Happy Birthday, Mom!

I won't tell anyone how young you are!

The saga continues

So this morning, the maid service goes over to the rental house. They call me to ask if I know there are roaches. Um, duh. The lady who gave me the estimate says she doesn't remember seeing any. I hadn't realized she was blind. Anyway... This is an actual quote from the owner of the company: "This house is too dirty to clean."

So now we are stuck cleaning it ourselves. I understand their concerns: they don't want to carry the bugs to their other clients' houses.  I've had the same concern.  Every time we go over there, we leave our shoes outside when we get home and we wash our clothes on "sanitize".  We have thrown away lots of stuff that looked decent because we didn't want to bring it back to our house.  Now, we will have to buy a dedicated set of cleaning supplies to use only there, and to throw away when we're done (maybe including a vacuum, although we've already thrown away all of the carpet).

I am just dying to call that woman and tell her that her house was too dirty for a MAID SERVICE to clean.  That's got to be embarassing.

Oh, fishy, fishy, oh!

Yes, I know it's bad for me.  Yes, it will kill my diet if I let it.  But no, I can't resist it.  It takes me back to my youth, when it didn't matter what you ate, it only mattered that it tasted good.  When no one had ever heard of trans fat.  When cheese on something was a good thing.  When the more sauce came on a sandwich, the better.  I give you the McDonald's Filet-O-Fish!

These things are normally somewhere over $2 each, but right now they are 99 cents.  I had two last night.  Yes I did.

Tenant troubles part... okay, I've lost count

We recently had to ask a tenant to move out. Number one, she couldn't afford to live there on her own after kicking her husband out. But number two, and really the main reason, was that she was filthy. We're talking cockroaches by the thousands, dog poo on the carpet and walls(!), cobwebs in every corner. Disgusting.

Now, we were very fair to her.  We gave her plenty of time to find another place, and she did.  We weren't nasty about the situation, just firm.  And how does she repay our kindness?  By leaving piles and piles of garbage in our house.  Old furniture, bags of who-knows-what, table, chairs, two refrigerators complete with rotting food, and let's not forget my favorite, the broken deep freeze.  So now we have to clean all of this stuff out of the house before we can even begin to clean it, paint it and recarpet it.

I really struggle with this as a Christian because I want to show compassion to people who are getting divorced, have three children to care for, haven't found a job yet, and probably won't even be able to afford her new apartment.  But am I enabling her if I just let it go?  I have a judgment against her, which means I can legally collect the debt, but is that the right thing to do?  What about her husband, who gave us the security deposit to begin with?  Doesn't he deserve something back if he didn't cause all the damage (though he certainly caused some and had to have known about the rest of it)?

The fact is, she is costing us literally thousands of dollars, not including the new carpet we were going to have to put in regardless.  And I feel entitled to get some of that back, even if it means having the sheriff tag her belongings and sell them at auction.  And yes, I'm angry about it.  I'd like to take all her trash and dump it in her new front yard.  But I'm sure that would be illegal.  It's fine for her to dump it on us, just not vice versa.

Marriage Monday!

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Welcome to Marriage Monday! This month's topic is all about celebrating Valentine's Day every day of the year.

First, a disclaimer up front: Hubby and I do not technically celebrate Valentine's Day.  Which is to say we don't buy presents, give cards, or make it a point to go out to dinner on February 14.  But as I thought about those things, I realized that we truly do make a point to do these types of things all year long.  So I present our top ways to make the spirit of Valentine's Day last all year long:

1. Presents.  Yes, presents, even when it's not a special occasion.  Maybe your husband doesn't bring you flowers for no reason.  But maybe he picks up your favorite flavor of ice cream while he's at the store.  Maybe you don't buy him a new watch he doesn't really need, but maybe you make that phone call for him that he can't make because he's at work all day.  Any way you slice it, it's all about giving.
2. Touching.  Give him a back rub while he's paying bills.  Lean on his shoulder while you watch t.v.  And don't let him leave without a hug and a kiss.  It's all the little things that keep that physical connection going, especially when you don't have the time or energy for... you know.
3. Time alone.  Try to get at least five minutes a day alone with him.  At least.  That's an order.  Lock the door if you have to.
4. Talk.  If you went on that Valentine's Day date to a fancy restaurant and sat there staring at each other across the table, what would you talk about?  Talk about that kind of stuff no matter where you eat dinner tonight.
5. Pray.  This is actually next month's topic.  Couples need to pray together.  Maybe this doesn't sound terribly romantice but God is the author of romance and marriage.  Is there any possible way He won't bless your marriage when you share it with Him?

