Making Things Up

weekend fun

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:43:00 +0000

I want to take my kids berry-picking. Wouldn't that be fun? Except not strawberry-picking, because at least one of my kids gets hives from strawberries. And guess what kind of Pick Your Own Berries farm is right down the road? A strawberry farm, of course. I think there are maybe pickable raspberries or blackberries on a farm to the northeast of us... somewhere... but we're talking probably a hour's drive to a very hot place that is unlikely to have bathrooms. This may not be the wisest of plans for this stage in our lives. I guess I'll settle for berries picked fresh from a basket at the farmer's market. That's pretty much the same thing, right? Sort of? Not at all?

shopping anxiety

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:13:00 +0000

I am an annoying shopper. I don't like to spend money at all, ever, unless I have researched all possible money-spending options and am quite sure that I am pursuing the single best money-spending option possible. This tends to mean that I waffle. Pick it up, put it back. Pick it up, put it back. Do I want this, or that? Or neither? Is something else better? Or is there a better price somewhere else? Clearly I'm okay with shopping taking a toll on my mental health instead of on my wallet. This may not be entirely rational behavior.

But it is fun for whoever shops with me! Wait, no. No it is not. At least not according to my mother and my sister, who took me fabric shopping last week. Being experienced fabric artists, they know all the best places to shop, so they took me to a store hidden in an industrial park. I stood in the $3 a yard section for, I don't know, hours, saying, Do I want this? Maybe that? Or no, maybe I better not, until my mother finally grabbed the bolt I was waffling over and threw it down on the counter and bought it herself.

My mother now owns a yard of kicky green floral-printed cotton. And I want it.

Sigh. I may never be able to convince her to shop with me again.

about cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:59:00 +0000

IF you should buy yourself a box of cupcakes, say. For argument's sake, let's call them Trader Joe's chocolate cupcakes with fudge frosting. If you should buy such a thing. On a hot day. You might think to put them in the refrigerator so the frosting doesn't all melt and slide off the side of the cupcake, which perhaps you know from experience is likely to happen.

HOWEVER. If your refrigerator is messily crammed full of goodness knows what and you shove the cupcakes in on the top shelf, and they wind up pressed against the refrigerator light bulb--even though they are still in the refrigerator-- they will STILL MELT. At least the one closest to the light bulb.

Just thought you should know.

(On the other hand, if you forget to put them in the fridge at all and they do melt, you can always stick a fork right through the frosting and into the cupcake, and pull them out of the package that way. Not that I have experimented to find the cake-removal method resulting in least loss of frosting or anything.) (Okay, yes. Yes I have. I have done exactly that.)

sewing update

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:40:00 +0000

I tried to make myself a skirt. I tried to put in a drawstring waist. Sounds easy enough, right? Sure.

Ahem. The opening? For the drawstring to come out? Somehow ended up on the inside of the skirt. And let me just say: Drat. (Though if I didn't think a small child might read this over my shoulder, I would perhaps choose a stronger expletive. In case you were wondering.)

writing motherhood giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Well, you've all been busy! Or at least summery! Lovely. The random number generator at random.org tells me that the book ought to belong to... commenter number 4, which turns out to be... one, two, three... I can count... Anjali! Email me and I'll get it right out to you.

sew baby sew

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:05:00 +0000

Okay, one thing I decided to do while I had no computer: I decided to learn to sew. Now, technically, I always knew how to sew. When I was little, I used my mother's sewing machine to make things like doll clothes and doll sleeping bags and doll blankets. And in fact, I have my own sewing machine; I asked for one for my birthday years ago, and my mother graciously provided one.

But it's been sitting in its box in my closet. Because I was afraid of the bobbin. I didn't really understand how bobbin thread worked or how/why I managed to tangle it so dreadfully each and every time I sewed. So I left the machine in the box.

But! Now it's out, and has claimed a place on my kitchen counter between the stand mixer and the basket of Abigail and Owen's school books. Obviously.

