michellany

A Little Family Edutainment

Last night at the dinner table, my husband and I played a game with the kids to see who could think up words that sound the same but have different meanings.  (What can I say?  We're geeks. And those of you who are even geekier undoubtedly know that we were discussing homophones.)

When it came to my turn, I said "bow" (thinking of the bow of a ship, or the bough of a tree). 

Two of our kids immediately thought of the kind of 'bow' you take in front of an audience after you've given a performance...but that seemed to be all they could muster.

Until suddenly my 8-year-old piped up, with impeccable timing and requisite grooviness: 

'Bow-Chicka-Woww-Woww!'

It was a proud parenting moment.  Clearly, my work here is done.

Sweetness, Part Deux

So I had sooo much fun posting a couple of days ago about ME and MY birthday celebration that I left out a lot of other fun stuff we did as a family that didn't necessarily focus on, uh, ME.  But in the spirit of FAMILY and all that, and because I love posting cute pix of my kids, I wanted to share a bit with y'all about other happenings this past weekend.

For the most part, we ushered in the fall season by attending a couple of outdoor events.  The first was the annual 'pumpkin patch' fundraiser at my oldest son's elementary school.  This was our third year there, and to be candid, it was mostly a couple of hours of been there, done that.  The fire trucks were parked in the same place as last year - and the year before - and our three kids did not even give them a passing glance.  And the pony rides, petting zoo, and face painting table...also, all in the same place, and frankly, all so last year, as well....  Now forgive me if you are one of the many parent volunteers who worked hard, long hours to make this year's pumpkin patch come to fruition (no pun-kin intended...well, maybe...).  You did a *lovely* job, and forgive me for being cavalier since I did absolutely NOTHING to contribute.  (But in my defense, did you know it was my birthday?)   It's just that, maybe next year you could rearrange the locations of the booths and activities a bit...or get really crazy and bring in a new attraction!  Flamethrowers, anyone?  Now that'd liven things up!  I mean, we know the firetrucks will be there at the ready, so the safety angle is covered...but I digress...so getting back to what I know best, here are The Pix:

 Now, the second event we had the good sense to check out was the First Annual Chastain Park Arts Festival.  Since it was the 'First Annual' festival, it didn't have that pesky little burden of measuring up to, much less surpassing, last year's festival...so for us it was a winner right off the bat!  We spent a couple of hours strolling the path along the artists' tents and exhibits, noshed on a few snacks (the kids' favorite part of the day!) and found some unique gifts for upcoming birthdays and Christmas.

One of my favorite discoveries at the Festival was the work of Ronnie Phillips.  I admire his use of color and mixed media, and would love to have one of his paintings to brighten my home.  It was wonderful to hear him tell the stories behind each of his works.... You can visit his website at www.RonPhillipsArt.com.  I also was really keen on the serene sepia and vibrant color photographs of Alan Mogensen.  Please check out his works at his website, www.alanmogensen.com.  My last newfound delight was the ceramic artistry of Julie Sewell.  Sadly, I couldn't find a website for her works so that I could share them with you, but luckily, she is based locally, in Roswell, in case I need to look her up for a future purchase!

How could such a wonderful weekend have ended?  I think this picture shows it best:

 
  
 
 

Yes, all in all, it was a sweet weekend indeed!

 

How Sweet It Is

Today I celebrated the 13th anniversary of my 29th birthday.  Or, if you insist, my 42nd birthday.

And I will sum it up in this way:  42 is off to a very sweet start!

 

(Hmm - Can you pick out the 'wild child' in this bunch?)

All the kids - and I'm including Hubby in that category! - gave me awesome handmade cards.  Precious!

 
This full-color beauty is from Gil.  He apologized for giving me such a long neck - I told him I was too grateful for the loooong legs he also bestowed! 

 

 
 
 

Hugh gave me looong legs and WINGS!  Who wouldn't love that?!

Hubbalicious was much more realistic in his portrayal of my legs...and I considered kvetching about my football player shoulders... until I also noticed my whittled waist!  (Thanks Babe!)

Last, but certainly NOT LEAST, Genna drew one of her trademark smiley faces...minus a few of the facial features .  She swears they are there...and I know my eyesight isn't what it used to be...do YOU see them?

And as if these sweet little missives AND LUSCIOUS CHOCOLATE CAKE weren't enough - there were other gifts, too! 

The kiddos gave me one of my favorite candles...which may not seem like much, unless you are familiar with this candle company.  I'm sure this one candle strained the piggy banks of all 3 of my little angels...although I'm guessing the Bank of Dad provided a little subsidy here and there...

My mother and father in law dropped off a lovely bouquet of yellow sweetheart roses, and will be treating my sis-in-law (also an October baby), our respective hubbies, and moi to see Cavalia.  (As a former equestrienne and lifelong horse nut, I can't wait!)

My brother and sister in law brought me a fabulous planter from none other than Boxwoods!  For those of you not familiar with this Buckhead boutique, they arrange beautiful, lush flowers and foliage in elegant pots and planters.  For my budget, these heavenly arrangements are an indulgence - and though I love to give them to special people, I have never gotten one for myself.  So this divine little slice of Eden is truly a treat! 

