Life gets in the way sometimes

Don't it though? I have been crazy-busy with kids, homeschool, learning about raw foods, and just keeping up with life. 

I have a thousand ideas and no time to implement them. Now we are getting involved in the Jr First Lego League. I highly recommend it! I will be leading our team and I am very excited to help the kids to learn to discuss, share, and work together. I know that for some of them, this will be the first efforts to be in a dynamic group. Its consuming much of my thinking time this week.

My writing is in the crapper. I keep putting it off. Same with studying for MT licensing exam. So off I go to organize my kids and get to work. Enough blogging!

Back to my Happy, Narcisstic Self...

Ahh, feeling much better and far more cynical...that's more like it. Must have been a weak moment.

In a Bad Place

Oh indeed. The D-man has left for a trip to Germany and I have been plagued by ill-emotions and feelings of doom...mostly doom to what has been and change on the horizon. Once I figured that out I started to feel better, but after looking at a tarot spread or three, I am quite unsure of what is happening to me, our relationship, and our immediate horizon. I have a horrible feeling in my stomach and feel like having a good cry, which I no doubt will...and soon.

Please let these feelings be of unease about change. I am coming to the realization that my baby-days are over (no more of my own..) and that I need to start thinking about earning money. But how? I love babies. I really enjoy working with them, teaching them, being a part of their lives. And giving them back to their parents. Hooray! I can do that. I am not sure that I need another of my own. Okay. That's checked off. Babies are an option...I could do day-care?

Massage? Trained in it. Have agreed (again...) to get my license and go back to it. Okay. Checked off.

Writing? Takes a lot of work without kids around to focus. Okay.

Online? Would love to write and have advertisers hit me up with offers ... still working on that. To the end that I have created a whole bunch of Funkee Mommee blogs...but have to figure out how to make them appropriate to the needs of the Internet.

Ahh... Feeling better, now, thanks.

Funkee Mommee Writes

Here is a great writing exercise...describe a smell

http://www.wikihow.com/Describe-a-Smell

It certainly has practical applications - type of smoke or gas smells as you are calling the Fire Department. But as a writer, trying to evoke a particular sensation is a rather difficult proposition. I'll be back after I have played with this idea some more...I have set out to describe 3 different smells with the hope that I can convey the sensations.

Well, I've gone and done it again...

I signed up for not one, but two yarn events (well, same event, two categories). Where do I think I will find time to knit not only a pair of socks, but a lace scarf??

That the HECK was I thinking?

I had a dream about not receiving my dossier and then what should come in my email today? Yup. The dossier. Two separate peeps with a variety of knitting desire and loves. Which is good, provided I can knit my way out of this...aieee!

Am I supposed to be buying new yarn for this??

Have I ever mentioned that I need to be told twice??

piercings & hair dye

I got my nose pierced! Whoo hoo! On friday I gave myself a cranberry red set of streaks and on sunday had a beautiful, strange man stick a needle through my nose. Ahhh, I love America!

frustrated!!

I do not know how much more I can listen to the little one's jabbering!! I love hearing him talk and think out loud, but there gets to be a time when he starts making noises and whining instead of talking just to hear his own voice or just not fall asleep...and it is now making me nuts. I tried TWICE today to get out of the house alone, and both times he decided to accompany me. Okay...I love him. So off we went, and we had good times, but I really needed to get out alone...
or at least be with some adults (and btw, a friend invited me over to write during their lan party...)


And then D took off with his friend to catch a late movie.


Garrgh!!

How Misanthropic are YOU

Apparently I am quite...83% and on the verge of becoming a super-villian who thinks people are a disease. I do not! I just think most of 'em are rather stupid....

http://www.blogthings.com/howmisanthropicareyouquiz

whatever

Which Muppet are YOU?

http://www.blogthings.com/themuppetpersonalitytest/outcome.php



I thought fer sher I was going to be Miss Piggy...nope. I am :


You Are the Swedish Chef "Bork! Bork! Bork!"
You are happy and energetic - with borderline manic tendencies.No one really gets you. And frankly, you don't even get you.But, you sure can whip up a great chocolate mousse.

Oh yeah! I rock!!

D is back! Whoo hoo!

D has returned from e3 2008 and it appears to have been a success. He made friends with people from England and Russia (I swear he just wants to leave me and go backpacking with those guys...sleep on their couches so he can see their countries..) He was interviewed by many websites and magazines and even got to see his best bud, R.

