WonderGirl and the Sift's June 2007 Archives

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June 30, 2007

Legacy

One of my favorite days happened today, though you wouldn't know to look at it. It started yesterday, when Czarina noticed me reading an old diary.

"What's that, Momma?"

"This is my journal, Honey. It's where I write things I want to remember."

"Like what?"

"Like how I feel, or what I did today, or special things that happen." I paused, wondering if this would be the moment I've waited for.

"Do you think I could do that?"

I smiled. Finally. "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea."

So today, in between running errands, going to the pool, doing our customary Saturday business- we bought her first journal. She examined the selection with care, eventually deciding on a small blue Beatrix Potter diary. We made an occasion out of it, celebrating with a chocolate milkshake.

This is a big day for me. King Pen has been drawing with Czarina ever since she could hold a crayon. I've always been glad for that, but a part of me longed to share the things I love, too. I hope she will find the pleasure and solace in writing that I have during my lifetime. If she doesn't, well that's alright. She's not me, nor would I want her to be. She will find her own way, I know this. But, I am happy for today, happy to share the excitement of a blank book, even if it is just this once.

On the ride home, she was quiet in the backseat. I asked her if she was okay, and she said, "I'm fine. I was just thinking of what to write in my journal."

So, what did you decide, I asked.

"I'm going to write: Today is a good day. Today I had a milkshake with my mom."

I think that's an excellent beginning.

***

Posted by WonderGirl at 10:02 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

I'm Up, Are You?

So, my youngest has no respect for Saturday mornings. Bah. Doesn't he know we're all supposed to be sleeping in? Oh well. He and I are sitting in the living room watching Krypto, Super Dog, before the rest of the kids are up and at 'em.

Remember when Saturday used to be a big deal? I remember getting up at six in the morning to start my cartoon schedule. Mom would put out cereal bowls the night before, and we were in charge of getting our own breakfast. It was the only day of the week we got sweet cereal, and we looked forward to it all week. Cocoa Rice Krispies, Booberry, Count Chocula...

We took turns choosing what cartoons to watch, but we were in agreement most of the time. I'm just gonna throw out a list of my favorites (in no particular order), and let's all be nostalgic together, yeah?

Smurfs
Ducktales
FraggleRock
ALF
Garfield and Friends
Kidd Video
Moncchichis
Pac-Man
The Snorks
Richie Rich
Tom and Jerry
Shirttails
Bugs Bunny
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Rainbow Brite
GIJoe
Transformers

That list could be longer, but I haven't got all day! We were cartoon watching fools, weren't we, at least on Saturdays! I think that's the problem now, there are cartoons on ALL the time, every day of the week. Saturdays aren't special anymore, and that makes me a little bit sad.

Anyway, now it's time to make some breakfast for the munchkins. Hope you all have a wunnerful weekend.

Posted by WonderGirl at 8:20 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

June 28, 2007

Robots In Disguise

I'm not the only girl dying to see this, right?

Posted by WonderGirl at 11:06 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

Blimey!

Mom has come and gone, and I enjoyed the chance to put my eyes on her. It's been a difficult week, and it was reassuring to see for myself that she is alright. I have to fight the urge to get in the car and drive back to make sure Dad and Katie will be alright, too. I know there's nothing I can do, but that feeling is there, just the same. I want to help, when I know that nothing I can do will really help. Except praying, yes- and I've been doing that. But you know what I mean. I want to go in and do something, even if it's just making a meal or washing a load of laundry. Anything to lighten their burdens.

-Sigh-

Onward.

We saw Pirates of the Caribbean 3 last night. (I know, I know- we're the last people in the country to see it. Oh, except for you, Dolly! Nice to know we're not the only ones who never get out of the house!) Anyway, it was great! A lot better than I expected - because to be honest, the second one was a bit disappointing. And don't you Argh! me, you know it's true! But they went out with a bang, I'll give them that. One thing occurred to me though... and stop reading here if you haven't seen it yet - but if Will is now the captain of the Flying Dutchman, and he can only see Elizabeth every ten years - will she continue to age or will she be immortal like him? That's been bugging me all day. Because if she's not immortal, too, well shoot. She got the bad end of the deal! I want my money back.