I bought this book, and I've been sewing skirts for my girls. As it turns out, I may have watched my mother sew many, many times, but there are a few key points I missed. DOUBLE-folded hems? Finished seams? I did not realize. Also: there should be an iron involved in sewing? In all my years growing up, I never once noticed there being an iron near the sewing machine, though whether that is due to my mother's sewing technique or my powers of observation, I couldn't definitively say. (Okay, it was me. I just didn't notice it. She irons.) But now, now I know! And now I've read the entire sewing machine instruction manual, cover to cover, in English and Spanish, and I feel fairly confident that I have mastered the bobbin. I will fear you no more, little spool-thing!

So here's what I've made so far:

Skirts with elastic waists. Not terribly difficult sewing here, but notice the rickrack trim at the hem! Ooh, fancy.

Tiered skirts with gathers! One for each girl. I'm very impressed with myself.

And with ruffles on the bottom! Audrey and Sadie wore these on the fourth of July.

I also made a swaddling blanket for Sadie. It's just a white muslin square, unevenly hemmed. You do not want to see a photo of that. Up next: more of the easy kind with the elastic waist and no gathers! Maybe with bias tape on the hem, because that's even easier! I think.

two and a half

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:21:00 +0000

Things Audrey is obsessed with at the moment:

Coloring with crayons and colored pencils. On anything and everything: Walls, tables, chairs, television screen, stereo speaker, flooring, dolls, miscellaneous furniture, doors, bathroom counter, kitchen cabinets, food.

Things I am obsessed with at the moment:

Magic eraser.

mirror, walking past

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:02:00 +0000

I have to look in mirrors when I walk past. Also reflective windows and car doors. Not so much because I want to see what I look like--most of the time I'm not even close enough to tell-- but just to make sure I'm still there.

I usually am.

amy krouse rosenthal, and other stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:48:00 +0000

Some weeks I wonder if I drive the library nuts. We have one library card for our whole family, so we easily check out fifty books a week. (Well, mostly books. Also the occasional movie, audiobook, and/or music CD.) I use interlibrary loan like there is no tomorrow. And my kids are not all that quiet in the library itself, though we try to mostly stay in the soundproofed children's section. Still, I wonder if the librarians cringe when they see us coming. Oh well.

One of my recent library scores was this: Amy Krouse Rosenthal's Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life. I'm tempted to blog in encyclopedia form from now on. I may give in to that temptation at least once. I'm also buying her earlier books about mothering, because how could I NOT want to own something called The Same Phrase Describes My Marriage and My Breasts: Before the Kids, They Used to Be Such a Cute Couple (Notes While They Nap)?

Somewhat coincidentally, Abigail and Owen chose Amy Krouse Rosenthal's The OK Book at the library last week. It's a picture book about trying new things, even if you turn out to be only OK at them. I'm an OK blogger. Also an OK lunch-preparer, an OK phone message returner, and I'm OK at remembering to get dressed before noon. How about you?

star walkers

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:05:00 +0000

Says Owen: "I think my new sandals should be Star Walking Shoes. I can wear them to walk on stars."

Says I: "Awesome! I love that idea!"

Says Owen: "What are stars made of, anyway?"

Me: "Fire."

Him: "Um... Maybe they could be my Something Else Walking Shoes."

(I know, I know, cute kid stories, eek! You all have cute kids of your own. But we gotta keep my family happy, right?)

the family edge

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:07:00 +0000

Nothing much has been going on around here, really. At least not compared to my friend Abi-- she and her husband decided to pack up their toddler, sublet their house, and go to Australia for two and a half months. I feel positively slothful and boring next to her. But lucky for me, she's keeping a blog, so at least I can live vicariously through her posts and pictures. Check her out and leave her some comment love, won't you? She's blogging at The Family Edge. And check out her new haircut, oh my! Go Abi!

playgroups

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:57:00 +0000

I joined a playgroup. As far as I can tell, this is a creative means for getting sunburned. (Also good for conversation, but man. The sunburn.)

writing motherhood

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:59:00 +0000

Okay, okay, enough about The Little Computer That Couldn't. You're tired of it, I'm tired of it, and anyway, it's depressing. On to more interesting topics. How about a giveaway? That's much more exciting. Pleasant, too. So! I have a brand spankin' new copy of Lisa Garrigues' Writing Motherhood sitting on my desk. It's the one with the lovely new paperback cover. And I think it should go home to live with one of you.

