Unhistoric Acts

sunday dinner

When I was growing up we always had a nice Sunday dinner. For some reason I can only really remember the pot roast with sauteed mushrooms and mashed potatoes, but I'm sure there were lots of other options (like salmon croquettes, for instance). All through church I thought about Sunday dinner because, for some unknown reason, being at church made me unusually hungry. I mean, I went to school everyday...a place where I couldn't graze at the refrigerator at will, but still...those three hours of church were murder. So hungry.

The best was walking in the door and hitting a wall of roast-scented air. We would almost always eat right after church...followed by the Sunday nap. It was a good schedule.

At our house we definitely have Sunday dinner...but it's of a more casual variety. For one thing, Sterling always has to stay after church. So, while we get home around 12:30, he's usually not back until at least 2 or 3. So, the kids usually have something small to eat and we have our sit-down meal at around 5 or 6. For a good long time, Sunday dinner was my job. I planned the menu, and shopped for the ingredients, and did the majority of the cooking -- Sterling was on dish duty. I was okay with this division of responsibilities...but because I don't really enjoy cooking...it was more like a chore, like laundry, or making school lunches, or cleaning the occasional fungus out of the refrigerator's produce drawer. But lately, Sterling and I have planned the meals together (most often trying out new recipes), then we shop together Saturday night (because we are, after all, party animals), and then we make it together Sunday afternoon. This schedule of events is highly preferable to me...it's almost like a date. Well, it is a date, really.

Today Sterling decided on Rachel Ray's Don't-Kiss-Me Garlic Burgers (can't find the recipe to link). Essentially, it is a thick, juicy burger with homemade pesto sauce, brie, and sauteed onions on a toasted kaiser roll. Yum. I whipped up the pesto in the food processor while Sterling sauteed the onions. We had all the kids down to taste the brie to see if they wanted it on their burger...only one taker -- Madison.

We also served sauteed yellow squash and zucchini and COLD watermelon.

And because these thick burgers took longer to cook than we originally planned...I had time to do almost all of the dishes before we sat down to eat. My girls were very happy about this. Because now that the Sunday dish-doer is the co-chef...we're making the kids be the dish slaves. And that makes me happy as well. It's a win-win really.

Three days of school this week and then it's ALL kids ALL the time. Can't wait! Can't wait? Quite frankly...I'm a bit ambivalent about the whole thing. Prepare for the whining (mostly from me).

my boys

Here are the boys after Parker's first Pinewood Derby last night. Their car was named "Viper," and good ole' Viper took 1st place. Yes, the fastest car. These two couldn't have been happier.

Parker was happy, obviously, because he is a competitive little whippersnapper. Sterling is happy because, well, it's his car really. He designed it and made it. Parker was plenty happy about that.

I missed the whole event because it coincided with Madison's eighth grade awards ceremony. Sterling had left his cell at home on his desk, so I couldn't even call or text for an update. So, when they finally got home sometime after 8:30, I called out, "How did you do?"

I was excited.

Parker just shook his head and said, "Not very well."

Really? Not well? What happened?

Then Sterling comes through the door with the same thing...the car just wasn't as fast as he'd hoped.

Bummer.

Then. SURPRISE!!! Really, it was fast...and he had won...and wasn't that funny how they tricked me? Yes. Oh. So. Funny.

Way to go boys...one derby down...many more to go.

for rebecca

This is a picture of my mom's house all fixed up for Memorial Day. My mom asked me to take this picture for my Aunt Rebecca. So, Rebecca, I figure that if you want flags lining your driveway you might want to order roughly 7,836 flags. Otherwise...just a few for the walkway will be fine.

I'm sitting in my own undecorated, post-Memorial day house. After all of the swimming, and eating, and movie-going...we all just plunked ourselves down and recuperated until Tuesday swooped in and demanded that the kids dress and climb on the school bus. Now I am left with the remains of their Memorial Day...which is primarily laundry...and a few dishes.

Where is the Memorial Day clean-up crew I ask you?

Oh yeah. It's me.

No bother. I'm going to whip this place into shape and possibly run down to a local quilt shop. I feel the need for a project coming on...and it might involve fabric and sewing and lots of cussing. Can't wait.

bright and early

I stayed up late last night because I knew that I could sleep in this morning. Because of swim team and church it's been weeks and weeks since such sleeping in was possible. So, you might understand my consternation when my eyes flew open at 7 AM this morning. I tried to go back to sleep. I closed my eyes...sang '100 bottles of beer' to myself...threatened myself repeatedly...all to no avail. I was up. Dang. So I whipped up some blueberry muffins, all by my lonesome. Everyone else was asleep. Lucky dogs.

