The Ballad of Frank & Jack

Coincidentally both my dad and my pal, Chas's dad both were born in June (19th for hers, 21st for mine) and died in mid-late October.

We went to our neighborhood dive bar to have a few drinks to reminisce. They were both wild men and I think they would have liked each other.

We lit a lavender candle, toasted our dearly missed daddys, drank Lone Stars til they ran out, and called it a night.

This was the first time I've gotten to hang out with her without all of our men around, it was really great. I found out things I didn't know about her, like for example she has to go pee a LOT...at least once an hour!

During one of her potty trips I cast-on and began to knit my white purse. She came back to find me knitting and fighting off a large drunk admirer.

She skillfully got rid of him and called me a 'craft nerd.' Ha!

I look forward to many more similar outings!

Rough Night

S didn't take the boys out on an 'adventure' tonight, which was bad...I REALLY needed the downtime. The house kind of fell apart due to the intensive parenting I had to do ALL DAY LONG.

I really made an effort to keep it together and was actually proud of what I HAD been able to do.

S had a hard day too and didn't really seem to realize how hard I had worked.

LeeLee seriously melted down during the bedtime proceedings. I figured once the lights were down and I was nursing them he'd calm down. He did, but tried to get up to 'go see Papa' and I wouldn't let him and he freaked the fuck out.

I had to haul him out of my room kicking and screaming to find S to beg him to drive LeeLee around until he fell asleep.

S made some comments about talking to me later about how I let everything go to shit today and I wanted to throw a tantrum myself. I did my absolute best.

My sweet, sweet Lee has been a mess lately. I don't know what to do besides ride it out. He's been kind of aloof and not as affectionate as he usually is. He's also been very, very jealous and competitive with Moomers. I've always been super close with my Peachy Lee so this has been hard to deal with. He's actually been saying "NO!" and making farty-raspberry noises at me. It drives me totally crazy.

I have to draw the line, though at how rough and mean he's been to his brother lately-- it's been really, really terrible.

When Twins Attack

Today LeeLee skipped his nap. I kept him up with me, gave him quiet time with a movie...I've seriously cut back on their increasing tv consumption, I felt like they were asking more and more to only watch videos all day but I thought he could benefit from a little zoning-out.

We've done a lot of art and more creative stuff lately and it's been wonderful, but a little exhausting.

When Mooms woke up I tried again to put LeeLee down for a late nap, to no avail.

S called and said he wanted to take the boys on a special adventure when he got home. I was so relieved, I really needed some time to regroup and do the housework I wasn't able to since Puffy didn't nap. Not to mention I still have seventeen unfinished crafty projects!

S was in the backyard with the boys, decompressing from his day and peeling a mango, gearing up to leave with them and I was in here uploading some pictures to my flickr page when I heard crying.

I looked up, expecting the garden-variety someone scratched or bit the other minor skirmish...but not this time.

It turns out LeeLee had picked up a big ass rock and hurled it at Moomers' head, making contact near the crown.

S was carrying both of them, blood trickling from M's scalp.

I am not good in emergencies, especially ones involving blood, but S was upset so that made me more calm.

I grabbed my monkey and a towel and cleaned up the blood to assess the wound. It was about 1/4" long and had stopped bleeding already.

We pumped him full of arnica and I dabbed on some of my First Aid Balm (the stuff I created a couple of weeks ago)

Everyone's now calm but exhausted. Kisses and lectures have been given and there are a couple of frazzled parents who are REALLY ready to have their kids in bed. Off I go to do just that.

$Money, Money, Money$

I have recently begun to feel bummed by how excited my boys get when they get new things: toys, clothes, etc.

I know that our bank account and family values don't allow us to keep up with the desires of growing children for a steady rotation of brand-new toys and I was beginning to wonder how I was going to handle it.

I've been making jewelry and other crafty-stuff for my friends and family and to sell on Etsy.

The boys have begun to realize what money is so I decided to make them some "money"with fabric scraps and inexpensive wooden discs from the craft store.

They LOVED it! Luckily I had some cute skulls, bugs and tractor fabric scraps that were perfect for them!

I also made Moomers a "superhero" mask with a random serged piece of green oval-shaped fabric from a bag of scraps my friend gave me.

It clearly looked to me like a mask without eye holes...not sure what she had been intending for it to be! I don't sew so this was especially great to find in there!

After attaching pipe cleaners and cutting eye holes it was perfect for my little "superhero" (what he's been calling himself lately!)

We still have felt capes that we made for the boys when they were about a year old for Halloween and they still fit! They've never been into playing with them, but now that he has a mask M is more than happy to rock the cape too!

They always love playing with sticks, Papa doesn't like allowing sticks in the house, something I had forgotten...oops!

Last night we went to a park and explored a dry creek bed. I told Moomers that it reminded me of going "rock hunting" with my dad when I was a little girl. He told me he was going to look for a special rock to take home. The bed was FILLED with rocks and it was sweet watching him decide which one was the 'special one.'

