It's 2:30 am. Do you know where your kids are?

Overheard earlier this evening, from Ashlyn: Mama, guess what? When Loryn gets older, I'm gonna tell her all about how evil she was in her babyhood. And in her 5 years, and 4 years, and 3 years, and 2 years, and 1 years. And in her 0 years.



And in a conversation between Shelby and Tori (much hollering between the 2 girls, while playing Maple Story. Tori was upstairs and Shelby, downstairs):



Tori: I've only got 4 bubbles, so don't expect much.

Shelby (from downstairs): I've got 10!

Tori: Cool!



And later:



Tori: Shelby, are you AFK?*

Shelby: NO!

Tori: OK!





And later still:



Shelby (typing to Tori, still on Maple Story): Are bubbles safe to eat?

Tori (typing her response): I don't know.

Shelby: Wanna try?

Tori: Sure!


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Right now, at 2:30 am, my 13 year old and my 9 year old are happily playing a very cool MMORPG together. My 8 year old is downstairs with my 13 year old, watching The Whitest Kids U' Know, on Fuse. My 5 year old is brushing her teeth and playing with her Bob the Builder toys (not concurrently, though...she goes back and forth).









Right now, at 2:30 am, there are many, many kids who are in bed but unable to go to sleep. Maybe they wanted to stay up later and play a game, or post a blog entry, or read a book, or watch a Netflix movie. I mean, it's Summer Time! There are so many cool things for kids to do, when they don't have to get up early for school the next day.



I should go to bed, because Dave is off tomorrow and we have some things we want to get done (mainly working in our yard, mulching and planting and such, but we also want some World of Warcraft time, and I have a couple of Netflix movies that I'd like to watch with him), but I wanted to take a moment to share. I wanted to focus, for just a minute, on our quiet happiness that's occurring right here, in our own home...at 2:30 am.

*AFK is chat/game-speak for "Away from keyboard" (for all you noobs).

Unschooled Girls go Wild!

Loryn got naked at Park Day last week (at Wildwood Park, in Bridgewater, VA), and decided to go for a little dip.

Shelby and Tori were just mortified, of course. I thought it was pretty cute.

We Got a Wii!

Dave and I managed to find a Wii just in time for Ashlyn's Birthday.

And No, we don't normally splurge this big for one kid's birthday, but we had been trying to find a Wii since they first came out, with no luck.

Ashlyn hadn't been very helpful, either, as far as telling us what she wanted for her birthday...except that she'd like a Wii. *sheesh*

So fate stepped in, and I found one when I went grocery shopping one night. I called Dave to tell him, and he had just two words for me:

"DO IT!"

Ash proudly shows off her Yu-Gi-Oh cards.

Ashlyn's 8th Birthday, June 16

From left to right: Shelby, Ashlyn, Loryn (standing), Dave, and Tori.

June 18

Happy Autistic Pride Day, everybody!

Check out this site, Aspies for Freedom, which promotes the idea that Autism and Asperger's are not disabilities, and that there should be no attempt to "cure" anyone who's on the Autism spectrum.

Good, thoughtful reading.

That's some funny shit, man!

I don't know if any of you read this blog, but I'm here to tell you: it's funny as hell, and I get a little turned on when my Google Reader shows updates from him.

This particular post referenced one of my favorite scary movies, The Exorcist.

And I'm not ashamed to admit that I flat-out laughed out loud whilst reading. A real LOL! Honestly, how often does that happen IRL (in real life)?

'Course, that could be due to my lack of sleep. Who knows?

Things that Suck, Part II

Well, one thing:

5:20 am, when I'm awake waiting for Lolo to go to sleep. 5:20 sucks. Way more than 4:20. No one but God should be up at this hour.

And AGRE is supposed to be calling me today at 1:00, to conduct a one-hour phone interview about Loryn (and Ashlyn, too, I'm assuming).




I don't think I'll be answering. As a matter of fact, I'll be damned if the ringer will even be turned on.

If you need to reach me today, try the celly, yo.

Things that Suck

1. Misplacing my camera. Yep, went to park day Tuesday, and got caught in a downpour as we were leaving. In the rush to get out of there (and just after Loryn had taken off her clothes for a dip in the North River...more details later) my camera was picked up by another Mom in our crew. No worries now, but I was a little...frantic...when I finally got to the van and realized I didn't have it.

2. Microsoft Vista sucks.

3. Cancer sucks. I have a bumper sticker that says "Cancer sucks" that my friend Dan gave me. He's been through it, so he should know. My Granny has cancer, and is probably dying. She is 86, and just had a mastectomy. Tell me that doesn't suck.

4. End of school year evaluations suck. In Virginia, we have to show "evidence of progress" by a child having scored in or above the fourth stanine on any nationally normed standardized achievement test, or by an assessment or evaluation that the superintendent determines to indicate that the child has achieved an adequate level of growth and progress. I've really got to get on board...these evaluations, whichever route you decide to go, are to be submitted by August 1. I haven't even ordered our CAT test yet. I'll put the order in this week...I promise!

5. Having a yeast infection sucks. Having a yeast infection along with your period sucks BALLS. 'Nuff said.

Today's Daily Groove!

THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle
www.enjoyparenting.com/dailygroove

:: Relieving Time Pressure ::

You enjoy parenting most when you feel expansive andflowing -- the way you feel when you're not under anykind of pressure.

One of the most common pressures of modern life is*time pressure*: having to be somewhere or dosomething by a certain time. Young children naturallylive in the moment, not by the clock, so subjectingthem to time pressure usually leads to discord.

To reduce time pressure in your daily groove...

* Decide that geniality (feeling good) is more important than punctuality (being 'right').

* Don't agree to be on time -- build flexibility into your agreements. ("I'll be there around 7:00-ish.")

