tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180690522024-03-07T09:56:39.099-06:00Pardon the Egg Saladvelocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.comBlogger1558125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-8257592883430136562017-10-27T08:45:00.000-05:002017-10-27T10:07:29.302-05:00Friday Fiction Drew Calder stopped at the edge of the park, shifting to settle the load he carried more evenly across his shoulder. His suit jacket and the shirt underneath clung unpleasantly to his skin, wet all down his back and a little cold. Glad he’d disregarded Sebastian’s objections and worn his work boots, he sighed and shrugged into the burden, then set off across the grass, sticking to the shadows despite sufficient bribes paid to keep any cop in town looking the other way. The greenway made for a convenient shortcut back to the house, though Drew wished they’d just taken the car. Mostly he wasn’t bothered by Sebastian’s vanity, but sometimes his need to make an entrance bit them in the ass. Or bit Drew in the ass, really, since it usually became his mess to clean up. Drew hoped that a few rumors of their undignified exit did get back to Sebastian. Maybe he’d think twice about the hired limo next time, or at least let Drew wear pants with pockets sufficient to keep his phone from sliding out somewhere along the way, leaving them both stranded when things went sideways. A breeze kicked up as Drew reached the bottom of the hill that led up to the driveway, chilling the sweat on his face and making him shiver a bit. He tightened his grip and trudged on, his spine and shoulder protesting under the weight of Sebastian’s body.<br><br><br>
Drew met Sebastian the night he died the third time. The first death happened when he was born -- blue and floppy as a ragdoll, everyone said, even after they unwrapped the cord from around his neck. According to Drew’s aunt, who had been there, a seasoned delivery nurse snatched him from the doctor’s hands, put her mouth on his tiny face, and sucked out the gunk that was suffocating him before half the people in the room realized what was happening. The second time he died, he was working concert security in the rain when an ungrounded amp wire stopped his heart. Someone in the crowd knew CPR and kept oxygen moving to his brain long enough for the paramedics to get there. The third time, the one that almost counted, he’d been on the door at Kellan’s, pulling his normal Saturday night shift. One of the dancers had a shitty ex, who came around periodically to harass her. That night he’d shown up drunk and angry. Drew hadn’t been in the mood for it and told him to fuck off. When the ex boyfriend shot him, it felt like taking a football helmet to the chest -- no pain at first, just the sensation of something slamming into him and having the breath knocked out of his lungs. The pain caught up right before the second bullet collapsed his left lung, and he never did catch his breath.<br>
He had a dim memory of screams, of being lifted off the ground, of a sharp voice saying, “Please let me through; I’m a doctor.” A shot of something thick and scorched-tasting was tipped down his throat. That was all he recalled. After a long while, he opened his eyes and saw Sebastian watching him from a chair beside the bed where Drew lay sprawled on his back, still dressed in clothes soaked with more blood than any body seemed capable of losing. There was a dull ache in his chest, but he could breathe full and deep again.<br>
“I have a proposition for you,” Sebastian said in his trim accent. He was slender and well-kept, dressed in an expensive-looking suit. His hair was light, his eyes dark, and his features sharp. “I realize you may need time to consider my offer, but I’d like you to hear me out before you say no.”<br>
Sebastian needed someone to do his heavy lifting, he explained. Drive him sometimes, run his errands, keep his business close. In exchange, Drew would receive more money than he could ever spend, lodging on Sebastian’s property, access to the clubs and parties Sebastian attended, sex if he wanted it -- though Sebastian was firm that it would never be required. “Who could ask for more?” Sebastian asked with a smile that almost reached his eyes. “It’ll be a few days before you feel well again,” he said as he stood to leave. “The cure has healed you, but your body will take a while to replenish all the blood you lost. Please take all the time you need, and let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”<br><br><br>
As Drew came within hailing distance of the gatehouse, Jordan leaned through the window and called out, “The limo driver dropped off your phone!” Then, seeing what Drew carried, he paled. “Jesus, man, what happened?”<br>
“Philosophical disagreement,” Drew grunted, pausing to lean against the side of the gatehouse. “He'll be fine, I think.”<br>
“I’ll get the cart.”<br>
Drew slumped further against the bricks as he waited for Jordan to return with the groundskeeper’s motorized cart, grimacing as he noticed how bad he smelled -- a mix of his own sweat and the acrid odor of Sebastian’s blood. He debated setting Sebastian down, but wasn’t entirely sure he’d be able to get him back up again, so he waited some more.<br>
Once Jordan arrived, they maneuvered Sebastian’s lanky frame into the cargo bed as carefully as possible, trying not to jar his neck, which Drew had bandaged as best he could with his own tie. The cut was deep, but hadn’t severed the spine, so as far as Drew knew it could be fixed. He slumped into the passenger seat and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths of the cool night air as Jordan drove them up to the main house as fast as he dared.<br><br><br>
Two days after he was shot to death -- Sebastian later confirmed that he had briefly died -- Drew woke up again in the same bed in the strange room that was not in a hospital. No one watched from the bedside this time. His muscles were sore as he pushed himself up to sit, his clothes stiff and reeking from the blood that had drenched them and mostly dried. Drew gagged a little and staggered to his feet, saw a doorway that led to a bathroom and stumbled over. There were towels and soap, so he stripped naked and dropped the awful clothes outside the bathroom door, pausing to stare in the mirror at the two round, slightly puckered scars that marked his chest now, one just to the right of his heart and the other centered on the left side of his ribcage. He pressed his fingers to one and then the other, feeling nothing but his own familiar skin and muscle and bone, the faint drum of his heart beneath. He got into the shower, made the water hot enough to hurt, and scrubbed until he couldn’t remember the smell of blood.<br>
When he went back out to the bedroom, his ruined clothes were gone and the bed had been made up with clean linens and a new blanket. A pair of jeans, boxer shorts, and a thick henley shirt were folded and waiting on the chair, his wallet and cell phone and car keys resting on top. Still feeling dazed, Drew got dressed and picked up his phone, but the battery was dead. There was a light knock at the door, so Drew opened it and found the man he’d seen two days before standing in the hallway, wearing gray slacks and a sweater. He was almost as tall as Drew, who stood 6 feet 4 inches barefoot.<br>
“Hello,” the man said. “May I come in?”<br>
“Um. Sure?” Drew backed up to let him enter.<br>
“I’m Sebastian Birk.” He offered his hand and Drew shook it.<br>
“Drew Calder.”<br>
“Do you remember what happened to you, Drew?”<br>
“Maybe. I think.”<br>
“Please, sit. I find it’s sometimes best to not try too hard to understand it, but just to accept that remarkable things can happen.”<br>
Drew sat on the edge of the bed, and Sebastian settled into the chair.<br>
“Do you remember the offer I made to you, the night I brought you here?”<br>
Drew nodded. “You want me to work for you.”<br>
Sebastian returned the nod. “I do. I could use a big, solid fellow who won’t take shit, as they say. As I said before - it would be a lot of driving, errands, and discretion. It may be dangerous sometimes, but I don’t think terribly so. Certainly nothing worse than you’d expect working as a bouncer at Kellan Ferguson’s strip club.”<br>
“What happened to the guy who had the job before?”<br>
“He worked for me for many years, but finally decided he was ready to retire somewhere nice.”<br>
“Is this like when your dad tells you he sent your dog to live on a farm, but really he shot it?”<br>
Sebastian laughed and gave Drew an appraising look. “Astute, Drew Calder. I like you quite a lot. I also suspect we had very different fathers. But no, Charles is actually retired. I believe he’s living in Majorca now. Speaking of dogs, though, that is something I should tell you.” He reached into the pocket of his slacks and retrieved a glass vial full of a substance that looked like motor oil. “The cure that saved your life is quite useful. Good for everything from a gunshot wound to a hangover. But if you use it much, dogs won’t like you. They can sense it somehow, I suppose. Cats, on the other hand, won’t care one bit.”<br><br><br>
Drew and Jordan managed to get Sebastian into the back ground floor bedroom where Drew slept when he didn’t stay in the carriage house. They laid him on the bed and then Drew let his knees give out and collapsed onto the floor, the old hardwood smooth and cold against his back through his damp clothes. Jordan sank down to sit nearby, breathing hard and using his sleeve to wipe sweat from his face. “Jesus,” he choked out, his teeth chattering from adrenaline and nerves. “He’s heavy for a skinny dude.”<br>
Once he’d caught his breath, Drew sat up. “I’ll be back in a minute. Stay here.” He hauled himself up and went out through the hallway and down the old servants’ staircase to the wine cellar. Inside, he placed his palm against the scanner lock on a sleek industrial refrigerator. There was a cheerful beep and a click as the lock mechanism disengaged. Drew pulled the door open, selected the supplies he needed, and closed the door, tugging it afterward to make sure the lock had re-latched. He opened a second, unsecured fridge and collected two bottles of beer before heading upstairs. When he got back to the bedroom, Jordan was pacing the floor, his arms tightly crossed. “Hey,” Drew said, bumping him with an elbow, “you need to take some deep breaths. Calm down.”<br>
“He looks dead, man. He just...he looks dead.”<br>
“He’s dead every time you see him.” Drew handed Jordan one of the beers and set the other on the narrow dresser. Next he opened and assembled the shrink-wrapped syringe he’d brought up from the basement, and filled it with thick, black blood from the refrigerated vial. “If you don’t like needles, don’t watch,” he told Jordan. He unclipped a small folding knife from the waistband of his pants and used it to slit the sleeve of Sebastian’s jacket and shirt up to his bicep, then carefully injected the blood into a vein at the inside of his elbow.<br>
With this accomplished, he went to the dresser and pulled out a set of clean clothes. He uncapped the second beer and took a long drink. “Sit with him until I get back,” he told Jordan, who was sipping his own beer and looking less like he was about to freak out. “I’m going to take a shower and call Isabelle.”