Writing Motherhood is full of ideas for (what else?) writing about motherhood, useful whether you're a blogger or a journal-keeper or some other kind of writer. Or all of the above. It would also make a thoughtful new-parent gift, should you not be a parent yourself.

So here's the deal: Not having a computer for the last... er... ever, means that I haven't hardly been able to keep up with all my favorite blogs. And I miss you! So I want to know: what have you been up to? You. Yes, you. Leave me a comment telling me what you've been doing for the last few weeks, and I'll choose one at random to win Writing Motherhood. And there you go.

Ah, it's good to be back.

the computer - it is dead

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:44:00 +0000

Sorry for my absence. It's not that I'm dead, and I assume none of you have died either (my condolences if you have). But I am still without regular computer access. Dane and I have officially given up on the old computer and have ordered a shiny new one. It should be here... not soon enough.

So what do you do with a dead computer? Flush it down the toilet? Bury it in the backyard? Run it through the wood chipper? Put the parts on eBay and pray that someone wants 5-year-old used/dead PC components?

Instead of those fun alternatives, we're thinking about sending it off to recycling heaven at MyBoneYard.com. Has anyone ever tried this service? Do you have other recommendations? Feel free to, you know, talk amongst yourselves. I'll check back, uh, later.

california disaster preparation

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:00:00 +0000

We took our kids to the San Diego Wild Animal Park last week. Audrey tried to convince us to let her ride a lion, but no luck. We did, however, let her try to pet a duck. (No luck with that either.) At any rate, to get there from here, we had to drive through one of the areas burned by last fall's wildfires. There were no buildings nearby, but the hills were blackened in both directions; weeds poked through here and there. These reminders of disaster, they freak me out. This spring and summer have been milder than last year's, but we've still got drought conditions--and when the Santa Ana winds pick up in the fall, who knows what will happen.

California has a new disaster preparedness website to help you think through what your family would do in an emergency. I hadn't given this nearly enough thought before last year's wildfires. Sure, we live in earthquake country, but we're not especially close to a fault line. And wildfires usually stay far to the east. But last year, neighborhoods all the way to the coast were evacuated. If Dane hadn't been helping pack, I would have forgotten to bring food with us. (Though in my defense, I was nine-plus-months pregnant with Sadie and did manage to think of bringing kid things and baby things and birth things. Go me!)

So here's what I should have done ahead of time. I should have had a disaster kit, including supplies, any medications your family members take, and other special needs items (for example, some of my kids have allergies, so my kit should include an antihistimine). Ideally, I would have one kit at home and another in the car.

I should also have a disaster plan, and make sure my kids know what to do in an emergency. Around here, the most likely emergencies are earthquakes and wildfires. My kids know how to drop and cover in an earthquake, and where to be in each room of our house; they also know how to get outside from each room if necessary. Should an ice storm or a hurricane hit, we would have no idea what to do. But for earthquakes and fires, we're set.

The state of California offers a free customizable children's book to help talk your kids through emergency preparations, though I used their guide to teachable moments more than the book itself (it's part of the download, after the book). The book is more a guide to preparedness than a story; a mother and child tell a friend how to make a disaster plan, how to put together a disaster kit, etc. But talking it through helped me to answer questions my kids had, and let me reinforce the idea that we make plans to keep safe when unexpected things happen. It's a good thing to remind myself of too, from time to time.

books books books

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:27:00 +0000

While I've been computerless (which, by the way, I still am, at least at the moment), I've been reading. Shocking, I know. Here's what I've got this week:

Without a Map, recommended by Writers Revealed and, I don't know, half the internet.

The Bill from My Father, recommended by Kate Hopper.

Never Let Me Go, recommended by Jennifer Niesslein.