One of the guys he met is one of those responsible for the Lego series of games (which A & G adore). Dave brought back little Batman Lego people (Robin & Harley Quinn) for the boys and both are quite happy. They won't let go of the toys. Very cute.

The Russians were interviewing D for a website. And D, who took 2 years of Russian in college (had to fill out a form for the CIA and everything), said Thank You in Russian...so the guy started talking to D. And, kind man that he was, asked D if he could read the writing on a little box that they guy was holding. D replied "It's some kind of chocolate." and the beautiful Russian man gave D the bar of chocolate and said "It's yours."... Hah! It's MINE!! Bwa hahahaha Thank you kind Russian man. спасибо Lordy I hope that's right...

Glad to have the big guy home again. Being a single parent sucks when you are used to having a partner around. I have great respect for anyone who raises children alone. Congrats. You are all better parents than I could hope to be. A few days is one thing, but for months, years at a time? Yoinks.

Our Financial Turnaround

We have decided to stop living paycheck-to-paycheck and start ACTUALLY putting money away. A good idea considering that the Feds estimate that everyone will outlive their savings at the rate Americans are saving/spending...



So we are trying to limit ourselves to $600 amonth for grocery (and my occassional coffee). D is trying to limit how often and how much he spends when he goes out for lunch and we are not going out or ordering in for dinner, except for once in a blue moon....makes it a special nite again...



Same goes for junk food. If we don't make it ourselves, then we basically aren't having it. No more treats at Starbuck's. I can make an entire batch of cookies for not much more than they charge for 1! I don't drink their frufru coffees...just drips and iced, but I am trying to do so not more than once a week, and trying for even less than that.



Okay, so staples. We were going to stop buying our raw milk, but as soon as we did for 2 weeks, the inside of G's arms were all itchy and red. So we are going to just get one half gallon every week. A doesn't really drink that much milk anymore. He drinks a lot of water and some of this/that. So he doesn't seem to mind or have effects from whatever milk he drinks (D of course, can't have anything but the junk off the shelves at the store...) Our eggs I am hard pressed to let go of too...

These are the chickens that are laying the eggs we buy from our Milk Hut (where we also buy raw milk, grass fed beef, raw goat's milk, homemade soaps and jams, organic grains...) These chickens are perfect and their diet allows them to produce eggs with the correct ratio of fatty acids...and at $5 a dozen are no more than the organic eggs from the grocer (eggs that are most likely from chickens in cages).

Well, there you have it. We are also turning off the tv and going for netflix, especially now that they've partnered with Xbox Live...downloadable content to pc or xbox 360...plus a dvd in the mail. Sounds pretty good to me. That's all for now. Guitar lessons here we come!

Getting Motivated

Oh this week is trying my abilities. I just cannot seem to find my "get-up-and-go"...no matter how much coffee I drink.

I am just feeling BURNT from this weeks anti-lice campaign and while we still do not have a confirmed case in THIS house, I am rather tired of washing the bedding every day and redrying clothes that were sitting in hampers to kill any POTENTIAL buggers...this just blows!! And if you know me, then you know how bad I am with laundry at any time...so I have about 100 loads to do because every blanket and sheet is downstairs waiting to be washed and/or dryed and then there's all the clothes (because we have been graciously given sooo many hand-me-downs that we all have too many clothes to fit in the drawers)....I feel a culling coming. Oh yes. The clothing spaceships are almost overhead and they are going to zap all those tshirts out of the drawers.

Good Lordy we have too much junk!! I mean stuff...cause its all in good condition, but apparently the rat has struck again and she's a-hoarding...

Bastille Day 2008

Its a beautiful day in our neighborhood. We've had a lice scare on the street. Due to poor management, not reading directions on bottles, and a large sense of pride, One of our playmates has had lice for over a month now. None of the playmates families were notified and when another parent found the little buggers...well Hell was unleashed on our fair, little street.

Four shaved heads later, the kids are allowed to play with each other once again...but only outside and they get checked before returning inside. In the meantime, Mommee gets to vacuum and wash more laundry than she knows what to do with. I hate laundry. Especially the folding and putting away bit. Too tedious...so the laundry stacks up....so the kids use it to lean against when watching tv...so now it all has to go through the dryer on high heat to kill off any potential buggies.

Blech.

