Near the end of the flight the attendants came around with the cart offering one last drink before landing. I jokingly said to the woman next to me, "I need seventeen whiskies!!" and she said, "More like twenty!"

So, yeah, I'm tired beyond belief and will be back hopefully tomorrow.

The journey was hellish but I'm glad that we got to go.

Ackkk! Too busy to blog!

Except I just did. Leaving for the airport at 6 am. It's after 1:30. . . time to nap. See you in a week or so.

Happy Thanksgiving! I know that I am grateful.

I'm tired so this will be short. The whole suspension thing is taking on a life of its own. I'm ready to move on, though. I have discovered that the boy who started the physical aspect of the fight takes karate classes and used a jumping in the air kind of kick on Lexy. I'd love to have a word with his parents, but they sort of frighten me, so we'll just have to see how brave I am. I certainly think he needs to be OUT of karate classes.

We are trying to get ready to travel. Lots of laundry and considering what to bring. I want to travel as light and cute as possible. When your family (the far away ones) only sees your children every couple of years, it's important to make sure that the little ones look cute, right?

I'm all insomnia-y. I wrote a long email to Lexy's principal. I wonder what sort of response I'll get.

I just have to share one story before bedtime.

We were in line at Target with a cartfull of junk. The woman at the register had a plan to close after us. So, we were asked to let people behind us know that we were the end of the line. Okay by me, but to tell the truth John was feeling a little put out and didn't play the game. So, I keep redirecting people, and the woman keeps thanking me for it. Finally we get a woman behind us who is chatting on her phone. We try several times to get her attention. No luck. She was shopping with her mom(?) who also didn't respond to our attempts to make eye contact. Finally, we get the point across and the woman on the phone is pissed off. She loudly complains about how long she stood there wasting her time and saying someone should have told her. Ummm, yeah. She was there less than two minutes, and we did try to tell her. I broke character and loudly laughed and said something about her being on the phone. I said it really loud. I felt like such a rebel. (hope you can hear the sarcasm) But really, what an ass she was! Wish I would have told her so. But that's just not me.

So. Lexy was suspended from school for a day for fighting (back!). The parents of the other boy called me tonight. I think I'd rather change schools than deal with this crap. I'll post more later, the girls are both up.

Today is governed by a rather long list. Clean out the van, do some laundry, shop for shoes and fabric paint and things to amuse the kids on the plane next week. I think I'll grab a pen and add, "Go to Aqui and eat hummus and chips. Bring extra home for later. Get recipe."

Right now I'm still only on get dressed and drink coffee. I did get out a whole bunch of Sophie's old clothes for Willow, though. She now has a full winter wardrobe and is only lacking a pair or two of tights and some shoes. None of Sophie's will fit on her little feet. I don't usually put shoes on infants, but it's getting chilly and she's a pro at shucking off her socks. There are some high quality toys under there and she has no earthly idea why her mother covers them up.

I'm reading James Lovelock's autobiography. I love it. I also can't seem to find it, so if you notice it laying around somewhere . . .

I just finished reading The Time Traveler's Wife. I should probably put an ice pack on my eyes because I cried for the last hundred or so pages. Geez. It ought to come with a warning label. Maybe the reviews do say that it is sad. I like to read books that are loaned (lent? lended?) to me (this one by my mom) without reading the dustjacket or press if I don't already know some of the plot. Same with movies. So sometimes I get blindsided by the more tragic stories.

I fell on my ass in the driveway tonight. My elbow was involved somehow, too. (See, I can tell them apart!) And wrist. An upended trash can and several rotten smelly moldy pumpkins played a part. (A few days ago I put those very same large pumpkins into the trash after it had rained and as I picked one up it dribbled stinky pumpkin rainwater out its maniacal smiling mouth onto my pants.) I was quite glad it was dark, but had the feeling that somebody saw anyway. Our shiny resurfaced street is looking much more streetlike with a little pumpkin slime and gore on it.

I'm so relieved that tomorrow is Friday.

1. Using one adjective, describe your current living space.
erupting

2. Using two adjectives, describe your current employer.
unreasonable
adorable

3. Using three adjectives, describe your favorite hobby/pastime.
restful
fulfilling
amazing

4. Using four adjectives, describe your typical day.
rushed
surprising
silly
exhausting

5. Using five adjectives, describe your ideal life.
organized
surprising
silly
exhausting
loungingaboutwithhusbandy


I should go to bed. It's a school night.

