In the "Can't Believe I said That" light:

3 days ago, my mother: "Here is a blanket made from Alpaca. It's from ________. Keep it in the family, if you can."
3 days ago, myself: "This thing itches! I don't want it!"
Mom: "Take it anyway!"
Me: "Um, okay..." Shuffle off to the car, still insisting there is no place for this thing and it weighs a ton, blah blah blah.
Yesterday, my mother: "I'm giving you the large wooden bread board (HUGE is more like it) that Grandpa made for me. You make breads, pizza; you'll use it."
Yesterday, myself: "WHY ARE YOU GIVING AWAY YOUR STUFF? ARE YOU DYING?!"

4 X 4 Meme, shamelessly stolen from Blackbird

4 Jobs I have had: Stock broker assistant, Law Clerk Manager, real estate agent, parent

4 Shows I watch: Deal or No Deal, Curious George, um - we don't watch much tv. Oh, occasionally a CSI but I don't know which one. One has Gary Sinese, one has a curly-haired Greek lady who used to play a doctor on TV (?)

4 Places I've been: Okinawa, Tuscany, Ireland, the Depths of Hell and Back Again

4 Food I like: Sushi, almost anything Thai, Pork, Lobster

4 Scents I like: My sons, my husband, conifers and pine trees, desserts in the oven

4 Sounds I like: Thunderstorms, my children's laughter, crashing waves, "I'm Home!"

4 Cars I've had: '59 Anglia, '66 Mustang, '78 BMW 3.0 Csi, '03 Odyssey. And a million inbetween. Only 2 have been new.

4 Things at Which I'm Good: Conversing, Humor, Cooking, Parenting. Not necessarily in that order.

Just Another Pap Smear Moment

So, yesterday was my annual check up, forced upon me courtesy of the pharmaceutical industry. I like my doctor; she's all about alternative medicine and tries everything natural before whipping out the prescription pad. She also has her office in a converted bungalow which she remodeled with her own two hands. And her gay brother is her receptionist, and the guy is a scream (and totally nonintentional - he just is funny).
But -- pap smears are just Not Fun. Especially when you bring your very active 6 year old with you, WITH the portable DVD player and a current favorite movie. Trouble is, the boy zips through the movie double quick by fast forwarding to his favorite parts. Then he starts exploring. There is a lovely wrap-around porch that he is told by the receptionist brother he may visit. So he strolls around and sings and talks to himself. Then, he notices the exam room windows. So, just in case his mother might be in there, he raps out Shave-and-a-haircut two-bits very nicely, on the window; you know, just friendly like and because he is connected to his mother by ESP and great love. So, in the middle of my pelvic exam, I say to dear Dr. Gloria, who has a young son of her own, "May we pause here, and may I go rap back?" So up I jump, nekkid derriere and all, and give the dum-diddly-ump bump, bump bump right back to him. He yelps "MOMMY!" and all is right with his world.
And I hop back on the table and we get on with the business at hand.
And wouldn't you know, my blood pressure was better than it's been in 15 years.

Yahoo! Photos!

Two boys and a gingerbread house

Ryan receiving 2nd place trophy for his pinewood derby car, cub scouts

Beautiful, yummy Valentine's Day gift from Paula

PopPop's birthday feast

Self portrait, lavender and Blue Dog

Okay, Okay

Bec did it. The Quarterly post. I suppose I could scrape up a post out of the noise from the daily ditherings...

