All Fun, All Day, All Night

Friday, I had to take care of a few work items before we could get started on our day. Thus, I ended up missing the morning window for the gym. Sad! Not to be denied my workout, however, I took the kids on a walk to the nearby shopping center, which is a good 1.5 mile-jaunt, one way. They love making that trek, though Everest was complaining a bit about tummy pains at first. :o(



We stopped by the pet store, as is our usual custom on these walks. The guy who showed us the corn snake several weeks back actually recognized us and asked if we were ready to pick one up. Nope. Not that day anyway.




We continued on to Safeway, where we did some shopping for Everest's birthday celebration. He picked out cake mix and frosting, and we got some snacks and a candle. (I brought my backpack to carry everything.) The kids were really good at the store. I'm sure the physical activity was great for their moods.



Subway was just down the way, so we decided to have a bit of an early dinner there. Heath met us when he finished with his work for the day. It was getting close to 4:00 by then, and I had a pressing engagement. So Heath agreed to drive the kids home, and I power-walked back to the house to finish off my workout.




After freshening up at home, I went to pick up Child of the King to take her out for the evening. I hadn't seen her since visiting Ohio back in 2009. Not surprisingly, it was like we had never parted ways. We had an awesome time having dinner at the Olive Garden, then seeing The Muppets (which was fantastic, by the way).



We met up with Legolas and Puella at the Waffle House later that night for Midnight Muse. Many topics were covered, including writing, movies, music, aliens, tattoos, piercings, and mutilation by assassins. Yes, the conversations of writers can be quite varied.



The night ended around 11:30, for we were all feeling rather tired indeed. It had been quite a day for me at least, and I was ready to happily go to bed. Still, back at home, I went ahead and baked the cakes for Everest's birthday and threw together some muddy buddies for snacks to save myself some time for the next day, which was sure to be incredibly busy.

Parting Shot

Shopping Dates

Oh yes. It's been another week of no blogging. The holiday season does that! And being on vacation too, I would guess.

Last week on Friday, we got a babysitter for the kids and went Christmas shopping. Yes, Christmas shopping on the eve of Christmas Eve. Ah well. It was really fun though! We haven't been out alone in months and months. The afternoon was kind of like a little date. We even had lunch together--just the two of us.



We saw a couple things that kind of made me gasp and laugh. For one, there is actually a toy based on the horror movie Saw. Then at Target, they stocked the Mountain Dew below the game Call of Duty. I guess they know their clientele well!




After we got back, Julie and I went grocery shopping because I knew there was no way I would have time with Christmas Eve and Christmas over the weekend. We actually had a very nice time together, and she was very helpful. There were another couple interesting sights while we were out. A Cheetos bag with retro-packaging and gas for under $3.00. It was a Christmas miracle.





That evening, I met with my Muse girls at Old Chicago. We were all extremely tired, it seemed, and our time together was fairly short. Still, it was great to see the ladies.

Rollercoaster Days

Thursday, I met Legolas in the morning at Panera to celebrate my first day of vacation. Unfortunately, I still had a couple things on my to-do list, so I just did those for work anyway. Ah well. It was nice to hang out with a friend anyway.

Everest and I hung out in the afternoon, and when Julie got home, we all did some crafts together. Julie learned how to make paper reindeer at her Student Council party, and Everest wanted to make one too. He ended up making a snowman as well.




Before dinner, we got out the gingerbread cookie dough, then cut and baked them. The kids got started on their showers while I made some burritos for dinner. It was a pretty quick trip to bedtime, though they did fight sleep a little bit. Slowly but surely moving it back.





Puella came over for a bit in the evening to chat while I made the cake pop spheres to continue the Christmas baking. We're really doing it in sections this year, rather than all at once. It's been nice though.

Friday had a pretty bad middle, but the morning and evenings were great. After dropping Julie off at school, I met with my friend Katie who is visiting from California. She keeps a blog over here that I love to keep up with. It was really nice to catch up with her and talk about parenting, marriage, kids, and everything else.

