Happy St. Patrick's Day

Shamrocks
Originally uploaded by warillever.

Scientific Method

We just filled three containers of snow.

We put one on the counter, one in the fridge, and one in the freezer.

What will happen?

Agent 002 says that they will melt.

I asked him if they would all be melted by dinnertime. His hypothesis is yes.

We shall see...

(btw -- we did counter/fridge/freezer instead of inside outside
because the temp differential is only a few degrees today -- it is 43
degrees outside, 51 inside. I hypothesize that the snow in our freezer will last longer than the snow in our backyard.)

Gunky Goo

gunk
Originally uploaded by warillever.

Lots of sticky fun at our house this morning. This is "gunk" - a combination of cornstarch, water, and food coloring.

It feels like a solid, but then oozes out of your hand.

And makes a mess of the whole kitchen.

Fortunately one of my virtual pals taught me about "sock mopping," and Agent 002 willingly cleaned up after himself. I may have him clean more often -- the floor glistens! All I did was mix water and white vinegar in a pitcher, and pour it little by little onto the floor as Agent 002 skated around the kitchen in his socks.

Rub a Dub Dub - Five Frogs in a Tub

My virtual pals(Heather, Yasmina) have been making boats with their kids this week. The Agents and I joined in on the fun.

Here is our boat
It is a ginger ale bottle with the top third cut off.

After playing for a while, and realizing that even a boat sinks if filled with water, we counted the bath frogs.

1 Little Froggy
2 Little Froggies
3 Little Froggies
4 Little Froggies
5 Little Froggies

Mom my Ride

HT: Summa Mamas

Shamrocks!

shamrock-sprouting
Originally uploaded by warillever.

Well, not quite shamrocks yet, but they have sprouted.

I took the plastic bag greenhouse off today.

The kids are still interested in watching them grow.

Flybabies Beware!

unshiny sink
Originally uploaded by warillever.

This is what my sink looked like after the Agents made "flubber" and "gunk."

Lots and Lots of Lots of Fun

...means no time to post.

I will try to write the posts, but if you just can't wait, check out our A, B, C, goo, and boat pictures already uploaded to Flicker.

Letter Playground

letter playground
Originally uploaded by warillever.

I wish that I could take credit for this idea, but it was all Agent 002.

He took all of the Fridge Phonics letters, and placed them on the corresponding spot on our "alphabet train." He got a kick out of the way that the letters slid down the folds in the paper.

Shamrocks-Day4

Shamrocks-Day4
Originally uploaded by warillever.

Seeds went in on Day 3.

Still nothing.

Wecome Baby PJ!

Cousin F has a baby brother.

M&M are adopting sweet little, few-days-old PJ.

According to the pictures, he is gorgeous.

He pooped three times in the first ten minutes they knew him. Atta boy!

Can't wait to meet him -- M&M will be back in a few days.

Not a Snowday

It might be snowing, but "school" is on here at the warillever homestead.

The kids are on a learning kick, and I am going with it.

Thus far, we have formed letters out of construction paper, cut numbers out of grocery ads, and added crackers.

Dr. Seuss birthday festivities at the library if they open today.

Pictures to come. Of snow, kids, and "school."

Shamrocks - Day 1

Shamrocks-Day1
Originally uploaded by warillever.

Here is Agent 002 filling our pot with dirt. We will plant shamrock seeds tomorrow.

Watch here for updates on how they are growing!

Creative Play

I love watching Agent 002 play. He can always come up with something to do. Here he is rubbing a metal pen case on sandpaper letters. I had intended to have him trace the letters with his fingers to get the sensation of the sandpaper as he "wrote." Instead, he wanted to rub things on the letters. He tried various objects, but liked the sound of fork on sandpaper the best.

This is what he did with craft sticks. He then used another stick to change the oil.
This is how he carried his Valentine's Day M&Ms to our color lesson:

This is the "train" he created in our kitchen:
Here is his "truck crayon:"
This is a magnet train:
And finally -- ART

Let's Talk about ME!

word-cloud
Originally uploaded by warillever.

This is a snapshot of what I write about on this blog. The larger the word in the image, the more frequently it is used in the text of the blog.

It looks like I talk about myself a lot..... or maybe it counts the signature line on each post.

I actually am relieved to see that God, wisdom, and prayer are so prominent.

Good News (Belated)

I always forget to share good news with y'all. What does that say about me?

JR was able to go home on Wednesday. He will have a nurse and therapist visit every day for a while, but he is home. Very, very cool.

Thank you for the prayers. Keep them up for a while if you would.

Hanging around

Hanging around
Originally uploaded by warillever.

Agent 002, Cousin F and Agent 004 doing flips under the trestle table.

I love 004's striped pants.

The Trio

Brushing Teeth
Originally uploaded by warillever.

