The Unconventional Geniuses

I told the kids that we would go to the park and pack a picnic this afternoon, but it’s going to rain all day.  I am taking them to the library instead.  I love the library.  It makes me feel like a kid again.  I always have a hard time choosing though and leave with like 27 books…..way more than you can read in a two week time period!  I usually get two or three for me (which is unrealistic when you have small children) and then the rest are books for the kids.  Last April after Carson had surgery on his leg and we had read all of the books in the house and put all of the puzzles together, we walked to the library.  I pushed the boys in my jogging stroller as usual, two miles, up and down hills— but on the way back when the basket was filled with books I remember thinking “Um yeah, this was not a good idea.”  I’m a little crazy sometimes. 

As some of you know, I write children’s books, so the link to the article that I have pasted below was really interesting to me.  I know that a lot of you won’t read it because it just isn’t your cup of tea, but those of you who do read it will find it amazing that at one point in time Dr. Suess was considered unconventional!  He’s THE book for children these days, but it wasn’t always so.  I love when people challenge the status quo; great things can happen.  The author also talks about Shel Silverstein—one of my favorites when I was younger.  My mom used to play the tapes in the car and we had all of his books.  I bought one for Peyton a few years ago because I thought he’d enjoy the zaniness.   I love Silverstein because he dares to think like a child.  There’s a gift in remembering how children think once you are grown and he definitely bears that gift.  They also refer to Maurice Sendak, author of “Outside Over There”.  This was one of the most intriguing books to me when I was a kid.  I couldn’t figure it out, and therefore I loved it.  I read it over and over trying to figure out what it meant.  I never did get any concrete answers, but I was constantly curious.  In my opinion, curiosity is what you want a children’s book to evoke.  According to this article in New York Times, that wasn’t always the case. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/books/review/the-childrens-authors-who-broke-the-rules.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Here’s the Word of the Day:

acme \ACK-mee\, noun:

The highest point of something; the highest level or degree attainable.

Case of the Mondays

Do you remember that annoying lady in "Office Space" who says "Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays"?  I always feel like saying that on Mondays, just to be irritating.  That movie is still so funny to me.  What the heck!  If you want to hear her say it, here ya go.......

http://youtu.be/ChfIyHZqEd8

The kids are out of school this week.  I will have Logan, Lindsey, Carson, Dylan, Finley and Finley's school-age brother and sister.  Grant is 8 and Hanna is 10.  Total it up!  I am keeping SEVEN, I repeat, SEVEN children all day, all week.  I am really not concerned.  We're going to have fun.  We're going to the park, having picnics, playing outside......it'll be lots of fun.  If anyone fights or gives me a headache, they will sit in the corner alone until they can be pleasant.  (I guarantee that it will be my own kids sitting in the corner.)  I will have to go to the gym either in the morning before everyone wakes up, or at night.  I didn't go this morning because I was tired.  I know one thing for sure and that is that I have to go every day this week or I will get grouchy.  For the kids' sake I will make sure I go.

Have a great Monday!  Here's the Word of the Day:

revenant \REV-uh-nuhnt\, noun:

One who returns after death (as a ghost) or after a long absence.

Power of the Older Sibling

Logan hurt his ankle in the game yesterday, but he went back in shortly after sitting out. One of the coaches later told me that he asked Logan if he was absolutely sure that he was ok.  Logan replied "My brother hasn't been here in a while and I don't want him to just see one play.  I want to go back in."  He wanted to impress Peyton.  Being the oldest sibling in my family, I don't think that I ever realized how much younger siblings look up to their older brother or sister.  It's so adorable.  Logan has always looked up to Peyton and so does Lindsey.  Lindsey is having a hard time dealing with the fact that Peyton is a teenager.  She's 10, he's 13, and the gap hasn't ever been larger than it is right now.  She still wants to play with him, but he just chills like a teenager.  I think that they'll have more to do together when she too is a teenager; it's just hard right now for them to hang out. 

