagant, but it felt so to us.
One highlight was watching younger DS on the "ride" he was drooling over (they have all sorts of strange, no-tech rides at the Festival). On this ride, you are strapped into a harness with huge bungee cords on each side reaching up to high poles. You stand on a trampoline and you are able to jump very high into the air at least 2 stories high, up and down on the trampoline. Younger DS has always been a very physical kid, and you could just tell he was totally in his element jumping high, flying practically, and doing flips constantly as he jumped. We ended up letting him go on it again later.
One thing I noticed about the RenFest is that weight doesn't seem to be much of an issue among the costumey crowd-- I mean, it's totally okay to be a fat woman in a gown, all round and bustley with your bosom spilling out of your neckline. The bigger the bosom the better, in fact. In fact, there are a lot of pluses to Renaissance-style clothing... those men in tights or kilts! I'm sure there are plenty of downsides to this kind of clothing, too, like the heat, but hey, maybe next year I'll get a costume and give it a try for a day.
The day three years ago comes back to me in snatches... the absolute beauty of a sunny September day, the radio on in the kitchen with news of a plane hitting the WTC (we thought a small plane, an accident)... turning on the TV to see the fire, and then kids and DH and I watching as another plane hit the second tower... the shock and horror of that moment... and me needing to walk the kids to school... reassuring them that New York was very far away (they knew that since we had driven there the year before, two days to get there)... me spending the morning watching TV, calling DH on phone as the day got worse and worse... scared and horrified... unsure of the world we lived in anymore... story after terror-filled story that day... and in the afternoon, I drove over to my community garden plot, picking tomatoes and green beans with shaky hands, almost like it was a normal day...
This was the year we picked almost all the grapes off of our grape vine, instead of just leaving them to the birds. This grape vine has been here since we moved in, growing along the chain-link fence on the south side of our back yard. Last year I built an arch-way over the back gate, and so the vines had a good time growing all over the arch this summer. We got lots of grapes... unfortunately, not good eating grapes, because they are small purple ones with a stone in them. But they can be used for cooking.
That is, IF you take the time to pick all the darn things, then wash and sort out the good from the bad, boil 'em down, strain out the skin and seeds, and then figure out what to make with them... all in the lazy, hot, non-motivated month of August. Can you see why it's been about 8 years since we last tried to do something with them?
But this year, it's been actually much cooler and DH suggested we go out and pick them. We dragged out our whiny children, made threats about TV and computer use until the grapes were picked. We made them do some sorting too, a family full of purple fingers. But then the main part fell to me, the washing/cooking/straining and making of the jam.
(What else do you do with grapes, anyway? I looked up wine and that seemed to complicated with finings and temperatures and storage... um, jam! Lots and lots of jam!)
I didn't have much luck with making jam 8 years ago. But this time, with the help of handy-dandy Google, I found an easy recipe online (just contains grapes and sugar). It needed to be made in small batches, so over the course of a week, I made about 10 batches of jam. I used every jar in the house that I'd saved over the years (yes, Clutter-Bug Me) and had to buy more jelly jars from Savers. I didn't "can" the jam, since canning scares me (Night of the Living Botulism), so it does need to be kept in the fridge. But it should keep for a good long while, and I'm planning on handing out little jars to lucky individuals who visit my house in the near future.
So stop on by... you may be leaving with some of the most exquisite, grapey-luscious jam!
The Apprentice. I really did. I am not a fan of reality shows, except for Survivor, which has become a family favorite, the one show we will all sit around and watch together. I did see one or two episodes of The Apprentice last year, but it never grabbed me. I don't care for The Donald and I don't like corporate life.
Our family is not big into TV watching, especially not prime-time (we don't have cable), but Thursday has always been my night to veg out with the TV, watching Survivor and ER. Thursday night has been DH's night out to role-play game with his friends since we met 16 years ago. And luckily there has always been something that has caught my interest on TV on Thursday nights-- used to be The Cosby show, LA Law, Cheers. Thursdays and me go back a long ways.