“Shit,” Jordan said, looking utterly miserable. He gulped the rest of his beer and stared glumly at the floor. “Shit.”<br><br><br>
Isabelle Morgan was in her late twenties, with a petite frame and a heart-shaped face that could best be described as cute. She dressed in expensive professional clothes, never wore heels, and was utterly terrifying. Drew had met her just after being formally introduced to Sebastian, when she’d breezed into the bedroom with her smartphone and planner and proceeded to sweep him along in the wake of her efficiency. Tapping on the phone and jotting notes, she briskly scheduled him for a trip to buy clothes, arranged a visit with Sebastian’s accountant, ordered a driver to retrieve his car from Kellan’s, and called the groundskeeper to show Drew the various secondary homes on the property that he could choose from as his new living quarters. Then she handed Drew a piece of paper with times and dates printed neatly across it and swept out again, leaving him dazed and not quite sure what had just happened.<br>
Sebastian, who’d been standing to the side and gazing out the window, turned to Drew with a wry smile. “You’ll get used to it. If you do what she says at all times, your life will be simpler.” He came over to the bed and offered his hand to shake again. “So it seems we have an arrangement.”<br>
Drew nodded, his head still swimming a bit. “I guess we do.”<br>
“You can leave my employ whenever you choose. I do ask that you give me the courtesy of notice beforehand, but your time is your own. I do not require a contract, unless you would prefer one. I will do everything that I can to treat you fairly and reasonably. Please know, however, that if you betray me -- either while you work for me or afterward -- I will kill you. And you will be quite permanently dead, in that case.”<br><br><br>
Drew’s job was to accompany Sebastian to events and parties as requested, fetch and deliver when needed, look dangerous as required, and drive a lot of wan-looking and very hungover young men (and more rarely, women) home after mixing up a morning smoothie with a shot of the cure blended in among whatever ingredients were trendy that month. On three occasions he’d been asked to dispose of a body, each time someone whose name had come to Sebastian through whispers and half-coded messages, men whom the law couldn’t touch, monsters who were using the dark corners of Sebastian’s world as their hunting ground. As far as Drew could tell, Isabelle handled everything else, from arranging personal shoppers to booking international business meetings. Calling Isabelle to tell her that her plans had been derailed was never a fun experience.<br>
As he undressed and started the shower, Drew weighed his options -- if he called now, he’d have to talk to Isabelle now. But if he waited and called her after he got cleaned up, she’d undoubtedly be furious at the delay. Heaving a sigh, Drew thumbed his phone to life and selected Isabelle’s number. The call went immediately to voicemail. “Isabelle - it’s Drew. I think you’re going to need to clear the schedule for Monday. Maybe Tuesday, too. Sorry about this.”<br>
Within minutes, his phone rang. He reluctantly accepted the call. “Hey, Isabelle.”<br>
“What the hell is going on, Drew?” Heavy bass thumped in the background, and Isabelle’s voice echoed weirdly. Drew wondered which club bathroom she was calling from.<br>
“Sebastian is out of commission. I think he’ll be okay, but it may take a few days. Also, we’re both going to need a new suit.”<br>
Isabelle’s sigh was a rebuke. “I’ll be there in thirty minutes. Are you with him right now?”<br>
“No, but Jordan is.”<br>
“Jesus Christ.” She disconnected without saying goodbye. Drew showered and dressed and made it back to Sebastian’s side in fifteen minutes. He sent Jordan out to the gatehouse with instructions to admit no one other than Isabelle until he heard otherwise. Then he settled into the chair he’d brought over from the staff kitchen and closed his eyes.<br>
He’d barely started to doze when he heard Isabelle coming down the hall. She knocked lightly and came in before he answered, stopping short when she saw Sebastian. She clutched the strap of her work bag tightly, her eyes going wide. “You didn’t tell me it was this bad.” It was the first time Drew had ever heard worry in her voice.<br>
Drew peered at the wound on Sebastian’s neck. “It was worse,” he said grimly.<br>
“Did you give him the cure?”<br>
“About 45 minutes ago.”<br>
“How did this even happen?”<br>
“I missed the beginning. There was an argument over something at the club. Backroom stuff...I think there were Russians? I was supposed to wait in the hall, but I went in when I heard shouting. It was over by the time I got the door open.”<br>
“What about the bodies?”<br>
“Nothing incriminating. I got him and got out.”<br>
Isabelle gave a curt nod. Under her Saturday night makeup, she looked pale. “I have some things to handle. I’ll be in the office if you need me.”<br>
Sebastian and Isabelle had adjoining offices on the other side of the back of the house, separated from Drew’s room by the old servants’ kitchen. He waited until he heard Isabelle’s office door close, then went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. After some consideration, he made two plates of toast with honey as well, and took one to Isabelle. She actually smiled at him, just a little bit, from behind her laptop when she saw what he’d brought. “Thank you,” she said, accepting the plate and mug of coffee.<br>
“Do you need anything else?”<br>
“No. Just stay with him and let me know if he wakes up.”<br>
As Drew was pulling the door closed behind him, Isabelle called his name. He paused, half-turned.<br>
“Thank you,” she said again, and her voice wavered - again, just a bit. “For saving him, I mean.”<br><br><br>
Daylight was just beginning to brighten the sky when Sebastian stirred, bringing Drew back from the drifting almost-doze he’d been in and out of for the past few hours. Drew stood but didn’t approach, waiting for Sebastian to open his eyes. When he did, he seemed quite alert.<br>
“Ah, Drew,” he said hoarsely. “It seems I owe you a debt of gratitude.”<br>
“Just doing my job,” Drew answered. “Can I do anything for you?”<br>
“I think perhaps you’ve gone above the call, but we’ll sort that out later. Would you help me up, please? I’d like to go to my room if you don’t mind.”<br>
“Isabelle’s here,” Drew told him, moving close to support Sebastian as he got to his feet.<br>
“Please tell her to get some sleep. I will call her as soon as I can.”<br>
Leaning heavily on Drew, Sebastian was able to make it up the stairway to his private rooms on the third floor. Drew had only been inside Sebastian’s suite a few times, and he always felt like he was trespassing. He helped Sebastian to the bed, where he sank onto the mattress and kicked off his shoes. “Much better” he said with a sigh, easing himself down onto his back. “Thank you, truly. I will call you when I’m feeling well.”<br>
“Or if you need anything.”<br>
“Yes,” Sebastian said with a ghost of a chuckle. “That, too.” He reached out and patted Drew’s arm. “Now go to bed, please. You look like you’re about to collapse.”<br>
Drew was aware of every sore muscle as he made his way downstairs, his back aching in earnest now. He stopped by Isabelle’s office, where he found her asleep on the chaise. He scribbled a note and left it stuck to the front of her phone and quietly slipped back out, pausing in the hallway to text an all-clear to Jordan. Back in his room, he changed the bedding and opened the windows to let in some fresh air. As the sun crested the trees outside and lit up the room he finally lay down to rest, sliding gratefully into sleep.
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-671812228452954482017-07-08T22:48:00.000-05:002017-07-08T22:48:54.455-05:00splashDespite taking the boys to the indoor pool at the Y at least once a week since Nico was about 6 months old, I rarely take them to outdoor pools. The hassle of getting everyone coated in sunscreen plus the general hassle of wet suits and changing clothes and washing hair has never seemed worth it. But last weekend and then again today I took them to a really nice local pool to meet up with friends, and we have all loved it. The pool is in a part of town typically considered kind of iffy, so it isn't very crowded, even on Saturday afternoons. It costs $4 for the three of us to get in, there are plenty of chairs in the shade where we can stash our stuff, it has a big waterslide and a little kid splash / slide thing, and the deep end is just big enough for my kids to have fun but not big enough for me to worry about them.<br><br>
Judging by today, I think we have suddenly arrived at the sweet spot of near-independent pool children. Nico spent most of his time going on the big waterslide over and over, and he's finally a confident enough swimmer that I was happy to let him go on his own to the deep side. As soon as we arrived, Elliott strapped on his puddle jumper, put on his goggles, and flung himself into the 6' end to paddle across with his brother, so I guess he's got this. Alas, he was less than half an inch too short to go on the big slide. Maybe next year, my son! We're swimming there again tomorrow, and I think I will have to take them at least once more before school starts. (Though just now I realized how few weekends are left before school starts and I OBJECT. MORE SUMMER WITH MY WATER BABIES, PLEASE.)<br><br>
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<strong>Reading:</strong> <em>Heartless</em> by Marissa Meyer<br><br>
<strong>Playing:</strong> <em>Remember Us to Life</em> by Regina Spektor, especially <a href="https://youtu.be/HjSBjDBk49c">these</a> <a href="https://youtu.be/EY22JySZ91Q">two</a> tracks.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-46954140167519090902017-06-18T11:45:00.000-05:002017-06-18T11:45:16.737-05:00mediaAfter not managing to read a single book in May (dammit, May), I powered through three in quick succession this past week:<br><br>
1. <em>The Boy on the Bridge</em> by M.R. Carey. This is what I guess would be considered a companion novel to <em>The Girl With All the Gifts</em>, which I loved. Because the cause of the hungries is already known / revealed in this book it was a little less suspenseful, but it was still really good. It made me want to go back and read the other one again for details I'd forgotten.<br><br>
2. <em>Still Life With Tornado</em> by A.S. King. The book discussion group I attend has read several books by A.S. King, and I've read a few on my own. So far I have liked them all, and this one was another strong showing. <em>Glory O'Brien's History of the Future</em> is still my favorite, followed by <em>Everybody Sees the Ants</em>.<br><br>
