Halloween Drama

An Impromptu Performance--with dialog!

K: You say, "I'm a witch and I'll eat you up."
A: No.
K: You want to be a monster? OK, you say, "I'm a monster and I'll eat you up."
A: I'm a monster and I'll eat you up!
K: Now stomp over to us. You want to run or stomp?
A: Stomp. (Starts running)
K: (Squeal) He's coming to get us! (Runs)
(The following lines delivered running circles)
A: The dinosaur is the monster.
K: No, you are the monster.
A: I'm the witch, actually.
K: OK, you be the witch.

Mistborn

Just finished Brandon Sanderson's new Mistborn book, Hero of the Ages. Loved the ending--it worked very well. Elantris is still my favorite of his books, but this trilogy wrapped up nicely and was a lot of fun. I highly recommend him to all fantasy lovers!

Role Playing

Me: Alex, what do you do when Mommy says it's time to go?
Alex: I come with you.

Me: Alex, what do you do when Mommy says it's time to clean up the blocks?
Alex: I clean up the blocks.

Me: Alex, what do you do when Mommy says it's time to go potty?
Alex: I run to the bathroom, go potty, and wash my hands.

Me: Alex, what do you do if Katherine has a toy and you want to play with it?
Alex: I run to the bathroom, go potty, and wash my hands!

CSA Coleslaw

Ingredients:
Half a head of cabbage
Half a bulb of fennel
2 apples (plus the ones you forgot to peel for your husband's pie)
The green pepper strips you couldn't get the kids to finish
Plain yogurt

Finely dice cabbage, fennel, and peppers. Chop apples.
Mix and add yogurt.
Top with a small spoonful of sugar and mix. Yum!

Now I just need to tackle the CSA lettuce, the radishes, the dandelion greens, the fennel fronds, the turnips, and the arugula.

Daylight Savings Time?

Woke up at the proper time, 7:42, just as the radio announcer read off the time, 8:42. Daylight savings time, yelled Lar, and practically shoved me out of bed because we only had twenty minutes to get Katherine to church before the primary program started. I hurried to get breakfast for the kids and take the fastest shower ever, checking the clocks in the kitchen on the way. The radio was right. But it wasn't daylight savings time, I realized, because it's supposed to be spring forward, fall back. Turns out it was just Laramie's crazy clock, which is programmed to reset itself on Daylight Savings change day, and neglected to read the newspaper when Congress changed the dates. I think we need to persuade it we live in Arizona.

Update: Turns out our clock doesn't have an Arizona setting. You are stuck with Daylight Savings Time. Let's just hope the Primary Program doesn't fall on the same day next year.

Riddles

K: I am clear and people drink me. What am I?
Me: Water? Or what about apple juice?
K: I said clear, Mom! Apple juice is yellow and clear.
Me: OK, water.

K: I am clear and people pour water and liquids into me. What am I?
Me: A pitcher?
K: And people use me to drink.
Me: A glass.

A: What's silver and has a button and batteries?
Me: A flashlight! (It was sitting on the counter.)

A: What's black and has a button and no batteries?
Me: A flashlight?
A: I said no batteries, Mom.
Me: Hm...I don't know.
A: A glasses case!

A: What's white and has a handle.
Lar: A pitcher? A teapot?
A: No, what's white and has two handles? A teapot only has one handle.
We're still working on this one.

Destination: Mirror Lake

Just off forest service road 5480, and about 10 miles from the freeway. Since we were driving a minivan, we had to park below the trailhead, and our hike was about 1.5 miles to the lake with 700 feet elevation gain. Mirror lake is the larger of the two, there were patches of snow along the trail, but the view on the south was incredible.

 

The Hike

 
 
 

Where in Carnation

Chutzpah, I think, is the word Grandpa was looking for before he called me at 11am Friday to salvage a boy scout camping trip to Macdonald park. Katherine and I went; she was so excited and had a blast.



 

The Parents' Royal "We"

Like kings, queens, and emperors, I find myself using "We" a lot these days. Except when a parent uses it, it means the opposite. A queen saying "We are not amused" refers to herself. A parent telling a child "We need to go potty" refers to the child. I do it all the time. "We need to clean up your room." i.e. "you'd better do it fast!" "We need to get ready." i.e. "You'd better get your shoes and coat before I walk out the door!" And "We need to eat dinner" almost certainly means the kids will be fed as soon as they sit down, but my dinner won't be for hours yet.

A few nights ago my husband got home from work and collapsed in a chair. "Did we take out the garbage?" he asked. At first I was offended--was he trying to claim some credit when I had done the work? Then I realized it was all right: he was just using the Parents' Royal "We."

PS

Katherine can now read well enough to read over my shoulder as I type. I'd better be careful what I write!