Agent 004, Cousin F and Agent 002, brushing their teeth.

If it were up to Cousin F, we would brush 15 times per day.

Doesn't he look huge?

Old School Dancing

Agent 004 has a new "Angelina Ballerina" doll, so dancing is now a big thing in our house. After watching the DVD that came with the doll, I popped some classical music in, handed each child a long strip of fabric, and started dancing. All three joined in, joyfully waving their ribbons.

Agent 002 then remarked, "just like at my old school," remembering the music classes at his orphanage.

Memory is an interesting thing. That's the first time he has made any mention in over a year.

A turn for the better?

JR smiled at my sister and squeezed a nurse's finger yesterday.

Spritual Benefits of Blogging

As my time on the internet has become more precious, I have spent less time seeing the sites or reading new blogs. I have fallen into a blog-rut. Curt Jester and the Catholic Blog Awards (link broken?) have cured me, however. In his awards post, Curt Jester recommended scores of blogs. I have not yet worked through the entire list, but have already found a new favorite -- Ironic Catholic. In a recent post, he describes the "unexpected spiritual benefits of blogging."

• You get to practice patience as you spend way too much time... a. trying to size a picture through the Blogger program, b. waiting to see if the post will publish, c. tweaking with one sentence so that it makes sense, d. all of the above
• Faith in the everyday: seek, and ye shall find something to write about.
• Great opportunity to jam to excellent Christian music while you write, like, say, Ashley Cleveland. Um, or Gregorian Chant. (OK, that was a shameless plug. She's so phenomenal.)
  
• You get multiple opportunities to resist the temptation of looking at your SiteMeter stats. And when you do look, it's often an exercise in humility. A win-win!
• You get to practice non-violent conflict resolution when you wade into the occasionally turbulent waters of the comment boxes.
• You get to contemplate the beauty of nature as you look out the window in search of...a point....
• St. Jude has a more-than-passing familiarity with the Christian blogosphere. I'm jus' sayin'.
• Finally, always remember: we live in the blogosphere, but not of the blogosphere.

Update (2/2/07): I apologize for the pronoun confusion -- Ironic Catholic is a woman.

Happy Catholic makes me Happy

Happy Catholic posted this:

"The funny thing about lottery tickets," Mary mused as we waited in line at the cash register, "is that people keep buying them even if they never win. Week after week, month after month, year after year, still they never give up hope. But if they pray for something two or three times, they expect immediate results, and if it doesn't happen, then they say that God is unfair, disinterested, or dead. Why is it easier to keep believing in the lottery than in God?"

Our Lady of the Lost and Found: A Novel of Mary, Faith, and Friendship
by Diane Schoemperlen

Check out the weekend joke as well.

Sean was right (again)

Never, ever, listen to country music when in a fragile emotional state.

For someone who has only cried once in the past two weeks (and that was when a cafeteria worker overcharged me for a cup of coffee), the radio sure got me choked up yesterday.

I was heading down the highway to visit my brother in the hospital, I realized that without kids in the car, I could listen to "grown up radio." I tuned to the local country station, and started bopping along to the tail end of a song I recognized. Then a new song came on about a man driving home in a snowstorm because he couldn't get a flight. "Cute," I thought, "such a nice couple." Then the song ended with:

He didn't stop all day to eat a bite
And he finally got there around midnight
The doctor said, she's in a better place
She said to give this you this note just in case

And it said, I'll wait for you at Heaven's gate
Oh, I don't care how long it takes
And I'll tell Saint Pete I can't come in
Without my love and my best friend
Oh, this ain't nothin' new
Sweetheart, I'll wait for you
P.S. I love you, too
Sweetheart, I'll wait for you

Joe Nichols - I'll Wait for You

Thus commenced the blubbering.

Not that I haven't made this mistake before. As Mr warillever and I pulled onto the Toll Road on our way to see his very ill father in New York, the first song on the radio was Blake Shelton's "The Baby" --

I got a call in Alabama,
said come on home to Louisianna
and come as fast as you can fly.
Cause your momma really needs you,
and says she's got to see you,
she might not make it through the night.
The whole way I drove 80
so she could see her baby.

She looked like she was sleepin'
and my family had been weepin'
by the time that I got to her side.
And I knew that she'd been taken,
and my heart it was breakin',
I never got to say goodbye.

I softly kissed that lady
and cried just like a baby.

We made it to see Mr warillever's "Pop" that night, and I made it to see JR yesterday. But I will never listen to the radio on my way to a hospital again.

Three Hundred Fifty Eight

I am a little behind. I have 358 unread emails, and that is with gmail, which counts "conversations," not individual messages.

This does not concern me in and of itself, but it is indicative of my arrears in other areas. For example, I think that the last time that I folded laundry probably coincided with the last time I read email.

