Words to live by.

Or at least, I live by them.

...and shorter

*Buy a few more presents - Just one left!
*Wrap about 20 packages - Still only five wrapped.
*Ship one or two things - Whew. Hopefully my present for the Winter Holiday of Your Choice Gifty Extravaganza will show up where it's supposed to be on time.
*Change the sheets in the guest roomMake sure I have clean sheets for the more-comfortable fold-out couch downstairs and clean towels in the guest bath (Hi Mom!)
*Clean house
*Decorate. Seriously. The tree isn't up yet. Good: my parents want to do this with us. Can wait for Saturday.
*Shop for food for the weekend - Aside from the Roast Beast we're having potato latkes and braised brussells sprouts. Now I need to figure out what we're going to eat the rest of the weekend and go shopping. Also we need vodka and lime. Tonic we've got, as well as the other beverages our guests like best. Oh! Can't forget bagels! Though TellsDonaldDuckStories often likes to take the trip to go out and get them so that he can also get a copy of the NYT and an espresso.

Happy Birthday!

To three of my favorite on-line people:

Purple Kangaroo turns 29 today, Chloe is three, and Frances is TWO!

And here is a birthday card for all of you.

Can you tell me what time it is?

(bump)
(creeeeeeaaaakkk)
(thumpThumpTHUMPthumpThumpTHUMPthumpThump
THUMPTHWAPThwapthwap)
(ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss)
(WHOOOOOSHHHHHH)
(thwapThwapTHWAPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP)
"Mommy? Is it morning?"




answer: 6:30 AM. That's my good boy.


And yes, I sent him back to wash his hands.

Meme of the senses (as seen at R2Ks)

Favorite Sound(s): My son laughing. The sound of small waves lapping at the shore of a lake or pond.

Favorite Colour(s): That blue that they use to make those fancy bottles of water. The chocolate brown of my son's eyes.

Favorite Image: My son snuggling with my husband.

Favorite Tactile Sensation(s): The feeling of flannel against my skin. Hugs and kisses from my boys.

Favorite Scent(s): The top of Muffin Man's head. Good things cooking in the kitchen

Well the list is getting a bit shorter

*Buy a few more presents - Two more to go.
*Wrap about 20 packages - I've gotten 5 wrapped.
*Ship one or two things - Whew. Hopefully my present for the Winter Holiday of Your Choice Gifty Extravaganza will show up where it's supposed to be on time.
*Change the sheets in the guest room and the towels in the guest bath (Hi Mom!)
*Clean house
*Decorate. Seriously. The tree isn't up yet.
*Shop for food for the weekend - Aside from the Roast Beast we're having potato latkes and braised brussells sprouts. Now I need to figure out what we're going to eat the rest of the weekend and go shopping. Also we need vodka and lime. Tonic we've got, as well as the other beverages our guests like best. Oh! Can't forget bagels! Though TellsDonaldDuckStories often likes to take the trip to go out and get them so that he can also get a copy of the NYT and an espresso.

As promised

MMatComputer
Originally uploaded by Mystery Mommy.

Muffin Man at his new computer, playing Tt(F)TE: "Trouble on the Tracks".

He is so happy, he can't wait for it to be turned on in the mornings.

Check out his cool robe, a hand-me-down from his cousins. LL Bean, y'all.

Attention: New maturity alert!

At about 5:45, Muffin Man came in and wanted to snuggle and I brought him back to his own room (after asking if he needed to go potty and him saying, "no") (our rule is everyone in their own bed until after 6:30). And then at 6:30 he came back in, went straight into the bathroom, pee'd, flushed, turned out the light and went back into his own room WITHOUT ANY ASSISTANCE FROM ME. He didn't even know I was awake. Granted, he didn't wash his hands, but I'm not asking for miracles here.

