Life Without Computers

This past week I've been at home with two little boys, a dog, a cat, and no internet. It was like 1979, but with no macrame plant holders.
It's been a full week, a busy week, but man, I felt kind of out of the loop.

We've (read: PawPaw) worked on the treehouse, "swam" in the kiddie pools, eaten strawberries, played with a stray puppy taken in by neighbors, drawn on the driveway with colored sidewalk chalk, started a "treasure box" for good deeds, drawn a chart for Luke that documents (with shiny gold stars) when he brushes his teeth etc. and generally

follows directions, AND witnessed our firstborn graduate from Pre-K in the cutest ceremony you've ever seen. I was so thrilled that Nanny, Keith, Lindy, and Mercy showed up to lend their support to Luke. I'll have a movie/pics up soon so you can check it out. I know you can't wait. :) Poor Chris has been working his butt off at work and barely has time to sit down these days. But, as he says, being busy is good for business...especially in this market.

More later. I got some Television Without Pity to read.

Meggie

Happy belated birthday to Meggan, my favorite sister-in-law!

Here's your present!

Summertime...and the living is... groovy.

Luke gave Dylan some toys to take home with him today, after a long visit with his cousin.
"Dylan, when you play with these, will you think of me?"
"Sure, I can do that."
I thought that was really sweet.
Luke is surprising me a lot lately with what he says, in a good way. The other night I was out late at the high school graduation and when I got home, Luke was in the bed with Chris and was in my spot. I climbed in and he played with my hair and whispered, "I missed you Mom. I smelled your pillow and thought of you and missed you."

Speaking of the graduation---it was weird doing the whole graduation thing at a new school and I was so impressed by the simplest of things.
1. It was air conditioned.
2. There was carpet (no one tried to ruin it).
3. Parents and students behaved.

I'll put some pics and video on Facebook in the next week, so be watchin' for it. :)
*************
I got a tutoring gig. Three hours a week=75.00 for Jen! :)
Yay!
*************
My dad, Chris's dad, and Chris worked on the playhouse/tree house today, when it wasn't raining and when was it NOT? I am pretty impressed so far. I'll take some pics and show ya when it is all done.
***************
After a short, but tiring, day getting things taken care of on Friday (paperwork, bookcheck, etc) I left school almost dizzy. It felt weird leaving so early. I didn't know what to do with myself. I decided to go to Wal-mart and I got some summertime things---a blow up pool (not too small not too big) for the boys (but it hasn't been sunny enough yet...) and a plant for the back porch.

Some stuff I want to do this summer:
1. Get house clean and organized.
2. Take boys on picnics to local parks.
3. Go to kid movies with the boys.
4. Explore the area more.
5. Read a bunch of teen books that are on the school's reading list so I can talk to the kids about them next year.
6. Tweak my syllabus and make it better.
7. Keep working on my couponin'.
8. Scrapbook.
9. Challenge my cooking skills. (I've actually been working on this! Yay. Chris thinks it's weird. Good, but weird to see me cooking while he does other stuff.)
10. Get some color on my bod. Somehow. That doesn't include tanning beds.
11. Take the whole family to a cool, safe, and fun fourth of July to watch fireworks. A small town thing.
12. Do the free summer movie at the parks thing.
13. Visit the libraries around here.
14. Go on more date nights with my husband.

What are some things I can do this summer with the boys? Any ideas from locals?

In Honor of My Boyfriend Adam Lambert and This Week's Graduates

Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged

So Wednesday I had a humbling experience. Okay, so I had some tickets to attend to. You might remember this. Anyway, so I'm home with Jake, who had a mild form of this. (Which sounds just awful, doesn't it? His case was very light, but I kept him home anyway and I knew I could take care of items like my tickets too, right?)

I pull on some old, comfortable jeans, throw on a shirt, pull my hair back in a ponytail, throw some clothes on Jake and we head out to pay my fines which were due by the 15th. Then it starts to rain. Jake and I get wet as we leave the car to go inside to the office. A lady there asked me when my ticket payments were due. I told her the fifteenth. She said, "No, it's the 13th. Today. You'll have to go upstairs to stand before the judge."

