Vomit

that's sort of the word on my mind right now. ate too much, would like to....

ahem!

anyway!

This is going to be quick, because I have to haul the kids to bed and then maybe go to bed myself. Feeling very thirsty right now...

uh... Nothing much, just checking in. Let's see... hmm.. OH! Maggie had the last two of the shots she'll need, and tomorrow she is registered for Kindergarten! Can you believe that? How time flies.

Today we played 21 questions. I picked a person. Maggie worked her way through a series of questions until she was stuck. "So list out what you already know from the questions you asked..."

"okay... well... It's a person, with brown skin, who lives in a house...it has a vagina..."

"What are you if you have a vagina?" I asked.

"A girl!" she said. then, "Oh!!!! I know I know I know!!! Michelle Obama!"

"yep." I said. we laughed.

There is lots of talk about the graduation ceremony that takes place apparently... I've heard about Irish step dancing, I've witnessed painstaking sign language choreography, there is the Pledge of Allegiance, recited "Nice and proud" as Maggie says, clasping her hands behind her back. It sounds unbearably cute. She wants me to wear the dress I wore at The Vagina Monologues.

I think if you are within traveling distance of my us, you ought to consider coming along to see it in person. We'll video it and put it out on the internet of course, I'm just saying if you can be here in person, I think you'll be glad you were... Hit me up on my Facebook if you want me to let you know when the graduation is, it just might melt that stone cold heart of yours...

Stuff from Ann

My mom is all settled in at her new apartment! I am so happy for her! It sounds like the other ladies in the building were super welcoming, and she is off on a new adventure. You can read all about it here at her blog, Stuff from Ann.

My mom has been keeping a blog for a couple years now, right mom? it's good stuff, and she offers an interesting perspective on life. Check it out!

Yay Mom!

Memorial Blog Clouds

oh boy.

I spent some time yesterday going over my dad's blog, having wanted to re-read a poem I'd posted there some time ago. *gulp* got all choked up, but in a good way.

I heartily recommend a memorial blog when somebody great dies. It is a good way to put something out there in the world that is a little cloud of memory and photos and stories - like a time machine you can hop back and revisit... A very visceral experience if you happened to know the guy.

And if you didn't know him, well, my dad was pretty awesome. And we really loved him.


And we took good care of him. And it happens, losing people you care about. There's no way around it.

But, I'll tell you.

It's nice to be able to take a second between projects at work and spend a few minutes reading about that special time for our family when we helped Dad do his work.



Things that I am Thankful for (mom)
A Personal Heaven (dian)
Pool Halls in Heaven BEWARE! (steve)
Nurse Fritz (me)

In order to get Maggie registered for kindergarten, she needs to have a physical, with shots!

Her appointment is tomorrow. Jeff is going to take her. I called him up and confessed my anxiety about her getting a shot in the thigh, and how I'll never forget the look on Henry's face when it happened to him.

He'd been so brave and trusting, letting me and his dad talk in front of him about the possibility of a shot, but never speaking about it himself. And then when the nurse jabbed him in the thigh, it was like you could see a piece of his childhood being snatched from him! He aged!

I couldn't bear to live through that with Maggie, was getting stomach aches from the very idea! Me nervousing alongside her would not help matters!

"So you'd like to put that on me." He said.

"Yes."

"Okay."

phew!

Tuesday evening

OMG you guys, I'm finally going to see Dave Matthews!



With Willie Nelson!



At Fenway!

woot woot woot. Do you see me standing over there, next to me? That is because I am beside myself with anticipation! It's going to be me and Jeff and Lanie and Cassidy!!! My new girlfriend Sharon (VFF- vagina friends forever!) and a friend of hers bought the two seats next to us and we are going going gone!

Saturday, May 30. Jeff and Cassidy and Lanie will have just returned from a college sight seeing trip down to Washington D.C.. I need to find a situation for both kids to sleep overnight. There's plenty of time...plenty of time.

My coworker Donna hooked me up with the tickets, onaccounta she's a Red Sox season ticket holder type of person. Donna - I will never mock your devotion to the Red Sox again! You keep rocking the jersey and the hoodie and the jersey hoodie and the little baseball shaped earings and you fly that pennant - go get 'em girl!

Oh my goodness, I remember the first Dave Matthews song I ever heard. 'What Would You Say'. Whitefish, Montana. Jeff and I had arrived at a party and I heard it playing good and loud on the stereo. I was like, damn! Who is THAT?

