michellany

Gasp!

It's been a month since I've had something to say here. 

Well, not exactly.

It's been a month since I've had something to say here and had the time to record it. 

Aye, there's the rub.

So a quick recap:

Since I last posted, I've completed another trip around the sun. My 44th, to be exact. The actual birthday celebration was lovely.  Hubby gave me a new bike.  It's pink, my favorite color.  The kids each gave me treasures they found in the dollar bin section at Target - which they purchased with their own savings from their piggy banks.  (Hugh gave me a pair of reading specs, and the irony is not lost on me!)

Unfortunately, as my birthday came to a close, I started feeling the symptoms of shingles coming on. (Too much partying, perhaps? Or merely old age?) I recognized the pain right away this time, having had an inaugural bout of shingles just two months prior, in August. The good news: I started the meds quickly, and short-circuited most of the illness (even avoiding the rash) this second time around.  The bad news: the meds to prevent/minimize nerve damage have side effects that summon my Inner Crazy.  Luckily, the whole episode is over now.  And on my To Do list:  shingles vaccination.

The rest of this past month? Pretty much the unremarkable blur experienced by all of us enlisted in the army of constantly moving minivan moms (and dads).  Shuttling kids to tennis, chess, ballet, Spanish, doctors, dentists, and playdates.  Preparing meals, running my small business, volunteering at school, brokering sibling peace accords on the homefront, and assigning consequences when those accords are violated.  Being a devoted - and occasionally, cranky - wife.  Shopping at Costco, Target, Whole Foods, Publix...and urgently shopping around at even more places when my business laptop died unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago. 

Dizzy yet?

Never fear - I also squeezed in a little fun.  I attended my First Book Club Ever, and it was great!  And my husband and I had an overnight getaway sans kids (to beautiful downtown Atlanta) courtesy of my in-laws.

As I write this, outside it is pitch black outside and pouring rain.  I glance at the clock and see that the kids will be awake in about an hour, ready to start their day.  I haven't slept yet, and I think I will just stay up...another all nighter.  Insomnia bites.  

But...

It allowed me to write this, right? 

Maybe next time I'll write about George.  Most folks call him Car Wash, but he prefers George.  Thinking of him makes me happy and sad at the same time.  I hope tonight he is somewhere safe, warm and dry...and sleeping well.

 

 

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.

Lady GenGen

She is her own stylist, and wants no counsel from Mom or Dad.  And she's only 5, but we've learned to pick our battles.  If it's weather-appropriate and age-appropriate, we try to withhold comment. 

And giggles. 

The only thing that truly bugs us:  those extra layers add up to extra laundry.

Since she is not familiar with either one, we wonder if she's possibly channeling Cyndi Lauper or Lady Gaga. Or both.

Either way, it's okay with us.  At least for now. 

No guarantees for when she discovers make-up and hair dye, though...

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians."

 

I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. 

Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.

- Gandhi, born October 2, 1869

*****

 

A little 'wafer' that I am chewing on this fine Sunday, the anniversary of Gandhi's birth.  Though he said it generations ago, would he would feel the same today?

In contemplating and exploring this quote, I came across a wonderful blog post about it here.  (The post itself is a couple of years old, and the blog appears inactive now, but the link is still up as of today and well worth a read, if you care to check it out.)

Peace be with you.

 

Happy Fall, Y'All!

Fall is off to a brilliant, beautiful beginning (and awesome alliteration!) on this fine Friday, the first official day of Autumn.  (And yes, this really IS the view here in Milton, Georgia!)

 

 

 

As New York's Fashion Week Begins...

 
I came across this wonderful quote:

"There's no right way, no formula.  There's nothing but struggle and constant refinement.  We always have the daily disaster or three, but when it all works, it's pure magic."  - Karl Lagerfeld

I know that Mr. Lagerfeld was describing the couture design process, but he just as easily could have been talking about parenting...at least the way it happens in our house.

 

 

Wordless Wednesday 8.31.11 - Back to School

 

 

Testing...Testing...1...2...3

Is this thing still on? 

It's been over a year since I last posted, you know, from the Mother Ship, aka Tiffany's in NYC.  I was there for a jewelry conference.   In NYC, that is.  Tiffany's was merely a siren, calling my name...though when you think about it, if you are in New York for a jewelry conference, Tiffany's is a logical fieldtrip destination, don't you think?

Since that last post, much has happened...and sadly, none of it chronicled here.  This blogging gig is tougher than I thought.  I love it, but I don't do it professionally, for any profit, like many other moms/women do...in fact, I've struggled all along with exactly why I do it.   But 'chronicling' seems like a good fit.  So, to quote the great and powerful O, 'here we go...'

In the past year and a half, we sold our old house, bought a new house, moved to said new house, and made another trip (and a half) around the sun, with all of the birthdays, holidays, joys, and tribulations that go along with that.  We lost a pet - dear, crazy Griffin - who went to Doggie Heaven.  We adopted two new ones - first Zuzu, a border collie mix named after the youngest daughter in It's a Wonderful Life, then Rosie, a chocolate lab mix whose shelter-given name of Rosalie was so fitting we decided to keep it. 

We moved from the Buckhead area of Atlanta to a smaller city, Milton, which is only about 45 minutes away from where we used to be.  At first I thought we'd moved to the suburbs, but now I think it's fair to say we live in a relatively rural area.  I mean, we don't live down a dirt road, but we have neighbors a few blocks away who do.  We have our own 3-acre slice of paradise, and we love it!

There's oh-so-much more to tell, but it will have to wait for my next update...it's late at night and this girl's gotta' get some shut eye...

 

 

Go...lightly!

Missed me lately? 

Seems I was temporarily summoned back to the MotherShip... (cue choir singing Moon River)

*Sigh*  I heart New York.

'Dumb Things' and Other Delicacies

We had Chinese food delivered tonight for dinner.  You can imagine our surprise when Hugh told us he wanted to eat the 'Stupid Things'. 

We were surprised at first because we discourage the use of the word 'stupid' in our house.  But we were further surprised, or better said, puzzled, when we realized that our four year old wasn't referring to Chinese food in its entirety as 'stupid' - he was looking for a specific item in our delivery bag, and he seemed pretty enthusiastic about it...like he really didn't opine it was something stupid, but rather, something desirable.  So as we tried to tease it out, the conversation went something like this:

Us:  Hugh! What do you mean, the 'stupid things'?  Chinese food isn't stupid.  Mommy and Daddy don't ask you to eat stupid things...

Hugh:  No, no...I mean the dummies...the dumb things...the white things.

Us:  You mean the dumplings?

Hugh:  Yes!  The dumblings!  I love those!

....................

Ahh, Hugh...we love YOU, too!