Thanksgiving trouble

I got to sleep in on Thanksgiving morning. It was scrumptious. I didn't haul out of bed until about 9:45am when Michael came in telling me he had to leave. He had sold a Thanksgiving tofu turkey meal and had to deliver it to the buyer. He'd left the children downstairs, happily eating pancakes at the table. I assisted him in proofreading his invoice and re-heating instructions. From upstairs I could hear the sound of the boys giggling together over their breakfast. Soon, however, the giggles turned into hysterical laughter. Now, some might think this is good-- a sign how nicely the boys are getting along together. As a seasoned mom of little boys, I know better. Laughing out loud and hard for that long means I could wish that they were simply making funny faces at each other, but I know something destructive is happening. I went downstairs and found Kindred under the table, and Elias standing in front of the dishwasher, making art, as he had all over the kitchen:

He's lucky that he's too cute to strangle.

For A Third Year

Believe it or not, Yes! And... is holding it's THIRD Annual Auction for Collaborative Arts. There are over 80 items to bid in. Seriously, I want to snatch something up from every page. That's how good it is. And honestly, in this time of "crazy economy" and financial instability, why not find gifts for yourself and others that 1) Supports an artist, shopkeeper or person of talent, 2) Is handmade, handcrafted or hands-on in a way that most items from department stores can't come close to, and 3) Helps kids here in Philadelphia find their voice, their gift and their imagination by working with some incredible people who are a part of Yes! And... CAMP.

Bidding ends December 11th. I will send out a reminder before then, but make sure you check it out. It might be your new addiction.

(Era, please tell your mother. Thanks!)

Pet Peeve's Meme

I got an award from My Pet Peeve! I'm so honored. See:


She loves my blog. So nice. There a couple of rules that go with my award (as blog awards typically go). Simply enough, here they are:

Answer the following questions with one word. Pass this award on to blogs you love!

1. Where is your cell phone? Ummm....
2. Where is your significant other? Working
3. Your hair color? Brown
4. Your mother? Artsy
5. Your father? Pappap
6. Your favorite thing? Rest
7. Your dream last night? Weird
8. Your dream/goal? Peace
9. The room you're in? Basement
10. Your hobby? Blogging
11. Your fear? Abandoning
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here
13. Where were you last night? Family dinner
14. What you're not? Expert
15. One of your wish-list items? Etsy.com
16. Where you grew up? Coal town, PA
17. The last thing you did? Read
18. What are you wearing? Pj's and robe
19. Your TV? Silent
20. Your pets? Fish (prospectively)
21. Your computer? MacMini
22. Your mood? Settled
23. Missing someone? Yeah
24. Your car? Fancier
25. Something you're not wearing? Bra
26. Favorite store? Goodwill
27. Your summer? Ended
28. Love someone? Yes
29. Your favorite color? Green
30. When is the last time you laughed? Dinnertime
31. Last time you cried? Earlier


Who do I want to see complete this blog? Who gets this award? Whose blog do I LOOOOOVE? Well, honestly that's a hard one. Lora Lynn and Aubrey are serious contenders, but are probably too busy having babies right now to participate. (Feel free, ladies, if you are trying to pass the time, although I can't imagine you need to search for distractions.) Lara and Caren and Danielle and Maria (since she's become a bloggin' fool again recently) Jennboree and Michael (ha!) congrats, you are all winners in my book. (There's so many other winners out there, but it's late so my list is stunted.)

While Kindred's Away....

Mama finished a project! I've only been wanting to do something like this since we moved in. (Which of course was more than a year ago.) But now it is done-- or at least as done as it's going to get. I give you: The Boys' Room Walls:

I painted shapes on them in colors that match their curtains. There are a few random triangles on another wall but not interesting enough to merit an entire photo.

And since Elias was so depressed about Kindred's absence that he stayed in bed until 10am, we decided to offer him his own special project....

A Big Boy Bed!

He helped Daddy put the frame together.

Then he watched while Daddy tightened the screws and bolts.

Then, with much grunting and muttering, he assisted with putting the mattress onto the bed frame.

Then he jumped into the bed, got situated, and yelled, "Take a pitcher, Mommy! Take a pitcher!"