3. <em>Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe</em> by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Couldn't put this one down.<br><br>
Now I'm going to attempt <em>Thank You for Being Late</em> by Thomas L. Friedman, because the local secular humanist group is trying to start up a book club, and this is their pick for July. It looks a <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/thank-you-for-being-late/id1110015147?mt=11">little thinkpiecey</a> for my tastes, but I'll give it a shot.<br><br>
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I went to see <em>Wonder Woman</em> last night and it was really great. It took a while to win me over, because World War movies aren't really my jam, but by the time it got to Diana's first real battle scene, I was all in. I'm already excited about the boys watching it someday and seeing a badass female superhero. Their first Star Wars movie was <em>The Force Awakens</em>, so we're making a good effort with the female hero examples.<br><br>
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I ponied up the $8.99 a month for the Starz app so I could watch <em>American Gods</em> and it's been well worth it. They've gone off-book a little more than I expected in the last few episodes, but overall it's been great. The casting is pretty perfect. I'm sad they've already finished the first season...I guess got spoiled watching <em>Supernatural</em>, which has 20+ episodes per season.<br><br><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-18411987074442542782017-05-26T01:33:00.001-05:002017-05-26T01:33:34.619-05:00The days are just packed. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(I have worked a lot also and I've done lots of laundry and I even went to a short conference, but those things aren't as photogenic as the kids.)<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-72698421895270986662017-03-13T23:15:00.000-05:002017-03-14T21:51:23.177-05:00five by five1. Nico had his first school science fair, and it was fun doing a project with him. My mom and I never got the hang of science fairs when I was a kid, and I just love teaching kids scientific method, so this was my jam on so many levels. <br><br>
His school is also doing a two-week read-a-thon fundraiser right now, which gives us an excuse to let him read lots, and it's great.<br><br>
I have no idea when or how he learned, but Elliott can write all his letters now, and that is also fabulous. Yesterday he decided to write each member of the family's name on a strip of paper and then tape them up on the fireplace. As much as I sometimes pine for my babies, I adore seeing these new skills blossom in my getting-big boys.<br><br>
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2. One of my favorite signs from the Women's March rings very true lately.<br><br>
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Since February, I've been to three rallies in support of Planned Parenthood, a <a href="https://www.womensmarch.com/100/action2/">women's march huddle</a>, and two meetings of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. At the second meeting of the latter, I volunteered to be a presenter of the <a href="http://besmartforkids.org">Be SMART</a> program. I barely even know me anymore. I only decided to offer because the instructor said that a local kids' playgroup / services organization that I've been entwined with personally and professionally since Nico's babyhood has asked for the program, but hasn't had any luck finding anyone to give it. I figure I can give it for them and see how it goes, and decide from there if I want to keep going. I've also committed myself to one year of helping the local Sierra Club chapter try to gain some momentum, and to that end I'm doing online training to become approved as an outings leader. In early May when I'm working 50 hours a week and crying in my Cheerios over my poor life choices, please feel free to remind me that I brought this on myself. Everything seems manageable in early March.<br><br>
I've also volunteered to be PTA secretary at Nico's school next year. The PTA meetings typically consist of the president, the treasurer, and me, and we're at a point where if no one steps up to take over officer positions, we will have to disband at the end of this school year. I really don't want to see that happen, but I also have the sense to recognize that I have no business offering to be president.<br><br>
Recently someone on Twitter asked everyone to weigh in on the question if you suddenly didn't need to work for financial reasons, would you keep working? My initial instinct was that I would because I'm really good at my job and I enjoy it and I believe it's important work. But then I started thinking about all the things I could do with my time if I didn't work - lead the PTA or volunteer more or start another troop of Navigator scouts...so now I don't know. It's just an academic exercise anyway, but for the first time I don't know if I'd keep working or not if I won the Powerball.<br><br>
3. I got my hair cut a few weeks ago, and it took about four days to decide, but I like the new look. The upkeep is going to be a pain in the ass, however, because my hair grows so fast.<br><br>
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4. My friend Jennie recently recommended the podcast <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/presidential-podcast/">Presidential</a> and I seriously love it. I only ever had the basic bare-bones American history as required by my high school curriculum, and I have always had a bit of a crap memory for names and dates. I'm up to the Ulysses S Grant episode, and now I kind of want to read his memoir. Other podcasts I really like, after years of thinking I wouldn't like podcasts at all since I don't like listening to talk radio: <a href="http://99percentinvisible.org">99% Invisible</a> and <a href="http://thisiscriminal.com">Criminal</a>.<br><br>
5. I just finished <em>Order of the Phoenix</em> and I have Thoughts. If you haven't read it and you don't want spoilers, best stop here.
<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>
It's the first of the series that I've only read once before, and I went into it expecting not to like it very much. I recalled being really offended by the Umbridge plot and all the unfairness and Harry's teen angst, and by all the things that could've been avoided if characters just freaking talked to each other. But whether I've been tempered by age or just was in a different mood, I felt much better about it this time around. JKR's writing is pretty stellar in this one, and the deepening of the characters of Dumbledore and McGonagall is just aces. I really like that she chose to shatter the image of James as perfectly heroic. The villains are so well-written, and the heroes are pretty heartbreakingly human. I'm still a little pissed over Sirius dying, and especially the almost throwaway scene in which it happened. I don't remember much from my one read of the final two books, so I'm looking forward to rediscovering how the series is all tied up.<br><br>
<strong>Reading:</strong> tomorrow I start <em>Scythe</em> by Neal Shusterman<br><br>
<strong>Playing:</strong> <em>Hamilton</em>, my old friend<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-53714552232258675882017-03-05T09:53:00.000-06:002017-03-05T09:54:41.571-06:00I've been down a time or two.On my 17th birthday, my dad took me to a Clint Black concert. I grew up listening to country music with my dad, so even though I had mostly moved on to rock and metal by then, I was thrilled to go. This past Friday night, we went to see Clint Black again, and I was deeply stunned to do the math and figure out it had been nearly 19 years since our first concert. This has always been my favorite Clint Black song, and I've always agreed with the basic thesis of the song:<br><br>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5SYbSPO6iqE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center><br><br>
Indeed, listening to his old songs in the week before the concert really did bring up a lot of old memory-feelings. The concert was really fantastic, and even ended with the same song as the last one. It occurs to me this is the one downside of mostly listening to really old rock music with my kids - we'll never be able to go to Zeppelin concerts together. Maybe I can start them on Clint Black...surely he'll still be touring in another ten years or so when Nico is 17.<br><br>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q1k3ptanBjY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center><br><br>
<strong>Playing:</strong> Clint Black mixes on youtube, of course<br><br>
<strong>Reading:</strong> <em>Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix</em><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-58482146124928652832017-02-27T22:15:00.000-06:002017-03-04T22:16:24.272-06:00Four.My sweet second baby is four, and I can hardly believe it. Three was an education with this child, who is full of big emotions and big energy. At just-four he is sweet, stubborn, sassy, wild, loving, and funny. He has a quick temper, but gets over it fast. He likes to run, kick and throw balls, and jump off of things. He still tries to drink water out of pools and splash pads and the shower. His favorite color is green, just like his older brother. At preschool today he declared he wants to be a ranger when he grows up. He and I are alike in many ways, and he challenges me so much. But he's also fantastic and I'm so very grateful that I get to be his mama.<br><br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkvgwKn3Q-qrVBz0v_MlPtqzYBrxPYpqpU9bFLbszIonwYt8LWH1-SLWbToU69a6wJsAvQ_Oo9aSOXsRszTL1R85GeMTC80bZH57gYkmVEhpg015_qXhnC3MXIWRXq8dvjWWZ/s1600/IMG_8682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkvgwKn3Q-qrVBz0v_MlPtqzYBrxPYpqpU9bFLbszIonwYt8LWH1-SLWbToU69a6wJsAvQ_Oo9aSOXsRszTL1R85GeMTC80bZH57gYkmVEhpg015_qXhnC3MXIWRXq8dvjWWZ/s400/IMG_8682.JPG" width="400" height="400" /></a></div><br><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-39135193302920145502017-01-31T23:41:00.000-06:002017-02-04T22:13:33.937-06:00bullet with butterfly wings2017 is turning out to be an even ranker dumpster fire than 2016, no? Jesus Christ on a bike, everything is horrific. I'm going to try not to talk about it too much because it's exhausting. I've made more calls to elected officials in the past eleven days than in my entire life preceding this disaster. In the interest of giving my brain something else to do, here are some things that have happened that aren't governmental apocalypse-adjacent.
