My Little Fish

We went to swim lessons last night. Like we do every Monday night. Right before class, sweetP's teacher tells Ducky that he has made unexpected strides and she thinks he is ready for the next level. Yahoo, sweetP! He did this last time too. On recommendation day, his teacher felts he should stay in the class he is in, but then something clicks and they change their mind. Except there are no openings in the next level for the next session. Dang. So he is on wait lists and we have to wait and see.

I don't like to wait and see. I had them taking lessons at the same time. I had it all planned. Ducky and I could go together, divide and conquer. Talk to each other without interruption. Now if sweetP doesn't get in I have to tell him that he will be taking that session off. And then he will be sad. And I will have to worry that he will forget all the stuff they have been teaching him. He is such an enthusiastic little guy. I really hope I don't have to burst his bubble. It is hard to believe that just back in June he didn't like to get his face wet and now he jumps right in. They work miracles at this place.

SweetE is a much more reluctant fish. Exceedingly cute, but not confident yet. I love to watch him. He has his little goggles on and he looks over at us with this big grin and gives us the thumbs up. And you can tell that he can't relax, but that he trusts his teacher. And he wants to do what they ask, he just doesn't trust that it will be okay yet. We can tell how happy he is about class by the number of thumbs ups that we get. Most of the time we get a lot. Last night, he gave his teacher the lip. The one that tells us that he is upset and about to cry. I don't know what upset him, but his teacher got him over it and by the end of class he was laughing and kicking during the train ride around the pool. (A giant train shaped kick board, all the kids lay on it and get pulled around the pool for about two minutes. They love it.)

You know both boys love their classes when they re-enact them in the bath tub. I'm glad they like the water. And I hope sweetE doesn't take after me. I took beginning swim lessons nine times before I passed. It was six times before I put my face in the water. So he is doing better than I did.

A New Record!

Wow, the first time my comment count has reached 2 digits. I should have joined Fun Monday sooner. The part of me that craves validation is in heaven.

I have a milestone coming up. My 100th post will happen in a few days. How should I commemorate the occasion?

Please recall that before I started this blog, I never managed to keep a journal longer than three weeks. 100 posts is a minor miracle. And cause for celebration.

Fun Monday

I am officially joining the Fun Monday ranks. What can I say, I like knowing I am not the only one in over my head on a regular basis.

Here is the assignment from Blue Momma.
I want you to show me your......projects. More to the point, I want to see your unfinished projects. I have so many that I really need some reassurance that I'm not the only one. Home improvement projects are what I have in mind, but it you don't have any of those show me any kind of project - needlework, cooking, scrapbooking, etc. You can even show me your spouse if they qualify as a work in process.

And please, I WANT PICTURES!!!! You can talk if you want, but you don't have to. I know since you are all bloggers talk is bound to happen, but I most definitely want to see photos of those unfinished projects.


Let me start with the pit of despair, also known as Mommy's work room. I painted it back in February. And I have been planning get it organized every day since. I am really looking forward to having a work space to sew, read, relax, create, etc. But right now it just depresses me. I did manage to get two baby blankets sewn in there today, but still got depressed by the mess. Note to Ducky, you are not allowed to comment on my mess!


The laundry closet. We remodeled that back in January. We put in new floors, new cabinets and painted. Then we had the electrician come in to put in new can lights and move the light switch. Good thing we did, there was a fire hazard in there. But now the paint needs to be touched up and we still haven't gotten the pivot doors. The closet is on a hallway and every time I do laundry I end up banging into those doors because they close up half the hall. Arghhh.


The blessed stairs. We started this project in July and getting the stairs done is taking forever. SweetE likes the construction look, he is allowed to pound on them with his hammer as much as he wants. We are tired of the construction look. We love the remodel, we are glad we turned the stairs, but we are so ready to be done!


Here are the treads to go on the blessed stairs. I have made progress this weekend. I have four coats of finish on them. They still need a light sanding with an extra fine grit paper and then one last coat of finish. Then they can be installed. But when? By Christmas, please before Christmas. This is the third set of treads for the blessed stairs. Do not operate power tools while distracted. I cut every tread too short. That was the first set. Then we hired an incompetent contractor. He cut them all crooked. That was the second set. This is the third set. We are back to the original contractor. The one that turned the stairs, but who knows when he will get to it. Please before Christmas!


This is the new patio door. That leaks. As you can see we haven't finished the drywall and trim around it. The door people have supposedly ordered a new insert, but it should have been here a week ago. In the meantime, it has ruined my grass rug in front of the door. And I need to sand, mud, sand, texture, prime, paint and put up the molding. Dang, I'm tired.


The fireplace. I do not like this brick fireplace. I loathe this brick fireplace. But I vowed I would not start a new project until all projects in progress are completed and I have more money. So I have to look at it. The hearth is two different heights. The mantle is weird. I admit it could be a lot worse. But I still want to get rid of it.


