The Best Pet Yet

"I'm not scary, Mom. I'm just cute!"

Chemistry? Yeah, Chemistry!

We Are Family

My cousin Charlotte came for a short visit the other night. It's been years since we've seen each other. She had never met Nate or Andy. It was just so good to see her again!

Tea for Me

I found this tea...

It's a Republic of Tea tea. Herbal. They have a line of "Get Some" teas. Actually, the formal name would be "Be Well Red Teas," but the teas are named "Get Clean" or "Get Gorgeous" or "Get Wellness." I happened to purchase a tin of "Get Some ZZZ's" back before Christmas, when I was having trouble sleeping through the night.

I love this tea.

It's not how it tastes, even though I really like it. It's not so bitter and I can drink it with the bag still in it and no sweetener. But no, what's great about this tea is the dreams.

See, I don't get knocked out like with a medication, like Advil PM or some cold meds. I get a little sleepy, but it just feels like I'm sleepy.

Once I'm asleep, though, my dreams get loopy. They have this busy quality, like a lot is happening in them, and I get really caught up in what's going on in them. It could just be me, but I love dreams, especially good ones. And these are good ones.

At some point I realize the effect is going to wear off, but I'm enjoying it while I can. Also, you should try some of these teas. This one worked for me, so maybe the others work, too? You can check them out here.

Get Around To It

I wanted to start working out again in earnest. But I can't seem to find the time. I'm taking the cat to the vet and driving the kids to and from school or the library or piano or gym. I can't even find time to take down the Christmas decorations.

I could do it if it weren't for the shower. I mean, I can find the time to run, I really could, but then I'd have to jump in the car and spend the rest of the day smelling like a locker room. Ewww. And there's no shortening the run. I mean, seriously, who runs for five minutes? Is it even worth putting on sneakers?

Well... maybe...

Hoarding

Yesterday Nick walked into the bedroom, where I was sorting laundry. "Mom," he said, "Can you sew my socks?" And he showed me the bottoms of his feet. The holes in his heels were as big as... well, his heels. He could have kept pulling and worn them as legwarmers.

"Nick, those socks are done," I said. "Throw them away when you take them off later."

Nick began to cry. "But I LOVE these socks! These are my FAVORITE socks!"

It doesn't matter that the socks are cheap Target socks. It doesn't matter that I tell him I will buy him more. It just matters that I'm Throwing Something Away!

Nick used to have the job of emptying the smaller trash cans from around the house. I took that job away from him, though, because half of the things I threw away ended up on Nick's nightstand. Once, I found an empty Listerine bottle there. Why is this special? So special he can't part with it?

That same afternoon I was doing parent stuff in his school classroom and found six empty yogurt squeeze tubes. He said he was keeping them for the jokes printed on the sides...

Should I worry?

No Doctor

This photo, one I took New Year's Eve, captures the beautiful table we ate at. It doesn't show the food, but it hints at the asparagus fettuccine, the carmelized pears in prosciutto, lobster ravioli... I have to stop because thinking about it is driving me nuts. Anyway, this photo hints at that, at at the wonderful company kept.

And it has nothing at all to do with what I wanted to post about today.

We did not see a doctor. I took temperatures this morning, and since everyone was normal and no one complained of sore throats or headaches or tummy troubles, I sent everyone to school. Then I volunteered at the school myself, picked up the younger two, made them lunch, registered Nate for kindergarten, put Andy down for a nap, rushed off to buy groceries, quickly cleaned out the fridge, gave the boys a snack, wrapped a birthday present, folded a load of laundry, took Andrew to an evening birthday party at a bounce house, drove him home, did the dishes, gave the boys a bath, read them stories, put them to bed, folded another load of laundry, and then inflated a super wonderful purple yoga ball.

Just another day in the life of Fleen. Back to normal.

Tomorrow I'm going to work out and make it to the party store, the book store, take the boys to gymnastics class, Nick to karate - oh! I have to sew on his patch! - and clean out the litter box. And start taking down these Christmas decorations. And call Lillian because I will need her help in a big way when Steve's job enters travel mode.

Brand New Year

I like the idea of starting off with a clean slate. Getting back into our routine should be seamless.