Luckily, we haven't actually had a confirmed case in this house...Huzzah! As soon as we heard that it was going around, we started dousing all of our heads with vinegar and tea tree oil (mixed with a little water to cut the burn). Not sure if it worked, but so far no lice and no nits. I heard the vinegar and tea tree kill the nits. Of course, each time my eldest has gone outside to play with his friends (with his new buzz cut) he comes back with bugs...but they haven't made it inside and his hair is 1/8" long at best. So easy to pick out and no nits as of yet. Apparently we all have a dandruff/cradle cap issue tho...so we've been oiling the kids heads. They are too old for this...

Its been a fun 6 days and I am glad that we are moving through this. I'm tired now. Signing off...

finding connections

The universe is an amazing place. Due to our size and limited knowledge of said universe, I believe that it is of utmost importance that we find and create our family and "village" to help ourselves raise not only children, but our own minds. We must grow together and to do so, we must overlook those aspects of others that we don't agree with (so long as those aspects aren't hurting each other). What do I mean by this? I mean that just because I am uncomfortable with the concept of a single parent entity who is looking out for us and caring about us, doesn't mean that I shouldn't associate with those that do. I find immense comfort in the presence of my friends who have deep faith and truly walk-the-walk of putting the Almighty first in their lives (or at least equally to their spouses). And I like that these friends are praying for me.

Except of course, for when I don't want the Bible-thumpers anywhere near me (friends not included in that - just those I don't know who are espousing their own crazy). Still, I love the people that walk around with a sense of peace because they have their spiritual life all figured out...and I clearly do not and it DOES keep me up at night.

So I say all of this because so many of the folks that are on the Fringe, like me, are wildly Christian (I am not), they are vocal about it and it guides them in their everyday. Their information and experience is greatly appreciated and I hope that they are able to love all of the universe's creatures, not just those that think the same as they do...(ooh. Midwesterner ending a sentence with a prepositional phrase!!) Anyway, I will be adding links to their sites as well...as even tho I don't subscribe to their brand of crazy, I do agree with how they are living the other aspects of their lives and I don't suppose anyone wants to subscribe to MY brand of crazy. Let's just agree to ferment and grow together and leave the God-talk for another day.

Tangent: Do I believe in the Almighty? Good question. I certainly find myself talking to someone sometimes. Some would say myself, but there are times when I am NOT talking to myself but clearly directing the conversation at some other being. I do believe in the basics of what I learned in Nat Sci (had quite an epiphany in NS3)...matter can neither be created nor destroyed. Thus, since the universe has been created, all that is in it has always been in it. So yes I believe that "aliens" exist and there is no reason why some are capable of long-distance travel and others aren't (like ourselves). I believe that there are tons of planets of all manner of types. And I have no idea whether there is a god. I would like there to be. I would like there to be angels and ghosts and spirits of all kinds. But I am inclined to believe that when we die our "spark" which is just matter, goes somewhere else. Perhaps if the energy binding the matter is strong, the matter will stay together and "go" into some other creature, plant, being? Not sure...but that's my understanding of reincarnation. Kind of blows the whole past life regression thing out of the water...since my matter that I am currently using probably won't stay together. And I am unsure if the spark that we all have is anything other than "just" the same old matter found in everything else...

Oh how I can go on.

Funkee

There's no doubt about it, I am a slacker-extraordinaire. I can turn any job into a day-long project (or more!) and sit on my behind and watch the clock tick rather than actually get started on a project that I am just so-so on.

Good thing I'm homeschooling the kids, eh?

Yeah, I laughed too. But as the bumper sticker said, Life is too short to spend it sitting in public school. And I agree. Especially since I don't have to work (I should be earning some dough if we actually wanted a savings account, but that's another story) the kids can be here learning at their own pace (which is generally accelerated) and they can spend the day loving life...in the form of legos, because that's what they like to do. Although, I do think its a good idea to get them down to our cooperative garden a bit more...theres a nice big field to run in and a great path to walk where there are few cars...like none.

So what is a Mommee like myself to do with her off time when the kids are playing legos? Knitting and writing...on top of the managing of the house (bills, shopping, laundry, dishes, vacuuming, cleaning...yeah. Like I do any of that!) Seriously though, I am ready for some words to flow out...and some knitting would be nice. How do all these chicks on the blogs have time to create such gorgeous knits (WendyKnits...I am speaking to you!)? I could wax on about it, but I would probably say things that were out of line and mean, so I won't. But the mittens rock and I want to make things like you do...So I am going to...just as soon as I finish Maeg's socks...which will hopefully be sometime before next spring.

