Mothering on the Edge

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Busy


Can't stop to blog now.

Posted by Sarah Jean :: 7:49 AM :: 2 Comments:

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Sunday, January 21, 2007

Popular

So, I recently had a friend accuse me of holding out on her, although I could swear I've already bragged about this to anyone who would care. But I guess not. So once I post it here, I've told the world, right?

For those who don't know, I teach childbirth classes. Usually one night a week, 6 weeks out of every 2 months. I also used to work as a doula. I don't anymore because I found it too stressful to be called away from my posse at all hours of the night, as much as I enjoyed it.

A few weeks ago, a doula friend of mine asked if I would speak at the state doula conference.
Flattering? Yes. And I get to speak about something from my childbirth education style, which is even better because I actually KNOW all about it and LOVE to talk about it. So, February 24, 4:00 pm. It went on the calendar.

Not even a week after that, another (former childbirth educator) friend called to ask if I could speak at the Successful Mothering Conference. Wow! You bet! About preparing for a second or later baby in the family. My session is called: Baby Makes 3, 4, or More. You're excited, right?

But here's the kicker. It's on the SAME DAY. February 24. In the morning. Hahahaha. I'm double booked. Luckily, it's in the same city and I'll just dash between them at lunchtime. For some reason, this little coincidence makes me feel twice as popular, even though these are the only requests I've had to speak in...years. Still. Pretty cool.

Posted by Sarah Jean :: 7:32 AM :: 1 Comments:

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Thursday, January 18, 2007

Feminine

I was looking at this.
And dh said, What the heck is that?
And I said, "My inner goddess wants to belly dance."
He asked, "What does you outer goddess think?"
I said, "She says we're too fat to belly dance."

If I ever start belly dancing, I'll post. But there will probably not be pictures.

Posted by Sarah Jean :: 2:36 PM :: 1 Comments:

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Monday, January 15, 2007

Not Mother of the Year

"Mom, I stubbed two toes."
"Ya?"
"One on each foot. Now I can't walk."
"Hm, that's too bad. How will you get around?"
"A wheelchair, I guess."
"Well, do you think your feet will ever get better?"
"I don't know."
"Because if not, it will be worth the investment to buy a wheelchair. Otherwise, we can just rent one. How much allowance do you have saved up?"
"I have to buy my own wheelchair?"
"Well, or rent. I'll make some calls today."

No longer in the running for Mother of the Year, but I hear I'm on the short list for Ms. Compassion.

I should be doing laundry.

Posted by Sarah Jean :: 9:07 AM :: 2 Comments:

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Sunday, January 14, 2007

6 Weird Things about E


  1. He loves music and sounds. He sings with me in church. Not knowing the words doesn't slow him down at all. He just sings without words, kind of "ah, ah, uh". He hits most of the notes in the melody, which used to surprise me.
  2. He pronounces his full name "Alex-Ender".
  3. He thinks his head is a weapon. More than that, he thinks of everything as a tool or part of a machine. The main item on his wish list this Christmas was a "HUGE MACHINE!" He loves machines.
  4. He has a very long tongue. The dental hygienist mentioned it, too. I hope he someday finds a girl who thinks it's cute, like I do.
  5. He is happy almost all the time. He has never failed in an attempt to make me smile. Ever. Considering I had my worst bout of postpartum depression after his birth, that's pretty dang impressive.
  6. He produces ear wax at an amazing rate. Copious amounts, people. I don't know why.

Posted by Sarah Jean :: 1:52 PM :: 2 Comments:

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6 Weird Things about T


  1. She chews not only her fingernails, but her toenails, too.
  2. She prefers dresses and skirts in the color pink to all other clothes. She will only wear sneakers when it is muddy or snowing outside, otherwise insisting on her princess shoes. She has been known to say to stylish adult women (never me, mind you), "Cute shoes! Where did you get them?"
  3. She is an artist. She has started drawing in perspective and distinguishing between foreground and background in her work. She still has some trouble with horizons. If anyone could help with this, I'd be obliged, because I don't understand it myself.
  4. She is the neatest child I have ever met. She cleans up after me. I rotate her daily chore around the house because her assigned room is always the cleanest.
  5. She is afraid of having her hair cut because it will change the way she looks. I think she's worried it will change who she is or people won't recognize her. I'm not sure, though.
  6. She writes musical notes and then asks people (who know how to read music) to sing them for her. She requests staff paper on a weekly basis.

Posted by Sarah Jean :: 1:48 PM :: 1 Comments:

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Saturday, January 13, 2007

6 Weird Things about H

  1. She likes to play pretend that she is queen of somewhere exotic and faraway, like... Denver. She gives speeches that begin: "People of Denver.." and end with "..my guards shall be everywhere!" Kind of a megalomaniacal queen, sometimes.
  2. She self-weaned at 10 months when she discovered this new thing called a bottle was totally portable and mummy dearest was not.
  3. She started speaking in complete sentences before 2, writing her name at 3 and reading before 4. I don't know why. Maybe she just had so much to say she wanted to get started early.
  4. While other children were crying and clinging to their mothers on the first day of school, she leaned over to me and said between her teeth, "Mom. It's time for you to GO!"
  5. She reads more books than most adults do. She prefers books on tape, though, so she can draw or play while she listens. Multitasking.
  6. She doesn't think of herself as a child. Just a small adult--entry level.