Unfortunately, it looks like we partied ourselves sick in New York. No, we aren't hung over. We're tired, we have sore throats, headaches, and a couple of us have low fevers. And also, looking at Andy's throat with a flashlight was a little like a B science fiction movie.

So we may begin the New Year with a small visit to the pediatrician. We've missed her, anyway.

But if all else goes well, I will post only interesting, engaging, thought provoking material every day from this point forward. Really. I promise. Sort of.

Happy New Year

Here's wishing everyone a wonderful 2011.


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Resolved: Not much, really...

Well, today is the last day of 2010.

Time flies, really. I can't believe I've been writing this blog for as long as I have, for one thing. Or that my children have grown so much - browse back to one of my earlier posts (not the first few, I didn't have pictures.)

I still remember New Year's 1999, Y2K, and feeling that the future was Here! And now I'm realizing that I know adults born after I graduated High School.

As an adult I started making New Year's Resolutions. Not a huge list I had no hope of living up to, but five small, easy-to-reach goals that would get me closer to becoming the person I want to be. Over the years I have included things like "Work out more often," "Get the kids to play outside more," and "Eat Less Meat." I haven't accomplished everything on my list, but I make an honest effort.

I don't think New Year's should be the only time to make resolutions. But it is a pretty good marker. You can't forget this time of year, and you can look back and see how far you have come, if at all.

It's also a time to look forward. A time to be optimistic. And resolutions really can say a lot about who we are. What do YOU want? What do you want to DO this year? Who do you want to become? Will you spend less money? Make more money? Eat less food? Swim more laps? Wear better clothes? Eat out more? Feed the hungry?

This year I will make more playdates for my kids.

This year I will become more flexible, both physically and mentally.

This year I will smile more and yell less.

This year I will take care of many of the things that need doing around the house. Like fixing holes in the walls and removing peeling wallpaper. And I will do it as ecologically minded as my budget allows.

Happy New Year, Everyone! May it bring great things to us all.

The Sticky Truth

This post contains some delicate information not everyone may be comfortable with. Specifically, I'm talking about my leg hair.

I have issues with my leg hair. I simply don't know what to do with it. When I shave it off I can still see the dark roots under my skin, and I get stubble within a day. Seriously, I have five o'clock shadow on my legs. So I usually prefer waxing. The trouble with waxing is that you have to wait for the hairs to be long enough. In the summer, this is inconvenient. In the winter, I just let it go until the hairs actually become TOO long and waxing would be too painful so I go back to shaving.

But yesterday I seized a few moments and sat down with my wax strips. I managed to wax one leg with no problems. And then I placed the first wax strip on my other leg... and the wax didn't come up.

See, to wax, you peel away two strips with wax sandwiched int he middle, place one on your leg, and yank it away, and the hairs are supposed to get caught in the wax and get yanked out. But in this case, the wax decided it liked my leg and separated from the strip, leaving me with a hair leg covered in wax.

I tried to lift it off with another strip, like getting gum off of something with more gum, but I just ended up with another layer of wax. And then another. And then, in some fit of denial, I tried waxing the spot next to my new wax clump, and ended up with a second waxy area on my leg.

So now I stopped. I had a leg covered in wax which would not come off.

I walked down the hall to the bathtub, and tried rinsing it off under warm water, but it didn't seem to work. I thought rubbing it might coax it off, but I just ended up with wax all over my fingers.

This is when I decided I needed to take a shower. But I still had on my sweater, and I didn't want to get wax all over it. I had wax on my fingers, remember? I also didn't want to touch my hair. The hair on my head. Because I like hair there. So getting undressed was a funny dance of shrugging, hopping, and flapping.

I ended up in the shower, scrubbing the wax off with generous applications of shampoo. It hurt. A lot. And then I sacrificed a razor blade to the waxy remnants of leg hair I had left.

So my real question is: why do women shave their legs? Who thought this up? My life would be so much simpler if I could just let them go.

Modern Dance

Going The Distance

Steve and I are in the process of planning a few trips this year. These trips involve getting on a plane and flying hundreds, maybe thousands of miles. When I think of travel, this is usually what I think of - planes, the TSA, and all the stupid "security" measures, not to mention the ways the airlines have started charging for checked bags, all while complaining loudly about carry-ons, and how that will effect me and my three children.

But that is only one kind of travel. A few times a year we also make trips in our car. We drive to NY, or Tennessee.