So tonight, since my fave shows haven't started yet, I tuned into The Apprentice. It was okay, somewhat interesting, with the two brand-new teams trying to each design an innovative toy for the 6-8 yr old boy age group. The real things I found interesting about the show were the way these team memebers had to speak up about themselves and the others on the team in the board room with Donald. They had to sound sure of themselves, to be opinionated, which is not something I feel comfortable doing in public myself. And the winning team got to go to DT's New York home and have dinner there, and just the oppulence, the idea of seeing how someone who is so obscenely rich lives. How did this funny-haired plain-old guy get there?
And then after that there was a new medical show called Medical Investigor, or something like that. Fast paced and ER-like, with even the cute young Noah-Wylie-like doctor. It held my interest for the show, but its nothing I would go out of my way to watch.
When does the real ER start?
When I go to Target, usually I am just anonymous shopper, filling my cart with whatever is on my list and usually quite a bit more than that. But sometimes when I pick up a prescription at the pharmacy, when a certain dark-haired stocky guy is working the register, I actually get greeted by name. "Hi Theresa, how's it going?" This guy must be incredibly good at names, because usually I only see him there every couple months. It always amazes me, shakes me out of my anonymous-shopper-daze, but it also bugs me a bit. Sometimes I don't want to be recognized and greeted... like today, when I'm in the middle of a funky week that has me going out without even bothering to brush my hair, mostly because of the "I don't give a damn" part of my depression.
It's easier to not give a damn when nobody calls you by name. Sigh!
The sad thing is that I always forget to look at the guy's nametag, so I don't know his name...
Suddenly I have this lanky guy around the house, this tall teen growing before my eyes. DS has done some amazing sprurt in August... he turned 13 and took off like a racehorse. And it's not just that he grew inches. He seemed to grow into his body, somehow, getting past that 12 yr old kid stage, onto something sturdy and strong.
He put on jeans today for the first time in a few months, and that just did it for me-- he looked so different! His voice has changed, his hairstyle suits him (not a "boy's cut" anymore, but some bangs and ear-covered style like the Beatles). Maybe being an 8th grader suits him too, because he seems happier, he seems like he has stuff figured out at school.
Sniff... my little boy. The one who slept with his plastic lawnmower when he was a toddler, because he loved his "mow-mow." The one who always climbed like a monkey, but carefully, too. It is such a delight to watch him grow and change... and see his essential nature still there, shining at me in his eyes.
We spent Labor Day at what has become an annual tradition for our family-- going to the Bluegrass Festival at Minnehaha Falls Park. They have live music from 2-8 pm, crowds of people there to enjoy it. We bring our blankets and a picnic, meet our friend D there, feast together and then walk down to the falls and the hikind paths along the creek. We've been lucking out with great sunny weather, sometimes a bit cool like yesterday, but still fine picnicking weather.
Today we had some other guests join us too-- older DS brought a friend along, and then my friend C from St. Cloud and her four girls, ages 14, 6, 4 and almost 2. There are some physical disabilities among the younger ones, but that doesn't stop them from being loving to move, sometimes very quickly away from our picnic blanket, and enjoying life to the fullest.
We had a full day of adult chatter, chasing kids, getting everyone fed, supervising play, 10 stressful moments when we didn't know where C's 6 yr old was or my 10 yr old, lost in a huge park with hundreds of people. Some of us stayed with the little kids while others grabbed cell phones and older kids and went searching... only to find them at the playground where everyone had already looked! We also went hiking down to the falls, let kids get wet in the shallow creek-bed, and walked and walked. Our friend D, a naturalist, pointed out the plant "touch-me-nots" to us, which have seedpods that explode when you touch them.
