a gypsy caravan

Sledding Fun

 

Cumin-Sugar Buttered Toast Anyone?

Because cumin looks amazingly similar to cinnamon early in the morning....

In case anyone wondered...

why it was so quiet for fifteen minutes in my home this afternoon, it was because both of my girls were busy licking all of the envelopes in my stationery chest.

Um, thanks girls. 

I've always wanted dozens of notecards and boxes of pretty paper all for myself.  Who wanted to send them in the mail anyway?   :)

Three Going on Thirty

Burger King employee (not that we EVER eat fast food) says to Mary:

"Would you like white milk, chocolate milk or apple juice with your children's meal?"

Mary: "May I please have a large iced chai with no ice in a "to go" cup with a lid?"

(Wait, there's more...)

BK employee (baffled): "We don't have iced chai.  We have frozen mochas though."

Mary: "Nah. Those are for grown ups."

Still Life by Annie

Entitled "Maria Montessori's Nightmare"

Soulmates?

Me:  "I just don't think anyone really understands me."

Mike: "What do you mean?"

Camera Cord, Camera Cord, Wherefore Art Thou Camera Cord?

Juliet. Camera Cord, Camera Cord, Wherefore Art Thou Camera Cord? Deny thy torturous absence and refuse thy game; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my steadfast search for thee, And I'll no longer be a woman of sanity. *

Camera Cord. [Aside.] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this? *

Juliet. 'Tis but thy cruel game that is my enemy;-- Thou art forever absent, though through no fault of mine tis true. What is your tortourous trick? Search I in vain though find you not under tables, Nor chairs, nor beds, nor any other part Belonging to a house. O, be around this corner! What is this repetitive search, that which consumes my days? By any other method I cannot load my photos; So Camera Cord would appear, were he not despairingly stubborn, Retaining  that insolence in which he persists That small, black pestilent necessity:--Camera Cord, doff thy holiday: From thou furlough, which keeps me from joy, Come forth thou from hiding. *

Camera Cord. I take thee at thy bidding: Call me again my love, and I'll emerge from my concealment; Henceforth never will I be ensconced. *

Juliet. Where hidest thou, thus beclouded out of sight, So causing such time strain and stress of my brain? *

Camera Cord. By my shame I know not how to tell thee where I am: My game, dear woman, is growing old yet even to myself, Because I am becoming an enemy to thee. Had I it to repeat, I would lessen your grief. *

Juliet. Mine eyes have yet not checked beneath the bathmat or in the plant though they are the only locations that have gone untrod. Call yet again, as I have searched my abode for hours. Let me hear thee say "warmer" or "colder"  if thy hast mercy in thy black and wiry soul. Of that tongue's utterance,  I know the sound; Art thou not in the camera bag or on the desk? *

Camera Cord. Neither, fair maiden, if either thee recheck. *

Juliet. How cam'st thou to be hidden, tell me, and wherefore? Was it the baby, who has carried thou away? And the place unknown, considering who thou art, thy size allows thee to lose thyself in the small hands of my kinsfolk. *

Camera Cord. With small, fat, dimpled hands did I o'erperch my keeping place; For cabinet locks cannot hold her out: And what she can do, that dares she to attempt; Therefore thy many small kinsmen find no challenge to misplace me. *

Juliet. They search in vain for thee as well! If they do see thee, they will capture  thee. *

Camera Cord. Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye Than twenty of their wooden swords: lookest thou beneath thy desk thou fair simpleton, I am clearly to be seen if thou useth thy spherical optical organs. *

Juliet. I can no longer offer thee my undying love for thou hast enraged me with thy absence once again.    Thou hast been and will forever be a thorn in my side.  Alas and alack, I am undone!  Exeunt.

Snow Adventures, subtitled “I am Insane”

Well, after days and days of asking, nagging, prodding, heavy hinting and everything else short of lying on the floor and kicking their feet, the kids convinced me that it was a GREAT idea to go sledding.  I knew better and was quite toasty in the warm house, thankyouverymuch.  But deep down inside, I really wanted to be Fun and Hip Mommy.  (I think, however, the very fact that I am using the word "hip" means that I am not.)  So, I finally threw up my hands in desperation and yelled, "Alright, alright!  One hour of sledding!  Get your stuff!"   

The older kids threw the sleds and snowboards in the van and got their sisters bundled in multiple layers of mismatched woolens.  We took a ride to the hill where the boys tried their hand at snowboarding, as did their mother, in a fit of complete insanity.   I should have read the signs but alas, I did not.

After an embarrassing attempt to recreate my slalom water skiing days on snow, I proceeded to pick the ice from my teeth and slow the pace a bit.  Rather than risk my neck on the slopes, I would pull the baby around in the little sled.  Here are some photos of Her Royal Cuteness.

And here is Mary who, at first, would not even sit on the sled but later was screaming happily and coasting downhill with her hair flying in the wind.

Christopher made a nice attempt at the snowboard as well.  It is new to him this season.   I have to admit that he looked more at home on it than I did.

There are no photos of Benjamin who is sorely disappointed over that fact.   I think it is alright that I do not have a photo of him from that day because I have about 500 more of him than I have of all the other children since him.