First off, if I would've known kids were so much fun, I truly would have done it so much earlier. The older they get, the more I like them. And my children ARE the best children on the planet. Their newest addiction is Pokemon. I like Pokemon. In fact, I love Pokemon. Ryan is able to communicate fully with any children also interested in Pokemon, which gives him confidence. I could go on and on about feeding addictions to encourage communications, from Thomas the Tank Engine, to Star Wars, to Webkinz, to Pokemon. I have no idea what the next frenzy will be. If you know, please don't tell me.
Winter here has been rather story book - most of the snow is falling in the mountains. We have actually been getting out and enjoying ourselves with all that Colorado has to offer. We took the Ski Train one Sunday. The club car we were in offered breakfast, snacks, drinks and a light supper on the way home! Yo - that's my idea of a train ride!
Ken continues to travel 2 weeks out of every month. Which translates to hiring house cleaners again and also eating out more. Both of which are nice necessities when you single parent for long periods of time. Instead of cleaning, I'm organizing. Well, in theory. I'm actually reading more. But, I have plans to start organizing. And that counts for something. These things have to start in one's head and travel down to the hands.
On the health front, Ryan has been found to be infested with Candida, necessitating a diet change for the entire household. Gone are sugar, vinegar and yeasted food items, which comprises a huge amount of our former daily offerings. Barbeque sauce? GONE. Bread? Of course GONE. Today while the house cleaners are here, we are running a marathon of errands, one of which is to take the entire family trolling down the aisles of Whole Foods to select some new foods. This may not be a fun trip. Finding things without any sugar seems to be the biggest challenge. Ah, the love humans have for the sweet things.
Next post will have photos. Check back quarterly...

True Love: Meet the Newest Appliance

This may be the luckiest find of my life (well, besides my husband and children!).
Gagganau Oven
This oven retails around $5400. So how did we find one for less than a tenth of that price? A high-end appliance repair guy, that's how.

Sears was handling the installation of the dryer part of the stacked LG steam washer/dryer we purchased from them very poorly. The washer was installed when we requested. But the dryer had been in the garage, uninstalled, for almost 6 weeks and life was not good around here. Since the washer can handle a double load of clothing (YES! It's true!), the dryer to go with such a wonderous machine needs to effectively dry the same quantity. Well, my old gas dryer was making a wrinkled mess out of everything, etc. Sears kept insisting that we get a plumber out to do the gas hookup (the line was already there). So I told them they could jolly well come pick up everything; they sold me a set of appliances and we paid for installation and they needed to completely install the appliances! They had to call in their high-end installer, who is under contract with Gagganau, Miele, Bosch, Thermador, etc. and who can do any and all electrical and gas work necessary for the installation. So that's how I met Ed and his workers. Top-drawer - these guys show up with fancy trucks and trailers, with sorted bins of stuff and every possible tool! What a concept! They don't sit around scratching their gonads and grunting; they get right to work.
Turns out that makers of true high-end stuff only allow one, possibly two service calls before they just pull out the pesky unit and put in a brand new one. When Ed opened the trailer to get some tools, I saw a wondrous sight - a beautiful Gagganau oven strapped on a palatte. Seems this Gagganau oven didn't like its probe. It's had every board replaced, so is essentially new internally. The only problem is the probe. Yes, it's got a little dirt on it. But NO scratches, dinks or stains. I've never used an oven probe. I'm happy to roast the old fashioned way and use the instant-read thermometer! And no warranty, of course. So we have a 36" oven that will go under our 36" DCS gas cooktop (also bought at fire sale prices - there is a slight dent in one corner which will more than likely press out when it's installed over granite or silestone - and it's also stainless steel, which I don't like but that's what appliances are more often than not) that is also out in the garage, brand-new and waiting to be installed. And, we have a Vent-A-Hood out there, too. Ed said "I'd be happy to install all these for you when you're ready." He even gas us advice on how to change out the cabinets, and some ideas for the remodel.

Of course, Ed has a story. He has masters degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering, and was a working stiff until he invented and patented a bottle cap process that Coors Brewing and Ball canning and bottling division jointly purchased. So then Not-So-Old Ed didn't need to work anymore. He was still young, so he bought a Scuba Diving shop up in the mountains and he and his wife and kids ran that (still do). But he still wanted to do something, and his wife wanted him out of the house something fierce. He always had a passion for appliances, and when his high-end stuff wasn't installed properly, he offered to help out Miele with their installs. They trained him, and other companies snapped him up, too.

Our double oven unit is going toes up any day. The bottom oven gave up the Ghost months ago. It's a cheap GE Profile unit, and they are awful. The thing spits out steam and boiling water when you cook anything moist in it, and it cooks unevenly. So Ed took the measurements and he and his employee talked. There is a new Thermador triple unit that has a m-wave on top, convection oven in middle and warming drawer underneath that would fit Like A Glove in the GE's spot. Pray that somebody buys one and the installers muck up the installation as they normally do (Ed only comes in as the WolfMan clean up guy, think Harvey Keitel character in Pulp Fiction. He comes in when there's problems) and we miraculously get a Thermador triple unit, barely used, at a 10th of the price.
Thermador Triple Oven
A Girl Can Dream, right?!