WTF. I am pissed. I would scan these tickets in to show you guys that it looks just like a 15, but I don't have that kind of time. Ugh. So I go up there with my blistered on his feetsies kid, trying to avoid the trashy men smoking out on the front step. Let me stop here to tell you about this building. This municipal court is a converted church, so that's just weird. I go inside and people turn around to look at me. I can feel a lump in my throat and tears welling up in my eyes because I really hate it when my plans go awry. I'm also kind of scared. I've never had to "stand before a judge" before. I sat down on the back corner pew next to a lady and her boyfriend. I make small talk with her. Ask her what I'm supposed to do. She looked like she might know. She also smells of damp cigarettes.

She did. It appears that she's been there numerous times. In fact, a lot of people in there seemed to know each other. Surprise. I go up to the officer up in front and ask him what I'm supposed to do. He tells me I've already been called up there, that I have to wait until they get through the rest of the alphabet and I'll be called again.

"Could take thirty minutes, could take an hour, could take two..."

Well, that's freakin' fantastic.

I look down at my kid who looks at me. A row of scary looking dudes in orange jail jumpsuits stare at me and my boy. I leave the building, thinking I have to get someone to watch Jake while I sit and wait for my name to be called---I can't entertain a baby with no bottle, no toy, no nothing for hours in a stressful situation.

I make it back to my car in the rain (again), trying to keep Jake dry.

I call Lindy, who lives up ( and I do mean UP---that hill is vertical, guys) the road and she can watch Jake for a while. I thank her profusely for this and head back. I try to read for a little bit, but then get interested in trying to figure out why all these other people are here. There was a teenage boy there because he stole something from Best Buy. His mom was with him. Neither one was dressed appropriately for court. (As I think this, I look down at my jeans that are sporting a hint of dried mustard on the left thigh. Uh...) There was a white trash lookin' woman there because she sold cigarettes to a minor. There was a lady (appropriately dressed) who was rocking back and forth in her pew saying, "I hate being here, I hate being here."
There was a mom crying because her 30something year old daughter was getting sent to jail. There were many Spanish names that he judge couldn't pronounce, so he got another official to call them out.
The girl there supporting her boyfriend got mad at one point, said that the police would try to stick it to her boyfriend as much as they can. I asked her what she meant. She said, "He's on parole and they are calling his parole officer."
I think, "Well, of course."
But I say nothing, just nod.
Two hours or so later, I'm called up, show them my new license, get that dropped, but still have to pay court fees. Blah blah. Pay my fees, leave.
Pick up my baby. Celebrate my freedom by driving slowly home and eating fries.

Later, relating my tale to Chris, he tells me how much worse it could have been. "If you hadn't gone by there today, tomorrow they could have picked you up and taken you to jail. I would have had to pay bond and stuff."

So yeah, it could have been worse.

I haven't felt that white trash in ages.

It's Wednesday, Lovers.

I promise, once summer hits, I'll be updating more than I have been. Let's see, what can I talk about?

1. Next Friday is my last day of the 2008-09 school year! I'm really looking forward to spending the summer with my boys and getting this house better organized and really really clean. (It could happen.)

2. We have a load of honeysuckle on the trees behind our house. It hangs down on the fence and gives off the best smell. It's a childhood smell---I remember honeysuckles on the back fence of the house we lived in until I was five.

3. The playhouse ("treehouse"--Luke would say) is well underway. In a joint effort, both grandfathers pitched in to help Chris on Mother's Day and Dad brought some awesome plans to use. Luke walked around "helping" them. He helped them by banging on random boards with a hammer, turning on the hose to help with the cement mix, and by carrying around a nightcrawler in a bucket.