He finally chose a small white rock and clutched it in his little fist. When we were going to bed he showed me his rock and said 'New, Mama.'

That's when it hit me: they have no concept of new as it applies to my adult brain. I think brand new, shiny, expensive. They think something that they didn't have before that is fun for them to play with.

I need to remember this as I feel guilty for cheating them out of their childhood by skipping the toy aisles at
Target.

The truth is, too many talking, blinking plastic toys will hamper their creativity.

One day they will want to have every new gadget their friends own, but for now they are happy pretending that sticks are helicopters and I'm going to encourage this as much as humanly possible.

A link to this blog in my inbox today was especially timely. I love that others are embracing creativity and moving away from rampant consumerism as well. I look forward to seeing all the ideas on the Flickr page! If you decide to participate, please let me know!

Summer Art

On Friday I set the boys up in the backyard with some paints and new plastic smocks I bought them at a great store near my house.

They each painted a masterpiece (doesn't every Mama think her child is an artistic genius?) then decided it was more fun to paint themselves and each other.

LeeLee's painting is on the fridge, Moomers' is on his bookshelf in his bedroom. Everytime he passes the fridge, Moomies says: "LeeLee's artwork??"

Instant Karma

Sometimes there are days with my family that are so magical I wish I could replay them everyday.

Yesterday was one of them. I can't really describe adequately what made it so lovely except that the tension that sometimes plagues us was gone and in it's place was an easy, mellow day.

In the evening we went to dinner, then to a park that I had never been to beforce. It was small and tucked-away and reminded me of California. (which I have been missing like crazy lately) Well, it reminded me of California until fire ants stung my feet!

There was a big, beautiful house next to the park with guinea hens hanging out in the front yard. My boys, on a sugar-fueled rampage (the dangers of going to a buffet dinner!) chased them around, making them squawk causing their owners to come outside to check on them. I was out near the street, apologetically corralling my offspring and the woman who lived there called out: "Is that a Belle & Burger skirt?? I LOVE her!" So funny!

Our day fell apart a little when we made it home. I was exhausted, the boys were crashing and Papa was bummed about having to end our adventure. I felt like I couldn't POSSIBLY go to bed without changing my sheets so even though I was dog-tired I stripped and remade my bed, then straightened my room.

I had lit candles (mistake) and the boys were fighting over who got to blow them out. Mooms was on a stool that I keep near my bed and LeeLee pulled up my vanity stool and bit him on the back of the knee. M started crying and LeeLee turned around on the stool and promptly fell off and hit his head on my bookshelf.

He had quite a bump on his head. After he was arnica'd and consoled Papa commented...'I guess that was karma, buddy.'

What I'm Reading

The Gentle Subversive: Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, and the Rise of the Environmental Movement by: Mark Hamilton Lytle

I have never read Silent Spring, the famous book by Rachel Carson. I found this book in the 'just in' section of my local library. I'm really enjoying it so far.






Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food by: Jessica Seinfeld

I'm a huge Seinfeld fan, (Jerry, that is!) but that's not why I checked this book out.

I've been writing all my favorite recipes down on index cards so I don't have to drag out the cookbook or the computer (allrecipes.com is a favorite of mine) every time I want to cook something. So recipes were on my mind anyway when I saw this book on the shelves of my library.

I've been aware of it for quite a while and am aware of all the drama associated with it, which I'm totally ambivalent about.

My boys eat veggies without a problem but I do love baking and it would be nice to have a few treats that are a bit better for you. (even though I am aware that with all the cooking and pureeing you have to do to these veggies the nutritional benefits may be negligible)

I didn't think I was going to try any of the recipes after reading through it, but decided 'eh, why not?' and am copying down the ones that sound most interesting. I'll let you know how they turn out.

Happy Birthday, Ex-Husband!

Today is my ex-husband, G's 36th birthday. We met when he was 23, so the fact that he is now 36 is a bit mind-boggling for me.

Had we stayed together this would have been the 13th birthday we spent together...that's the age of a 7th grader!! WEIRD. And even weirder to think that if we had have had kids together, he or she could have BEEN that seventh grader.

Anyway, G is a great guy and happy with is girlfriend, E and with living in the Bay Area. (and he is happily broken up with another E who I did not approve of!)

Ours was such a bad breakup I would have never thought our friendship could have survived it, but it did and I'm glad.

I met my current (and last, thank you very much!) husband while shopping for G a Christmas gift. (after we were divorced long enough to be friends again)

I'm sure his day will consist of Pabst Blue Ribbon and at least one Johnny Cash song, I hope it's a good one!!!

Cowboy Lady

The boys come up with some silly stuff. They've been watching the Toy Story movies a lot lately and want to wear cowboy boots and ride around on their stick horsies. The problem is we only have one pair of kids' cowboy boots, a slightly too-big pair of PINK Durangos that I got years ago at a thrift store in Oakland.