Flylady tells me (at the bottom of each of her 231 unread messages),

"You are not behind! I don't want you to try to catch up; I just want you to jump in where we are. O.K.?"

I am going to take her up on that, mark all of her messages as "read," and dive into that mountain of laundry on the livingroom floor. Wish me luck.

What we do when we aren't worrying

Watch YouTube:


JR is doing worse and Agent 002 just got stitches, but Mr warillever and I still take time out to be goofy now and again.

One Little Piggy

Draw a Pig Personality Test

Toward the top of the paper, you are positive and optimistic.
Toward the middle, you are a realist.
Toward the bottom, you are pessimistic, and have a tendency to behave negatively.

Facing left, you believe in tradition, are friendly, and remember dates (birthdays, etc.)
Facing right, you are innovative and active, but don't have a strong sense of family, nor do you remember dates
Facing front, you are direct, enjoy playing devil's advocate and neither fear nor avoid discussions.

With many details, you are analytical, cautious, and distrustful.
With few details, you are emotional and naive, they care little for details and are a risk-taker.

With less than 4 legs, they are insecure or are living through a period of major change.
With 4 legs showing, they are secure, stubborn, and stick to their ideals.

The size of the ears indicates how good a listener you are.
The bigger the better. You drew medium sized ears, you are a good listener

The length of the tail indicates the quality of your sex life.
And again more is better! You drew small tail :)

On the other hand, maybe my pig is facing left, and has a long tail.......

Preschool by the wayside

Anyone reading this blog for "homepreschool" blogging need not check back for a while. With JR still in the hospital, I have not been spending much time on learning activities with kids. My siblings and I have been taking shifts in his room to ensure that someone he recognizes will be there when he becomes more aware. Auntie M and I have been trading off so that one of us watches the kids while the other visits JR. The kids (including Auntie K's, who are babysat by her in-laws when she visits JR) have all been very good, but are definitely thrown off by the changes in their routines.

JR's pneumonia is finally improving a bit, but it looks like it will be a long road yet. The prayers seem to be working, so keep at it please.

The warillevers do Washington

Or trip to Washington was not all business. We spent some time visiting with Mr warillever's brothers Uncle Ichabod and Uncle 7, ate great food, and patronized two of the Smithsonian institutions.

My favorite was the Lebanese food on Saturday, but I think the agents had the most fun at the National Zoo.

More Prayers, Please

It looks like your prayers for my uncle have been helping, so I have another request.

My brother JR was admitted to the hospital this weekend for pneumonia. While there, he had an asthma attack which exacerbated an already precarious situation. He is doing much better, but it looks like he will be in the hospital for a while. Please pray for him and his recovery.

March for Life 2007

March for Life 2007
Originally uploaded by warillever.

Mr warillever, the agents, and I joined up with friends from college and their children for the March.

Nothing went according to plan, but that itself was a blessing. By the time we arrived at the Verizon Arena (an hour before mass), the building was over capacity, and we could not attend the Youth Mass. We were instead directed to a local parish, which was already at standing-room-only itself. In all, 3 churches, a lecture hall and a professional sports arena were filled with worshipers. I was brought to tears by the mass of humanity gathered in prayer.

The weather was miserable -- it was colder and snowier in DC than it was in New Hampshire -- but if anything the adverse conditions intensified the experience. Thousands of people coming together to stand up for justice is always an incredible thing, but to see people who traveled hundreds or thousands of miles stand in the cold for two hours in order to find a space in line to trudge a mile in the slush was inspiring.

This is our third trip time marching, and I think that we will continue to do so, even with small children. The kids were real troopers and really seemed to enjoy the experience. They do not comprehend abortion (nor should they at this age), but it was nonetheless educational. Agent 002 was reading letters off of the signs around us, and pointing out each picture of Jesus he saw. He understands that we love EVERY SINGLE human being, no matter how small or how weak. I hope that all of the children will understand how important it is that we stand up for things that we believe in.

Here and gone

As always, when I have the most to say, I have the least time to write it in.

A capsule summary:

• Cousin D was baptized last weekend. It is so wonderful to witness a young child entering the faith.
• Agent 002 started school on Tuesday. I cried. Mr warillever fretted. Agent 002 loves it.
• Agent 004 wants to "go ool" too. So we now have a formal "homeschool" time for her. She loves it.
• We are heading to the March for Life this weekend. We'll be meeting up with friends from college and their kids. The agents made signs today -- I'll post pictures when I can. Agent 002's says "Smile! You were born."

When you say your prayers today, please leave a word for my Uncle Festy. He fell very ill a few days ago. My mom and her brother here in the states are flying to Ireland to see him -- please pray for their safe travels as well.

On the first day after Christmas

...the house feels so naked!

We took the decorations down yesterday, and the house is so bare.