What else? Oh, Chipmunk is sick. I took him to the pediatrician today (yeah, the one who's starting to ask where his $600 bucks are), and there wasn't much to be done for the poor bebe. He's got a nasty upper respiratory bug, fever and all, but his ears looked okay. Hopefully he'll be better in a day or two. This sick kid thing is starting to get old. Can we go one week without a fever or vomiting or some weird rash? Or is this just the way it is with four kids?

Man, I'm chasing rabbits today. All over the place. Sorry about that- my thoughts seem so scattered lately.

I am sleepy... we were up a lot with Chipmunk last night. I think I'm just gonna rest my eyes here for a minute... I'll be back later.

Posted by WonderGirl at 1:47 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

June 27, 2007

Twiddling My Thumbs

So here I am, house cleaned, gumbo cooking, waiting on a visit from my mom, Aunt Diana, Aunt Charlotte, and their friend, Roxanne. They've been on a girl's trip to Nashville, and they are stopping here on their way home. My mom didn't know about it, it was a surprise for her, and the timing is perfect. So, I'm just burning an hour or two on the net before they get here. So, let's ramble, shall we?

The Duke is having some serious jealousy issues. He loves Chipmunk, and his behavior isn't directed towards him. It's all about ME. He wants my attention so badly that he cries for me all day. I don't know how to help him! Realistically, I just can't drop everything and cuddle. I have to cook supper, feed the baby, etc. If I can't deal with him right away, he has a meltdown, which leads to discipline, and it's just such an ordeal. I feel bad for him, even though I'm frustrated and the whining is driving me nuts. I feel like I am not meeting a need for him or something. Advice, anyone?

In other news, we're starting to look at the possibility of moving closer to home. Our long-term plan has always been to settle down in Louisiana, near King Pen's folks. However, the job market is slim over there. So we're looking at places that are nearby, anything closer than where we are. Everytime we come back from a long family visit, the pull is stronger. It's important to us for our children to have the benefit of cousins and grandparents, and to have that, we gotta move back! Boy, I dread the thought of moving again, though. What a pain. Mostly though, I'm just really excited at the prospect of being near my family again. I miss 'em.

Well, that's all I feel like writing today. More tomorrow!

Oh, wait, one more thing. We have had a string of bad financial luck lately, and I'm stewing about it a bit. First, we get our electric bill and it's $250! For an apartment! I freaked out, of course, and called them, wondering what in the heck was going on. Well, apparently, our air conditioner, which busted on Saturday and was replaced by our landlord, has been sucking electricity down like a chocolate milkshake all month long. Wah. And then, I recieved a bill today, stating that Chipmunk's insurance wasn't in order for the first two months (because I recieved some FAULTY information on the application process!!), and now I've got a $600 bill from the pediatrician. Wah, Wah. AND, the straw that broke the camels back, was today, when I bought a card from the grocery store, and they forgot to put it in my bag. Yeah, it was like three bucks, but that was IT! I nearly had a full-blown hissy fit.

But, it comes in threes, right? That should be it. *crossing fingers

Posted by WonderGirl at 4:37 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

June 26, 2007

Cruel Intentions

If you think I don't know who you are, you are wrong. You may have commented anonymously, but there are footprints in the sand that let me know it was you who left such an ugly, unwelcome, unkind remark. I am disappointed in you.

This is not the place for that kind of animosity, nor is it appropriate when my family is grieving and hurting. Whatever your issues are, take them elsewhere.

Posted by WonderGirl at 6:20 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Expounded

I suppose that last entry was a tad cryptic. Sorry. I was at a loss for words at the moment, but I am more collected now.

