Summer is over

Summer is officially over.  The neighborhood kids are back in school (thank goodness); Hayden has re-started home school from a two week break; I’m sleeping with the electric blanket on; I no longer wish for a Mike’s Hard Lemonade in the late afternoon (instead it’s a martini); we have begun to wear our “cozy clothes” all morning and into the afternoon; the Capri Suns have run out;  Halloween costumes are out on the store shelves (oh, speaking of stores, Neiman Marcus, my favorite store, is scheduled to open next week in Bellevue.  Finally, civilization has arrived!);  Olivier is wearing long sleeved dress shirts again (which means our dry cleaning bill is about to soar);  the leaves are already starting to turn, damn those leaves; air conditioned spaces annoy me; and our summer tans have faded.

On a different note, I’m taking our car in next week for its scheduled oil change and inspection but I’m also going to have the mechanic walk me through the parts of the car because the boys and I are going to drive to Washington, DC at the end of the month!  We’ll break up the trip by stopping in Wisconsin for a week (on the way there and the way back) and spend several weeks in DC.  Stay tuned for our travel frolics and follies.  

Biggest Winner

Hayden played in his second chess tournament today after not playing any chess for the past two months.  He lost all five games.  The good part thought was that he had fun and is motivated to play chess again, (the medal he received for good sportsmanship probably had a lot to do with it).

Becoming Thrifty

Living in the Seattle with it’s zest for recycling, and going ‘green’ is starting to rub off on me.  Wait, before you get excited let me explain.  I’m not in favor of the 20 cent tax on grocery bags Seattle is proposing to its constituents next month; nor do I believe we shouldn’t use salt to melt the ice on the roads for fear of it running off into Puget Sound (a salt water body), regardless of the fact the the icy roads were so bad that police officers had to park their cars at the bottom of a hill and walk (yes, I said walk) up the hills to get to their calls.  I have however been shopping at Goodwill lately and using Freecycle in an effort to save money and recycle at the same time.  As you may know I am a political conservative, but recycling and saving money transcends all boundaries (or at least it should). 

My kids love going to Goodwill.  We find the coolest stuff there (see pictures below) and it’s affordable!  It all started when I wanted to buy Hayden his own desk (he’d been using a cardboard box and needed something more substantial).  Pottery Barn was way too expensive; there was nothing within close proximity listed on Craigslist; I have never had a good experience with ebay; hitting garage sales was too much work; enter Goodwill.  On our first visit I found a desk!  But I had brought he stroller with me and it took up all the room in the trunk (we drive a Prius- another very Seattle thing to do- gag me) so I hurried home, dropped off the stroller and came back only to find the desk was gone.  Lesson one: if you see something you like, buy it on the spot!  Don’t think you can come back for it later because someone else will leave with your pirate booty.  Our next visit I bought 8 pillows to use as cushions on our patio furniture.  I even found material (old table cloths) to use as upholstery for the cushions for a fraction of the cost at a retail store.  We also have purchased a Leapfrog bingo game (unopened) for $1, and 6  plastic tumblers for $3 .  But our best purchase to date was Hayden’s Batman bike for $6.  Granted, it needed training wheels and a new tire inner tube  but he loves it and is so proud of it and it would have cost us lots more had we purchased it new elsewhere.  BTW, in order to get it home because it wouldn’t fit in the trunk, I had to smash it into the front passenger seat.  The barista at a Starbucks drive thru was humored.  (That is one thing I love about WA, all the drive thru coffee shops!  Target, Subway and Whole Foods should jump on board the drive thru train). 

As we’ve been spring cleaning I’ve come across some things that we don’t need so I offered them on Freecycle (a Yahoo group acts like a local swap meet- and everything is free.  check it out).  I off loaded some marine navigation software to a high school geography teacher.  I also gave away our bike trailer (used it twice and both times the kids screamed bloody murder the entire ride), and various baby items.  It felt great knowing that this stuff was going to get used and appreciated. 

In conclusion; check out your local Goodwill.  You never know what you may find- or who you’ll spot shopping there. 

 

I made the cushions and pillows!  Pillows from Goodwill, and the two tumblers are from Goodwill as well.
This table was sitting next to the dumpster at our apartment complex with the price tag still attached, but it was FREE for me!
	Hayden’s beloved Batman bike.

 

 

 

Deadliest Catch

My new obsession is Discovery’s Deadliest Catch.  I’ve been watching this show since it’s first season several years ago, but not until recently have I become addicted.  So addicted that last Monday following a Memorial Day weekend Deadliest Catch Marathon, I dragged the boys into Seattle to check out the Sea Star and sneak around Ballard in search of other crab boats featured on the show. 

