A laugh out loud funny

Spyder has formed a club, The Mystery Solvers (TMS for short). Tonight, Sass informed Skeeter that she had now formed her own club -- girls only. No Boys Allowed.

Its name? The PMS.

giggle, snort, laugh

No, I'm not making this up.

A classic boy stunt

Today we visited my friend Carla. Spyder and her son Zachary are best buddies, so they were thrilled to have unexpected play time. They were playing outside when Spyder poked his head in the door and gave Skeeter the "come here" motion, round eyes and "oops" expression in place.

Skeeter came back in and said, "We need to go home. Soon." I used my superior interrogation techniques (aka "The Look") and found out that Spyder had climbed the privacy fence -- 6 feet solid wood privacy fence. As he was going over the top, his pants got caught on a jagged portion and ripped. Not just a small tear either. They were torn all the way from the seat to the waistband, along with his underwear. The entire right side of the seat of his pants and underwear were flappin' in the breeze.

Good heavens.

After the incident with Sass, I wasn't even upset. I was just pleased that I didn't have to take him to the doctor for a big ole splinter in his bottom. :o)

And don't forget

Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Celebrate in style!

Autumn is on the way!

Autumn is absolutely my favorite time of year, and I can feel it coming soon! This morning when I went out to get the paper, it was chilly with that cool-weather-is-coming sort of feel. I can't wait!

A few random thoughts for this lovely morning:

• I'd like to build a fire pit in the back yard. I LOVE the smell of a wood fire, and I think that the urchins would like to be able to roast marshmallows over it.
• Sass has decided that she wants to be a mermaid for Halloween this year. We already have a mermaid costume, but she has specifically asked for a tail, so I'm on the search for appropriate fabric to make one.
• Spyder is having trouble narrowing down his costume. He has several ideas, but hasn't made a decision. Whatever he decides, I hope it's soon.
• I'm a bit ambivalent about quitting my bookstore job. I'll miss it, but it will be nice to have more family time. When Skeeter and I talked about it, I realized that what I'll miss most is discussing books with people, not the job itself. My friend Britt and I have been kinda, sorta talking about getting a book discussion group together. Not really a book club where everyone is reading the same thing, but more of a "what are you reading" type of group. I'm not a "book club" type of person, so the open style would work much better for me. Still, I like the way that the bookstore gives me the opportunity to be aware of so much more.
• Interestingly, I won't really miss the discount. I can usually find what I want online for the same amount (or sometimes less). The cafe discount is another thing though. THAT is something that I'll miss.
• Christmas is approaching, and with it, all of the gift buying. I was talking with a friend yesterday who said that she spends about $200 per child for Christmas. HOLEY COW! Maybe I'm a big old skinflint, but we usually do about $50 per person -- $200 for the whole family! This year may be slightly more because I have a few ideas that I'm not sure I can do as inexpensively as usual, but I can't imagine spending $200 per person. Plus, I don't have very many gifts stashed in my gift closet like I usually do.
• We've finally decided upon the date for Space Camp. Skeeter and Spyder will be going around Spyder's birthday next year. We haven't decided if Sass and I will go and stay in the area or if we'll stay home. That's still at the wait-and-see point.

The weekend recap

The antibiotic is working, and Sass is MUCH better! There wasn't really a lot of improvement on Saturday morning, but it wasn't worse, so we decided to wait before taking her into the doctor's office. By Saturday night, the redness was noticably less, and tonight it was almost gone! I noticed this evening that she was just beginning to put pressure on the bottom of her foot again, so I think all will be well without another doctor visit! :O)

I was supposed to go on a women's retreat with my church group, but I missed it because of Sass's foot. I just couldn't leave her like that. She absolutely wasn't herself, and she just wanted Mommy. I'm sure that Skeeter couldn have managed, but I certainly wouldn't have been at peace about leaving her. As it was, we had a really nice weekend, so I can't regret not going.

Spyder got a brand new pair of tennis shoes on Saturday. He's really beginning to grow up. He chose these shoes, and before he's never cared what they were. This year's tennies aren't the light-up style either; they're just plain old Adidas. Tonight he got dressed for Awana, and he looked so grown up! He's in Truth in Training now, the class for the older boys.