Last night, I learned that my brother is in serious trouble. I haven't written about him here in a long time; he needed privacy to begin reconstructing his life after jail. Since he got out last August, he entered the Drug Court, which monitored him closely with drug tests, meetings, counseling, etc. He had a list of do's and don'ts. And if he slipped up, he was booted from the program and had to serve his full sentence, which is seventeen years.

He's had a few bumps along the road, but they've been patient, and given him second chances. But, you can't live your life on second chances. Eventually, you run out of them. And that's what happened this weekend. He violated his probation, and in a week, he will have a hearing before a judge to decide his fate. It will almost certainly mean incarceration. I say almost, because there is still the chance that the judge will do something unexpected. There is always room for a miracle. But you don't count on them, you know?

It took a few hours for this to sink in with me. When it did, all I could do was grieve. Trey has a new wife of three months, a sweet girl who now faces an uncertain and scary future. I thought of her. And then I thought of my mother, who has harbored hope, as we all have, and now that hope is crushed beneath the weight of seventeen years. And I thought of Trey, who must feel that he's lost everything, and has only himself to blame. I thought of my children, my family, who have lost a future of memories with him.

I grieve the loss of hope. Maybe tomorrow I will feel differently. Maybe tomorrow I will find my hope again. But today, though I take comfort in the fact that God is in control of all things, my soul aches.

Posted by WonderGirl at 10:33 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

June 25, 2007

Unsaid

Sometimes, words fail. Tonight, they are inadequate, uncooperative. I can't make them work right.

I'll try again tomorrow, and maybe they will serve me better.

Posted by WonderGirl at 10:46 PM | TrackBack

Here and There

Pictures from our travels...

Continue reading "Here and There"

Posted by WonderGirl at 12:10 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

The Distant Nearby

I finally edited ALL my pictures and now they are ready to go up. But I'll get to that tomorrow, too tired tonight.

And besides... I have something much crazier to blog tonight before I go to bed.

There is a guy in the building opposite us that King Pen and I have both talked to on occasion, not often enough to know his name or anything. Just neighborly friendly, ya know. Anyway, one of his two little girls is around Czarina's age, and they've played together in the pool and the playground (not alone, but with us there). So, we have a passing aquaintenceship.

Well. It just goes to show that you don't know what is going on behind closed doors. Apparently, some time yesterday, he got into a fight with his girlfriend in their apartment, and he killed her. Then he killed himself. No joke.

A maintenance guy discovered them tonight when the girlfriend's sister convinced him to check the apartment. She hadn't been able to get in touch with her sister, and she knew something was wrong. She was screaming across the street when they found the bodies.

They are still over there right now. We can see the police tape, the lights on as the detectives work the crime scene. It's very surreal, and I can see it from my steps.

This is not a crime-riddled neighborhood. It's not the kind of place you expect something like this to happen. And I think that makes it even scarier.

Anyway, remember the daughters that are left in the wake of this terrible event. Say a prayer for them, because I'm sure they need it. And pray for this neighborhood, which has been shaken by unexpected violence. It's hard to know that death is a few doors down tonight.

That's all for this dark evening. More to say in the brightness of morning. Sleep tight, all.

Posted by WonderGirl at 12:06 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

June 23, 2007

Sweet Home Alabama

And we're back!

(Oh, Will Ferrell. You silly man.)

We made it in last night, and we ALMOST got home before someone threw up in the car. This close, I'm telling ya. We were literally pulling into our parking lot when I heard HeroBoy retching in the backseat. Wah. He's fine though. I think he just ate too much junk and got carsick or something. If he could have held off a mere two seconds, we'd have been home-free. Argh. I guess I should be grateful he threw up at the END of our trip, and not the BEGINNING. So far no one else is sick, so we'll hope it was an isolated incident.

Okay.

