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.

Just what I needed to hear

From my friend Kathy's Quote of the Day email:

Jesus came to the disciples at the start of "the fourth watch," or around 3
a.m.... Many people seem to become unsettled during "the fourth watch,"
that is, very early in the morning when they can't get back to sleep, but
it's just too early to get out of bed. In the darkness, problems seem to
multiply and magnify.... What more apt time to invite Jesus to come to us!
Even if sleep has abandoned us, Our Lord will not.

- Fr. James McKarns, from "Living Faith" January/February?March 2003

Celia Rivenbark

Celia Rivenbark is absolutely one of the funniest writers I've read. I'm in the middle of her latest book, Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank and Other Words of Delicate Southern Wisdom.

All of her books are written somewhat like a collection of essays, so they're perfect for anyone who loves to read but doesn't always have the time. I've been reading the book while giving Sass a bath, waiting in line somewhere, waiting for that pot of spaghetti to boil . . . . You get the idea. If I have a couple of minutes, I read this book.

Being a fellow Southerner, I know (and, sadly, am probably related to) most of the people she describes. And she is completely spot on. And they're Laugh Out Loud Funny. I can't even say how many times I've laughed aloud and had to explain why I was laughing. :o)

Read her; read her; read her!

Cute little girl

After Sass got out of the bath tonight, she said she wanted "Mommy's after shower hair."

It took me a moment to figure out that she wanted me to make my usual after-shower towel configuration. LOL! She was thrilled with her "long, pink princess hair."

It's the simple things . . . .

We've had a little bit of a reprieve with the weather lately. Temperatures are only hitting in the low to mid 90s, and it feels practically cool compared to the 100+ days we've had.

My children play outside quite a lot, usually in the clubhouse or on the swingset. Lately though, they've discovered the joy of mud puddles. Yesterday when they went out to play with the water hose, they ended up filling a hole (created by those blasted canines) and turning it into "The Big Muddy." Oh, dear heavens. They played in the mud, muddy water, and grass clippings for almost two hours. Their only tools were a trowel, a garden rake (with a broken tine), and a skateboard.

I love it when they do things like this! In what seems to be an age of technology overload, it's wonderful to see them enjoying the simple things.

Agent Cool Blue

Agent Cool Blue is a new plaque revealing rinse that (I believe) has only recently come onto the market. Agent Cool Blue is made by Listerine, so I was a little bit skeptical in buying it. Listerine is a great product, but it hurts to use it! It makes my eyes water, and I very seldom make it past 15 or 20 seconds of swishing.

But hey, Spyder was interested in trying it, and I'm all for anything that makes him want to brush his teeth.

In a word, it's wonderful! We got the bubble gum flavor, and the taste isn't that bad. I think Spyder has brushed his teeth more in the last two days than he has in the last week! And it's all been willingly, not me with the continual reminders of "Did you brush your teeth yet?"

Normally, I'm not a person who feels the need to buy the New or New and Improved things on the market, but this is one that I'm glad we did buy!

Church activities

I started a new bible study at our women's group tonight, The Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority by Dr. Adrian Rogers. I think that I am really, really going to enjoy this study. We did the introduction this evening, and I was absolutely captivated by the lesson.

The group is also focusing on memorizing Bible verses, which I haven't done since I was a girl. I've helped Spyder and Sass with their Awana verses, so I haven't completely strayed away. It just hasn't been my focus. I have to admit that I was a little intimidated when the study leader said she'd be keeping track of who was memorizing! It should be good practice for my limp noodle though. :o)

In child news, Sass started her second year of Awana Cubbies, and she was thrilled! Her little friend Olivia is now in the class with her, and they were both excited about that. I'm not sure that the teacher is going to be all that thrilled with it though. :o)

Spyder began his first year of Truth In Training, and he was absolutely over the moon about it! He doesn't get his book for another two weeks, but he's been practicing memorization by using his book from last year.

