I have placidly watched the color being sucked out of my car as the winter progresses. It used to radiate this beautiful sapphire blue color, but as winter progressed, so did the vampire life force removing the color from my car.
By last weekend, I was frustrated because every time I walked by the car, I would get dandruff like dirt residue rubbed off on my clothes. I couldn't take the garbage out without feeling like I would be attacked by the dirt.
Last Thursday, Evan and I drove the boys to Chess Club, and I saw a golden sign, serving as a beacon to me: Car Wash- Open 24 hours. I remained skeptical that I would truly be able to drive up and get a car wash, but to my delight, a quick swipe of my credit card allowed me to enter the de-dirtification spa.
I paid for the works. No simple soap and water. I got two coatings of slippery slimy soap following by a wash then a final coat of colorful soap/ protector for the car and more rinse. Evan loved watching the water dance across the windshield. He was slightly less fond of the blowers and rinsers, yet he laughed and giggled most of the time.
Pulling out of the car wash, I could almost hear Bob Barker's voice: You have a brand new car! Evan and I talked about how it would look as we drove home, anxious to sneak a peak. It even smelled like a new car. Evan continuously commented on how "pretty" the car smelled.
When we got out of the car, Evan said, "Mom! Our car is a whole new color! It used to be light blue, now it is dark blue!" As I looked, I couldn't have agreed more!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Another One Bites the Dust. . .
. . . Just in time to start the semester, I was blessed to receive a gift from Evan: Pink eye!
Yesterday, I began to feel my eye itch. Nervous that it was just another case of psychosis, I ignored the temptations. Yet as the day wore, I could see a creeping reddish tint begin to cover the corner of my eye.
Finally, by mid-afternoon I could confirm that the pink eye had spread for sure to my eye. Now my mission was Damage Control.
Immediately, I began eye drops. Hoping that it wouldn't be noticeable for school today, I did my best at concealment and headed off.
Right awaythis morning a colleague uttered, "Oh no, now you have Pink Eye!" Great, I couldn't conceal it from them either.
By the end of today, the color has faded due to diligent use of eye drops. It is a mere pink and I am hoping my pink eye will be undetectable by tomorrow. Any hopefully, no one else bites the dust in my footprints!
Yesterday, I began to feel my eye itch. Nervous that it was just another case of psychosis, I ignored the temptations. Yet as the day wore, I could see a creeping reddish tint begin to cover the corner of my eye.
Finally, by mid-afternoon I could confirm that the pink eye had spread for sure to my eye. Now my mission was Damage Control.
Immediately, I began eye drops. Hoping that it wouldn't be noticeable for school today, I did my best at concealment and headed off.
Right awaythis morning a colleague uttered, "Oh no, now you have Pink Eye!" Great, I couldn't conceal it from them either.
By the end of today, the color has faded due to diligent use of eye drops. It is a mere pink and I am hoping my pink eye will be undetectable by tomorrow. Any hopefully, no one else bites the dust in my footprints!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Bobby Fischer? Not yet. . .
Our local area elementary schools collaborated to combine and create a Chess Club for elementary students earlier this year. Andrew immediately was "on board" with the idea, but recently Brendan joined as well.
What happens next is the adults tabulate results and create new pairings for each players, then the cycle repeats. This happened for six rounds. Andrew was doing well. He won the first, lost the second, but then went on a winning streak for the next three. He lost his final match to a boy who was undefeated. (Actually, both of his losses were to boys who had not been beaten.)
The results? Andrew scored a third place trophy out of 31 participants! He was so excited and proud. On the way home, he was already asking when he could play again. He may not be Bobby Fischer yet, but he is working on it. . . 
Today our Chess Club hosted a tournament, so Andrew bravely volunteered to participate. We arrived at about 8:30 this morning to register for the big day. Then, we proceeded to wait until all the kids had arrived, and the adults could create the pairings for the first round. As I glanced around the room, I saw kids huddled in corners playing their Nintendo DS, some kids practiced their chess skills by playing on one of the nearly dozen chess boards that were set up around the room, and some kids just laughed and talked with their "chess buddies."
Finally, the first round arrived and we all traversed to the library to watch the proceedings. Kids sat at their assigned tables and waited for the official start. When the matches started, I was amazed by the atmosphere. The room, at first, seemed silent. No one talked. Then, you could hear the slight knock that each piece made as the players moved them. I heard an occasional chess clock click as someone completed their turn. I heard faint gasps or affirmations from the players that were barely audible through the silence. Moments after the round began, players began getting up who had lost their round. But, not Andrew. His match was the final match left playing: He won!