Feeding 80/The Hannukah of Birthdays

This could also read 'Feeling 80' at the moment. Because? Last night we fed 80 people. In one and a half hours. And I only have one small saucepan of curry left.
Some background: Our neighborhood features a K-8 school. This year, there are over 1000 kiddos registered and attending. So, a staff of around 80 services the school. It is an English as a Second Language (ESL) specialty school, as our population here is 17% Asian - Engineers imported from China, South Korea, India, Japan and other Pacific Rim countries. We have children who speak NO English in classrooms. Volunteers from the neighborhood, and older students fluent in the language, help out in the classrooms. Anyway, it is a superb school; and after some cage rattling, I am very happy with the level of Special Needs services Ryan is receiving to help with his speech difficulties.
Unfortunately, last year the school had a snafu with District PTA and our school's attempt to set up a 501.c.3 separate from the PTA for fundraising. Why would a school set up another 501.c.3 (tax exempt) fundraising vehicle, you may ask? Because District and National PTA could possibly direct how your very own school can spend the money, that's why. For example, spending the money on salaries for paraprofessionals to assist with teaching and pupil management might not be okay with District. And other spending might be ix-nayed. And why should ANY entity that is not directly affected by decisions be allowed involvement in the decision-making process, we asked. So, we are allowing PTA to die a slow, and now painful, death. We spent all the money in the PTA accounts to drain it down last year. However, PTA directors and school officials could not tell the rest of us what really happened. Our school district Big Cheeses obviously told them to keep mum about it. It meant that disorganization and confusion were rampant in the school. And volunteers were not organized as our former PTA people were and are understandably jaded, and have been unfairly accused of 'having an agenda'. Puhlease.
Last year, the rumor mill started up in rare form. "Teachers are quitting over this PTA fiasco!", "Our students won't get to do the 5th-grade trip (camping for 2 nights and some team-building stuff to prepare them for middle school), and all our Field Trips are at risk!" "National PTA is going to SUE US!"
All not true.
But what that kind of gossip and doomsday predicting can do, in the end, is affect how the community looks on your school. It will eventually start to hurt property values! PEOPLE - THINK!
Some parents are trying very hard to renew school spirit, for lack of a better term. One group has begun a landscape refurbishing that gave the school a pretty astonishing face lift overnight. There are other groups that are going full steam with the new 501.c.3 and other good things. And I offered to do the one thing I can do - I can feed large groups pretty easily.
So, during Parent/Teacher conferences this week and next, the parents are feeding our school staff of 80 lovely, home-cooked meals. Last night I made two kinds of currty, Thai and Indian, and other parents brought all the sides. And they were yummy! Authentic family recipies, eagerly and lovingly prepared for a staff we are lucky to have serving our neighborhood. And I can't wait to tell all the other parents who helped last night that our dinner got a standing ovation from the teachers and staff.

Now, about the Hannukah of Birthdays. My birthday was a week ago. I have always felt "Why celebrate only one day?" I celebrate the entire month of October! Many lunches out, many celebratory walks and trips. It's a beautiful time of year to get out and about with friends. So I use my birthday as an excuse to see my friends.

Some Days

Some days are lovely.
The weather is perfect.
The children are completely self-entertaining and especially sweet.
There is a suitable diversion in which both parents and children thoroughly enjoy themselves.
The food is top drawer. Everything comes out looking like the photo in the cookbook.

Today was such a day.

We spent a good portion of it at a gymnastics birthday party that was infused with autistic children and their parents. Ryan's quirky behavior didn't even register on the radar. The food the parents served was nutritious and beautifully plated. And all the gifts were developmentally correct! Even ours - we have been giving a Klutz toy lately that is usually a hit with the 6-9 set.

But the Very Best part for me was the parents. They understand and agree when I say "Ryan has been the biggest gift of our lives. And a great part of the benefit of having a Ryan is the parents of other special needs kids you meet along the way."