I went to a great consignment sale, and I found loads of stuff. Sass didn't really need much, but I found some pajamas and a couple of dresses that I couldn't pass up. I got a Halloween t-shirt for Spyder too, but alas, the arms are too short, so I'm going to end up selling that one. It's a size 7, and I don't want to leave it hanging around here for Sass to grow into. Spyder went with me to the sale, and he was such a joy! It was very nice having time with just him. We don't do that often enough.

Spyder spent most of today studying for Truth in Training. I was really proud of him. He said three sections tonight. Next up is saying the books of the New Testament. He learned them last year for Sparks, so this is just review. He should be able to get that done with no problem!

Skeeter cleaned his desk tonight! He put away all of his papers and filed everything, and his desk actually looks clean and neat! Mine is looking pretty bad in comparison, so I have a mission for tomorrow.

Spyder cleaned Sass's room tonight while she was in the bathtub, and he did a really good job. I'm not really sure why he decided to clean her room, but I'm certainly not going to complain. He uncovered a few toys under the bed that are now in the Goodwill box, plus he found her pajama top that's been missing for a week!

I bought a pair of the new Mary Jane style Crocs. I love them! They're just as comfy as my old ones, but they look a little nicer. And this time I got a nice basic brown (rather than purple) so that I can wear them to work without anyone fussing at me. :o)

Sass

We went to the doctor this morning, and she is now taking an antibiotic to fight any infection. She's felt decently well for most of the day. No fever at all, and she even played outside for a bit.

Now for the bad news. The doctor thinks that there is still a bit of wood in her foot. Unfortunately, he couldn't really tell anything yet. Essentially, we're at a wait-and-see point. If it gets worse while she's still on the antibiotic, we have to go back in for them to see if they can find any wood inside. That poor, poor girl. I think I'll be crying right along side her if it comes to that.

Fruit from the labor

We have a rule in our house about movies. If the movie is based on a book, the book has to be read before the movie can be seen. Skeeter follows it as he wishes, but Spyder and I are pretty good about following it. It's not a hard-and-fast rule. For example, neither of us have read Mary Poppins, but we sure do love the film. It's mostly for the newer releases, although I'm certainly not opposed to reading older books.

It's been my self-imposed rule for ages, since before college at least. Spyder has only been under it since about six months before Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) was released. He's grumbled about it, but he's stuck to it. Mostly because I made him though, not because he wanted to.

We all went to see How to Eat Fried Worms today. Great boy movie, but not at all like the book. Spyder recognized that at once, and afterward we had a great discussion on book vs. movie. Ultimately, we decided that the movie was very loosely based on the book, at best, but they were both good for their own reasons. Spyder had some excellent contributions to the discussion too, not just listening to Skeeter and me.

As we were walking out of the theatre, we saw a poster for Eragon. I mentioned that I needed to read it ASAP because I wanted to see the film. (Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich are both in it -- must see!) A little further along the row of movie posters, we saw the one for Stormbreaker. I read that book earlier this year, and I knew right away that Spyder would love it. I've tried to get him to read it a couple of times over the summer, but to no avail.

After dinner, Spyder got the Stormbreaker book and started in. No fussing, no grumbling about how unfair it is, "making" him read the book. He just started reading. And the book itself? He loves it. :o)

My poor sweet baby girl

Today was a beautiful day. Not at all hot, even during midday, and we spent quite a lot of it outside.

My sweet girl was running out to the clubhouse -- barefoot, as usual -- and stepped on a stick. She has a pretty deep puncture wound on the bottom of her foot, and we're going to have to take her to the doctor tomorrow. It happened around 4:30 this afternoon, which is when her doctor's office closes, so we didn't take her then. Skeeter was actually the one who was outside with the children at the time (I was folding laundry), and he rushed her inside. It was bleeding pretty heavily, but we stopped the bleeding and cleaned it. She put a My Little Pony Band-Aid on it and went about playing. It wasn't until after bathtime that she said that it hurt. Sure enough, it's beginning to swell, and I think it has the beginnings of infection. We cleaned it again with peroxide and put Neosporin on it, but that's all we can do at home.

