January 1st 2014

Come here Blog, I need you.  Help me reconcile myself to the end of this holiday “break.”  It has been absolutely glorious.  Especially with the amount of children we have had sloshing all over in and around and throughout the place.  (Cue the moment DLove and I were trying to make the bed; there were so many children underfoot we just threw the covers over all them, like netting fish.)

It has also been game ON with discipline of my boy over being kind, caring and respectful.  I must say, as much as it baffles me when I’m RIGHT THERE and he STILL taunts his sister (or whatever d*ck move du moment)… I think his socialization has improved a lot just in this short break.  The complaints from his little companions have gone from “Gavin hit me!”  to “Gavin says we can’t make police cars out of legos!”  (huh?)  He even seems to be NOT resisting the overall project itself; the aim to civilize him that is.

And after a wonderful party last night (thanks Boharts!), this New Year Day has been oustanding so far too, most notably for my having spent the first half of it in the KITCHEN.  Like, actually COOKING.  (If you’re wondering which part of “CircusKitchen” I’m accountable for… it’s not the kitchen part.)  So I enjoyed the feeling I imagine you cooks feel when you create something that wasn’t there before, through the alchemy of time and temperature, culminating in the satisfaction of feeding people.  (In this case bread, polenta, coffee, tea, cookies and got some beans soaking.)

And then there’s all this other wonderful activity:

What’s in this Mess?

Do you see it?

Jackpot!

(Thanks for the new Sendak Little Nutshell Library, Mom!)

“Earning Screen Time” (also known as “reading.”)

So proud and amazed at our Boy’s new ability to read, like, ANYTHING.

For example:

THIS

Meanwhile, back to ClaraJane…

Recovering from Meltdown

I will never get tired of the relative scale of these two.  My baby is actually GIANT, but compared to Daddy she’s still Baby.  The Big Fight this time had been, “I DON’T YIKE MY DIAPER! I DON’T YIKE MY DIAPER!!!  I DON’T YIKE MY DIAPERRRR!!!!!!”  Daddy’s shoulder is the BEST place to GIVE IT UP.

I give up Daddy.

Condo Pals

(Yesterday I had kids undecorate the tree.   They started by eating the popcorn garlands.  Ingenious!)

Alas, the coveted Screen Time!

So hypnotic; it really is magic. (Black Magic?)

Reading “Tickle Monster”

With Tickle Monster *Gloves* even.  (Thanks Aunt Jane Ann!!)

Also with *TICKLING!*

OK so I’m bushed and crawl into bed and start typing this blog, when along comes “HEWP!”

Me byogging too Mommy

Believe it or not when I started this post my intention was to gripe about not ever having gained control over our home environment over the break.  It’s been a disaster zone overwhelmed by debris everywhere.  I’ve had this view of, “Oh our house is not really like this.  We don’t actually live like this, it’s just temporary.”  And Dear Husband assures me it IS only temporary.   And, in case you don’t think I’m spoiled enough already, he has been cleaning and purging for just about the whole time I’ve been resting and writing today.  So alas, my blog is spared of any more whining for now.  (Sorry, DH, that you were not spared before I wrote this.)  

So, yeah.  Oh yes.  Hell yes.  Blessings.  The Blessings.  Too numerous to count.  Abject abundance is obviously just damn messy sometimes.  And we really need to give away more.  But not THIS mess that just piled up next to me:

Miwk on keyboard; ‘Nuff said.

Hmmm, something is missing yet.  Oh, more CAT please.

I NEED to knead you.  NOW.

Spoiled?  Or  Frigging Lucky?  (Yes.)

***SIGH!***

OK, thank you, Blog (Therapy), for setting me strait again.  I can’t see the mess anymore.  I’m blinded by beauty all around me.   So I’m going back to shutting up now, quick!

Bless Us, Thank You, Amen.