This is just about our lives - four cats, two kids, a musician and a preacher.


























 
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Elizabeth's musings
 
Monday, July 03, 2006  
My Lila turns 2 today!! That hardly seems possible, given that I just went into labor *yesterday*. Times just whizzes right by.

In some ways, Lila is my independent child. She always wants to do it herself. I can't count how many times a day I hear "No! Lila!!" She wants me close by, but I'm not allowed to help. Nathan was very different. He would stay happily with just about anyone, but he required constant attention. He would still prefer that I do everything for him. "No Mom, you do it!"

Take, for instance, buckling up in the van. Nathan's buckle is pretty easy to manage, but he wants me to do it. It's faster that way, leaves his hands free for toys, and leaves his mind unburdened by reality. Lila just wishes he would get on with it. So while I was getting the van loaded the other day, Lila buckled Nathan in!

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8:14 AM

(1) comments Thursday, May 11, 2006  
I have my hand back! After seven weeks in a plaster splint, my hand is finally free. My accident happened in a nonblogging time, so here's the story. I fell down the basement stairs. Headfirst. I can blame it on ice cream. Our upstairs freezer was broken, so I was on my way to the downstairs freezer with a mug in one hand and a spoon in the other. My sock got caught on a tiny nail at the top of the stairs - I fell down the entire flight and my fist slammed onto the tile floor.

I broke the fifth metacarpal bone in my left hand. Not good for a violist! I thought it was just badly bruised at first, and actually played four rehearsals with a broken bone. I couldn't play with my pinky, but I managed to get most of the notes with just three fingers. I was between insurance plans when I fell. I feel lucky that my hand healed well. I had a spiral fracture, and the bones could have buckled or overlapped.

My fingers are stiff and sore now. The splint was cumbersome and irritating, but my fingers were mostly numb from being in the same position for so long. Now that they are free, I'm having some pain again.

It's amazing how long fingernails can grow in two months! I never get to have long nails. I'm eager to get back to my viola, but as long as my fingers wont' bend enough to play I'll enjoy my long nails!

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8:35 PM

(0) comments Tuesday, May 09, 2006  
We finally sold our house today. It was on the market for a year! We're glad to be rid of the financial burden, but we still miss our house. Nathan kept suggesting that we just keep our house and stay in Florence. He did get to play with his buddy, Aaron, today. Which meant that I got to visit with my friend (and Aaron's Mom) Joan.

Today actually felt like a strange little blip in time. Standing in Joan's driveway, it felt like I had been there yesterday and the day before. Except that yesterday, Lila was 10 months old and happy to ride in the sling. Today she was chasing the boys and doing her best to keep up.
I wish that we could package Florence up and trade it for Shepherdsville! Everything is new and shiny there. But it doesn't have the culture or diversity that I love in Louisville. We could just transport Florence to the Louisville area, and we would have the best of both worlds.

I miss the Central Park playground and walking trail, the Scheben Branch of Boone Couny Library, the Barnes and Nobles on Mall Road that was just 5 minutes away, LaRosa's pizza, and teaching at the Slater Music Academy. But I mostly miss our old neighborhood. I never expected to like living in such a cookie-cutter subdivision. There were always kids around for Nathan to play with, people coming and going. I miss feeling like part of a neighborhood.

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10:19 PM

(0) comments Sunday, May 07, 2006  
Summer is coming! We have plans to start our homeschool once Nathan's home in the mornings. He'll go back to Montessori preschool in the fall, then we'll start our official homeschool for Kindergarten/First Grade when he is 6.

We started our first project this weekend. Randy tilled the ground so we can plant a butterfly garden. There is an amazing nursery down the road. We just looked tonight while Randy picked out his vegetable garden plants and seeds. We'll go back later this week to select our butterfly bush, verbena, and some other butterfly friendly flowers. Once they are in the ground, we'll order our caterpillars. Still trying to decide between Monarchs and Painted Ladies!

I found our Math curriculum! RightStart Math sounds like the program that I needed. It uses lots of manipulatives, including an abacus. Instead of using worksheets for review, RightStart has a series of games to reinforce concepts. The program's developer is a Montessori teacher and a Suzuki violin/piano teacher, as well as a mathematician.

We'll have our Five in a Row unit studies, Getty & Dubay handwriting, Pathways phonics, RightStart Math, and butterflies. That's probably more than enough!

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5:31 PM

(0) comments  
I still catch myself looking for Noire. During the last month of her life, I had to search for her in different places. We finally unpacked the box of books that she had slept on for almost a year. Her new places included the kitchen table, a cushion in an afternoon sun spot, under the kitchen table, and in the bathtub.

Noire usually kept her distance from the boy cats. They disturbed her peace. Every now and again, she would tolerate Diego sleeping near her. But Hobbes just offended her. Up until the last 8 - 10 months of her life, Noire would keep Hobbes in line with a swat on his rear. It was usually a sneak attack while he was eating.