So, off to the doc first thing tomorrow morning.

Happy Birthday, Skeeter!

My wonderful husband is 37 today!

Sass decided that a birthday isn't really a birthday if no one wears party hats. She got out her stash of Barbie hats and everyone wore them, including her stuffed animals. My personal favorite is Odie with the overturned teacup as a hat. The pink one wouldn't fit, you know. :o)

The day started out with a party. Sass set up the animals last night before bed, and this morning I made omelets and pancakes and set out some fruit. Spyder set the table, then woke Sass. Sass and Spyder woke Skeeter together. He wanted coffee, but we persuaded him to open gifts first. He got a pound of Starbucks coffee as one of his gifts (Spyder's idea), so he was very pleased that we made him wait. :o)

After present opening, we all had breakfast. I ran out for a few errands while the children and Skeeter watched a Don Knotts movie, No Deposit, No Return.

Since we'd had a really big breakfast, we just winged it for lunch, but we all went out for dinner -- Mexican, one of our favorites. Afterward the children went to a friend's house and Skeeter and I stayed home and watched V for Vendetta (and folded laundry, LOL!).

All in all it was an excellent day!

A Sweeping Song

Sweep away, sweep away
Go away dirt
Sweep away, sweep away
Go away dirt!

We don't like dirt in the
house house house.
Come on dirt,
Get on that broom.

Sweep away, sweep away
Go away dirt!

Words and music by Sass :o)

Oh no! Spots!

Well, my children have chicken pox. Spyder has been calling them "chicken spots." Sass's term has been "chicken pops," which has been conjuring amusing images of little chicken popsicles in my mind.

I discovered spots on Spyder's chest, tummy, and back when we were swimming at a friend's house yesterday. He had been playing with the dogs earlier that morning, so I thought there was a possibility that they were flea bites, but alas, I could see the little blisters that indicate pox. This morning they were creeping up his neck, but he doesn't have a fever, and he says he feels fine.

Sass didn't have spots yesterday, but I saw some on her tummy this morning. She's also fever-free and is acting the same as always.

Neither of them is complaining about itching yet, but I have Benadryl on hand, just in case.

Vignette

Today Sass was playing with her ballet doll and one of Spyder's trucks. The truck is a NAPA sound machine truck that makes pretty realistic semi truck sounds and a sound bite of "NAPA! We keep America running!"

Sass put her doll on top of the truck and motioned to the other dollies lined up behind. "Come on! Let's keep America running!"

LOL! Advertising at its best!

Modesty

There is a new bandwagon in Mommy Blogdom, Moms for Modesty. Normally, I don't participate in these things because, quite honestly, this blog is just a way for me to record our days, and I prefer it that way. This bandwagon, however, I'll hop on ever so briefly to add my voice. Why? Because I absolutely, totally, wholeheartedly agree with the idea that I should encourage modesty in my children. Perhaps some clothing designer will run across our collective voices and realize that there is more to clothing children than what's trendy and hip.

Spyder isn't really an issue. He wears the usual Boy Uniform, jeans or shorts and some sort of t-shirt. He's a play-in-the-dirt boy, so for everyday he wears things that I wouldn't have a fit about turning into rags. For church, he is allowed to wear khaki or navy slacks with a non-t-shirt style of shirt. No writing allowed. Patterned shirts are perfect. He's an easy one to dress. Boy Clothes aren't very imaginative, and the most offensive parts are usually t-shirts that are a bit too risque for me. He doesn't really care one way or another, so I just stock his closet with things that I do like, but are "cool" enough for him.

The problem has come in dressing Sass.

Since she was born I've insisted on some sort of diaper or panty covering when wearing a dress. It's a Big Deal to me. Most of her dresses came with a diaper cover, but we did have three generic white covers for when they didn't. Uncovered diapers get saggy and dirty and disgusting pretty fast, and it was just always nicer to see her bum covered properly.

