Heptadecagon

The best thing about Facebook, in my humble opinion, is catching up with people you really want to know about, but haven't a clue as to where they might be. Carol is one of those people. Last year, I happened to look her up on Facebook and to my delight, there she was. It has taken almost a year to see her, but with our trip to Michigan, she and I finally caught up. Carol was one of just a handful of people that actually spoke to me on my first day of ninth grade. I was a newcomer to the city, and a poorly dressed one at that. What I mean to say is that, just like now, I was fashion challenged. To this day I remember the blue skirt and shirt, and white cotton sweater I wore. I felt uncomfortable in it, which probably made the whole ensemble even worse. If you feel awkward in what you are wearing, there is absolutely no way that you can pull it off, you know? Well, that first morning, when I walked into the cafetorium (Cafeteria and auditorium all in one? What the heck is

That isn't meant the way it looks. Remember the thermometer I bought Tim for Christmas? It is an infrared one, and it has a laser. The laser can be turned on and off, and is really only there to show you what you are aiming the thermometer at. (I just ended that sentence with a preposition, AND I will not correct it.) This week, we've pretty much measured the temperature of everything (all in degrees Fahrenheit). The inside of Tim's mouth? 94 degrees. The backsplash in the kitchen? 65 degrees. The tile floor in the kitchen? 68 degrees. Zoe's forehead? 97 degrees. Aaron's eyeball? 88 degrees. The scrambled eggs? 87 degrees (and cooling quickly). The ice cream in the freezer? Zero degrees. The metal back of the oven (preheated to 300): 313 degrees. I could go on. The kids have had a blast, although both Tim and I have had to remind them that it isn't a toy. (Isn't it, though?) And, this thing is so handy. This evening, I was making Naan and needed t

We received pictures of the kids in the mail the other day from the orthodontist. The orthodontist documents everything , and uses many pictures and x-rays in their quest to help our kids get the best mouths possible. I know I already posted about the girls getting their braces off. This one isn't about braces. It is about the pre-teen children I now have living in my house! I about fell over when I looked at the pictures. Here are the before pictures, the ones in which my girls look (to me) still like babies. And here are the after pictures.

We're back. You might not have known we were gone, and that is as it should be. I often wonder about the people that broadcast via blog, Facebook, or any other social media that they have vacated the premises for a week. Isn't that just an invitation to the malicious to come over? Anyway, we made it to Michigan and back with very little fanfare. In between those driving days, there was very little fanfare. And with 6 young cousins all mixed in, little fanfare is a very good thing. In short, we all had a good time, and it was nice to see both of my sisters and their families. Tim and I don't usually exchange very large presents. This year, is no exception, considering we will likely be giving each other a kitchen makeover next year. Or a new computer. Or any number of things that will likely go wrong with our house in the next couple of months. He got me a set of cookie cutters shaped like laboratory equipment, and I got him a thermometer. It is a pretty cool on

Yesterday was the kids first day off for the Winter Break. They woke up late, played a bit together, and watched a movie with lunch. We didn't have too much to do until the afternoon, when we needed to get to an orthodontist appointment. So, we waited to do our errands until then. The girls each were fitted with their new retainers. Zoe's is a dark bluish/purple color, while Talia's is clear with sparkles. And I can say that we are all grateful for the girls choosing two completely different colors for their retainers. The alternative, and what can happen, kind of gives me the shivers. On the way back from the orthodontist, and en route to the gas station, the kids were talking about Santa. I think just about everything was said with respect to the jolly man in Red. The Belief is strong here, and I'd like to cultivate that just a bit longer, if possible. The funny thing is, kids notice things, you know? Melina's school had a Christmas party on Tuesday. (Ye