Apparently I'm highly influencible. Anybody else want to tell me what to do? Er, read?

more griping

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:24:00 +0000

Grrr. Still no computer at my house. Thank goodness my mother likes me and lets me sneak in to use her computer every once in a while! The new video card came finally, and we installed it, and now the computer turns on. This is an improvement. Then the computer crashes. This is not much of an improvement. Dane managed to convince it to backup last night, and tonight he's reformatting the hard drive and reinstalling windows. Please tell me this will solve my every problem. Please.

three unrelated sets of facts

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:19:00 +0000

Today is Dane’s birthday. It’s a milestone birthday, and I’ve suddenly begun chiding him to eat breakfast and to wear sunscreen (see below). Apparently I am feeling concerned over his mortality.

We went to Legoland yesterday. The children, we covered in sunscreen. Ourselves, we did not. I now need spray-on tan for my eye area, which was covered by my enormous sunglasses.

The new computer part thingy will be here maybe Monday. So I could have a computer again by Tuesday. Possibly. Please.

lacking in technological know-how (me)

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:29:00 +0000

I am at my mother’s house. Why am I at my mother’s house, you ask? Why, because I cannot check my email at my own house, and it was starting to get to me. And why can’t I check my email? Why? Oh, well, that. Our video card, as far as I can tell, disintegrated and must be replaced. I don’t really know what the video card does except, I assume, enable video, but apparently the computer requires one to turn on. Which maybe wouldn’t be so much of a problem if our computer weren’t so old and persnickety, but as it is, we have to order one that will work with our existing, uh, stuff, so it will be a few more days before the thing is replaced.

So I am at my mother’s house. I have commandeered her computer. It was kind of easy, since she wasn’t at home when I got here. It was just me and the cat, who leaps down the stairs and thumps into walls at bizarre intervals. But now she’s home and possibly expects to, I don’t know, use her own stuff again, so I guess I will be heading back to my own home. My own computerless home. Ah, internet access, how dependent I have become upon thee…

frequently heard at my house

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Sun, 25 May 2008 21:53:00 +0000

ME: [yelling across the house to Dane] Hey, honey? Are you feeding the kids?

DANE: Feeding the kids? To what?

mothertalk book tour: the yummy mummy manifesto

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Fri, 23 May 2008 05:48:00 +0000

So maybe you’ve noticed that Sadie’s seven months old now. You might also notice that I’ve been wearing the same two outfits every day for a month. Or no, probably you didn’t notice that, because I haven’t posted pictures of it. (And don’t expect me to start now.) I’m just saying, when The Yummy Mummy Manifesto came my way, promising “Baby, Beauty, Balance, and Bliss” for new and expecting mamas, well, let’s just say I was interested.

And you know what? It’s a fun book. The Yummy Mummy Manifesto isn’t about being the mommy with the most stuff—in fact, there’s a whole chapter on how to “underspend” on your under-two-year-old—it’s about being a mommy with style.

There are sections on what to wear, how to decorate your kid’s space, and how to create sanctuary within your home. There are also less-expected sections, on “primal mothering for prudes,” “mantras of the survivalist mother,” or “crafts: for women who hate them.” It’s mothering advice and style advice, all in one little book. Except, of course, it’s not a little book at all. It’s a large-format tome with vivid colors and drawings throughout. And we know I’m a sucker for a beautifully designed book.

There’s plenty of discussion of healthy living, too. Apparently eating processed foods and caffeine is not an appropriate substitute for sleep and exercise. (Has author Anna Johnson been spying on me?) I’m feeling inspired to eat my greens. No, feeling inspired is not the same as actually doing it. Thanks for asking. But I have made fresh fruit smoothies as an afternoon energy-booster every day for the last week. So that’s something.

But back to my own style dilemma. How DO you dress the postpartum figure, you wonder? (Or anyway, I was wondering.) For one thing, you have to adjust for having changed not only size, but also shape. The styles that you wore prepregnant may not work for you postpartum, even in a bigger size. [Cue light bulb blinking on over head.] See, this woman knows what she’s talking about. One style tip down, thirty-four and a half more chapters’ worth to go.