We had a snowstorm. We haven't gotten as much snow as New York, but our travel is still affected. Not just long range travel, such as hopping on a plane, but getting in a car. It is so slippery, we can't even drive to the store, or to the movies.

Just walking up the driveway to the mailbox is an adventure.

Recovery

After Christmas, there is a certain amount of time to be dedicated to recovery.

From what, you ask?

Well, first and foremost, for me, was lack of sleep. I've been stressed enough over the past week about gifts, but also about cleaning my house for Steve's family Christmas Eve. Every year they gather here and bring food and we do a gift swap. Why I stress about my home is beyond me - it's hardly ever THAT bad, and these people are family. But I do. I wash windows and mop the floors and wonder where the strange smell in the bathroom is coming from, and then it turns out I've done it too early and have to do it all over again the morning of...

Anyway, I hadn't been sleeping well, and the Nick woke everyone up at 4am Christmas morning. So I needed to catch up on some Zzzz's.

This morning I worked out. See, last week, with so many holiday concerts (see Andy's photo above) and gift swaps and extra little things to do, I just stopped. And I'd also been eating so, so much more than usual. Pumpkin bread and cookies and cupcakes and cheese, and other kinds of cheese, and then some nuts, and then more cheese, and then just one more cupcake before bed. And maybe another nibble of this pumpkin bread. Well, now there's just a little bit left, it would be silly to just leave that on the plate. Here, let me wash it down with this pitcher of cream.

Soooo.... yeah..... This morning I hopped back on the treadmill, and also the bathroom scale (ugh!) and we'll be getting back to what I call "regulated eating," or what normal people call "not eating cookies for breakfast."

Then there's the house.. Decorations are still up, but I have put away a lot of gifts already, including clothing. Today we found homes for new toys. Wrapping paper and boxes have been put to new use, recycled, or stored in my "box closet," which is where I put things like wrapping paper, empty picture frames, and Steve's dress shirts.

Slowly, we are getting back to normal. This snowstorm will not help, I'm sure. But still... we're getting there.

It's the day before Christmas!
The big day draws near!
We have run out of time!
It's already here!

I've been baking and cleaning
And shopping and wrapping
And singing and hanging
And watching and clapping.

With so many items on
My to-do list-it,
I'm count myself lucky
That I haven't missed it.

By all of the must-dos
I've been so distracted
And frantic, not happy
Is how I have acted.

It's easy to forget
That there is a reason
To all of the crazy things
We do this season.

It isn't to party
Or hang the most lights
Or give the most gifts
Or avoid the most fights.

This time of year
Is for Peace, Hope, and Joy,
For Goodwill to all,
Not the best, biggest toy.

To spend time with family
And our friends who are closest
Will make the best memories,
And this matters the mostest.

We all do out best to help
Those who have not,
We write out our check,
Drop our coins on the pot

And maybe we donate
A favorite old sweater
Or a toy, or canned food,
Or else answer a letter

To old Santa Clause
Who could use a hand
With his to-do list.
I'm sure you understand.

But all of this rushing
And running and driving
Can come to an end,
'Cause the day is arriving!

I wish you all Peace
And Love and Goodwill!
May your turkey be warm,
Your champagne have a chill.

If I could capture this feeling,
Place it under your tree
It's what I would give you,
Your present from me.

Teacher Gifts

Every year after Thanksgiving, it hits me: I need teacher gifts.

Teacher gifts are really tricky. I want to give them something that is nice, that tells the teacher they are appreciated, but that isn't ugly or tacky enough to be pitched into the trash right away. And also, I need 15 of them, so they need to be inexpensive and mass produced.

A couple of years ago I went with chocolate, but it was expensive, and not everyone wants or needs chocolate. Last year we made salt dough ornaments, which were easier to make and fun to decorate. They weren't perfection or anything, but they kids made them.

This year, I opted for food. I decided to make pumpkin bread and give that out. Lillian makes it every year, and it is a huge huge hit, especially in this house, where mysteriously Steve and the boys never seem to get enough. I can't think of who else might be gobbling it up. Maybe Frank? Anyway, I asked Lillian if she might share her pumpkin bread secret, and she obliged. She even let me print it out and attach it to the finished gift, to add a little something. "Here is some pumpkin bread and also the recipe."

