Oh, yes, and I forgot to mention... (Sat 27 Oct 2007)

I got pulled over. Less than an hour into our 13-hour jaunt home on Tuesday (though that did include a two-hour stop to see the previously mentioned Mom friend). Late morning, sun glaring into my eyes from the east as I attempted to shield my eyes and greet the state trooper.

"Where're ya headed this morning?" he asked.

"Nebraska," I responded, pointedly, hoping that the Nebraska license plates would help the situation.

"You were going well over 50 mph in a 35 zone," he informed me, explaining further that it dropped down to 25 at some particular street name I'd never heard of before.

"Oh, it was 35 there?" I played stupid. I knew full well that I'd been speeding. He asked to see my driver's license and ID from my passenger. Hmmm. I stayed as calm as possible, silently dreading the possibility of a ticket. I got a speeding ticket in, what, 2004 or so? Did a STOP class for that. Followed by a 'wreckless driving' ticket in 2005, which caused a spike in my insurance rate. Yeah, not something I wanted to go through again.

I got a warning.

"Make sure to be aware of your surroundings in an unfamilar place," the trooper advised.

Yeah, sure I will. Or something like that.

Saturday October 27, 2007 - 01:10pm (PST)

Comments
Breaking the law, breaking the law! Now I KNOW that nun get-up was a fake!--Amber
Tuesday November 6, 2007 - 03:41pm (PST)

C'était jolie, la.

Wherever we were...it was pretty. Not as cold as we had anticipated it may have been, either.

Most mortifying moment: When The Boy Who Lived's mom looked squarely at me, as I sat on the couch next to her son, and asked, "So, how serious is this relationship we have going on here?" (My eyes grew wide and I didn't respond). (!)

Randomness: Skittlejerky. Strangely satisfying...beef jerky + skittles, in the same mouthful.

Cool how: With little or no notice a troop of boys/young men about 18 strong organized a game of football. Entertaining to watch too.

Kids had fun: playing in the leaves. We have neither expansive lawnscape nor a rake to create this sort of Fall excitement at home.

Also noteworthy: We met another one of my Internet Mommy friends. Great fun. She was a sweetie and Mira had a blast with her son. Torrin had a blast with her older son's Game Boy. Unfortunately her older children were not home for him to play with but he had fun anyway.

Le Fromage (Sat 20 Oct 2007)

Alive in the Land of Cheese, that is we. Arrived via a Cheese through a Cake Factory which itself purports to be of cheese, drizzling cheese from each dish. America's Dairyland, it is now. And in between those two momentous locales was a vast expanse so desolate it could be referred to as the mold on the cheese. Still fuzzy and green, too, in mid-October.

I thought Voldemort died in the end. (Thu 18 Oct 2007)

Is the end near yet?

I don't know what to do. It seems like I can't win. Not that I want to win, per se. I'm looking more for a draw, where neither wins and neither loses. If I answer his questions, I'll be giving him information he doesn't need to know. If I remain quiet, he assumes the worst and badgers me from there. He doesn't care if Torrin and Mira are there; he's totally comfortable making statements like "Quit spreadin' your legs, Jacinda," and "Would he still spend time with you if you weren't spreading your legs for him?" in full listening range of a six-year-old (and a two-year-old, for that matter). When I won't answer his question ("So is he good, or is he trash?") he tries to get information from Torrin ("So, do you think your mom's new boyfriend is going to be a good dad for you and Mira?").

I told him to give me Mira, and he could leave. I told him I wasn't going to answer his questions. He wouldn't give her to me (of course) and I can't physically make him give her to me. But I'll be damned if I want him taking her if he's going to act like that.I wanted to call the police, but for what? Since he's her father, they can't take her from him. There's no formal custody arrangement, but I am her custodial parent. But even if there were an arrangement, I still don't think he could be prevented from taking her.

He damn well should be. What did he have to say of Mira during this particular exchange? "This is my illegitimate child." How dignifying. WTF. Can't even treat his own daughter with respect.

Thursday October 18, 2007 - 05:25pm (PST)

Comments
Ugh. That just sucks. You would think he could be at least a little dignified in the presence of your children. And at least a little respectful of their mother. As for the visitation... no, they probably couldn't physically take her away from him, at least during a visitation that you agreed to; but, likewise, in the future, if you deny visitation, he would have to go to court to get it because you are the custodial parent and you make the decisions at this point. Would he be that motivated? PS: Happy belated birthday, Mira!!!--julie
Saturday October 20, 2007 - 02:30pm (PST)


I'm calling you. This is bullshit and we need to talk. Fuck him. Don't let him even come over anymore-this is not only detrimental to you, but your children. You all deserve better. Who knows what he fills her head with when you're NOT there.--Flamenco dancer
Thursday October 25, 2007 - 12:51am (PST)

Tomorrow, I lose my baby... (Sun 14 Oct 2007)

Because she turns TWO and is totally and officially a toddler, beyond the realm of babyhood. We had her birthday party yesterday, it was a last-minute effort, postponed by half an hour a half an hour before it was supposed to start because I couldn't get everything together as planned. Mira didn't take a nap after lunch as she normally does, and that was the principle time period during which I had planned to get everything done. Then, I go to put in the last ingredient I needed to make her cupcakes, and realize there's only one egg in the refrigerator and I need three. Yeah. So. It happened, anyway, and the house didn't look nearly as bad as it should have. I'll post pics from her birthday party some other time; I haven't downloaded them from my camera yet.