The coach who told me about what Logan said was about to leave for the airport with his family.  They were flying to Italy. I told them that like 15 things on my bucket list have to do with Italy.......one of them is to steal a pebble from the Coliseum.  They said that they would get me one, since they are staying in Rome.  Oh, to leave for Italy..........

I hope that everyone is having an excellent weekend!  Here's the Word of the Day:

pleonasm \PLEE-uh-naz-uhm\, noun:

1. The use of more words than are necessary to express an idea; as, "I saw it with my own eyes."
2. An instance or example of pleonasm.
3. A superfluous word or expression.

A Nugget of Snobbery

I went to Alabama yesterday to pick up Peyton.  On the way to get him I had to stop to get gas.  I always say that I am not a snob, and in many ways, I am not a snob. There are moments, however, when I realize that I sort of am.  I always try to stop at a busy exit where there will be a lot of gas stations and food to choose from.  I also do this to avoid stopping in a town that looks as if people disappear mysteriously.  Yesterday I kept waiting for a busy exit, but there weren’t any, so I had no choice to pull over and get gas in the middle of nowhere. As I pumped my gas, I began to wonder if there was a nuclear power plant nearby because some of the people would have looked normal with arms coming out of the sides of their heads.  Isn’t that a terrible thing to say? 

This reminds me of a time that I stopped at KFC with Don somewhere in the middle of nowhere and I sarcastically asked him if there was a nuclear power plant nearby because the workers were so strange.  He said “Actually, there is.”  I got my chicken sandwich and bit into bread.  I opened up the sandwich and there was A NUGGET of chicken in the middle of the bun.  Don and I started laughing.  I had to go up to the counter and ask the manager for a piece of chicken instead of the nugget.  He laughed and showed the employees.  The employees looked confused.  I’m sorry, but that is funny.  It was really funny. 

I have to get ready for Logan and Lindsey’s game.  Have a great Saturday!  By the way, Peyton is now at least a head taller than I am.  And I am 5’3. 

Here’s the Word of the Day:

postprandial \post-PRAN-dee-uhl\, adjective:

Happening or done after a meal.

How We're Rollin'......

My friend Katie and I were texting back and forth yesterday; it was the usual random conversation.  I was teasing her for liking Michael McDonald, we discovered that we both love Hall and Oates, she was telling me how sad she is that her little boy is now in school all day, and we were talking about how weird it is that Logan’s too cool to dress up for Halloween this year.  I told her that I bought a shirt that says “That’s How I Roll” for my 70’s roller girl costume (my sister and I are dressing up for Halloween), and I told her that I also wanted to buy her one.  The reason that I want to buy her a shirt that says “That’s How I Roll” is because of something funny that she did a few years ago.  I have been meaning to jot this story down somewhere so we don’t forget, so here I am, sharing it with you on a random day when there isn’t much going on. 

I had gone up north to visit my mom in Milwaukee.  One night Katie and I decided to go out for a couple of drinks.  We went to Bar Milwaukee, a dirty, plastic cup and sticky-floor kind of place.  It used to be fun, back in the days of 50 Cent, but we were sort of grossed out by it and realized that we had grown up…..that is, until “Baby Got Back” came on.  We danced to Sir Mix-a -Lot and decided that it was time to go.  As we were leaving, a guy grabbed me and started talking.   I said “No, married, not interested, blah blah blah” and Katie was still walking.  She realized that I was no longer there, so she came back, got in his face and yanked my arm.  She said “She isn’t interested, and trust me…..neither are you.  We are both married, we both have kids. SHE has twins.”  Then something classic came out of her mouth.  She said “We make people……that’s how we roll.” The guy sat there not knowing what to say and Katie and I left.  I was laughing so hard, I went home and told everyone what she said and it went into the Verbal Lynching Hall of Fame in our household.  Oh, she cracks me up.  We make people, that’s how we roll.  Awesome.

Yesterday after Pilates, I took the kids to McDonald's to play.  This picture is too cute not to share.  Here's precious little Dylan, enjoying his fries.  Finley is sitting next to him.

This one is from a few days ago.  Carson scooted his chair next to Finley's because he wanted to sit right up next to her. 