Here's wishing you and your spouse a happy Valentine's Day, every day of the year!

Lady Liberty

Over the weekend, we drove to New York to pick up a van we bought. I thought you'd like to see some pictures from our stop in Liberty Park. Enjoy!

Put the pencil down!

When my oldest son was five, he hated the idea of me teaching him anything.  He didn't want to learn his ABCs, how to write numbers, or anything else.  So he spent a year in public kindergarten, learning what his alternative would be if he wouldn't let me teach him.  And he chose to be homeschooled after that.

Now, I have another five year old, my youngest son.  And some days I almost wish he didn't want me to teach him.  Almost.  But mostly I am awed and amazed by how quickly he picks up on things.  He just turned five in December, which means if I were sending him to public school he wouldn't be allowed to go to kindergarten until this coming fall.  However, here at home, he is doing first grade work, and blowing through every workbook I get for him in a matter of weeks.  He's doing simple addition and subtraction and just started doing two digit addition.

As far as reading goes, he is on the same level as my seven year old (who admittedly is behind where I'd like him to be, but I learned with the oldest that you can't force somebody to read).  He often will read something on a sign or a book just by using the phonics skills he is learning.  He is hungry for knowledge, and it's an amazing thing to behold.

My biggest problem is that he won't leave the school room.  He wants me to teach him all day long.  And I have to get him to understand that as much as I love seeing him learn, I'm responsible for three other boys and their schoolwork, too.  I can't spend all day with just one of them.  Next year my oldest starts high school and it's only going to get harder to cram all four of them into each day.

All I can say is that I hope I always have this problem with him, with one change - that he'll work on it independently!!  If he can do that, he can go through as many grades as fast as he wants.  And I can work with the boys who actually need me sitting right there with them or they don't get their work done.

Snow!

I'm sitting here watching the snow blow across my front yard.  I still get that same thrill I got as a child, waking up and seeing snow falling, or looking out the window in the morning and where there was brown grass is now a blanket of white.  Love it.  Last year we had none and I felt like we missed winter completely.  And as I've said on many occasions, I love winter.

Now I'm going to refill my hot coffee and sit by the window in my nice warm house and watch the snow.  Oh, I didn't say I wanted to go out in it, did I?

Here I... recline

I've been sick for a few days now and as I reclined here in my bed with my new laptop, something occurred to me. After four years as an English major, including one very intense semester in Advanced Grammar, I still, STILL, don't remember how to conjugate the verbs "to lie" and "to lay". Am I lying in bed, or laying in bed? Did I lie down or lay down last night?  I have no idea.  I used to know.  In fact, we had to correctly conjugate one of those two words to be admitted to an exam once.  But now?  Gone.

For almost every other tricky grammar thing, I have a mnemonic device.  I love sharing them with my class.  But when it comes to this one, my memory fails.  I guess this is where being a writer comes in handy.  Why use a word I don't know when there are so many lovely synonyms out there?

And so I will set my computer down, curl up in my bed, and peruse my thesaurus.  And if anyone out there has a handy mnemonic device for me, please share!

New Year, New Blog

Happy New Year, everyone!  I know it's been a long time and for that I apologize.  The three of you who were still reading this must have wondered what happened to me.  Actually, you're probably all on Facebook, so you already know what happened to me.

Anyway, I'm not really sure why I haven't written in a while.  It's not that I didn't have anything to write about.  So much happened this past year!  I won't bore you.  Some good, some bad, but 2009 kept me hopping.  And I have even more planned for 2010.  I guess I lost my creative mojo for a while there, but I think it's coming back.  The brain cloud is dissipating and I'm ready to write again.  I'm going to be playing with my template a bit, too.

