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SOOOOOoooo BUUUUuuuusy
Jun. 10th, 2009 01:42 amIn (mostly) such good ways :D
Since the last time we talked...
+ Ananda had two dance shows
+ I've rejoined and started Weight Watchers, partially because of being inspired by the dance show to get back into this flesh and live healthy and be fit and strong...
- all of our chickens were killed in the night when a neighbor's dog dug under our fence, pulled back the chickenwire, and went to town. It was horrendous to discover, though luckily THANK GOD it was me and not the kids who found them, but then it was horrible to tell them, especially Aaron
+ We decided to get new chickens, as we know how to keep this from happening again (reinforcements, fill and possibly some hot wire, as well as talking with our neighbor) and we have this big old run and coop Grant bought materials for and built, and we're so invested in the whole idea now
+ it helped make the kids happy to help pick them out. There is still lingering sadness but it's tinged with anticipation about the chicks we'll be getting late next month. You can see the ones we picked, as adults and the way they'll be when we first receive them, here, at my flickr
+ I've become a part of the BirthGirlz "Street Team", which so far means I attended a great meeting; I'm getting Nancy on board to be a guest speaker at our Childbirth Film Festival; I'm donating to help fund an attorney who is against a new law that discourages vbac in Florida birth centers (when we have between a 70 and an 80% c-section rate throughout this state, vbac is a pretty serious concern); I'm signing a petition to help get Jackson South to become a Mother-Friendly hospital (WHICH WOULD BE HUGE DOWN HERE); I'm supplying them with different relevant links to articles and studies weekly, from my stockpile; and I've networked to get Schnebly Winery sponsoring the Great Green Family Festival (half of which proceeds go to BirthGirlz, which is incidently non-profit, as one of the two founders in charge - my friend Kristin - is running the whole thing). I feel like an actual birth activist with a network which has pulled this huge weight of guilt and fear and repression off of me - usually when I hear ANYTHING birth related (which is REALLY often), I bury all this swelling emotion away before it consumes me...this time I just started balling and went with it. Which means my book will actually get written instead of me just hiding from the material. I have accountability now :)
+ writing time
+ Annie's started her new summer dance classes and loves them
+ and she claims to actually be ready for learning to ride a bike!
+ taken Elise for bike riding
- lots more hard talks with my mom and my dad about my Nana who had a stroke and is in a rehab place not improving, my Cuban Pa who is still dying slowly, and Grandpa who did die but who's ashes are still waiting to be picked up in Key West
+ started Letter of the Week with Isaac, Jake and Elise
+ tons of schoolwork with A and A
+I sent out cards and postcards today; Heather, Sara, rl friend Kathy, rl brother Bob
Our next month is like:
-me and Annie going alone to dance classes on Tuesday evenings, I write while she dances, we talk to and fro
-me and all kids taking Annie to dance classes on Saturdays, hitting the park, then picking her up and meeting Grant for lunch
-playdate with swimming all afternoon at Kristin's tomorrow
-A and A sleepover at Michelle's Sunday night
-picking up co-op produce at Kristin's two Thursdays
-taking Ananda, Aaron and Isaac to VBS at 8:30 and picking them up at 12, all next week (THEY'RE SO EXCITED)
-free summer movies at the theater
-3 big kids and me at Stuart Little live at the Miracle Theater on June 30 (PATH fieldtrip)
-planting sunflowers and then recording bee observations for half an hour twice a week, a la "The Great Sunflower Project" - which is very cool and we've talked so much about the strange dissapearance of huge numbers of bees that my kids are really into it
And Annie? My Annie? Sheesh, I don't know where to begin. She is seriously changing right before my eyes, and as per usual, it is surprises and wonder every step of the way. She's thinning out as she shoots up. She's FOUR AND A HALF INCHES TALLER than Aaron right now, which hasn't been true since he was born. She has been demanding total privacy to change her clothes for awhile and so I should not have been so (inwardly) surprised as I was to learn it's because she's got...new...changes. *sigh* It is not some big deal at all and I didn't act like I even noticed anything, but I've been going around to Grant and to Laura when out of earshot, ever since, like, "PUBIC HAIR WHAT HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!" Meanwhile I hope she doesn't see through my casual ruse. My poor awkward daughter, who is actually gaining dance poise and some will remember how she's been setting off my gaydar for years now and I've wondered if she'll have internal conflict with her faith and how I'll deal with her theological questions about sexuality when and if that time comes. Well, we were talking the other day about names and baby names and middle names and I said, "Isn't it so weird to think of how if you get married you could have a DIFFERENT last name?" and she, without missing a beat, asked me, "What do lesbians do about their last names when they get married?" I just told her they can keep their own name or hyphenate or switch it like anyone else. But inside I was like "SEE?! YOU SEE?!" I dunno.
We're doing good, though...I feel closer to her, communication-wise, than I think I maybe ever have, which is good. I keep getting scared that we're careening (sp) towards this volatile transitional period of her life without enough ease and trust filling up our days. Today at least I feel like we're doing well. She's sick to death of math for dyslexic reasons with place value and carrying mistakes that I think will come together with practice just like her reading skills did. She burns through ABEKA language work like it's just fun. We laughed a ton in the grocery store alone together, today.
Some of you will remember BALD Jake. Right? A few months ago? Bald Jake and Afro Isaac? Well. They've switched. You can see pics of this and so much more by clicking the cut below, BUT! You should push play after you do and listen to the song while you look at the pictures. Because I was listening to that song as I edited and uploaded them and it was perfect.