I'm re-reading Harry Potter for the first time since the last book came out. I used to re-read all the prior books each time a new one came out, but I didn't have time after Order of the Phoenix, so I haven't read any of the early ones since then. I'm almost through Azkaban, which I suspect will remain my favorite. It's nice because now I hear all the actors' voices in my head doing the characters' lines. After this I might try to re-read the Lord of the Rings trilogy since it also feels like it would be extremely timely. I'm also thinking about a re-read of <em>Watership Down</em> in remembrance of the author, who died at the end of the 2016 celebrity massacre. When I read it back in 2010 I loved it, so it would be nice to revisit it.<br><br>
Nico has blossomed into a confident reader, and it completes me. He recently got started on the Magic Treehouse books and can read one to himself in about twenty minutes. He likes the companion research guides as much as (if not more than) the stories and has apparently been reading the <em>Tonight on the Titanic</em> research guide over and over in his free time at school. This has led to a barrage of questions, such as why weren't there enough lifeboats? Why did they say women and children first? Why did the Titanic break in half? It's all making me wonder how in the world the author managed to spin this as an amusing adventure for Jack and Annie while avoiding all mentions of horrible death. I guess I should read the book for myself.<br><br>
I heard about bullet journals when they first became a thing, watched a few videos, and decided I was too much of a perfectionist to attempt one. Then all last year I was dissatisfied with my planner choices and lack of organization. In December as I looked at planner after planner that didn't meet my specifications, I found myself thinking, if only I could find a planner with daily pages plus pages for all my to-do lists, all in one book. Then I realized, hello, <em>this is exactly what bullet journals are for.</em> So I spent an evening looking at pictures and videos online and browsing Pinterest, decided on a few hybridized layouts that I thought would work well for me, and gave it a shot for the month of January. So far it's working out fantastically well for me, so below are some photos. I do wish I'd left myself six pages for Navigators to-do lists, because I filled my one allotted page by the third week of January and it annoys me to have to add another list section on a non-sequential page. Turns out perhaps bullet journaling is also going to be good therapy for my relentless Type-A tendencies. I only use it for personal life stuff, since I have an Outlook calendar and a separate daily planner at work. I also did not include a full monthly calendar page or spread because I use my iPhone calendar for all of that. I only list important or oddball events on my monthly page. I used a journal I've had lying around since before I got pregnant with Nico, because I didn't want to put any money into this project and then end up abandoning it. So far this journal has been perfect for my needs. Also, because this seems to be a thing people want to know, I am using a black Uniball Jetstream pen and a red Pilot gel pen right now. But I found out last night that Jetstreams come in red, and I plan to get one this weekend.<br><br>
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For fun, an update on Nico's hair situation, for lo, it is fabulous:<br><br>
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<strong>Reading:</strong> <em>Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban</em><br><br>
<strong>Playing:</strong> <em>The Crane Wife</em> by the Decemberists. I forgot how much I love it, and I bonded with some Twitter friends over our shared appreciation of it the other night, which is one of my favorite internet things.<br><br>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/03eo0asomyM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center><br><br>
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<center>I participated in a local rally and march on Inauguration Day. This was my sign.</center><br><br>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-22101566568299862192017-01-19T23:12:00.000-06:002017-01-19T23:12:20.739-06:00To my sons, on the last night of the republicLittle boys, I have so many things to say, and more things I don't know how to say. I'll start with <em>I'm sorry.</em> I'm so sorry there weren't enough of us adults who cared enough for you and your future to keep this from happening. I'm so sorry that we haven't yet figured out how to stop the hating, stop the fighting, stop the dividing and the judging. I'm sorry for any failing on my part that contributed in any way. I don't even know what I could've done differently, but I'm sorry for not knowing. I am equal parts heartbroken and furious that you may never remember America as it was under President Obama. While I do not think he was without fault or failing, I was proud to vote for him twice, and honored to call him my President. While the promises of his first campaign didn't all come to fruition, the message of hope took root somewhere in my being and carried me through eight years of progress and promise and the feeling that maybe we were going to keep our arc moving toward something better.<br><br>
I've long been conscious of the weight of the responsibility of raising you to be good men in a world where those sometimes seem in short supply. Of raising you to be kind when assholes and bullies constantly get ahead. Of raising you to respect and protect girls in a culture that strips them of dignity in a thousand small ways every day. Of teaching you how to use your privilege as an umbrella to shield others rather than a weapon to subdue them. Now this weight has increased tenfold. It sits in my chest like a stone, it tightens my throat and makes my actual heart hurt sometimes. How can I carry your sweet spirits unbroken through the minefield of four years of the worst man, the biggest bully, being held up in front of you as an example of leadership and deserved victory?<br><br>
I have always been an optimist, a pollyanna, a person who believes everything will be okay, but I'm scared. I'm scared and worried and angry and I feel helpless. I can feel my purpose diverging, splitting into two contradictory shapes. First, I can feel myself drawing in, circling up, pulling you close and wrapping anything I can use around you to shield you from all of this. It's my job to keep you sheltered and safe as long as you need me to do so. It's my job to let you be kids who don't have to worry about their country falling apart around them. I'm going to do everything I can to keep showing you the beauty and the good in this broken world, anywhere I can find it. Equally, I need to learn how to stand and fight. I am smart and pretty organized and really good at multi-tasking. I am not brave. I am not good at confrontation or argument. I don't like to rock the boat or tell other people what they should believe. But I owe it to you to figure out how to do and be all these things. I owe it to you to stand up for what I can, when I can, even when - maybe especially when - it seems pointless.<br><br>
I have had my share of worries since becoming your mother, though admittedly less than most. I have had my share of doubts that I know what I'm doing, though also probably less than most. I have had my moments of fretting over the challenges facing you in the world as you grow up. But I never imagined I'd have to worry about this. I never realized I should fear the landscape of our country shifting beneath our feet, changing into something dark and frankly pretty terrifying. And for that, again, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't see it coming. I'm sorry I didn't know how to fight, or even that I should be fighting.<br><br>
I still cling to a fierce hope that we will be sheltered and shielded from the worst of what's coming. I have to, to get through the days. I promise to do my best to carry you safely onward, to shield your hearts with mine, to shore up the foundation where it crumbles. No matter what happens, know that I love you both more than anything. You have made me and changed me and carried me, just as I have made and changed and carried you. Tomorrow I'm going to take your small hands in mine, and I'm going to face the storm, and I am not going to let go, no matter what.<br><br>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-56936183888875813002017-01-15T21:37:00.000-06:002017-03-05T09:38:45.862-06:00Seven!My Nico is seven, and seven feels like a big number. He is tall and lanky, and has lost all his baby features. He hasn't had a haircut in just over a year, by his request. Thank goodness for freckles across his nose and his gappy little kid smile, because he looks more like a teenager every day sometimes. He is a confident reader, and has recently developed a love for Magic Treehouse books, which he can read quietly to himself. He is mostly nice to his brother, though not always of course. He's still sensitive and a little bit quirky, but has definitely grown out of a bit of both. He's good company and gives great hugs. I'm so happy to be on this adventure with him, and would like it very much if the remaining years of his childhood would pass by very slowly.<br><br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xzb-uYvTcKmT7X6fErnAu5yEXvGxU2pwCu3uXyS1AomrpZgr6pfj-gReoxApVDLwwUh-Tu5LD3CbBIce_R_pb47SoF_O9YjqIpF1Vi5Bma_TgaOJPx5ddJSyvOhtPIEk9yYt/s1600/IMG_7656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xzb-uYvTcKmT7X6fErnAu5yEXvGxU2pwCu3uXyS1AomrpZgr6pfj-gReoxApVDLwwUh-Tu5LD3CbBIce_R_pb47SoF_O9YjqIpF1Vi5Bma_TgaOJPx5ddJSyvOhtPIEk9yYt/s400/IMG_7656.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a></div><br><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-21003583108458064942017-01-08T21:46:00.001-06:002017-01-08T21:46:35.387-06:00Less than this.I've taken advantage of two weekends mostly at home to start the year by tossing stuff out of this house. First I went through my own dresser and the stuff piled on / around it, and found five medium-sized diaper boxes worth of stuff to throw out, donate, or take to the consignment shop. Today I took the whole day to clean every bit of the kids' rooms. I even moved their beds and dressers so I could dust and vacuum underneath and washed the curtains. Going through their things yielded another diaper box of clothes to sell and a kitchen-size trash bag full of stuff to throw out. I finally repainted Nico's wall where I patched it before Christmas, and then while I had the paint out anyway I put a coat on the nightstand I bought to refinish for Elliott when he was a toddler. I keep finding stuff and more stuff and asking myself "Ugh, how much x does one family need?" and the answer is always "less than this." I'm not really a minimalist and I never got into konmari*, but it does feel nice to start the year with some divesting.<br><br>
I roped MB into hanging up the corkboard I put together for the boys' state park pins and National Parks junior ranger badges, a print that has needed to be put back up in Elliott's room for at least a year, and a curtain rod so I can put a cute curtain up over Elliott's blackout curtain. He was efficient if not enthusiastic.<br><br>
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On NYE I combined a painting and a frame that I bought on separate occasions at my favorite consignment shop and convinced MB to hang them in the dining room. I love this very much, even though I'm giving up on remembering to take a picture during the day without the lights reflected in the glass.<br><br>
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* I did co-opt one konmari thing - I refolded the kids' shirts so that they can see everything. I'm hoping this will result in them wearing more than a rotating three or four of their obscene number of shirts.<br><br>
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<strong>Reading:</strong> <em>Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone</em>. I used to re-read the series every time a new book came out, but then I didn't have time once <em>Order of the Phoenix</em> came out, and now it's been years. A twitter friend is reading them for the first time and tweeting as she goes, and it's utterly charming and inspired me to pick them back up again. It feels like a comfortable cozy blanket to be back in these stories again.<br><br>
<strong>Playing:</strong> <em>Hamilton</em>, still. <div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-77615358221622419582016-12-31T10:59:00.000-06:002016-12-31T10:59:18.974-06:00Dead ReckoningPast year-end posts:
<a href="http://velocibadgergirl.blogspot.com/2006/12/dead-reckoning-linda-over-at-all-snow.html">2006</a> / <a href="http://velocibadgergirl.blogspot.com/2007/12/dead-reckoning-linda-at-all-sundry-has.html">2007</a> / <a href="http://velocibadgergirl.blogspot.com/2008/12/dead-reckoning-linda-at-all-sundry-has.html">2008</a> / <a href="http://velocibadgergirl.blogspot.com/2009/12/dead-reckoning-originating-with-linda.html">2009</a> / <a href="http://velocibadgergirl.blogspot.com/2010/12/dead-reckoning-originating-with-linda.html">2010</a> / <a href="http://velocibadgergirl.blogspot.com/2011/12/dead-reckoning-originating-with-linda.html">2011</a> / <a href="http://velocibadgergirl.blogspot.com/2012_12_01_velocibadgergirl_archive.html">2012</a> / <a href="http://velocibadgergirl.blogspot.com/2013/12/dead-reckoning.html">2013</a> / <a href="http://velocibadgergirl.blogspot.com/2014/12/dead-reckoning.html">2014</a> / <a href="http://velocibadgergirl.blogspot.com/2015/12/dead-reckoning.html">2015</a><br><br>