This evening, Hubby went out for pizza because I've been sick and didn't feel like cooking.  In fact, we had planned to go on a weekend trip, but I had started to feel bad on Wednesday and called it off.  We didn't go to church this morning either.  Anyway, he went out for pizza and the fuel line on the van came off.  Imagine if we had been on the highway somewhere, with the kids, in this cold weather!  Or even just somewhere between church and home this morning.  Hubby called a friend who picked him up and brought the pizza home, then took him back to the van, and then followed him home again just to make sure he made it.  It will go to the shop tomorrow.

Sometimes we fail to take notice of the little ways God cares for us.  We take for granted that we will get safely from point A to point B without incident, when in reality it's amazing something doesn't happen to us.  It reminds me of that old Amy Grant song. "Near misses all around me, accidents unknown, though I never see with human eyes the hands that lead me home."  So, thank you, Lord, for the head cold that kept us home.

At Home With Friends

When I worked for a major symphony orchestra, I got to attend every performance. I loved being surrounded by beautiful music, and I loved those moments when the sheer passion of the musicians created something so extraordinary it brought tears to my eyes.

When I was given a copy of Joshua Bell's new album, At Home With Friends, to review, I discovered it is full of those very sames types of moments. You see, Joshua is well known for holding ‘musical soirées’ at his Manhattan residence – parties with musicians, actors, comics and authors who get together just for the sheer joy of sharing their art. So with this new album, Joshua fulfilled a life-long career dream of recording a CD of instrumental and vocal duets with an amazing roster of musicians and friends. And the love of their crafts shines through on every track.

Even if you're not a fan of classical music, this CD is well worth adding to your collection. It's simply gorgeous.

Your Songs

When I was given the opportunity to review the new Harry Connick, Jr. album "Your Songs" I did a little happy dance in my chair. Because the fact of the matter is, if it's Harry Connick, Jr., you know it's going to be good.

Fans of Harry are not going to be disappointed by this album. It has everything you've come to expect: fantastic arrangements, great orchestration, amazing music, and of course, Harry's own smooth-as-silk voice tying it all together in a neat little bow. The album pulls together some of the best-known songs from some of the best known artists of the last few decades. I loved his version of Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" the best, but all of them are great.

So if you're looking for some sweet, smooth and sexy tunes, you can't do much better than Harry Connick, Jr. and "Your Songs." Thanks, One2One Network, for the chance to do this review - I loved it!

9/12

We had an amazing day this past Saturday. We took the boys to Washington DC to be part of the Taxpayers' March and I'm really glad we did. I haven't seen a lot of people talking about it (particularly not the mainstream media), so I'm going to tell you what it was like.

First of all, any numbers you've heard are probably really low. I'll tell you why: when we got there, hundreds and hundreds of people were leaving. So many people were walking in the opposite direction that I thought we were going the wrong way. Apparently, they had participated in the march and then left before the speakers started. We got there at 1 p.m. and managed to get to the far side of the reflecting pool and no farther. We couldn't see the screen at all, and could barely hear the speakers. Behind us, the entire grassy area all the way to 3rd street was filled with people. See, this is all the closer we could get. Right in the center of the picture, you can barely see a statue. That's the statue that is way back in the distance in pictures taken from the stage! We stayed for about 45 minutes, until the younger boys got antsy. Then we went into the museums. When we finished, the rally had ended. Even though there was trash in every trash can, as well as piled around it, the ground was clear of debris across the mall and all around the meeting area. Nothing. I suspect people probably picked up stuff that was there when they got there, too.

I read an awful lot of signs that day. Did I see any racist ones? NOT ONE. Are people angry? You betcha. Violent? Not at all. This is what America is all about. And I'm proud to have shown it to my kids.

Great lit website

In preparing for my literature class tomorrow, I came across this truly excellent website on literary criticism. If you have an interest in the subject, or if your kids are trying to learn about it, it's definitely worth a look.

