Speculations on Santa Claus

For those of you who believe or live with small individuals who believe, Santa Claus is coming tomorrow night.

Coen never wanted to sit on Santa's lap. We tried it twice and then gave up.  We've never tried it with Lucy but I can tell you without having the experience that Lucy's reaction would likely be unfavorable...likely filled with crying, screaming, and clutching at me.  So, no need.  We'll never have the iconic pictures of our kids on Santa's lap.

Here's Beth and I, circa 1982

Speaking of Santa, Coen, though earlier questioning, seems to be back on the believing tip.  I overheard him telling Lucy that tomorrow night when we get home from all our Christmas eve festivities, we have to go to be real nicely so Santa can come. 

On the way to run errands yesterday, Lucy asked me a really amazing and smart question.  She said, "Mommy?  Why does Santa come and bring us presents when Coen and me already have enough toys?"

Wow.

I told her that she was such a smart girl for asking that.  And that Santa brings presents because in the wintertime we have to be inside most of the time and he wants children to have new fun things to play with.  When we got home, she and Coen chose a bunch of toys they don't play with anymore and wrapped them themselves for children who need them.  They're under our tree now.

Well, tomorrow's the night. And since we don't have a fireplace, Santa comes in through our milk door.  So, if Santa comes to your house, however he comes in, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas eve.

Lessons learned on cookie day.

Every year I have a cookie day. Well, I have two. One that is mine and mine alone (usually) and another with my whole extended family.  Today was my cookie day.  As I was leaving work yesterday I ran into my coworker Pam.  Here is our conversation:
Pam: You coming in tomorrow?
Me: No! I took the day off tomorrow to make my gingerbread people
Pam: Oh, that's fun! Do your kids help?
Me: Hell no! I want them to look really good! 
Pam laughs hysterically.


I'm serious though.   I love my gingerbread people. They are my winter art project and I like to listen to sappy holiday music (Sarah McLaughlin Holiday station on Pandora) and decorate gingerbread and then wrap presents all on my own.  
Today turned out quite differently.  Before I launch into the story, here are pictures of my now complete cookies, followed by lessons learned from today.

My ginger-people

Linzer cookies with caramel instead of jam

My swirl cookies

Lessons Learned
1. Never ever use force to get your four -year - old to take medicine she does not like
2. Caramel made out of condensed milk hardens FAST
3. Using dental floss to cut roll cookies is a great idea
4. Sometimes you just don't get your magical cookie day home alone


Lucy, as it turns out, has walking Pneumonia.  The doctor says it's a very mild case and she can pretty much do her usual stuff--we can just expect her not to be quite her normal self.  AND HOW! 
So this morning, I approached her with her new antibiotic that she took yesterday and discovered it was "Duhschusting".  She ran away from me, covering her mouth and saying she would not take it.  We tried cajoling, bribes, threats of shots and back to the doctor. Nothing worked.  I thought about how at the doctor when she did her flu mist and other things she did not like, we just had to hold her down.  So that's what I tried. MISTAKE.  She spit it back out and proceeded to scream and cry for .... wait for it... 45 minutes.  I cried too.  In fact, she stopped crying for a moment when she heard me crying in the other room.  I felt like a brute.  A jerk. A rotten mother.  And she didn't even take it anyway.  In the end, I went to her and cuddled her on the couch and apologized and sneaked it into a small bowl of ice cream of which she ate every last drop.  I guess that would have been a better route.  We're all over it. She's happily rolling out play-doh as I type. 


I may not be getting the solo day I wanted. I may be listening to the Muppets sing Christmas songs instead of David Gray.  I may be catering to my baby girl's needs instead of my own.   But my cookies are made.  They look fine.  Lucy's helping consisted of licking beaters and sneaking sprinkles off the table. 


I have indeed learned some lessons.  And eventually my children won't even want to hang out with me while I make cookies. So I'll enjoy it while I can.  And next time put the tops on the linzer cookies before the caramel gets hard.

Plog bost

A couple years ago, Tad and I realized that our dinners were to hurried and harried with little to no recognition that we were sitting down together as a family or even that we were eating.  I remember us making eye contact as Coen took a bite of something and then ran between the living room and our room, and Lucy spilled her milk and ran for a towel and Coen tried to help her and she screamed.   Then they both sat for another two seconds, two bites of food and were up again looking for a stuffed animal.  We sat down and talked that night and and decided those folks who pray before meals have something there.
Tad and I are not pray-ers really but we decided on a ritual that would slow us all down a bit. Every night we'd each say something that we appreciated about our day and take a moment to say to the universe, "Thank you for our food."

Well, this has evolved into a practice of Tad or Coen singing (to the tune of 'the best part of waking up is folgers in your cup') "the best part of _______'s day..." and then the person fills in the blanks. At the end, we all stand up on our chairs and say loudly "Thank you for our food...and our _______(whatever we were thankful for).  It's good fun.

