Wake-up Call

I've spent a lot of time complaining about the noise lately. Pretty much all summer, while construction on a new shopping center continues close by. And I'm sure I'm not the only one.

We have a noise ordinance in our village, one that ostensibly allows residents a peaceful rest until at least 7 AM. And while I do need to get up earlier than that, I prefer to sip my coffee in peace and let the boys sleep in awhile longer. I'm sure the families that live even closer to the main construction site would agree.

And I'm sure they've lodged more than their fair share of complaints, regarding 5:30 AM wake-up calls. We have another site, directly behind our back fence, that have since been silenced, for the time being.

Anyway, I can only imagine the conversation that may have taken place, causing this morning's noise of a different sort ... a helicopter.

"Hey boss, I got a great idea ... how about a helicopter?"

"A helicopter? For what?"

"To move that stuff up onto the roof."

"But we already have a crane. Why would we need a helicopter?"

"The noise! Picture it: you get woken up by a different noise, look outside and see a helicopter. Cool! Grab a cup of coffee and watch for awhile. It'll be past 7 before anyone bothers to complain!"

"Hmmm. You have a point, but it'll be expensive."

"No noise ordinance violation ..."

"And the crane is probably safer, too."

"I know a great helicopter pilot. Perfect safety record. And we could get some good publicity, too. You know that local paper would send out a reporter and definitely want some pictures."

"Hmm, publicity. Ok, let's go for it. Call your guy and set it up."

6:45 AM ... "Hey, where's your helicopter?"

"Oh, he'll be here at 7. He couldn't take the chance of a noise violation on his license."



update: 8:15 and he's still at it. I even took some video to show the boys when they get up!

Outside my comfort zone

concert pic
Originally uploaded by momsworking01.

There's a place in Middle America where the number of cigarette lighters still outshines cell phones ... and I was there.

It's one thing to attend a concert with your contemporaries ... a lot of old people trying to look young, a few young people trying not to look bored. But to travel to someone else's hometown is quite another. A mere 60 miles away is a whole 'nother world.

The opening act was obviously a local band, and I felt like the only one in the place who didn't know the words, and didn't appreciate the noise. Now, I'm not one to go get myself a beer while a band is onstage, but that night I got two. First, to get away from that awful noise, and second, to try to drown out the pain in my head being caused by that awful noise.

But the lighters were a real blast from the past. Here in smoke-free suburbia, I thought all smokers just hid out on their back porches. But down the road a bit, where sidewalks are still littered with butts, they're still waving their lighters during the slow songs. I bet they even have a drive-in movie theater.

Ahhh Serenity Now

Cape Cod beach path
Originally uploaded by momsworking01.

Sometimes I need a boost to get me going in the morning. Like a few minutes daydreaming about my favorite place on earth. I just put on my slide show of Cape photos and I can almost hear the surf above the din of construction vehicles. Almost.

We are studying American History this year, with a special emphasis on the voyage of the Mayflower and the Pilgrims at the moment. The boys both seem interested, but especially the Peanut. This calls for a very special field trip ... we MUST go to Plymouth! And since the Pilgrims first landed at the Cape, well, we'll just have to go there, too.

Homeschooling can be so very rewarding in unexpected ways!

meet Joe90506 2

meet Joe90506 2
Originally uploaded by momsworking01.

I proclaim the First Day of School a rousing success. Here, we have our team mascot. I found him at the bottom of the stairs this morning, possibly wishing he didn't have quite so much tape holding his "knees" together.

Both boys claimed school was fun, even though we did do boring things like Math and Penmanship. (Here's a hint: put them both first thing in the morning, and something fun, like Robot-building, at the end of the day, and they'll forget all about the drudgery!)

Now, Joe90506 does indeed have a purpose. But the Art/Science Fair is not until March 2007, so any ideas for how to keep him from falling apart, being trampled (or run over by the car), or just plain running away until then would be appreciated.

And now, to get back to school. What are we going to do today?

Our First Day of School

It seems like everybody else started before us. But dh and I like the idea of starting "after Labor Day" just like when we were kids. So today's the Big Day. And now I'm teaching two.

I have plans. I have ideas. I have dreams. And the boys will change everything.