( Golden Children )
Since the last time we talked...
+ Ananda had two dance shows
+ I've rejoined and started Weight Watchers, partially because of being inspired by the dance show to get back into this flesh and live healthy and be fit and strong...
- all of our chickens were killed in the night when a neighbor's dog dug under our fence, pulled back the chickenwire, and went to town. It was horrendous to discover, though luckily THANK GOD it was me and not the kids who found them, but then it was horrible to tell them, especially Aaron
+ We decided to get new chickens, as we know how to keep this from happening again (reinforcements, fill and possibly some hot wire, as well as talking with our neighbor) and we have this big old run and coop Grant bought materials for and built, and we're so invested in the whole idea now
+ it helped make the kids happy to help pick them out. There is still lingering sadness but it's tinged with anticipation about the chicks we'll be getting late next month. You can see the ones we picked, as adults and the way they'll be when we first receive them, here, at my flickr
+ I've become a part of the BirthGirlz "Street Team", which so far means I attended a great meeting; I'm getting Nancy on board to be a guest speaker at our Childbirth Film Festival; I'm donating to help fund an attorney who is against a new law that discourages vbac in Florida birth centers (when we have between a 70 and an 80% c-section rate throughout this state, vbac is a pretty serious concern); I'm signing a petition to help get Jackson South to become a Mother-Friendly hospital (WHICH WOULD BE HUGE DOWN HERE); I'm supplying them with different relevant links to articles and studies weekly, from my stockpile; and I've networked to get Schnebly Winery sponsoring the Great Green Family Festival (half of which proceeds go to BirthGirlz, which is incidently non-profit, as one of the two founders in charge - my friend Kristin - is running the whole thing). I feel like an actual birth activist with a network which has pulled this huge weight of guilt and fear and repression off of me - usually when I hear ANYTHING birth related (which is REALLY often), I bury all this swelling emotion away before it consumes me...this time I just started balling and went with it. Which means my book will actually get written instead of me just hiding from the material. I have accountability now :)
+ writing time
+ Annie's started her new summer dance classes and loves them
+ and she claims to actually be ready for learning to ride a bike!
+ taken Elise for bike riding
- lots more hard talks with my mom and my dad about my Nana who had a stroke and is in a rehab place not improving, my Cuban Pa who is still dying slowly, and Grandpa who did die but who's ashes are still waiting to be picked up in Key West
+ started Letter of the Week with Isaac, Jake and Elise
+ tons of schoolwork with A and A
+I sent out cards and postcards today; Heather, Sara, rl friend Kathy, rl brother Bob
Our next month is like:
-me and Annie going alone to dance classes on Tuesday evenings, I write while she dances, we talk to and fro
-me and all kids taking Annie to dance classes on Saturdays, hitting the park, then picking her up and meeting Grant for lunch
-playdate with swimming all afternoon at Kristin's tomorrow
-A and A sleepover at Michelle's Sunday night
-picking up co-op produce at Kristin's two Thursdays
-taking Ananda, Aaron and Isaac to VBS at 8:30 and picking them up at 12, all next week (THEY'RE SO EXCITED)
-free summer movies at the theater
-3 big kids and me at Stuart Little live at the Miracle Theater on June 30 (PATH fieldtrip)
-planting sunflowers and then recording bee observations for half an hour twice a week, a la "The Great Sunflower Project" - which is very cool and we've talked so much about the strange dissapearance of huge numbers of bees that my kids are really into it
And Annie? My Annie? Sheesh, I don't know where to begin. She is seriously changing right before my eyes, and as per usual, it is surprises and wonder every step of the way. She's thinning out as she shoots up. She's FOUR AND A HALF INCHES TALLER than Aaron right now, which hasn't been true since he was born. She has been demanding total privacy to change her clothes for awhile and so I should not have been so (inwardly) surprised as I was to learn it's because she's got...new...changes. *sigh* It is not some big deal at all and I didn't act like I even noticed anything, but I've been going around to Grant and to Laura when out of earshot, ever since, like, "PUBIC HAIR WHAT HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!" Meanwhile I hope she doesn't see through my casual ruse. My poor awkward daughter, who is actually gaining dance poise and some will remember how she's been setting off my gaydar for years now and I've wondered if she'll have internal conflict with her faith and how I'll deal with her theological questions about sexuality when and if that time comes. Well, we were talking the other day about names and baby names and middle names and I said, "Isn't it so weird to think of how if you get married you could have a DIFFERENT last name?" and she, without missing a beat, asked me, "What do lesbians do about their last names when they get married?" I just told her they can keep their own name or hyphenate or switch it like anyone else. But inside I was like "SEE?! YOU SEE?!" I dunno.
We're doing good, though...I feel closer to her, communication-wise, than I think I maybe ever have, which is good. I keep getting scared that we're careening (sp) towards this volatile transitional period of her life without enough ease and trust filling up our days. Today at least I feel like we're doing well. She's sick to death of math for dyslexic reasons with place value and carrying mistakes that I think will come together with practice just like her reading skills did. She burns through ABEKA language work like it's just fun. We laughed a ton in the grocery store alone together, today.
Some of you will remember BALD Jake. Right? A few months ago? Bald Jake and Afro Isaac? Well. They've switched. You can see pics of this and so much more by clicking the cut below, BUT! You should push play after you do and listen to the song while you look at the pictures. Because I was listening to that song as I edited and uploaded them and it was perfect.
( Golden Children )
