Heptadecagon

I have a very good friend, Eben, who called me once on my use of the word interesting . "Chris," he said. "You use that word when you aren't quite sure what to say to me. You use it when you disapprove, but are too polite to say so." I thought about what he said, and I found he told the truth. Not that I expected him to lie to me, but each time I used the word from that time forward, I checked to see in what context I used it. I still can call a film or a book or a story interesting , as in something that holds my interest. But if I pull out the old in-ter-est-ing , in that slow tone of voice, chances are that I just might be trying to tell you that I don't agree, or that I disapprove. Well, this week, I was corresponding with a person via email, one that I do not know well. I had reason to email him, considering he did our taxes. Yes, this year, we farmed it out. With Tim's regular job and teaching schedule, as well as my regular job and teaching schedu

I am about 2/3 of the way through a book I picked up from the library. Because I like to be surprised with books, I usually request some titles that I know will be good, but I also wander through the stacks to see what books look interesting. The jury is still out on this one, but it is called "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough" by Ruth Pennebaker. Definitely not a book that Tim would pick up. It has a readers guide inside, so I can only imagine that it might make a good choice for a book club. It is definitely a book written for women. Now, I should mention that this book is the story of 3 generations of women, all living together under one roof. Joanie has recently gone through a divorce; her mother, a widow, is financially unable to live alone and has moved in with Joanie; Caroline is Joanie's 15 year old daughter. The story is told from all 3 point of views, and the author successfully paints a portrait of these characters and what each is going thr

Not a single picture was taken by me yesterday while we dyed eggs. At one point, I looked around for the camera, and then I got distracted by Melina trying to crack, peel, and eat the egg that was to be dyed. In the end, 7 hard boiled eggs were put into the lovely colors, 1 hard boiled egg was eaten, 7 uncooked eggs were carefully colored as well, and 1 uncooked egg was dropped (by Zoe) onto the table. It cracked, but lived. Here is what I already knew about coloring eggs with kids (the golden rule, in my mind): Let go of your expectations and let them do their own thing. Here is what I learned yesterday: No matter how many eggs you actually cook, there will never be enough to go around. There is a reason you cook the eggs, besides the obvious cracking issue. The shells soak up the dye much better, and wax adheres to the shell better, too. I am sure that I learned more, but it was the end of the day, and my brain only retains so much in a day. Happy Easter to you!

We have had some wild weather around here lately. Lots of wind and rain. Yards are flooded, as are some streets. And while we haven't yet had a spring tornado outside of the house, we have one inside of our house. It goes by the name of Aaron. But I bet you guessed that. One of my biggest pet peeves is people who do not clean up after themselves. That lesson is a tough one for kids to learn, I suspect -- based on the number of moms I know who complain about that same thing. I find myself, daily, asking the kids and Tim to please put things away when they are done with them. If everyone put the things away that they used, then really, I spend a lot less time during the day spinning my wheels. Aaron is the king of not putting things away, and truth be told, he reminds me of a tornado. You can follow his path of destruction from the kitchen, to the dining room, the living room, and family room. You will even find evidence in the bathroom. I find crayons on the floor, t

Yesterday was a busy day. I didn't teach. Well, I didn't teach anyone but Aaron and Melina. But I had things to do all day. Melina and I met with Mr. C, the kids' principal, for a nice chat in the morning. We then headed to the store to pick up a few things to round out dinner. We headed home, played some games, made some lunch and I talked to a representative from a company that fixes siding, porches, etc. By the time he had left (and Aaron had arrived home), the kids and I finished up lunch, and I put Melina to bed. Aaron was reading while the next appointment of the day stopped by: a landscape architect that had come over last week. He had finished his plan, and wanted to show it to me. After he left, I started dinner, and cleaned up the place a bit. Melina got up from her nap just as the girls got home. I loaded all 4 kids into the car so that we could drop the girls off at piano. When we came home, Melina and Aaron watched a program while I made more prog