Can't remember if I already said, but the tooth score this past week is Lexy minus one, Willow up two (bringing her to four, total.) They both look startlingly different.

The kids are all in various states of illness. We have the immortal, antibiotic-resistant bronchitis and bright green snot for Lexy; the sticky ick nose and cough and *Just Added Tonight* sore throat for Nate; the extra snacks for Soph in the form of boogers, along with not exactly a diaper rash, but just a red bottom. She says, "Mama, I don't like it, the cream on my bottom." It's hard not to laugh at her. When I do, she gives me the stink eye and demands, "Why laughing!!?" Willow had fever from Saturday till Monday, and now has a cough, a crusty nose (which Sophie picks while Willow sits still and lets her. Shaddup, it's funny.), continued bouts of WAAAAH and so forth, and TA DA, two new teeth! John and I are always good for an ailment or two between us, so what with the rainy weather and messy house and extremely angry boy that used to be my sweet Lexy, I'm a little, well, disgruntled.

I keep thinking I want to go to the store for whiskey and smokes but I don't drink or smoke.

I decided to read more, because the Calgon didn't live up to its promises and I only have time to half-assed wash my hands now and then, forget a bubble bath. But reading, I can do that while I nurse the girls, which I do a lot of. So, I read a couple of Joe Lansdale novels and now I'm reading one my mom lent me that I love called The Time Traveler's Wife. The only problem is that it's heavy, so nursing two little ones and trying to read with a book wedge light in the dark in a bed with the boys snoring and grinding their teeth is sort of hard. Plus (remember the ailment comment) I have carpal tunnel, so my hand and arm go numb and sometimes I drop the book light or the book or both on Sophie. Then I feel bad and she wakes up and says, "Owch. I nee," before falling back to sleep. I try to imagine that I'm on a deserted beach and reading there, which works well because there is usually a little grit in the kids' bed that feels not unlike sand.

Now Sophie is up and in my lap. Luckily Willow, who was up, had gone back to sleep, so I put her on the bed in our bedroom (where I haven't ever slept for more than three hours) so I could pick up Sophie who is currently feeling feverish and I have to work in Lexy's class in less than ten hours, but I have to get up in six to get him to school.

I found this totally fascinating in a rubbernecking sort of way. Sing with me, I feel pretty, oh so pretty. . .

Need to go sleep. I really hope that Sophie is just warm and not sick, but I fear the worst. Nate felt hot to me earlier, too. As long as nobody pukes, I think I can ride it out.

Night.

The turtle STINKS!!! Ick.

Hey, it's Friday Five time.

1. What food do you like that most people hate?
Black licorice

2. What food do you hate that most people love?
Hot dogs

3. What famous person, whom many people may find attractive, is most unappealing to you?
That dorkey guy from Dances with Wolves. What's his name?? Kevin . . . yeah, Costner.

4. What famous person, whom many people may find unappealing, do you find
attractive?
I *heart* Michael Finney. If you say he's unappealing, you're a bonehead.

5. What popular trend baffles you?
Oh Good Lord, don't get me started!!

>supporting the shrub and his asinine war
>reality tv
>brittany spearsish performers
>boys with pants hanging down to their upper thighs who walk like some kind of rabid duck (and isn't that so last year, or even LONGER ago??)
>"extreme" anything xtreme!!
>suvs, especially those horrid hummers
>most "fwd" email (Mom, keep sending what you send. You ought to be the person who decides if things are "fwd" worthy)
>over the top kids' birthday parties
>movies made only for the sake of watching big ugly lugs shoot machine guns and blow things up
>WHO is the governor of my state and how the hell did that really happen???????
>What about those kooky guys who swim in frozen lakes naked? That is baffling.
>premade frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
>lunchables
>that evil Bab#wise book (put a "y" for the # I don't want any google hits for the real title) which advocates abuse to get your children to behave

apparently I could go on all day.

Instead I think I will sleep a little, very little, before it's time to take Lex to school.

I added a couple of new sites. Darn Tootin', Crabby and loved by some, and Who put me in this handbasket? Where are we going? The list is getting silly long. The internet is a beautiful thing.