As we were getting ready to head to the beach a few weeks ago, the deadbolt on the front door broke. It was stuck in the locked position. So right when we got back, I had to take it apart and put in a new one. At least I had the new one in my possession. When we replaced the patio door, I bought a new front door handle at the same time. I had planned to put it on the new front door when we got it. But instead I got to put it on the old front door. But only the deadbolt part. The handle has an extra fastener that would require a hole to be drilled in the door. I really don't want to drill and get it in the wrong place and then have to buy the new door now. There is that whole money thing and I have expensive taste. So we have a new deadbolt, an old handle and it now requires two keys to get in the front door.

I did not photograph my bedroom, but it still has white walls and I have the paint in the garage. I just don't have the time and that would technically be starting a new project.

The list continues, but I still have to plan my lessons for tomorrow. Another day, I can share all the non home improvement projects that need finishing.

What is Wrong With My Dog?

Beware, dog vomit story ahead.

Last Sunday I shampooed the family room carpet. Velcro had puked on it a few weeks before. And it had gotten pretty colorful from the boys spilling things on it. So I decided it was time to clean it. It looked fabulous for 5.5 days.

Today, Velcro puked on it again. I am not sympathetic. He went from the front door (tile) through the living room and dining room (cork) through the kitchen (linoleum) past the backdoor (aka exit to deck and grass) into the back corner of the family room (carpet). Had he thrown up on any of those other surfaces, I would feel bad for him. And I had just had the door open and he showed no interest in going out at all.

Then in the moment it took me to go into the garage and come back with stuff, he made a new orange stain on the carpet. Getting to it immediately with carpet cleaner didn't prevent that stain. And he had started to eat it! Yuck!!!

What is wrong with my dog? He used to have good sick doggy behavior. Throw up right by the back door on an easy to clean surface, good boy. He would get sympathy. I would sing his praises on what a kind, thoughtful doggy he was. Lately, he heads to the back of the family room. He always goes past the back door without asking to go out. What is wrong with my doggy?

And why does the dog food manufacturer keep changing the formula of his senior dog food and upsetting his delicate tummy?

Poor Velcro. He really is a good dog. But why can't he stop at the back door anymore? His tummy seems to be all better now.

In a Hole

Today I graded 10 sets of papers and I might be half way done. Might be. I still need to plan for next week. So much work to do. And I have two baby blankets to make and five stairs to finish. I need a time machine or something to get everything done.

But I ate yummy leftovers and hung out with my boys. So the day had good points too. And Mt. Laundry has been demoted to butte status. And I watched a movie with Ducky. The first I have seen in months.

Off to bed!

My Life, The Musical

I was sitting and watching the boys play this morning. It was some kind of pirate/knight thing. And I realized that they were singing to each other. Instead of talking, they were singing what they wanted to say.

Back and forth. Discussions of bridges, knights, ships, everything in song. And it was so cute. I had to capture this moment on video. Except that when you bring out the camera, they feel the need to perform. They don't realize that you just want to catch them being themselves. So instead of their cute musical, I got a musical performance. Complete with harmonica. Cute, but not what I was going for.

I always know what days sweetP has music at school. He spends the rest of the day singing. Of course the song I hear the most is the Star Wars theme song. I hear it about 10 times a day, sometimes more. Sometimes a lot more.

But, no matter what they do they are cute and my favorite source of entertainment.

Books

My boys are discovering the love of reading. Every night lately, we retire to our respective rooms and read with the boys.

Ducky is reading the Narnia books to sweetP. He loves them, even though they lack pictures. When he was about two, he was looking at my books for work. He looked up at me, and in all seriousness said, "But mommy, where are the pitchers." The idea of a book without pictures was beyond him. But now, he is making his own pictures. And they are getting great daddy/boy time.

Meanwhile, I am reading to sweetE. Tonight we read eight books. The same eight books we read last night. We have read the Tigger book so many times, he has it memorized. So I make him read that one to me. He even runs his fingers along the words as he goes. And it is so cute how he reads it. He won't use contractions. And when it talks about Eeyore's thistles, he pronounces it missiles. One night very soon, I am going to video tape it. I have an audio tape from about the same age "reading" Good Night Moon.

And both boys don't want to stop to go to bed. SweetE had about three more books lined up and ready to go. And if I let him he will start the stack all over again. SweetP would gladly listen to at least one more chapter a night.

I love that they are falling in love with reading. I cleaned out the library as a kid. I think I read every kids book they had.

SweetP has made leaps and bounds so far this year in reading. At the end of kindergarten, he still didn't know all of the alphabet. And now he is reading the decodable books. Yahoo, sweetP! I am looking forward to a time when we can all be sitting and reading our books together and be perfectly content. At the same time, I am willing to freeze time, so I can read to them awhile longer. Their little selves snuggled in and listening. Pointing to the pictures.

I'm ready for December. I have found 20 of the Christmas/winter books so far. I think the rest are packed in the Christmas boxes. But, just in case, I am ordering a few more from sweetP's book order. If I have too many, we will just have to read two some nights. Darn. :)