Then tonight we had a Time of it. And I had to remind myself "This is a Gift. This is a Gift. This is a Gift." Ryan needs more processing time. And by 8 at night, I'm all out of patience.

Reading, but not commenting

Really. I am reading all my normal daily visiting places. I'm just too busy to comment. And too tired. Because? Ken and I stayed up until 3:20 a.m. YES - A.M.! watching Pride and Prejudice, a mini series that was 6 hours in length.
Oy.

It's finally happened -

I've officially turned the corner and become a complete Laundry Snob.
We bought the LG Tromm Steam Washer and dryer. And we're going to stack them.
The fellow at the Great Indoors attempted to talk us into the brand new Sears HE steam washer, but no - we know the LG will fit in the space and we already did the research, etc. etc.
This is what becomes possible after one's spouse buys a sports car. Fancier appliances. And I'm fine with that.

First day of School - Photos!

Parker and Ryan in front of Parker's classroom

Parker and his DESK! Loaded up, even!

Ryan first day of Kindergarten

Parker first day of First Grade

The School Boys!

Busy As Bees We Are

Firmly planted in Week Two of school. I am delighted to report that all seems well with Parker and Ryan. There were enormous fears -- of the lunchroom, of all things -- on the part of the boys, and of the playground, on my part. So Ryan and I have been having a lot of snacks with Parker in the cafetorium (doesn't that sound like a devine place to be buried?), and we've been shuffling our feet on the playground along with piles of children, one of whom is our very own Parker. Parker and Ryan seem to have no trepidation regarding the hectic swarm of all-age children on the playground, the lack of fencing, the parking lot nearby with possible child-snatchers lurking in every corner. No, it's Me. And 3 other parents. So we collect our Volunteer badges and park ourselves in sections that seems under supervised, and try to actually Keep Watch v. just riveting eyes on our very own little darlings.

About the time Parker's first recess is over, it's time for Ryan to decamp to kindergarten, fully exercised and bright of eye and spirit. And I ask our energetic kindy teacher "Do you need my help today?" A foolish question. So I stay and do all those things that having 90 eager little learners entail. Much shuffling of paper, assembling of packets, setting up of display walls which all of us parents will eagerly scan, looking for signs of adorable art and literary work.

Too busy to even shop for food, in fact, since Ken is out of town and I dread shopping with the boys. They hang on to the cart, pulling it every which way, dash off in front of other carts to procure tasty tidbits (most of which is ix-nayed - never mind, they try anyway) and are general nuisances. I had to take Ryan today. We were out of too much stuff. The store was pretty empty. And wouldn't you know; not once or twice but three times, another parent with their annoying child kept blocking our way to get places. This woman was oblivious to anyone else in the store. Her daughter (who looked 4 or older) was spitting into her hands and drawing with the saliva - broad slashes with her palms! BEYOND DISGUSTING. I thought 'certainly even this clueless mother can't be aware her child is doing such an incredibly nasty thing', so I took the liberty of gently informing her "Your little one is spitting in her palm and marking territory..." with an Ikea Anna wry smile for emphasis. And do you know what that lovely woman retorted? "So What! Mind your own business!" So I said "Oh dear, I guess I better call management over to monitor the situation." And I did. And guess what? She stormed out of the store, abandoning her cart and snapping and snarling at her daughter. Oh dear. I'll probably end up on the PTO with her at some point and she'll have it in for me.

Let's see; what else...

Back to School is tonight. The Parental Units are coming over to entertain the boys as the husband he is gone. Have to shoe-horn Taekwondo in there somewhere before dinner and after school. Ai Yi Yi.

Taking a break!

I'm off today to Las Vegas to visit my sister. She has a few fun things planned - an immediate visit to the Dim Sum place upon my arrival, shopping the next day with a lunch at Bellagio, swimming on Lake Mead on Saturday and possibly a show in there some time as well. But, more importantly, there is down time in there for me! She is going to work out and/or ride her horse, leaving me to rest, read or whatever.
A L O N E.
ALONE!

Doesn't this sound like heaven? I love my family. And I'll love them even more after catching a break!

