3 Things

My friend Beth often writes about Three Good Things on her blog (and even FB!)

As my parting shot before hitting the beach in San Diego, I thought I'd do the balanced, Libra thing and think of three good things, and three BAD things. Of course they are not deep and meaningful good and bad things, because that would inevitably offend someone. So, they'll be light and fluffy, but still Good and Bad things none the less (is that one word? nonetheless?)

Good Things:
1. Getting out of a good hot shower, into clean jammies, into a bed with spankin' clean sheets! Aaah...
2. Brownies (with extra chocolate chips) that are still moist and chewy in the middle.
3. Listening to the prattle of my youngest, because I know she is my last little one, and it's the last time one of my children will babble like only five year olds can. Oh, plus kissing her sweet, soft cheek.

Bad Things:
1. Tight jeans / muffin top
2. When your toenail polish smudges after you spent way too much time and energy bent over your toes trying to make them pretty.
3. When your puppy hides under a bed and you have to run all the way downstair, get a treat, and call "Lucy COME!" in a sweet voice when you'd really like to throttle the mutt for disobeying. (Also, when she refuses to go potty because it is wet outside. Hello! We live on the coast! It's wet half the year! Oy)

Ta da.

We're off to San Diego tomorrow. First time with the dog. Should be an interesting drive.

Catch ya on the flip side.

Another Reader!

Rosie is FINALLY reading!

Hallelujah!

I don't mean simple reading, or Magic Treehouse reading, or even Boxcar Children reading. I mean really reading big long books. Burying her nose and not wanting to come out. Skipping dinner because she is so entranced by the story. Wanting to talk about the book whenever she's not reading it.

What book/s claim the honor of hooking my beloved slow reader?

Chalk one up to old Harry Potter.

She loves the series. She is reading the 4th book now. We've rented the first two movies and she watches and rewatches. ARG insists that the later books are too scary for her to read. I don't know because (gulp) I've never read them.

I know I should. I know most people have read them. I just never got interested. But I might have to preview book 6 or 7 or however long the series goes. I don't know.

I'm just thrilled that my "I like books with pictures and short chapters" daughter is at last experiencing the delight of a good story. Now I need to find another book or series that is comparable to Harry Potter to keep her going. Ideas I have so far are: Redwall and Narnia.

Any other ideas?

More Bragging

Sorry, I can't help myself. I'm just so proud!

Even though ARG placed disappointingly at summer nationals (let's just say not in the top 8) he ended up the year ranked 6th nationally in Youth12 Mens' Saber! I keep telling him how wierd it is for me that my son is ranked nationally. Cool. But wierd.

Now we need to figure out how much coin to drop on national tournaments this upcoming year. His peers are going to 3-5 national tournaments. Oy. Kansas City. St. Louis. Miami. Houston. Des Moines. Can you say $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$? (and why do they keep picking these lame cities in the midwest? Miami excepted)

It is safe to say fencers are an elite bunch. In most parts of the world my family would be considered wealthy. But in the fencing world, we are the poor ones who can't afford to go to all the tournaments. Sigh.

Well, it's two weeks off in August and then back into the fencing frying pan. This year ARG is eligible for 5 new fencing categories (Y16, Y18, Div 1, Div 2 & Div 3), so he'll potentially have MORE tournaments.

Help me!

eeeeeewwwwww!

I love my God. I trust my eternal soul to Him. I rejoice in His amazing creation.

But I have just one complaint (that may crack the very foundation of my faith!):

TICKS

Why, God? Why? Why must we have disgusting little hard shelled, eight legged vermin who dig into our skin, bury their heads inside of us and drink our blood? I just don't get it.

(shiver, shudder)

Thankfully I haven't been bitten yet (touch wood). But Lucy has had three in the last week. Luckily the first one was found by my friend, who skillfully removed it. So, now I know how to get them out. It's a lovely experience grabbing them with tweezers and pulling them out while their legs scramble to get back in. And using all your arm strength to kill them, and having to stand up and use all your upper body weight to do it because they are so hard!

Last night, after sitting on our laps for at least an hour (ew!) Lucy scratched one off onto Rosie. Screams ensued. Safety Man issued a new decree - no more dog on the laps. Sniff. That's what we got her for.....but I don't really want ticks crawling around me or my couch (or my children).

This morning Lucy presented MiniMe with a dead baby mouse or mole. Being five, MiniMe accepted the gift and brought it in to show ARG. Thankfully he had the good sense to chuck the thing way out into the bushes. Lots of handwashing! Lots of soap!

Lucy is a good dog. Really. But, eeeeeewwwwwww!

I Claudius

I am watching at old PBS miniseries called I Claudius. It's about Rome during and after the reign of Augustus (1st emporer). Oh the intrigues, betrayals and violence of the imperial family! They were one bunch of egomaniacal looneys. (at least in the show, I suppose I need to read a real history of the time to find out what really happened).

But I thought watching a historical miniseries with the (older) kids would be educational. But the issues that are explored in the show are too much! Can you say "inappropriate"? Murder (that's the least of it), suicide, incest, adultery, prostitution, infanticide, patricide,....yech!

I had to skip the episodes on Caligula because that dude was sicko! I don't feel like explaining to Rosie some of the stuff he did. It's too much!

So I thought I'd watch a nice PG movie about the story of Esther (from the bible) with all the kids. Bad idea. As simplistic as it was, I realized that MiniMe was probably not ready for stories involving eunuchs, guys being hanged, and a king who spends one night with hundreds of beautiful virgins. She kept asking, "Is that a good guy or a bad guy?" and "Is he on the good team? or the bad team?" Ambiguous characters she can not fathom.