A few weeks ago I didn't think I was going to do a year-end post. It seemed like it would be too depressing, after the disappointments of the past two months and the frankly somewhat horrific prospect of 2017. Then I spent a few evenings putting together a 2016 photo calendar for my mother-in-law and realized that despite the political disasters, my little family had a pretty great year. And as one of my twitter friends said at the beginning of the holiday season, I shouldn't let those monsters steal one more fucking thing this year...and so:<br><br>
<strong>1. What did you do in 2016 that you’d never done before?</strong> I drove in Chicago and lived to tell the tale.<br><br>
<strong>2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?</strong> For the second (third) year in a row I didn't get back in the habit of doing monthly blog posts for the kids. For 2017 I'm going to try to keep an organized personal life planner, something else I have attempted and failed several times. <br><br>
<strong>3. Did anyone close to you give birth?</strong> Yes! My best friend since Kindergarten had her spectacular baby in May, and he's the best.<br><br>
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<strong>4. Did anyone close to you die? </strong> No.<br><br>
<strong>5. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?</strong> Last year's wish list is still relevant, I suppose: Me time and the motivation to use it wisely. A well-organized personal life / planner. Bras that fit correctly. A Roomba.<br><br>
<strong>6. Any memorable dates or events from 2016?</strong> I will always be sad that I don't get to always remember voting for the first female President of the United States. Other things that made me realize this year wasn't a total shitshow: taking the boys sledding for the first time, caving with Laura Danger, meeting my baby nephew, our Chicago / St Paul trip, reading the Mouse and the Motorcycle trilogy with Nico, the day my kids hiked five miles, the day we hiked the Punch Bowl at Turkey Run State Park<br><br>
<strong>7. What was your biggest achievement of the year? </strong> I was a kick-ass scout leader and killed it at work, and still managed to take my kids on more adventures than ever.<br><br>
<strong>8. What was your biggest failure?</strong> I wish I hadn't let myself get so caught up in election angst. I feel like I lost half a year to it, and nearly the whole holiday season.<br><br>
<strong>9. Did anyone suffer illness or injury?</strong> I can't think of anything, so we must've been okay.<br><br>
<strong>10. What was the best thing you bought?</strong> probably my iPhone 6 + lifeproof (waterproof!) case<br><br>
<strong>11. Where did most of your money go?</strong> paying down debt, which still isn't very paid-down<br><br>
<strong>12. What did you get really excited about?</strong> coming into our own as an adventure family<br><br>
<strong>13. What do you wish you'd done more of this year?</strong> I wish we'd gone on more real hikes to more state parks. I wish I'd read more books. I wish I'd blogged more.<br><br>
<strong>14. What do you wish you'd done less of this year?</strong> I regret the 14 pounds I gained, so I guess I should've eaten fewer of my feelings. <br><br>
<strong>15. What was your favorite TV program?</strong> I didn't watch much TV this year. The current season of <em>Project Runway</em> isn't terrible. I'm hoping to get back to watching <em>Supernatural</em> in the new year.<br><br>
<strong>16. What were your favorite books of the year?</strong> The best audiobooks that I listed to this year were <em>The Scorpio Races</em> (Maggie Stiefvater) and <em>American Gods</em> (Neil Gaiman). The best books I read on paper were <em>Eleanor and Park</em> by Rainbow Rowell and <em>Salt to the Sea</em> by Ruta Sepetys.<br><br>
<strong>17. What was your favorite music from this year?</strong> The <em>Hamilton</em> soundtrack, though I feel a sense of loss when I recall how defiant and hopeful those lyrics sounded before November 8th.<br><br>
<strong>18. What were your favorite films of the year?</strong> <em>The Force Awakens</em>, the first Star Wars film I have truly loved.<br><br>
<strong>19. What did you do on your birthday?</strong> I had dinner and a game night with friends.<br><br>
<strong>20. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?</strong> I'm going to have to go with Hillary Clinton winning the election for this one.<br><br>
<strong>21. What was the best day-to-day thing you learned?</strong> I can listen to podcasts and audiobooks in the shower with my waterproof phone case.<br><br>
<strong>22. Tell us a valuable life lesson from 2016.</strong> My life is kind of hectic, but I got this.<br><br>
<strong>23. Share a favorite photo from this year:</strong><br> I couldn't choose just one, so here are some of the photos that helped me realize how wonderful parts of this year really were:<br><br>
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<strong>24. One word to describe this year:</strong> It was both wonderful and crushingly disappointing.<br><br><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-31121402132403259712016-12-21T07:35:00.000-06:002016-12-21T07:35:03.408-06:00thrift shopI spent yesterday with my friend evilducky, on our twice-yearly thrift shopping trip. We hit every Goodwill in town, plus two other charity shops. I haven't added up everything, but I think I was pretty close to my planned budget of $75 for the day. Once I laid out all the stuff I got, it started to feel like a lot of things for that price. I got myself some work pants (for a dollar!) and summer camp / hiking shorts, plus quite a few new or like-new long-sleeved shirts:<br><br>
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I also got some short-sleeved shirts:<br><br>
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I got Nico a bunch of shirts - a pair of polos for school, two maybe brand new Children's Place dress shirts, some T-shirts:<br><br>
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I found a dress for an April wedding that is surprisingly flattering and comfortable:<br><br>
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I got little bags for the vet kits the boys are getting for Christmas, and a backpack for Nico who really wants one specifically for hiking. Even though we need another backpack in this house like a hole in the head, I think he'll be excited. I think the backpack is new.<br><br>
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Elliott really wanted a fireman hat from the children's museum gift shop the other day and I said no, but I'll say yes for a dollar. This may be horrifying to fans of Minecraft if that pig is some kind of official Minecraft thing, but the plan for that is to end up in the dog's stocking.<br><br>
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It's hard to tell, but that cooler is half the size of the typical personal Igloo lunch cooler. It's adorable and I feel like it might be perfect for Nico's summer camp lunches. I bought a long cooking fork thingie and some heavy duty tongs for campfire business. The book has really cool illustrations and info about interesting / unusual animals. The bird was 50 cents and is from the same line of cheeping birds for which I just paid 12 bucks a pop for the boys' stockings. The Smithwick's glass is for MB's brother.
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I possibly wasted money on this, but it's a neat-looking train set that was $7.50. I had the idea that I could set it up to run in a loop around the bottom of the Christmas tree. We'll see. Right now I feel like the chance of achieving this thing that the kids would flip for was worth $7.50. I might change my tune if it turns out to not be in working order.<br><br>
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It was a really great day. I typically don't personally go in for retail therapy, but bargain hunting is definitely my jam. And it's always more fun to thrift shop with someone else.<br><br>
<strong>Christmas activity report:</strong><br><br>
We hosted our annual kid-friend cookie painting party.<br><br>
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We visited the best Santa of all at the library, where Nico was chosen to be Rudolph and Elliott did adorably request a "noisy bird."<br><br>
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And we attended the annual holiday evening event at the children's museum, which was a lot of fun. I wasn't sure how it would go, taking two end-of-the-week-tired children out to play until 8:00 PM, but it was wonderful.<br><br>
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Happy Solstice! Three more days until Christmas Eve!
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-47729324531396203402016-12-12T23:33:00.000-06:002017-01-12T22:55:32.774-06:00stocking / present postStocking posts are always fun to read and put together, so here's mine for this year. Santa usually brings a game or two and books to share, so here are this year's:<br><br>
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Nico asked for Sorry in a letter he wrote to Santa, after playing it at his great-grandmother's when we visited for Thanksgiving. We didn't have any particular favorite picture books this year, so I settled for the hot / cold books. I'm a little torn on the colorful creatures book. I really like the graphics - big pages of a bunch of photographs of animals in each color - but I'm not sure the kids will ever look at it. I still have the receipt, so I may return it. Or not. I don't know.<br><br>
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For Nico: a Captain America matchbox thingie, two packages of mini chess cookies, a Paw Patrol bath pouf, reindeer socks, two pairs of fuzzy socks (which he requests from Santa every year, to my delight), a dolphin tree ornament (he has liked dolphins since we visited the Shedd Aquarium back in May), Christmas themed underpants, a Paw Patrol learn to tie shoes book, Lego reindeer set, Rudolph bandaids, and a journal (because he told me he was planning to ask Santa for a journal this year also). After some overwhelming googling, a search at Barnes & Noble to learn what I didn't want, and some more refined googling, I chose <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/q-and-a-a-day-for-kids-betsy-franco/1111493165">Q & A Every Day for Kids</a>. I hope Nico likes it, because I think it's pretty cool.<br><br>
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For Elliott: Captain America matchbox thingie, cookies, bath pouf, socks, a whale tree ornament, underpants (a moment of silence for the naive optimism I had last Christmas when I ordered these, thinking surely my child would certainly be potty trained at ALMOST FOUR YEARS OLD WEEEEEEEEP), Paw Patrol holiday book, Lego reindeer, bandaids. I may get him a cute blank notebook to scribble in for his own journal. I'm also planning to pick up a <a href="http://www.stuffedsafari.com/Singing-Plush-Birds-s/172.htm">cheeping bird</a> for each kid, since that's what Elliott has said he plans to request from Santa.<br><br>
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Every year I try to hold my buying in check, and every year I overdo it for the boys. This year I really tried to contain myself. Their birthdays are three weeks and nine weeks after Christmas, plus we are hoping to take two city trips this coming year and I'd much rather have spending money for experiences and souvenirs for them. I have one of these animal carrier / vet kit sets for each kid, which I will wrap up from MB and me. They both love little stuffed dogs and have a bunch. I'm glad I opened this one up for the picture, because the dog that came with it isn't that cute and it's weirdly stiff. I think I will try to find cuter / softer puppies to put in the carriers, or just let them use the multitude of puppies they already own. I also want to find some kind of pouch or bag for them to keep the medical stuff in, so that it's not always banging around in the carrier where the puppies are supposed to hang out.<br><br>
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I think I will also wrap up a Lego City set for each kid - I have several nice ones I've bought on clearance here and there, so that should be easy as long as I don't forget.<br><br>
Did anyone else do a stocking / gift post this year?<br><br><br>
<strong>Reading:</strong> <em>Hillbilly Elegy</em> by J.D. Vance<br><br>
<strong>Playing:</strong> <em>Hamilton</em>. On their own the kids have started requesting my favorite tracks. I'm very proud!<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-13874190220869593752016-12-04T23:59:00.000-06:002016-12-05T07:16:00.922-06:00cheerDespite not feeling much holiday cheer at all this season, I committed to my usual level of celebratory activities, mostly because the kids shouldn't miss out on a fun Christmas experience just because I'm terrified about the future of democracy. In this spirit of fake it 'til you make it, I broke out the red and green toe polish and put up the decorations and set up the countdown calendars. I took the kids to a reading of the Polar Express and a Christmas concert and a holiday open house. We had pictures done this morning and I ordered our holiday cards. I signed up for two ornament exchanges and scheduled a cookie decorating party for the boys and their playdate friends. My strategy is starting to work - I am feeling some genuine holiday spirit, though admittedly not to the usual levels. But it'll do. And I'll keep trying.
