Still Playing Scarecrow Here (No Brain)

1. So that cold I was beginning to get last Friday knocked me silly for most of the week and only this morning am I starting to feel like my head is attached in the right place. I skipped church Sunday morning and Sunday night (although I did go see The Vow with my HS small group Sunday afternoon) and took every opportunity to take a nap. I skipped MOPS on Tuesday, Bible study on Wednesday and slept in yesterday (since Marshall took the day off of work and was able to, mostly, get Alex ready for school--I helped a little). I did all of these things because...

2. At 5:30 tonight I'm leaving to spend the weekend with the Hope Church High School group. We are going to Refreshing Mountain Camp in Stevens, PA, and because the winter is so mild, I'm trying to decide if I need to bring my snow boots at all. I consider this one of my favorite vacations of the year because I leave all my problems and responsibilities at home and enjoy spending time with the students without worrying about getting home to my kids because I don't have to come home until Sunday afternoon!

3. So I watched a couple of movies this week. Last Friday night I watched Drive and wished I had re-read Christianity Today's review of it before deciding to watch this movie that was on so many people's top ten lists for 2011. Yes, Ryan Gosling is very good, but the film has a corpse count of 10 bodies. I think I would have passed had I known that ahead of time. I also watched The Thin Red Line one evening this week and was mostly puzzled by it; Roger Ebert's review says it best here. And then, Sunday afternoon, I saw The Vow with my HS small group and liked it better than I expected to. I think most reviewers were a bit harsh; the leads were very appealing.

4. Lent started on Wednesday and I am going to try to honor it this year by giving up anxiety, as suggested by my blogging friend, Anne Kennedy, who blogs at An Undercurrent of Hostility. Of course, I had a pretty panic-filled week, what with running my car over a curb last Thursday night on my way to Alex's school (in the dark and in the rain) and damaging the frame of my car. And then there was the dentist appt. Miranda was supposed to have Wednesday morning with our family dentist that I then cancelled and rescheduled for both children next Wednesday at a specialty dentist who can cope better with their autism so I don't have to give tranqs to everyone before we walk in the door. However, on a happier note, Simcha Fisher has a great post about it today. Read it here and have a good laugh.

5. As I mentioned above, Marshall took yesterday off of work, which meant he could come with me to meet with both Miranda's teacher and case manager, and then Alex's. Miranda is starting the re-evaluation process in the school district so we can give her a formal classification in the school system (pre-K students are simply labeled "pre-school disabled") and they can decide where she would best fit in a kindergarten class. Alex also just finished a re-evaluation process with his therapists and his case manager is so pleased with his progress, especially since the start of this school year, that she was practically glowing. Marshall and I came out of the meetings so incredibly grateful that we work with, seemingly, the best special education staff on the planet and that God has blessed us so richly as to work with people who care deeply for our children and have their best interests at heart. Give thanks with us; God is good.

6. Leaving Marshall at home with the kids this weekend isn't as fraught as usual since my parents are here to help and Aunt Katie and Uncle Thom arrive tomorrow for another visit (Yay!) but I still want to have the laundry done and the house mostly picked up before I leave. Typical Sarah.

7. Still playing lots of Words with Friends. I have 19 games currently running. And I found a new online Mahjong game to play in between moves. Going away without my laptop or iPod this weekend is going to feel a little like going cold turkey.

Jen is back! Read her blog here.

Man, I Miss My Brain

1. I am currently experiencing what my mother-in-law calls and out of body experience: my head feels like it's floating somewhere above my body. Yesterday, I started having a scratchy throat and today I may have a cold trying to settle into my head. So I am drinking mandarin orange green tea (the only flavor of green tea I can stomach) and as soon as Miranda goes to school, I'm going back to bed. I haven't been sick for months and, well, no one can stay completely healthy indefinitely.

