Kid Rules

If there is one thing my kids know and understand at this point, it's our rule, "One activity per kid per season." With this in mind Rex is holding on to Cub Scouts for dear life. It is one activity he truly enjoys. (Although he refuses to take part in the Pinewood Derby this year).

Valerie has sort of cheated the boundaries a bit. She is presently a Brownie Girl Scout and is also taking piano lessons. (But soccer season is over thank goodness!)


Amira is a Daisy Girl Scout and seems to enjoy it. She hasn't really hit me up for any other sctivities, aside piano. And the piano teacher won't take her until she's 7.


But yesterday Valerie came home and announced that she wanted to quit Girl Scouts and join the orchestra at her school.



I didn't even have to ask her which activity she was going to give up. She volunteered. I'm thinking it's all the door to door cookie sales combined with the Fall nut sales where we had to stand around in front of Safeway for hours. And I'm pretty sure my neighbors are going to start drawing the curtains each time they see us walking up the front steps ... always selling something!



Yes, the girls enjoy the hanging out with their old friends at their old school. They might even enjoy the fact that I sort of hang with them as co-leader. But orchestra sounds like more work for Valerie and less work for me. Call me selfish! But I've broken one too many needles sewing badges on uniforms and could do with one less meeting where I have to be involved.

On that note, i have to run off and pick up kids now and go to a meeting of the Library Committee for Valerie's school. Then I guess I should start prepping for the book club meeting Friday at Rex's school.

Darn! I'm as bad as those kids.

Vega$ Baby!

It's been 12 years for us! And as happens most anniversaries, Michael had to work. So, this time I tagged along. His job happened to be in Las Vegas and his room in the Palazzo. I have to say that Las Vegas is the least sustainable city I have ever seen. And everything is on such a huge scale. Once I took off my critical tree hugger goggles, I was able to totally enjoy my brief trip and live it up. Most of all, enjoying some uninterrupted time with Michael was the best. And it didn't hurt that when he had to go to work on Sunday I spent pretty much the entire day in the spa getting some reflexology, aromatherapy, massage, sauna, igloo, wave room, etc. treatment. That was a dream.

Upon driving home from the Sacramento airport on a rainy day (my sinuses were so thankful to be out of the desert/casino) I was treated to so much bird watching. Elegant egrets, regal hawks and giant heron all made appearances on the sides of the road as I drove north. My favorite part of the trip is seeing the plumage on the roosters and the other feral chickens in Yuba City. Those birds are amazing!

Of course today it was back to the grind of getting kids off to school, working, cooking, exercising.

I don't know if it's true what they say about "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". I think those five extra pounds followed me home!

Some Soggy Hens

That storm just blew those chickens right up to the back door. Still not letting them in. After the last time they came inside, it was clear they could not be trusted!

Mid January Doldrums

My blog has been accused of being intermittent. It's true. One would think by looking at this page that absolutely nothing has gone on between November and Mid-January. Of course the contrary is true! But, we are in the doldrums of January. All the hubub of the fall and midwinter have passed us. Thus I've not made time to write or take pictures. And even now, though I write, I can't take credit for any of the pictures.

(The following photo of kids and rainbow courtesy of Michael ... our resident photographer!)


Our latest project (and by "our" project I mean Michael's project) is the tree house. When we first moved in to this house (almost 6 years ago) Michael looked up at this mulberry tree and decided it would be a great place to build a tree house. At that time our kids were 4, 3 and less than a year. After a while it became a joke that by the time our last kid made it through college (or bar tending school?) we'd finally have it built.

Well, with some time off in December Michael really got down to business. I kept thinking I would be a dutiful wife and take photos of this amazing work in progress. Turns out I'm not that dutiful. Eventually I sent Rex out with the camera to take some pictures of Michael building this fabulous tree house for the kids. Well, Rex filled our camera card up with everything but pictures of the tree house. Finally, Michael took a picture of the work in progress and e-mailed it to me.



Of course, now the rains have set in ... and the forecast says it may be sunny by the summer. Maybe. And Michael has gone back to work. So, it sits all tarped up with dreams of sky lights, windows and a paint job. And it's too darn slick out there for the kids to enjoy it at the moment.

Always a big tease!

I, naturally, have my own project going. Valerie got a Fairy House (kit) for her birthday. Some assembly required. I thought all I needed was a sewing machine. How hard could it be? Well, a sewing machine with a zigzag stitch is needed. I've finally procured the machine and I have gone through a few needles already. Suffice to say I'm learning a lot ... like how to take apart a bobbin case (the whole enchilada!) and change needles. That's something I'd never done on the old machine. I didn't even realize I needed different needles for different fabrics. Anyhow, that is still a work in progress without pictures. But here is the picture of it from the website. Mine might actually look like that someday. (After Valerie graduates college or welding school).



I also have the urge to knit myself a poncho or something. It's so darn damp and chilly these days, I'd like to throw a big old wool thing over myself and huddle up with a cup of tea and a good book.

Speaking of good books (Warning: this has become a stream of consciousness blog) my book club recently read The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Wow! I highly recommend it. The author does a tremendous job of giving voices to two African American women and one Caucasian woman in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960's. All of the characters evolve during this very suspenseful and tumultuous time. I couldn't put it down.



In other news, Michael and I have our 12 year anniversary coming up next weekend. I'm following him to Las Vegas where he'll be working and I will hang out and not cook, clean and drive kids around. I'm not a big gambler. But we anticipate seeing a show and eating out and generally having a good time. I hope I can steal away to a Raw Food restaurant one day while he's at work ... just for kicks!

Well, the sun is setting and the last rainbow has disappeared. Clouds are rolling back in and the kids have come indoors. My time here is done.

Thanks for checking in at the Tifftown Blog.