BUT, in honor of her birthday tomorrow, I'd like to share this: it is her uncle wishing her happy birthday from Germany. Fast forward about 50 seconds into the clip, the first part is of little interest to an outsider. :)

Sunday October 14, 2007 - 07:59pm (PST)

Comments
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIRA! I know she probably does not know who I am, but let her know? Just name recognition at 2 would be pretty impressive!--Spanish señorita
Thursday October 25, 2007 - 01:28am (PST)

My daughter is insane. (Fri 12 Oct 2007)

Behold, above, the remnants of her handiwork. What, exactly, is that evidence of?

Observe, Exhibit A: Scribbled-Sharpie-Marker paper. This is what a practically-two-year-old is capable of getting ahold of and doing within the window of time in which it takes her mother to brush her teeth. Amazingly, she didn't scribble outside the boundaries of the paper even though she did manage to cover a decent amount of the paper expanse in that short time.

Next, witness Exhibit B: Cat food in a child's dish, much of it spilling out onto the coffee table. My daughter likes cat food. She likes it so much, in fact, that I have given up trying to stop her from eating it. She retrieves a bowl and spoon from the kitchen drawer that contains her utensils and such, marches off to the pantry where the cats' food is, and fill her bowl. Then, she proceeds to eat it with a spoon. Chews it. Swallows it. Smiles, then eats more.Whatever. She seems healthy, anyway...

Friday October 12, 2007 - 08:15pm (PST)

Comments

That's crazy.She should at least pour some milk over the top of it.--Josh
Friday October 12, 2007 - 08:37pm (PST)

First Fight

If you know what I'm talking about or are curious to learn, click here.
Monday October 8, 2007 - 09:58pm (PST)

Comments
I am both fascinated and disturbed by boxing. The thought of someone that I know being a boxer and getting beat up would be wierd to cheer for. --Amber the Great
Tuesday October 9, 2007 - 11:23am (PST)

I still have no idea what it was I was watching but indeed I did watch. Then it cut off at the final round. Like someone pulled the final chapter of pages out of the book!--M
Thursday October 11, 2007 - 09:39am (PST)

Sorry about that, I have no idea why it did that. I fixed the link though, at least, I thought. It should be full-length now. What you were watching was The Boy Who Lived (in yellow) at his first boxing match. He didn't win but he did well.
Friday October 12, 2007 - 07:57pm (PST)

Mourning the loss of Harry (Mon 08 Oct 2007)

Ever since I finished reading the last Harry Potter novel, I can't help but feel that there is something missing from life. There's no plotting ways to steal minutes from each day to read; no more guilty bets being made on who dies. I know everything, and it's unsatisfying. It's like there's nothing left to live for...my only hope is that the movies continue their burgeoning excellence. :)

Mira's First Mania (Sun 07 Oct 07)

Despite my angst-ridden feelings towards The Television and its evil-ness, particular relative to child viewers, my daughter has developed her first show-infatuation. No, we still don't watch (any) TV in our house, but I have always allowed movies, within reason. They don't contain those god-awful, child-seducing marketing ploys dished out in regular seven minute intervals (or whatever it is) in the form of commercials. That's my biggest bone with TV, the next biggest bone being the oversexualization of pretty much everything. Whenever I happen to catch a glimpse of television it is both mortifying and disgusting. But anyway.Mira loves Monsters Inc. We think she rather fancies that Boo is an animated version of herself. Morning, noon and night she wanders around the house, asking, "Mon-sink, peez. Mon-sink peez," at varying levels of whine. At any rate, there are much worse things she could have developed an affinity for, so I'm trying to embrace her Monsters Inc. love as a minor toddler attachment.

Sunday October 7, 2007 - 09:03pm (PST)

Comments
Oh at least she's got good taste in movies! That one rocks!!!--M
Monday October 8, 2007 - 08:09am (PST)

We rode in a Monsters, Inc. ride at Disney's California Adventure! We got to ride in little taxicabs all through Monster-ville (or whatever that monster town is) and look for Boo. It was awesome. At the end of the ride, Roz told me she liked my glasses!--Amber

Proud Mama Moment! (Tue 02 Oct 07)

Yesterday was yet another busy day, with the afternoon capped off by a conference with Torrin's teacher. Miss Powell, first grade. As a brief sidenote, just after the school year had begun, my aunt Joyce asked Torrin if there were any pretty girls in his class. He said no, but his teacher was pretty cute. Starting on that older woman trend a bit early! But anyway.

Torrin's been kinda pissy lately. I don't know if it's some kind of resentment towards the Boy Who Lived, frustration with his sister's constant pestering, a combination of the two or neither of the preceding factors. Soooooo, it was kind of nice to go to the conference with his teacher and hear about what a great kid he is. "He is by far the best reader in my class," she gushed, before correcting herself and adding diplomatically, "well there is one other little girl who is almost as advanced in reading as he is." Torrin and that little girl, Ashley, get to go to the library when the rest of the class is working on reading because their skill level significantly surpassesthat of what their class is doing. They can work on reading chapter books or get 'challenge' assignments.

Torrin is also part of a group that goes with the gifted math instructor twice per week. In kindergarten they went once weekly, so that's an increase. His academic achievement burgeons in comparison to behavior concerns. He's far from perfect, and he's got an attitude, some selective listening, plus a whiny voice to prove it. But getting a glowing school report sure helps in the face of a pouty, tantrum-throwing six-year-old.

Tuesday October 2, 2007 - 08:06pm (PST)

Comments

Heh. Torrin has the same shirt as me.--Josh
Tuesday October 2, 2007 - 09:14pm (PST)

Awesome! Do you throw temper tantrums too? :) --Jacinda
Wednesday October 3, 2007 - 06:36am (PST)