2. Yesterday, I started the day by taking Alex to the dentist which was an expectedly unpleasant experience for both of us. The bad news is, he has a cavity so we've been referred to a specialist who can knock him out to proceed with dental work. Ugh. This is just one of those times when living with autism sucks. Miranda's turn is next week. And, yes, there will be Valium for everyone beforehand, as prescribed by our family doctor. He's really wonderful about that.

3. My mother returned safely from California on Monday and it is really wonderful to have her back. My father returned from Madison last night after a week away so we will be all together again tomorrow to celebrate the birthday of a good friend.

4. Alex's 100th day of school vest turned out pretty good, mostly thanks to my husband for cutting it out and my mother for recommending that I go out and buy lots of stickers.

He cut out Angry Birds pictures and glued them on, then we added Toy Story, Dr. Seuss and Cars stickers, all the while advertising for Trader Joe's. We don't have many plain paper bags around here; they get almost instantly recycled.

5. Valentines Day came and went happily. Both children took their piles of cards to school, 39 for Alex and 27 for Miranda, and came home with even larger piles. One of my Bible study friends suggested Wednesday morning that we try to get all the other parents at school, instead of sending home candy or pencils or stickers, to spend that money on something worthwhile, like this. I'm with her; most of the candy that came into the house went straight into the trash. The pencils are useful as long as we can hide them from Alex (he likes to chew the erasers and generally ruins the whole thing). And I am not a big fan of stickers unless used for a specific project, like Alex's vest pictured above. Maybe next year....

6. Wednesday was a grumpy day for me, so I spent my time laughing hysterically (to such an extent Marshall refused to be in the same room as me) on this site, which was new to me. The content is usually foul and profane and very, very funny.

7. Sunday afternoon my HS small group is meeting to go see The Vow and then go for frozen yogurt. Not my movie of choice, but it should be fun to see it with a gaggle of girls. At least, Channing Tatum is nice to look at.

And here's Hallie. Jen is back next week!

Clean It Up!

1. I have looked everywhere for someone who posted the Laurie Berkner video for "Clean it Up" and can find it nowhere. It was originally on her Buzz, Buzz music album and then in an episode of Jack's Big Music Show, "King of Swing." Anyway, it has been the theme of my life this week. 2 weeks of sloth must eventually lead to a week of frantic activity.

If you are unfamiliar with Laurie, I am so sorry. You have missed out on the best pre-school music available, ever. Go buy some, now. Actually, I just checked her website to see that she has a new cd and dvd available. Guess what my kids are getting for Valentine's Day?! Guess who's going to love it more than them = me.

2. Back to the cleaning: in between all of the Words with Friends games I've been playing, my twice weekly PT appointments, MOPS, Bible study, Youth Group and all of my regular chores, I have actually been cleaning up the massive mess in the house we've managed to make, with assistance from husband and children. And the lady who cleans my house came yesterday, so we can see the floors again. I still have Miranda's toy bins to sort, piles of clean laundry to put away, but the view from here is much better than it was last Saturday. My ankle felt better this week, which allowed for extra activity.

3. I have gone a little overboard on Valentines this year. Maybe it's because Alex had 40 to do for his classes and Miranda did about 30 for hers, or that my Hallmark software makes card-making so darn easy and fun, or that my husband isn't supervising how quickly I use up our postage supplies, or making cards for other people makes me happy, or for them all together. I sent a lot of cards this year (the last go in the mailbox today) and it was fun!

4. It has been a strange winter here, but in a good way. We had a light dusting of show yesterday, just enough to look pretty with nothing sticking to the roads and all melted by afternoon. That's how I like my snow. I have a feeling we'll be going to Longwood Gardens earlier this year for the customary spring viewing of the tulips. Here are my crocuses from yesterday:

5. Monday is the 100th day of school for Alex so his teacher has sent home a pattern for making a vest out of a brown paper grocery sack for wearing on Monday, with 100 of something stuck to it. A fun project for me, to be sure. I expect Alex will help but that I will do most of the work. I hate school projects like this.