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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMpsCZV65zmLaWe8dUChFm8rtYlkDgMzCjYD_kImxBPx8s80qPFZFuaDz8o9JA4-6daKk9iHXLdO2gm2JJQpAbRr_OiDHpWY7qVQ6XGrovqgRepa_JyN31Jx0cz9PEAlQiQL3/s1600/IMG_6736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMpsCZV65zmLaWe8dUChFm8rtYlkDgMzCjYD_kImxBPx8s80qPFZFuaDz8o9JA4-6daKk9iHXLdO2gm2JJQpAbRr_OiDHpWY7qVQ6XGrovqgRepa_JyN31Jx0cz9PEAlQiQL3/s400/IMG_6736.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-32867358426648065792016-11-20T23:02:00.000-06:002016-11-20T23:02:32.100-06:00AftermathI have so much to say, and yet nothing to say. Not here, anyway. Everything feels tenuous and terrifying. When I stop and consider it all, it's hard to find any hope. The only thing I know is that I want to wrap these children up in any safety I can offer them, to shelter them from all the ugliness scratching at the edges of our lives, to do what I can to carry them whole to the other side of this, whatever shape it takes.<br><br>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-55638608810903497962016-10-23T23:31:00.000-05:002016-10-24T00:44:08.043-05:00On being an adventure momWe spent this weekend camping in Shawnee National Forest, at a campground we visited and liked two years ago. We set out early Saturday morning to repeat the previous trip's hike to a great natural bridge, found the stream crossing a little higher than we wanted to try, and decided to take a longer loop around to approach the bridge from the other side. By MB's apple watch, we hiked five miles. It took four hours. The kids KILLED IT. They were chipper and capable, walked the whole way with only a tiny episode of whining from each at the very end, and generally were enjoyable company. We had the entire trail to ourselves, with the exception of one couple we passed near the end. The landscape was fantastic, the weather was perfect. We were a little too early for fall colors, with the summer lingering so long this year. We had zero network coverage the entire time we were there, and it was great. I read a whole novel on Saturday afternoon. The boys played mostly well together at the campsite, creating a complicated pretend game with small branches standing in as spaceships, scooping hickory nuts and gravel with their toy construction vehicles.<br><br>
I've been asked a few times for tips on being an adventure mom, so I thought about it some. With the caveat that all this probably depends on your particular brand of children, here's what I think you should consider if you're interested in taking small kids on outdoor adventures:<br><br>
1. It takes practice. We took Nico <a href="http://velocibadgergirl.blogspot.com/2011/09/campers-have-smore-fun-we-took-nico-on.html">camping for the first time</a> when he was 20 months old. Elliott went on <a href="http://velocibadgergirl.blogspot.com/2013/10/babys-first-camping-trip.html">his first trip</a> at eight months. My kids have literally been camping their whole lives.<br><br>
2. If it's not easy at first, it's okay. For the first two years we camped with Nico, bedtimes were miserable. I'd lay in the tent with him for over an hour, missing nearly all the socializing with our grownup friends, waiting for him to stop thrashing and fall asleep. I was often not as patient as I should've been. The whole cycle repeated with Elliott, though I don't remember it lasting as long. This weekend at ages three and six, they fell asleep within ten and twenty minutes of being zipped into their sleeping bags and slept right through the night. If you have tried camping with your little kids and it was really hard, that is normal. Once you can think about it without wanting to drink / cry, try it again. Eventually you'll get there.<br><br>
3. Have realistic expectations. Two years ago, we camped at this weekend's spot. We went out on a hike with the friends we were camping with, and after an hour and a half, we bailed and went back to the campsite to take naps while our friends kept hiking. This year, I still can't believe it, my little kids hiked five miles. And I had Elliott's carrier in my backpack the whole time in case he couldn't walk the whole way.<br><br>
4. Take some stuff to keep them busy at the campsite - coloring books or dump trucks or sand pails...something. Let them get filthy if they want to - it's camping. We don't even take showers when we camp for a weekend. Everyone smells; no one cares.<br><br>
Most of all, you know yourself and you know your kids...my kids and I do best when we are out, away, and gone for most of a day. We don't do well staying in the house for more than half a day. Adventure parenting is totally my jam, and adventure kid-ing is definitely theirs. So, that's what I've got. Maybe it's helpful? I hope so. If not, here are some cute kid photos to make up for it:<br><br>
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<center>He climbed up to get a better look at the sandstone cliffs and whispered to himself, "This is <em>so cool</em>."</center><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFvYqQYURhH8JGaGhdpG0e29AfYPr3U6hbATuBNapE2jxHr_QEjSeZyYOKDiT1qRt9mkhRYQYWYx-67tIVW2k_eGT1MWIpx_Hb54XcO4JFy9nDkvA8c2yb05D0hNz9kqCXUHA/s1600/IMG_5679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFvYqQYURhH8JGaGhdpG0e29AfYPr3U6hbATuBNapE2jxHr_QEjSeZyYOKDiT1qRt9mkhRYQYWYx-67tIVW2k_eGT1MWIpx_Hb54XcO4JFy9nDkvA8c2yb05D0hNz9kqCXUHA/s400/IMG_5679.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a></div><br><center>We got off-trail and ended up mountain-goating up this steep slope to get back on track. The kids rocked it.</center><br><br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLN-C6WOSxdkxoJk3auTk1svUhuWX8QBNvXX0Yihtiwnkf2sQ3o_3TU0NlsGKUjjo0mBqn4EI-FwaOtzE88vzw-YzApVs2ORa4VIDy6O3T5iH5KlAq3pSC0T_FIclF0WTR9NjM/s1600/IMG_5713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLN-C6WOSxdkxoJk3auTk1svUhuWX8QBNvXX0Yihtiwnkf2sQ3o_3TU0NlsGKUjjo0mBqn4EI-FwaOtzE88vzw-YzApVs2ORa4VIDy6O3T5iH5KlAq3pSC0T_FIclF0WTR9NjM/s400/IMG_5713.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div><br><center>We ended up on top of the natural bridge toward the end of our hike, which was pretty awesome.</center><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xxtaJuUXw5VLOMofqDxavg55o0P4VJlvS7vcCNGOvBEzK-RxVOOdIkSXgTUToJamK0WTx3uQSEQE2YDrhOLuUbVYjvDso8OIj0MkwiepX6C5xjNcUwSqK0TRH2n2Lanv2-z6/s1600/IMG_5714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xxtaJuUXw5VLOMofqDxavg55o0P4VJlvS7vcCNGOvBEzK-RxVOOdIkSXgTUToJamK0WTx3uQSEQE2YDrhOLuUbVYjvDso8OIj0MkwiepX6C5xjNcUwSqK0TRH2n2Lanv2-z6/s400/IMG_5714.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a></div><br><center>My response to this method of descending from the top of the bridge was to blurt out, "Are you KIDDING ME?"<br>
We did not attempt it. Maybe in two more years. Or ten.</center><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNnxKpMq-mGtXJs_N6Lzm0Dr_qR4HaVbdDEewX7cP3jMOuoe4Gui8nSLdeCcwnQSlntfmqTnq3relSkCBJoRmhd-5BXLuBP4zlHxuOvOKtsdOBMw_yZjlmydCwo1aIAv-mR22/s1600/IMG_5721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNnxKpMq-mGtXJs_N6Lzm0Dr_qR4HaVbdDEewX7cP3jMOuoe4Gui8nSLdeCcwnQSlntfmqTnq3relSkCBJoRmhd-5BXLuBP4zlHxuOvOKtsdOBMw_yZjlmydCwo1aIAv-mR22/s400/IMG_5721.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a></div><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfCvh7dyGtU1zbFGZBNWM2kbgvrXDcy3-zJ0Ks1C8YROLprKhboFY7Sxhv_lP1y3pWfT07Cedqcnn_Ez1wQ4elFdBtYpTFOf5nIYzs733jOJH0_qIXZhl9_JjsMRYO99a8v3V/s1600/IMG_5743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfCvh7dyGtU1zbFGZBNWM2kbgvrXDcy3-zJ0Ks1C8YROLprKhboFY7Sxhv_lP1y3pWfT07Cedqcnn_Ez1wQ4elFdBtYpTFOf5nIYzs733jOJH0_qIXZhl9_JjsMRYO99a8v3V/s400/IMG_5743.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a></div><br><center>Instead, we doubled back and eventually made it to the bottom. It was worth all the walking.</center><br><br>
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Here are some bonus pumpkin patch photos, also. We visited on the 16th and it was very nice.<br><br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLhx59ek6JaDIEQE3WliOnyes6Q8eu2pBS75O3HBrpDU1icN-RAZWHCKGAdQpfDtx_tucOYvr6ERIgZVr6BWZpvqu3RzRgQsye-TUdYo4jwmBSEC5gy38gNFiMlixxyh3LiLR/s1600/IMG_5531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLhx59ek6JaDIEQE3WliOnyes6Q8eu2pBS75O3HBrpDU1icN-RAZWHCKGAdQpfDtx_tucOYvr6ERIgZVr6BWZpvqu3RzRgQsye-TUdYo4jwmBSEC5gy38gNFiMlixxyh3LiLR/s400/IMG_5531.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a></div><br><br><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-36809773020684041042016-10-02T23:12:00.000-05:002016-10-11T22:51:52.314-05:00Here we come to a turning of the seasonI am annoyed that I let my unintentional hiatus result in an entire skipped month. I'm really tempted to backdate this post so I won't have a gap in my archives later, but I'm going to resist because it's just silly. Since we last met, I have hung out with my delightful baby nephew many times and played two rounds of Pandemic Legacy with his parents. My sister moved to Indianapolis for a new job. We took the kids on our annual amusement park trip, went to a few birthday parties, and planted a butterfly garden. Elliott went back to preschool and started attending the extended-day Lunch Bunch program on Wednesdays. I took on more responsibilities at work and also hired some new part-time staffers. I made hundreds of mini muffins for the kids and about a dozen bowls for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empty_Bowls">Empty Bowls project</a>. I went on TV twice for work to promote the biggest event that I run every year, and then smashed the previous attendance record for that event last night. I led four Navigators meetings, reaffirming that starting our chapter was one of the best ideas I've ever had. We went camping, and even though it was hot I was glad we went. It feels like we are officially a Camping Family now. We are hoping to camp at least three more weekends before it gets too cold (actually, I'm hoping for four...we'll see). I read a book. I watched some football games and some episodes of <em>Project Runway</em>. I made felt apple slices for a felt food exchange. I made more headway into my decluttering effort. We have been SO busy, mostly with our everyday life stuff. So many muffins to bake and lunches to pack and laundry to wash and floors to sweep, and none of it is bad it's just SO BUSY. I miss writing here when I don't make time, so I'll keep trying to make time. Meanwhile, I expect there will be more of this...which is also fine.<br><br>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-31709601044226062842016-08-27T22:07:00.000-05:002016-08-28T22:29:26.358-05:00RememberedI spend lots of idle moments wondering what my boys will remember from their childhoods. While I realize it's unlikely they'll remember all the cool things we endeavor to provide the opportunity for them to do, I know from my own memories of childhood that it's not easy to predict what the brain will decide to hold in its archives. I also hope that even if they can't recall specifics, they'll remember the general feeling of their growing up as a mostly-good one. I wonder, too, what they'll remember about me. I'm sure they'll remember that I yell sometimes (and honestly, I'm okay with that...I want them to know that I'm a real person with real and sometimes big feelings, so that they know it's okay to be real people with real, big feelings themselves). They'll probably remember that I'm a little bit fat and a little bit loud and that I like to listen to music in the car and that I swear and I'm not a good cook. I hope they'll remember that I bake them muffins to eat for breakfast almost every day. That I track down shirts I think they'll like. I hope they recall being asked to clean up their own messes, to use their manners, to try new things and work as a team. I hope, too, that they remember me as a mom who worked and was good at it, and who also volunteered at their schools and didn't forget about crazy sock day.<br><br>
