Guess who just lost her two front teeth?
Right in time for all the photos. Whoo hooo! Very cute. And, of course, it has prompted all kinds of holiday theme song singing:
My mom bought this book for our family last week. She and my dad are in town for the holidays. And my mom had heard about this book. There is an elf who hangs out around the house and watches Margaret and her behaviour. Then he reports back to Santa. My dad keeps referring to the elf as "the snitch" but Margaret named him "Red". Red goes to see Santa every night, and then comes back in the morning and finds a new place to sit. Margaret has found this daily search for Red to be VERY exciting. And it is sweet to watch. I think it will be a fun tradition.
The other Christmas tradition that we have around here is pulling out the Holiday Books and reading them together. And that means another year of "The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey"
Oh my goodness. Have you read this book? I first read it when I was a nanny. And I couldn't make it all the way through without sobbing. Now that I have a child, it is even more effective. I have to trade off reading with Kevin, to make it through the whole thing. But this year, we were both going through the kleenex. And Maggie just sat there rolling her eyes. And my mom and dad sat there watching and laughing at us the whole time. (actually, my dad teared up, too --sap!) A photo was taken. We hammed it up a little (but not much)
Last weekend was a very festive one. We got all of our Holiday celebrating packed into two days. On Saturday, we went to our local farm and experienced Christmas like they did in Victorian times. There were crafts to make,
Then the next day, we drove up to Oakland to meet Kevin's parents so that we could be together to see....Tap Dancing Santas!!!
AND the santas were not only tap dancing, but they also did the hula, the can can, some sort of reindeer rap that involved the children, there was russian dancing with spoons, they belly danced, and macarenaed (That last one deeply, deeply disturbed Maggie, who ran from the macarena line and jumped into Kevin's lap, and wouldn't participate for the rest of the show. When asked what the problem was, she stuck out her bottom lip and said, "too much booty shaking"! huh.)
The tap dancing rabbi did not bother her. But for me, the Santas that donned reggae hats with fake dreads were a little freaky.
I'll let the tap dancing Santas take this blog entry out with a bang. (As much of a bang as you can get when the chipmunks are singing in the background, at least....)
Maggie and I get a week off for Thanksgiving. A WEEK! Unbelievable. We start school in August, so maybe that is why. But still, it is a wonderful time to travel. And Kevin has two days off, so he just takes three more, and there you have it. A vacation!
This year we decided to go to the desert. It is about a 12 hour drive. I have never been to Death Valley, or to Las Vegas (unless you count a two hour layover a visit. -- to Las Vegas, not Death Valley) So, we thought we would go and enjoy Vegas in all of its kitschy glory, after a couple of days of camping in Death Valley.
Here we are in Death Valley
We left Death Valley and got into Las Vegas kind of late. We slept in a princess castle.
Coffee in Vegas is twice what it is in the real world. Did you know that? Uh huh.
We had a pool behind our hotel that Maggie had been eyeing all morning. For some unknown reason, it was open at the end of November. It was NOT warm. But Maggie insisted that it was. So. We went swimming. No, wait, let me amend that. Maggie and I went swimming. Kevin was the only sane one in the bunch. The lifeguard was wearing jeans. And shoes. And a hoodie. And a windbreaker! Smart man. (unless he had to dive in and save someone, of course, then perhaps it wouldn't be so smart...)
The next morning we got up, had our ten billion dollar coffees and got the hell out of Dodge. I needed some nature, and we found it just an hour outside of Vegas in a place called "The Valley of Fire". It was Nevada's first State Park, it was amazing. Kind of like Sedona, with all of the red rocks, and pink sand, and rock formations. It was glorious.
Here is a link to my website for school. Some of the art work my kids have done astounds me. I am really enjoying teaching this year.
Last week I was kind of pushing it. Maggie had the croup, I had a bad cough and couldn't sleep through the night, Kevin had 15 hour work days. And I had a full weekend planned. I had planned it without really consulting Kevin. Because Kevin didn't have to DO anything.
On Saturday, I had signed up to volunteer at the bounce house at 10 AM and at the science club booth at noon. This was for our school's main fundraiser, a walk-a-thon/carnival. Since I am a teacher and a parent, I feel it is only right to volunteer. Maggie would be participating in the walk-a-thon while I volunteered. No problem. Kevin? He would probably be working. It is crunch time at his office.
Then on Sunday, I had planned to teach Sunday School, take in the coffee time goodies and meet with another couple to plan our Social Concerns actions for the Fall. Right after church Maggie and I were going to meet Kevin and drive up to the city to meet his parents and go to the King Tut Exhibit. I was really looking forward to that!
But...On Friday I felt really awful. Queasy and light headed, and doubled over with coughing bouts. I should have called in sick, but I was already covering my classes AND another teacher's classes who couldn't be there. If I had gone home, they would have had to find TWO subs. Plus, I only work part time. How hard could it be?
I almost fainted a few times. It was ridiculous. Those poor kids. I managed to wait until after the last bell when the kids had all gone, to barf into the art class trash cans. Then I called Kevin. Kevin, who was working on a deadline that Friday night. And had planned to worked very late to get stuff done....