What happens next is the adults tabulate results and create new pairings for each players, then the cycle repeats. This happened for six rounds. Andrew was doing well. He won the first, lost the second, but then went on a winning streak for the next three. He lost his final match to a boy who was undefeated. (Actually, both of his losses were to boys who had not been beaten.)The results? Andrew scored a third place trophy out of 31 participants! He was so excited and proud. On the way home, he was already asking when he could play again. He may not be Bobby Fischer yet, but he is working on it. . . Friday, January 23, 2009
Pink is not my favorite color this week. . .
In high school I never liked the color pink: too girly. In the past two years, I have developed an affinity for the color pink in my wardrobe, growing my pink tops from one to about six. But this week, the color pink hit me in a bad way: in Evan's eyes.
Yes, you know it- good ol' Pink Eye.
If you have ever experienced Pink eye, you know what a disgusting illness this can be. Evan has woken up every morning this past week with at least one eye stuck shut from mountains of stuff-- what I call goop-- closing his eye shut. Today, we were blessed to have both eyes sealed off! Ev was stumbling in his bedroom like a blind man, crying because he needed to go to the bathroom and couldn't see the toilet!
Cautiously, I sat with him on the group and delicately wiped his eyes until they became unglued and he could peer through the spiderweb the pink eye has dealt him.
Not only are the mornings a blessing, but the afternoons are wonderful as well. The corner and center of his eye are constantly glossy with something that looks like green pus seeping out. If I -- or any of the other members of my family- come into contact with that lovely substance, we will get it as well.
I have been psychotically reminding the boys this week: "Don't touch your eyes! Not even a little. Use your shirt if your eye is bothering you!" So far- so good!
As for myself, I have been paranoid all week. From the moment I learned he had pink eye, my eyes itched.I have constantly been touching them- with my shirt, of course! I have been certain that I am also falling to the inevitable nasty end. (I don't really think I am; I am just scared to have the itchy eyes!)
I have been treating Ev all week with prior Pink Eye eyedrops that we had at home, but I am succumbing today and taking him to the doctor so that we can rid this pink eye pestilence.
So, now I am holding a grudge against the color pink. I am banning my pink shirts for at least a week until I can bear to face the color again!
Yes, you know it- good ol' Pink Eye.
If you have ever experienced Pink eye, you know what a disgusting illness this can be. Evan has woken up every morning this past week with at least one eye stuck shut from mountains of stuff-- what I call goop-- closing his eye shut. Today, we were blessed to have both eyes sealed off! Ev was stumbling in his bedroom like a blind man, crying because he needed to go to the bathroom and couldn't see the toilet!
Cautiously, I sat with him on the group and delicately wiped his eyes until they became unglued and he could peer through the spiderweb the pink eye has dealt him.
Not only are the mornings a blessing, but the afternoons are wonderful as well. The corner and center of his eye are constantly glossy with something that looks like green pus seeping out. If I -- or any of the other members of my family- come into contact with that lovely substance, we will get it as well.
I have been psychotically reminding the boys this week: "Don't touch your eyes! Not even a little. Use your shirt if your eye is bothering you!" So far- so good!
As for myself, I have been paranoid all week. From the moment I learned he had pink eye, my eyes itched.I have constantly been touching them- with my shirt, of course! I have been certain that I am also falling to the inevitable nasty end. (I don't really think I am; I am just scared to have the itchy eyes!)
I have been treating Ev all week with prior Pink Eye eyedrops that we had at home, but I am succumbing today and taking him to the doctor so that we can rid this pink eye pestilence.
So, now I am holding a grudge against the color pink. I am banning my pink shirts for at least a week until I can bear to face the color again!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Another "Where were you?"
Our lives are defined through many unique moments: some traumatic, some funny, and some historical. Today, was one of those moments that will join so many of my past memories.
Where were you when the space shuttle Challenger blew up? I remember watching that in my classroom at Maplewood North Elementary school. Our teacher gathered the whole grade in one room, wheeled the TV in for us to view it, and discussed the tragedy.
Where were you when the Berlin Wall came down? I vaguely remember being an adolescent/ preteen as the wall came down and watching footage on the evening news with my dad.
Where were you when the Oklahoma City Bombing happened? I remember going to Chris' frat house after an English class in college, and he told me to watch the news reports about the event.