* When you really want to be on time to an appointment, give yourself LOTS of extra cushion time -- just accept that life with kids is less "efficient."

* Don't rush when you're late -- call and renegotiate! For all you know, the person you're meeting may be late, too.

* When you can get away with it, don't make plans at all! Enjoy living spontaneously!

http://dailygroove.net/time-pressure
Feel free to forward this message to your friends!(Please include this paragraph and everything above.)Copyright (c) 2007 by Scott Noelle
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I posted today's Daily Groove here, for all to enjoy. Those of you who know me IRL know that this Groove is pretty much the way I live my life. I am often late for things, even if I agree to be at a certain place at a certain "ish" time (for example, "2:00-ish" instead of 2:00).

Shelby, Tori, and Ashlyn Feeding Catfish

Taken at my Aunt Brenda's and Uncle Wayne's farm, in Alberta, Virginia.

Dave and Shelby

Dave and Shelby, horsing around outside while visiting my Dad, and my Aunt Brenda and Uncle Wayne. Taken in Alberta, Virginia.

My Dad, my Girls, and Me

This is probably the first pic I've taken with my Dad in over 10 years. It's the only pic I have of he and I together with my girls.

I hope now that he's in Virginia, we can have a better relationship. That at least, we can talk, and he can get to know my family a little better.

I just had to get this shot.

I heard Loryn in the kitchen the other night, her little voice going, "Hep...HEP!".

Of course, when I went to appraise the damage, she wasn't upset in the least. After all, she had climbed on top of the fridge (by climbing up from the stove-top), so that she could reach her beloved "babeenas".

First, she plays with her poop, now this?

It's getting to be a fucking zoo around here.

The "8 Things" Meme...

And how many times has this been around, again? It's fun, though, so I'll play along. That, plus I don't have anything pressing to write about now. Or, maybe I have too many things to write about, and I can't focus on just one or two...yeah, that's probably more likely.

To borrow a phrase from my good friend Steph, "Those who can, write. Those who can't...post Memes!".

8 Things About Me:

1. I have four daughters, and I despise people who ask me, "Oh, you were really trying for that boy, huh?". Fuck, that drives me crazy. Even worse is when someone asks Dave whether or not he could make a boy baby. Some people are stupid as hell. My girls are pretty amazing, and I've never once wished I had a boy. I mean, it might be nice, when I really think about it...but that's just baby-making hormones talking. I'm really happy with my kids. And we're done! (Pretty sure, anyway)!

2. I'm married to my best friend (the aforementioned "Dave"). He's smart, and funny, and wonderful. I met him through a McDonald's drive-thru speaker, kind of. His voice got to me...deep and sexy. Then when I drove around to the window, there he was, and he made me laugh at something silly he said. Did I mention he was a babe? (And by "babe", I mean he was a babe...19 years old, I think. I was 23). Anyway, I couldn't get him out of my mind, how cute he was, so I started coming by at lunch-time every day for a large Diet Coke (light ice), and we chatted a bit, and flirted a lot. Fast forward a couple of weeks, when, on his day off, he came by my work (the local library) as I was leaving, and asked me out to dinner. I was a single Mama (to wee Shelby, then about 3), and I turned him down because I didn't have a sitter. HE said, "No problem...I'd like to take you both out", and so we (all 3) went on our first date to a local buffet-style restaurant. He came back to my apartment after that, and the next thing I knew his clothes had mysteriously wandered into my closet. For the most part, we've been together ever since. We eloped in November of '97 (I was preggers with Tori), so this year is the big 10 year Anniversary! Seems like just yesterday.

3. I used to have a couple of piercings, but I let them close up. Right now I've got 3 holes in my left ear, and 2 in my right. I don't need anymore now, though I do think about getting my tongue pierced again. I've got one tattoo, and I want to get at least one more, that would be just for me. Plus, Dave and I are thinking about doing the Pam and Tommy Lee thing and getting rings tattooed on our ring fingers (neither of us wears a wedding band). I also dye my hair (often!), sometimes in some pretty wild colors. I guess I'm not ready to grow up yet.

4. I have a thing for erotic fiction. I want to write my own. I also like erotic photography.

5. I love, love, love music. I love Rufus Wainwright. He is above and beyond all others, to me. I might even consider leaving Dave for him (and Dave knows this), except for the fact that Rufus is a gay man. I would wash his underwear, though, if he wanted me to. Or I could trim his toenails. He's brilliant, and beautiful. The title of this blog is from a RW song, Beautiful Child.

And I'm going to see him (with Neko Case) in Charlottesville, on August 15. Hold me back.

6. I'm not religious. I don't believe in a christian god. I think of myself as a spiritual agnostic,
with Wiccan tendencies.
7. One of my favorite books is The World According to Garp, by John Irving. As far as flicks go, I'm a big fan of documentaries and independent films. Gotta love the IFC and Sundance channels!
8. I'm not a joiner, and I consider it my mission to question everything...especially authority!

I'm not tagging anyone, but send me your links if you respond to this meme. I'd love to see your 8 things!

Bouncing in, for a sec...

I have thoughts running through my head, and I've been tagged (twice) for the "8 Things About Me" meme (Thanks, A. and S.), so I'll post later tonight, probably.

{That is, if I can tear myself away from World of Warcraft. My Level 11 Dwarf Warlock almost has his VOIDWALKER! (Thanks for the link, babe)!}

Oh, as if that's not enough...I also have the Scripps National Spelling Bee to watch tonight! (I recorded it...did I ever mention how much I love the DVR)?

I'm having an overload of GEEKY GOODNESS, here!

But I popped in for a bit, just to mention this really cool blog that I've been enjoying muchly. What a neat guy...a philosopher, of sorts...who's really got his shit together! (Pardon my French)!