Category: family

  • alone

    The kids are at Aunt Suz’s again. So I’m home alone today. Thus, I’m about to shut all the windows so I can dance around naked to my favorite LPs (you know, the dusty Duran Duran, Police, and Huey Lewis records that rarely see the light of day)…

    In reality, I will probably polish off a scrumptious burrito from Taco Mesa and then lie around this afternoon in a post-burrito stupor as I contemplate the piles of books in the hallway that need a new shelf to call home.

    PS: You know you’ve been married a long time when you have an evening sans kids and neither your nor your spouse can think of much to do other than hanging out at Barnes & Noble for the evening and reading books about traveling to China.

    P.P.S: Yesterday we adopted out the rest of Aunt Suz’s foundling kitties. All night I was thinking of them and wondering if they were enjoying their new homes. Kittens are so magical! We had complete strangers lying on the floor of our LR baby-talking the little critters. So endearing. So sweet. So happy they have new people to love them as much as we have.

  • interest

    Today C got his first bank statement from his first bank account. He had earned one cent of interest.

    When I suggested that he should be thrilled to have just earned his first penny, this was his oh-so-wise response:

    “You know Mom, it’s really anti-climactic.”
    “Why?” I asked.
    “Well it’s just so miniscule…it’s just one penny.” He then shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the room.

    I guess that any 11 year-old who regularly uses words like “anti-climactic” and “miniscule” doesn’t need to fret about only earning small change on his first bank account…

  • hiking


    C & E on the top of Mt Rubidoux. Thanks to Aunt Susan, the fearless early-morning hike leader!

  • swim

    Reading this post today on dooce.com made me think of my own fears about the ways my kids would interpret my physical difference. In the last paragraph of her post, Heather talks about her daughter noticing the mole in the center of her forehead and how this mole–what Heather had perceived as a flaw–has become secret sign between her and her daughter.

    When I first realized I was pregnant I wondered how my children would perceive me–would they see a mother who was “less than whole?” Would the resent the fact that I wouldn’t be able to run and jump and play with them in the same way as other mothers do? Some days, when I wanted to teach them to skip rope, or to ride a bike, I agonized. I felt so awful that I couldn’t do such things.

    One day when my son was about 5 years old I asked him why he thought it was that we sometimes parked in handicapped parking spots–did he think think that someone in our family was disabled? He thought for a moment and then replied:

    “Well, Mom, I suppose it’s because you wear glasses.”

    After I giggled a bit at his response and questioned him further, I realized that he thought that all Moms had legs that could “come off,” that all Moms were amputees. Though it was only a little while later that he figured out that I was unique, neither he nor his sister have ever whined or complained about my limitations. Sometimes they even “mother” me–worrying if I”ve been walking too far or if my stump is irritated. When I get pressure sores, my daughter is often the first to comfort me.

    I feel so lucky to have such wonderful kids, and while I would love to be able to do all things “normally,” I suspect that because of some of my limitations, many interactions with my children are all that much more precious. For example, when we went swimming together on Saturday it was pure joy to race with them, to be able to swim fast, jump high, dive deep, etc. When we pulled ourselves out of the pool and I retrieved my crutches from a nearby beach chair, I think that I savored the thrill of swimming so much more because it was an unusual gift of freedom.

  • kidless

    Aunt Susan is entertaining the kids for the next day or so. They’ll be mountain climbing, trampoline jumping, quilting, and eating large amounts of sugar-laden foods. The kids knew there were in for a good time when barely an hour into the visit she broke open a big package of minty Newman-O’s (hoorah for _organic_ junk food!).

    I’m not sure what I’ll do with my time sans-kids. John has to work. I’m tempted to paint my bedroom. But I might just go shopping instead….

  • kitty


    kitty
    Originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    I’ve uploaded more of E’s summer art to flickr–just click on the cat picture above and it will take you to the pictures…

  • Guytoko fish


    Guytoko fish
    Originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    E’s a budding young artist. I’ll be posting her efforts from summer school on my flickr page over the next few days…

    Enjoy!

  • tree


    tree
    Originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    Just added some pictures from our family’s trip to Sequoia and Kings Canyon in May. Very fun. Perhaps the kids favorite part was the snowball fight with Chris. :)

  • page count


    IMG_3676
    Originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

    c-boy: page 188
    jana: page 62

  • Summer fun

    I’ve been getting around to all of those things I never get around to during the school year. Things like cleaning under the fridge, writing a letter to my Great Aunt Madge, and cleaning out the kids’ closets.

    So today I sorted through my cedar chest. It’s the chest that I inherited from my not-yet-dead grandma (she’s in an assisted living center now). I had admired it for many years and was thrilled when I got it from my uncles. The chest isn’t particularly fancy and it had some water damage across the bottom that my sister Susan repaired for my last year as a Christmas present (Thanks Suz!).

    In the chest I found many of the linens that I was given 13 years ago when I married John. Some of them I’ve never even taken out of their packages. So today I unwrapped some pretty linen pillowcases and put them on my bed. I also put the white-on-white quilt that I made during my engagement on the bed–it’s the first time in thirteen years that it’s seen the light of day. All in all I think my bed looked quite lovely–almost too pretty to sit on.

    What a fun way to spend a summer day :)