A month?

Seriously? A month has gone by since I've been here...I've been thinking about blogging...does that count?

Homeschool is off and running. So far its good. Its definitely going to be easier once its no longer summer and all the other kids aren't around...but I am not convinced that A will want to stay home, but rather return to public school. I also am being led to believe that next year's teachers are more likely to do what I want them to do...and give different work to my student, rather than use a one-size-fits-all mentality that last year's teacher adhered to. I guess we'll have to wait and see on that one. I will probably contact the new principal and the 2nd grade teachers to at least email a bit and find out if they will allow A to be 6 months ahead or more by the time school starts. I am okay with not skipping him a grade, so long as the work he IS doing is appropriate to his needs...not the teachers or the other students.

Bah! I get so frustrated by it all. Its taking us two hours (not the three I thought it would) to accomplish quite a bit...which means that I could have the little bugger through 2nd grade by the end of summer...if we wanted to...but I don't want to make next year a bigger headache for him if he does want to return to PS...garrrgh!

AND THEN, should the economy collapse or WHATEVER, I start to get nervous about homeschooling the kids and what will happen if I need to get a job?? G would HAVE to go to preschool (and of course we turned down the offer - and scholarship - of the best one in town BECAUSE we were going to be homeschooling next year...) oh how everything is soo entwined and not easy. I don't want their education to be crappy...!

Have you been known to drive your kids to school in your PJs? Or send your kids to school without brushing their hair? Go on, admit it -- you can tell us! (survey from Parenting magazine website)

Apparently most people (that read Parenting Magazine) think that homeschooling is detrimental to a child. Based on the survey above, I cannot believe that continuing this way of life is healthy. Why are we encouraging our kids to rush around, not think straight, forget keys or homework, slack off, and lie (about why we're late). This is just ridiculous. Our country needs a big slap to the face to see why we act the way we do and what effects it will have on the outcomes of these kids. Will they be addicted to prescriptions before they are 16? Ritalin just to get things done and Ambien just to sleep at nite?

I am appalled today...

Working....I swear I am

I am behind in my writing. My assignment (chapter 1) is due next week and I have barely been thinking about it, let alone writing it. I try to emulate Mozart on my composing. I try to come up with the scenarios, words, descriptions, etc in my head before I ever sit down to paper (or computer screen). But I have been so busy with preparing for our homeschool project that I haven't been giving the writing the time of day.

The homeschool project is near planning completion. I have all the materials and now just need to sit down and write out the goals and paths to getting there. I have most of it "written" in my noggin, but I am writing here instead of working on the curriculum and I have a 3 year old begging me to "play our Legos". What's a Mommee to do?


Oh my head is spinning with so much to write about on here. So I think I will take a break and come back later after my cream has risen to the top...no, seriously. We drink raw milk and had a bit extra (like 1.5 gallons) and so I have decided to let it sit on the counter and let the cream rise. We will make yummy butter later.

Off I go. Must go help with Legos!

I am soooo Boned...

I'm dead. Here are my Socks of Death, knitted by the fabulous Frostie. (I love them! Big & slouchy and comfy!)
So here I am, knocked out in the first round by a new sock knitter. Sad really, to have aimed so high and to have fallen so far.

It's not like I haven't knit socks before....I just didn't do much knitting the last 2 weeks. I carried the bag around with me lots of times, but that doesn't a sock make. So sad.

Truth be told, I made an error in the cuff of the pattern and I tried to let it go and just keep knitting, but I couldn't see the pattern with the ragg pattern of the yarn and so once I got far enough into the sock, I was able to block it a bit with my hands and I realised that there was a horrible mistake (in my eyes anyway) and no self-respecting knitter would pass on such schlopp to anyone, not even her sister, let alone another competitive knitter. Many say I hold my knitting aims too high. Bah! I just like the feel of the yarn frogging.

So I have sent the yarn off to the assassin up the chain, not without a bit of cattiness on both sides I am ashamed to say (well, not really ashamed so much). Anyway, she'll have her new ball of yarn tomorrow and my victim can breathe for a few more days. Pics of my Death Socks will soon arrive here. I didn't capture a pic of the sock I was making, so in the interests of keeping all people aware, it was being knit in Tofutsies, 797 Two Step - a lavender & white ragg. I wouldn't blame the new assassin if she ripped the rest of the stitches out and started over. I couldn't bear to show anyone how horrible I was knitting, so I have lengthened the game a bit (by frogging the part of the one sock I had completed poorly).