For more on The Yummy Mummy Manifesto, visit MotherTalk.

mmm, crafty goodness

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:19:00 +0000

I was going to title this: Blogs I read when I should be ~~doing laundry~~ ~~sleeping~~ doing other productive stuff, but that seemed a little long-winded.

I read a lot of blogs. Yours, of course! And also a bunch of random ones. For example... I love craft blogs. All Buttoned Up. Angry Chicken. The Small Object Steno Pad. Tree Fall. Wee Wonderfuls. SouleMama. (I’m loving her book, too—lots of practical suggestions for implementing waldorf-y ideas at home. Also lots of stuff I’ll never do—cough, archiving every little thing the kids make! cough—but I only have a little bit of guilt about that.)

I’m only a wee bit crafty myself, but I love to see all the glorious projects I’ll never attempt.

Which makes me wonder: what kind of blogs do you all read? Do tell.

why we're baking at 10:28 on sunday night

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 19 May 2008 05:26:00 +0000

9:30pm
DANE: Do you know there’s bread dough rising on the counter?
ME: Oh! I forgot about that. But, you know, in a good way.
DANE: Like, oh, good, I meant to forget to bake bread?
ME: No, like, it was hot and I didn’t want to turn the oven on earlier.
DANE: Right…

one last mother's day post

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:02:00 +0000

How was your mother’s day? Anyone? Let’s see, my weekend went like this:

Saturday, a family we know moved to a new house. (They like to be anonymous on the internet, so I won’t say who they are or how I know them. But they were moving.) Their four-year-old girl, whom we’ll call C, came to play at our house rather than help the big people carry furniture.

We thought we’d take all five (!) kids to the library for the afternoon, so I sat down to nurse the baby before we took off. And this, of course, is where hanging out with other people’s kids gets fun, because C came running over to ask, “Is she SUCKING on your BOOB?”

Now, I have it on good authority that this kid is familiar with the concept of breastfeeding, so I’m pretty sure she was just confirming. But it still left Dane spluttering and choking and coughing in an attempt not to laugh out loud, which left me to try to reframe with positive language: “Yes, she’s nursing. She’s drinking milk. She’ll be done soon, and then we’ll go to the library!”

Yeesh. I’m hoping no one was scarred for life.

We did ultimately make it to the library, though Sadie managed to require a change by the time we got there. A diaper change. And a clothing change. And, oh look, a car seat cover change! Except there is no car seat cover change, I just have to wash the one I’ve got. And did I mention I didn’t bring a diaper bag to the library, because… because I’m an idiot? No other reason? Luckily I keep a spare diaper and hand sanitizer in the glove compartment, and, um, covering the carseat mess with tissues is appropriate, right?

But by the time we got home, Sadie and Audrey were ready to nap, so I brought them in without worrying about Sadie’s carseat cover. And then I forgot all about it until the next morning, when we tried to go out the door to church. Whoops.

Despite my attempts to rationalize (It’s not VERY dirty! Only in one spot! I could put a… a towel, maybe…), we took the carseat out, stripped it down, and stayed home all day. And so Sadie gave me a day of being at home for mother’s day. The end.

and the random winner is...

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa) — Mon, 12 May 2008 05:20:00 +0000

Back to That Baby CD and DVD giveaway! Using the random integer generator at random.org:

--------------------------------------

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2008-05-12 05:13:17 UTC

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Which means comment #4 wins. Anon, I'll get it to you asap. (Anon’s daughter and my kids take dance lessons together, so that shouldn't be terribly difficult. Assuming I remember. Which, honestly, is questionable. Imagine me trying to get out the door with four kids, three pairs of ballet shoes, and a camera. Now imagine me forgetting to bring the CD and DVD. Wasn’t hard to picture, was it?)

And if you want to order yourself a copy of That Baby CD or DVD, coupon code “MotherTalk” is good for 20% off your order through May 18, plus you’ll be entered in a drawing for a free ipod nano. Not too shabby.