So where in the world do I start with the updating? We have done so much the last two weeks, and I've got zillions of pictures to resize and upload here. It's a bit overwhelming! I have about seventy pictures, and it's gonna take a few days. So, I'll get to it, but first I wanted to let you all know we are back from our meanderings.

Will blog more after I unpack!

Posted by WonderGirl at 3:08 PM | TrackBack

June 18, 2007

Wish You Were Here!

Dear You,

Hello from M, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, humpback, humpback, I. Otherwise known as Mississippi, the crown jewel of the Southern States, as my Papaw says! We're now in phase 2 of our trip, having finished up our week with King Pen's family in dear Louisiana, and now we're visiting my folks. The kids are going to good old Vacation Bible School, and we're just hanging out the rest of the time. My sister is in town, as well as my grandmother, and we are enjoying the visit. We have a girl's night planned for tomorrow night, me, my two sisters, and my new sister-in-law. We've got our outfits all coordinated and everything. I think we'll talk about boys and probably play truth or dare. It's gonna be great.

Anywho, just wanted to let you guys know where I was and what I'm up to. I am gonna take a break from blogging this week, but I'll be back to the grind by the weekend. Hope you all have a lovely week!

Love,
WonderGirl

Oh, PS. The Vacation Bible School that the kids are going to is the same one I attended as a kid. How crazy is that? And their teachers are kids that I used to babysit. Wild.

Posted by WonderGirl at 8:12 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

June 14, 2007

A Ketchup of One's Own

Continuing with "Reader Appreciation Week" (which should have been called "Reader Appreciation Month").

******

"New Heinz EZ Squirt (now featured in New Blastin' Green) with precision stream allows kids better control, more creativity in mealtime decisions!!"

Keri snorted as she read the advertisement aloud. "Are you kidding me? Do you know what my blessed angels would do if I put a bottle of ketchup in their hands?" She glanced over to the sandbox at her two boys. "Steven, don't you dare take that shirt off, I mean it! How many times do I have to tell you?"

She flipped the page of the magazine. "Like life isn't enough of a zoo already. I can see myself trying to get green ketchup out of my Laura Ashley curtains. God bless the dry cleaners, that's all I can say."

I opened my mouth to reply, but Keri's screeched out across the playground, "Hunter! Stop dumping sand on that little girl's head right this instant! Don't make me come over there!"

"Honestly, sometimes I wonder if they ever ask parents about crap like this before they sell it." She stuck the magazine in her purse and pulled out a pack of gum, popping a piece in her mouth. "Seriously, " she smacked, "are they out to make my life more of pain in the-- STEVEN!" She bolted off the bench, swearing under her breath, and took off after the errant and now shirtless Steven.

I looked down at my little one, only a few months old, peacefully sleeping in his stroller.

"Don't even think about growing up," I whispered.

Posted by WonderGirl at 10:14 PM | TrackBack

June 13, 2007

Swing, Swing

Where I spent a great portion of my day:

(Via my camera phone)

Posted by WonderGirl at 10:22 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

June 12, 2007

Heavy Matters

HeroBoy today, flexing his impressive muscles, began bragging about his incredible strength.

"I can pick up the chair, and the house, and the sun, and the whole world!!

I can even pick up YOU, Momma!"

Gee thanks, kid. For a minute there, I thought I might weigh slightly less than an entire planet. Silly Mummy.

*Note to self... lay off the twinkies.

Posted by WonderGirl at 11:34 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

June 11, 2007

Happy Trails

Yello!

I am sitting at my in-laws house at the end of the day, hair still wet from the pool, kids sleeping upstairs, and a long enjoyable week ahead. The drive in wasn't terrible, Chipmunk cried intermittently but Czarina lended a hand when needed. The boys watched SpongeBob in the backseat until the battery to the DVD player zonked out on us. They all napped off and on, and I can't complain.