When I got back, Everest and I had a pretty sleepy, lazy afternoon. I made us some lunch of tomato sandwiches and oranges, and we watched a lot of episodes of Busytown Mysteries. Once Julie was home, we headed over to the church to get all the bulletins printed for the next two weekends. That is when it became apparent that bedtime could not come soon enough.

It was probably a lack of sufficient sleep and too much sugar that drove them over the edge, but their behavior was quite atrocious. They were cranky with achy tummies from having too much candy. (Everest snuck some in the morning; Julie ate a bunch at her class Christmas party; not to mention that I wrongly allowed them to eat her gingerbread house to keep them busy. Eep. My bad.)



We came home, and the kids had to play separately while I made spaghetti for dinner. Heath came home just as everything was done cooking. We ate, and the kids had to go to bed immediately after they were done. That got them snoozing by 7:15 which is a sure sign that they really were overtired. They had very little trouble falling asleep, even though they were lying down in bed at 6:30.

Heath went rock climbing, and I spent the rest of the evening folding laundry and watching Dirty Jobs. It was nice and relaxing actually; that show always cracks me up. My Muse girls came over around 9:00, and we are currently sitting here at the kitchen table, all of us working on our various things, and listening to John Williams music on Pandora Radio. It's been a nice night. I always love to hang out with my girls.

Another Weekend Whizzes By

Is it just me, or do the days seem to go much faster as we approach the end of the year? I can't believe it's already Sunday night as I write this. It's been a pretty good weekend; very busy but quite productive.

Friday, I dropped Julie off at school, then went to the church to get all the magazines printed and hang monthly posters. When I got back, Everest and I hung out a little, then I got some other miscellaneous work done before Julie came home.

I had the collating meeting that night. Only two volunteers came, but we were fast and finished right on time. Since it was all ladies, we ended up talking about...well, all kinds of female issues and experiences. Quite interesting indeed! But I love having those conversations with ladies older than me because I learn so much.

Afterwards, I went straight to Village Inn to meet with the Muse girls and get some writing done for Ink 007. It was a fun time together. Plenty of chatting and catching up was done. We relocated to my house for a movie (Galaxy Quest) before we were done for the night. Fun times!



Saturday was my busiest day of the weekend. Got up early to finish the last chapter of the Ink 007 that needed to be done, because I had a tutoring appointment at 10:00 a.m. at Starbucks. I met with the gal's mom after the session was over because she wanted to talk about hiring me to design her website.

I only had enough time to print the chapters I needed to print and head over the Panera for session 5 of the Ink 007 group. What an amazing session! The kids were feeling really creative and wrote tons during the writing time. It was awesome.



Once the session was finished, one of the girls and I went to the library, where the regional NaNoWriMo TGIO (Thank Goodness It's Over) Party was taking place. It was pretty small, calm, and quiet--a drastic change from the Ink 007 group! I almost had to laugh at how opposite the groups were on the spectrum. I read an excerpt from my NaNo novel, and people laughed at the funny parts, so that was encouraging. Some of us continued the time together at Chili's for dinner following the meeting.



I got home at a pretty decent time. I'm pretty sure I got right into my PJs and just laid in bed for an hour until I said, "I'm going to bed" at 10:30. Heath was shocked I would turn in so early, but it was the first opportunity I'd had in awhile to go to bed early. I was taking it!

Sunday has been, again, busy but productive. The kids and I made it to church, and the message Jonathan shared was one that I really, really needed to hear. Like, really. Love it when God speaks directly to me like that.

Back at home, we had lunch together, then Heath took off to go rock climbing since he'd had the kids all day on Saturday. (He most definitely needed the break.) The kids and I cleaned the house from top to bottom, including bathrooms, laundry, stripping and re-sheeting beds, trash, vacuuming, dishes, sweeping, mopping, straightening up, filling bags for donation, and generally getting the house back in order. It was exhausting, but the house is SO much better for it.

