Oh-so-(and not so)-quiet January

January 2011. Never too late for a review of the month, right?

Well, I've covered the snow--and it really covered us! (Ba-dum-pum.) It was a snowy January but I'm okay with that. It's what January is supposed to do, after all; it's a quieter, colder, snowier month. This January just over-achieved a bit.

Sometime in January our dishwasher decided it didn't want to drain anymore. We dug out the dish drying rack from under the sink and have gone back to the old fashioned art of washing and drying by hand, at least until I manage to get someone to come and fix it.

But, truly, I'm in no hurry. (Or at least not yet.) We didn't have a dishwasher until 2000, when we bought our first home and--surprise, surprise!--it's much more fun now that there are three additional dish-doers. I love hearing their music and laughter and shenanigans while they do the clean-up as a raucous but effective team. Lately the girls have rediscovered this song and it's their dish-doing anthem. See?

Yes, Maddy is getting taller than Lauren and they feel, respectively, victorious and frustrated about it. This clip makes me laugh because it really captures them with the silliness, good nature, and little blips of scuffles. Yep, that's life with those two. And for the record, I adore 12-year-old boys who wash dishes, even if they don't like to be filmed.

We celebrated G's birthday with a very quiet fanfare: a family dinner, pie, presents.  He recently read Born to Run so one of the things he got was a pair of Vibram's Five Finger shoes so he could give "barefoot" running a try once the snow is gone.  At the end of the month, we went to the John and Abigail Adams Benefit Ball again this year at the Museum of Fine Arts thrown by the Massachusetts Bar Association. Basically, it's prom for lawyers. Lots of great people-watching and a nice excuse to dress up and pretend to be comfortable with social air kissing.

Lauren, as of February 1st, finished her last scholarship/college application and completed midyear exams at school, which means she is officially a second semester senior.  I think we're both relieved.  I can finally back off on the friendly/nagging mom reminders about due dates, essays, follow-through, etc. and she can finally relax and lounge more. One day after clashing a bit over what needed to be done for looming deadlines and...I don't know...maybe family cleaning assignments she said "okay, fine" but her true feelings behind her gritted teeth were revealed as she blared Cee-Lo's "Forget You" (don't worry, it really was that version) as I walked away. I had to laugh. So, yes, we are glad those deadlines are past.

Maddy's singlehandedly revived the art of letter writing among her circle of friends, sending and receiving real, paper-and-stamp letters. Remember when mail was a big deal? When you watched for the mail man? We're back to those days around here and I love it. Miss M's still taking the high school by storm and by the time she gets home, she's wiped out and usually cuddles up on the couch for a good nap before tackling home work and practicing. Sam, too.

Sam decided to try out for the middle school musical "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," his first try at the theatah. All during the auditions he'd come home and say "I really love this! it's so fun to be on stage." He ended up getting called back three times for Charlie Brown and was both relieved and disappointed when the role went to a seasoned 8th grader (but mostly relieved). So Sam's in the Peanuts gang as Roy, with a few speaking parts in every scene, and having a blast. Who knew? This month he also has attended a couple of bar mitzvahs, played basketball, trained to be a soccer ref, and recently announced that he really really wants to be rich when he grows up. So good luck with that, our own little budding Alex P. Keaton, since we're not really known for our financial savvy. Buy high, sell low, right?

Goodbye, August.

It has been a lovely, lazy August and I have managed, by and large, to avoid my end-of-summer blahs. Hooray! 

I have, however, been in complete denial that I am a doctoral student who will soon need to account for her productivity and time.  I really have only done minimal amounts of work in that area for the past...oh...four months. At this point I feel like a complete charlatan if anyone asks about how my program is going.  I am consoling myself with the knowledge that I have to percolate my thoughts before I produce anything but, let's be serious, four months isn't percolating. It's pickling.  I'll have to see what condition my thoughts are in next week when I tug them out of my brain brine.  Otherwise they're going to come and take away my student's license, I fear.

So what have we been doing?  The first half of the month we were in Utah, visiting family and friends (and I'm going to spend today posting some catch-up posts about that trip for the sake of family documentation). 

The rest of the month we've been homebodies. Maddy has decided to take up G on his offer to do his shirts each week for the equivalent $ amount that he pays the dry cleaner right now.  First she completed ironing bootcamp, doing practice shirts just to make sure she was up to the task.  One thing about that Maddy, her outfits are an integral part of any activity, so she dressed up in her "funky housewife" get up. Whatever gets the job done, I say.  

Lauren turned 17 in August. Yes, it's true.  Is it just me or does 17 seem many years older than 16? To celebrate, she decided to bring friends to a polo match (see below) and then to WaterFire in Providence.  She's prepping to take the ACTs, the SATs again, and driver's license test.  She adores her new computer. It seemed like a good idea at the time, since she has a heavy senior year load and will need one next year anyway, but she has to be nudged-persuaded-threatened to get off of it sometimes. (But then, don't we all?) She is researching the feasibility of starting a shaved ice shack in our town, which would make me very happy. I love a good, pink lemon sour/peach shaved ice combo.

