Welcome Aliens

I would love to know the story behind this building. What was the vision? Was the request made in a language the architect understood? Was the architect paid?

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

If asked, I will tell you I am a cold person. I would rather be cold than hot. Have you ever tried to fall asleep when it was really really hot? Impossible for me. For me, heat is fatiguing and grumpifying–you decide which one is more problematic for the people around me.

But I have come to a realization: while heat can be extremely uncomfortable, cold can be painful.

Maybe I need to rethink.

On Saturday, we attempted the Winter Festival at Ganondagan. By the way, have been to Ganondagan? You should. The festivals are good, but you can go anytime and you will enjoy it. Anyway, 16 degrees didn’t seem that cold–it’s not negative or anything–so we headed over. There was snowshoeing, but we can’t handle that yet. There were other demos about winter living, and of course, the long house. We were most fascinated, though, with snow snake. Who wouldn’t be? Another great sliding winter sport.

We didn’t last long, though; Amos was the only one appropriately dressed.

I’m planning on next year’s Ganondagan Winter Festival being on a sunny snowy 30 degree day.

Lest We Forget

I got this in my e-mail today.

Good times.

If I die tonight

Remember that Seinfeld character who died after licking cheap envelopes? That may be me. Not wedding invitations, of course. Valentines.

Lily and I spent, ahem, several hours making valentines for her classmates tonight. As my mother’s daughter, I am not allowed to use store-bought valentines. Can’t do it. Impossible. So we put the boys to bed, cleared a workspace, found a dumb movie on ABC Family which, unfortunately, included a wee bit of kissing, and hauled out the various components needed: stickers from BJs (official best source for cheap stickers), cut-out wrapping-paper hearts, card-stock and envelopes from craft store, and markers and glue. The markers and glue were the hardest–I hide them from the kids so they don’t decoupage and graffiti my walls (too often), but unfortunately, I seem to have hidden them from myself, too.

They turned out great, and each and every one was totally uniquely designed for the recipient. But as the movie was winding down, Lily’s eyes were closing quicker than the envelopes. Lily’s last step was signing her name, and then I took over the stuffing and licking. Licking. Licking. The glue was grotesque and I really just should have gone and gotten a sponge, but I just wanted to get it done!

So if I don’t wake up tomorrow, blame it on the envelopes. And please, make up a cool moniker to reference my untimely death, will ya?

Impeccable Timing

Post bath

Brownies

and bowl licking

Hot and Cold

We have this sand and water table that has been a big hit with the kids. I actually unveiled it the day we came to paint the house, in an effort to keep the kids outside. It was marginally successful. But it has certainly served us well. I really like that it is elevated and somehow the combination of sand and water is irresistible. A visiting friend demonstrated how fun it was to mix the sand and water, much to my chagrin, but until then, the kids followed the rules.

Unfortunately, the poor table has been lonely on our deck for the last several months.

The kids love the idea of playing in the snow, but most of our snowy days have been awfully cold. Today I brought the table into the kitchen and filled one side with snow and one with warm water. I think it was a hit.

All my kids are waterbugs and there was, surprise surprise, significant splashing. Ah well, a good nudge toward mopping the floor.

Of course, there were the same kind of shenanigans as we find outside….

Add it to my List

I have a running list of activities it is WORTH paying someone else to teach my kids. I have recently added one: ice skating.

I have three kids 5 and under who really wanted to skate. You can imagine.

Now imagine that I have not ice skated in at least one decade, if not two, and wasn’t even good then.

Now imagine a bitterly cold day.

Now imagine an outdoor rink.

Now imagine that I could not find my gloves and actually wasn’t even wearing my winter coat.

Now imagine that the rink had no wall encircling it–the kind of wall I am accustomed to crashing into and clinging to.

Now imagine epic parking issues.

Now imagine ill-fitting skates.

Now imagine a crowded rink, mostly crowded with future or former Olympians.

The kids had a great time and can’t wait to do it again.

Gimme Gimme Gimme

Wow. Maybe I should go to London.

Is there a better reason than Abba?

A Perfect Day for Bananafish

Well folks, J.D. Salinger had finally been put out of his misery; no longer will he have to avoid all of us who wonder what the heck was going on in his New Yorker short stories. Here are my top ten reasons for believing Salinger to be The Man:

1. A Catcher in the Rye is the only book I can think of that I hated every second of until I got to the last page and then I loved it. Way to go.
2. With J.D., would 80s teen movies and music have been able to portray alienation as well as they did? I think not.
3. You gotta admire a man who forgoes fame. Really, our Reality TV world could not produce it.
4. “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” deeply deeply confused my 16 year old self. I should re-read it. Or burn it.
5. YA literature would be altogether too rosey without him.
6. He was a religious seeker.
7. J.D. was a real New Yorker.
8. The man was 91 (barely). Heaven forbid I live that long!
9. Adolescents desperately need to be explained.
10. Not enough Jeromes in this world.

Fontastic

Find out your type.
(password: character)

I will not tell you mine–it is embarrassing.

But this is the best quiz you have ever seen, I promise.

Don’t do it at work, you need audio. Don’t worry, you’ll enjoy it.