6. I picked up Smiley's People by John le Carre and Theories of International Politics and Zombies by Daniel Drezner at the library yesterday, so it should give me an interesting weekend's worth of reading. I am still anxiously awaiting the publication of Fair Game by Patricia Briggs and The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan. Amazon pre-order, I love you.

7. Marshall picked up a couple new-used laptops for us since the ones he and I have been using were slowly failing and so this week I've been trying to transfer my stuff. Strangely enough, I don't have a lot of documents anymore that aren't already in the cloud. Too weird.

And here's Hallie. (Remember, Jen's taking a break to finish her book!)

Right Now--At This Very Moment--Everything is Fine

1. The sun is shining and it should be at least 45 degrees today. Alex is at school for a half-day (teacher inservice) which of course means that Miranda has no school today but she's happily playing in the bath tub after a little tussle this morning about picking up her Legos. It only took her half an hour to decide to pick them up. After Alex gets home, I have promised them both a trip to Chick Fil'A so they can play while Mommy writes post cards. They should be tired and happy by night-fall.

2. Yesterday, Miranda left her toy horse Rodi (who she decided is a girl so she had to use her markers to give Rodi eyelashes) with Puppet on his head at the door to wait for her to get home from school. It was so cute, I have recreated the moment just for you:

She is a darling girl, that Miranda, when we aren't so frustrated with her behavior that we are considering gnawing our own legs off.

3. Earlier in the week, Alex and Miranda were fighting over who could use the laptop they officially share, so Miranda was allowed to use mine. (Alex has been known to peel keys off of keyboards in a moment of boredom.) When I came back to find her later, she'd decided she was cold and so put on her Daddy's fleece, which was handy, creating yet another picture so cute I had to share it:

And, yes, that is what the dining room table has looked like all week. On the rare occasions we actually sit down at the table to eat, we just shove the stuff to one end, or pile it on the black dresser nearby, which looks worse.

4. Since I'm in a picture sharing mood, here are my darlings in that little bit of snow we had 2 weeks ago:

Since Lands End was having their end of season sale, I ordered new snow gloves for each of them, figuring (this was 2 weeks ago) that they would use them again this season. However, now that my hyacinths, daffodils and crocuses are trying to come up in the front flower bed, I'm hoping that was the end of our snow for the winter. The gloves are large enough that they will probably work for next year, although I will have to get new snow pants for Alex next year. Poor Miranda will have to settle for hand me downs again, which she finds annoying because Alex's color choices are never girly enough for her. Alex got brand new red snow boots for his birthday last October but Miranda was presented with his boots from last year which are a boring forest green instead of her preferred purple or pink. Poor baby.

5. I am still struggling to keep up with the housework. I calculated that the 6 hours that I'm spending in Physical Therapy and driving to and from Physical Therapy is the time I would usually spend cleaning the house. So, I look around me at the toys and papers and other flotsam of life in frustration but don't have the mental or physical energy to fix it. It is a bit discouraging. Ah, well, my cleaning lady will probably come next week and it will all be clean again. I just severely dislike the mess and my inability to get off the couch and start cleaning is even more annoying.

6. My mother is still having such a delightful time snuggling her grand-baby girl in California, and I must share this picture:

Talk about one happy lady. My father is on an airplane right at this moment to join them.

7. I read Tinker Tailor Solder Spy this week and have since requested Smiley's People from the library. I have also started reading One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. It seems happy and fluffy and should pass the time.

Jen is taking the rest of the month off, so Hallie Lord at Betty Beguiles is guest hosting 7 Quick Takes for the rest of the month.

Celestial Navigation

1. "Celestial Navigation" is the name of my favorite episode of The West Wing. It originally aired February 16, 2000, back when my life was kid-less and simpler, but a lot more boring.

I was reminded of it last night because of this: Go watch this video clip right now!