I am so done here...I am running on 3 hours of sleep and have been up for too many hours ....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Beautiful Weekend to ReAwaken the sleepy Seattleites

Wow! 85 on Saturday. A mild 75 today. Just gorgeous. There are flowers everywhere and the breeze is divine. M & I spent the afternoon replanting veggies & flowers in our community plot, 21 Acres. We were the only folks about for most of it and it was quite pleasant & very productive. Hopefully these plants will live. Last set died from too little water, too many slugs, and too many birds. Probably a squirrel or two helped as well.

THIS time we have a fence!! Cuz I am SURE chicken wire will keep out all animals from eating our precious summer foods. Especially the slugs. They are very receptive to things like galvanized wire. They respect the boundaries quite well...


SOCKS - I am still alive in the Sock Wars competition but who knows for how long? I am hoping to at least finish one sock before I die. ITs ridiculous really. I am not usually THAT slow of a knitter..okay, I admit I have tendency to take awhile, but that's because I don't knit for months at a time on a project. This one I knit at, contemplate whether or not to frog, knit for a bit, contemplate frogging...you see how this is going. The socks are soo soft, but the ragg pattern on the yarn doesn't make the pattern pop, so I can't tell if I am doing it right or not...very frustrating, because the only place where I tend to fudge things is in the seams...not in the pattern. I am quite particular about patterns and how correct they are...but with Death on the line, I am willing to suck in my gut and just offer them up. I am sorry that they aren't as fabulous as they could be...I didn't know the stitch pattern would be so integral to the project. I was expecting something a bit more basic....wherein my ragg dye lot would play out much nicer...

Oh well. Live and learn.

FDA defends safety of baby bottle chemical -msnbc.com

I kid you NOT!

What is our government coming to??? WHY are chemical companies MORE important than the safety of our citizens or citizens-to-be? Its innane! I cannot comprehend this!

For some reason, the FDA feels compelled to defend a company instead of doing its job, looking out for the safety of its people (its employers!). If the myriad studies have ANY degree of truth, shouldn't they just dump the product and say to the plastics companies, "Hey. This information is coming out and you need to change your product." End of discussion.

Its time to start cutting some serious fat from our government and go back to simpler government. I suggest someone in the White House call me so I can outline my proposal to the NEXT president...

Facebook

Wow there are a lot of former pals out there and they all seem to be on MySpace or Facebook. Who knew? I love it. I love reconnecting with them because I am so all-or-nothing when it comes to keeping in touch with people. (Dang it! Sean was right all those years ago...)

I don't do it on purpose folks! I swear! I just get sooo caught up in life that I forget the importance of sending cards or calling my loved ones. It's benign neglect. I still love you all and think about you often...but I suck at connecting with you.

Deal with it..cuz I haven't changed on this one...umm....ever.

Knitting and not writing and finding curriculum for the summer

Well, I haven't worked on my novel in weeks, I haven't knit those vicious socks all day (and I understand many people are finishing their second sock already....I'm boned), BUT i have found and almost purchased the curriculum bits that we will go through this summer. Huzzah!

I cannot wait to turn A from a middle-average-student in a lackluster environment into an above-average, not-behind-european & indonesian-students type of student. Keep fingers crossed.

FYI - I have been knitting with TOFUtsies (or however you spell it) and ultimately, I don't like how the two ply splits apart. But it is AWFULLY soft.

Must go attend to G.

Quiz Thang

This is too funny. You should take it.

http://www.quizilla.com/quizzes/281864/what-kind-of-yarn-are-you

What kind of yarn are you

Your Result

You are Mohair.
You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with others, doing your share without being too weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely refuse to change your position once it is set, but that's okay since you are good at covering up your mistakes.

Yea Yarn!

Okay, so I haven't been knitting quite as much as I'd like...I confess that, like a 3 year old, when I sit still that long I start to fall asleep. I napped quite a bit yesterday. It was lovely.

The pattern for sock wars is great. Easy to remember so far...my pattern recognition software is apparently still working and I can stave off the Alzheimer's for another year or so. Hurray for me!

Unfortunately, I am not sure that my colorway will show as nicely as the one on the pattern. Sorry Victim! It is a nice slightly girly, sort of neutral color....if lavender can be called that.

I have done some looking into my victim...and she's quite like me but with a MUCH nicer spinning wheel and actually has yarn to show for it. Dang it! It will be sweet to kill her with such softness for her feet....bwa hahaha

WHERE IS MY DOSSIER?!?!?