Well, not EVERYTHING. They do like my field trips!

This year I'm starting with a little experience behind me. I'm no longer a total newbie at this. Yet I'll also be doing something totally new ... teaching the little guy to read and write. And to entertain himself without falling back on videos. I don't know which will be harder.

Well ... here I go!

Four Fascinating Things About Me (or someone I know)

I've been tagged, and for once I'm in the mood to play ...

Subject: Do you know me? For instance, did you know ...

Four places I have worked in my life:
1.Harvard University Art Museums
2. Philadelphia Insurance Company
3. Plymouth County Land Court
4. Oswego School District

Four Movies I would watch over and over
1. Pirates of the Caribbean (I and II)
2. Harry Potter (all 4 so far)
ok, so that's technically 6, with more to come ...

Four places I have lived:
1. Chicago, IL
2. Oneonta, NY
3. Abington, MA
4. Whitman, MA

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. The Colbert Report
2. Drake and Josh
um, not much else ...


Four places I have been on vacation:
1. The beach in Massachusetts
2. The beach in Mexico
3. The beach in Texas
4. The beach in Greece

Four web sites I visit daily:
1. Flickr
2. Sparkpeople
3. Faster Than Kudzu
4. Miss Snark

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Chocolate
2. Cookies
3. Ice Cream
4. Pasta

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. on a beach
2. toes in the sand
3. sun beating down
4. waves lapping the shore

and now to tag ... anyone who reads this! (Yep, all 4 of you, you know who you are!)

How to Avoid Housework

I get better at it every day. Not the housework, oh no. AVOIDING the housework ... yes, soon to be awarded expert status in that department. Back in the dark ages before I had children, who are put here solely to MAKE MORE WORK, I was merely an amateur. Now that I have two little buggers whose main mission in life is to make messes, many messes, all over the house and everywhere else they may find themselves, well ... (blushing with modesty) ... shucks ... I can avoid whole boatloads of housework before lunch!

But I can do better, yes, I know I can. You see, we have a fairly small abode. Yep, just about 1000 square feet of clutter, junk, crap, dust, mold, mildew and hard water stains. Oh, and let's not forget the bathrooms. On second thought, let's not even speak of them. Anyway, I'm sure if we just moved on to bigger digs, well, the boys could take care of business in no time, and I'd be busy at my best ... avoiding more housework than any other SAHM in my subdivision.

I didn't learn this skill from my mother. Nor can any of my friends compete at my level (though there is one relative out there who feels she must attempt it, but moving into Wal-Mart doesn't count -- you have to Live with the fruits of your non-labor). Actually, I kinda fell into it. Credit must be given to the Internet, of course, the infamous Time-Stealer. And if it weren't for my dear husband, who refuses to lower his standards, and therefore ends up doing Way More Than His Share of the HW around here, well ... I'd be just a regular ole housewife, wouldn't I?

So here I am, about to impart a mere crumb of my vast experience in housework avoidance. Sure, just about anybody has a computer with hi-speed internet these days, and children can be rented out to the childless (at least mine can ... call me for rates!), but an addiction to newspapers and magazines and library books (yes, you have to actually READ them for total effectiveness) and WRITING ... that could take the cake for most any household. But the coup de grace ... drumroll please ... HOMESCHOOLING!

Maybe I should write a book about it.

Yes, we have roses!

yellow rose 2
Originally uploaded by momsworking01.

The payoff for tending my little rose garden meticulously, watering, feeding, weeding ... etc. is a few green thorny bushes.

So I stopped. I left them alone. I even took off and left town for a few days. And while I was gone, something beautiful happened.

Apparently MY roses are the INDEPENDENT type. They prefer to make it on their own, with no interference from lil ole me. And who am I to argue?

We have Visitors

I'm sure you know this one ...

The ants go marching one by one
Hurrah ... Hurrah

The ants go marching two by two
Hurrah ... Hurrah

They found the candy in the chair
I told you not to eat it there!
And now the vacuum hose goes down
into the chair
to get all
of the ants
boom, boom, boom ...


Oh give me time, I'll come up with the rest of the verses. Probably before I get rid of all the ants, who have now set up their colony in The Big Chair.