Posted by Sarah Jean :: 1:40 PM :: 1 Comments:

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Monday, January 08, 2007

Sheer genius

So, I didn't tell you about the tragic loss of Dora. Dora is our Ford Explorer. She was tragically hit by a reckless and probably intoxicated driver (not the only car he hit that night) the day after Thanksgiving. No one was aboard, but the big stick that makes the wheels go (Blond Hunk says it's called a drive suspension shaft or train or something) snapped in half. IN HALF! Poor Dora could not be fixed. Her frame was bent. Her axle was askew. Her gear box was all smashed up. That's the car equivalent of internal organ damage, there. She couldn't even roll straight onto the tow truck. Not even the blond hunk and his posse could put her back the way she was. This photo isn't our Dora, by the way. This is another Dora the Explorer. But that's pretty much what she looked like. Tender T shed a few tears when the man came to take her away. E was fascinated by a truck big enough to carry other trucks.

But, that means we got a new car. Well, newer. New to us. A Ford Windstar, white. I like it. It hasn't earned a name yet, but I think she will. She's calm and reliable (so far) and carries us well. The kids can even have balloons without smacking me in the face with them.

But, being of the last millenium, Windstar has only a single sliding door. And the way our cars park in the driveway, I must park on the side furthest from the front door. With the sliding door facing the snowy yard. Blech. Snow in the car. Shivering children waiting for me to unlock it. Trudging with groceries through the 6" snow drifts. I know, quite a pioneer frontierswoman I am, complaining about this. But there you go.

I have literally contemplated for...nearly an hour over the last few weeks as to how I might fix this. Can't move the husband's parking spot. His car goes in the garage (because it fits and mine doesn't, not because he's not a gentleman). The other side of the garage has an immovable project car. The sliding door cannot be moved to the other side without a costly switching car surgery. *sigh*

And then, today, I came home from our favorite grocery store (and dentist--yay for cavity free kids!) and suddenly...60 watts, right over my head. Of course! I'm a genius! I pulled back out of the driveway, into the street, and

...

are you ready for this?

....

backed in.

Yes. I pulled into the driveway facing out. Thereby reversing the position of the sliding door and saving me...like, a dozen steps in the snow carrying groceries. I know. There'll be a book signing later. Once I write the book.

I also have cut up fresh veggies for my children and located the allusive chocolate malt-o-meal cereal for my husband.

Mom is great. She likes chocolate cake.

Posted by Sarah Jean :: 5:03 PM :: 3 Comments:

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Sunday, January 07, 2007

6 Weird Things about Me

tagged by The Sassy Lime

"According to the rules... Each player of this game starts with the "6 Weird Things about You". People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says 'you are tagged' in their comments and tell them to read your blog!"

1. I have long, slender fingers and toes. 8 1/4" across from thumb to pinky. I've been teased about this, but more and more I find it rather useful.

2. I love etymology. Really. Love it. How words came to mean what they do and their relationships to other words fascinates me. I mean: Humble, Humus, Human!

3. I appear to be perfectly healthy, when in reality my heart can't keep time. It doesn't bother me. Kind of takes marching to the beat of your own drummer to a whole new level.

4. I hate shopping for clothes. I go with the Sass because she makes it fun. We make fun of new styles together. Last trip we found 3 pairs of shoes she liked and only 1 I was willing to try on. I didn't buy them.

5. My husband says I have had more hair colors than he has had cars. I can't verify this. He has owned a lot of cars.

6. I have what is often called a "quirky" or even "zany" sense of humor. I don't know what that means. Some things are just funny. Like the time-filling spot our PBS station plays...it's scenery shots set to the classical piece, Air on a G-string? Surely I'm not the only PBS viewer that finds that funny.

I tag: Magically Mama (who may take her time, as she has a new baby), M&M Thoughts, Owlhaven, Chris from Notes from the Trenches, and Daring Young Mom. Ok, seventh thing is I can't really count. I'm like that horse. I think I'll tag Each of My Kids and my local hunk, too. Because we weirdos travel in packs. Watch for those over the next few days.

Posted by Sarah Jean :: 10:28 PM :: 2 Comments:

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Thursday, January 04, 2007

Things I can't find

~my temple recommend
~a check for $50
~a CD for Joy School, ironically, with songs about the Joy of Order
~my list of things to do today
~anything my 7 year old wants to and is allowed to do
~foods my 4 year old likes to eat that do not make me cringe
~the patience to deal with my 3 year old's limit testing
~my relaxation bath salts!!!
~the reminder card for my dentist appointment next month
~my car under all this snow!
~yes, you guessed it:
My ever-loving MIND!

Posted by Sarah Jean :: 6:23 PM :: 2 Comments:

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Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Fruitcake?

Word to your sender...

Posted by Sarah Jean :: 6:26 PM :: 1 Comments:

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