It wasn't too long before Parker and Rebecca came down. I sent them upstairs at about 9 last night. Parker came back down and asked if they could watch a movie in the gameroom. I agreed, but when he asked if he could also play legos I told him he needed to lay down. I didn't need any grumpy kids the next day after all. So, this morning when he bounced downstairs with this creation, he informed me that he built the entire thing WHILE LAYING DOWN. "You never said I couldn't do that, right Mom?"

"Nope, I never said you couldn't play legos lying down."

We seem to be having a problem with specificity around here.

So, now, we're in full on summer mode: cartoons, legos, a plant dying on the coffee table (I have watered that plant plenty...the pot is just too small).

The good news is the kids are going back to school tomorrow. Because if I'm going to get up early anyway, the kids might as well mosey on to school and leave me time to watch my stories. Right?

Happy Memorial Day. Swimming and hot dogs and a movie on the line up for us...

low blow

Admittedly...I've gone soft...and I'm not talking about my syrup-y, sweet disposition. It's my body...it's soft. Too much sitting and eating, not enough working out and....ummm...not eating. Old story. Let's move on.

Now that I'm out of school and all empty and bereft on the inside, I'm stepping up my working out (I'll get to the not eating later). So, when my neighbor invited me to her spin class this morning, I begrudgingly said I'd go. I mean, I wanted to go...wanted to work out...but I knew it would hurt. She did not disappoint.

Also on the schedule this morning...riding bikes to school. When I got dressed this morning, I went ahead and put on my workout clothes. I figured I'd ride the kids up to school, come home, and then hit the gym. Silly me.

When I walked out of my room in this particular shirt Parker got this semi-pained look on his face and said, "You're wearing that????" He didn't say it in a way that meant..."Hmmm...not sure if that white shirt goes with those black shorts." It was more like, "Cover up that whale-like body before I melt into the earth in a steaming puddle of embarrassment." I was slightly amused and pushed him a little. I said, "Well, Mrs. Lisa and Mrs. Jen wear shirts like this all of the time." He quickly answered back, "Well, you don't." And, of course, I asked him if their shoulders looked better than mine...."YES."

Hmmmm.

I stomped back into my room and threw on a t-shirt. After all I've done for that kid. And he's embarrassed of my shoulders. I'm here to tell you...there are some things to be embarrassed about on this aging body of mine and the shoulders wouldn't even make the top ten.

He's getting brussel sprouts for dinner for sure. The nerve.

thursday work

Sterling is sitting on his side of the study this morning...(my side is neater, for once)...working on paperwork. This makes it a little more tricky for me to go and climb back into bed...not that he would really care...nor could I actually fall back asleep. But still, if he's working I feel I should be working. Now that my working is primarily cleaning...I DON'T WANT TO DO IT. I'm trying to lure him away with promises of breakfast out, but he's in the zone and keeps putting me off...just a few more minutes.

Hmmmm. When I'm on vacation, everyone should be on vacation.

This feeling of blankness is cyclical with me. This year I knew it was coming. I knew that no matter how happy and relieved I would feel when I turned that last paper in, that I would be left with a hole to fill...and really, cooking and cleaning isn't doing it for me. It takes me approximately two weeks to transition, to come up with enough projects to get myself moving again. Weird, huh? I'm just not good with down time. Maybe that's something I need to work on.

This is definitely not down time for the kids. Yesterday afternoon we had orchestra, choir, violin lessons, swim team x2, cub scouts, and YW. I was in the car from 3:15 until almost 9...when I came home and promptly fell asleep in front of Law and Order. Having a teenage driver is becoming more appealing by the minute!

Off to research driving schools...or teaching her myself.

this morning...

Lately, (since I have drastically reduced my need to drive to College Station) I have traded in my busy, productive mornings...for some...well, some stumbling around. My goals are to get Parker's lunch made, his snack and water bottle packed, and to not yell at anyone. I'm doing pretty well.

Becca packs her own lunch, although she does often want me to straighten her hair. No problem. I just stumble into the bathroom and do her bidding. Still, in my mind, I'm only half awake.