Hey everyone, dinner's ready! Only about four hours later than I'd planned, but hey, it sure is good. Got the 17 Bean and Barley soup mix at Trader Joe's. The directions say to "soak the beans overnight (optional)". So, I'd planned to, but forgot. I clung to that "optional" like nobody's business, even though I didn't trust it. After simmering for an hour, the 17 beans and barley were not soft. Another hour, still not done. Finally, now that everyone is sleeping or at a night job, soup's on. Thankfully there are veggie burgers in the freezer and the kids only wanted bread and butter sandwiches, chicken nuggets and corn chips for dinner. Don't worry, those chips were organic, what kind of mom do you think I am?

I am happy that tomorrow is Friday. Yay for Friday! We are going to visit a friend after school to meet their family's new golden retriever puppy. Lexy and John were at the pet store to buy crickets and rats and Lex asked John to get the puppy a toy. So we'll be taking a little tennis ball with a paw print on it.

Sounds like Willow is waking up. Too bad she's uninterested in food, I'd give her some soup!

Lexy is sitting in the barber chair. He and Bob are discussing the evils of smoking.

Lex: My dad smokes. So does his girlfriend, but she wants to quit.
Bob: Your mom doesn't smoke does she?
Lex: No. She DRINKS!

Me, silently thinking: I wish!

Little Nora Smartypants! Cuter than a button.

I wanted to blog earlier but couldn't, so on my hand in pen it says, "NPR Cphone Salt EVI." And here's what I wanted to say. . .

The newest East Village Inky came a few days ago, and I have been reading it as slowly as possible, since it only arrives every three months. This issue is all about the California trip. I am hoping that when she tells about LA and the Mamagathering she doesn't mention the wacko woman who told her all about how she was her literary best friend and her husband had a TinTin in Tibet shirt, too!!!!!! I had managed to put out of my mind how much of a star struck geek I was when I met her. Ah well, I am surely not the only person to get dweeby upon meeting someone they look up to.

Salt. Sophie is really into salt. We eat avocados around here by splitting them longways, chopping a knife into the pit, twisting the knife, popping the pit out of the avocado and into the trash (or sometimes into water to appease Lexy's fantasy of growing an avocado tree. He won't eat them, though.), and then salting the avocado innards and eating it directly out of the skin with a spoon. Sophie climbs up the fridge shelves yelling, "Avocado. I salt. AVOCADO, SALT!!!" So I gave her the shaker today and she totally filled up the well where the pit had been with salt. Then she threw a screaming fit when I took the shaker back. "MooooooRE SALT!!" There was a repeat scene at dinner tonight with french fries. The shaker was about a third full when she wrangled it and only about a fifth remained when I wrestled it away from her grubby little grasp. MORE SALT MORE SALT

let's see, NPR and Cphone. . . I went BY MYSELF to Whole Foods just before dinner. I didn't take the cell phone. I listened to NPR and no one complained and I did not have to quickly change channels as Lexy asked, "Who got shot, Mom?? Where is the fire?? What did they bomb??" But, I don't know what was on NPR because I spent the entire four minute drive gloating and singing, "I'm going to Whole Foods, All by my-se-ell-ellf, Without the cell phone, HA HA HA HA, I'm listening to NPR HA HA HA HA, And no one's cry-in, HA HA HA HA HA, I'm all a-looo-one, HA HA HA HA HA HA. Sick, isn't it? I totally need to get out more. Anyway, I accomplished my mission and went to get in line when I saw an old pal of mine. She owns a company I'd love to work for. I may hit her up in a few years. second from the bottom Anyhow, she ran up and gave me a big hug and we did a forty second catch up before she had to dash off. I got in line and went to grab my check book from my pocket and OH NO it wasn't there. I said to the cashier, "Um, I can't seem to find my checkbook. Can you hold my purchase while I look?" She did and I did, and I had no luck. So much for hurrying back home in case all hell broke loose and John needed another grown up. I retraced my steps, and did so again. Finally, some kind soul turned it in without taking the twenty three dollars (a MOST UNUSUAL event, that! That there was cash in the checkbook, not that it wasn't taken).

Oh, as usual I have much more to ramble on about. But Willow is fussing and the kids need to be put to bed. We finished all the Little House books in our possession, so I need to get more. Guess tonight we'll read some Nate the Great or Ralph S. Mouse.

I have been so busy I haven't even been able to read any blogs or check my mail. When I finally do get a chance it will take me hours!