He eventually emerged...

jumped a little (until he fell on his head, which was handy because he hasn't jumped since)...

laughed with Daddy...

and rejoiced in his new status as "Big boy who sleeps in a big boy bed."

He napped in the bed and didn't move at all. But since I put him in it again for the night, he has crashed out two times. I added a railing on the side which he sleepily protested, but hopefully he will get through the rest of the night with the added security. And so will we.

He's So Far Away

Kindred and PopPop have flown to Florida for the weekend. Grandma is thrilled.


Mama and Elias are .....coping. Last night Elias wanted to call Kindred, so he brought me the phone and said, "Wanna call Jidgie." I dialed Grandma's phone and she put Kindred on.

"Hi Jidgie. Hi. Jidgie home? Jidgie tum home?" (pause) "Jidgie see rok-et-sip? Oh. Tum home? Jidgie home?"

He is waiting for his brother. It's 9am and he still hasn't gotten out of bed. He's awake, but it feels like he's waiting for Kindred to come and get him. (When I approach, he orders, "Moof away, Mommy. Moof away." I don't think he's telling me to find a new home, but he is definitely telling me to get out of his space.) Either that or he's just enjoying the peace and quiet.

Last night Kindred got to watch (from a distance) the space shuttle launch, which I'm certain will be topic of conversation for months to come. Today they will go to Kennedy Space Center. He won't be home until Monday, and I'm guessing there is a packed weekend ahead for him, with excessive grandparent love and attention. Lucky kid.

Right Now

Kindred and Elias are behind me playing on the floor. They are trying to fit their trucks back into the original boxes. Kindred made his work, and he sort of squawked, "I did it!" and then made a weird noise. Elias laughed. "Yew-pree-fuuny-Jidgjie!" he said. (Translation: You're pretty funny, Kindred!)

Tonight's story

Elias is calling for me in his sleep. Clear as day: "Mama!" But he's asleep. I'm glad I'm in his dreams.

Kindred was a little bit of a nut tonight. He got out of control (in the way three year-olds do sometimes) at PJ time, and I told him he couldn't have any of Daddy's birthday cake since he wasn't being a good listener. He wailed, of course, but I stood my ground. (I might have slipped him a few crumbs, but on the whole he got nuthin.)

I should add that when we all went to sing Happy Birthday again, Kindred requested first that we sing the song in Spanish, and then during the English version belted, "Haaaaappy Biiiirthday, dear MY-COAL"....

Fast forward. Kindred is in bed and I'm sitting at his feet. He was mad that I'd said it was too late to read books. We were talking about that decision calmly, and then all of a sudden he kicked me hard in the chest. The thud could be heard around the room. I was shocked. When asked about his action, Kindred replied, "I was mad." I stood up, walked away and said, "Michael, deal with your son." Michael put him in time out in my bedroom. I sang to Elias and put him to bed, then went to find Kindred so he could apologize.

Then I walked in the room, Kindred said, "Mommy, I'm sorry." Then, "Mommy, I love you." And with that, my skinny boy climbed up and curled into my lap. I said, "Kindred you really hurt me." He said earnestly, "I'm so so sorry." Then his eyes got big. "Let me listen to your heart," he ordered gently, and he pressed his ear up to my chest. He sighed with relief and laid back onto my arm. "It's ok. I can hear your heart. It isn't bleeding."

Notable Moment

I was putting the massive pile of seasonally-mixed clothing away in the boys' room. They had climbed all over the piled bins which held the sorted clothes, causing them to crash to the floor and empty all over the place. The boys were jumping and somersaulting in Elias' crib, giving me plenty of time to get on top of the minor disaster that had taken over their room. Because the weather was oddly warm during the afternoon, there were tons of kids outside playing. At one point, I asked Kindred and Elias to be quiet because I could hear screaming, and I wanted to determine if it was terrified screaming or if it was fun screaming. It was, in fact, in fun, but the boys were concerned. They asked about the reason for the noise. I said I thought the kids that were screaming might have been excited about something. I asked them what they thought the kids could have been really excited or happy about. Kindred's response:

"Maybe their mom is coming home from work."

I melted.