I had wondered if the kitty boys would notice her passing. They have both needed more attention this week. Hobbes is always my velcro cat, and he has been even clingier this week. He has also spent more time with his lovey. Many years ago, Hobbes shredded a pair of rabbit fur ear muffs. The remaining shreds are his favorite companion. He carries the black fur around, talking to it with the "I've got prey" meow. He usually stores it in the food dish (which deeply offended Noire).

I had only lost cats to car accidents and sudden illness. Losing an elderly pet doesn't carry the same gut-wrenching pain, but I miss my kitty girl.

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12:29 PM

(0) comments Saturday, May 06, 2006  
Blogger is just not cooperating with my ancient computer. I hope to someday upgrade to more modern technology. When I researched digital cameras a year ago, I thought I might send cute pictures of my kids to family and friends. But my computer and my camera are woefully incompatible. Here's the irritating thing about blogger and my computer - the enter button doesn't create a new line. Paragraphs are not possible!

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7:11 AM

(2) comments Monday, May 01, 2006  
We've all been a little sad here today. Noire died last night. She had been on a steady decline, and we were going to take her to the vet today. I've been trying to figure out just how old she was. I'm pretty sure she was 20 years old.

Noire was my DeKalb cat. My friend Susannah brought her to live in her apartment next door, hoping that her landlord wouldn't notice. Noire spoiled that plan - she would sit between the closed blinds and the window and talk to the landlord. In those days, Noire spoke in melodious 7 syllable meows. And she enjoyed a good conversation. When you asked her questions, she had an answer.

After I moved back to Lexington to work on my doctorate, Noire went to live with my Dad. I couldn't take any time away from work to look for an apartment, so my Mom found one for me. And no cats were allowed. Dad didn't really want a cat, but he agreed to take her in with only a small amount of grumbling.

Before Noire moved in, Dad went around muttering "What am I going to do with a *cat.* It's going to be too much trouble, that *cat.*" After about a month, Dad admitted "I kinda like that cat. She's pretty good company for a cat." Then once he really knew Noire, she was his buddy. And he said "You're not taking that cat! She's staying here with me."

Noire lived a long, long life. She adjusted through quite a few household changes, and the addition of three more cats and two human babies. Nathan told me today that he felt sad. He helped Randy dig a hole and bury Noire under a big pine tree. Lila was so confused and upset by the burial. She didn't want that dirt on her cat. But I am glad that we said our good-byes at home.

Noire was a feisty cat with enough spunk to get her through 20 years. I've spent the day thinking of Noire's adventures, and she will be missed.

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7:31 PM

(2) comments Friday, February 10, 2006  
As Nathan was drifting off to sleep tonight, he had a few wishes to voice. The first two were purely materialistic - he wished that he had a new hotwheels volcano and floam. Both are heavily advertised on Nick Jr. But his third wish was far more profound. He said "I wish that the whole planet was happy, then everyone would be happy." I wish that, too.

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8:33 PM

(0) comments Saturday, February 04, 2006  
"I'm brave and I'm strong, but I hate that standing alligator." That's Nathan's take on helping the Scooby Doo gang conquer the monsters in their Cyberchase. These cartoon dilemmas are so real for him.

In theory, I don't believe in TV for kids. I think that life for little ones is much healthier without it altogether. But my reality falls so far short of my ideal. My kids watch way too much TV. And I spend way too much time on the computer. I think that when the weather gets nice again, all of our time sucking equipment is going to break. Those darn plugs just won't fit in the outlet anymore!

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7:46 AM

(0) comments Sunday, January 08, 2006  
I jinxed our weekend. Yesterday I posted over at the Mothering boards about how sharing hasn't been a huge issue for my kids. They have a quick squabble every now and then, but they usually play together pretty well. Somehow they knew that they needed to prove me wrong!

The rest of our weekend was spent negotiating toy rights. Lila really is an easygoing child. She rarely grabs a toy. She waits until Nathan is distracted, then she snatches it. If Nathan asks her to give it back, she usually does. But he has to ask her nicely! And that's just too hard when your toy has just been snatched.

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8:47 PM

(0) comments Sunday, January 01, 2006  
I forgot to put on my teflon suit before going to church today. Bad move! The rudest, most intrusive church member got to me. After the service, she pats me on the arm and says in her sugary sweet tone "Next week I'm bringing my paddle for your children." Nice.

There was no nursery today, since both nursery workers quit. I had the choice of staying with my kids in the nursery, or keeping them upstairs with me in the service. We had a guest vocalist today - he's a friend, and I know that he has a relaxed, interactive performance style. So I kept my kids with me. They were both active, and Nathan came close to crossing that "we're leaving NOW" line. But neither of them were loud, and they both enjoyed the music.

I am just sick of fending off that kind of nastiness at church. She lives down the street from us. Every time I passed her house today, I felt like throwing up.

I wonder if she ever googles her own name. . .

Peggy Snowden, I hope you choke on your ugly words.

I feel a little bit better now.

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5:44 PM

(3) comments
 
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