Where we learn and play

Some of my listserv friends have been posting pictures of their children's work and play areas. I figured that I would join in on the fun with some shots of our art, play, and "school" areas. Both sets of cubes are covered with red sheets so that the kiddos aren't as tempted to grab new things before the first one is put away. They have free access to the "tabletop" items, but obviously not to the art supplies. You can't tell from the picture, but the cubes on the right are set on top of a table.


The wading pool is full of uncooked rice and pine cones. I guess that would make it our "sensory table," but we use it more like an indoor sandbox. It is honestly far less messy than I would have expected.

Graham Cracker Houses

The Agents saw me at the computer and wanted to look at pictures. I figured that I would do double duty and post some at the same time. These are the graham cracker houses they made before Christmas. My sister-in-law built the houses, and I helped the kids dip candy into frosting to make it sticky. It was very simple, and even Cousin F (age 19 months) was able to join in.

A snippet

At this moment, Agent 002 is sitting in a wading pool, pouring colored rice from an egg carton into a sour cream container. He claims to be "cooking muffins." Agent 004 sits in the next room playing with her "laptop," which plays a different song depending on which letter she presses. I could justify these activities as educational -- he is getting sensory input, role-playing, and developing fine motor skills, while she is working on language development, fine-motor skills, and imitating adult behavior. Or I could say that that they are little kids playing, and having a good time doing it.

I think that I prefer the second description.

In the time that I have spent writing this post, they moved on to playing with "shakey car," a race car that drives when it is shaken (see here). Then Agent 002 set the keyboard to "demo," and they both danced around the room. They then took turns singing Jingle Bells into the keyboard's microphone as the tune played -- preschool karaoke.

A hug request just came in - gotta go!

Left-handed typing

If only y'all could read the blog posts that I compose in my head. I "wrote" about Epiphany (they sought, they found, they celebrated, they did the prudent thing), but due to out-of-town guests and a hand injury, I haven't had a chance to type it.

Yes, I cut my hand washing dishes. The amazing thing is that it is the first time that I've done it...
Be back with you once my hand hand heals up or I get the patience to hunt and peck with my left hand.

Ouch

Even without record-setting quarterback Brady Quinn, receiver Jeff Samardzija and many more of its best players next season, Notre Dame will finally end its postseason drought, now the longest in NCAA history.

The Fighting Irish will end the postseason losing streak that dates back to 1994 because next season they'll be playing in some second-tier bowl game in a non-descript place like Shreveport, La., which is where they should have been playing during much of the last two decades.

If you can stand to read more....

Wisdom of the Ages

Tough times never last, but tough people do.
Fortune Cookie

Welcome Nathaniel!

I haven't checked LJ recently, so I am a few days late on congratulating Library Gal and her family on the birth of their son Nathaniel. He has been blogging since birth, and looks to be doing very well.

Good luck with those diapers, Mommy and Daddy!

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Today is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (EWTN, Wikipedia, About.com). Even though the obligation was transferred to Sunday this year, we had planned to attend daily mass as a family anyway. A nasty little ice storm, however, deterred us from leaving the house. We figured that God would prefer to have us alive at home than sliding off the road on the way to church.

Instead, all five of us -- both agents, me, Mr. warillever, and Janice the cat -- tried to pray the rosary together. We chose the Joyful mysteries because of they celebrate Mary as mother.

The agents were impressively attentive, patient, and respectful, but by the time we got to the fifth mystery -- Jesus is found in the temple -- the only family member under 50 pounds who had remained prayerful was the cat. She was curled up peacefully on my lap with wooden rosary beads around her neck. Agent 002 (who had placed the rosary beads on the cat), was giggling uncontrollably and Agent 004 was in full wiggle mode. My mind was starting to wander a little as well, and I could not get Eamon Kelly's Christmas Eve in Ireland out of my head.

My father, with his mind a thousand miles away, was doing eleven Hail Marys to the decade and twelve Hail Marys to the decade. My mother said 'Glory Ned,' and he, taking that for encouragement did thirteen to the decade.

Yes, that quotation is entirely from memory, and it too is from Paddy Noonan's Christmas Time in Ireland.

If I were to make a New Year's resolution (which I promised myself that I would not do), I would resolve to say the rosary daily. Maybe I'll start out by promising to do so tomorrow. And maybe, if I make that same promise every evening, I will make a habit of it.

It's beginning to look a lot like New Year's

It's beginning to look a lot like New Year's Day
Ev'rywhere you go
Football on every screen
Glistening once again
With yard lines and pigskin aglow.


...too bad my game isn't on until Wednesday.....

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Today is the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. (Wikipedia, About.com) These are particularly powerful readings, but one especially touched me:

I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.
I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.”