I feel strange

Ryan resting at Left Hand lake.

Ryan starts kindergarten tomorrow.
I feel strange - not sad, not worried; just-strange.
How can our youngest child be in kindergarten already? Never mind that he is 6, has lost 5 teeth (while his older brother remains a Tooth Virgin) and may tower over his classmates - he is young. His kindy teacher came to the house to meet all of us this past Friday. Ryan hauled her up to his room and showed her his treasures - his tooth fairy box and his books. Our speech therapist was here too, and they chatted out at their cars for awhile. I always wonder if the therapists say "Ryan is doing great but that mother is an eternal annoyance."

Parker at Left Hand lake.

Parker is entering first grade tomorrow. For some reason, I am fine with this. We have the obligatory New Lunch Box, complete with metal water bottle and re-usable environmentally friendly containers. In which I may even occasionally pack a healthy lunch. We have $100's of new school supplies, which have already been dropped off and loaded into his New Desk. Yes, one gets their very own desk in first grade. And their own supplies. Had I known that, I would have labeled every blasted pencil. Not because they are special; because those fuckers are SHARPENED. Do you know how long it takes to sharpen thirty-six #2 pencils?

We don't have new clothes, or new haircuts. We'll get those in early September. Maybe then stuff will be less expensive, and school photos are end of September. Even a bad haircut looks good after 2 weeks, so we'll get those haircuts 1st or 2nd week in September.

I hope to snap some photos tomorrow morning. I'm letting the boys pick their own outfits -- please take that into account as you look at the photos!

Summer Vacation, Jammies all the time.

Same day, different pjs.

GameCube Playing Styles, around noon today

Nightly reading in the Guest Room with Daddy, around 8:30 (okay, probably closer to 9 - we have to move up bed times THIS WEEK or the boys, they will be toast next week with the start of school... )

Honestly, the boys were dressed in street clothing for about 4 hours today. We were supposed to go to the library, but I was too tired. Today, for some unknown reason, I decided to try a new way of deep cleaning.
Slow Vacuuming.
Yes, you read that correctly. I, who does everything at lightning speed, decided that once a month I will vacuum very
s
l
o
w
l
y
to deep clean the carpeting. And my gosh the stuff I got out of the rugs. You should try it. Ken said it sounded like occasional popcorn. Of course, this took an extra hour.

I do fall cleaning. So now I will tackle baseboards, walls and cobwebs. I already cleaned woodwork, ceiling fans, cabinet fronts.

Could this post possibly be any more boring?

Finally, Fotos!

Ryan, proving he can read anywhere

Ryan and Parker at the Club pool.

Ryan perching on a rock at Rainbow Lake

I have been lame to the extreme in my photo offerings of late. Again with the 'lost the cable' excuse. We have been taking video this summer and letting the boys capture their own shots with their digital cameras. And guess what? I have LOST THEIR CABLES! Grrrrrrr.

After Months of looking...

We found a Master Bedroom Chest that we can both live with at



Of Course -


COSTCO!

Portomao Chest

We've purchased, and refused delivery of, a chest from Restoration Hardware. Horrid construction - It arrived with drawer glides snapped, drawers not closing, veneer peeling off the top and gouges out of the sides.

Then we found a Kincaid Magna Chest we thought might work; on further reflection we knew it wasn't 'fancy' enough for the cherry furniture that is in the master suite. We spent the next few weeks touring every furniture showroom in Denver; found chests we would consider from inexpensive ($300) to ridiculous ($15,000). Last night, I jokingly told Ken - "Hey, I bet we find the perfect chest where we find everything else - at Costco!" We had a good har de har about that, and then I went on line. And found perfect size chests in a few different pieces. Then I found it! All those weeks, driving around looking, thinking we were looking for the impossible.

I
Love
Costco

"I'm reading and too lazy to write"

so here's something from unconscious mutterings

1. Voices ::


2. Have to ::


3. Machine ::


4. Seventh grade ::


5. Beach ::


6. Roommate ::


7. Cyclone ::


8. Theater ::


9. Pregnant ::


10. Phoebe ::

Mine:
Voices: In my head
Have to: Phone Sarah O.
Machine: Wash
Seventh grade: Bullshit
Beach: Bum
Roommate: Horrors
Cyclone: Twister
Theater: Tickets
Pregnant: Pause
Phoebe: Bird

A slice of perfection.