I called Kevin, and he jumped into action. He left work, got me medicine from the pharmacy, got dinner for Maggie, put her to bed, and just took care of me.
Saturday came. Guess who went to the walkathon? I stayed in bed.
Sunday? Kevin taught Sunday School for the first time. He said it wasn't too bad. He took in the coffee time treats, met with the social action crew. Then he and Maggie went to the exhibit. I stayed home. Boo.
The man is a rock. I love him so much. He must be exhausted after all of the work he has been doing. And then there were Maggie duties, and Natalie created duties on top of that. But he never said a thing. And I am still sick. I took off work yesterday, and as soon as I finish this blog, I plan to go back to bed.
H1N1? Probably. Ehhh -- Swine Flu. You don't scare me. I have my husband taking care of me.
Recently, I had been patting myself on the back for how darned efficient I was being.
Errands run? Check.
Work out DVD performed? Check.
Floor mopped? Check.
Articles typed up for the church newsletter? Check.
Lessons planned and papers graded? Check. (mostly...Ummm.... okay, not all of my papers are graded. most. not all. Alright, fine, I still have a stack on my kitchen table, so sue me!)
Dinner planned out for the week? Check.
But in order to do everything, I have been getting up each morning at 6AM. This is a big difference for me. Especially since my darling daughter is NOT an early riser, so I can actually sleep in pretty late. But this year we all need to be up and out of here by 7:40. I have to drive the carpool in the morning. And if I am going to exercise every day, then I need to do it before Maggie gets up at 7. So. I get up at 6. But I don't like to go to bed at 10 PM. Too early. Too much to do. I am NOT getting the amount of sleep I need. Which is 8 hours a night. (ha ha, right? Who gets eight hours of sleep? Single people. Retired people. Vacationing people) Not moms. But still. I need to try. Because when I get tired, I get a little absent minded. Here are some examples of why I should maybe hit the snooze button....
1) Last week, when I was helping Maggie brush her teeth, we got to the part where I pump the mouthwash into the little cup, and add water so she can slosh it around. I performed the nightly ritual, and handed her the cup. Maggie looked at me, wide eyed, and said, "Mom, you put the hand soap in there!" And yep, I totally had. The concoction had even gotten a bit bubbly. And I hadn't noticed a thing. Thank goodness one of us was aware!
2) Last Monday, I was driving the kids in to school. I had one extra kid, and was a little flummoxed over how to fit three car seats in the back of my Subaru (Oh mini van, how I covet you....) And I was just getting over heated and frustrated, and of course, we were totally running late. (I always seem to be running late, and the kids are like, pushed out of the car, while I yell, "go go go , hurry, I hear the bell ringing!" and they grab their little back packs, and run wildly. Oh, and I WORK there! Thank goodness I don't teach art classes until later in the day!)
ANYWAY-- We were late. Just getting out of my garage. And I broke a nail while buckling them in. And I still had to run into the kitchen to grab my coffee. (Mommy loves her coffee) and Josh, from the back of the car, yelled, "I need water, I am so thirsty!" Poor kid had been asking for 10 minutes while I buckled them in. So I opened the fridge and grabbed one of our aluminum water bottles that I keep in there, to make sure the water is cold when I want it. I unscrewed the cap, and passed it back there. "You guys share!" I yelled over my shoulder as I careened onto the highway, "Pass it back and forth!" Josh took the first chug, and said "Natalie, this water tastes bad."
Oh God. When he said that, I realized what I had just handed that dear, sweet little six year old. "STOP!!!!" I yelled, and almost crashed the car. "Don't drink any more! Don't pass it to your sister! Give it to me!" . The kids were looking at me in the rearview mirror like I was a crazy person. I was a crazy person! I had just handed Josh a full liter of Sangria. And he drank some. At 7:40 in the morning.
Lord. I don't usually have water bottles full of sangria just sitting in my fridge. But we had gone camping with the girl scouts that weekend, (more on that later) and I had taken the sangria for the adults to drink when the girls were in bed. And I totally forgot. And now Josh was going to smell like a wino when he walked into 1st grade. Please don't call Child Protective Services. I told his mom, and she just laughed. But. Ummmmm. I need a nap. Or something. (Maybe some sangria?)
I actually have been reading a bit, even though school has started and I literally feel breathless All Day Long, but I haven't blogged yet because Vox's book attachment is on the fritz, until some time in October. And you know, when it's not ONE-CLICK EASY, I just can't be bothered. So I'm going to write about the books and put in some unrelated visuals to break up the monotony. Not unlike my 6th grade history lessons.
So I just read two very enjoyable, if not AWESOME, young-adult novels, one by an author that I liked as a Grown Up too.
One is Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins, the necessary sequel to last year's favorite: Hunger Games. She's a great storyteller, who writes fantastic action scenes, but I feel manipulated by the cliffhanger endings. I hate waiting for sequels.
And where the book photo would go, here's my super-beautiful former nanny, responsible for any good child-rearing that Ainsley has experienced, and her two beautiful flower girls:
(Mad props to Corndog Queen for providing the dress and the shoes to Ainsley, and the peace of mind to me.)