(I'm sorry; either I cannot figure out how to embed it, or it's blocked somehow. Have you finished watching the video yet? Do you know what's coming next?)

No, thankfully, I am not having an emergency root canal today, but Marshall is. And previous to this, the week had been so quiet and peaceful. So I'm having a minor freak-out this morning.

2. I called my mother-in-law earlier, she of CMA designation, so that she could reassure me that Marshall can indeed transport himself to and from his appointment and doesn't need one of us to go with him and hold his hand on the way home. You see, I have a lunch date with a dear friend and didn't want to miss it but was afraid to be selfish. Being a stay at home mom, I am accustomed to my plans being hijacked by the needs of others. Well, perhaps hijacked isn't a fair term. My job is to keep everyone moving forward, juggling household tasks and to be available for care when anyone is ill. In the last few months, though, it feels like there's been a lot of hijacking. But I'm sure that's all just in my head.

3. So my lunch date today is with a friend from church. We are in a Bible study together on Wednesday mornings and we decided to turn our lunch date into a homework date so we can get our workbook stuff done in time for Bible study next week. We figure if we sit there together at the tables in the Moorestown Mall food court, we'll have a nice chat and get good stuff done. The new study our group is starting is Always True: God's 5 Promises When Life is Hard by James MacDonald. We watched the opening video on Wednesday and it seems like it will be a good study.

4. Physical Therapy continues to go well. I enjoy the office staff and get a good work out twice a week. But I'm working so hard there, it essentially wipes me out of energy for the rest of the day. But I am healing, however slowly.

5. My mother flew off to her California vacation on Monday (she gets to meet her 2 week old grand-baby girl tomorrow!) so on Tuesday, my father and I went to the movies after Miranda left for school. I wanted him to see Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol before it leaves the theatres. Although it was my second time for the movie, I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. Go Brad Bird!

6. If you missed it on Wednesday, my movie update is here.

7. I can't remember what else I did this week. Lots of laundry. Wrote some postcards. Lots of time playing Words with Friends on Facebook while sitting with my leg up. Watched a little television. I'm not sure I'm going to stick with Alcatraz or The Finder. The former has an extreme body count and, true to a JJ Abrams-produced series, we are in the same position as the protagonist in not knowing who we can trust amongst all the other players. The latter has some morality issues (inconsistent consequences for bad actions) that I am uncomfortable with, although not, perhaps, when compared to The Fixer or Strike Back! Somehow, I have different standards for UK TV. Silly me.

And here's Jen.

That Promised Movie Update

I think you can see by the poster posted above what movie I am most looking forward to in 2012. (Oh, Joss Whedon, you're my hero!) But first, let's finish our review of 2011 films.