Where were you for the OJ verdict? I was running late for my Modern Poetry class in college, just waiting to find out if he would be convicted. A group of us stood in the library converged on a little television.
Where were you for the final episode of Seinfeld? Chris and I were living in Wauwatosa at the time, and we watched it huddled on our archaic couches. I even taped it on my VCR!
Where were you when September 11th happened? I was a new mom of two little boys, and I was at home trying to keep my sanity. My friend called and told me to turn on the news. I cried most of the day out of fear for my brother who worked there, and I kept watching the news between breastfeeding and diaper changes.
Where were you when our first African American president was sworn in to office? Today, I realized the gravity of the moment. It is final exam week, so a few of my favorite teacher friends and I gathered in a classroom and watched history happen. We laughed, ate snacks, graded finals, and cried. We watched the parade of people enter. We watched Obama's incredible speech. We watched the reaction of the people in attendance. Truly amazing!
Leading up to today, I was frustrated a little with the hype surrounding the day, yet today I found myself intentionally mired in it. It is a monumental day. It is history in the making. It is a moment that I will always remember.
Where were you when the space shuttle Challenger blew up? I remember watching that in my classroom at Maplewood North Elementary school. Our teacher gathered the whole grade in one room, wheeled the TV in for us to view it, and discussed the tragedy.
Where were you when the Berlin Wall came down? I vaguely remember being an adolescent/ preteen as the wall came down and watching footage on the evening news with my dad.
Where were you when the Oklahoma City Bombing happened? I remember going to Chris' frat house after an English class in college, and he told me to watch the news reports about the event.
Where were you for the OJ verdict? I was running late for my Modern Poetry class in college, just waiting to find out if he would be convicted. A group of us stood in the library converged on a little television.
Where were you for the final episode of Seinfeld? Chris and I were living in Wauwatosa at the time, and we watched it huddled on our archaic couches. I even taped it on my VCR!
Where were you when September 11th happened? I was a new mom of two little boys, and I was at home trying to keep my sanity. My friend called and told me to turn on the news. I cried most of the day out of fear for my brother who worked there, and I kept watching the news between breastfeeding and diaper changes.
Where were you when our first African American president was sworn in to office? Today, I realized the gravity of the moment. It is final exam week, so a few of my favorite teacher friends and I gathered in a classroom and watched history happen. We laughed, ate snacks, graded finals, and cried. We watched the parade of people enter. We watched Obama's incredible speech. We watched the reaction of the people in attendance. Truly amazing!
Leading up to today, I was frustrated a little with the hype surrounding the day, yet today I found myself intentionally mired in it. It is a monumental day. It is history in the making. It is a moment that I will always remember.
Friday, January 16, 2009
No School: Take Two
After a surprisingly pleasant day home yesterday, the boys and I were all ready to go back to our routines today. At first, Brendan and Andrew were not convinced that being at school would be more fun than staying home, but then I reminded them that our schools are in the situation where every additional day off will require us all to report an additional day at the end of the school year. Then, their enthusiasm for staying home waned.
This morning at 5 am, I crept into the basement to check the school listings to see if we were on the list. While waiting for the list of hundreds of schools-- yes, I am exaggerating-- to circle through, I hear the weather man say that today is simply, "Stupid cold." Hmm. . . I had never heard a weather man say that before.
Today is just plain stupid cold. Looking at the current temperatures, you can see that we are varying from 15-24 below zero for standard air temps with wind chills ranging to 45 below zero.
My weather man woke me up quickly to this solemn news. And yes, shortly after, I saw both the boys' and my school were closing for the day. Ultimately this means that all of us will get out of school two days later than planned. Instead, we are blessed with house confinement out of fear of freezing.
Yet, I don't think I am intimidated today. I have graded all the papers I brought home, so we are trudging back to my school today for me to gather another load of work. Then, I plan to treat the boys to a lunch out following by a quick trip to the library, looking for something fun to watch.
I plan to stop my maniacal grading this afternoon for some good old-fashioned bonding with my boys. Maybe we will make cookies, maybe we will watch a movie, but today, I am earnestly excited to just "hang out."
Nonetheless, I will be ready to go back to work Monday. Let's hope Mother Nature cooperates.
This morning at 5 am, I crept into the basement to check the school listings to see if we were on the list. While waiting for the list of hundreds of schools-- yes, I am exaggerating-- to circle through, I hear the weather man say that today is simply, "Stupid cold." Hmm. . . I had never heard a weather man say that before.