The other book is called The Other Side of the Island, by Allegra Goodman, who won reasonable accolades for her grownup book Intuition (which was not a dirty book, despite the title) but rather another one of those Environmental Dystopia tales where weather is the great enemy ... Or So We Think. I wonder if she started this as a book for adults and was told that only Young Adult and Non-Literary Authors write about environmental dystopias.
And where the book would go, here's why Johanna was the best nanny ever:
My washing machine died on Labor Day. I really didn't like my washing machine until it died, and the I liked it so much that now I miss it and I mourn it deeply. We bought a new, old, low-end set from a family on Craigslist, who won a fantastic space-age set from Oprah when she (the seller) typed in the Word of the Day. Her Oprah machine spins up to 1400 RPM and the clothes come out of the washing machine nearly dry. My old washing machine used to spin at 1200 RPM. But you could only fit in two t-shirts and a washcloth. It was a front-loader. You couldn't put anything into it after you started the cycle, so too bad for you if you dropped a sock on the way to the garage.
These new ones are Maytag Atlantis and are very white. They seem like they should be heavier than they are. You can continually add socks until the drum fills and the agitation starts.
Someone came from Craigslist to pick up the broken washing machine for free. We left it outside for them to retrieve and during a very silent hour it vanished. Ainsley thought perhaps they came in a Prius to take it away. Alicia thought maybe Bubbles took it for scrap.
We got the new washer and dryer on Friday, the 18th. In the meanwhile I washed clothes in the sink and hung them on the line like I was living in the 1820s. Now we have the new machines but I still hang the clothes on the line. So I'm up to like the 1940s or so.
If I were reading anything, I'd be reading the manuals. But things from Craigslist don't usually come with manuals.
Today Margaret turns six. I can hardly believe it. My baby! And here she is, already in school, making friends, learning to read and write. She is learning how to go off without me. It is wonderful and sad all at the same time. I am so proud of the person that she is becoming.
She is kind, and helps other children when she can. Her first grade teacher has paired her up with a kindergartener who is not able to get along with many of the other children, and Margaret is fine with her.
She shares and is not at all greedy. She will even offer me the last bite of her ice cream cone, if she knows I wanted to taste it (I am fairly certain I would not do that, even at the age of 38. Not even for my own daughter....ahem)
She is gentle, and not at all violent or aggressive. She will begin taking Aikido in a few weeks, and from what I hear, this class will further this sort of behavior.
She is adventurous. Our trip to Thailand this Spring was made so much more fun by her love of new experiences. And for her birthday, she climbed to the top of Flag Hill in Sunol with us this past weekend. And it was no small feat! When we got to the top, her reward was finding a geocache under a tree.
She is creative. She has taken to making little "dolls" out of found objects. I am constantly coming across taped together creations around the house. And if I am missing a sock, or a button, or a ribbon, chances are, I will find it as part of one of her dolls...
She is funny. She has a very good sense of humor, and remembers stories that tickle my funny bone. She will bring them up at unexpected times.
She is easy going and goes with the flow. Always. Kevin and I can plan elaborate weekends out and about the Bay Area, and she is always game. We just have to have a notebook and pens and books -- All of these in the back seat, and she will keep herself entertained as we drive to where ever we are going.
She is excited about learning. She loves reading, and she loves writing stories, and she comes home from first grade brimming over with tales of what went on in class that day. (I absolutely adore her teacher. I mean it. ADORE her.)
She sings and dances with abandon. She has a beautiful voice. Truly. I may even have her take some voice lessons down the line! And her dancing, well, let's just say she puts her heart into it.... :)
She makes my heart fill up whenever I am with her. She is my joy. She is my light. She is my 6 year old daughter.
I love you Margaret. Happy Birthday, honey.
Okay, so those last two posts have had NOTHING to do with books in any way, so it's time to rein myself in and return to the Ostensible Purpose of this blog -- writing about YA and kids books. Discipline, young grasshopper!
John Green, of Paper Towns etc. fame, has the High School Boy voice all wrapped up, but for my money it's been a looong time since I've read anything as funny as Carter Finally Gets It. I would call this the Middle School Boy voice, perhaps, even though Carter is a freshman, but he is so totally hapless with the ladies and so completely earnest in his attempts to improve his game that he reminds me of every eighth grade boy I've heard over the past five years trying to Slyly Put The Moves On and failing miserably (or succeeding in spite of The Moves). Just LAUGH OUT LOUD funny. In one scene, he spends $30 to get a bootleg VHS copy of a porno that is stuck on fast-forward, and then accidentally leaves it running in the basement VCR, prompting his dad to patiently remind him that it might bother his mom to find it and ask, "Why did you forget to hide it?" to which Carter replies in deep truthfulness, "I don't know, Dad. I think I might be retarded."
Absolutely Ha Larious. Verging on too dirty for my library, but so funny I need to keep it. Storky, by D. L. Garfinkle, is the cleaner version of this (plus a great Scrabble sub-plot, for which I am a total sucker), but can't compete on the funny scale. Even if you're not a YA devotee, read it for the giggles.