Last chance!

If you haven't got a copy of my book, Spanish Summer, for the amazingly low discount price of $8.50, let me know. I've only got two copies left. After that, I'm temporarily pulling it so I can correct a few typos. So this is a special, limited first edition. I'll even sign it for you!

The Curious Movie

So, we watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" the other night. I had really been looking forward to it because I love F. Scott Fitzgerald and I had recently read the short story this movie is "based" on.

The only similarities are the name of the main character and the fact that he ages backwards. I am not kidding or exaggerating. That's it. If they had given the character a different name, they wouldn't even have had to credit Fitzgerald at all.

Having said that, I really enjoyed the movie. I loved the acting and the story was interesting. The love story didn't ring true with me, but maybe that's because it wasn't what I was expecting. And the makeup in this movie is incredible. Whoever made Brad Pitt look 20 again is more than welcome to come over and give me a few tips!

All in all, I would recommend this movie for one viewing. I don't think I'm likely to watch it again, but it was a pleasant way to spend three hours.

Happy birthday, teenager!

My oldest son turns 13 this week. Unbelievable!Here he is as a newborn in 1996.And here he is now. The thing that baffles me the most is how he could have grown so much and I still look exactly the same. One of the mysteries of the universe, I suppose.

Another 80s indulgence

One of the most fun things I do as a parent, although admittedly trivial in the grand scheme of things, is introduce my kids to things I love and see their reactions. Many favorite movies, books, and television shows of mine are waiting for the boys to be old enough to see or read. Much of my favorite music has already been played repeatedly in the van and around the house.

Last week, using Netflix's online instant viewing feature, we all started watching Simon & Simon, season 1. What a time warp! Imagine private detectives in 1981, before computers, before cell phones, before caller ID for crying out loud! This was one of my favorite shows from the time I was 12 until it went off the air in 1989. A true '80s indulgence. I remember I kept a notebook of all the episodes, who guest starred, plot synopses, and favorite lines from the episodes. Yeah, I was obsessed. Mostly due to the extensively gorgeous Jameson Parker, I admit. I'll have to hunt up the picture of the giant Simon & Simon collage I had on my bedroom wall. It was awesome.

Anyway, for such a dated show, the storylines are usually fun and exciting, if a tad predictable. The best parts of every show are the banter between brothers Rick and A.J. and the times they use disguises to get information. Watching this show again, it's no wonder I wanted to be an actor. It looks like they're having so much fun! And I really like that even though there are plenty of murder mysteries, we don't have to see close-ups of the corpse. And even though the brothers have many lady friends, we don't have to look into their bedrooms. Much better than today's television.

So now every night the boys come running upstairs asking to watch Simon & Simon. I told my oldest two they were lucky I didn't know for sure I'd have two boys in a row or they'd be named Rick and A.J. They didn't seem to mind the idea too much.

Cool

Can you believe it's the tenth of July and we haven't turned the air conditioner on once yet this month? One third of the way through July, and no AC! Unbelievable.

I am really loving this weather. This is my idea of perfect. Eighty during the day, sixty at night, with little to no humidity, and a light breeze. Hot enough in the sun for the kids to swim, but cool enough I can sit in the shade comfortably. If it were like this every year, I wouldn't dread summer so much.

Spanish Summer ready for purchase!

So here's the deal:

As my "prize" for finishing NaNoWriMo this past year, I got to submit my novel to CreateSpace for publication. It is now, finally, ready and can be ordered here.

BUT WAIT!

If you buy it online it's $9.99 plus $3.18 shipping. I, however, can get discounted copies. So here's what I'm going to do for you. I'm going to buy a case of books and sell them to my friends and family for $8.50 INCLUDING shipping. That's right. I'll even sign it for you if you want.

So if you could leave a comment letting me know you want one, I will order them. Once they're in I'll contact you by email and you can use my Paypal account to pay and give me your address. If you live near me and want to pick it up, I'll even take another dollar off! $7.50! Really, how can you pass that up?