When they think about me as adults, maybe with their own kids, I'd like it if they remembered how often I loaded up the car with snacks and a change of clothes for everyone, with water shoes and sand pails and tadpole nets, how many times I smeared sunscreen on their little faces and filled up their water bottles and took them out on an adventure. I hope when I'm an old lady I can remember this, too. The smell of their hair in the sun. The freckles on Nico's nose and Elliott's farmer's tan. Rinsing sand off their legs and mud off their shoes. Changing clothes behind bushes and in the back of the car because there was a creek to jump in or a fountain to play in and I didn't say no. How proud I feel when one of them comes running to show me some cool bug or bone or rock that he has found. The two of them whooping with joy on a tire swing or on a boat out on the river. Tumbling home hungry and smelly and thoroughly happy from a long day out and gone. I can't think of any better partners for this journey of a life, no matter what they remember of it later.<br><br>
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2. I was initially super excited to look at the new Cat & Jack stuff at Target, after seeing people enthusing over it on facebook and Twitter. But <a href="http://www.target.com/p/toddler-girls-planets-long-sleeve-graphic-t-shirt-nightfall-blue-cat-jack/-/A-50968880">all</a> <a href"http://www.target.com/p/toddler-girls-we-are-all-made-of-stars-short-sleeve-graphic-t-shirt-purple-cat-and-jack/-/A-50952886">the</a> <a href="http://www.target.com/p/girls-graphic-tee-cat-jack-science/-/A-50859662">best</a> <a href="http://www.target.com/p/toddler-girls-we-are-all-made-of-stars-short-sleeve-graphic-t-shirt-purple-cat-and-jack/-/A-50952886">shirts</a> are only available in the girls' section. Really? I am THRILLED that there are science shirts for girls. I think it's awesome and about time. But I am NOT happy that these great science shirts are only being made for girls. Boys mostly have to make do with dinosaurs (fine), sports (blah), and skateboarding (meh). The line even has a unisex shirt section, which is really nice. Why not put the science shirts in that group? When the "Yay, Science" one comes back in stock online, I'm going to order it for Nico anyway. Damn the man.<br><br>
3. Nico started first grade on Wednesday. He had been begging to start for several weeks, mostly due to excitement over his new backpack. So far they've only gone over school rules and practiced some coloring and writing of numbers. He's very stoked about having a locker and really wants to go pick out some magnets. It's adorable. His hair was VERY LARGE on the first day...not his best hair moment, but he is still happy with all of it, so I'm going along. When it's all ringlets instead of floof, it is really fabulous. Okay, even when he looks like a tiny mad scientist, it's pretty fabulous.<br><br>
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4. I just finished a <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9713486">book about redwood trees</a>, and it's made me yearn to go back to visit Olympic National Park. It's been ten years since <a href="http://velocibadgergirl.blogspot.com/2006/11/trip-recap-4moss-is-awesome.html">our Seattle trip</a>. I was already feeling wistful about taking another trip there, and reading about the amazing temperate rainforests just strengthened the wanting. I really hope we can take the boys to see the coast redwoods and the Hoh Rainforest...to stand under those trees again and share the awe and the joy with my two little woods wanderers.<br><br>
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5. I'm feeling antsy for fall and for camping. I try to never wish time away, but fall weather can get here any day.<br><br>
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<br><br><br>
<strong>Reading:</strong> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Revolution-Lin-Manuel-Miranda/dp/1455539740"><em>Hamilton: the Revolution</em></a> by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter<br><br>
<strong>Playing:</strong> <em>Led Zeppelin IV</em>, per Elliott's near-daily requests for Black Dog, played really really loud<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-63578362075488157562016-07-26T23:44:00.000-05:002016-07-26T23:44:17.119-05:00BreakAdulting is a bitch lately, right? The violence in the world, the continued murder of black men in the streets with no apparent consequence, this goddamn slog of an election cycle. All of it is just getting to me. It was piling up so badly the week of 4th of July that I actually cried. I don't cry, generally. But I was at my old Girl Scout camp, one of the most sacred places in my life, and I walked down into the hollow to see the waterfalls and started tearing up. Later I climbed up into the cave to have a quiet moment, and just lost it for a minute. Full-on ugly cry. I guess I needed it. The weekend following, I took the boys on a one-night camping trip with a few families from my Navigators group. It was the first time I've ever taken both kids camping without MB, but it went great. I wasn't stressed (other than by the aforementioned adulty life crap, which I did my best to ignore all weekend), the kids were well-behaved and had a ton of fun. A+++ would do again, basically. It was pretty much exactly what I needed to get my brain right. I'm still low-level cranky and probably would do well to just unplug completely, but I don't feel like I'm close to cracking like I did before we went out there.<br><br>
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What else is up? I finished up my last week of half-day camp at work and got a kickass review on facebook from one of the parents. Nico is SUPER excited about school starting. I'm pretty sad about the summer ending, because I feel like I blinked and missed it, way worse than last year. There are so many things I wanted to do that we didn't have time for. Getting Nico's supplies and new backpack and new shoes is kind of exciting just like it was when I was a kid, and I am glad he's happy about going back. I had more fun than I ever expected narrowing down backpacks for Nico to choose from (he really wanted a pack with two big zipper pockets. I required one with water bottle pockets.) and ordering new shoes for both kids. (<a href="http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/111998?feat=explorer%20backpack-SR0&page=bean-s-explorer-backpack-colorblock">backpack</a> and <a href="http://www.pedipedoutlet.com/Products/Flex-Mars-StoneNavy__RS2210.aspx">shoes</a> if anyone else likes to peek at other people's school stuff like I do)<br><br>
The local UU church did a Hogwarts-themed evening camp last week, and I volunteered to teach Care of Magical Creatures two nights. It was SO much fun. Both boys got to go, and even though they know zero about Harry Potter (I know, but Nico is way too sensitive.) they had a good time. Elliott especially seemed really thrilled to be running with the big kids. We have two weeks left until Nico starts school, so if the days could go by slowly, that would be nice.<br><br>
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<strong>Reading (just finished):</strong> <em>The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B</em> by Teresa Toten<br><br>
<strong>Playing:</strong> <em>Hamilton</em><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-89956363434600526902016-07-05T00:34:00.000-05:002016-07-23T23:19:31.085-05:00Things<strong>A thing I never knew I'd need to know</strong><br><br>
One of my coworkers mentioned a few days ago that her four-year-old daughter had been smelling really bad lately, for no apparent reason. My coworker had tried brushing the kid's teeth more often, she was bathing her regularly, but nothing helped. As she was telling me about it, I remembered that my music teacher had told the class a story in seventh grade about her daughter putting a bean up her nose, and how no one knew until the kid's breath started to stink and no one could figure out why. My coworker took her daughter to the doctor and sure enough, she had a piece of grow capsule sponge in her nose. The more you know! So maybe now someone can google "why does my kid smell bad" and find out that said kid might have something up the nose.<br><br>
<strong>A thing I finally got around to</strong><br><br>
I finally started listening to <em>Hamilton</em>, about forty years after everyone else. And holy shit, it's just as good as everyone says. I didn't even actively resist it, I just never got around to it and didn't know where to look for it (I don't have Prime). Then I saw <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YshgmStEZh0">this carpool karaoke video</a> and decided I wanted to hear the rest, and I finally realized, duh, the library surely has a copy. And they do, and now I've listened to Act I three times all the way through. I need to move on to Act II, but I just keep replaying my favorites.<br><br>
<strong>A thing that has been great</strong><br><br>
I've taught two of my three weeks of half-day nature camp at work for the summer and they've been so much fun. I'm so lucky that this is my job. I had a brainwave the other day, and next summer I think we're going to offer a day camp for grownups. (probably just one full day or two evenings, not a full week) My coworkers and I are already making lists of the things we want to do.<br><br>
<strong>A thing that has been satisfying</strong><br><br>
We spent Saturday taking every single toy out of the kids' playroom, sorting it all, and then moving their old train table and all their Legos (previously mostly stored in Nico's room and scattered across various other surfaces in the house) in for them to share. So far this has been a huge hit - Nico popped out of bed at 6:30 a.m. Sunday and Monday and woke me up (thanks, kid) to ask if he could go downstairs to play with the Legos. I said sure, but you're not allowed to ask me for help with any of it until 8:30. Elliott asks to go in the "Lego playroom" all the time (we put up a baby gate to keep the dog out, and E can't open it on his own). They spent hours of the long weekend playing cooperatively and imaginatively in there, and it is fantastic. THIS. THIS IS WHY WE HAD TWO KIDS. I've also done a satisfying amount of decluttering, which snowballed from the outgrown toys to a leftover stash of outgrown clothes to a bunch of unused stationery to a huge box of VHS movies. I have learned that when I get on a decluttering kick I should just ride the wave as long as I can, just to see how much I can get done.<br><br>
<strong>Obligatory holiday kid photo:</strong><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFMhVk2negATDjoWu8cxWwPk5f8ie46Gz62DBx4yOnuvtWB5JLCQVT5_Gt2F7O2d-zSWSQGfW9QIno8aADrfOMxweVgGRKMVUeQ6K8FdZjwdoIREZJkxeCnw4AKIAf07rIBTQ/s1600/13620129_10210349552081684_1818155118412628591_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFMhVk2negATDjoWu8cxWwPk5f8ie46Gz62DBx4yOnuvtWB5JLCQVT5_Gt2F7O2d-zSWSQGfW9QIno8aADrfOMxweVgGRKMVUeQ6K8FdZjwdoIREZJkxeCnw4AKIAf07rIBTQ/s400/13620129_10210349552081684_1818155118412628591_n.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a></div><br><br>