I thought they'd look cute on my shelf or that maybe I'd have a girl one day.

Instead, the boys fight tooth and nail over them then the loser (Mooms) goes into my closet and grabs a pair of MY boots. They are thigh-length on him and I'm afraid of accidents and broken bones so I try without success to discourage it. I finally had to put them WAY UP in my closet.

They also call themselves "Cowboy Lady" and this drives S CRAZY. I say, let them say whatever they want for now, he says we should teach them the correct words (cowgirl and cowboy) and be clear on which one they are--COWBOY.

Considering every other day they say they are pregnant with whatever their current favorite animal is (usually twins even!) and LeeLee tells me often that he has a vagina, I figure it's just a phase. I have said 'no honey you have a penis but you can pretend to have a vagina if you are playing pretend.'

I don't want to freak him out or turn it into a big deal.

But, they have been on the Cowboy Lady kick for a while and insisted that I create a theme song that must be sung every day, preferably before going to sleep.

I'm glad they don't mind the fact that I can't really sing. (they actually DO mind sometimes, but not in this case...because the Cowboy Lady is CLEARLY a lyrical masterpiece!!)

Hilarious Vickie Howell video

I met Vickie Howell online through the Stitch 'n' Bitch group she founded before I even moved to Austin from the Bay Area. I knew that I would need a job and a knitting group in order to survive in a new town--after that everything would fall into place!

She's rad and has always inspired me to be more crafty--so check out this great video that she posted today:

The Secret Handshake

Oh, how I miss the San Francisco brunchy goodness!



Today I worked for a few hours, doing a skincare demo at Whole Foods.

It's always a bit strange for me to be out in public without my boys. They are usually everywhere that I am, from the shower to bed and out on errands.

I find myself smiling and nodding to other parents, mostly other moms. Like, hi--hey, I'm uh...in the club. And since I am alone I usually get puzzled smiles in return. Then they clutch their babies a little tighter.

It's so strange to have parenting be my main source of identity. What was it before? Was it mutable? I was an esthetician but my job has never permeated every aspect of my life. Was it wife? I don't think so, S and I aren't really one of those power-couples that are inextricably linked together.

When I think back to how I spent my (loads and loads) of free time before, I come up with a lot of sleeping and general lounging.

When I lived in SF, especially in the early days there was a lot of drinking and morning-after brunching. A lot of thrifting. Some shows, but really--honestly--a whole shitload of loafing.

Being a parent has given my life depth and direction. Since my "free time" is severely limited (really, I'm on lock-down, ya'll) I cherish it fiercely. I have been able to see myself completely, flaws, hidden talents and all. I feel like I can finally tap into my creativity and passion for life.

And since I see very clearly now where I am lacking I am trying very hard to improve. I want to teach my boys that life is about constantly learning and growing and applying new knowledge. There is so much to know and learn out there and I am scrambling to absorb as much as I can.

Overload!

S took the boys on a special adventure (I think they went to the airport to watch planes take off and land) and so I happily delved into another round of jewelry-making.

I sifted through the scraps I culled from Chas's stash and decided what each piece was going to become. Then I traced and cut out the shapes...for all SEVENTEEN pieces. Mostly earrings, but a few pendants too.

I am excited about the finished products these pieces will become, but sweet Jesus is my head spinning. Maybe I should only start six or so projects at once.

I came out of the garage my studio in a haze just now. I'm looking around, my house is a wreck I could use a shower and a brow wax and it's getting late. The boys will probably be back soon and now I feel all crazy and foggy.

One idea I had today was to use some tractor scraps and make little wooden coins for the boys. They are into money now and they've always loved tractors (all construction equipment, really) and I have some wooden "coins" that I have S drill holes in for earrings. I think they would get a kick out of them and I'll feel less guilty for spending so much time making stuff for other people.

I think I'm going to take a deep breath and straighten the house a bit.

Buttons, Buttons, Who's Got the Buttons?

Here are some pictures of the vintage buttons I recently acquired. I wanted to take pictures of them in their cards before I took the buttons off. It REALLY pained me to remove them, but I want to make earrings out of them.

I will probably make greeting cards with them, I definitely am not throwing them away.

Jewelry-Making Tip #1

It's helpful to wear a skirt or dress while beading. That way, if you drop something you have a nice little parachute to catch it in!

I know I've posted pics before, but here is my workspace, my favorite spot in the house aside from my bed!

More Finished Projects!

Last night I finished the bangles and made a pair of earrings from a pair of gorgeous mother-of-pearl vintage buttons from the 40's (the pictures do not do them justice!) and today I finished the white purse I had been working on, using a pair of vintage plastic Marbella handles from the 70's.

I loved the green/white combo so I made a pair of earrings with the same colors.

I have to say, I've really kicked ass with the production of my stuff for my Etsy shop. I am nervous to launch because I don't know if my ego can handle a sluggish start, but I am going to go for it anyway! I am really excited about all the stuff I've made so far!