Once she was out of diapers, it was still a Big Deal, but for a different reason. Sass is a dressy-dress girl. She almost always wears dresses simply because she prefers them, but she's not really concerned about keeping her dress down while she's playing. So, if she's wearing a dress, she wears bikers or capris or leggings underneath (depending on the season). Most of what we buy has coordinating bikers or leggings. In fact, that's one of the things I look for -- if there are matching bottoms available.

Here are some of the brands that I prefer:

• Hanna Andersson
• Gymboree
• Land's End
• Gap
• Baby Lulu

These brands have styles that tend to be more classic than trendy; all of them offer matching bottoms to the dresses; all of them are well made, so I know that whatever I've bought is going to last the whole season.

I haven't had the problem with pants or shorts with writing across the bum, but I'm sure that just because of her age. However, I absolutely would not let her wear some of the things I've seen. Even the innocuous ones like "Cheer" or "Dance" call attention to a part of her body that certainly doesn't need it.

I probably do spend more on Sass just to be able to cover her in things that I find appropriate, but for us, it's worth it.

It's rather interesting that Celia Rivenbark's new book is Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank . . . . Her title essay is, as always, wonderfully crude and spot on. I also had a conversation on this very subject with a friend yesterday who commented that she wanted all of Sass's clothing because she liked how "she's always covered!"

I wonder if this is the beginning of a new trend.

This and that

Feeling uninspired with writing at the moment, so I figured I'd make a list. :o)

• Sass learned how to blow up balloons today.
• Spyder started a new Nancy Drew game -- The Curse of Blackmoor Manor. These kinds of games aren't really my thing, but I'm really impressed with how much critical thinking is involved.
• Skeeter has a job offer from a firm which occasionally hires him for consulting. Neither one of us is really sure whether we want him to take the job.
• I'm thinking about applying to a different bookstore. A new one is opening closer to my house, but I don't know much about the company.
• Spyder, Sass, and I watched The Standard Deviants Astronomy Adventure, Part I today (a Netflix movie). As always, the information was presented in an entertaining way, but it wasn't quite what we wanted. We aren't going to bother with Part 2.
• Spyder read How to Eat Fried Worms because he really, really wants to see the movie.
• We made Key Lime Pie today, and it was fantastic!

Abundance

My neighbor's tree is absolutely loaded with pears. Today we picked a dozen or so, and I'm on the search for recipes! Pears are pretty expensive here, so I only buy them occasionally, and never for whole recipes.

I'm overjoyed to have so many!

Any suggestions?

Pirates . . . arrgh!

I've just finished a wonderful young adult series, the "Bloody Jack Adventures" by L.A. Meyer. I originally started reading them to see if they were appropriate for Spyder (they're not just yet), but I continued reading them just for me. :o)

The series begins with Bloody Jack. The setting is London, around 1795. Mary, a six-year-old girl is orphaned when both her mother and father die during an outbreak of the plague. There is nowhere for her to go, so she ends up on the streets and falls in with a street gang. A few years after, the leader of her gang is killed and she decides to strike out on her own. Disguised as a boy, she renames herself "Jacky" and gets a position on a Royal Navy ship as a ship's boy. She learns quickly and keeps up The Deception, despite running headlong into puberty and adolescence.

The second and third books continue with her vast adventures. Despite all of her hardships -- and there are many -- the books are encouraging and empowering, something that is sorely needed in young adult books today.

Highly recommended, particularly for teen and pre-teen girls.

September 1

The beginning of September always feels like a new beginning to me. A fresh start, a change of pattern. I'm not sure why; maybe I've had "new school year" impressed in my mind, even though I no longer have the need to follow the traditional school schedules.

But whatever the reason, the September date feels like I've turned the page onto a new chapter. The weather is even cooperating at the moment. We've had some (relatively) cool days, and even a couple of moments where I've thought, "Ooh, I'm kind of chilly!" Considering the summer we've had, that's just short of amazing to me.

September always makes me feel as if change is on the horizon, but this time more than usual.