1 Samuel 1:26-28

Of course, then Hannah left her toddler son Samuel at the temple. Maybe that's not SUCH a good idea.....

This feast always reminds me of the song Wind in the Willows on Paddy Noonan's Christmas Time in Ireland album.
As I went a walkin' one mornin' in spring
I met with some travelers in an old country lane
One was an old man, the second a maid,
And the third was a young boy who smiled as he said
Chorus:
We've the wind in the willows,
And the birds in the sky,
We've a bright sun to warm us,
Where ever we lie
We have bread and fishes and a jug of red wine
To share on our journey with all of mankind

I sat down beside them,
The flowers all around,
And we ate on a mantle spread out on the ground
They told me of prophets and princes and kings
And they spoke of the one God who knows everything I asked them to tell me their name and their race
So I might remember their kindness and grace
My name is Joseph, this is Mary my wife
And this is our young son, our pride and delight
We travel the whole world, by land and by sea
To tell all the people how they might be free

Chorus

Sadly, I left them, in an old country lane
For I knew that I never would see them again
One was an old man, the second a maid
And the third was a young boy who smiled as he said
We've the wind.... [Chorus]

lyrics from makem.com

What an image of the Holy Family! I can just see the precocious little Jesus talking to his fellow traveler about "prophets and princes and kings... and the one God who knows everything," lilting melodiously about the beauty of God's creation.

A Resolution - Part I

It seems like ages ago that I promised to post. In the interim, we have decorated our house, made tons of ornaments, gone shopping, ridden on the mall carousel, wrapped presents, met Santa Claus, sung "Happy Birthday" over and over, and skied in our backyard. Well that skiing thing was a one-time occurence(today), but I hope that we can do it again :)

My promise to post was made in good faith, but somehow free time in front of the computer has never quite materialized. I won't claim that I haven't had the time, but more that I haven't set aside the time to do it.

So here is my resolution:

3 posts per week. 1 of the "link" variety, 1 of the "think" variety, and 1 of the pic variety.

Let's call this the "thinking" post. Stay tuned for a link and a pic.

Excuses excuses

I know that a promised a real post soon, but we have been keeping ourselves incredibly busy building graham cracker gingerbread houses, designing a Christmas card, making dough ornaments, painting, and playing in the snow.

There are pictures of some of these events, and I will be uploading them to Flickr soon. But I won't promise that it will get done this weekend -- we have guests stopping by tomorrow and I need to actually start Christmas shopping at some point.....

Posts in progress

I have "written" several blog posts in my head, but have not had the dedicated time to commit them to keyboard.

If I don't post in the next few days, please start peppering me with emails asking about Thanksgiving, Christmas decor, preschool, the power of routines, and hugs.

If the FDA regulated the Eucharist

Read the whole thing at Ironic Catholic.

Sean was right

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Boston You definitely have a Boston accent, even if you think you don't. Of course, that doesn't mean you are from the Boston area, you may also be from New Hampshire or Maine.
North Central
The West
The Midland
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The Inland North
The South
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

I hate it when that happens.

Thanksgiving Menu

We'll be having turkey for Thanksgiving. How 'bout y'all?

We are hosting a small T-day get-together for the warillever family -- just me, Mr. warillever, his mother, Uncle Ichabod, and the Agents. Nothing like the forty-person dinners that I'm used to at my folks' house.

Dinner for six should not be stressful -- I do it frequently -- but this is the mother of all feasts, a holiday based upon the abundance of tasty food. I am a little nervous. I have my menu planned, and have been testing out squash dishes for weeks. By the way, I have settled on butternut squash casserole from Allrecipes.com. It is too sweet for my taste, but Mr. warillever approved of it, which might be a first for him on a cooked veggie.

Otherwise, everything will be quite plain:

• Turkey
  
• gravy (jars as backup)
• mashed potatoes
  
• squash casserole (make on Wednesday, in oven last hour of turkey)
• green beans (steam on stove)
• corn (frozen)
• carrots (boil on stove)
• stuffing (Thursday am)
• cranberry sauce (from can)
• crackers/pretzels/breadsticks (from bags)
• veggies (chop, blanch some)
• 3 dips (Wednesday evening)
• oatmeal raisin cookies (kids make Tuesday)
• apple pie (kids make Monday, bake Tuesday)

Catch a Tigger by the tail

The frightening part is that this video was shot before he consumed his weight in candy at a Halloween party.

Books. Is there anything they cant do?

With all that we have heard about the harm of carrying heavy backpacks, it is refreshing to hear that heavy textbooks are good for something -- protection from school shootings.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (AP) -- A candidate for state superintendent of schools said Thursday he wants thick used textbooks placed under every student's desk so they can use them for self-defense during school shootings.
"People might think it's kind of weird, crazy," said Republican Bill Crozier of Union City, Oklahoma, a teacher and former Air Force security officer. "It is a practical thing; it's something you can do. It might be a way to deflect those bullets until police go there."