 

Sam turned 12 this month. Suddenly his body has done that endearing tween boy thing where they widen before they lengthen. He has his first suit, a handsome + grey 3-button deal.  After being teased by several different people for looking like Justin Beiber, he is desperate to cut his hair before school starts to avoid that particular fate in the future. He's been reading up a storm, going on runs, doing various things with graph paper, and doing sporcle quizzes.

G is trying to catch up at work and church from the vacation.  He is astonishingly upbeat about his quite heavy load, between bishoping and lawyering and husbanding and fathering. His outside (and therapeutic) puttering has produced a nice, raised-bed garden that is shooting out the peppers and tomatoes faster than we can pick them (oh! the sweet cherry tomatoes! nature's candy, right?).

Speaking of candy, I'm on week three of no sugar, no dairy.  Why? Because I have a bad-boyfriend relationship with them both: I love them much, much more than they love me.  Years ago I did this for several months and felt (and looked?) the best I ever have.  A combination of headaches, stomachaches, and seeing my vacation photos (you know, the kind where you are wearing a bathing suit and "untag" yourself on Facebook?) have brought me back to it. Heaven help us all.

In a nutshell

(the one where I catch up with June)

1. Maddy was invited to the Taylor Swift/Justin Bieber concert (the last one on the tour) but then the mom couldn't go. So I took Maddy and friend. Oh, the decibels! But it was great fun.

(They wore fabulous red lipstick for the occasion, of course.)

2. We've been in sports watching frenzy mode all month long. Celtics (sob), World Cup games (I hear buzzing just thinking about it), Wimbledon (oh that cute Isner playing one set for 3 days). 

3. I hung some pictures in our house! It only took 3 years of indecision. And, even so, there will be changes, I'm sure. 

4. Maddy graduated from middle school (more to come on that) and attended the traditional 8th grade semi-formal. I'm impressed by what a good sport she is about finding a dress that is her spunky style and modest at the same time. 

 5. I have learned, again and again, how important exercise is for my mood/energy/life/brain. I am starting to consider it a daily vitamin.  Still loving my 4-mile loop. And, some mornings, playing tennis with Greg, Maddy, or Sam. 

6. I saw Toy Story 3 with Sam the day it opened. We cried. (See it!) 

7. Sam left on his very first scout camp this week. He's excited to sleep in a hammock every night, pass off his environmental science and swimming merit badges, and shower only when he wants to. We miss him but have been taking advantage of the girls-only days, I assure you.

15 minutes after this photo he got a haircut, by the way

8. Where's L this month? Good question! Sometimes we wonder that, too. Studying and taking finals (oh, those junior year pressures). Social life galore. Learning the guitar with her friend A. Scheming to fix up the attic in her room with paint and electricity (the previous owners dropped the ceiling and put in a drop down ladder, making her own private storage space). Getting ready for her next big adventure this summer, leaving in two days for...Tonga!  More about that soon. 

9. We were gifted with a visit from our dear friends of yore, the H family (aka the Sties) this weekend.  We were all thrilled to bask in their awesomeness for not one, not two, but three days (Maddy said "sometimes it feels like they're not just our friends, they're our cousins." True. Also, wishful thinking!)  Alas, I didn't take pictures so I'll have to wait until I can swipe some of theirs.  But it was good to get my Christie fix. I miss her. (And she left me with an awesome hostess gift, a vintage globe from a local antique shop that I have had my eye on for ages.  Seriously, she is that fantastic.)

10. We are off to Eclipse tonight. In a moment of weakness (despite knowing I am WAY too old to stay up that late) I agreed to take a car full of teens to the midnight show. I'd better go take a nap.

Marched

Whoops, did I say I was going to post monthly family photos and summaries of our doings?  Don't look too hard for February's entry.  But then again, that's February for you: Good intentions, dreary execution.

But here is today's March entry, with a photo taken in the two minutes before Sam ran out the door to piano lessons.  Louie came up to the camera to check things out (maybe bomb-sniffing dog potential? he can earn his retainer reimbursement money! [see below]) just as the shutter clicked.  Classic.  For the record, none of us liked this photo: Lauren didn't like her hair, Sam was goofy, my bangs never cooperate and I swear that double chin is no longer welcome here, Maddy is blurry, and G is nowhere to be seen.  Perfect, I say (except the G missing part). Real.

So what to say about us this month?

Sam got his braces off, then 6 days later Louie delighted in finding his retainer case and chomped it, snapping the retainer cleanly in half.  I think we now hold the record for fastest return to the orthodontist for a new retainer.  Go, W family pride!

I have not exercised once this month.  And I have quit eating sugar 6 times this month but the mini Cadbury eggs have gotten the better of me every single time. My house is too close to a neighborhood grocery store that stocks Cadbury for me to exercise self control.  And I don't walk there, I drive.  Still, I am inspired by all my marathon training, vegan eating friends out there. I'm living vicariously through them for now, but inspired.

After a long hiatus we have started reading a book out loud together when we can.  I just may have been inspired in part by this article about a dad and daughter who read aloud together every night until she left for college.  Fantastic.  So, what are your suggestions for read-alouds with kids (ages 11-16)? Over the years we've done Harry Potters, Under Sea Over Stone, Hunger Games, Little Women, King in the Window, The Wheel on the School, a bunch of EB Whites... How about you?