The first part in fixing a problem is admitting you need help, right? I helped with Aaron's holiday party yesterday. Unlike last year, Aaron's class this year is almost begging for help! While we had an abundance of parents at the kindergarten parties, this year, that is not the case. Therefore, the homeroom mom had asked me to bring in some pretzels, juice, and chocolate chips, and then to also be a helper while the party was happening. Melina and I had planned on attending anyway, so it wasn't any trouble. Luckily, Mrs. H (the homeroom mom) had decided to make the party very low-key. Instead of a craft and a snack, she made the craft the snack. The kids each had a sugar cookie, some frosting, a few chocolate coated candies and some chocolate chips. We bravely gave each child a plastic knife, and let him or her go to town decorating. While that was going on, we passed out pretzels and juice. At some point, Mrs. H asked that I help pass out bananas. The "Welln

We just had the electrician here to install fluorescent lighting in the basement. Our basement was old and dark, and while we will probably never have it finished, the kids like to play there sometimes, and we have a desk there for the kids to do their homework. Up until now, it really has been too dark for the kids to do their homework (what homework, right?), and with my eyes, I have always complained about not being able to see down there. Hence, the call to the electrician. I just went down there to put away some boxes, and my first thought was, "Wow!" I really am not a fan of fluorescent lighting in stores or elsewhere in the home, but these lights really lit everything up! I can now see anything I want: the top of the box at the top of the shelf, the crevice behind the air hockey table, and the corner shelf that houses the cat litter. If the kids are looking for something in the toy bins, they should now be able to find things without my assistance. Unfortunately

(These long titles as of late are getting to me! Whew!) Anyway, as we do every year, the kids and I (well, Melina and I this time) have just finished dipping our pretzels into dark chocolate and white chocolate. The last batches are cooling as we speak, waiting to be used as filling for a couple more treat bags for the teachers. These pretzels will join homemade iced sugar cookies and chocolate drop cookies in a cute little holiday bag. We bought the teachers a small gift, and contributed to their wish lists, so I don't know why I feel the need to feed all the teachers junk. I think it is just that I like to make the junk. I might as well spread the love, you know? As I said, we do this dipping each year. In the past we've thrown in the safe bets (for us anyway): peanuts, walnuts, cranberries, raisins, and granola. I've tried some other fruits, and even put lots of nuts and fruits together. I've tried different cereals, too. Each year, we get a little bit more

We took the girls to see a local professional production of The Nutcracker yesterday. Their good friend had two small parts in the ballet, and has for the last couple of years. Yet this is the first year I've been coordinated enough to get tickets early and make our way there. Aaron expressed zero interest in seeing the production, and we thought that Melina was a little young to come. So, Tim, the girls, and I made the short drive downtown. Both Zoe and Talia are practicing pieces from The Nutcracker for their piano lessons, and they are really enjoying them. I have always loved the music, but I had never seen a live production of the ballet. Tim says he saw one so long ago, he really coudln't remember. Our seats were awesome! Mrs. D picked them out for us, and she placed us right in the center part of the lower balcony. We could see everything at once, and no one tall was sitting in front of us. In fact, for most of the show, no one at all was sitting there. The gi

Melina and I enjoy drinking tea and having little parties. Usually, we brew the tea in one of my cups, and then we pour the tea into some of Melina's little plastic tea cups, once the liquid has cooled down quite a bit. Most of the time, Melina and I are the only ones drinking tea, but sometimes, Melina brings a stuffed animal to the table. A couple of weeks ago, Melina expressed interest in having other people at our tea party. I thought maybe she'd ask about inviting her friend up the street, who is four. She did ask about having a friend of the street, but it was Mrs. S, who is clearly not four! Melina then added that she wanted to also invite Mrs. D. I think her wanting to have these ladies over is because she encounters them often. Melina sees Mrs. Sherick five times a week at the bus stop, and Melina sees Mrs. D often because the girls are good friends with her daughter. I am friends with both Mrs. S and Mrs. D, so I was happy to try to plan a little tea party. I