Read the whole article here.

Before the Secret Service starts bolting books to the White House walls for protection, though, they may want to do some more ballistics tests. Oklahoma Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Pete Norwood noted that "There are some rifles not even Webster's Dictionary will stop."

Beautiful, Innocent Babies

I love babies.

Cute, huggable, honest babies.

Check out what Luke is saying to his dad.

Congratulations Ruiz family.

My Haiku

I haven't posted anything like this in a while:

Haiku2 for warillever
one too but values like kindness and penitence are the most important
@ aboutmylife.netadvogato.orgblogger.comblogs.gnome.orgblogspot.comdeadjournal.comgreatestjournal.comlivejournal.commyspace.comspaces.msn.com
Created by Grahame

HT: Hello Kitty

Dance Tunes

Agent 002 has quite the itunes playlist going.

• The Hampster Dance Song 3:32 Hampton the Hampster
• Dragostea Din Tei 3:33 O-ZONE
• Carnival de Paris 3:59 Various Artists
• Shake Your Sillies Out 1:35 The Wiggles
• The Chicken Dance 2:05 Fisher-Price Dance, Baby, Dance!
• Dinosaur Dance 4:30 Fab-5
• The Hoppity Song 2:26 John Ondrasik

Anybody know where I could find a version of I Like to Move it without the not-so-kid-friendly voiceover?

You know you’re eating leftovers when...

the menu consists of egg drop soup, spaghetti squash, and potato salad.

Fall Fun

Since I last posted, we have:

been apple picking,

made apple pie

learned about Noah's ark,

made rainbow cookies (see the Noah tie-in?)
jumped on numbers,
jumped on the bouncy castlewith our California friends
built a stepstool,
and watched an exciting pumpkin race.

Wisdom of the Ages (2)

Science can purify religion from error and superstition. Religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes.

Pope John Paul II
from Happy Catholic

Did God make Grover?

We are slowly making our way through the Bible as a family. Or at least, we hope to. Inspired in part by the three-year old's "Bible and Rhyme" curriculum at Hubbard's Cupboard, Agents 002 and 004, Cousin F and I have been reading one Bible story a week and doing loosely related art projects. Today's project was "creating" things out of clay.

Then the questions started.

Agent 002: God made me?

me: yes!

Agent 002: God made 004?

meYes!

Agent 002: God made F?

meYes!

Agent 002: God made the toothbrush?

meGod made the people who made the toothbrush.

Agent 002: God made the toilet?

meGod made the people who made the toilet.

Agent 002: God made the cat?

meYes!

Agent 002: God made Grammy?

meYes, He did.

Agent 002: Good.

Then a few minutes later,

Agent 002: Did God make Grover?

me: Hmmm.....

Sneezing syphillis

Now that is an interesting Google search..... I am the #6 result!

Wisdom of the ages (1)

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.

St. Augustine

Apology advice

If Agent 002 does anything to harm another human being, even accidentally, we require that he apologize. The apology must be given directly to the injured party, and the apology modeled for him is specific to the crime as well. For example, "Sorry for hitting you, Agent 004." Apologizing has become automatic for him -- when he bumped into another child at the playground, Agent 002 immediately stopped and apologized. It takes him longer to apologize for acts of anger, and this is probably a good thing. In a four-year old kind of way, he waits until he means it.

Now that Agent 004 is beginning to speak, we ask the same of her as well. In fact, her first two-word sentence was "Sorry, F," delivered spontaneously after bopping Cousin F on the head. She then promptly bopped F again. I fear that instead of teaching her to be penitent, we have taught Agent 004 how to be a hypocrite.

Rationally, I am convinced that my fear is unfounded. I know that the words sometimes come long before the feelings. I understand that she is only two. I KNOW that she is a very good girl (and a cute one too). But values like kindness and penitence are the most important things that we can teach our children.

I make no promise to follow your advice, but out of curiosity I'd like to know -- what do other parents of preschoolers do?

Welcome Baby D!

Our children have a new cousin -- Baby D was born on Wednesday morning. He is his parents' first child, but joins a flock of warillever cousins - Agents 002 and 004 as well as Cousins E, C, T, B, A and Mm. Best wishes to him and his parents!

Note: Our children also have three reprehriestless cousins -- Cousins Aa, Mag, and F. That makes 10 first cousins. Quite a few, but not quite the 44 that I have........

No dessert for you buddy boy

Agent 002 serenaded us at dinner last night:

Happy burpday fart kaka
Happy burpday fart kaka
Happy burpday fart kaka
Happy burpday to you

At least he's creative..........

