Monthly Archives: March 2008

Socks for Vincenzo

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I am cheating on the Emo Socks. I said I wouldn’t, but now that they’re going to Emily instead of Maddie I’ve lost some steam. So I’ve been working on cute little baby socks instead for a cute little man I know. They’re a Debbie Bliss pattern and they’re in my favorite “chocolate & blue” color combo.

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I also have realized I’ve been doing nothing but socks for awhile so I think I may cheat some more and work on the kitty pi bed.  And I still have many a sweater OTN……….. which leads me to another thought.  I haven’t gotten a lot done since the baby came.  She wants to be held (by me only, to boot) ALL the time.  She has some down time in her new Jumperoo, but I have to be less than 3 feet away at all times or it’s all over.

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Since she’s so very sweet and I love her so very much, this is ok.  However, I do think it is monumentally unfair that performing all childcare and household tasks with a baby in your arms doesn’t make you automatically skinny.   I mean, really.   Like this morning when it’s cold and raining and the do has to go out to pee but I can’t hold the baby, the leash AND an umbrella, so I tried to stand on the porch while the dog does her business, but she won’t leave the porch and o out in the rain unless I do (because she, like my children, is a princess.  See here for proof:

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SO she sat at the door and whined all morning, but wouldn’t go.  All because I don’t have 3 arms.  But, I’ll enjoy it anyway, because Oona’ll be grown all too soon and then I will miss these days and be tempted to have another (Talk me out of it, please!!!).

Meanwhile we had a very busy weekend.  Emily went to her brownie scout father daughter dance and had a blast.

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AND, I got a new toy:

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Yeah, baby.  A chest freezer! A new place to store my yarn!! (just kidding.  But seriously, I know the Yarn Harlot does it….)

Update – O – Rama

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Well, Easter has now come and gone…… quite early this year, n’est – ce pas?  Last week I took my advice and stocked up on craft supplies and kept the girls busily creating fun little things in the days leading up to the holiday.  We made sheep, we made paper bead necklaces, we made little birdies.  They also made lots of pretty pictures, and painted their eggs in gold-flaked colors.  All in all, It’s been quite a successful enterprise.

The fruits of our labor:

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Then Saturday came and I felt like roadkill.  The girls went to an egg hunt (Neve predictably ate pavement as soon as they got there) and I stayed on the couch letting my brain go to mush with a steady supply of Spongebob.

Sunday we ate yummy food with the ‘rents (and drank wine with our good friend Uncle Daddy) and I discovered that the Maddie Emo Socks won’t fit because Maddie’s feet are now bigger than mine.  Sheesh.  Well, good thing I enjoy knitting socks, right?   Maddie came home with us that night (and stayed up watching George Lopez on Nick At Nite with me) and then helped out with my “Day of Hell” Monday.

Actually, it wasn’t that bad.  Could have been worse.  We could have had Neve with us (she stayed home with Paul, who was miraculously in town).  We made the trek out to the dentist (an hour away) and waited through an initial exam and x-rays of Emily’s tooth (2 hours in a tiny uncomfortable room, and we had the baby with us).  We were famished by the time they said they could do a root canal for her at 2 pm.  So we high – tailed it to the nearest drive-thru and gorged ourselves on fatty, greasy nastiness that makes me vomit in my mouth a little thinking about now.  And then we went to Target to kill an hour and a half (and more cash than I had intended to part with that day…).

The root canal went well, though poor Maddie had a few moments in the waiting room with the baby where Oona decided she was over it and cried her little lungs out until Maddie found my cell phone and let her shove it in her mouth.  The day ended with us getting home around 6 pm (after leaving at like 8:30 in the morning) and it was a day where much was accomplished, but I was worn out!

Yesterday we took a 4 mile walk with some good friends and vented lots of stress.  A Walk – N – Bitch if you will.  ANd today we went to the Chidlren’s Museum and had lunch at the park.  I’ve kept the kids pretty busy, I’d say.  And let me tell you – I am exhausted.  I think a lot of it is that I am still getting over the Ick that struck me down so rudely this past weekend, but either way I am going to be laying around the house in my sweats the next few days and trying to knit.  And looking for any and all non mess-free markers to throw away.  Why, you ask?  As if you really need to!

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She looked like  Marilyn Manson with the black lips and eyes (and was starting on the arm tattoos when I looked over and caught her.  She managed this while sitting on the couch right next to me).  When she realized she was busted she wouldn’t let us look at her.  Needless to say, taking a picture was quite difficult.  But, we managed.  How else am I going to embarrass her on the world wide web?????

Happy Vernal Equinox

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It seems I’ve been gifted with the Ick on this first day of spring (Thank you, rotten kids).  I’ve got the achiness all over, the sore throat, the congestion, the headache, the cough.  Otherwise you know I’d be out dancing naked under the moon to celebrate the equinox and all.  Y’all know I’m like that.

Ha!  Just wondering if you were paying attention.  And yes, I did just say y’all.  Yankee or not, I find it really enhances your language to throw in a good y’all  every so often.

So I feel like crud and I plan to rest up for the festivities this weekend (egg hunt party Saturday with the ‘rents, sugared up kids Sunday once the Bunny has come).  But I did do one thin today.  One brave, crazy, not-quite-perfect thing.

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I cut Neve’s hair.  Couldn’t stand it anymore.  She was cool with it, so I grabbed the scissors, took a deep breath, and chopped it.  It’ll need some touching up to even it out a bit, but I think she looks cute with it like this.  She’s got that wavy kind of hair that works well with a bob.  It also makes it hard to cut it evenly.  Plus, you know, I suck at it.