Speaking of good articles, do you use Delicious?  I have started bookmarking articles there that I find interesting and I'd love to know what you're reading, too. Drop me a comment or an email if you have a delicious account so I can check out your favorite articles, too.

Yesterday, we watched the old musical Carousel.  I had forgotten about all that talk of Billy beating and hitting Julie Jordan. Billy! It's not okay. Still, that scene at the end when he comes back to earth to make everything all right for his daughter...Sigh. I think it's ripe for a revival. I'm picturing Hugh Jackman as Billy Bigelow, maybe Katie Clark as Julie Jordan. 

Lauren took the SATs this month; I think she finds out tomorrow how she did.  I'm finding myself to be in complete denial about this whole college idea. Right now she's looking into USU, BYU, Westminster, Washington University in St. Louis (hey Christie!), and Emory. But it changes weekly. Trying to strike the balance of being supportive/interested without falling into the zone of over-controlling on one side and complete denial on the other is a challenge.

Maddy delights us with her jaunty zesty fashion sense.  She puts scarves and layers and sparkly shoes and leggings together like nobody's business.  

She's been dreading violin lessons lately and we had a long tearful talk in the parking lot for 15 minutes before she went in. Oh the pressure she puts on herself, that girl.  I basically gave her a license to fail gloriously, here's your license to mess up, Maddy.  To make mistakes and slop your way through something and not be the best.  Just be the one who has fun doing it. Don't worry about the recital and measuring up. Just flail your arms around and make music for you.  My two girls could give each other lessons: one has extra doses of laidbackness, the other has conscientiousness to spare. It's too bad they can't just ladle a little into the other's cup.

Finally, it has been brought to my attention that I do not post very many pictures of myself.  Here ya go, circa today, proof that I do indeed exist: 

                      beyond here there be thighs...

5 people x January

Taking a cue from Tara, I'm going to try to do a monthly round-up of what's going around in our house, complete with a family photo (except January, when it appears I didn't get the camera out at all so I'm borrowing a photo of the MFA instead) 

[edited to add: January is a month to convince yourself into enjoying things, don't you think?  So if this recap seems on the rosy side to you, you're right.  Be assured that there are many dismal and frustrating things I'm leaving out in order to spruce up the month a bit (or read some of them in my comment below).]

One highlight this month was attending the John and Abigail Adams Benefit Ball at the Museum of Fine Arts with G this past weekend. It was refreshing to get all fancied up and enjoy the art + music + food + people watching. It felt very Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler-ish to be drifting around the galleries after hours by ourselves.  I should have taken pictures (and didn't) but I did find a dress I loved (hence the mall trip in Sam's postcard below) and G looked very dashing.  I'm even getting better at cocktail party small talk and being brave about introducing myself to complete strangers.

In other news, I handed in my first qualifying paper, hosted the Young Women's New Beginnings last night, and am deliberating about my hair (again) and exercise regime (still) and house projects.

Lauren just finished midyears, a week-long exam week in her high school where they hold 3-hour exams in place of classes for a week, college style. Makes me glad I did high school the easier way, not the quasi-college way.

Also, she's taking an SAT prep class on Saturdays and is still fencing her heart out.  We hardly ever see her, really.

Lauren and I played a flute duet for stake conference + it was a pleasure to play together like that (I was so proud of her).  She has a robust social life and, recently, there's a certain favorite boy (and that's where the blogging boundaries end, I believe). 

Maddy keeps growing taller and taller, which has made her legs and ankles ache regularly.  

In typical Maddy style, she dives into many after school activities with gusto--model UN, student leaders, yearbook, helping a friend with stage design for the musical. She's transitioned to staying behind her closed bedroom door more often, texting, and littering her floor with clothes--full blown teenager but without much attitude (knock on wood).

I love that she wears an Audrey Hepburn pendant every day.

Sam went on a klondike derby campout with G (6 measly degrees! Brrr) and they were both great sports.  

Sam goes through wide piano swings, on one end of the spectrum flopping around and avoiding practicing and on the other end practicing up a storm and composing like crazy.  Guess when he likes his lessons more??  Yeah, it's a tough lesson to learn...over and over.  

He also plays basketball and still says "I love you" out loud when I drop him off at school in the mornings. It makes my morning and I consider each one a gift since I don't know how much longer it will last.

G had a great birthday this month--it's so nice to have something to celebrate in January. We surprised him by planning and booking a boys' ski trip to Utah this weekend for him and 7 high school friends who will be flying in from all over the country.  

G's also been coaching Maddy's basketball team, getting involved in some non-profits in Boston,  and working hard at his day job.

Also memorable: Blueberry pie for G's birthday from PetsiPies. The smell of snow in the morning. The taste of sixth grade spaghetti and the smell of sixth graders dancing. A few good fires in the fireplace. Watching the stars with Sam for his science project. Snow tubing at Nashoba. Mike's Pastries + italian food with Christin in the North End.