When I speak to people on the phone, particularly those with whom I haven't spoken to in a long time, I usually say that not much is happening around here. I equate uneventful with doing well; sometimes, I am just fine with status quo, you know? But on Monday, there was quite the celebration going on! Finally, after long last, the girls have passed through Phase I of their orthodontic adventure, and the braces came off! They are thrilled: They can chew gum, eat popcorn with abandon, and bite into apples! I am thrilled: I don't have to pick them up and cart them over to Dr. M's office every 6 weeks. I don't have very many good before pictures. I took a few that were early on in their Phase I adventure. If you look closely, you can see the space and crookedness of their mouths. Zoe: Talia: But I did capture two pretty nice pictures for the after shots. At the orthodontists office on this momentous occasion (Zoe is on the left): And with their new nicknames, Teeth

Back in September, Ferdinand was diagnosed as having diabetes. Since that time, we have been giving him insulin shots twice a day, and going in periodically to have his blood glucose levels checked. The vet started him on 1/2 of a unit of insulin. Apparently, they always start with that level in cats, and then see how the cat responds. You'd rather underdose than overdose on insulin. Bad things can happen if you have too much insulin. After Ferdie had been on 1/2 of a unit for probably a week, we had his blood checked. No change was detected in the glucose levels, so the vet ordered us to go up to 1 unit twice a day, and then come back for a blood check. Well, we went from 1 unit, to 1.5 units, to 2 units, to 2.5 units, to 3, then 3.5, and we are now at 4 units. I love the vet's office, but I am truly tired of seeing the lovely ladies that work the reception desk! In fact yesterday, when I took Ferdinand in, he whined (loudly) the entire car ride. He whined (loudly) in

Tim and I both like to write. He admittedly doesn't get to do this that often, but he is good at it. In a former life, I believe he won an essay contest. And, if you read his dissertation, it reads like prose. Both of us try to impart our love of writing onto the kids, and so far, we haven't had any luck. But because the girls are in 4th grade, they have more writing to do. They've been working on friendly letters, business letters, and persuasive paragraphs, as well as trying to become a better writer overall by including more details and being aware of topic sentences. One of the things Tim likes to write are poems, in particular, Haiku. He usually tries to write humorous ones, so that they interest the kids more. To be honest, I don't think these poems of his adhere to the strict Haiku guidelines, but for what its worth, we think they are nice. I present to you Tim's latest. How he describes his writing: My prose is purple. My nights are dark and stormy.

Each year, we get lovely photos and photo cards from friends and family at Christmas time. Each year, I vow to get a great photo of our brood, and send it onto said friends and family. Each year, I forget how difficult it is to get a good picture of the kids. I was going to use this one, which was actually taken not that long ago. But when you try to print it, Talia's head gets cut off. That was my fault, as I was the one taking the picture. So I guess in this instance, I can't really blame the kids. We tried to take a nice picture with Santa. But of course, not all the kids cooperated. Times like this make me thank my lucky stars we don't have more children to add to the mix. Take 1: Take 12: The one I'd really like to use has only one of our children, but so much potential for blackmail later on in life. If I send it out, Aaron will have a harder time of deleting it from our files!

The girls are in 4th grade this year. If you don't know that already, then either you are new to the blog, or you just haven't been listening. Up until this time, boys have been relatively innocuous. The girls have had play dates with several of their boy friends, they've called the boy up the street to play, and they have complained about the rambunctiousness of some of their boy classmates. This year, however, things have been different. The girls have been slightly distracted by boys, one in particular. I will call this boy Brandon, for the sake of clarity. From the beginning of this year, it has been Brandon this and Brandon that. I knew who Brandon was, for we all saw him at meet-the-teacher afternoon. Over the course of the year, though, I have gotten to know Brandon just a bit. If the girls are going to like someone, I am glad that they picked someone like Brandon, and I can see why they have. He has long blond hair and warm brown eyes. He has two little br

Aaron was lucky enough to be assigned to Mrs. G's class this year. As I have said before, Zoe had Mrs. G back in first grade, and we loved her. She is organized, patient, and has the students' best interests at heart. We also found out that she adapts well, as some things in the curriculum have changed since Zoe was in first grade, and she still manages to be a first rate teacher. Over the course of the year so far, I have been in to help Mrs. G with various activities. I usually try to get there to help with the Science Lab activities, and I've been around to help with parties and lunchtime. Just recently, I started coming in each week to help with the math centers. It became apparent to me very early on in the year that Mrs. G's class was a little lopsided. She had been given mostly boys, and to be honest, some of the most difficult boys in the first grade. (I do wonder if this wasn't by design, as Mrs. G has a reputation for being a good disciplinarian; sh