But I didn't really get to know him until we started hanging out with a group of other young families and one of the guys loves him and would play him good and loud off their back deck. Pouring the 'ritas and rocking out to 'Dancing Nancies' or 'Tripping Billies', telling tales of top notch concerts and other related good times. That's when I knew I had to see this guy for myself.

And Jocelyn, you can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I'm right when I say that it was ME who turned YOU on to Dave. And yet it was YOU and BROOKE who got to see him in concert first! And you lucky gals saw him at the Gorge in George:


And they called me during my favorite part of "When the World Ends" and sent me a sticker in the mail for my van (which I promptly lost -sorry gals!). So I was there in spirit.

Now it's my turn!

Cassidy sings with her oo-koo-lay-lay

Maggie and Nora and NightNight

Your Weekly Address

March 7, 2009

Shame!

(At not posting in so long.)

That's all I have to say about that.

So much has transpired since I last wrote! Our daughter is now 5 years old. (Five.) Jeff and the kids went and had a great week visiting Grammi and Papa in Arizona. During this time, I went to Seattle for five fun filled days. And last night was the first of two performances of a local production of "The Vagina Monologues" that I am in!

My trip to Seattle was so great, I can't begin to tell you. As soon as I landed, Dian and Jocelyn picked me up:



And we sped off to the casino. I lost, but had a great time. I was just happy to be tagging along, bringing up the rear:


At one point I was up about five dollars, but promptly lost it. Marcia and Dian stayed overnight at Jocelyn's, and Marcia made us a delicious breakfast:


And then there was a little bit of beautifying going on, sorry girls:



And then several of us went to the thrift store, where I found a great fleece for $5. Yay!

And I got to see my mom's new apartment!!!!! The pictures of her new place are on my other camera, and I need to find the cord for transferring the pics over. But trust me when I tell you that Mom's new place is such an immense improvement over her current location, I couldn't get over it. There's a park, a river nearby, a wonderfully warm and welcoming lobby and common area. I am very, very happy for her.

Her actual apartment is pretty small, but perfectly acceptable. I think of it like a cabin on a cruise ship, or a giant apartment in Tokyo. You know? If you were living in Manhattan, for example, her new place would be huge. Ship shape.

We all had a great time while I was there. Delicious food, Guitar Hero, laughing, reality magazines, shopping with Brooke, more laughing. And I even got to meet the latest member of the family, baby Layla:


Layla belongs to my nephew Scott and his wife Leanna. And I met my brother Steve's new gal pal, and got to get to know Leanna better - it was terrific! There was a big snow storm the day before I flew home, and the long term parking situation I used even dug my van out of the snow for me! I had a wonderful time. Just love my family to pieces!!!!

This week has been so busy. The kind of busy where you come home for lunch because that's the best chance to finally run the vacuum before family arrives for the weekend. And making Henry stay up late to finish his homework because I absolutely had to run out and try to find something suitable to wear for the performance this weekend. I'm not complaining, as I sit here enjoying a relaxing Saturday with my family (including the gals from Maine!) I am inclined to stop here, and go laugh with Lanie about whatever. Because I can either write about life, or live life.

AND I WANT TO LIVE!!!!!!

"I want something to eat WHILE I wait for something to eat."

That's a direct quote from Maggie. She wants something to eat. Then she wants something to eat while she's waiting for something to eat. She doesn't know what she wants (except that whatever we have/suggest is immediately rejected), but she's hungry. She wants something to eat. Well, then, she wants something to eat while she's waiting for something to eat. She doesn't know what she wants (except that whatever we have/suggest is immediately rejected), but she's hungry.

It goes on in this fashion. Highly tiresome.

Big plans in the slow cooker department! The crock pot liners I bought came last week, and they are terrific. The 'Fix it and Forget it!' Slow Cooker recipe book came, too and I went food shopping after reviewing the book and taking notes!

I'd rather review the recipes, get a feel for some crock pot staples (cream of XYZ, carrots, potatoes, celery, stew meat - you get the idea) and then pick up what I am reminded of when I'm at the grocery. It was in this fashion that I can now tell you with some certainty that we will have meatloaf Monday, chicken Wednesday and probably beef stew on Friday. Leftovers on Tuesday and Thursday.

Henry is slinking around sighing heavily because he's so bored and he can't believe Dad shut off the TV, etc. Tell it to the judge!

Tuesday Morning

My extremities are frozen! The bottom of my feet, the tips of my fingers, ugh! From sitting so still, I bet.

Here are some updates.

