really, where did the past 5 weeks go? we've been all over ohio, mostly back & forth on interstate 71...or in our town in classes or meeting up with friends or...or...you know how it goes. i am not a summer person so i always kinda dread the heat of summer & the idea of bright, bright headache-inducing sunlight (gosh i sound grumpy, eh?!). so what wonderfulness happens but a monsoon season in ohio! seriously, it rained around 15 or 16 straight days here...not just sprinkling but pouring with those huge, dark clouds. i loved it for about 10 days, then i was kinda looking forward to not living in the rain forest any longer.
it so happens that something fabulous was built recently.
ta-da! wes built a pergola...for me! we have a trumpet vine planted & eager to climb & soon to be a climbing rose or wisteria to go on the other side. but really, it is perfect...& although wes is still trying to finish up some detailing around the posts & such: isn't it amazing?!
i have thought several times to blog about different topics over the past 5 weeks but just haven't been able to sit & do it. so today, as it reaches nearly 100 degrees on the heat index, let me sit in our wonderfully air conditioned house & tell you a few stories.
first off, the girls were with grandparents last week & are with the other grandparents this week for a few days. i haven't had this much free time in quite awhile & i have to say some moments i find completely boring. but then i tell myself to be content in this moment, ya know! enjoy it. take in the silence & solitude, right!
so last week i woke up at 6 a.m. to take this damned new thyroid pill (yes, my new doctor now sees thyroid to be an issue! *sigh*) early because it must be taken a few hours before any calcium or coffee are consumed. ugh, right? so i have to wake up during my most intense sleeping time of all, early morning, to take this. anyway, i couldn't go back to sleep on this certain day so i set off outside to pull weeds...weeds that were humongous! like i said, we were living in a rain forest, all vegetation was thriving.
i had been pulling weeds for about an hour when suddenly, as i was in the middle of a flower bed, scrunched down i was filled with a sense of SNAKE. so i don't like snakes: understatement. but then i have a biologist friend who found a scientific study proving that women could smell snakes while ovulating. i know, it sounds crazy, but this is a very reliable friend & reliable study, okay? plus, my mom has insisted for years that she could smell snakes. anyway, i hadn't thought of snakes all morning so i was totally freaking out in my head, things such as: if i suddenly thought of snakes, it must mean something...my subconscious is telling me something, beware!
so i quickly did a little cycle math in my head (which took a few moments, naturally, given my math abilities) & then was totally freaked out because i was spot on in my cycle to be able to smell snakes. holy shit! so, i quickly jumped up in the flower bed & started wildly clapping all at the same time.
i just wanted to explain my odd behavior to any neighbors who possibly saw this as they were having their morning cup of joe or driving to work or whatever. i am not crazy. there is scientific research backing me up on this, folks.
alas, i didn't see a snake, thankfully. but i was ready for it, spade hanging from my clapping hands.
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what else? well, there are two wee bambinos due this year, nieces or nephews! we shall find out soon...but isn't that great?! my sister is due in early to mid december & my sister in law, bri on christmas day! ha! the girls are so very excited but amelia is still certain that her daddy & i should provide her with a younger sister, pronto...sorry, kiddo...not going to happen. but enjoy these cousins, right?
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also, i'm reading this book: your daughter's bedroom: insights for raising confident women by joyce t mcfadden. love it. if you have daughters, read it! in my humble opinion, the more comfortable & confident girls & women are in their bodies & sexuality, the less we will allow media/entertainment/men/society to push on us women-folk how we should look or dress or whatever. i want my girls to feel comfortable talking to me about anything but also to have the knowledge base & confidence to investigate on their own...you know, an educated female teen or tween or whatever who is comfortable in her own skin is revolutionary. i want that for my girls. i will do whatever it takes to help that become a reality...
the author talks about how important it is to not criticize yourself & your body--a women & their mom--in front of your children. that idea has been important since i was in college, to myself even. i don't need to look in the mirror & say "i don't like what i see because i'm not skinny enough or my breasts are too small" or whatever.
recently i have suddenly gained 15, maybe 20, pounds. now, i know i was on the low end before so these pounds aren't really dangerous to my health. but it did sound off an alarm about my thryoid! *smile* & as it turns out, yes, i do have thyroid issues, daggit. anyway. so here i am, putting clothes on that are suddenly too small & of course the girls are in & out & always around. it's almost natural for women to spew hateful words at ourselves when gaining weight. you know, my ass looks so big in these jeans or look at my underarms wiggle or cellulite or whatever. i have had to check myself a few times this past month as i'm putting smaller clothes aside...explaining to the girls why without making it sound horrible. no matter where i am on the BMI charts, i need to show that being healthy is the goal, not looking a certain way.
am i making sense? recently there were a few things said in front of a&a about weight that just ticked me off, that they should not hear.& yet there it was, lingering, the girls asking about it later, me explaining & re-educating them...damn it all to hell, why do we do this to our kids?! why do we not hold those perpetuating the ignorance & hate of women's natural bodies more accountable? how is it possible to raise girls in our society to be confident in their bodies & sexuality, to be close with their mothers & knowledgeable of the comments & wary of society's expectations? i know my girls will be feminists, whether it's called that or not in 20 years...whether 2nd & 3rd wavers ever get along, maybe there will be a 4th wave? who knows, but wouldn't it be lovely if all mothers could raise their daughters in this understanding of themselves?
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anyway. now that i've worked myself up about it all...ugh.
here's a pic run down of the past 2 months!
addy at daisy scouts (gah, i still need to sew & iron on her patches!)
addy's class at their end of the year music performance & kindergarten graduation. she is 2nd row from the back, to the left, waving.
graduate!
last day of school...
amelia, who didn't want her picture taken. but i had to, kiddo. you're just too spunky & funny not to...
my first character decorated cake!
just to show that i am a carnivore
look! i took a normal picture!
so many things i love about this picture...which was a play, by the way. addy acting, amelia-red-riding-hood the pianist.
so adeline really wanted to take a cheer class...amelia joined in because she doesn't want to miss anything. addy is in the back, with the pink star shirt. amelia in the front, striped romper.
addy was in her element.
amelia seemed to exude 'is this over yet?' the minute she arrived...
*big sigh* the american girl doll store
wow. capitalism at its best. i mean, quality of the stuff taken into consideration: BLECH! i was scowled at my another mother in the store as i tried to explain to adeline that we could just go buy a wee stuffed animal dog at target or the thrift store instead of paying $24 for her character's dog. seriously, american girl (all of which is 'made in china'...how does that make sense?! wtf?!) get over yourself. i do think the story lines are great, character building for young girls. but walking through the store, i felt the weight & disgust of capitalism sinking me into a giant hole...
but, the girls were in heaven...a heaven with a budget, though!
addy's proud smile after buying her 2nd doll, caroline. she saved her money for so long. i am proud of her, for sure! but to spend it on a doll, i nearly vomited handing the money over. $138 total for a doll with a book & accessories...thankfully, there are ways to buy them cheaper (thanks to my knowledgeable neighbor, karise, for showing me how!)
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& now i'm off to spray paint!
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