4. I have a crush on Adam Lambert. So what if I'm married and old and he's gay and young? It could work out.

5. Jake taught himself how to ride Luke's scooter. It's awesome to watch. I guess I need to get him one for his bday in July. They are fighting over it.

6. A kid in class argued against the legalization of marijuana in class the other day. He was wearing a Bob Marley t-shirt.

7. My allergies are still killing me.

8. Lost finale is tonight! Yay!!!!

9. Just throwing in an old Halloween pic of me and Max. I was Joan Crawford. He was, well, Max. 1998?

South Park/Great Expectations

So I'm not a huge South Park fan, but when I realized that South Park did a Great Expectations episode, I was intrigued. This is just audio of the South Park guys talking about the experience. I thought it was kinda funny.

And this, is "Uptown Girl" as South Park/"Great Expectations"...

Ladies and Gentlemen...

Let me introduce (dramatic pause)

the preschool class (dramatic pause)

of 2009.

Starring: Luker Buker. Alias: Patches, The Lukester

Nine Lives movie

I watched this movie this morning. It was like a punch to the stomach. Artsy, sorta. Real, yep. Surprising? Most of it. I don't think most men would like this movie, but I guarantee that most women will. Makes you think, for sure. The Robin Wright Penn "supermarket encounter" and the Glenn Close scene hurt just watching it. Good God, life is complicated sometimes. Just a warning: if you are looking for a feel good movie, this ain't it. :) And just so you know, I think the first two "stories" aren't that great, so don't give up on it when you are just beginning the movie. Here's Entertainment Weekly's review. Another good review.

I hope you rent this and tell me what you think.

Let the Yard Saling Begin!

For the first time since we've moved here, I went yard saling. And yes, that is a verb. Right? :)
I was inspired when Mom called this morning and told me all about how she and Dad were out looking at knick knacks at their neighborhood yard sale. So I cleaned up Jakers and he and I set out, armed with Chris's GPS, a newspaper, twenty dollars, and a big mess in my Montero. But it didn't bother me. It was me, my baby boy, the radio blaring Taylor Swift, and my diet Dr. Pepper. Felt like myself again, after being stressed out lately.

Our first stop was a neighborhood with small houses set close to the road with sweet little sidewalks and "bridges" going over drainage areas. It was next to a ball field and the smells of the ball field wafted over to us--the hamburgers, the soil, the bubblegum, the leather from the gloves...the fathers yelling to their children, the claps. It was nice, but I wouldn't want that in my backyard personally. There ain't no way those people in the houses (who weren't taking part in the neighborhood yard sale) were sleeping through that. And having that every weekend? Ugh. I would hate that.

I scored a stroller for five bucks (a very nice one!) and immediately plunked Jake down in it. He seemed relieved, although he's a good hip baby. I catch him staring at me a lot when I have him on my hip. It cracks me up. (And by the way, I have no idea what happened to our old stroller. That's a mystery.)

It was nice talking to random strangers holding their sales. It's always interesting to see what kind of stuff people keep in their homes. I bought a Sleepless in Seattle CD from an older couple. I remembered it from when I used to work at Turtles Music in AU. I liked it, but haven't heard it since then. I came upon some adjustable strappy Spiderman rollerskates for Luke. He's still scarred from the Mercy Skating Party Incident. :) I also got him (and Jake) those lacing up things that teach hand/eye coordination. Also: Backyardigans 3D stickers, a brand new Advent calendar that sold at 19.99 at Kirklands this past winter (got it for a buck), an "indoor" slide for Jake for two bucks (provided hours of fun today), and a four drawer file cabinet for Chris's office. It was a nice haul.

If anybody is interested, it appears that everyone is selling those banana shaped video chairs---the ones you sit in and rock in when you are playing your Playstation games. :)



That's about it, y'all. Quiet night with Luke coloring in his Spiderman coloring book, Frank at my feet, Chris and I with our wine and laptops and our Saturday night 48 Hours Mystery. Rain outside.

Ain't nowhere I'd rather be. Good night!