2011 Movies

January 14
Green Hornet (I actually tried to watch this on DVD, but it was so horrible, I turned it off. I made the horrific mistake of watching the original series in its entirety first, which is decent if a little campy. Like The Avengers movie made years ago, this film seems to miss the point entirely. Ugh.)
April 1
Source Code (Marshall and I were able to go out and see this while my parents were here in April--free babysitting!--and we really liked it. Not as amazing as Moon, but still very good.)
April 29
Fast Five (So much fun! Ridiculous fun, even Rotten Tomatoes gave it an excellent rating. However, you should still listen to the people at How Did This Get Made make fun of it here.)
May 6
Thor (I enjoyed it, but mostly for the actors themselves, especially Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, and, of course, Idris Elba. I did not like Natalie Portman as Jane. I have watched all of Wallander and while he is one of the main characters, Hiddleston didn't seem like anything special in it. But in this, he was fascinating. And, after seeing Cappy and the preview for Avengers, I want to see Thor again, eventually)
June 3
X-Men: First Class (I enjoyed this, mostly because of Michael Fassbender.)
June 10
Super 8 (We were supposed to see this to celebrate Marshall's birthday, but we both got sick. Waiting for DVD.)
June 17
Green Lantern (I went to see it the weekend Harry opened. While I did like it, I think this review clearly lays out all of the film's problems.)
June 24
Cars 2 (So we bought the DVD last week when it was first available and so far, only Miranda has been able to sit through the whole thing. I have seen parts of the middle and the very end several times, but never all the way through. Which just means that, somehow, regardless of how enthralling he was in the first movie, Mater just doesn't work as a primary character for an entire movie.)
July 1
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (I saw it opening weekend and while I liked it, the movie was too long!)
July 15
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (We saw it while in San Diego on vacation and it was awesome and I did cry when Harry saw his parents in the woods and cheered for Neville, because he was awesome! I also liked several parts where the film departed from the novel, like when Harry confronted Snape in the Hogwarts main hall.)
July 20
Another Earth (This just looks interesting, but it might be on my "too sad to see" list. Since my home life with special needs children is rather involving, I rarely watch serious or sad movies. I just don't have the emotional energy to spare.)
July 22
Captain America: The First Avenger (It was a fun movie and Chris Evans was awesome, as I knew he would be after seeing him in The Losers and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. But the movie was too short; I wanted more and didn't want to wait until next summer.)
July 29
Cowboys & Aliens (James Bond and Indiana Jones on horseback, fighting aliens-what's not to like? It wasn't the best movie of the summer, but I enjoyed it.)
August 26
Colombiana (Finally caught it on video a few weeks ago. While I continue to like Zoe Saldana, I should really stay away from Luc Besson-produced movies that are all about revenge and never about forgiveness or redemption. I disliked Taken for exactly the same reasons.)
August 31
The Debt (I would like to see this, but it probably falls under the "too sad to see" label, as well.)
September 16
Drive (I would still like to see this.)
September 23
Moneyball (Loved it! Then went and watched the whole Ken Burns Baseball series.)
Abduction (The reviews were pretty terrible; maybe I'll catch it next year on video.)
Killer Elite (I caught this recently and while I liked it because I like watching Jason Statham and Clive Owen, the story line was very uneven as the action went from Europe to Australia to Oman and back to Europe and then Oman and then Europe, and on and on and on. At some point, you just want the story to be over)
October 7
Real Steel (I am still hoping to see this, but would rather see Jackman in person on Broadway.)
The Ides of March (Occasionally, I do watch a serious movie, although I've yet to see Michael Clayton, even though I've heard it's excellent. This also got good reviews.)
October 21
The Three Musketeers (The reviews were extra horrible, but the steam-punk twist still looks interesting.)
October 28
Anonymous (As a fan of Shakespeare--although I turned off Shakespeare in Love after half an hour because I couldn't stand it--I might see this eventually. The reviews made it sound interesting.)
November 11
Immortals (It was visually sumptuous, the costumes breathtaking, even the violence super-stylized, but the plot had a few holes. Still, very pretty.)
November 23
The Muppets (Are there any bad Muppet movies? Actually, I haven't seen them all. The Great Muppet Caper is still my favorite, though. I may have to see this on video; we had a very busy December recuperating from our various injuries.)
Hugo (This has been on so many people's Top 10 movies of the 2011 that I would really like to see it, eventually.)
December 16
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (the first one was fun, so perhaps this one will be, as well, though not as good as Sherlock.)
December 21
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (directed by Brad Bird and I've seen it twice in the theatre. Awesome movie! Go Brad!)
December 23
The Adventures of Tintin (directed by Steven Spielberg and based on famous comics that I've never read, but it got good reviews. I may still try to see it before it disappears from theatres.)