We met my mom and sister for lunch as we drove through Vicksburg, and made it to Monroe around three this afternoon. The kids played outside, and I sat on the porch swing rocking the baby, and singing songs with my toddler. The afternoon was golden and green, propped up by tall corn and sunlight. The breeze blew in dragonflies and the smell of freshly cut grass. It was the kind of afternoon that makes you sigh contentedly, glad to be exactly where you are.

Tonight for supper, we had the best of the summer spread... roast and rice and gravy, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, corn on the cob, and tall glasses of iced tea. After dinner, the kids got in the back of DaddyWalt's red pick-up and we headed about a mile down the road to the cousin's house for a quick dip in the pool to wash away the dust of the day.

Ahhh... summertime in the country. There is just nothing else like it.

Tomorrow will be a full day of much of the same, and the day after that, and the day after that and the day after that. That's how you pass the season in the South.

All for now- time to wind myself down for the evening with dry clothes and a nice book.

Hope you all have as wonderful a week as we will...

Posted by WonderGirl at 11:10 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

June 10, 2007

Une f�te d'adieu

...because it's prettier in French.

Farewell Party

I'm wiped!! We had a full day. Church this morning, with very wiggly and restless children for some reason, and an afternoon of packing and cleaning. Then, a longtime friend of mine spent the evening with us, visiting and washing laundry since he is in town and in need of clean clothes. We wrapped up the day with a get-together in the backyard - a farewell party for our neighbors who are returning to Peru for six weeks. Bah. We'll miss them to pieces. Anyway, it was busy, busy, busy, but fun, fun, fun! I was happy to catch up with my pal, David, and glad that he got to enjoy our "block party", too. The kids, in typical kid fashion, put on a play for us, and we ate pizza and swatted mosquitoes until the sun went down and fireflies came out. We then hugged and said our goodbyes, and went inside to scrub our dirty children clean.

We're (mostly) all packed up to head to King Pen's parents house in the morning. If you think of it, send out some good vibrations my way as I drive the 5 1/2 hours by myself with the kids. I'm not sure how cooperative Chipmunk will be. He has impressive endurance when it comes to crying-- he doesn't give up easily. And he is not loving the carseat these days.
So, we may have a recipe for disaster on our hands, I don't know. So, happy mojo to WonderGirl tommorow, mkay?

Anyway... this week, we'll be swimming and playing, and hanging around with cousins and grandparents till they're sick of us. It's our vacation, but I'll still be blogging, so you'll be hearing from me. (In case you were alarmed there for a minute. I know how addicted you are to my blog. Ha!)

Well, I've got to tie up some loose ends around here before bed. G'nite all, and have a lovely Monday.

Oh, and King Pen is well now, thanks to my horde of antibiotics. Who says ya can't self-medicate? Silly doctors. Anyway, thank you for all your well wishes and prayers while we were sick. I 'preciate it!

Posted by WonderGirl at 10:26 PM | TrackBack

June 9, 2007

Saturday

Well, we jumped the gun on King Pen being well. He is most certainly not well, poor man. I looked in his throat, and there were scary things happening there. If he's not over this by Monday, we're marching his heiney straight to the doc.

Despite him being sick, I made it to book club last night. I had the kids all fed and bathed, and all he had to do was tuck them in, so it wasn't too bad. And I had fun! There were only five of us this go-round, but I think more people will participate in the next book.

Lots to do today, none of it all that interesting, so I'll spare you the "To Do" list. I'll blog later this afternoon, just wanted to pop on for a minute.

Posted by WonderGirl at 9:50 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

June 7, 2007

Movies and Books and Plans, Oh My!

King Pen has recovered in record time from the Mystery Fever Disease. Which, to be honest, furthers my suspicions that my real husband was replaced several years ago with a robot. The man ain't normal.

Yesterday, he was holding Chipmunk, making him dance around a little, and sing "Don't you wish your baby was fat, like me" to the tune of that Pussycat Dolls song. He's so wrong. But it was funny.