Anyway, tonight I was trying to sing the part and ended up singing "The parts part of Tad's day..." and then Tad  made fun of me for screwing up the words.  Now, don't you worry..I deserve it.  When people screw up words, I think it is one of the funniest things in the world and I'm the first to poke fun. Relentlessly. Here are some of my favorite word screw ups I've heard and not forgotten.

"Well, I've eaten all the pomegranates I can eaten."  (said by my sister, Beth)

"Now we don't have to bo gack home!" (my friend Brenda in the Peace Corps)

(A conversation between my friend Stephanie and I)
Steph: This is a great candy shop--you can try the fudge!
Alie: Really?
Steph: Yeah, they'll give you a nipple!

Once when I was working at a deli, I was talking about sandwich specials--among them, rotisserie chicken.
Me: And we also have rotickerie chickie

I'm sure there are millions more if I searched my memory banks. But that's what I got for now!

 Nood Ghight!

This is my last blog in this particular blog

Hello everyone.  I have begun a new blog.  It is called Alie's Hand Basket...it can be found at:

http://alie-wherewearegoing.blogspot.com/2011/09/welcome-to-it.html

Please join me.

Thank you so much, all of you who have read, commented on and cared about my blog.  It has been an incredible year. I have learned so much. 

Tad now works at Highland Community School as a lower elementary director (that's teacher--of 1st through 3rd graders).

I still work at IndependenceFirst

Both our kids will be in school this year.

Its a whole new leaf!!!

And I am ready to continue this challenge, and to take on a new one.  The new challenge will be to find something amusing, humorous, funny and silly (these all mean different things to me) about every day in an attempt to be a more relaxed and positive person....  and to get back a little of myself that one loses when they get lost in life.

Thanks again to you ALL!!!  To you who helped and to you who read and to you who supported and loved us. 

Please join me in my new blog!!!

Love,
Alie

New (school) Year's Resolution.

Today was the first day of school. 

First day of second grade for my Coen.  He was excited and happy. His only issue was that he pulled a groin muscle and was very concerned about his ability to sit "criss-cross apple sauce". 

First day of teaching for Tad.  He was excited and nervous.  He's now exhausted and happy. 

Lucy starts next week but that'll be a-whole-nother blog post.

Right now, in my life, I'm working on being a calmer, more positive person.  I bought some tupperware containers (no actually, my sister bought them for me) so I can make lunch packing a more positive experience.  I am also planning on getting the kids involved in the food choices.

My first step is just walking slower.  And sitting with my kids for more than five minutes when they want me. And realizing that the dishes can wait.  I'm excited about this school year, with all three of my beloveds in one place.  I think it will be a year to be more present and more relaxed.

Speaking of relaxed, my kids are tucked away in bed now and Tad is preparing himself for tomorrow.  Day 2.  I think I'll go do the dishes!

Oh, English Majors.

I always think it's funny now...when people ask about my schooling.  I was twenty-one years old...a semester away from a degree in Social Work, only my practicum left to finish...and what did I do? I called my parents together and announced that I was breaking up with my live-in boyfriend, moving to a new place and changing my major to English. I was going to be a writer!  Ha!

Fifteen years later and what do I do? Social work, basically!  Funny how things work out.  Anyway, I'm glad of the path I took...I have my giant book of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare and my volumes of poetry by T.S. Eliot and Anne Sexton...  my Oxford English Dictionary and big Thesaurus to show for it all.  And my big vocabulary.  And my student loans.  *sigh* 

But really, I enjoyed college. I'd like to go back someday and get a PhD in Disability Studies.  And at any rate, it was my degree in English and consequent unemployment after graduation that led me to substitute teaching for MPS...which led me to the special education program...which led me to my love for working with kids with disabilities.  Where in the end, I'm putting my almost social work degree to good use.

And I'm a writer of sorts. A blogger.

Some day I will write a book. It is on my list of five dreams I've had since I was twelve. Wanna know what they are?

1. Join the Peace Corps

2. Fall in love

3. Make a record

4. Write a book

5. Hold a monkey

Here's to dreams!  And English majors.

Good Morning

Today I woke up to the sound of footsteps on the stairs.  I sat up and rubbed my eyes and Lucy was standing in the doorway in her jammies.  She climbed into bed with Tad and  I and cuddled up, allowing us to keep our eyes closed a little longer.  After a little while, we heard more footsteps and Coen was on the stairs too.  Lucy hopped out of our bed and followed him into the living room, both of them cozying up on the couch with their stuffed animals and bed sheets.

I made us some hashbrowns and homemade biscuit sandwiches with eggs and havarti cheese.  The four of us ate in the living room picnic style and no one once mentioned the television.

After we'd eaten, Coen dragged out the old organ that Tad had bought at a rummage, and a recorder and drum.  I got my guitar and the four of us sang and made music until late in the morning.  It was something.

Tad and I traded off verses, making up a song about the kids and they played along.  We ended our musical morning with a trip to the farmer's market on our bikes, the summer breeze turning cool.

Later, when Lucy was having her 'rest time' and Tad and Coen were both away, I strummed my guitar and thought two very important things: One--I love my family and Two--I need to start making music again.