Once my quarter was over, I told the teachers at the kids' school that I would be able to come into the classroom and help out a bit more. Since I like science and math, both the 1st grade and the 4th grade teachers jumped on that. I have been going in to help the first graders with math centers (I have 6 kids at a time for 15 minutes), and I have also been helping the 4th graders. Every Tuesday and Thursday, the same 4th graders and I head to a quiet spot in the school and spend 30-45 minutes on whatever the teacher needs us to do. On Tuesday, Mrs. M requested that we go over some of the concepts that the kids will see on the standardized tests. She gave me a copy of the quiz (not graded) that is similar to ones that the students take every couple of weeks. Mrs. M's philosophy is this: the more they see it, the better they will do. Hmmm...sounds like practice to me. Perhaps that should carry over into homework. But, I digress. Anyway, the students and I looked over wh

First a reddish-pink stripe in my hair, and now a pair of black leggings! I must be going through a mid-life crisis. I will, however, still hold onto the notion that a pair of jeggings will never be seen in my closet. If I go that far, then will one of you please call in the authorities? Thank you.

It is that time of the year again. The time where I find it difficult to juggle everything: school, shopping, cleaning, laundry, list-making, volunteering, etc. Part of it is due to the weather. I cannot stand the gloominess that comes with rainy December days. I live for the sun, and right now, that big star is hard to come by. I hope we see it tomorrow. I also find it difficult to find the balance for what Christmas means to us. As Catholics, we primarily celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas time. I try to imprint that onto my children when we speak about Christmas. At the same time, though, the magic of Santa is a huge draw, and rightfully so. Many of my fondest memories come from Christmas when I was a child, especially with respect to the man from the North Pole. The lights of the Christmas tree in the living room, the apprehension I felt when heading up the stairs (maybe I'd see Santa!), heading out to look for Rudolph's nose in the sky. All of those memo

Caterpillars, snakes, and worms are too slobbery to hold. But, when she is a grown-up with blond hair, and if she calls herself Kita, then she might want to touch a caterpillar. From the mouths of babes, you know?

Melina likes to tell me all about her day at preschool. She attends school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so usually, Friday is a day where we can catch up on what happened. Apparently, at school yesterday, they started singing Christmas songs. She recognized "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" on the radio. Melina: We sang that at school yesterday! Me: Oh really? Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? Melina: No, Ru dog , mommy. His name is Rudog, and he has a shiny nose. Later on, when we were at the grocery store, we walked by the seafood counter. Melina pointed to the lobster tank. Melina: Is that crab talking? (It was moving around in the tank.) Me: That is a lobster and it is moving. It is alive. Melina: Do people eat them? Me: Yes, people eat lobsters, but you have to cook them first. Melina: Do you cook them alive? Me: Well, I think you put them in a boiling pot of water alive. I don't know, as I don't like to eat lobsters. Melina: Well, mommy, I don't

Just for the record, I didn't understand what Tim meant in his post yesterday. Once I told him that I didn't, he explained it, in very easy terms. I guess Tim isn't always as clear as he'd like to be, either. If you need an explanation, feel free to ask him the next time you see him. Since Tim and Aaron share a brain, I do wonder if Aaron would understand exactly what he meant. *** I picked up Melina from preschool today, and I realized that I am the old lady in line. I guess it makes sense, as Melina is the last of my children to be at the school, whereas some of the ladies are dropping off their first born children. Still, it hurts to think of it. My friend says, and rightly so, that the kids are closer to college than birth. Yikes. *** I never did get around, in the month of November, to admitting one more deep dark secret. Of course, it isn't that deep or dark, considering Tim knows about it. What is it, you ask? Are you ready? I have a soft spot in m