On top of that, Lillian came by one day with little ceramic bread tins... you know, pans, the thing you bake the bread it. They were so cute, decorated with nutcrackers and snowmen and such. Christmassy like. She also brought by cute bags to put the finished product in, but I never was able to fit the finished loaf in a bag, so I went out and got transparent holiday wrap.

It was much more of a pain than I expected. Making one batch at a time, which is how much my oven will bake, it takes over an hour to bake. And almost 2 hours for the bigger loaves. Taking the loaves out for cooling, washing the bakeware, and then reassembling the loaves, including cutting the paper with the recipe out with fancy scissors and pasting it on colored construction paper to make it look nicer.... the curling ribbon.... it just took time. And I wouldn't let the kids help, because they would eat the bread.

Also, the finished product is heavier than I expected, and I am afraid the child presenting the gift will accidentally drop it and it will smash.

But it looks great. I mean, if you were a teacher, wouldn't this beat a mug?

Green: A Holiday Color

Here's a gift you can give me.

I read an article recently that stated this fact: the amount of trash produced by people increases by 25% over the holiday season.

I would believe it. I might even go so far as to say it doubles. Think of all of the gifts - the packaging, and the items they replace. Each new cell phone means an old one gets tossed. The same for cameras and computers. This doesn't count the actual wrapping paper, paper made for a one time use, to be torn and then stuffed into trash bags that weight less than one of my boots.

This isn't even getting into the food we prepare and throw away. The parties where we use paper plates, foil baking tins we can toss, and paper table cloths, all because we want to save ourselves the trouble of the clean up.

As you might know, I get a little crazy when it comes to our Earth. I worry about my impact on this planet, and genuinely do not understand people who casually use plastic water bottles or shrug off the amount of waste they make. I had a second blog about it, but I somehow started running out of things to say. That doesn't mean I have stopped trying to make progress, it just means I'm busy doing things other than write about it. I realize that sometimes the problem is so big, and it's easier to either choose to believe a solution will be found without your individual input, or that it somehow doesn't matter. And to you, it may not. You may be dead. But your grandchildren may suffer for it.

I have made it a practice not to purchase wrapping paper. (Santa is allowed one roll.) I use odd things, like leftover butcher paper, coloring book pages the kids have used, all taped together. Sometimes Santa assembles toys and leaves them under the tree with a ribbon! This is one of the ways I (and Santa) try to reduce waste. I re-use ribbons from everything. (I can remember Mom and Linda collecting ribbon off the floor after Christmas when I was a kid and rolling my eyes. How things have changed!)

Anyway, if you want to give me a gift this Holiday Season, please keep an eye on the things you are throwing away. Can it be reused? Recycled? Did you need it in the first place? Please make an effort to take a few extra steps to reduce. If you can't do it because it's the right thing to do, do it because you love me!

Merry Christmas, Planet Earth! This post was my gift to you!

Too Smart For My Own Good

A few weeks ago, I ordered someone a Christmas Present.

I was kind of proud about this one. Not only was it one of the first gifts that I purchased, but it was for one of those people I never know what to get, usually one of the last people left on my list, someone totally impossible to shop for. I'm not mentioning any names.

I received delivery of the gift. I remember getting it. I remember opening it at my kitchen counter. And I remember thinking to my self that I should put it away, that I couldn't keep it in the kitchen until Christmas, because Christmas was still weeks away.

And two weeks ago I realized I hadn't wrapped the gift yet. And also that I had no idea where I put it.

I have looked in the three major places I usually stash gifts, searching each box, each bag, every pocket and every stack of papers. But I can't find it.

So I went back online, figuring I would purchase another one, only to find they were sold out. "Sold Out! More After Christmas!"

I'm really frustrated and angry, not to mention in a bit of a panic. I know it will turn up eventually, unless I threw it out somehow. But remember my engagement ring? I think it was missing for almost three months before I found it again. I need this much, much sooner than that.

Not Scary At All

Anyone else think Elf Yourself is getting old?

Well... Maybe.

A Week Away

We only have another week.

One more week in which I anxiously await the delivery of gifts I have ordered. One week to bake pumpkin bread, wrap it up, and deliver it to dozens of teachers and mentors. One week left to wrap wrap wrap.

I really do love this season. Even though it makes me crazy.