Arrrgh! I can't take it anymore!! I NEED to know who I am knitting for ... I don't want to send lavender socks to a man!!! Arrgh!

Its not like I have anything better to do...laundry, cleaning, WRITING a novel...

More Sock Stuff

Ok, I admit it. I am getting nervous. What if I don't make ANY progress on the socks I am knitting with which to assassinate my victim? What a flake I would be!! Thinking positive here....I will knit at least one sock. At least a part of one sock.

Which is faster - DPNs or two circulars? I have been working on a pair on two circulars, which I like the process of, but I suspect is more than a bit slower. But two at a time is awfully nice...With me, its a sock menage...oh never mind.

Off to gauge...yes, for once...

Sock-Wars

Last year I made a resolution to not take on any new projects, since I have so much yarn and too many hobbies.

Yeah. So since the turn of the year, I have gone ahead and started a community garden plot, started planning to homeschool my kids, took on soda-pop making and started a sourdough mother,...and rearranged the basement/family room. Oh yeah, I'm also writing a book.

So, to keep with the theme, Sock Wars III is starting this weekend. Bwa hahahahaha. I am so boned. Seriously. These women have all been knitting for like 40 years or are young and unstoppable. Oh well. At least I get a pair of knit socks out of it.

I did go ahead and get some Tofutsies yarn to try it out...since SWTC is the sponsor of the event. I thought I might as well TRY their products. I can't guarantee that I will continue with that tho...I have some awesome Opal sitting around that would be nice to use up...but that's assuming that I make it past the first round..and I have some serious doubts about that.

Psst, if you are my assassin looking at this page...I'm a size 9 and I really like orange.

easing pressure off da man

When we were younger it wasn't unthinkable or even unreasonable for D to spend 12-14 hours at work during "Crunch". Everyone hunkered down and made the project happen in those last weeks or months. D is in crunch mode and they are at least 6 months out from project completion. What is really frustrating is seeing how D's body doesn't handle it as well as it used to.

Maybe its the addition of the kids, but he's already looking like he's frazzled and its only been a few weeks of insanity...he's got many more months of marathon to go. His adrenal glands are clearly taxed and he is headed for one huge wipeout. I hope he doesn't end up in the hospital with an infection after this is over. I also hope that the project changes gears and makes the crunch less of a battle and more of a creation. Right now it seems like they are fighting uphill with giants who don't agree on how to fight.

And so it is with the desire to ease his pain later that I MUST begin to earn money. I really don't want to return the "workplace" because we've been talking about homeschooling the kids, but I wonder about putting the boys into 3 mornings a week at preschool and the school district's "homeschool" option. That would allow me time to work and homeschool...its a thought.

And so I have begun looking at many options, including actually training in medical transcription. But that's more money out than in...might not be the worst option tho...I'm also applying for online blog-type work.

Time will tell I guess...

I am starting to get it now!

After doing some more reading...well, I am starting to get it!

Waldorf/Steiner believes that not only should we be teaching by example, but in today's isolated world of separate homes, etc...homeschooling parents have to recreate the Village!! Use props, tell stories, make food, hunt, gather, spin, weave, grow, harvest, make goods, sell goods, reap all benefits and do it all while teaching the kids and rearing more...!

Sigh. We really need to live in a commune.....to quote the brilliant Spongebob Squarepants, "I I'm ready!'m ready!I'm ready!"

out!

The Search Begins

After the soul searching and the meditating...I have begun to search for homeschool curricula. Reminded of the fact that there is a Waldorf-based education system out there...I remembered that there is Oak Meadow curriculum as well as a host of others.

I am thinking that maybe we should start the boys on the preschool and 1st grade Oak Meadow lessons now and carry that through the summer. Then we bump G ahead, if he's ready, into Kindergarten when A is ready for 2nd grade. I bet we can get them back on track and "ahead" academically (where they used to be) in no time at all.

Of course, this isn't without a cost...! For the two of them to have at-home, Waldorf instruction is approximately $600, and it goes up every year. But when you compare that cost against the cost of attending the local Waldorf school (including the 20% discount for a sibiling in school) which is $25,000 for 10 months of education, then I think we're doing okay.

Have to go see Lava Monkeys...

180 degree turn

Oh so much going on. Back from the chiropractor who wants me to see the acupuncturist..to help the headaches. I'm game. I wrote my bachelor's thesis on Qi so this should be fun. And the added benefit of no headaches..? Excellent.