Here are Mary and I taken by Ben   

   

A few days later, we hit the slopes again with our friends the McDonnells and the Cunninghams. My friend Marie (who is very Fun and Hip) slid the slopes with the best of them.  I could not be outdone so I took my chances on the little saucer sled that you see in the photo of Mary above.

I positioned myself at the top of the very tall hill, made sure the coast was clear and got myself psyched up for the steep slide to the bottom.  While I psyched myself, Benjamin snuck up from behind and proceeded to shove me down the hill.  I spun like a top the entire length of the hill, hitting all the bumps on the way down.  I landed in a snowy heap at the base of the hill while my children cheered for their "very Fun and Hip" lunatic mother.

I guess sledding after the age of 35 ranks right up there with trying to do a cartwheel or a somersault.  It certainly looks a lot easier than it is.  Trust me, I know.

Feeling Better

Mary is feeling much better.  In fact, the entire virus thing lasted a day or so and now she is good as new.

She attended her brother's basketball game yesterday.  When she came home, she said, "Mommy, I got a gatorade at the CONFESSION stand!"

Salads are Such a Healthy Lunch

...but not as healthy when followed by a four pieces of fruitcake.

I suppose it would help if someone else in the house liked fruitcake.

Besides me, that is.

Me, Myself and I

Walking into the learning room, I found a huge mess on the floor.  Pastels, rhythm instuments (there they are again!) lacing cards and picture books were strewn about. I waved my arms above my head and cried, "Who made this big mess?!?"  Mary looked around and said, pointing, "Well, I did that part and the rest was me."

Note to Self

Before laying a sleeping baby down for the night, it is important to remember to first remove the various rhythm instuments like tambourines, maracas and cymbals (played with earlier in the day by a three and six year old) from the baby's bed. 

In case anyone was wondering, they make the exact same noise in the dark as they do in the light.  :)

Way Back When…

Christopher :  "Mommy, were there horses and buggies when you were a little girl or had cars been invented by then?"  :)

Who needs toys when you’ve got Kleenex!

(I thought she was being a little quiet in the adjacent room!)  I decided to get the camera so you all could share in the silliness. Then, things got really rowdy.

I was forced to remove the entertainment before it became dinner. Moms are such spoilsports! :)

O.K., I Might Have Said That Once (or Twice)

Today, we were driving down the road and passed a gas station.  Mary (3) pointed out the window, waved her hand in disgust at the gas station sign and stated, "It should be il-weee-gal to charge that much for a gal-won of gas-o-ween! Humpf!" 

Adventures of The Penguin “Snow”

Mary (3) loves to make up stories.  (This may stem from the nightly stories I tell the children, based on a character called "Louie the Lion".)  She makes up several stories a day and I have decided to try to get them down before I forget them.

Here is one for your enjoyment and amusement:

Once upon a train, in the middle of nowhere, there was a baby penguin called Snow.  The penguin saw one butterfly and two doggies.  Then a sailboat came and the penguin and doggies floated on it with their friends.  They ate a yummy hotdog with mustard. (Do you like mustard?)  Snow likes to read books about other penguins and play with puzzles.  The penguin said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!".  After that, the penguin fell over.  Then it was Springtime and Snow melted.  The little sailboat rumbled over the sea. 

The End.

Five Things You Hope Your Kids Don’t Tell Your 90 Year Old Grandmother Who Visits Approximately Every Three Years:

5. "Great Grandma, I am not going to grow up to be a lady, I am going to be a guinea pig."

4. "Great Grandma, I know that you are 90 but my mommy told me not to mention it."

3. "Great Grandma, Your skin is very wrinkly and loose like those funny baggy puppies."

2. "Great Grandma, Your chin is pruney!"

and last but surely not least...

(pointing at Grandma's blouse and lifting her own)

1. "Great Grandma, Do you have milk? 

Now All We Need is Some Wood and A Mattress and…

Christopher (6) is my resident packrat.  I try to remember to check his pockets before washing his clothes and he is supposed to check them prior to throwing his clothes in the hamper.  Apparently we were both asleep at the wheel.  Here's what I found in the bottom of my washing machine yesterday:

The nail is as long as my hand!  I have no idea where he got it.  He doesn't remember either.  When I asked him what he planned to use it for he said, "Well, to build a bed, of course."  Silly me.  I should have known. 

Christopher's Stitches

Ben and Chris were having a pick up game in our backyard the other day. Ben hit a line drive  which struck Christopher on the lower leg.  Unfortunately, Chris now has stitches.  No, not the kind of stitches you'd receive in the emergency room, thankfully.  Here are Christopher's stitches...

Yes, that is the imprint of the ball's stitches on his leg. It is a real wound in the shape of baseball stitches, not just something that went away after a couple of hours(the poor fellow!) Chris thought it was a pretty cool injury, as far as injuries go!  :)

So Perhaps I Was a Bit Hasty…

...getting Mary  into the car for the May Crowning.  Here is our little sweetie with her lovely flowers for "Muvvuh Maywee"...

While taking the above photo, I discovered these...

Yes, not only are they completely different, but they both are "left" shoes!  Perhaps I need to pay a little closer attention to what she puts on when I am not watching!  :)