When we got back, dusk was approaching and the air was getting cool. We helped C gather her kids and stroller and all that stuff you need for little kids and picnics. It was very fun to have a big group to picnic with, and the little kids added a lot of fun and energy to the day... but oh, it was exhausting for us grownups to keep up with them! I remember how hard the physical work is with little kids, and how much easier that part is now that mine are older. C is in the thick of her "labor days" with her little girls... the Real Labor Days, full of work but also full of joy. (You can guess how many hugs and kisses came our way from the 2 and 4 year olds. Just some of the rewards!)
Last night I went out with DD and our friend D, in celebration of DD turning 13 and getting her first period. D has been a friend of the family for 14 years and is like an auntie to my kids. I wanted to have something to commemorate this coming of age event in my daughter's life, something to acknowledge that this is a special time, and I honor the changes. Something that I didn't have, nor really any women my age or older ever had about that time in their lives. You were lucky if someone bothered to tell you what menstruation was, much less celebrate it!
The funny thing about it was that I remember, back when I was 12 and on the verge of getting my period, that I really wanted to get it. My friends and I talked about it. We read fictional Judy Blume books about it. We wanted it like it was something special, and yet, once you got it the reality was a box of Kotex and some cramps. You were finally a part of the club, but the club really wasn't so great to be in.
So I wanted it different for my DD, at least in a small way. We've talked about it, and we had our special night out. Dinner at Figlio's, where she got a virgin strawberry Margarita and finished it off with Death by Chocolate cake (split three ways). We talked and laughed and spent lots of money at a nearby fabulous used book store, Booksmart. And went over D's and talked some more, sitting outside in the warm summery night we've had too few of this summer.
I know DD liked it. And now, I'm trying to think of something for her twin brother and dad to do. Boys don't have any specific thing happening at this time in their lives, but I want him to have a little celebration of changes too. We'll see what we come up with.
Last night my little sister called. S just turned 36, has a 6.5 yr old son and a 17 month old son, and now she is pregnant again. This might not be spectacular news except that she and M had gone through four years of secondary infertility treatments (with no cause found) before adopting sons #2 from Russia nine months ago. Now when that baby is 2 years old, she will be adding a new baby to her family. It is such joyful news, unexpected and miraculous!
What is funny is that I was visiting my mom and dad last week. Mom had put up pictures of the grandkids in her room on a wall, three rectangular frames each with spaces for 3 pictures in the frame. My three kids are in one frame, my other sister L's are in another frame, and in the last frame is two pictures of S's boys, and then one empty spot where mom had put in a "for rent" sign. I guess now she has switched it to "leased!"
I am so happy that there'll be another baby in the family. L and S each have their 17 month olds growing fast out of that baby phase, and with a newborn there is all that wonderous newness and preciousness to hold. I still get baby yearnings but I love the independence of my 9 and 13 year olds. I can leave them home for awhile if I need to be out, and they know they can reach me by my cell phone. They are funny and surprising and smart. And they sleep all night!
So I will be an auntie holding a baby again next spring. Sigh, the best of both worlds!
Sometimes all it takes is a moment to change a mood.
I've been in a funk today. I'm so behind on chores and clutter is even higher than usual around here. And the laundry pile is becoming its own Mt Everest, the worst part of that being that it is hard to find anything clean to wear anymore. There's been a bunch of running around to do to, and with the new change in our schedule from back-to-school, I've been stressed. So blah blah blah... its been a funky Friday.
But that moment came at the grocery store. I was going to pick up corn-on-the-cob to go with our BLT's for dinner, and next to the corn bin is a huge box of bulk pinto beans. A little dark-haired boy of about 3 or 4 was scooping the beans with the scoop, letting them fall back into the pile, over and over. His mom and other family members were apparently getting the corn.
I needed pinto beans, so I held out my plastic bag and asked him if he would please help me scoop some into the bag. I didn't know if he could understand me... his mom said something to him in Spanish (I think), and he looked at me with his big brown eyes, curious. I repeated, did some hand motion, and he smiled and began to scoop the beans for me. I encouraged him to keep scooping, since I needed a bunch, and he smiled and kept going. When I had what I needed, I thanked him and even remembered to say "gracias." He just kept smiling at me and looking at me with his big eyes, and I smled back.