You know, once you get that feeling of ants crawling across your arm or leg, you just can't shake it. Phantom ants continue to plague me. And the strays are searching out new digs over by the sofa while my back is turned, I just know it!

Underwear Ninja

Underwear Ninja
Originally uploaded by momsworking01.

Where would our Superhero be without his underwear?

Underwear is Fun to Wear

In our family, not only is underwear fun to wear, but it’s also become something of a competitive sport around here. Complete with sound effects.


“Hulk MASH RRRRRR!!!”


“King Kong! Aarrgh!!”


“POW-er RAN-GERS!!” (in a sort of superhero sing-song)


“SPI-der-MAN!!” (I can’t spell the noise they make with this one, but believe me, it’s pretty impressive)


They pose like mini body-builders trying to psych each other out. Really, a new package of underwear spawns more excitement around here than the new fall collection in Milan. Even a new pair of sneakers (Teen Titans and flashing lights!) doesn’t compare to a fresh pair of Spiderman Boxer Briefs. Throw in a new Captain Underpants book and the adventures last all day.


At least until the Queen forces them to cover up their superpowers with “street clothes” in public. (evil queen!)

Finding My Own Pathway

(This was originally published in the Beacon News, April 22, 2005.)


There comes a time when you have to make a decision. How far are you willing to go to stand up for your principles? How quickly will you bend, just to keep everybody happy?


As a lifelong individualist, I’ve practiced the balancing act almost to perfection. With the outward appearance of conforming, I still made some unusual choices. When my friends all wanted to take dance lessons, I went ice skating. When all the girls signed up for softball, my mother dutifully signed me up for Little League. And in high school, when all the girl athletes were playing field hockey … there I was on the soccer field. The crowd I hung out with was always a bit small, and somewhat unusual.


Most of the time, to outward appearances, I follow the straight and narrow line of what’s expected of me. I went to college (picked one nobody heard of , six hours away) and finished in the prescribed four years, with a major I created myself. Any radical ideas that may have been picked up along the way were assimilated into my mild-mannered conservative demeanor. Never dressed too outlandishly, never too trendy, never attracted too much attention.


Soon after graduation, as everyone expected, I married my high school sweetheart and settled down to a life of work (at an art museum), staying close to home and family, keeping all the same old friends, going to the same church, hoping to eventually start my own family. Ever the non-conformist, that spirit that is usually kept so well-hidden broke out of the mold and moved me from the Northeast to the Midwest, a thousand miles from home and family and all those old friends.


Away from my comfort zone, but still with my faithful companion by my side, I stuck by some of the old rules … back to another full-time job. Or rather, a series of them. A relatively brief series. And finally to starting my own family. And that’s where the armor started falling off.


Motherhood gave me a power and a conviction in my choices that wasn’t there before. Being given ultimate responsibility for a helpless babe turned on a switch. Having to stand up for my children, for what I believe to be in their best interests, has given me the confidence to stand up for myself when necessary. Well, as long as it’s not at their expense, anyway.


Like many mothers, I went back to work after my first was born, thinking that was best for the family, still bowing to that all-important paycheck. Yet, I no longer fit into the work world; I couldn’t switch easily from my role as new mother back to loyal employee devoting all my energies to the company bottom line. I couldn’t look my boss in the eye and tell him his priorities were my priorities, at least not with a straight face. And the Christmas gift watch with my name printed on the face, Mommy, probably sealed my fate, as it soon became my job title as well.


As much as I love being a full-time mom, the lure of the paycheck beckons. Yet there are always compromises that come with employment. How far am I willing to go to stand up for my principles, when I know those closest to me will not agree? Maybe principles aren’t all that important when facing a pile of bills and rising gas prices.


And maybe those principles are strong enough to stand on their own, without any backing from my wishy-washy self. After all, the children are watching, and learning, from what I do as well as what I say. So the time has come to stop following the lemmings toward the security of a weekly paycheck, and to follow my heart down the path of the freelancer.


Whether it leads to poverty or riches doesn’t even matter. Life is too short to follow someone else’s path while my own lies out there still.