One Down, One To Go

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The first Maddie Emo Sock is done.  Yay!  I’ve cast on for the second so I don’t lose focus.  Too much.  It’s a little snug on my foot, since Mad’s foot is slightly smaller than mine.  Or, at least it was when I started these socks!  When these are done I am going to knit up a bunch of baby socks.  Small, easy, quick baby socks.  My problem now is that whereas some people have S.A.B.L.E. ( yarn Stash Amassed Beyond Life Expectancy) I have Projects Lined Up Beyond Life Expectancy.  (PLUBLE? sounds vaguely dirty).  

I just can’t seem to get on top of things lately.  I’m sure most parents know what I am talking about.  And I have those moments where you wonder if you will ever get on top of things.  And the possibility that you will is so small that you consider whether it’s even a worthwhile goal.  This week has been especially trying.  Emily has a bad tooth that needs looking after and while we wait for the dentist to see her (even with an emergency, it’s still a several day wait….how’s that for a real downer??) she’s been in and out of school as we try to manage her pain level.   The baby has a cold so she’s been smearing nice green ickiness all over me and running a small fever.  She kept me up all night on Monday, thus ensuring that my ability to deal with Emily’s problem is massively reduced.

But it’s O.K.  I’ve been plying Little Mac with mess free markers and paint brushes and a pile of construction paper……and it’s working.  As long as she’s got a project to work on she’s perfectly well behaved.   I’m thinking I’ll dive into my craft stash and see what else I’ve got to keep her occupied.  Maybe I’ll invest in a big bag of colored pipe cleaners and wooden beads.  And tissue paper!  My hamster’s running pretty quickly now!  I think I may be on the verge of a child controlling breakthrough!

-Insert evil little smile here-

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Dear Today Show Producers:

I’d like to thank you for your lovely show. It keeps me entertained in the mornings after my kid has gone off to school and that 3rd cup of coffee is struggling to take effect. I enjoy that you try to impart important life lessons and tips for better living without coming off too preachy. I am also grateful for the friendly banter between your hosts to lighten up the mood between the inevitably sad, tense, or disturbing breaking news stories. I’d also like to throw in a thank you, on behalf of the female fan base out there, for hiring Matt Lauer.

But I’d also like to say, after watching the show this morning, that I am getting some seriously mixed messages over here. For example, I put off showering an extra hour because I was waiting for your tips to get rid of my “spare tire”. I’ve recently had my third child, and you know, that area could use some major help. And, the segment delivered the goods. I felt motivated to go make a bowl of oatmeal instead of cramming down the half eaten rice krispie treat my kid left behind. I learned better workout moves to tone my obliques that I may actually be able to accomplish while cooing at my 6 month old so she doesn’t scream through my entire workout. Bravo for encouraging us to be healthier! So why is it, please tell me, that what stuck with me most was the segment featuring yummy homemade apple pies? And why, I would also like to know, did I spend my day, instead of finishing the sock I am working on for my sister (so close!):

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Why did I instead spend my time making THIS:

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A yummy homemade apple pie? Loaded with sugar and butter? Which I will surely eat for breakfast tomorrow morning while you tell me (probably) how to cut back on the sweets and lose the weight fast???????

Bob the Pimple

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Why did I think that at age 31 I would no longer have to deal with pimples? Where did I first hear that acne was the exclusive domain of teenagers? Because I have to say, some days my skin is just as bad as it was when I was 15. And I know they call it “adult acne”, but it didn’t magically appear after I reached adulthood. The acne I developed as a teen just never went away. Oh sure, it got a lot better, and the mystical concoction of potions and unguents I apply to my misbehaved skin does a pretty darn good job of keeping breakouts at bay and covering the occasional whitehead. But there are days. Frustrating days. Days like today, when there’s a monstrous cyst – like abomination on my face that I can actually feel pulsing, like it has its own personality or something. And it’s one of those that will probably hang around for awhile, so I may as well make friends with it.

I think I’ll call it Bob.

Another Night, Another Visit to the E.R.

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I swear it’s a concerted effort on the part of my children to use up all my money.  I wonder if our doctor has considered any renovations or upgrades, because clearly my kids would like to pay for them.

Neve accidentally slammed Emily’s finger in the shower door last night.  It was bloody, the nail came clean off, and according to the lovely folks at the ER, the bone is fractured.  Now I know both girls claimed it was accidental, but she must’ve really slammed it.

At this rate I’m thinking I may consider keeping them padded with bubble wrap at all times.

Houston We Have a Problem

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Ummmm…….anyone else ever experience this? There I was, diligently knitting away, getting ready to turn the heal on a sock, when “snap”, the needle broke. Now, I don’t have a particularly tight knitting grip, and this is sock yarn, not “big and chunky” wool. AND, I might add, this is the first time I’ve used this particular set of needles.

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Need a better look?

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I only ever use Crystal Palace or Lantern Moon wooden needles. This particular broken needle was a different brand, which shall remain nameless, and which I shall never ever buy again.

Unfortunately, and unbelievably, I didn’t have another set of size 2 dpn’s, so I had to make a trip to the LYS and get more. Despite the setback, I still managed to turn the heel this evening. If it weren’t for that wine I had after dinner, I might actually have finished it. Oh well. Have a gratuitous cat shot.

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