Charlie the dog is settling in just wonderfully here. I wish he was trained up on the invisible fence, because he really likes to dart out and take off. This makes it important to guard the top of the driveway any time he's outside (although that doesn't always work). I gave him a haircut this weekend, and he has been wearing a little hoodie I got for him at Target. He is one of those dogs who really seems to prefer wearing a little something to trap his heat. Here he is relaxing with Jim:

Jim: Jim is a gorgeous beast. So much bigger and heavier than Charlie, I'm always surprised. But he's a good boy in perfect health.

Henry: Home sick again today. :-( He's such an agreeable sweetheart. I love how he responds with, "Right!" when I need to give him a correction or reminder. Here he is from this weekend:


Maggie: Maggie is Maggie! Her health is good and she is very excited to celebrate her birthday in Arizona with Grammi and Papa!!!! Can you believe she will be 5 years old this year? Here is a recent picture of Maggie:
Maggie and her BFF Riley.


Okedoke, I will try and get here more often blah blah blah. Curse you and your seductive ways, Facebook!

25 Random Things about me

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about yourself. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the upper right corner of the app) then click publish.)


1. I was present at my father's vasectomy!

2. I have been pregnant a total of five times, and have two children.

3. When Mo gets here, I will leave for tonight's rehearsal of The Vagina Monologues, which is a production we are putting on here in Wilton. Town Hall Theater!

4. Occasionally, I make sloppy mistakes.

From Feb 2008: Last night, Jeff ran out of gas. And it was my fault! I'd been driving around on E for awhile, then put the van in to be serviced. (Didn't put gas in the car before the appointment, because why tie up my money in gas when I wouldn't even be able to drive the van for a whole day nearly! Jeesh! Obviously!)
http://slk-susiesblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/youre-not-only-one-making-sloppy.html

5. I drink water at home all the time. I leave half filled glasses all over the kitchen. I feel and find for the most chilled glass. (an indicator of freshness.) I don't know why I can't keep the same glass, or dispense the glass each time. Some days I do manage to stick with the same glass, finish every drop, keep it at the ready on the countertop. Right now I count 7 different glasses that are half full with not fresh water!

6. I am stuck on #6!

7. Often, I am not the best example.

8. Women are fantastic. I love vaginas!

9. Two things I got from my dad: dogs and politics.

10. I need more clothes for work.

11. Places I have lived: Seattle, Washington (various)
Cannon Beach, Oregon (a few months)
Kalispell, Montana (good times!)
Seattle, Washington
Troy, New Hampshire (big jump!)
Hollis, New Hampshire
Wilton, New Hampshire (ahh...)

12. Jeff and I moved nearly 9 times before settling in Wilton. That's a lot of packing and unpacking!

13. I stayed home for the first 7 and 3 years of my kid's lives. Very grateful to have been able to make that happen. Very content with the current situation.

14. Henry and I marched in the 2007 Milford Labor Day parade for Barack Obama, and I shook his hand! read more here: http://slk-susiesblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/labor-day-parade.html

15. I fancy myself a straight talking sharp shooting wise woman.

16. My dog Kermit was an angel straight from heaven. I am willing to try, and I concede that it's possible to find that love again, with another dog, but there will never be another Kermit. He was an angel straight from heaven.

17. I was raised in a wonderful family, and I love them all very much.

18. I married into a wonderful family, and I love them all very much.

19. I have three magazine subscriptions, and next year I will cut it back to two. Right now I get "The New Yorker", "Newsweek" and "Time". I love the first two, and will not renew the third. Mainly because three magazines is a lot to get through each week.

20. I read in The New Yorker today that one million seconds equals just under 12 days. One billion seconds, however, equals 32 years!

21. I have a blog that I've kept since October 2006. I have had 9,789 visits to my blog and I average 28 visitors a day! Since I've gotten on to Facebook however, I have cut way back on my blogging. It has been a great way to keep track and share observations, and is a different sort of beast from updating fb. I need to do better. http://slk-susiesblog.blogspot.com/

22. Three books I recommend are:

* Getting the Love you Want, by Harville Hendrix

Divided into three sections, the book covers "The Unconscious Marriage," which details a marriage in which the remaining desires and behavior of childhood interfere with the current relationship; "The Conscious Marriage," which shows a marriage that fulfils those childhood needs in a positive manner; and a 10-week "course in relationship therapy, " which gives detailed exercises for you and your partner to follow in order to learn how to "replace confrontation and criticism ... with a healing process of mutual growth and support." The text is occasionally dry and technical; however, the information provided is valuable, the case studies are interesting, and the exercises are revealing and helpful. By utilizing his program, Hendrix hopes you too will be able to solve your marital difficulties without the expense of a therapist.
Get it used for a penny!: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0805087001/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