The Space Between

There’s a space between what’s going on in my brain and what gets written down on paper. It’s a vast chasm today. There’s no rhyme or reason as to what makes the leap, and what gets sucked into the void forever. I’m convinced there’s some literary genius mired in the muck at the bottom with my usual drivel.


I was in the middle of one of my rare brilliant surges of inspiration this morning, just after finishing my first cup of coffee, but it got pushed over the edge by the sound of my husband’s voice. I just lost my train of thought, my fingers poised at the keyboard, blank screen waiting to be blessed with my genius … oh, there it goes again.


There are lots of trains, one right after the other. But instead of stopping and dropping off a few characters, they just head on down the tunnel, into the abyss. Occasionally one slows down, waits on the other side for just the right moment to cross over. Trouble is, I never know when that is, or what’s waiting on the other side.


There must be a narrow bridge over that space, the great between. And it’s a perilous crossing, often crashing into a pile of debris once it makes it to this side … the page. But once in awhile one really long train makes it across, slowly and confidently, unaware of the editor just waiting to derail a car or two, or three. Or the child, waiting to scribble on the nice shiny engine once it comes to a complete stop.


I like to delude myself that I’ll find a way to close up the between, or at least make it smaller. Maybe it’s just a hiding place, and the really good stuff will come back and make to it the other side one day.


And maybe someday I’ll have a quiet space in which to write, free from the interruptions and distractions of family life. A girl can always dream.

When it's not enough to be Queen ...

I had to know. This being the home of superheroes and all ... surely I have some superpowers of my own. But of course! But just to be sure ... I took the quiz:

My results:
You are Supergirl (I KNEW IT!)

Supergirl 70% Wonder Woman 70% Robin 70% Superman 60% Spider-Man 60% The Flash 60% Green Lantern 40% Catwoman 40% Iron Man 40% Batman 20% Hulk 20%

Lean, muscular and feminine. Honest and a defender of the innocent.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

Keeping up with the children

Yesterday I was able to post my very first picture to this here blog. Yep, quite proud of myself, really. I didn't even have to ask my son for help!


I used to be the Techie Queen of the household. Don't get me wrong, I'm still In Charge of all things relating to the family computer, as long as we have only one. All repairs, anti-virus and firewall protections, new software installations, all my domain. But for anything new and cool ... ask the boychild.


I got a new digital camera for my most recent birthday. It took awhile to load my new pictures to the computer, as in a couple weeks. I had to try out a few online sites for sharing them with the various friends and relatives (and their various levels of techno-geekiness and/or cluelessness). A couple more weeks. And a couple more weeks. And now, finally, I put one up here on the blog (see Scooby Van below). For those who are counting, we're now up to SEVERAL weeks.


In one evening, my son grabbed my precious camera, took pictures of all his Bionicle Piraka, even taking them apart and building a new one out of their parts, and posted his pictures to the web site. Just like that.


At least I can program my own VCR. I know, that's so last century.

On our way to the candy store ...

Scooby van2
Originally uploaded by momsworking01.

We always look for a candy store when we travel. Every town has one, somewhere ... but every town does not have it's own Mystery Machine. Our two superheroes discovered this one parked in Galena, IL (which I know has some very nice candy stores!)

Unfortunately, our travel plans did not allow enough time to wait for Scooby to return to the van.

In search of ... Jr Mints!

I'm always in search of something around here, usually misplaced socks or tiny pieces of legos.

One of the inhabitants, who prefers not to be named, (although he doesn't mind being referred to as the king) happens to like Jr Mints. In the Big Box. And he has come to expect to find such a box on the kitchen counter after I have just done The Shopping. The weekly gathering of boxes of stuff whose ingredients I can't pronounce but yet it puts a smile on the faces of the natives so I keep on buying it -- that's called The Shopping (as opposed to the semi-weekly gathering of stuff that grows out of the ground and has to be washed and cut and comes in pretty colors and causes the natives to make all kinds of distorted contortions with their faces).

But lately there have been problems with The Shopping. At first, I thought it was just me hitting the store at the wrong time, like maybe just before they stock it, when they're out of everything. Then it was the re-decorating, which became a re-configuration, which morphed into a Total Upgrade. In other words, I couldn't find a damn thing!

