One More Bedroom

We moved a few boxes today to the new apartment and started a checklist of things that need to be fixed (mostly cosmetic stuff.) Ella already scoped out her favorite swing at the playground in direct eye-site from my living room window and I found a nice place on the enclosed patio for my easel. I also walked around the wood floors in my bare feet and despite the AC being set at 78 and the 98 degree heat outside, the floor was nice and cool. Tomorrow the truck and the fellas from Dan's work arrive to do the big move.

I am not allowed to do much. When I stand too long or lift anything more than a gallon of milk, my belly tightens up and I have to lean over. Tomorrow I think I'll mostly be hanging out with the kid and the dog and packing up last minute things like tooth-brushes and the last few dishes, perhaps a little picture hanging (small pictures).

I'm excited, it seems every porch has tricycles and skateboards, the pool was full with kids yelling "watch this cannon ball!", one of the trees in the courtyard had a rope swing on it, my closet is almost as big as Dan's old office and there is clover mixed into the not overly landscaped grass. There will a giant pool party for the kids the weekend after school lets out and I'm looking forward to meeting some of the other parents and neighbors.

Go Read

If you haven't already read The Box Car Kid's Blog - One Family's Reflections on Being Part of the Great Recession, I suggest you go give it a look.

Panic at the Disco

Have you ever gotten up in the middle of the night to pee and found a giant black spider on the toilet, then just pushed it in with paper and flushed it, only to be paranoid about spiders on the seat every time you go for days and days after, diligently checking the seat each time, until one day you forget but almost give yourself a heart attack when you remember that you didn't check that last time just before you sat and felt something brush lightly up against you and then you almost peed on yourself trying to see what it was only to discover it was your own long dark strand of hair floating to the floor? Me neither, that never happens to me... very often.

33, 30, 18

I'm on week 33, I've gained about 30 pounds and I don't own any clothes that are comfortable any more. I have maternity things in the sizes I need, I just have an aversion to clothes, so I've taken to wearing togas around the house and just not going anywhere. This is also conducive to the 18 hours of sleep I need in a day. Everyone is healthy and good. I'd tell you more, but I really rather go lay down.

One Sick Kid

One sick kid: I want to watch Matilda again.

Me: No, If i'm gonna sit here with you, lets watch something new.

One sick kid: aaaauaauuu

Me: I know... Hairspray

One sick kid: I don't like it.

Me: Why not?

One sick kid: I don't like things that are sprayish.

-We are watching Little Shop of Horrors

Hard Explanations

There are times when one has to explain things to a child that are difficult. Sometimes it's because I haven't pinned down my own beliefs on the subject like when asked about God and Angels and Ghosts. Sometimes it's because I'm trying to determine on the spot how much information is appropriate like explaining when it's ok to kiss a boy and beyond. Sometimes it's just because it's hard to admit the world we live in isn't fair like when I have to explain the Arizona immigration laws to the kid after she's heard bits of a news story on NPR.

Let me tell you, that last one was the hardest of them all so far. I've practiced what to say in the other instances, discussed it with my husband other parents and even bought books to help me explain, but it is hard to explain bigotry to a kid when the question presented over and over is "Why?" or the heart breaking "Didn't they learn about Doctor King in Kindergarten?" I took a minute to think about it from different angles to see if there was a way to explain just the facts. I want her to form a fair opinion, one not too swayed by my personal beliefs and there is no way to explain what is happening in AZ to a six year old that doesn't involve the words "mean," "unfair," and "skin color." She's outraged and I am glad.

I hope next time the question is easier, like why do little kids get cancer, or something like that.

Image from Guanabee

17 Women Rocking the Classic Men's Wear

You've likely already read about high school senior, Ceara Sturgis, who was cut out of her yearbook because she wore a tuxedo (and happened to be gay) in her senior picture. I'm going to spare you the rant. I bet you can form your own. Instead I will give you, in addition to Ceara, sixteen more amazing women dressed in men's suits & tuxedos from this year.

Sarah Jessica Parker in the movie Sex and the City II

Houston Roller Derby's own Bayou City Bosses

and singer Janelle Monae in her video for Tightrope feat Big Boi

Double Check Your Head

I love love love this! http://www.doublecheckyourhead.com/ Go get some.

PS3 Review

A few weeks ago when we went to Comicpalooza, Dan made me sign up at the Gamespot booth to win things. The following Monday I got the call that I had won the grand prize, a Play Station 3. Since I don't really play video games I wanted to sell it, they rest of my family gasped in horror. They've wanted one for some time but we just couldn't justify the expenditure. It came with some games and lots of stuff that said PS3 on it, t-shirts and pens and bags and things. It's a really nice prize. We kept it.

I was surprised at the amount of games available for children. So far we've found 3. Yes, only three; The Lego games, Little Big Planet, and Flower. This morning Dan downloaded Flower for Ella and it's a floaty game, where you fly around the countryside like in a dream and your whirlwind picks up flower pedals as you go. The music is ambient and intensely relaxing and there is no antagonist. I like it, the kid likes it and even Dan said it's really relaxing to play. So the final verdict is PS3 should make more kid's games, they're missing a giant market, I'd drop money like crazy on educational games. And to the makers of Flower - great job, more please.