Now we can finally move on to

2012 Movies

January 20
Haywire (if only to see Michael Fassbender get his butt kicked by a girl; also, the reviews are good.)
Underworld: Awakening (even though the first one was only mildly entertaining and the second one was so problematic I had to refer to Wikipedia's plot summary to figure out what was happening while I was watching the film on cable, Kate Beckinsale is a lot of fun to watch run around in black leather with double pistols)
Coriolanus (still only in limited release; I have already been looking forward to this for months, but then I'm a sucker for Shakespeare anything)
February 10
Safe House (because Ryan Reynolds is just so appealing and I like cotton candy action movies)
March 9
John Carter (of Mars. Here's hoping Andrew Stanton has as much success as Brad Bird in the live action film world.)
March 30
Wrath of the Titans (even though it seems to have stolen most of its plot from the Percy Jackson novels, it still looks like cool eye candy)
April 20
Lock Out (awesome trailer; hope the movie is as good)
April 27
Safe (I will probably wait until video, but I'm developing quite a taste for Jason Statham)
May 4
The Avengers (So excited! I'm not watching the trailer every week, like I did with Star Trek, but I still expect it to be my favorite movie of the summer and worth at least one return trip to the theatre.)
May 18
Battleship (I am curious; if the reviews are bad, I'll just go see The Avengers again.)
May 25
Men in Black III - (MIB is my  mother-in-law's favorite movie so she might want to see this, too.)
June 1
Snow White & the Huntsman (I was doubtful until I saw the trailer, which makes this look much more interesting than its competitor, Mirror, Mirror.)
June 9
Prometheus (this is the movie Marshall is most looking forward to in the summer of 2012; with a cast that includes Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba and Logan Marshall-Green and directed by Ridley Scott, it would be hard for this to fail. Possible, but unlikely.)
June 22
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (I'm curious; I'll wait and see what the reviews say.)
Brave (Pixar's new film that we don't know much about yet.)
June 29
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (looks like so much fun! I was one of the few who enjoyed the first film.)
July 6
The Amazing Spider-Man (this picture has transfixed me for months.)
July 20
The Dark Knight Rises (Can Christopher Nolan really finish his trilogy well? Is the Pope Catholic?)
August 3
The Bourne Legacy (Basically, I'll watch Jeremy Renner in just about anything.)
Total Recall (maybe; I like Colin Farrell and am not fond of Paul Verhoeven so I might find this version an improvement, maybe.)
August 17
The Expendables 2 (the first one was amusing; I will probably will see this on video.)
September 14
Argo (sounds interesting, although I have yet to watch any of Affleck's director projects)
September 21
Dredd (Karl Urban is a good actor and I've read enough about the project on Wikipedia to read the reviews and think about seeing it.)
September 28
Looper (comparisons to Moon can only be good.)
November 9
Skyfall (new James Bond; end of story.)
December 7
Les Miserables (love the musical so am curious about the film)
December 14
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (do I have to make any explanation about why I want to see this movie?)

Unannounced Date
Much Ado About Nothing (directed by Joss Whedon, cast includes innumerable old favorites--what's not to like?)

And that's my list, so far.

Strange Week

I am having difficulties getting my mind around everything that happened this week so I think the easiest way to parse it is to go day by day.

1. Friday (last week, duh) - Marshall and I received many generous gifts for Christmas, much in the way of cash, so we indulged in an evening out that included dinner and a movie. One of our favorite babysitters was available (before she went back to college this week) so she came by and we whisked away to the fine dining establishment of Applebee's (ha!) and then to see Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, which was awesome! It is rare for me to want to see a movie more than once in the theatre, but this is now on my list. Go Brad Bird! And Jeremy Renner was even better than advertised. I really must see him in The Town now. If you were foolish enough to skip watching The Unusuals in the spring of 2009 (which, since it was canceled so unceremoniously, you probably did) you should try to find it on DVD. Renner absolutely steals the show and made me a life-long fan.

2. Saturday - I started the day with a date with my father to see Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and then a nice lunch out, just the two of us. Now, if you haven't read the book (I'm in line currently to check it out of the library) or seen the Alec Guinness series from 1979, you have no hope of understanding this film, so don't bother. Since I recently watched the original series, I followed the action just fine and enjoyed the film. All the critics are right: Gary Oldman is amazing. I heard part of his interview on Fresh Air on Friday which only deepened my interest in the film.