And when one store goes into Upgrade Mode, they ALL do it. So now I can't find anything in any store I go into. Every shopping trip has turned into a great big SCAVENGER HUNT! At least the kids are having fun.

Yesterday was yet another Grand Re-Opening Extravaganza! Mob scene ... concession stand out in the parking lot, taking up at least 4 parking spaces ... free samples of exotic concoctions all over the store. All I wanted was a couple gallons of milk and ... of course ... JR MINTS!

No Jr Mints. But I won a free DVD player.

We're making do with York Peppermint Pattie Bites, but they're just not the same. Still searching for Jr Mints.

The Fireworks Scrooge

I love a good fireworks show. A good, PROFESSIONAL fireworks show. Watching them last night with the boys screaming and dancing around ... now THAT'S A SHOW!

The amateur let's-go-light-some-bottle-rockets-in-the-driveway do not impress. In fact, they're quite annoying. Especially when your driveway is barely 20 feet from my driveway. And particularly when your bottle rockets land in my yard for me to clean up.

All in the spirit of the holiday, I have kept quiet about all the illegal firworks in the neighborhood. Even though my local police have advertised a zero-tolerance policy for this year, I have not reported any of the neighborhood shenanigans. I'm sure there's worse goings on somewhere else, so I leave well enough alone.

But the holiday is over. So, for the next month, I become the Fireworks Scrooge. Until every last one is confiscated and the noise finally dies down, I will rant and rave and complain and YES, I WILL CALL THE POLICE.

Because ... I'm the Fireworks Scrooge.

Whooosh!

That's the sound of summer days flying by.

Ahhhh Summertime!

Now that school is out (yes, even us homeschoolers need a break!), sun and warm temperatures beckon us outside. So does the Pool Pass. If it weren't for summer thunderstorms, I might never come in.

While my trusty notebooks are portable, alas my computer remains chained to my desk. That's right, no laptops here.

These are the days I dream about all winter long. Now I'm savoring every moment.

Spiderman is Missing

So I am still recovering from another Family Road Trip. Really, I think it's the unpacking that gets me. And the lack of sleep, while everybody adjusts to Sleeping In Their Own Beds.

I sleep better in my own bed. Certainly that goes for most people? I think it has something to do with not having my pillow or blankets pulled away from me all night. And not being kicked in the head. Yeah, that's a biggie. Oh, and the hot breath in the face (and no, it's not as sweet as baby milkbreath anymore).

But the unpacking seems to go on forever. Maybe because I'm the one folding all the clothes. And re-folding. Day after day after day.

It was a couple days after our return that I sat down and committed to relieving the overflow in my email. Over one hundred (not including the junk). Took some time, and some concentration. So while the boys wrestled on the floor behind my chair, I skimmed, filed, read and sometimes even replied.

I was deep into the project when the little guy decided he needed to get dressed. He certainly can dress himself, but can he pick out his own clothes? Of course he can! He has very definite tastes, particularly anything that belongs to the big guy. And I had recently organized their bureaus to make dressing easier for them to do independently (and crossed that off my To-Do list!). Unfortunately, big brother was in no mood to help little brother to Find the Perfect Shirt. Yep ... told him to go find it himself.

Looking back, I really should've just nipped it in the bud. Especially the first time he came downstairs saying he couldn't find the shirt he wanted. Maybe even if I had acknowledged the second request for help, I may have averted disaster. But no, I was BUSY. And I assured myself that the drawers were neatly arranged and ANYBODY could find what they needed up there. In That Room.

Not only did he empty ALL of the drawers in BOTH bureaus, making sure each and every neatly folded item was shaken out and tossed about the room so as to completely cover every square inch of floorspace ... he also searched (meaning emptied) every nook and cranny, every cubby and basket, every toy box. And they have WAY TOO MANY toys. The evidence is spread out for all to see.

I can demand that he clean up his mess till I die, we all know that's not going to happen. Besides, everybody knows that Boys Can't Fold Clothes. I tell them to wear what they find on the floor. Eventually, through the miracle of Laundry, it will all find it's way back to its rightful spot. Or else they'll grow out of it.

And what have I learned from this? Big guy has at least seven Spiderman shirts. At least that's how many we've found so far ...