* There is Nothing Wrong With You: Going Beyond Self Hate, by Cheri Huber

This book reveals the origin of self-hate, how self-hate works, how to identify it, and how to go beyond it. It provides examples of some of the forms self-hate takes, including taking blame but not credit, holding grudges, and trying to be perfect, and explores the many facets of self-hate, including its role in addiction, the battering cycle, and the illusion of control. After addressing these factors, it illustrates how a meditation practice can be developed and practiced in efforts to free oneself from self-hating beliefs. http://www.amazon.com/There-Nothing-Wrong-You-Self-Hate/dp/0971030901/ref=pd_sim_b_1

* Time Out for Parents: A Guide for Compassionate Parenting, by Cheri Huber

Ms. Huber writes: "Instead of punishing our children by sending them into isolation, let's offer ourselves time-out to discover our own needs, our own true selves. Then we will have everything we need to give our children what they need. Taking care of ourselves is a great kindness. When we are willing to provide ourselves what we need, we are much more willing to provide others what they need. Parenting from self-neglect and deprivation has little chance of succeeding."

23. Jeff and I will have been married 15 (Wonderful!) years in 2010, and it would be so great to return to Hawaii to celebrate. 15 years is a long time!

24. Turning my frown upside down begins and ends with Dave Matthews Band. I really, really, REALLY. want to see him in concert some day. I simply must!

25. I am going to Seattle for a long weekend at the end of February and am looking forward to hanging out and laughing with my family. Yay!

The tutti-frutti jelly bean that lived under my scalp.

From George Washington to Barack Obama

THEBARACKOBAMAPARTY!!!

(That's what Maggie called it.)

Well. VERY good times. Not crazy, no ka-boobery. Lots of fun photos and a lot of clever art to look at, so let's get started!

First of all, I would like to point out, we are all getting old. Kids included. For kids we had, I think, 2 fourth graders, three third graders, 1 1st grader, two pre- kindergartners, two three year olds, and 1 18 month old. (did I get that right?) OH! And one docile, joking, enjoyable teenager (15).

But we had the Wii. And we had a craft station that will take me about two seconds to clean up once I get going here. April could not tear herself away from the craft area, I kid you not!

They got a little crazy here and there - turns out I get unnerved by lots of racing through the living room and hallway - who knew?! Overall, however. Very, very well behaved kids who had a great time also. Oh! And I even kicked Bob's butt at Uno for a few games - ye-haw!

That's Maggie taking notes about our decorating for the party.

Here we have some good old fashioned chowing down at a pot-luck. Jersey Jack's Back!

Maggie and her BFF Riley coloring it up. This was, I think, the first party we've had where Maggie's pals were there, too. It really made it special for her, although everyone played with everyone and had good times.
Riley, Maggie and Anna watching the Powerpuff girls dvd on my macbook in the sewing/cozy/coat room.

The craft area. I gathered all my magazines (Newsweek, Time and a couple of Peoples) and tossed out scissors and glue and got some GREAT art out of it. That's April there, next to her daughter Jamie.


This one's called "Art by April".

Keelyn made this one, isn't it a riot? "I gotta go...Where's the rest room??"

Jack banged this one out. "Yo alright, white girl!...I love you B"

"Wierd Ohs!!...Over there, sweety" by Keelyn

Anyway, thanks for coming everybody! Real good times, I'm glad you could make it.

Onward, Mr. President!

Thursday evening

Oh blog. Where does the time go? I am either stressed out, or lazy, or both.

First off, President Obama. How wonderful was Tuesday? I Tivo'd the whole thing with my boys (and Rachel!) over at MSNBC, plus CNN for backup, and came home to watch the actual oath and speech bit on TV live. Then later that night I boop-booped through my recordings, relishing the boo's and laughing at Dick Cheney as he was whisked stage left as the Former Occupant headed out onto the inaugural platform to a chorus of boos. Good stuff.

Cassidy found this picture, I just love it:



Look at that gorgeousness. Love it.

And his girls were so beautiful and polite and gracious and full of humanity and there for their dad. I love how they make him smile.



This one I found, as well as a few others in this post, over at Boston.com. Lots of very cool photos of the big day. This is apparently a satellite photo taken around 11:19am of the area:


This one sort of blows my mind:



Cassidy's BFF Woolie was actually there, at the inauguration -- she even has a picture of herself posing ironically with the Jonas Brothers! (top that!) I will seek permission and maybe even post this pic if allowed. I am hoping that Woolie jots it all down, because I would love to hear all about it.