Today is just plain stupid cold. Looking at the current temperatures, you can see that we are varying from 15-24 below zero for standard air temps with wind chills ranging to 45 below zero.
My weather man woke me up quickly to this solemn news. And yes, shortly after, I saw both the boys' and my school were closing for the day. Ultimately this means that all of us will get out of school two days later than planned. Instead, we are blessed with house confinement out of fear of freezing.
Yet, I don't think I am intimidated today. I have graded all the papers I brought home, so we are trudging back to my school today for me to gather another load of work. Then, I plan to treat the boys to a lunch out following by a quick trip to the library, looking for something fun to watch.
I plan to stop my maniacal grading this afternoon for some good old-fashioned bonding with my boys. Maybe we will make cookies, maybe we will watch a movie, but today, I am earnestly excited to just "hang out."
Nonetheless, I will be ready to go back to work Monday. Let's hope Mother Nature cooperates.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
No School!
Remember when the two words, "No School", would create such jubilation in your heart? You looked forward to a day of jammies and no school work. As a mom, it doesn't feel quite this same to me.
For the third time this year, I awoke to the names of both my school and my boys' school scrolling across the screen as closed due to cold. Yes, cold!
(As a side note, the weather is so cold here in Wisconsin that hell has actually frozen over as well. We have a current air temp of -14 with wind chills in the negative 35-40. Tomorrow's morning temp will be -23 with wind chills at -40. Seriously? Who lives in this?)
When the boys got up, they inquired, "Is there school?" To which I responded, "Nope!"
They exclaimed, "YEAH!" while I gave an inaudible sigh.
In a perfect world I would celebrate the idea of hanging out all day with my three boys, but reality unfortunately differs. This is finals week for me, which means I am finishing second quarter grades and attempting to grade an additional 70 essays as well as 45 final exams for my classes. I am buried! Yet, the boys are footloose and fancy free! It is tough to be a good mom who can sit and watch movies when my only thought is of unburying myself enough to see the sun a little.
On our other two days off, we had a bunch of snow, allowing the boys to go out and enjoy the day. But, today that would be impossible. Playing outside for more than ten minutes would result in frostbite and a quick trip to the emergency room. So, we are stuck inside.
By seven this morning, Brendan was already claiming that he was bored. I could feel my exasperation increase. Bored? It's not even breakfast yet!
Thus far the rest of the morning has operated smoothly. We are hoping to watch a movie (while mommy grades essays in her lap), paint pictures (while mommy grades essays beside them), play the Wii (while mommy grades essays in her lap), etc. Are you getting the picture?
I know that the day will be fine. I just wish my exuberance would echo theirs when I hear the words, "No School!" Better luck next time.
For the third time this year, I awoke to the names of both my school and my boys' school scrolling across the screen as closed due to cold. Yes, cold!
(As a side note, the weather is so cold here in Wisconsin that hell has actually frozen over as well. We have a current air temp of -14 with wind chills in the negative 35-40. Tomorrow's morning temp will be -23 with wind chills at -40. Seriously? Who lives in this?)
When the boys got up, they inquired, "Is there school?" To which I responded, "Nope!"
They exclaimed, "YEAH!" while I gave an inaudible sigh.
In a perfect world I would celebrate the idea of hanging out all day with my three boys, but reality unfortunately differs. This is finals week for me, which means I am finishing second quarter grades and attempting to grade an additional 70 essays as well as 45 final exams for my classes. I am buried! Yet, the boys are footloose and fancy free! It is tough to be a good mom who can sit and watch movies when my only thought is of unburying myself enough to see the sun a little.
On our other two days off, we had a bunch of snow, allowing the boys to go out and enjoy the day. But, today that would be impossible. Playing outside for more than ten minutes would result in frostbite and a quick trip to the emergency room. So, we are stuck inside.
By seven this morning, Brendan was already claiming that he was bored. I could feel my exasperation increase. Bored? It's not even breakfast yet!
Thus far the rest of the morning has operated smoothly. We are hoping to watch a movie (while mommy grades essays in her lap), paint pictures (while mommy grades essays beside them), play the Wii (while mommy grades essays in her lap), etc. Are you getting the picture?
I know that the day will be fine. I just wish my exuberance would echo theirs when I hear the words, "No School!" Better luck next time.
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