Today I am going to the gym, cleaning out my car (because I was too lazy yesterday), and going to Alabama to get Peyton, so I have to get going. 

Here are a couple of Hall and Oates videos, just for fun.  Oh my gosh, CHEESE!  I love the 80’s!  It makes me think of my parents when they were my age. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anLfoy2XsFw

http://youtu.be/sz2W3QfXnHc

If you recall, yesterday's Word of the Day was "baccanalia".  It was defined as the ancient Roman festival in honor of Bacchus.  Who or what the heck is Bacchus, right?  Am I the only one who didn't know that yesterday?  Well, I looked it up.  In lieu of a word for today, here is a brief description of Bacchus:

Bacchus is the Roman god of wine and intoxication, equated with the Greek god, Dionysus.   The festival or "orgies" (that's nice, gotta love the Greeks) were introduced in 200 BCE.  These orgies got so out of hand that they were eventually banned by the Roman Senate in 186 BCE.  Euripides wrote a play about the festivals called "The Bacchae".  Just an extra note.....apparently, Dionysus is the red-headed step-child of the Greek gods. He is hardly mentioned and he's bitter about it, according to my reading.  I remember reading about him in World Literature, but I don't remember where. 

Shot Nerves, Dreams of Paris, and Bios

We made it to Thursday, which is what I say every Thursday because Wednesdays are so difficult.  Yesterday I was a bit more frazzled than usual, but it was due to Carson.  He has been very territorial and wants me all to himself.  He has been walking around hitting Dylan and stealing his toys, which means he’s been constantly in trouble.  He is usually nice to Finley (the little girl that I watch) but he has been rotten to her the last couple of days as well—stealing her toys.  It looks like a cat scratched Dylan’s face because Carson nearly clawed his cheek off, and I have been so tired at the end of the day from separating them and from hearing screaming.  I don’t know what is going on with Carson this week, but he is not himself.  I think he may be tired.  He is sleeping a lot and seems to be catching up.  Before I got all of the kids into the car for practice yesterday, I screamed “BE QUIET!  I want TWO minutes of silence.  I don’t want to hear ANYONE talk for TWO WHOLE MINUTES!”  They gave it to me, and it helped me to gather my composure.  One of my friends asked if I was mad at her yesterday.  I apologized and told her that it wasn’t her, but that my nerves were shot.  I felt horrible about that.  I am usually cheerful and I hate being irritated.  At least someone notices; I guess that means that I am usually in a good mood.  It's better than someone saying "Why are you so happy today?" 

I woke up around 2:30 this morning and watched Charlie Rose interview Ina Caro.  I smiled through the whole show.  She is delightful.  She is married to Robert Caro, a biographer, and they met when she was 16.  The moment she saw him she said “I am going to marry him one day.”  I assume that they are in their seventies, and yet they still seem to be so in love— I just found it so adorable.    Her main role has been researching for Robert’s award-winning biographies.  She said that when he is working, he doesn’t talk about what he is writing or it won’t come out right on the page, so she just gathers information without knowing what he is looking for.  They travel to Paris constantly and she wrote a book called “The Road from the Past: Traveling through History in France”.  When I go to Paris I am totally getting this book.  I am definitely getting it for my sister so she can use it the next time she goes to Paris.  The book is designed so that you wake up in Paris every day, take a train to a destination somewhere in France, and you are back by dinner.   The sites are to be seen chronologically.  I think that I am going to learn French or Italian while I drive around in the car.  That way when Don and I move to Italy or France, we’ll know how to function.  HAHA!  We always say that we’re moving together once our kids are grown, but it’s a joke.  We’d never be able to leave our kids, even if they are grown.  We want to be that old couple who has a thousand grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

I may not be moving to France any time soon, but I think that I am going to start reading more biographies.  I really enjoy them.  I would read them more than I do, but I love fiction so much that I don’t tend to share my time with non-fiction.  I think that you can learn a lot from biographies.  First of all, every person is fascinating—I don’t care WHAT you do or WHO you are…..every person is fascinating and has something interesting to share.  I love people and their stories.   Also, I love different perspectives on the same event.  I think that’s why I was watching so much 9/11 stuff last week.  I am really interesting in hearing different viewpoints on the same event.  I have talked about this book called “Fingersmith” for years now, and I still don’t think that ANYONE I’ve told to read it has read it yet.  (That’s a shame.)  One girl tells the story the way she sees it.  Then halfway through the book another character starts the story over through her perspective and it is so cool because it is shockingly different than the first.