Update: Agent 002 did not miss dessert because he sang this song, but rather because he continued singing it after he was asked to stop. We are not wanton dessert-stealers. Although I will admit that Mr. warillever did eat said dessert after the agents went to bed. I am told that it was very good, at least as far as instant puddings go.

Wow!

Did I say that there would be fewer football posts? I wrote that when ND was down 31-14.........

I'll admit it, I had given up on this game. A 19-point 4th quarter secured the Irish win. Wow!

Hello again

Inspired by a recent conversation with the Library Despot, I started reading blogs again. I logged into Bloglines and Live Journal for the first time in months. It has been great fun catching up on old friends' lives and travails. I learned about pregnancies, new jobs, and new worries. I also paged through my own archives, and realized that it is an incredible record of what I was thinking and doing at some pivotal points in my life.

I've decided to make another go of blogging. My goal is to post one "Daily Magic" per week, as well as an ocassional reflective piece. There will probably be less commentary on news and football, and more snapshots of our daily lives.

A Very Warillever Christmas

tree
Originally uploaded by warillever.

I'll admit that it is not the prettiest tree ever, but it is something special. Mr. warillever cut it on Saturday evening, and the agents and I decorated it with bows that same evening. After six years with a 3-foot artificial, it feels nice to have a "real" tree in the house.

Still Grateful (Daily Magic #7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12)

The dearth of posts does not indicate a lack of magic in our lives; in fact I have not posted because we have been so busy enjoying family friends, and turkey. I am grateful for:

• The smell of wood burning in pre-twilight silence.
• Sunrise. Watching the line of sun move across our frosty lawn offers some compensation for the waking up at 4:30 with a teething agent.
• The Dump. Going to the dump (or "transfer station" or "recycling center") is a New Hampshire institution. Very few towns have municipal trash service, and the majority of homeowners drop off their own trash and recyclable rather than contracting out for pick-up. The Agents and I go once per week. Agent 004 usually sleeps through the experience, but I let Agent 002 'help' toss pre-separated recyclable into the proper bins and heave garbage garbage bags into the compacting chasm.
• Grampy Love. Nearly two weeks ago my father brought Agent 002 with him on a dump-run. My parents actually have roadside pick-up, but need to bring bulk items and yard waste directly to the transfer station. Agent 002 has talked about nothing since -- I have heard " Go see Grampy ride pick-up truck. Dump. Grampy throw sticks." Mind you, this kid goes to our dump with me each week, but going with Grampy, in a pick-up truck, was something extra-special.
• Leftovers. The days after Thanksgiving are filled with turkey, turkey, and more turkey, and maybe some stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pies. Instead of being grateful for our bounty (which is, in fact, the meaning of the holiday), we whine about the monotony of leftovers. I am exasperated by complaints that are neither true nor justified. The first Thanksgiving leftovers (hopefully consumed on fresh rye bread or leftover dinner rolls before the food has even fully cooled) offer an opportunity for stress-free family bonding. After days of laboring over recipes, the leftover turkey sandwich takes no skills or planning to prepare. Whether served buffet style or straight from the refrigerator, the whole family can create their own turkey masterpieces. And then the open-faced turkey sandwiches, turkey pot pie and turkey soup...... I am salivating before our breakfast of turkey omelets.....
• Cousins. Who merit a post all their own.

Happy 150th post!

How far we have come in seven short months........

Daily Magic #5 and #6

I am grateful for:

• The internet which allows me to stay close with old friends, even when they are far away. I have received comments from four midwestern buddies in the past week, which means that at least that many have read my drivel.
• In-Laws who are loving, giving and kind. I am a very lucky warillever indeed.

Pretty as pie

The pies are cooling and actually look quite tasty. I used the recipe in How to Cook Everything, and it was easy enough that I may try this again. Now if only I could get the kitchen cleaned and a suitcase packed quickly enough to get some sleep before Agent 004 wakes up.....

Fortunately Mr. warillever will be driving tomorrow night......

Irony alert

The spell checker embedded in Blogger does not recognize "blog" or "blogger" as words.

Daily Magic #4

I am grateful for:

• Simple Technology: I may be the rare blogger in that I am not at all a gadget freak. I have no cell phone, flash player, or pda, and have little interest in acquiring any of those electronic tethers. I am, however, enamored with the baby monitor. This simple little radio allows me to do things like blog, read, or rake leaves without worrying about the children's well-being. In the twenty minutes that Agent 002's and Agent 004's naps overlap, I can almost pretend that I am in the house all alone..........

Daily Magic #3

I am grateful for:

• Living close to family. We spent the day at my sister M's house yesterday. Their woodshed collapsed after their winter's wood had been stacked last week, so I volunteered Mr. warillever as grunt labor for the day. M, Cousin F, Agent 002, and Agent 004, and I did some socializing inside the house while the guys worked. Sexism at its best.