Heath returned, all relaxed and refreshed, while I was taking my shower. We ran errands together as a family--bank, library, and a few shopping stops, ending with dinner at the Waffle House. We picked up Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones to read at bedtime (and whenever) together. I started reading it aloud while we were waiting for dinner, and Julie was enthralled. They are looking forward to hearing more of it, and so am I. :o)

The kids got in bed and thankfully fell asleep quickly; they did work really hard today. Heath and I have been working on our various things we need to do, and will get together in about 15 minutes to hang out. What a weekend. What a month! Hopefully things slow down just a teensy bit at least. I'd like to enjoy the rest of December as much as possible.

Crazy Busy Weekend: Part 1

Friday, the kids had the day off of school for Veteran's Day. Of course, Heath and I still had work to do. He went into the office while I took the kids with me to the church to do some printing. They ran around for awhile, but finally settled down to watch a movie on my iPod.



We got lunch at my mom's store afterward. The kids ate pretty heartily and helped clean up after some customers afterward. Julie's probably going to have a bit of a summer job if she wants it next year.




That evening, I had a scheduled write-in for the young writers doing NaNoWriMo again. This one was costume-themed and held at Starbucks. We had the same girls that came last time, as well as my young friend Angel. They all had a fun time and totally decimated the contents of the candy bucket.




Continuing my evening of socializing, I met Legolas and Puella at Old Chicago. We chatted for awhile, then decided that we absolutely must see a movie that Puella had recently watched with her mom, a 1951 film called Three Guys Named Mike. It was so adorable! I love old movies.



We parted ways after the movie, and though I had high hopes of doing some writing, I was totally wiped out. No writing for me...

Parting Shot
One of the girls from the NaNo write-ins has the most awesome decorations for her laptop. :o)

A Perfect Zoo Excursion

Friday, I finished up the last few things I needed to do for work, then the kids and I took off for the zoo. Our membership expires on Monday, meaning that we wanted to squeeze at least one more trip in. We probably won't renew again until the zoo Christmas lights go up.

Since there was school for every other district (as far as I know), and it was still later morning and slushy-snowy, the zoo was practically deserted. We took our time everywhere we went. I let them set the pace through all the exhibits. We rode the Skyride, and I let the kids play for a long, long time at the top--longer than we usually let them.

We did the zoo in reverse of how we usually do it--just for kicks. It was such a great outing! Everyone was very well behaved up until about the last 20 minutes when it was clear that the kids were completely worn out. And so was I!





(Click this if you can't see the slideshow above.)

I went ahead and made my "famous" mac and cheese for the kids before Heath got home. Had a tutoring appointment at 5:00, which went fabulously. Heath took off to go rock climbing while I work on some edits to finalize that last novella from my writers group.

That evening, the Muse girls came over for some candy poker but Heath joined us this time. It was fun, and we got a pizza in there somewhere before everyone started going into a sugar coma and needing to go their separate ways.




Parting Shot
By Friday afternoon, practically all the snow had melted except for the places where Julie and Everest had piled up it up. How often do you get to see two snowmen standing on green grass?

Time Warp Bubbles

Friday, felt like it had a lot of black holes of time and space, like I was floating around in a balloon. After I got Julie to school, I took Everest with me to the gym (workout #2!), so Heath could have some concentrated time to get work done.

Afterwards, I took Everest to McDonalds for a breakfast treat. I told him ahead of time that we were not getting any toys whatsoever--only breakfast. Unfortunately, once inside, he would have none of it. It was one of the biggest public tantrums I think I have seen him perform. I stayed absolutely calm and strong though and didn't give in. We came home with nothing at all.

After much crying and my giving him a long hug, he calmed down. Later he apologized for the way he acted. Wow. That's a win for the parents!

I took off to work for awhile at Einstein's, but after an hour, I felt restless and just wanted to be at home. I can't explain it, but concentration completely evaded me. Everest was napping, and I spent 45 minutes to finish a cover letter for a story I have been meaning to submit to Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. Got it finished and submitted.