Goggles

Katherine has decided swim goggles are useful for all sorts of things. She wore them in the car to protect her eyes. She is wearing them outside while she rides her bike, and encouraging Alex to wear his too, for safety. The kids have decided they need to wear goggles for fights, in case someone gets poked in the eye (fights with the bad guys, that is, not with each other!) And swimming, of course.

School Night

At church our friends asked if we wanted to come over tonight. We have done this lots of times--take the kids over, let them run around like mad until we can finally convince them to lie down, and then let them sleep until we leave. We turned them down because my sister was in town today. But then I realized the hard truth--Katherine has school in the morning!

No more late night Sunday socializing. It's a school night.

Destination: Talapus Lake

View Larger Map

The trail is about 2 miles to the lake with about 1100ft elevation gain. While google seems to think that a road goes right to the lake, in fact, the lake is just in the boundary of the Alpine Lakes wilderness, so follow forest service road 9030 to the trailhead.

The Hike

real blessings from pneumonia

friends who bring dinner, and who are great cooks!

kids got only coughs, Rebecca got runny nose, Katherine could still go to school (we did make sure to discuss this with the doctor)

a funny doctor who was so sympathetic

mom helping out

spiritual boost from reading 2 1/2 years of ensigns

still could think about YW lesson, editing for Andrea

I could actually sleep in the recliner

Google food

good medications

acceptance

Baby Play

Our new Leavitt family:
Mommy--Katherine
Daddy--Alex
Baby--Bolly (a dried-up rhododendron leaf)

After Bolly's discovery and adoption this morning, he was carried around in a bucket, given a ride on a swing (they hooked the bucket to one of the ropes), taken to the circus, and given a two-year-old sister, Laisa (another rhododendron leaf). Makes me wonder what the kids would do with Becca if they could fit her in the bucket.

More music

Alex sings:

Becca is my baby small,
But she is growing up so tall,
Bo, baby, bo, baby, bo bo bo

A Sunny Saturday!

On Saturday we actually saw sunshine! We took the kids to a friend's house so Dad could help them to dig potatoes and carrots, pull beets, and choose pumpkins. The sunshine inspired Laramie to call a friend and arrange an expedition to the mountains (city living makes him antsy). Choosing the site and arranging the expedition took most of the day, but by evening Lar had brought us to a tiny lake ringed with mountains. It was pretty cold by then, but Lar warmed us all up by roasting hot dogs and cooking S'mores over the grill (he got mine good and melted, so that when I grabbed it chocolate squished out all over my fingers). What a wonderful way to spend a fall day.

The Roman Soldiers are Coming to Town--with Santa Claus!

Alex (singing): The Roman soldiers are going to town, the Roman soldiers are going to town, the Roman soldiers are going to town. (This might have been inspired by the Romans in the crucifixion story in the kids' New Testament, which Alex calls "the sad part.")

Me: Where did you learn that song?

Alex: I made it up. (Pause) It was on a CD. With Santa Claus.
(singing) Santa Claus is coming to town, with the Roman soldiers. Santa Claus is coming to town with the Roman soldiers. Santa Claus is coming to town with the Roman soldiers. And they're all going to ride the bus!

Later
Alex (singing): Santa's soldiers are coming to town, coming to town, coming to town. Santa's soldiers are coming to town.

Things I am grateful for today

Kids who play with each other (even if their play includes Alex pushing on Becca's tummy, lego-throwing, rocking Becca vigorously in her saucer)

Central heating (Alex made a "fireplace" out of blankets in the middle of the rug the other day, and I told the kids how early medieval houses used to all have fires in the middle of the room--glad we don't anymore!)

Sunshine--hey, we see a little of it in the morning these days, even if it goes dark gray by afternoon

Home grown grapes--Laramie's grape plant struggled the first year it was planted, sat dormant for a few years, exploded last year, and this year has produced 6 bunches of plump purple grapes. (Our garden also also successfully produced dozens of green tomatoes.)

Books--I have been drowning my sorrows by reading the Miles Vorkosigan space-opera books; his life is much more complicated than mine!

Katherine's school--she came home today with another really funny dancing song. They have an actual music teacher at her school, and her kindergarten teacher sings. I don't know whether she likes music class better, or library; she told Lar that she wished every day was Tuesday (library day). She loves being able to choose her own books to check out, and is proud of each one.

Andrea's thesis--editing it for her makes me feel useful, even if all I do is confuse her (it feels so strange to be helping with my last sibling's last school assignment!)

Laramie bringing home dinner today

Chocolate

Katherine these days

Thursday: I wish today was a Saturday because then Dad would be home.
Saturday: I wish everyday was a Tuesday because then I could go to school.

Mushroom Tea

Mushroom tea, mushroom tea
Meant to cure all that's been ailing me
Bitter as bitter as bitter can be
Is Grandpa' mushroom tea.

Mushroom tea, mushroom tea
Made from a mushroom that grows on a tree
So bitter even with honey
Grandpa's mushroom tea.

(think Portobello Road)