I am also hoping my old friend who works in D.C. will be sharing his observations about the day as well! (hint hint.)

Garrison Keillor was there, too! He caught a flight and then road the subway in:

I rode with a group of black women who had left Portsmouth, Va., at 1 a.m. to be sure to be there on time. They were heavily bundled and so excited they could hardly speak. And then when the conductor called out "Union Station, Washington," one of them looked at the others and she burst into tears. And they all cried. I would have, too, if they'd looked at me.

I also loved this bit from his essay...

It was more than Democrats feeling their oats or African-Americans celebrating the unimaginable, more than revulsion at the gang of bullheads who held power for too long. It was a huge gasp of pleasure at a new America emerging, a country we all tried to believe in, a nation that is curious and venturesome, more openhearted and public-spirited.

All kinds of people, the slim and sleek, the XXXLs, the heavily insulated, the carefree. We moved through ranks of souvenir sellers—whatever else he may accomplish, Obama has been a boon to the pin and T-shirt trade—and in our slow trek toward the Capitol, one felt the enormity of the day for the black people around us. I wouldn't try to express, I simply was grateful to be among it. Old ladies with sore feet hauled themselves along.

The crowd down below the podium had their opinions. There was a profound silence when Laura Bush was announced and walked out. People watched the big screen and when Michelle Obama appeared, there was a roar, and when the Current Occupant and Dick Cheney came out of the Capitol, a low and heartfelt rumble of booing. Dignified booing.

The band tootled on and there were shouts of "O-ba-ma" and also "Yes we can" (and also "Down in front") and then he came out and the place went up. That was the first big moment. The second was when he took the oath and said, "so help me, God" and the cannons boomed and you got a big lump in your throat. And the third was afterward.

But the great moment came later, as the mob flowed slowly across the grounds.

The crowd stopped and stared, a little stunned at the reality of it.

They saw it on a screen in front of the Capitol and it was actually happening on the other side. The Bushes went up the stairs, turned, waved and disappeared into the cabin of the Marine helicopter, and people started to cheer in earnest. It was the most genuine, spontaneous, universal moment of the day. It was like watching the ice go out on the river.

Good stuff.

I'll try to write more blog, but it isn't easy these days. I'm distracted by smaller screens, enjoying the glib one liners of Facebook and busy enough as it is. But I know it's important to be here, I know you show up, I won't give up.

Lastly, Charlie the dog is settling in nicely. Here is a little love photo I took of him on Monday.

"A Smarter Stimulus"

I read a really interesting article in the New Yorker last night about President Obama's (!) plan to reduce withholding payments as a form of economic stimulus...

The Financial Page
A Smarter Stimulus
by James Surowiecki

Cutting taxes is usually a surefire political winner. Yet Barack Obama’s plan to include more than a hundred billion dollars in individual tax rebates in his stimulus package has earned him criticism from both ends of the political spectrum. Critics in his own party think the rebate, which Obama wants to distribute by reducing people’s withholding payments, will be too small to make a difference—the equivalent of an extra forty dollars or so a month. Naysayers from the right maintain that, because the tax rebate is a onetime event rather than a permanent reduction in tax rates, it will have only a negligible effect. Skeptics on both sides worry that most people will save the rebate rather than spend it.

One explanation for why rebates don’t have a bigger impact is that they don’t affect what Milton Friedman called people’s “permanent income.” Friedman argued that people’s spending is determined by what they think their income will be over time: they change their spending habits only if they think they’re going to be permanently wealthier or poorer.

If they think of it as wealth, they’re more likely to save it, and if they think of it as income they’re more likely to spend it. That’s because many people tend to base their spending not on their long-term earning potential or on their assets but on what they think of as their current income, an amount best defined by what’s in their regular paycheck. When that number goes up, so does people’s spending. In Thaler’s words, “People tend to consume from income and leave perceived ‘wealth’ alone.”

So what does this mean for making a rebate work? If you want people to spend the money, you don’t want to give them one big check, because that makes it more likely that they’ll think of it as an increase in their wealth and save it. Instead, you want to give them small amounts over time. And you want the rebate to show up as an increase in people’s take-home pay, because an increase in steady income is more likely to translate into an increase in spending. What can accomplish both of these goals? Reducing people’s withholding payments.

Maggie just now

PEACE QUOTE

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.

- Eleanor Roosevelt

I am testing

Mobile Blogging from here.

This is me testing the ability to post to my blog from my new iPhone. Not too hard!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]