I'm still the director of the Awana store, so I'm having to work that into the bible study nights. I'm also working in the nursery one Sunday per month, as well as working in Junior Worship one Sunday per month.

Whew! Another church year starting off with a bang!

Reliving my youth

Lately I've been getting older movies from Netflix, the library, and the video store, ones that I loved when I was younger. Skeeter and I have had such a blast watching these oldies but goodies. So far we've seen (in no particular order)

• The Princess Bride
• Real Genius
• Sixteen Candles
• Can't Buy Me Love
• Back to the Future
• Beetlejuice
• Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
• War Games
• The Goonies

I'm sure the list isn't complete. We've been on this kick for a few weeks, and we haven't even gotten to Explorers or Better Off Dead!

Lately, the children have fallen in love with Scooby-Doo and Tom & Jerry. Scooby is fun, but Tom & Jerry make them laugh and giggle like I've never seen before. I need to introduce them to Fred Flintstone. :o)

Back to school

We had our annual homeschooling "back to school" party on Friday, from 11 am to 4 pm. And let me tell you, that is a long time to be in a gym with 60+ children. It was a great party though.

The gym is made for roller skating, so my urchins had a wonderful time learning how to skate. Sass was doing very, very well by the time we left. Spyder, on the other hand, wasn't faring as well. I think we're going to be doing skating more often though. It was loads of fun! Ah, I do remember the roller skating days . . . . Friday nights at Skateland. Oh, the memories! Sadly though, I didn't get out there to skate. I was very busy trying to hold up my children. Plus, I was a little bit afraid that I would make a fool out of myself!

We also had a mini-curriculum fair, and I found an excellent science curriculum that I can use for both children. It is engaging enough that Sass should be interested, but we can make it challenging enough to keep Spyder working as well. We're saving so that Spyder and Skeeter can attend the Father/Son Space Camp, so I chose the Apologia Astronomy curriculum. Several people had recommended it, and I had looked at it online, but I couldn't really decide if it was for us until I actually held it in my hand. (Being a tactile person is a detriment at times.) I ordered it immediately, and I can't wait to get started on it!

That bookstore job

I love it. I really do. But on nights like tonight, I wonder if I'm not really cut out to be in a customer service job.

We've been incredibly busy for the last two (almost three) weeks. Busy like Christmas. Schools are starting now, and everyone who procrastinated and didn't do his/her summer reading is rushing to get the book. Teachers are handing out new reading assignments. And none of the teachers actually give us a heads up so that we can order additional copies.

Tonight I was besieged with customers who wanted me to get books for them with almost no information. Here are three of the most extreme requests (with a little extra rudeness thrown in for good measure):

#1: A book from on the high school reading list that has "My" in the title. The customer -- the student's mother -- scoffed at my first guess (My Antonia). I started offering others (Bless Me, Ultima; Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; Black Like Me). My customer got angry that I couldn't come up with the title immediately. "I have places to go!" While the mom was on her tirade about how useless I was, the student came up and immediately picked up my first choice (My Antonia) and said, "Hey, that's it." The mom paid and left, with no apology to me for her rudeness.

#2: A customer called and asked for "a book that was on one of your displays with M&Ms on the cover." She couldn't remember if it was a hardcover or a paperback, on which display she saw it, or anything about the title or author. While I was looking for that elusive book

(Aside/digression): Another customer came to the desk to use the phone. She didn't ask anyone if it was okay. She just picked up the phone and hung up on my customer. I was walking into the area when I saw her and I yelled, "NO!" She jumped, and I said, "You just hung up on my customer." She giggled and said, "Oh, you scared me. I thought something was wrong."

#3: A book with "ruby" in the title. I came up with several titles, but none were what she wanted and she walked off in a huff.

I am usually pretty good at figuring out what someone needs. I've been working with books for years, so I have a pretty broad knowledge base. But I'm not clairvoyant.