When I started homeschooling, I was told that I’d be likely to confront my own issues at an unprecedented level. While the idea seemed strange to me, it’s proved very true. Moving to the woods made me suspect the same thing would happen, and while I’ve not been caught off guard this time, it’s certainly not any easier.
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Address Found
We have a place, at last! Major relief, and I can’t argue with a front yard like this. I really can’t. So thankful for it. The house is tiny but perfect, and has a studio out back which makes it even better. Packing is crazy-making but good, and my sis has come to help and I think I’d have gone ballistic if she hadn’t. Getting kids to pack/purge their stuff? Not for the faint of heart. I hope we all survive. The lego armada has yet to be tackled, but I’m leaving it till last. And books, how on earth did we get this many? Getting rid of lots, but there are many many more where they came from.
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Packing up, oh the joys ...
It gets worse before it gets better, right? This is Fynn’s idea of how to sort his drawings … really helps you feel like you’re making progress. It always seems like the point at which the papers and legos are scattered the farthest is when the landlord calls to say the realtor will be through in 2 hours with another possible tenant who wants to see the apartment. I go on a crazy cleanup binge so that they can at least walk from one end of the house to the other without breaking an ankle, but it starts to get a bit old.
life moves forward ...
… even though I have nothing more resolved than the last time i posted!
what i’ve been up to though …
block parties enjoyed to the hilt …
Happy Mother's Day to you all!
… and I hope it is truly a happy one, I know the day can be rough for many. May yours be exactly the way you hope, whether it’s spent alone or normally or with gifts and pampering. A day to acknowledge the mothering you do, and the mothering you’ve had. Both potent, important, and worth celebrating.
We’ve come a long way, baby. Happy Mother’s Day!
Q33-7-N-4-4-C-G
Words are swirling, but I can seem to match their gelling up with time at the keyboard. Clients call, boys leave on planes (one of mine, that is, alone, and yes he’s old enough and so am i but oh the apron strings that tangle and yes appear magically out of thin air, where did they come from?) and cats need to be rescued from porches. The cryptic title up there?* Any guesses?
I’ll be back, soon.
Monday Meme : Give Me 5?
Found this walking home from the park yesterday … had to laugh!I’ve been a little down and prone to navel-gazing lately, so decided to lighten up a bit today. It is warmish and sunnyish after all, and while I might be hoping for a good foot of snow to play in, I’m not too bummed that I can still wear my flip-flops when I run to the corner store!
Five quick questions for you, in no particular order …
1. Current or most recent book read?
2. Right-handed or left?
3. Number of years you’ve been a mom?
4. Worst sickness/injury you’ve ever had?
5. Fictional character you most identify with?
Thanks, and happy Monday!
Moving in slow motion, or not at all
Sparrow keeping a hand on Douglas last week, when he was feeling cruddy one night and ended up in our bed too. I’m lying in bed sick, recovering from some kind of bug yesterday that involved fever and puking, thankfully mostly during the night though. My boys brought me a snack in bed this morning, which stayed down, and my husband got home in time to take over for the rest of the day, so glad for that! I’m starting to feel human, and the house is quiet as they just left for the library. I hope my thoughts can become this clear ...
I love the starkness of bare branches …
How’s your year finishing up? Mine is ending with a bit of a slump, but we’re moving along and I have to go feed 4 crazy hungry boys so any further thoughts will have to wait. I hope for clarity, and perhaps some reflection on the past 12 months will help. Cheers.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!
Wishing you all restful, easy, just-what-I-wanted holidays. More joy than work, more thankfulness than disappointments. More love than whining, more room for those leftovers. Love and cheer from my house to yours, wherever that may be.
— SaneMom
Freaky Quiet Friday ...
Drawing Michael did of me at age 6 or so, based on an old school photoI’ve been so busy catching up on work (the paying kind) and hanging out with my husband this week that I haven’t managed to blog the last few days. It’s been utterly blissful to have a quiet house, check many things off my to-do-list, and get out and about on two (yes, two!!) dates with Michael.Sorry to be MIA ...
… but I’m buried under too many deadlines to find time to exhale. Hoping for a life again by Friday, thank God there is a thing called Friday!
All is well, I'm just behind ...
Boating in the new ‘lake’ at the park on Sunday afternoon …Irene paid a briefer-than-expected visit, we’re all find and dandy at our place, and there weren’t too many downed trees in our neighborhood. The worst mess is the flooding in upstate NY and surrounding states, and many still without power. Thankful to be spared, though of course I do love a good wild storm thanks to my midwestern roots :). Love and prayers to those of you who got it worse than we did, hope you’re all drying out and getting power back!
Question to come shortly … the boys have to get outside, my kitchen is ripped apart thanks to a counter-refinishing project that we’re squeezing in in-between front-room tenants, and I’ve promised Fynn his cello lesson on the front porch. Catch you soon.
I'm back!