It is my fault. Really, it is. I enjoyed listening to "Rhythm of Love" on the radio so much, that I thought it would be best to request the CD from the Library. Before the CD came in, I did some research and found out (duh!) that these guys also sang other good songs, namely "Hey There Delilah" and "1, 2, 3, 4" to name a few. How did I not figure this out? In any case, the kids were thrilled with all of the songs on Wonders of the Younger . The liner notes did not contain the lyrics, but 3 out of 4 of our children have figured out the words, and sing (quite loudly) most of the songs. They love "Irrational Anthem," and Aaron pretty much break dances to that one in the living. "Boomerang" is also popular. I have to be honest: the Plain White T's get me going, too. I appreciate that, for the most part, their lyrics are clean, and if I ran while listening to music, their tunes just might give me my best time yet. The second CD

I always did love that song. And, I love our house. I've loved the house from the minute we walked in the door with Frances S., the real estate agent. "I have this house," she said. "You will love it. It is a bit out of your price range, but I think it will be worth it." I still remember driving up to the house, looking at the lovely (and small at the time) lilac tree in the front. The green bushes and the semi-mature trees in the front were enticing. When we walked into the front door, I was sold. Literally. I remember having a feeling of peace, serenity, and a "this is it" moment. And I had only taken a glimpse of the dining and living rooms, and the kitchen. I told Tim that I didn't even need to see the upstairs. This was the house I'd like to buy. Was it something in the dining room itself? Probably not. JM's decoration scheme varies far from what I like. The way she had her house is probably considered much more traditional. See wh

Two of our favorite people are born in April. Ava celebrates her birthday on April 13, while Aunt Gina was born on April 29. This year, Ava turns 4 and Aunt Gina turns 40! We were able to be at Ava's party this weekend, but I am not yet certain if we will make it out of state to celebrate with Gina. Either way, Happy Birthday to those lovely ladies! No one else in our family was born in April, least of all Melina and Aaron. Yet last week, we baked two layers and sang Happy Birthday to both of them. It all started with Melina and a cake book. It is my fault: I have this great recipe book, full of every kind of cake you can think of, AND it has pictures. Melina was lying on her belly, carefully perusing the book, with her feet in the air and her ankles crossed. When she got to the layer cake that had a ballerina on it, she jumped up and said, "Can we make the ballerina cake?" Luckily, it was nap time, so I scooped her up and put her to bed. When I went in to get

Excuse me if we already have a post with that same title. I am too lazy to look back and check. It is probably obvious that around here, living with a physiologist, the kids would know their body parts, and quite a bit how they function. Being the youngest, Melina has had the largest opportunity to learn body parts -- their correct names, and their incorrect names. Now, this post could take a really big, nasty, turn right about now. But that isn't the point of it. The point is to (once again) highlight just how funny kids can be. The girls aren't that funny anymore, because they speak correctly and understand many things. Aaron can sometimes be funny, but Melina is in the thick of being funny. Her latest? Melina: Aaron, I see your breasts! Aaron: Melina, I don't have breasts. Me: Technically, Aaron, you do. We all do. But with boys, we usually say you have a chest. Melina: Aaron, you do have breasts! Someday, when I am a mommy, I will have big breasts. Mommy

Melina is sitting -- right now -- in her little rocking chair, whispering quietly to the baby she has in her arms. The baby is no ordinary baby doll or animal, though. She has swaddled Tim's measuring tape in a pink polka dot blanket. The other day, Aaron was running around the house, chasing the girls and wielding a light saber. On top of his head was perched a Disney princess helmet, in a lovely shade of lavender. Moments like this were never a part of my upbringing. I grew up with two sisters, and while we may have been tomboys, there are many experiences I just didn't know about until Aaron came along. So far, we have been blessed with children that enjoy each other's company. That isn't to say that there aren't arguments and VERY LOUD discussions, but for the most part, the girls are willing to play with Aaron and vice versa. And so far, this seems to be a good thing, as the children are not only playing with one another, but also learning from one anoth

Sometimes, it is the little things that keep me going on a dreary, gloomy, rainy, April day like today. My warm cup of coffee that takes off the chill. The smell of ripe (but not too ripe) pineapple waiting to be eaten. The beauty of the pansy faces that sway in the wind. A phone call from a friend just to check in. I know that around here, the lugubrious nature of early April will eventually give rise to warm and wonderful late April, but 4 days into the month, it is difficult to shake the cold and keep hopeful.