Persistence

This is a story about a project Muffin Man was assigned for Social Studies.

He had to create a time-line of events leading up to the Revolutionary War that:

1. Must include at least 2 sentences about each event.
2. Must include the date(s) of the event
3. Must be clearly placed in order of events.
4. Must be incorporated in a picture, collage, or diorama using a Revolutionary Theme.
5. Must be neatly done
6. Must show thought (can not look like it was done at the last minute)

Muffin Man had a month in which to do this project. He selected his events and planned what he wanted to incorporate into his illustration before we went to Puerto Rico, and got his teacher to sign off on those things...and then he forgot all about it until the Friday before the Monday that it was due.

When I picked him up from after school that day, he was SOBBING. "I'll never be able to get it done! I'll get an F!!

"No you won't. You have all weekend to work on it. I guarantee that you are not the only kid in your class who forgot about it and left it to the last minute. Daddy and I will help you with it. And if you work hard on it, I know that you won't get an F. You may not get an A, but you are smart, creative, and resourceful. You can do a good job."

His original idea had been to hand-draw a battle scene, with the time-line in clouds of smoke from cannons. I suggested that, instead of hand-drawing, he do a collage. He took that idea, and ran with it. He typed up the events in the time line. Mr. Spock helped find appropriate pictures on the internet. I helped cut out. Muffin Man did the layout (and we took this picture so that we could remember the placement), and we all helped glue. It took most of the weekend, but he got it done.

The Clouds of the Revolutionary War

His teacher gave him a 100.

During

Painting done, curtains hung.

Before

White walls, bed in center of room. Cozy, yes, but not as cozy as it could be.

One of the best birthdays ever

Mr. Spock made an awesome card for me -- completely professional looking.

Muffin Man made that animated card -- 700 frames.

Mr. Spock made a delicious chocolate cake from scratch, and it was a thing of beauty too.

I had lobster for lunch, and standing rib roast for dinner.

And Mr. Spock gave me exactly what I wanted for a present, a working radio in my car.

Birthdays just do not get any better than that.

My son got excited and made something for me

The best part is that he made it using something that his dad got excited and made. Yepper. A hand-made animation made with hand-made animation software.

We're back!

We found lots of sea glass, and engaged in cousin worship. The picture above is of my 15-year-old nephew, my 18-year-old niece, and my 10-year-old son being ridiculous on the beach.

Looking for sea glass. Be back next week.

Boy in blue

BTW, this big guy used to be this little guy:

I know. I know.

The way it works

In order to wash one's hair, one must:

1. Get all of ones hair wet, not just get all of one hair wet.
2. Apply shampoo to ones entire head of hair.
3. Rinse one's hair thoroughly.

It's not rocket science.

Housekeeping

Some of the links in my blogroll will vanish. This is not because I don't read them, I do, but they are more appropriate to Doorbell Queen, so that's where they will reside.

Links to blogs that haven't updated in over 6 months will move to the "Gone Quiet" section.

If you've got a blog that I don't link to here or at DBQ, let me know!

What Muffin Man will be doing for Summer Vacation

• One week in a music day camp, testing out the drums.
• Two weeks doing computer graphics and Lego robotics
• Two more weeks doing Lego Robotics
• Two weeks doing I don't know what yet. Maybe we'll go away somewhere?
• Two weeks creating video games, and doing more Lego Robotics.

What? He LIKES Lego Robotics. And they're all very different TYPES of Lego Robotics. They all have very different GOALS.

Yes. I will keep telling myself that.

Plus, he has a Lego Robotics kit and it's good for him to get as much practice programming it as possible.

Cake

DOUBLE DIGITS!

Muffin Man is 10 today. TEN.  

TEN!!

Holy guacamole.

He once was this tiny little thing:

And then he was a little boy:

And then he was a bigger boy:

And now he's this Big Kid:

I love this boy sooooo much.

Happy birthday, my Muffin Man.

How many different shapes do Lego come in?

This is not a rhetorical question. Our dining room table was taken over this weekend by a project of mammoth proportions: sorting the Lego. The Lego was sorted by shape only.


By Sunday night, about 1/3 of Muffin Man's Legos were sorted into compartmentalized boxes. Twenty-five compartmentalized boxes, with a minimum of 17 compartments each. Some items were doubled up. Oh, and the thick 2x4 bricks and their baby siblings, the thick 2x2 bricks each had their own box.

So I've got a bone to pick with the Lego Corporation. I mean, look at this picture, and that's just wheels and axles. WHEELS AND AXLES. They take up a whole box on their own.

When I was a kid, you had the 2x4 bricks, the 2x2 bricks, two kinds of window, 2 kinds of door, a brick that was about the length of a Lincoln Log, and two different slanted bricks for roofs, and a very large (comparatively) green piece that was a floor or grass, depending on how big you built your house. That was it.

I'm not complaining that there is more variety now, but over 425 different types feels like a bit of overkill. And that doesn't count Mind Storms.

On the other hand, it's worth it to see Muffin Man create a Mondrian Moon Buggy.

Blogging for Choice

This was really supposed to happen yesterday, but yesterday I was working for Choice in a different way (the NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia C3 Board met).

Today I'm going to blog for Choice by asking all my pro-Choice readers in the MD-VA-DC region to buy a ticket to this Thursday's Roe v. Wade Anniversary Dinner.

Over 60 anti-abortion, anti-birth control, anti-women statutes were enacted last year. This year, as many or more are being introduced. Please help us save women's lives, help us keep abortion safe, legal, and RARE by buying a ticket, attending the dinner, and working to make every baby that is born a welcomed and wanted Choice.

Knitting

I went to my first local knit night here in Virginia. Lordy, I missed knitting and chatting and knitting. It feels so good!

I'm working on Cloisonne Mittens (a pattern by The Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Perl-McPhee). Main color is white, with deep purple, fuchsia (yes, that yarn again!), and turquoise on the wrist band.

Outfit blogging

Today, in honor of 14 degree F weather, I am wearing LL Bean flannel-lined jeans, thick woolen socks, my nice leather boots (to make everything look work appropriate), a white turtle neck and a lavender cashmere v-necked sweater.

This outfit works for the office and for knit night at Panera.

What are you wearing?

Stop #PIPA and #SOPA.

I just left a message for Jim Webb asking him to oppose #PIPA and #SOPA. Won't you call him too? 202-224-4024.

If you live outside Virginia, you can find out who to call by asking the Wikipedia for help.

Bright

I've been in a bit of a funk lately, and am trying to use garment therapy to pull me out.

Today I'm wearing a deep pink shirt from Land's End (two years ago). It's less purple than fuchsia, more red than salmon. A deep, saturated color.

If I don't feel chipper, at least I look chipper.

Outfit blogging

Today, I'm wearing this sweater

over a white lacy square-necked camisole, with a denim skirt and these tights in red

I can't find the shoes I'm wearing online. Apparently Rockport has given up the heeled practical business black penny loafer in exchange for stuff that is merely pretty but looks wildly uncomfortable.

What are you wearing?

CFLs are horrible for picture taking

Especially when you're taking that picture with your cell phone.

Case in point: Here is a picture of a nice tweedy yarn:

Yarn. Tweedy. Is actually green.

What colour would you say this yarn is? Judging from the picture, a sort of greyish-blue right?

Wrong. This yarn, in reality, is green. Yes. I'm sure. It's really, truly green. A light spring green, like new growth on a willow tree.

CFLs make liars of cellphone cameras.