Thinking about homeschooling my boys instead of sending them to school. Saves money..always a benefit..and I get to ensure that they learn they way they learn best and at the rate they wish too, or that I wish them to learn at. A has totally stagnated at school and I am, well, ticked off. "He's doing fine. He's at or above grade level standards on everything." Yes, but are you letting him accelerate to beyond the grade level...nope! Plus, I hate that school is from 9-3:30 and that's it. Or then we get to scramble to add in all the extras that we want to learn. Whatever!

No, I think we're going to try at home. We get to accelerate beyond grade level standards and take classes that we want...much more like college. Only for 7 year olds.

I have also invited some of my artist friends to look at the children's story I am working on, to see if they want to illustrate it. So far one friend has asked to see it...and he's the one with a million things boiling away on the stove. Of course, this isn't a picture book, so maybe just a few beautiful pictures would be the difference between selling and not selling?

And then there's the idea of taking to heart what my MD and my chiro have suggested, which is to relax, take care of MYself, and be the person I want to be...novel idea, no? So I am trying. I want to be the hippie-mommie-writer-who makes her own bread and drinks coffee...hmm, guess I already am that! Perhaps I should just try to relax and see how the coat is already fitting instead of trying to tweak it all the time. <---Goal for today.

Vancouver BC

Back from an unexpected trip to Vancouver, BC. (Thanks C!) C "couldn't" use his Canucks tix due to unforeseen planning issues (he didn't get his birth cert or a passport) . So he passed them our way. The game was awesome. The boys loved it (G especially!) and the Canucks won! Whoo hoo! So need a team in Seattle. Canucks reported their 208 consecutive sellout...so much for even partial season tix...

As for the town, very hip and great fun. And completely child-friendly. I was particularly impressed how just about everyone in town had a smile for my rambunctious boys and many were quite fine to reach out and toussle their hair. The boys weren't sure what to make of it, but I was glad for the lowered personal space and confidence that children are meant to be enjoyed.

Will be writing an article for this and hoping to sell it. Vancouver is so family friendly and we only had about 36 hours to enjoy it...but that we did.

The Great Test Debacle of 2008

Oh a little update...Kiddo 1 BOMBED his Advanced Placement test. He barely missed last year and this year his scores plummeted...which means he doesn't get into the Advanced class. I am ticked. He is quickly losing ground in his top-of-the-class status...and I am blaming his teacher for not calling out for help. She lets him slide thru the cracks because he doesn't demand attention. But he's also not doing all that he can...she treats him like a self starter (which he's not) and then chastises him when he doesn't complete work or its half-assed. Arrrgh! Couldn't she have brought his underachieving to our attention? She didn't...she sent home a note saying that the upcoming conferences are optional and that she has no reason to see us. I'm going to pop!

Going to start posting knitting on here too...while I'm thinking of it.

To Job or Not to Job?

Thinking about getting a job...yup. ending life as an at-home-mommie. Not sure if kids and family are ready for me to go back to work, but our finances have plateau-ed and with the recession we're in, I think it might be time...and yes, I am rationalizing here to convince myself that it COULD be the right thing to do.

I want to work where the work itself is engaging. I want to be excited about going back to the workforce and if I am going to put my kids in daycare or get a nanny, its going to be for good money and good ethics...and a place that won't make me dye my hair back..cuz right now (and hopefully for a long time) its got blue streaks in it.

We'll see...but this could be really good, because it would get the kids out of a rut, me out of a rut, and take pressure off me man.

Of course, selling my children's story would be JUST as good if not better than a job outside the home...

Time Flies and Agents are Picky Picky Picky

Wow! where did the days go? I could have sworn that only 2 days had passed since i was last on here...ah well.

So I am getting ready to submit my first story. It's a children's chapter book and it is intended for 6-9 year olds. An early reader kind of thing. Something that might be offered in one of those take-home-and-order flyer things that kids get at school.

There is SO much fact checking to complete before choosing an agent! And most don't want anything to do with children's work..unless its akin to Harry Potter or The Golden Compass or its a picture book. But most things inbetween...good luck!! Few agents want to represent.

So I signed up for this SCBWI regional conference. And I paid my extra $35 to get a one-on-one meeting with an editor, agent, or book doctor/published author. I figured I had a captive audience, private time, and something to look at. Then I realized that they didn't want my genre (early readers/chapter books). Of course! Makes sense, since that was what I had written...grr.