It was just one of those moments when I felt like I had connected with this other human being, that we had helped each other somehow, more than just the beans. I do so enjoy little kids, their spirit and their wonder, and we had connected some way in that spirit and wonder. It made me happy and blew my little funk away... at least for awhile.
(Weather note: after having a whole August (our hottest month of the year, usually) with no temps over 85 degrees and most days much cooler than that, now that it is September we are at or close to 90 degrees. I'd forgotten what the heat feels like... an oven!)
Before I get into the ugly subject, I want to announce my intention to Blog Every Day in September! Blogging at least gets me sitting at my writing desk, focused and fingers moving. I've been much to sporadic at both blogging and writing, so this is where I'll start.
(As I sit here in my attic writing nook, I hear acorns falling gangbusters righ above me. They sound like they must be golf-ball sized. I guess its getting to be fall.)
Okay, politics. It's been on my mind a lot more lately, with it being in the news every freakin' day now. And especially with the Republican national convention going on. I can't stand GWB or any of his cronies, and it's making me anxious to hear about the election so much. The media really plays it for all it is worth... oh no, this one is ahead in the polls, now whoops, the other one is ahead. The media really makes the election itself the issue-- by that I mean they treat it like it is a competitive team sport, the personalities, the accusations, who will win?, our team versus your team, go team go! It is not so much about the public voting in the person they want to have run the country for the next four years. It is not about making decisions based on the issues, and really finding out what each candidate thinks, what they will do. It is about winning.
The idea of GWB winning the election does make me anxious-- and it has been for months. But I'm certain that the anxiety of worrying about his possible election (I won't say re-election because I don't think he was elected the first time; he stole it) is worse than him actually being elected. If he is elected, then we'll just have to deal with it. It will just be a fact. But right now, during the campaign, it is all an unknown. There is nothing to "deal with" and it is a pretty helpless feeling. I alone cannot make John Kerry get elected. I've done my little part, with my great bumper stickers, buttons on my writing tote, plans to get a yard sign, a few dollars sent to Democrat organizations. As DH says, we live in Minnesota and usually the state goes Democrat, so none of this makes much a difference here. But my worrying and handwringing and anxiety won't do any good. I've got to let go.
Today my babies walked off to school, without me walking along, excited, chattering, full of energy. I was at once the child remembering that electrified feeling of everything being new and yet the comfort of the school and friends you already know, backpacks full of new pencils and notebooks and folders, lunchboxes banging against legs your leg as you walk. And then I was the mom, calling after them, waving goodbye, feeling a tinge of sadness mixed with the exhilerating joy of getting some time to myself. It is a fresh new time, a new year for all of us. I hope it is a good one.
Today the house is a complete chaotic mess, after several busy days. We did the State Fair in all its glorious greasiness on Monday, the perfect weather in the upper 70s with sunshine. We were there from 8:30 am to 7 pm and it was great. We took lots of rest breaks and had plenty of our usual favorites in the nourishment department. We may have eaten a lot of junk, but we certainly did a lot of walking too. Hopefully burned some of it off!
And yesterday the kids and I went to Mom and Dad's, where Mom took the kids shopping for school shoes, which was very nice. DD had a hard time finding any shoes she would want to wear, in the whole of Famous Footwear, which has about 100 shoes to choose from. She doesn't like fashionable stuff, and she wants shoes to be ultra comfortable and slip on. After quite awhile, we found a pair of men's shoes that fit the bill. Whew! She promised to wear them.
And then last night we got to see "Hansel and Gretel" at the Children's Theatre. Very well done, with a dark side to it on the subject of poverty and hunger. It was a musical and the songs were fabulous. The two kids playing the lead sung in two-part harmony for many songs and it was lovely.
So now, kids in school, it is my time to write. I need to clean off my desk first, and then I've promised myself to write first, read email or clean the house later. I know I need to stick to this for myself, or I will fritter my time and feel bad.
Here's to a new year!