 By the way, I also watched half of a biography on Andre the Giant after the Charlie Rose interview.  You want to know why I was awake in the first place?  A junk email came through to my inbox and my phone made a noise.  And you want to hear something crazy?  My phone is on vibrate.  It vibrated ONE time on the nightstand and I woke up.  Am I a light sleeper, or what?  My alarm clock is ridiculous.  It is a series of vibrations, no ringtone at all.  That's how I wake up at 5:45 every morning......vibrations on the nightstand.  This morning, however, it was on the leather ottoman because I came downstairs to watch TV when I couldn't sleep.  I still woke up even though my phone was on a soft surface!  It's so weird!

Today I am going to Pilates, cleaning out my car, doing laundry, and taking Lindsey to dance.   Tomorrow I am driving to Birmingham to pick Peyton up for the weekend.  I am leaving the kids here, so I get to listen to a book on CD.  We have a DVD system in the car, so I don’t even really get to listen to music when I drive anymore.  (I am not complaining…..that DVD system makes driving with that many kids possible.)  It’ll be nice to have not only peace and quiet, but to listen to something that I want to listen to. 

Here’s the Word of the Day:

bacchanalia \bak-uh-NAIL-yuh\, noun:

1. (plural, capitalized) The ancient Roman festival in honor of Bacchus, celebrated with dancing, song, and revelry.
2. A riotous, boisterous, or drunken festivity; a revel.

Absolute Stupidity

I didn’t watch Dr. Phil yesterday because I never watch that show, but now I wish I would have.  He interviewed Casey Anthony’s parents.  There have been times that I have felt sorry for them, but after hearing some of these clips, there is no doubt that they are guilty of absolute stupidity.  Here’s a link to clips of the interview….

http://drphil.com/shows/show/1678

I don’t need to repeat the reasons why they are stupid for believing their daughter, but there is one lie in particular that I find most amusing.  How in the world could they ever believe that a single mom living with her parents could afford a NANNY?  They are just complete fools.  And now they are saying that she had post-partum schizophrenia????  You’ve got to be kidding me.  Brain tumor?  Seizures?  Oh, give it up, Cindy.  Your daughter sucks as a human being.  I can't imagine how hard this has been for her, but enough is enough. 

I watched something on the Biography channel a couple of days after Casey was let out of jail and they talked about a lot of lies that Casey had told her mother before she had Caylee.  According to this show, Casey knew in January that she was not going to graduate from high school but continued to act as if she were until May.  Cindy kept asking where her cap and gown were and Casey finally told her the truth TWO DAYS before the ceremony.  Instead of allowing her daughter to look like a lying fool, Cindy covered it up.  Cindy continued to let relatives come into town for her ceremony, knowing that Casey would not be graduating.  Who does that?  The show also said that Cindy wasn't telling anyone that Casey was pregnant and when Casey's uncle asked why everyone was ignoring the fact that Casey was pregnant,  Cindy said that she wasn't pregnant and that the bump was a tumor.  So it looks like the apple does not fall far from the tree.  I think that Cindy and Casey were both weirdos and liars before Caylee's death. 

Here's another link to an article from ABC News and video clip from The View.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/cindy-anthony-blames-seizures-postpartum-illness-caseys-behavior/story?id=14512067

And here's the Word of the Day:

fey \FAY\, adjective:

1. Possessing or displaying a strange and otherworldly aspect or quality; magical or fairylike; elfin.
2. Having power to see into the future; visionary; clairvoyant.
3. Appearing slightly crazy, as if under a spell; touched.
4. (Scots.) Fated to die; doomed.
5. (Scots.) Marked by a sense of approaching death.