GP made the trek up from Florida to spend a few days with us, and took care of the kids while Gil & I celebrated in style at the soiree of my October 17th birthday twin, Natasha.   And here I must say a few words about dear Natasha...

This October 17th was special for Natasha - the BIG 40 - and she ROCKED IT, looking effortlessly glam in a divine little black dress.  Sweetest of all, she made sure everyone there to celebrate HER special day also knew it was my birthday, too!  Gorgeous and gracious, as always!  (Thank you Natasha, and Christopher, for a delightful time!  Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!)

And there is one final gift I've received...  This one isn't quite ready for prime time - it's still in the works - but I'll share it with you all soon!  Anyone care to guess what it might be?  If so, leave a comment... Out of the goodness of my heart, I'll end a certain amount of suspense right now:  it is NOT a baby!  Not the human kind, anyway...but like my 42nd year...it is off to a very sweet start!

Holy Mackeyroe!

Where does the time go?! 

Didn't I just share some nuggets of wisdom and sparkles of sunshine here a day or two ago?

You know how sometimes you think of something you want to say to someone you are with at the moment...then a while later you wonder if you ever actually said it out loud to them, or just thought about it and forgot to do the speaking part?  (This does happen to you, at least on occasion, doesn't it? It's not just me, right?) 

At this point, are you beginning to wonder if this entire post will be composed of questions? 

NO.  I wouldn't do that to you.  Not today anyway.

So, I've been a blogging maniac in my mind for the past week and a half...and I've had lots of excellent material to share, natch...it's just the actual blogging out loud part (so to speak) that got lost in the daily muddle...

For example, I wanted to share how my three year old, Genna, came into the kitchen one day last week with a wadded up piece of paper, presented it to me with a grand flourish, and exclaimed joyfully, "Happy Wednesday!!!"  It didn't matter at all that when I gingerly peeled open the tightly balled up wad of paper the smiley face she had drawn stared back at me with three eyes instead of the usual two, or that it was really Monday, not Wednesday.  I was reduced to a puddle of mush.

(The title of this post, by the way, is Genna-speak for 'Holy Mackerel!', which she learned from my grandfather on his last visit with us.  Thankfully, she did not pick up any of his more colorful exclamations...)

Then, last Wednesday, I wanted to share this beautiful scene with you for a Wordless Wednesday post: 

But I realized I was incapable of sharing it without at least a few choice words...since it was the view from my husband's hotel room, where he was all last week, while I was at home with the not-so-delightful view below and three wigged-out, school-is-cancelled-so-we're-home-ALL-day-and-can't-even-go-outside kids as the Atlanta area experienced historical levels of rainfall and flooding:

(And though that may look like one big puddle or perhaps a shallow pond, don't be fooled - that's a spot in Chastain Park where the Nancy Creek overflowed and overtook a significant chunk of the golf course.  The creekbed itself lies about 20 to 30 feet  to the left of this photo, and the water around the oak tree at the left of the photo was several feet deep.  My paltry photography skills do not capture the impressive nature of, well, Nature.)

In other Genna news, I thought her successful first visit to the dentist deserved some dedicated blog coverage.  Genna did great!  We made it through the entire visit, and the dentist wasn't traumatized at all!  No, I'm not getting that backwards.  The pediatrician routinely calls in not one but two bouncers nurses to defend assist him when Genna goes in for checkups.  But just check out this scene of dental zen:

See, all smiles - even Dr. Lee!  Seriously, Dr. Lee, you ROCK!

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Well, all that?  That only gets us through last week.  This past weekend I walked a 5K, joined by my dear sister-friends Lou and Mindy (and my awesome niece & nephews) to raise money for and awareness of the detection and treatment of ovarian cancer.  It was an emotional way to begin the weekend, especially at the memorial balloon release at the beginning of the walk.   

For the remainder of the weekend, we enjoyed a visit from my other sister-friend Fidelma and her son Owen, who came all the way from Buffalo.  It was mostly a moms & boys weekend...Saturday, we toured the Georgia Aquarium, then went home to watch the boys wow us with their own aquatic prowess in our pool;  Sunday, we took the boys to see "Walking with Dinosaurs" at the Gwinnett Arena.  In the meantime, Genna and Daddy got lots of Father-Daughter bonding time!  (Good thing, too...I think Genna might have intimidated the T-Rex had she tagged along!)

Phew!  That's my week (and then some) in review...and, seriously, I can't figure out why I didn't get any blog posts published along the way...

Transitions and Juxtapositions

Last Tuesday - yes, I know I'm a few days late with this...did you see my last post? - marked my husband's first official day of retirement from the U.S. Air Force.  Frankly, it was pretty anti-climactic, as he stopped working for the Air Force at the beginning of the summer, and has since transitioned to a new job in the private sector.  Anti-climactic, also, because he out-and-out refused to participate in any celebrations of any sort to commemorate his achievement. 

Hmmph!  I don't know what they call that in the military, but in my neck o' the civilian woods, we call that being a 'Par-tay-Poo-pay.'  Co-workers, friends, family - we all wanted to celebrate him.  But the plain truth is, he is just too darned humble for that kind of fanfare. 