At 7:00, he came back in and we worked on our respective computers (did I tell you that Mr. Spock set up a computer for Muffin Man? He did. Pictures to follow) for 20 minutes and then got dressed and dropped him off at school (perfectly happy) and got me to work (counting down to my last day!)

Sometime over the next week I must:

*Buy a few more presents
*Wrap about 20 packages
*Ship one or two things
*Change the sheets in the guest room and the towels in the guest bath (Hi Mom!)
*Clean house
*Decorate. Seriously. The tree isn't up yet.
*Shop for food for the weekend (Roast beast. I placed the order yesterday at Wegman's)

What I did this past weekend:
*Went to a party at church (I made the ham.) Had a great time.
*Went Christmas shopping with Muffin Man.
*Made and painted bread dough figures with Muffin Man (pictures to follow)
*Went shopping at Wegman's (all three of us. We LOVE Wegman's)
*Ordered stuff from Amazon.

I'm trying not to feel stressed about all the stuff I wanted to do this past weekend (see top list) that I didn't do. Time just ran out on me.

DayInCountry

DayInCountry
Originally uploaded by Mystery Mommy.

This is a picture of the day Muffin Man saw a wild turkey while visiting TellsDonaldDuckStories and QuiltsAlot at their house in the country. It was drawn nearly a month after the event.

Must have made an impression, eh?

SparklyFlower

SparklyFlower
Originally uploaded by Mystery Mommy.

Muffin Man makes an occasional foray into multi-media. This is sparkly paint on newsprint paper with foam flowers.

It is a flower made of flowers.

Well, that's a relief

Muffin Man and I walked into Miss G.'s classroom this morning, his fourth day at his new school. I took off his coat and, as I turned to hang it up, he ran to Miss G. yelling, "I'm wearing my watch!"

He barely wanted to take the time to give me kisses and push me out.

I guess you could say he's settled in.

Muffin Man's World has Changed

Muffin Man started at a new daycare yesterday.

He'd been at his old one since he was 10 weeks old. His first teacher, Miss A., was so special. His second-to-last teacher there, Miss M., was also really wonderful. Other teachers who are no longer there made his every day a joy.

But there's the rub. Those teachers are no longer there. Miss M. is leaving soon too. Miss A. was making noises about not liking where the center is going.

The problem is they've had 5 directors in the time we've been there. And the current director is going on maternity leave next month. And her replacement isn't getting along with the teachers. And she's constantly forgetting the kids' names. The place is starting to come unglued and we're not willing to put MM through that again (the last time it happened, they lost two-thirds of their teachers and had to close the toddler room for lack of staff. MM was dividing his days amoung the crawling babies and the rambunctious two's and three's - a blended class also due to lack of staff.)

So we've moved MM to a different center. And it was hard on him yesterday, but today he came home really happy. Talking about the silly songs his teacher, Miss G., sang and the sign-language movements she did with the song (he particularly liked her rendition of "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer")

And we're loving the "what I did today" reports she sent home yesterday and today. They're very detailed (mostly xeroxed, but with hand-written notes specifically about our son) and very cheerful with snowflakes and snowmen in the margins. His old school wasn't too big on daily reports. Except in the very young classes.

There are other things about this new center we're not liking so much, but we've got him on a waiting list at Posh New Place (daycare designed by D1sn3y! Not really, but that's how it looks.)

The horror, the horror!

HorrificSpiralPerm
Originally uploaded by Mystery Mommy.

This picture was taken Christmas morning a looooooooong time ago. I couldn't find any pictures of this perm that didn't show my face....

Please note that not only do I have the typical late-eighties spiral perm, I also have BANGS. Can you say, "poodle"? Or perhaps, "Portugese Water Dog" or maybe "Puli"?

I thought I looked Mahvelous.

Bummed...

I can't go see Corndog play tonight because I'm still sick.

I am soooooooooo bummed. Sigh.

The essay I wrote for Nearby U.