Everest woke up just before it was time to get Julie at the bus stop. We had enough time to play a game of Uno before we left. Then we all said goodbye to Heath because he was leaving for the next day and a half to teach a course up north. The kids and I headed out to the barber's shop after that. Everest has been getting pretty shaggy.




The guy cut it a little shorter than we usually like it, but Everest's hair grows back pretty fast, so he'll be fine.

We swung by Subway to pick up dinner for later on the way home. The kids played for a bit before I had them put in a movie so I could do my tutoring appointment at 5:00. They helped themselves to their dinner while I was Skyping, and when we were done, I took them to Safeway to pick up individual ice creams for being so good while I was doing my appointment.

When we got home, they said they still had energy, but it was too dark to play outside by then. I made them a written obstacle course that involved running around the table, cartwheels, racing up the stairs, and various other tasks, which I hoped would help wear them out. They went to bed with only a little trouble, and I tried to rest afterwards as well.

I really missed Heath, and felt somewhat melancholy about being alone. Thankfully, my Muse girls--Legolas and Puella--came by. I made vegan brownies and guacamole for Puella, and my famous chili dip for Legolas. :o) We had a fun time chatting and laughing around the kitchen table. They took off right around midnight because everyone had worked or had somewhere to be in the morning. It was a lovely time together with friends.

Cooking Class: Grilled Cheese

Friday morning, Everest and I started getting some chores done around the house, which included sweeping up a bunch of dirt he had flung around the patio and into the air conditioner. Julie showed up at nearly noon, happy but exhausted.



We took it easy that afternoon. I knew that though Julie probably would want to keep go-go-going, she really needed to rest after being with people for two days straight. I think it did her some good for sure.

For lunch, we had our cooking class, and I taught Julie how to make grilled cheese and tomato soup (from a can). She really enjoyed it! I hope she continues to show an interest in cooking. It's such a great skill to have, and I love teaching her.





That evening, I stopped by my parents' house for what was supposed to be a quick visit, but I ended up having dinner with them and chatting for a long time. It was really nice to have them all to myself actually! I rarely get a chance to really talk to and focus on them.

I picked up Legolas afterwards, and we went to Village Inn for Muse. Puella joined us a little while later. It ended up being a working-Muse, which was good because I had a TON to do for my freelance stuff. It never ends!

All the Day Long

Wednesday, Heath had to teach both the day and night class, so I was completely on my own. Everest spent a fair amount of time playing on ReadingEggs.com, learning letter sounds. It's a really neat, effective online program; unfortunately, it's a bit pricey and our free trial is about done. :oP



At one point, Everest got really antsy after being still all morning, so I instructed him to go run up and down the stairs to get his energy out. Though I had only been half-serious, he jumped at the opportunity. I went to supervise, and man oh man. It nearly did the trick. He was huffing and puffing by time he got done with the 12th or 15th ascent. He was ready to lay down and rest for awhile after all that.




Julie got home in the afternoon, of course, and got her homework done. I gave them a hurried dinner, then we went to the gym so I could get a workout in. That makes two for the week now. A strong start!



When we got back from the gym, it was already getting late, so Julie took a quick shower while I got Everest into bed. I was still tucking everybody in when my Muse girls started arriving. We're not meeting on Friday, thus the early meeting.

We decided to make it a "working" Muse because Puella had homework to do and Legolas is always working on her art. I attempted to blog, but ended up answering emails instead, which was also important. We had snacks and put The Princess Bride on while we worked. Much quoting was performed ("Inconceivable!"), but we also got lots done. It was a really fun evening together. Meeting with my Muse girls is one of the highlights of my week. :o)




They both headed home fairly early since we met up earlier than usual. Then Heath and I watched an incredibly awful movie, after which I had to watch two episodes of ridiculous (but wonderful) anime to erase it from my head before trying to sleep. I believe I will be picking the next stay-at-home-date movie, thank you very much.