<strong>Reading:</strong> (just finished) <em>The Raven King</em> by Maggie Stiefvater and <em>Free to Fall</em> by Lauren Miller / (just started) <em>Eleanor and Park</em> by Rainbow Rowell<br><br>
<strong>Playing:</strong> <em>Hamilton</em>, of course.<br><br>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5Y5KuohVJMQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-9366391226177523022016-05-20T23:57:00.001-05:002016-05-20T23:57:26.735-05:00Hello! Goodbye!In nearly a month since my last stop here, I have worked 22 out of 25 days. I am tired, but school season is OVER, HALLELUJAH. <br><br>
I drove my long-term rental car for over a month. I never really loved it, though it had a few pleasing qualities (very peppy, very smooth ride, USB port to plug in my phone). Now I have my CR-V back, and I'm glad. Though I just remembered that my registration sticker came in the mail while I had my rental, which means I've been driving around with expired tags since Tuesday night. Let's go ahead and put a reminder in my phone to fix that tomorrow.<br><br>
I stepped on a Lego in the dark in Nico's room last night and cut a chunk out of my foot. I am both embarrassed and outraged by this injury. It hurt to walk on it all day. I keep bright-siding myself and thinking, well, at least I didn't cut it before last weekend, but still. LEGO INJURY.<br><br>
Last weekend we went down to Mammoth Cave National Park. MB and the boys and I went down on Friday night, and Laura Danger met us there Saturday morning. On Saturday we went on a two hour cave tour, had lunch, and then hiked 2 1/2 miles. It was tiring but awesome to be outdoors with some of my favorite people. On Sunday, LD and I went on the wild cave crawl and it was fantastic. We were in the cave 9 a.m. to almost 3 p.m., and they claimed we covered about six miles down there. There wasn't as much crawling as I expected, but there was more climbing and more funky obstacle / bouldering type stuff. I got stuck like a cork in one spot, due to my huge boobs. If I'd had any traction for my feet or handholds to grab, I could've made it through, and I never got scared because I could feel that they would compress enough for me to fit if I could just get myself moving, but I wasn't going anywhere until I got a little assistance. Toward the end of the tour there was a another spot as tight as that but with more wiggle room. One of the guides was sure I could make it, so I screwed up my courage and tried it. I'm so glad I did, because just having the room to wiggle-crawl my arms and legs let me shimmy through it. I hadn't been caving since high school and Laura Danger had never been, so it was a good adventure for us. Something about it was so focusing and freeing - there was no sense of time, no sense of direction, no sense of depth. I didn't think about work or my to-do list or even much about what my kids were up to...I just focused on the next obstacle and appreciated the wonder of what we were seeing and was just in the moment for a whole day of moments. It was really refreshing.<br><br>
It turned out the kids were feeding kangaroos at Kentucky Down Under while I was caving, and MB actually took a few pictures. The children were reportedly VERY EXCITED, especially Nico, which is fantastic. This is a child who usually refuses to feed the giraffes at the zoo that we visit once or more every month, so feeding newly-met kangaroos is pretty huge.<br><br>
Last week on Tuesday my best friend since we were five years old, the bibliophile, had a baby. I got to meet him on Saturday and then have lunch with them on Monday. He is perfect and smells delicious and I love him immensely already. I find myself wishing I could squeeze in one more visit to see him before we leave for a week away. I'm not sure I'll be able to and it's making me feel a bit bereft.<br><br>
I am taking my Navigator scouts (and their parents) on a one-night camping trip tomorrow. A lot of the kids have never camped before and we are all stoked. With work eating my life lately, I haven't had a chance to make a single to-do list or pack a single bag, so tomorrow will be a bit of a mad scramble. But it's a one-night trip in a city park campground, so I'm not too worried about it.<br><br>
On Sunday we leave to drive to Chicago, where we'll stay one night and a morning before driving on to St Paul. I am attending a conference Tuesday through Friday that I'm really excited about, and MB and the boys are coming along to make a vacation of it. After the conference we will probably spend the weekend in Chicago and then come back home.<br><br>
Yesterday was Nico's last day of kindergarten and Elliott's last day of his first year of preschool. It went by so fast! I couldn't attend any of Nico's last day things, and I was okay with it until I saw his friend's moms posting photos of them with their wonderful teacher yesterday evening and realized I didn't get a single picture of her with Nico this year. She has been truly wonderful and I will be pretty crushed if Elliott doesn't get to be in her class in a few years.<br><br>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-12565224692498526842016-04-25T23:19:00.001-05:002016-04-26T17:44:00.011-05:00current status<center><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RGHlkinHbtvaJfZUmwyq0dclerv5unB65_ZgOeLprSFOagXvwa35mE4qee67FXjrAPXyHgIH2l7UJNcLvSplSREBNUd3Nbw6jyciQ39P2uItoWCktotnTeyXz1LCnba5eSsS/s640/blogger-image--181015144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RGHlkinHbtvaJfZUmwyq0dclerv5unB65_ZgOeLprSFOagXvwa35mE4qee67FXjrAPXyHgIH2l7UJNcLvSplSREBNUd3Nbw6jyciQ39P2uItoWCktotnTeyXz1LCnba5eSsS/s640/blogger-image--181015144.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></center></div>
Plumb fucking tuckered out. I worked six days last week and I'll work six days this week, too. It's 11:08 PM and this is the first time my ass has hit this couch all day. There is a kid activity every single night this week, then I have a thing Saturday night. And I have a class basket to assemble for PTA and muffins to make for preschool and I'm supposed to be ripping out the carpet on the front stairs and the house is a mess. I'm trying to not be too woeful about it all because it's just the busy season at work plus typical end-of-school insanity, and a busy season at work means I'm doing my job. And I am doing my job. I am <em>killing</em> it lately and I don't care if it's immodest to say so. But I miss writing here. I miss watching Supernatural and tweeting at my friends about it. I miss Twitter people in general. I keep telling myself I just have to get through May and then it'll slow down. It has to eventually, right?<br><br>
<strong>Reading (audiobook):</strong> <em>The Wrath and the Dawn</em> by Renée Ahdieh<br><br>
<strong>Playing:</strong> the driving mix I finally figured out how to sync to my phone<br><br><div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18069052.post-56263697037238796412016-03-28T23:52:00.000-05:002016-04-07T07:21:31.187-05:00ThreeA letter came in the mail a week or so ago, alerting me to the Honda airbag recall. It said hey, not to alarm you, but the airbag in your car may have a defect which can cause it to explode upon deployment, spraying you and your passengers with metal fragments and possibly killing everyone. Don't worry, though, we'll have replacement parts ready by the end of summer! My first thought was, holy shit, how many times did this have to happen before they realized the cause? Hopefully once...but probably not. And second, holy shit, I'm supposed to drive around until the end of summer just hoping we don't have an accident? I mean, sure, odds are we won't. But do I want to bet my kids' lives on those odds? No, thank you. I called the national hotline number, and got a recording instructing me to call my local dealer to arrange a rental. That sounded promising. But then when I called my local dealer, the service guy I always talk to basically blew me off. Don't worry about it, you'll get a letter later IF your car is included in the recall, and then we'll worry about fixing it. So...in the meantime I just hope for the best? Gah.<br><br>
Then today a friend tweeted that she'd been offered a rental already, and I got pissed. Are rentals available or not? I called again and got the same brush-off -- letter will come IF needed, just wait and see, blah blah. Then when I asked, well, why is my friend getting a rental then...it was like a switch flipped. He was all, Oh, you want a rental? Okay. I'll set that up. So I guess I get what I wanted, but damn. Why should I have to ask? Why so much effort to get me to shut up and go away? And when he called back later to say the rental will be ready tomorrow, he said they'd run out of Honda rentals and moved on to Nissans, they'd handed out so many. SO WHY DID I HAVE TO CALL TWICE AND BASICALLY DEMAND ONE? And it's super awkward because this is the guy I have to talk to every time I schedule an oil change, so I don't want to make a big stink over it. UGH. We'll see how the rental thing turns out. I hope they don't give me some tiny car with a minuscule trunk to haul around my kids and all their crap. Or what if they give me a minivan, and I end up...liking it? The new parts are supposed to be ready by mid-April instead of the end of summer, so that's better than all summer. Probably the kids will be excited, if a little bit confused. I suspect I will miss my car.<br><br><br>
We unknowingly drove our (possible) deathtrap car to St. Louis last Sunday for a quick trip with the kids, since our hoped-for week away in Memphis didn't pan out. It was a nice visit, and the boys had a lot of fun. We went to the Museum of Transportation and the Magic House on Sunday and the zoo on Monday. The kids loved the transportation museum. So many trains! The Magic House was so crowded that it was more stressful than fun a lot of the time for the grownups, but I think the boys had a good time. The zoo was nice, but we were tired and barely made it through half. Our hotel was right next to the Arch, and Elliott especially was enamored of it. He kept calling it something that sounded like the Arch and the C, which we couldn't figure out until he finally pointed to a photo of it and we realized all the pictures everywhere show it with the Mississippi River in front, looking quite like the ocean. The Arch in the sea! Unfortunately the Arch was closed for renovation and we couldn't actually go inside. We'll have to go back in the next year or so to check it out.<br><br>
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We had a pleasant if short Easter visit with family. Bubbles and an egg hunt with cousins, then dinner, then home to get to bed on time for our post-Spring-Break re-entry. I'm quite fond of holiday traditions that are just for children, things that adults do solely so that kids can have fun.<br><br>
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<strong>Reading:</strong> (just finished) <em>Bone Gap</em> by Laura Ruby<br><br>
<strong>Playing:</strong> still Led Zeppelin<div class="blogger-post-footer">Thanks for reading! xoxo</div>velocibadgergirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284169501055131574noreply@blogger.com1