Fynn watching the rain, and me watching Fynn … Been home for a few days, and am just getting back into routine, so expect a question of the week later today and a few obligatory vacation pics in a day or two. You know how when you come home from vacation, you kind of need another vacation to recover? Been dealing with that more than normal, as I was solo parenting for the entire trip, and came home to new housemates moving in less than 24 hours after we returned. Yes there was a bit of a cleaning frenzy!
Glad to be back, and catch up with you all soon!
Q of the Week : Monday Meme!
Crazy momento from one of my “furthest from home” trips to Japan. It’s from a photobooth in Tokyo … those were the days!It’s raining, and supposed to for the next 3 days at least, so I’m looking to keep things light and cheerful this week. I’ve got a race next weekend which I am in no way properly trained for, Fynn has <2 weeks to his Carnegie debut and doesn’t have his cello piece finished, and I need some distractions! So a quick meme is in order to make it easy for all of us … 5 quick things, with a bonus if you feel like it!Would You Like Some Queen Sparrow, Carrots, and Mother Teresa?
Fynn made Sparrow a crown the other day … hope you get a bit of the royal treatment this week too!I can’t find the words yet for Mother’s Day thoughts, so I’ll leave that alone for now. Other than to share a quote, that is, which kfc sent me the other day.
“The woman is the heart of the home. Let us pray that we women realize the reason of our existence: to love and be loved and through this become instruments of peace in the world.” — Mother Teresa
May the Be Loved part be especially true!
It’s grey and rainy here, which I’m enjoying to the hilt for some reason, perhaps it’s helping the residual effects of last night’s magaritas not hurt so much?!
All over the map
Illustration by Douglas V.
I had one of those nights last night, where you know you’re going to fall apart, and kind of want to because it’s like scratching an itch, and then when you do it’s rather hard to stop. Really hard, actually. You get caught off guard by the itensity of what you’ve been bottling up, and discover that what you’re crying the hardest about has nothing to do with what started the sob-fest in the first place. Ever been there? Yeah, you know what I mean. It was a rough night.
Q of the Week : (Manic) Meme Monday
Last year’s magnolia gorgeousness …Quick one here, it’s almost noon and I don’t have much time before the boys clamor for lunch. Yes, I’m running behind (go figure!) so a quick post on my end means you can answer in 5 words. I’ll make it a wee bit more interesting by telling you why I’m asking these questions.
Ready?
Go!
1. Favorite flower? … because Fynn spent his entire cello lesson this morning staring out the window at the magnolia tree which is about to burst into full bloom
2. Last time you ate chocolate? … I had my frequent late-night snack last night of a tiny dish of peanut butter, with a dab of butter, a drip of honey, and a not-so-tiny sprinkling of chocolate chips on top. mmmm.
3. Mood right now? … mine changes so fast it’s not funny, and I’m struggling with crabby frustration but want to let it go.
4. What hurts? … I tripped and fell while running yesterday, scraping up my hands and knees pretty well. Fared better than Darah though, who fell off her bike last night and lost some teeth, broke her jaw, fractured her skull, and more! Please send some healing thoughts/prayers her way. Ouch!
5. Word for today? … I just picked one, because I need it. It’s RELAX.
Thanks for playing!
Fanged Giraffes, and why mama needs a cocktail (or two)
Photo of the elusive fanged variety, courtesy of Chris Adams via Flickr. I’m sure you’ve heard of the dangerous fanged giraffe, right? They generally appear as gentle-seeming crocodiles, strolling up out of the river into the trees where you’re walking. When you decide it’s wise turn and walk away, thank you very much, the croc morphs into a giraffe with lightning-fast reflexes and some nasty fangs, and nips you in the neck before you can move. The 10 Minute Post, with links ...
I have the timer set, because if the boys don’t finish cleaning up their room and I don’t finish blogging, the world will collapse. Well, not quite, but if we don’t get outside again, now that it’s finally sunny like they promised it would be, we’ll kick ourselves for not enjoying a spring day stuck in the middle of February! You know? Make hay while the sun shines, or something like that.
A few links to share that have been back-burnered but are no less wonderful.
When You’re a Planner and Your Friend Isn’t: You know how it goes, you’re either the planner or the loosey-goosey one, and the two just don’t mesh too well …
Flawed and Fleeting: DaMomma hits another one out of the park. “It is flawed and fleeting, and sometimes it is work to love it. And maybe in the work of loving it is the greatness.” True words, dammoma, true words.
Close Encounter with a Stranger : Minnesota Matron made me cry, it’s touching and heartwrenching.
Had any close encounters with a stranger yourself? Mine yesterday wasn’t tragic, and only qualifies as close if you count being squished together in the subway … I wore my toe shoes thanks to the warmer weather, and had a man tell me with a chuckle that the sight of my shoes had made his entire day. Glad to help :).
Time’s up, so I have to go. Sorry posting’s been light, but I’ve had a rough few days and am just surfacing. Breakdowns in the middle of the night are tiring, ya know? Makes it hard to keep up with real life, let alone my online one.
Off to the park, have a great weekend!
Cheers,
SaneMom