It made me remember that she is at the age where one of the most pressing issues is good and bad. She is driven to try understand what is good and what is bad. She needs to be watching Veggie Tales and Shirley Temple movies. Any more sophistication is confusing to her.

Sigh. It is very challenging to find movies that will entertain and be appropriate for a 5, 9 and 12 year old (not to mention me!). I can't make MiniMe go to bed at 7pm forever. Nor shuffle her off to the other room to watch a movie by herself.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, here I come. Again. Sigh.

Any other great ideas?

Democracy a la Lewis

I am finishing up the Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis.

Wow.

There were several times whilst reading that I gulped, and felt very convicted of some bad habits, thoughts and beliefs I've had. It's a powerful book, wielding the almighty weapon of mockery. Lewis employs the voice of a senior demon (Screwtape) advising and admonishing a junior tempter (Wormwood) in his quest to capture a human soul.

The piece of advice I found most intriguing, considering my political studies, the state of the world, and the year this book was published (1942), was Lewis's, I mean Screwtape's, counsel to future tempters:

"Democracy is the word with which you must lead them by the nose. The good work which our philological experts have already done in the corruption of human language makes it unnecessary to warn you that they should never be allowed to give this word a clear and definable meaning. They won't. It will never occur to them that Democracy is properly the name of a political system, even a system of voting, and that this has only the most remote and tenuous connection with what you are trying to sell them...

You are to use the word purely as an incantation; if you like, purely for its selling power. It is a name they venerate. And of course it is connected with the political ideal that men should be equally treated. You then make a stealthy transition in their minds from this political ideal to a factual belief that all men are equal."

It was refreshing to read a Christian author who forewarned what has come to pass (how many people really understand the meaning of democracy?) I hear politicians (all presidents included) and the media consistently bandying about the term Democracy in a way that makes no sense.

I've often wondered if the term itself has effectively changed away from meaning a system of government wherein the power is distributed as widely as possible so that the majority rules.

But what does it mean now? Just getting to vote?

Fun on the 4th

Independence Day, 2009.

We headed down to the farmers market this morning and managed to get a pound of english peas and about 6 pluots and plums for $3. Pretty good, huh? I think the fruit guy likes my girls.

Then my girls begged and dragged me to the Half Moon Bay 4th of July parade. Woopee! We sat on the street curb in the sun and watched lots of fire trucks, plain ole trucks, cars, horses, people on horses, and plain ole people parade along Main St. It is everything you would think a small town parade would be.

The Mexican dancing horses were way cool. There were about five or six guys gussied up with fancy spanish rancher outfits (or whatever they are) on horses. Right behind them was a walking Mexican marching band (not mariachi, and no costumes). Whenever the band busted out into song, the horses would trot around in tight circles, or weave back and forth, back and forth. I enjoyed it.

I discovered the real reason my Rosie so desperately wanted to go to the parade: CANDY. I keep forgetting that in a nine year old mind, candy still ranks up there with....well, candy is probably still at the top of her list. And she was indulged to the max today. Every group that marched by threw pounds of candy out to the crowd. My girls went crazy scavenging sweets of the street. I had to have a "talk" with them about not grabbing everything they could reach, because a sweet little toddler next to us just couldn't compete.

On the way home I told the girls they could only have one piece of candy and the rest was going to church. MiniMe retorted, "Then your a mean Mom". Yep. That's me. My MiniMe (shudders) is a tough one.

Hubby told me last night I should go to the parade. "How many times will you get to go with young kids?" He makes sense. Though I don't particularly relish it now, I suppose I'll miss it when my kids are old and not interested.

Tonight we're off the church for another "parade" of decorated scooters and bikes. Oh the excitement is killing me! My girls' bikes are mildly decorated with ribbons and heart stickers. I'm not holding out hope for first prize.

The only thing I'm wondering, should I decorate the dog?

Out of sorts

When Hubby is out of town, I am out of sorts. I get a tad anxious. I don't know why. Seems like he is a stabilizing or normalizing force in my world which I appreciate, but miss when it's gone.

The boys are off to Dallas for Summer Nationals. They had major mishaps getting there (flights cancelled, new routes, new stops...etc.). They were not able to get to the venue in time to purchase the equipment ARG needs for his event tomorrow. Oh, by the way, the event starts at 8:00am. And the vendors get there.....I'm praying they open at 7:00am. After they buy it they have to get the gear approved. And be ready to fence at 8:00am. Dallas time. 6am CA time. I'm trying to ignore the low grade anxiety I feel for ARG and his fencing.

Then, this afternoon I send Rosie out for a walk with Lucy (who was a naughty, naughty dog today). Usually she walks around the block and comes back in 15 minutes. After 40 minutes I started getting nervous. I called for her outside. Nothing. I decided to get in the car with MiniMe and drive around the neighborhood looking for her. Nada. I ran back into the house hollering for her. Not there.

I think all moms (and perhaps all parents, though I don't know about dads) know the sinking, panicky feeling when you can't find your kid. It is one of the worst feelings in the world.

I headed out again and drove a wider loop. After a few minutes I found her. RELIEF! A little cry. And a commitment to making agreements with Rosie about how long and far she should walk.

Now we're all locked and double locked up and settling down to watch a movie.

I miss Hubby.