No, not a foodie post.
A Family Day post. A "This Makes It All Worthwhile" post.

I don't often post about daily grind. Who wants to re-live that?! Sometimes I comment about parenting a child on the always-exciting Autism spectrum, but mostly out of anger with The System. (Which we abandoned long ago, and are now spending our future retirement funds on getting private therapies for our son. And which has made all the difference in his very being.)
But this post? This is a post about our oldest son, Parker. He is an Average Child. Average height, average strengths in school, average in alot of measurements of physical and mental achievements. Which is wonderful. I am learning that Average is EASY. Where he soars above the crowd is when he practices and exhibits the martial art of Tae kwon do.
Yesterday, Parker tested for his blue belt. His form was so flawless in his execution - even when he faltered - that the crowd was absolutely silent. Another parent whispered to us "He is really an exquisite child." And my heart nearly burst.
Two other classmates of Parker's now attend tae kwon do with him, and one of the boys tested with Parker yesterday. It was wonderful to see his parents at their first belt testing, to know the emotions that they were feeling, and to be ecstatic with them when their son executed his form successfully and snapped his board with the first kick. We went out to dinner afterward, and people oh'd and ah'd when the 2 little dudes waltzed in in their tae kwon do uniforms. (Okay, there were three additional very cute kids in the group...and at least one person might have been admiring the baby or the exceptionally beautiful little girl in the group). We were given the party room, and for the first time in their lives, our sons were allowed to run wild around a room while eating dinner out. The adults were able to have a good, long chat, unfettered with parenting children aged 3 to 7. I had forgotten what it was like to have dinner out with kids and be able to actually carry on a conversation without "MOMMY!" interruptions. Then we all trotted over to our house, where dessert was served and the garden trains were put on the track and - gasp - the children were allowed to operate them for hours!
Of course, some things that were annoying at the time, now seem funny:
Ken is always dragging his ass when we leave the house. As in, I am about ready to start driving off and leaving him again if he doesn't stop making us late for everything. Parker was about having apoplexy in his booster, waiting for Daddy to come out of the house so we could drive off! So, of course we got there a bit late, as of course we got lost (it was at different studio this time). Ken barked as we finally neared the studio "You jump out and run in with Parker!" and me, being a literal type of person, started to open my door as he slowed, popped off my seat belt and stuck a foot out the door. With that, my husband spies a close parking space. Without telling the rest of us, he decides to zip into that space. I have a sandaled foot out the door on the asphalt! I have a hand firmly grasping an open door! Parker is standing at the ready at his sliding door! So we go from nearly stopped, to a goose of the engine and a turn! WHEEEEEEEEEEE! Parker and I are screaming our heads off - Parker is hanging on for dear life to his booster and the back of Ken's seat, and I am leaning out with the open door as it swings out into thin air, and sanding off the bottom of my expensive, made-in-South-Africa-by-native-women sandals! Ken quips "Oh! Sorry - I saw this close-in space... " and I say "Okay! We're Here! Parker jump out!" and that was the end of it - I trot into the studio, smoking sandal and all, and get the traumatized child into the lineup.
Then, in our absorbed adoration of watching Parker do his routine, we do not notice that Ryan was clicking his camera, with blinding flash, at the audience! He was blinding people as their children did their routines! We discouraged that behavior, so he then decided to play with duplo blocks in a hard plastic case, which made really annoying clunks and clanks while the masters are doing the verbal portion of the tests with each child so now the parents couldn't hear their child's responses. Oy.
But mostly, it was a Magic Day. The weather was cooler and a bit cloudy. The sunset was amazing - a Maxfield Parrish kind of evening. Even the mosquitoes left off for the evening. How lucky is that?!

The hair she's cut.

And I am not liking it. Because I now am forced to spend time actually fixing hair. And I am not a hair-fixing type of person.
Photos to follow, maybe. I have not yet been able to fix the hair properly and may get it entirely cut off, very short.
So, not so happy. Plus, I swear I get weaker the day I get my hair cut.