This show has drawn me into this world I never knew existed, and so close to where I live now.  The first few episodes made me want to write to the fishermen to tell them not to risk their lives to bring us a few crab- it wasn’t worth it.  But as I continued to watch I realized they love what they do.  It’s in their blood, otherwise certainly they would do something else.  So as a result, I will never complain about the price for crab.

My obsession reaches beyond just watching though.  I want to actually do it too!  I’m not in physical shape yet to perform the grueling work required, but with some training I could definitely be up to the task.  I’ve given birth twice for heaven’s sake, how much harder can it be compared to labor and delivery?  Since I have no experience I may have to start off as a cook, which I’m more than happy to do.  The other option is to get my own boat and crew (Ami has already volunteered to be relief Capitan and cook) and set sail to the Bering Sea to give the boys a run for their money.  Anybody in?

You all may laugh but Olivier and I have even discussed the option for him to take a month or two off of work to watch the kids while I go crab fish for some extra income (and an adventure of a lifetime).  I’ll keep you posted.  Until then you can catch me in front of the TV Tuesday nights watching Deadliest Catch with a beer in one hand and a crab leg in the other.

 

 

Cute Tristan

In this picture Tristan was taking a break from his Button Bear math and drinking his morning orange juice while sitting on his desk (which is just a Gateway monitor box, but he loves it).  We usually do homeschooling in the morning hours so you will see a lot of pictures of my kids still in their pjs.  It’s not the greatest picture but it captures such a sweet and dear moment that I would never have if I didn’t home school.  Yes, there would be other great moments to be had, but the simple, unhurried mornings that lead into a peaceful exploration of learning with me, my morning coffee and my darling children is something I savor. 

Dress Form

Last weekend Olivier, my husband, helped me make a homemade dress form out of duct tape and “great stuff” filling.  I used it today for the first time and it worked.  It’s not a perfect match of my figure- because the filling expanded in a few places and ripped the tape causing some “bumps,” but I can use it to place the darts in the correct place and to fit the sides and underarm.   It’s difficult to press pins into it, but for now it will serve me better than having nothing at all.  Mom, if you’re reading this, I’ve added a real dress form to my Amazon wish list. 

You could also use this technique to make a superhero costume! 

I found some time to get some sewing done today.  The dress I’m working on is almost finished now, I just need to hem it- and the shirt I’m almost finished with just needs to be hemmed too.  I see a pattern here.

A New Job

There are a few things I'd like to write about (but not in too great of detail b/c that would mean I would have to actually think and write), the most pressing of which is my decision to take a part time job with Chess4Life. Hayden, my 4-year-old, takes chess classes there and it is a wonderful place; so wonderful in fact, that I want to be a part of it too. The owner and I have been discussing some future options for me but presently (I love the word presently) I'll just be working part-time. It's hard for me to picture what working outside the home will be like. Hayden is already begging me not to "go to work." I think he thinks I'll be going to work like Dad does (50 hrs/wk). Tristan, my 2-year-old, doesn't really understand yet.

Fear one: missing out on three afternoons a week of my kids life. This may not sound like a lot to many of you, but I actually have fun with Hayden and Tristan and it will be truly sad not to be spending time with them.

Fear two: the logistical hassle of going to work and maintaining a home (with two boys). Thankfully the job is in the afternoon so my mornings are free to slowly wake up, home school Hayden, read to Tristan, enjoy my coffee at my leisure, and stay in PJ's until noon. (Remind me to discuss the quandary I have about staying in PJ's all morning). Having to plan ahead for meals, snacks, craft projects, and things to keep the kids busy with while I'm gone is another logistical hassle I'm not looking forward to. I guess to some degree I already plan ahead for these things, but now it feels even more obligatory.

Fear three: what if I don't like it? I have no out b/c Hayden takes classes there. Well, I guess I can always quit, it would just be awkward.

Fear four: having even less time for social occasions, of which I'm already trying to pair down (again, please remind me to discuss the "demon of social obligation" at some point). Having less time makes me all the more covetous of my "free" time with the kids (or even myself) which makes me more inclined to reject social events outside my home. Then I feel guilty that I'm not spending time with my friends, which I want to do but my time is limited, and will be even more limited once I start working....and the cycle continues.

The upside is that I can probably justify a few new clothing purchases!

Okay, thanks for reading.

Night time routine

As I write my first blog (and I must disclose writing is not my strong suit nor my interest) my two-year-old, Tristan, is asking for a sip of my wine ("one sip mama?") and my four-year-old is trying to read what I'm writing (he got as far as "disclose"). I wonder if I'll actually be able to keep this blog alive, but I'm going to give it my best shot. Wish me luck. Good night.