Then I came home for an hour or two, welcomed a different but also wonderful babysitter into the house and then Marshall and I went off to my parents' house for a lovely dinner party with friends from church. It was delightful, both the company and the food.

3. Sunday was the usual morning church service and then home in the afternoon, where I planned and rested up for Youth Group in the evening. I showed my small group clips from a modern version of Pride & Prejudice that came out in 2003 and I caught on Showtime during one of those free pay cable months. It gave us a great jumping off point to talk about why women love romance stories and how women are wired for love. It led to a lively discusssion, but a good one.

While I was lying around Sunday afternoon, I finished The Ultimate Book of Gangster Movies. I was originally intrigued by the book after listening to the interview on Radio Times but didn't feel tremendously enlightened after reading it. I guess I wanted to discover why gangster movies are so popular and while I have a better technical understanding of why, it doesn't make me a fan of them. I have seen The Godfather movies and Pulp Fiction (a movie which I particularly despise) but didn't find the process of watching those films to be life-changing. In fact, I prefer Infernal Affairs to The Departed, which, apparently is unusual for a gringa but places me within a wide-ranging disagreement in the film fan world. In fact, the only movie I want to see after reading the book is The Killer, an early film by John Woo, a director of which I am already a fan. Still, it is an interesting book for film fans and written in a very conversational style. And you don't have to read it cover to cover like I did but only read about the movies in which you are curious.

4. Monday - My darling husband played "Fun Dad" on Monday and took the children off to the Delaware Museum of Natural History to meet their cousins there and see the dinosaur bones together. One of the great things about the DelMNH is that they have a reciprocal agreement with other museums, like the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, which has a visiting Giant Mysterious Dinosaur exhibit at the moment, which I also heard about on Radio Times, that I think my children will enjoy.

So, on my day off (essentially), I went to PT and then met a friend for lunch at Panera's. I came home about 3 o'clock feeling refreshed and ready to see my children again, after taking most of the weekend off from parenting duties. And even though Marshall was at church for a meeting during the evening, the children were happy and calm and went to bed almost painlessly. It made Tuesday morning rather shocking to our systems, though.

5. Tuesday - We did not start the day well. I woke up with a seriously aching ankle (too much driving and running around Monday afternoon) and so wasn't in the best mood to motivate Alex to get ready for his 8:45 am bus and then push Miranda into the car to drag her off to MOPS with me. After MOPS, I dropped Miranda off at school and came home to spend all afternoon on the couch with my foot up, catching up on all the paperwork-type things (postcards for small group, attendance records for YM, etc.) I usually did on Monday mornings. I worked for about 4 hours straight, with a few breaks for Words with Friends games, of course. I got a lot done but I haven't lost the feeling that losing Monday (taking the day off, essentially) has made me feel like I'm behind in everything for the rest of the week.

6.. Wednesday - My women's Bible study group started up again and it was a joy to reconnect with all of my friends and get excited about the new study. Miranda had a good time with her friends in the "baby class" (which is what she calls the nursery), did some laps around the sanctuary, and was dropped off at school again. My mother came with me and was kind enough to drive us, to spare my still-healing ankle.

7. Thursday - My mother leaves for California on Monday to visit family and go spend a couple of weeks cuddling her new grand-daughter. And, given how darling and beautiful my new neice is, can you blame her?

So yesterday my mother and I had a nice lunch at TGIFriday's and then did a shopping blitz from Wegman's to GNC, Petsmart, Joann's Fabrics and Costco.

On the technological front, Marshall has been working on our new DVR/server to get it ready for another visit by a Comcast technician tomorrow morning in the hopes that we can finally say good-bye to Vonage and Directv. I love upgrades; really. Even when they go like this.


And here's Jen.