So what's a girl to do? Change the story line! Turn it into a picture book! Take 3000 words out and add illustrations. Halfway through the script it was clear I was going to need a total of 2500 words to tell my story. At least 1000 words too many. Okay, back to drawing board, as it were.

Next I decided to turn it into a Middle Grade Novel. About 20,000. Now I just needed to add 15,000 words to my story. All right. That's fine. Write a synopsis for it, send in the first chapter (only allowed 1200 words anyway!), and call it a day. So I did.

Then my husband starts grilling me on the synopsis; telling me it doesn't make sense. "It doesn't need to make sense," I tell him. "Ignore the synopsis. I just want someone to look at my work. I don't care if they like the synopsis. At this point I just want a pat on the back or someone to tell me I have no talent." "But I don't understand xxxxx." Grrr. What is there to not understand? The story is essentially the same, but there are now more characters and an adventure that the kids need to go on to solve the puzzle. Is this my best work? No. It's not. But I only found out about the conference 4 days before the submission deadline for the one-on-one meetings. I had to rush and I'll just explain it to them. There's two versions of the story. One is detailed in the synopsis layout and one is detailed in the chapter. Again...I just want the pat on the back.

Maybe I have no talent for this and I should just let it go.

So, Hubby comes to me over the weekend and says, in front of a friend no less, that I should stop waiting for the conference (which is still 6 weeks away) and submit the effing story. Its good as is and my waiting around is just proof that I am afraid of success. WHAT?!? Where did that come from?

And as the stomach continues to turn, I have spent the day researching and fact checking agents to see if they represent my genre and I am working on the danged query letter. I will submit it this week, I told him. Do I go ahead with the conference anyway? Not sure.

In the meantime, my 3 year old is bored with me always writing and is DYING to have friends and school and he won't have that until September...I need to get him into school or get a babysitter so I can devote time to this shite, instead of ignoring him or getting up every 10 minutes to do something for him...but that takes money and I don't want to spend it.

ARRRGH!

Is the Circus in Town? Cuz I'm Juggling!

Juggling writing with kids is tough, to say the least. Just when you get going, someone little needs juice or diaper changes. And how much can you let them watch tv or play video games or hit the computer. No matter how educational the game or the show, they need to use their own brains. This motherhood thing is a sacrifice for sure. And in some ways its getting harder right now. When they are babies, they don't care if you pay attention to them or not - they just sit next to you. Now that the youngling is a preschooler, he needs a constant playmate, except for when he doesn't. And because he doesn't want or need me in the same way, I have begun to have desires of my own...namely writing. But you can't give your own desires 100% concentration, because as soon as you hit "the zone" someone comes along and interrupts it. Sigh. Gotta go. Diaper change...

Writer's Conference!

I have signed up to attend my first-ever writer's conference and added on a manuscript consult, and then realised that my manuscript doesn't fit the accepted genres. What's a girl to do..? Alter the manuscript of course!

I have been writing nearly everyday for 2 weeks now. Huzzah! It's become habit. I stopped watching monk and decided to write instead. Stoopid DVR. It records all the shows I've been missing and then I sit there for hours trying to get caught up. I've replaced the behaviour nicely, thank you very much.

I did a tarot reading today and it said all kinds of discouraging things like how I get in my own way and how trying to accomplish that which I wish to complete is going to be difficult and probably not what I am intending as of this moment.

Whatever! I just want to get published again. Its like hearing the applause from the audience when you take a bow on stage. It is ever so sweet and very addicting. Gimme more! Oh yeah, and a large check would be nice too...

Fingers crossed, please. Apparently this year is going to be a trying one for our family. Between work and tarot readings and the mountain of laundry, we'll be lucky to keep our heads above water. Keep treading!

Writing but Not Cleaning

Been writing...finally. The house is a disaster. I haven't done laundry in days...all right, weeks. The dishes are piled high in the sink and there are Legos everywhere. But I am rather happy. I have been really enjoying being productive again....it took dying my hair and then adding in bits of blue. Somewhere along the line, I realised that I am most creative when my hair is blue (or at least parts of it are).

The other day a friend was talking about ritual and symbolism. He said that he believes we all have certain rituals that get us into the mindset we need to accomplish whatever the task is. For me, getting into the mindset for creating is dying my hair blue...interesting thought. I finally have my own ritual beyond bedtime! Whoo hoo!