And I'm not too proud to admit that there is very little going on around here in the way of homemade breakfasts. Occasionally, Becca or Madison want eggs, but Parker is completely dedicated to his cereal. He demands a large array of cereals for his morning selection. This morning -- a mixture of cinnamon chex and golden grahams (heavy on the cinnamon chex).

After breakfast the kids throw on their shoes and then beg to watch tv for the last 7 or 8 minutes before the bus comes. I let them because I am extremely busy doing really important things...like reading blogs and e-mail. Then we take our yappy dog out to the bus stop and wait for the bus. Actually, the moms wait for the bus and the boys play tag and the girls mill around.

Only nine mornings left...

two posts in one day

Some bits of my day: a photo montage (because I'm bored):

I've gone grocery shopping.

And made an impulse purchase...that I'm destined to kill. Still, it's orange.

And run the kids to their innumerable destinations (orthodontist, night of stars (what?), piano, swim team...just in case you care).

And made dinner. Not super healthy...but quite tasty.

And watched/listened to the kids whine about the last tasks of school. THAT'S always fun, let me tell you.
That just doesn't look comfy. She's reading H. G. Wells's War of the Worlds. She is not enjoying it particularly...and this from a girl who loves Dickens.

And we let the dog entertain us some while dinner was in the oven.

And in a minute I'm going to go strap on my running shoes. Because if the wading through the orthodontist appointment and sitting in a boiling hot car during piano weren't enough...then I'd like to torture myself in a more direct way. I'm fun like that.

Night. Night.

monday

Last night my mom called and told me to update my blog because she is "sick of looking at that mess" (see photo from previous post).

I had every intention of updating the blog, but still, this command from my mother activated some primal response in the deep recesses of my childhood brain and I felt myself rise out of my seat...not only to update the blog but also to clean up the study. I was like a zombie...MUST...OBEY. Weird, huh? I totally never expected that. But you must know that when you strip away this nonchalant facade...I'm a rule follower. And I have a lot of shame for that. Don't get me started.

But then I got a hold of myself and finished watching tv and put off both the cleaning and the updating for Monday morning because that is what Mondays are for. Currently, I'm typing away and Maria is cleaning, so I'm two for two.

I did hand in my grades late Thursday night, thereby finishing off the last of my commitments for the semester. I didn't have a lot of time to wallow in the finality of it all because we had swim team and life-with-four-kids to deal with. I did have a mini-breakdown on Friday (just thought you'd want to know). Probably because I have been holding it together for a good while now and I suddenly realized...hey...I don't have to hold it together anymore. And so I didn't.

But the bad thing about having kids is you can't lay around in your own self-pity for too long because, by golly, they have parties to attend and presents to buy and swim meets to sit at ALL THE LIVE-LONG DAY. You might say, well, actually that's a good thing (the having no time to roll about in one's self-pity). And all I have to say to that is....PARTY POOPER.

The picture above? My Orla Kiely stuff. Jordan gave me the placemats for my birthday. She picked them out herself and bought them with her own money. She knows my passion for large green pears. She also knows my passion for Ingrid Michaelson and made me an artistic sign from "You and I" last night.

  And really, is there anything better than passing out nice sweaters and dancing? It's the simple things people...simple things.

So, now I'm off to grocery shop and then to the orthodontist and then to piano and then to swim team. Wow. When I type it all out like that...my life seems so glamourous.

If you are looking for dinner inspiration try this. I made it last week and it was a big hit.

portrait of a...well...a mess

Here's what my half of the study looks like this morning. It's a big, ole mess. Look to the left of the desk on the floor. Can you see that stack of file folders? Yeah. Those would be my students' final projects. I might need to get on grading those. And see Indie? That's pretty much were she has lived for the past two weeks while I've been writing my brains out. She likes that chair the best. And should she find it piled with books and papers, she stands at the chair and whines until I clear it off for her. What a baby.

You might look at this picture and think...well, it's not THAT bad. And it's not. But imagine if the rest of the house was in a similar state. Lots of clutter and neglect. Because that IS what my house is like at the moment...no bread, VERY little toilet paper, the kids' stuff in various nooks and crannies, a BUNCH of laundry that needs doing, and really...just a scene of disorder. I'm trying not to let it bother me because I'm just so happy to be finished with the writing. Tired...so tired...but very, very happy.

So, I've cleaned off the kitchen counters. I'm about to call the groomer for an appointment for Indiana. I WILL be making a healthy dinner tonight for my neglected kiddos. And just maybe I'll give that grading a moment or two...grades due Friday. Ack.