We spend time together almost everyday: Josephine, Margaret, Frances, Georgette, Dana, Jane, and I. One-on-one, we share lunch or that quiet time after my son Muffin Man is in bed. Every time I see them, I experience something new. There are others I have lunch with, or spend those quiet hours with, but Josephine and the others are my core-group of companions. We take trips together. We meet on visits to the doctor’s office. Often, one will go with me when I get the oil changed in my car.

Aside from Frances, they are a different set of friends from those I had when I was young. Back then it was Frances, Laura, Lucy, Paula, Noel, and Agatha. They rode the subway to school with me. I sat with them at lunch and recess. My fifth grade teacher actually had to limit my time with them, because my other friends were feeling left out.

In bed at night I used to hide under the blankets with a flashlight just to steal one more half-hour with one or another of them. My mom learned pretty quickly to come and check on me often. "Lights out, Little Miss Mystery Mommy. Put the book away. It’ll still be there in the morning."

Joesephine Tey, Margaret Maron, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Georgette Heyer, Dana Stabenow, Jane Austen. Such wonderful writing, such fascinating worlds: The United Kingdom during the Regency Era, the Victorian Era, and between the World Wars; Our own present-day heartland, cities, and wilderness. I fall in love with the places as much as the people. And when I come back from reading or re-reading one of their books, I get a new appreciation for my own small world, seeing it through fresh eyes.

More than any one person, these authors have influenced who I am and what my morals are. From Laura Ingalls Wilder I learned to be grateful for what I had - how could I complain when she had subsisted on hand-ground whole-wheat bread for an entire winter, twisting hay into sticks for the fire? From Noel Streatfeild I learned about how war affects children and that even children can help their families earn enough money to keep afloat. Paula Danziger taught me to face disappointment with humour and that my family’s odd arrangement of four parents and joint custody might not be so unusual after all. Agatha Christie (and before her, the authors of "Nancy Drew") taught me to pay attention to the littlest details. And that "humour" is spelled with two u’s.

I said that these authors are my companions, but really it’s their books that have been my friends. Their books have taught me and nurtured me, comforted me and helped me to grieve. Beloved old familiar books, intriguing newly discovered books. Used books that smell of pipe tobacco. New books with shiny fresh covers. Library books, reluctantly returned. Memoirs, mysteries, science-fiction, histories - how delightful just to read, and laugh, or weep. And now that I’m a mother - with a young son who needs me rested every morning - how strangely sweet it is to say to myself sometimes, "Lights out, Mystery Mommy. Put the book away. It’ll still be there in the morning."

Mine

Sometimes we argue over whose son Muffin Man really is.

"Yours." I say, when he's being extra silly.
"What do mean? He's totally yours!"

There is no doubt tonight, however, over whose kid he really is. Upon checking on him 2 hours after tucking in and lights out, this is what we found.

Light on.
Sleeping on top of the covers.
Face down on a book.

Mine.*







*There continues to be some disagreement about this.

Snow in Northern Virginia

Always such a joy. My normally 15 minute commute took 45 minutes at 4:00 PM. I'm so glad that I'm not still working at my old job. Tonight the temps are supposed to dip and the snow is supposed to keep falling. By tomorrow morning the roads are going to be a complete mess.

You'd think people would slow down and give more follow distance when the weather's like this, wouldn't you? But no...that'd mean admitting that it's actually! snowing!

Why the heck isn't it Wednesday yet?

My cubicle is f-f-f-f-freezing. Seriously.

I'm wearing my coat and g-g-g-gloves (difficult to type, but I'm making do) and my scarf and I'm starting to lose feeling in my t-t-t-t-toes (encased in winter boots)

And for once, it's not just me - the men I work with are complaining too. You know it's cold when the men start complaining!!!

Gotta get back to work. B-b-b-bye!

Big day here

I got some good news (early, I was not expecting to hear for another two weeks!), I'm going back to college!!!

I'll be entering as a full-time undergraduate at Nearby University!