Luckily, he does not have editorial authority over this here blog!  Heh heh heh.  So I'm posting my favorite photo of him from his 21-plus years of active-duty military service.  (And Lay-deez, Eat Your Hearts Out - He's MINE!)  This shot was taken in Afghanistan, during his deployment there a couple of years ago.

(Not-So-Confidential to my Hubby:  I am so proud of you, Gil, and so thankful for your service.  And, oh yes, I'm just slightly head-over-heels in love with you, too.) 

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Completely by coincidence (or not, depending on your view of the Cosmos) that same day I encountered a uniformed soldier (Marine) in my neighborhood.  Other than my husband, this was the first man in military uniform I've seen in our neighborhood in the four years we've lived here, so he got my attention.  He had come into the same convenience store as I had popped into with my son, and we all happened to converge at the checkout at the same time. 

I said hello, noted his uniform, and told him that it was my husband's first day of retirement from active duty.  He paused, as if he didn't know what to say to that.  Then he told me he had just returned from Iraq.  As in, just-came-from-the-airport, had-not-even-been-to-his-house-yet, returned from Iraq.  Apparently, he had stopped on his way home to put gas in his car. 

Where was his welcoming committee, his family, his friends?  He was all alone.  And yet he was, well, not all there, either.  His eyes were a little vacant, and he told me that the trip to get back to the States had taken six full days - which I know from my husband's experience with military flights and connections is not uncommon.  He said he was most eager to get home and have his first real shower in nine months.  In Iraq, he bathed with water poured from a bottle over his head.  He would be home for fifteen days of leave, then he was headed back.

I thanked him for his service, wished him a restful vacation, paid for my purchase, and left with my son.  In the car, my six year old chattered away about his day at school, delighted with the treats he'd gotten at the store.  I tried to maintain my end of the banter, and keep the conversation upbeat.  But I was glad my little guy was in the backseat, unable to see me wiping away the tears I was helpless to stop.

No Genna Allowed

Found this posted on the boys' bedroom door:

Now, as rudimentary, and rude, as it may seem, I am actually quite impressed by it.  That's because my four year old made it, with no coaching or guidance.  Apparently he's seen the red-circle-with-a-slash sign before elsewhere, and decided to create his own signage to deal with his pesky little sister.  That's my boy!

Lest you think that's the extent of his written communication skills, let me share another of his missives:

 

You see, my husband has been traveling quite a lot lately.  Every week for the past 2 months.  We get him on the weekends, and each week he flies off to one of several cross-country destinations:  San Francisco, San Antonio, Chicago, Tampa, Louisville....Louisville?! 

Genna is a little confused by it all.  A few days ago she asked me, with the complete earnestness of a three year old, "Mom, where does Daddy live?"

But Hugh gets it.  He understands that Daddy has to leave for a few days, and that he always comes back to us.  So yesterday, he asked me for an envelope, and asked me how to spell "from."  Then he left this little gem on Daddy's bedside table.

That's my boy.  And clearly, his Daddy's too.

Hello, Again

Hmmm...I haven't posted much these past two weeks.  Partly because there just aren't enough hours in any given day.  I've got three kids, ages 5 and under, to chauffer and chase around.  I've got grocery shopping to do, errands to run, meals to cook, a house to keep in order.  I've also got a small, but growing, business to run.  And volunteer commitments to fulfill.  Other online communities to participate in...and a husband, and friends in real life, that I cherish.  I am only half-joking when I say that I wish I could squeeze 72 hours into the usual 24, because that's about how many I think I'd need to get it all done.

Recently I've been learning more about the community of blogging women out there, many, but not all of whom are moms like me, and some of whom are also 'mompreneurs', too.  So many of you are impressively consistent in your posting - both in terms of quantity and quality.  Really, gals, where DO you find the time?

I can't lay all the blame at the feet of Father Time, though.  Methinks there is also a slight crisis of confidence involved.  Recently I learned that my husband does not read my blog.  And not in a "I-just-don't-have-time-honey-because-there's-not-enough-hours-in-the-day" kind of way, but more in a "I-really-couldn't-care-less" kind of way.

Um, OUCH.

(Hubs has been lukewarm - at best - about  me blogging.  He accepts there are only 24 hours in a day, and unlike me, views sleep as a necessity and not a nuisance, so that 7-8 of his 24 are devoted to rest.  I, on the other hand, am an extreme devotee of the philosophy proffered by Caribou Coffee:  life is short, stay awake for it.) 

So the past couple of weeks, after learning that my life partner and best friend isn't the least bit enthused about or amused  by my little bloggity-blog, I've been questioning why I do it.  Self-expression?  Rebellion? Confession?  Validation?  All of that, and more, I suspect.  I'm trying to figure it out.

My husband, if he read this, would probably say I should sleep on it. 

Not making this up

Walking in downtown Atlanta a couple of days ago, my husband and I passed a sidewalk performer playing the saxophone.  Although there was no bicycle in sight, he played while wearing a bicycle helmet. 

I was puzzled, but my husband realized he was simply practicing safe sax.