Cooking for Two

Two Thanksgiving dinners, that is. I offered to bake breads for my mother, and got talked into baking a pie for the dinner we are attending (at y sister-in-law's house).

Did I mention that I have no idea how to make an apple pie? Allrecipes.com here I come!

Daily Magic #2

(to make up for the lack of an entry yesterday)

I am grateful for:

• Silly monk jokes

Daily Magic #1

I am grateful for:

• morning kisses - as Mr. warillever leaves for work, he gives each member of the household a kiss. No matter how late he is running, he takes the time to honor "last time" requests for extra kisses from Agent 002, and even gives the cat a goodbye stroke. Yay for thoughtful Papas.

JPII was grand. Benedict is homey.

The Anchoress has a beautiful post about Pope Benedict's surprisingly warm and approachable manner. The Anchoress ends her post with a fitting metaphor:

John Paul was a mighty pipe organ, dramatic, transcendent, soul-rattling -
almost overwhelming. He brought you to your knees, before God in hushed awe.
Benedict is a piano being played by a musician who plays for love of the music,
and he draws you into his sphere, to sing along in praise.

For all of the talk (from supporters and detractors alike) about the Rottweiller that would close the cafeteria, Pope Benedict has proven to be pastoral and inspiring

Awful Beautiful Life

I listen to music that speaks to me. I have been on a classical kick lately, and just "rediscovered" the power of Mozart. My guilty pleasure, however, is pop-country. One song struck a chord with me today -- Darryl Worley's "Awful Beautiful Life"

I woke up early with a poundin' in my head
I'd been out the night before with all my friends
A little worried, kinda wonderin' what I did
I said, " Lord, please forgive me for my sins."
My wife wanted to kill me, but she tried to save me first
"You're goin' if I have to drag your butt to church."

I love this crazy, tragic,
Sometimes almost magic,
Awful, beautiful life

I read the hymns and kinda sorta sang along
And made it through the Sunday sermon wide awake
We met the family for dinner at our home
Drank some beer, watched a game, and cooked some steaks
My little brother had a big fight with his wife
And my poor mother sat between'em both all night

I love this crazy, tragic,
Sometimes almost magic,
Awful, beautiful life

We said a prayer for Cousin Michael in Iraq
We're all aware that he may never make it back
We talked about the way we missed his stupid jokes
And how he loved to be a soldier more than most

I laid in bed that night and thought about the day
And how my life is like a roller coaster ride
The ups and downs and crazy turns along the way
It'll throw you off if you don't hold on tight
You can't really smile until you've shed some tears
I could die today or I might live on for years

I love this crazy, tragic,
Sometimes almost magic,
Awful, beautiful life

I love this crazy, tragic,
Sometimes almost magic,
Awful, beautiful life

Alright
It's a beautiful life
Awful, beautiful, life
I love this life
It's a beautiful life

Ain't that the truth? Our circumstances are all different, but I bet that we could all describe our lives as "crazy, tragic, sometimes almost magic" lives. The trick is to remind ourselves to appreciate the magic in our daily lives.

In this week leading up to Thanksgiving, I will institute a daily feature where I recognize at least one of these magic moments.

Our even smaller artist

Fall Symphony
Originally uploaded by warillever.

Agent 004's first painting. There was as much paint on her pants as on the paper, but her smile made the cleanup worth it.

Our little artist

Masterpiece #1
Originally uploaded by warillever.

Watercolor on paper, created October 2005 by Agent 002

Tired spirals

I am used to being busy. As a college student I balanced a job, activities, and a varsity sport along with classes. After graduation I worked eighty hour weeks as a teacher, regularly waking at 4 am to get papers graded. I then earned a masters degree while working full time.

But being a stay-at-home parent is different. I am not over-scheduled like I was as a student athlete, or drowning in paperwork as I was as a teacher. Except when one of the children is sick, I am not pulling the "all-nighters" that I did in graduate school. Overscheduling, lack of sleep, and balancing work and school made me very tired (see this post for verification of my energy level last spring).

I am not as physically tired as I was then. I am sleeping a solid six or seven hours per night, eating well, and getting exercise. I do have momentary spells of psychic tiredness however. When Agent 002 ignores my third call to "be gentle" with the cat, when Agent 004 wiggles into her own poop during a diaper change, or when the two agents whine simultaneously. I am ashamed to admit that once in a while, I am even get tired of Agent 004 clinging to my leg.

When I am tired, I am impatient. And when I get impatient, the spiral begins. Agent 002 misbehaves and Agent 004 cries for attention. Which makes me more tired. Which makes him act up and her grumpy. Which make me more tired........

I have noticed that the spiral usually begins with me, and have gotten much better at preventing it. But even I do not have the energy to be on all the time..... fortunately my parents' house is a short drive away.