Anyway, no complaining from my end. I'm glad he's better, because today is his birthday! Happy Birthday, Robot Husband! I love you! (processing, processing...)

So now that everyone is feeling better, I can return to my usual blogging. It's a rambling kind of day today. Ya with me?

First... we've caught a few movies lately. Last night, we watched "Apocalypto". Wow. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, though the gore was a bit over the top. (predictable Mel Gibson!) Several scenes I had to cover my eyes, because I did not want the mental image burned into my brain for the rest of my life. And, yeah, there were boobies, which was a bit distracting at first, in a National Geographic kinda way. Once you got adjusted to the occasional topless Mayan, squirting blood, and reading the subtitles, it was a breeze! The storyline was compelling, the acting stellar, and the scenery impressive.

We also watched "The Fountain" the other day, which oddly enough, also had some Mayan elements. It was a beautiful, but perplexing movie. I felt like I was on the brink of understanding it, but not quite "getting it" the entire time. Or I'd get it for just a minute, then it was gone. And no, WonderGirl was not hitting the pipe. It was all crazy on it's own. Still, a good movie.

Lest you think all we pagans watch are rated "R" movies, we also caught "The Ant Bully" with the kids. It was quite funny! It made me want to hug somebody from the Warner Brothers studio. Good stuff.

In book news, I finished reading "The Moviegoer" by Walker Percy in time for my book club meeting tomorrow night. This book is supposed to be "The Catcher in the Rye" for grown-ups. It's set in New Orleans , so it was fun to read about familiar places, but it took me a while to get into it. By the end of the book, I was used to his style of writing and could appreciate it more. I'm looking forward to our shindig tomorrow- I'm curious about what everyone else thought, and the wine and cheese is gonna go down great. Booze and books-- can't get much better than that!

The rest of the weekend is going to be busy, too. Saturday, my little sister is supposed to come into town. And Sunday we have dinner at church, and that evening, an old friend is stopping by to visit. And at some point in the weekend, I've got to get us packed up to leave for Monroe on Monday. We'll be crazy busy, but I'm just glad everyone is well now to do it all.

Well, on that note, I suppose I should get started on some stuff around here. Hope you all have a smashing day!

Posted by WonderGirl at 11:22 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

June 6, 2007

Soldier Down

Well, our last soldier has fallen. King Pen fought the good fight, serving as the primary medic when I was sick, and now he has contracted the Mystery Fever Disease also. Two weeks now we've engaged the enemy! It's worked it's way through the ranks, wreaking havoc and mayhem. It's actually quite dreadful. I was in a lot of pain as I fought my own personal battle, so I feel sorry for KP now. It's been 6 days since I first came down with it, and I STILL have soreness in the lymph nodes in my neck, and my throat!

Anyway, he's home from work, and I will be tending to him and the kids, so blogging may be sparse for a day or two. -sniff- You must go on without me. Go, I say! I'll only slow you down! That's an order, soldier! Don't look back.

(It occurs to me that I may be a bit melodramatic.)

Posted by WonderGirl at 9:13 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

June 4, 2007

Back from the Edge

Oh lovely world, I am not sick any longer! I have some lingering soreness in my neck and throat, but am in much better spirits. I had become a bit arrogant in my motherly immunity to my children's illnesses, and was due a come-uppance. I return to you a meek and pale creature, thankful for nyquil and a loving, competent husband. It was a dark path I trod for three days, and I was transformed into a tragic and frail figure. Seriously. Go ask King Pen. He was there. But luckily, my story was born in the Secret Garden, and a new week brings new health.

I have a lot to be well for this week! King Pen turns 32 on Thursday, my book club meets on Friday, and the library starts it's Summer Reading Program. I must also begin preparing for our vacation which we start at the beginning of next week. Much to do!

I should start by getting out of my pajamas. More blogging later- I'll try to get to one of my (weird) Reader Appreciation topics.