Standoff

Our eyes meet and in that second, I know -

if I give in now, it's going to be this tough for the rest of our lives.

I have to stand my ground.

I narrow my eyes and prepare myself.

His mouth curls up a bit in the corner, a dead giveaway. This isn't his battle - he's having fun.

Little butthead.

"Sebastian," I start, until -

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I don't WANT to!" explodes from that curled lip.

"Ok." And I dive right in, ready to wrestle him for the batteries to the remote that he has successfully removed.

The Battle for Things Baz Should Not Have continues.

And he's getting stronger.

Kat

Summer of 2010

The summer is officially winding down here in the Thomas corner of the world. How do I know?

Today's weather - high of 70. It's cloudy, we went shopping for school supplies yesterday and we start our vacation this coming weekend in the Outer Banks.

We always take our vacation at the end of the summer for two reasons. #1, it's something to look forward to. I feel like if we took our vacation in July, August would be a bit of a letdown and the rest of the summer would zip by. #2, it's less expensive and most of the other vacationers have already gone home. So it's like having the place to ourselves.

This summer has been a bit of a pleasant surprise and I'm very thankful for that. We anticipated that this would be another summer at home with the kids for me - I am still in job-searching mode - and I figured we would take a few day trips to places in the area, visit friends and hang out at our townhouse community's pool. Easy-breezy.

Well, after Anabelle's first year at our public elementary school, we made quite a few family friends. Those friends told us all about the neighborhood pool, how nice it is, how great the swimming programs are and all of the activities they hold all summer long. We don't know many people in our townhouse community and most of the neighbors don't have children of the same age as ours. Joining the neighborhood pool seemed like a no-brainer, especially for Tom. He grew up belonging to his neighborhood pool and had nothing but fond memories and stories of his experiences. So it was a go.

That spun the end of June and the entire month of July into a whirlwind. We decided that Anabelle would benefit most from joining the junior swim team and WOW did she. She began the summer as she does every year - a bit timid around the water, not interested in swimming underwater at all and not going near the deep end, not to mention the diving board or water slide. She would wear a vest to do those things. Now? She's part fish. The vest is taking up space in her closet and she is trying her very best to swim to the bottom of the deep end to retrieve toys. The deep end is 9 feet deep in the corner and she's working her way to the 10 feet side. She can also swim one lap, across the length of the competitive size pool and back, with no help and no stopping. She goes up and down the water slide and would spend all afternoon on the diving board if she could. Her confidence at the pool has soared and we are so proud of her. She even won her first ribbon in a swim meet.

Aside from swim practices and meets, there have been weekend barbecues, Family Dinner Nights, a Family Campout with an outdoor showing of the original Star Wars that Tom set up, Sebastian's birthday party and we have met many more families. Our decision to join the pool was a rousing success.

Outside of the pool, we've had a lot going on as well. We've had playdates with school friends, our family friends the Rodriguez's and the Brown's, Tom and I attended the Rigo's benefit for their son in heaven, Brody Bash, and the Rigo's had their 4th child, Brayden. We also had visitors from Michigan - a friend from high school, Shawn and his lovely family. We took a trip with them to DC to see the zoo and then, after a desperate quest for ice cream on that hot day, it was fun to see Belle and Baz play in the fountain by the Metro stop. Tom's officially started his last year of his 30's with a rousing gathering to see our friends and favorite celebratory band, JunkFood, with a great group of people last weekend. Anabelle went to her first concert at the invitation of a friend (The Jonas Brothers - my ears and preteen screams will never be friends) and loved it. She is very excited to be starting first grade when we return from vacation. Baz will be starting preschool and I'm excited for him to make more friends his age. Hopefully they will also be his size.

The fall is already jam-packed with activities and commitments - I'm keeping my fingers (desperately) crossed that I will find employment soon. Aside from school, the kiddos will be playing soccer for the first time and Anabelle has joined a Girl Scouts troop, as well as keeping up with her swimming in the winter swim program. I will also be volunteering more with the PTA, as will Tom, and we have our 7th year of fantasy football to get through. Tom won the league last year and I did the year before - we need to keep this trophy in the house again. :)

I will post again after we return from the OBX. Peace and love.

Kat

...hello?

Ok, so I'm a crappy blogger. I'll just go ahead and skip the explanations about where I've been and how busy life is, etc. etc. I'll just lay it all out there - I'm not a very good blogger whatsoever. You should see my journal, if you think this is bad. But, hey - here I am now. Onward and upward, yes? Here we go.

We are currently nearing the finish line in renovating our kitchen and I could not be more excited. We have taken what was supposed to be a small project, just to spruce up the house until we can get it on the market, and turned it into this huge renovation. Ripped out the floor and the ceiling - knocked down a wall - rearranged cupboards and counters and appliances and installed a new fridge. We have (mostly) repainted and put in a new floor - the last parts are to install a new laminate counter and tile the wall behind it.

This used to be the worst room in the house - small, dark, cramped - and yet, the room most used in the house. Now it is a complete 180 - large(r), more airy, brighter and, bonus, easier to clean! (A welcome addition, when you have a son who likes to randomly do laps around the house in the middle of meals - we're looking into seat belts for his chair at the table). The work has been going so well, I've already got plans for the rest of the house, minor ones, but still plans. It's exciting. I will post some pics soon.

Aside from that large project, we are starting to plan for the summer. Belle will be out of school soon and we have lots of things we've wanted to do all year. We will make several trips to a friend's house on the Shenandoah river this summer, to play as well as work - his house flooded in the spring and, since he has helped us so much with our renovation, we will be helping him with repairs and repainting at the river house. Another family we are close with are expecting their 4th child, almost 2 years after losing their 3rd child to illness - we are anticipating lots of trips to visit and help where necessary. There will also be several trips to downtown DC to check out new sights and the obligatory time put in at the pool, ours, friends' and public. To wrap it all up, our yearly vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina for a week of beach relaxation (hopefully).

I'm still unemployed and it still sucks. I have been on many interviews and was hired for a couple of jobs, but had to decline the offers because of day care costs. However, we are very lucky that Tom has a great position at a great company with insurance and I'm thankful for that every day.

Aside from that, I've had a big issue come up recently that I need to vent about, but I'm running out of time and really need a good chunk of uninterrupted space to really get it out. So that will have to be a post for another time.

If I can find my way back here, that is... :)

Kat

Snow Day

We've been waiting for snow all week. The news and weather channels have been calling for 2 inches here or 4 inches there, but everyday we wake up to no snow. The kids are anxious - is winter over? We didn't get to make a snowman! The last of the snow is gone - when is there going to be more? Baz runs to the hall closet every time we get ready to go somewhere and instead of shoes, emerges with snow boots. Belle asks if she needs both layers of her coat and gloves and a scarf to take to school. Several days at the beginning of the week, she has emerged from her school with her coat in her backpack, the weather looking more like April than snowy January. It's nice to see them and their friends excited for snow - someone has to be.

Around here, inclimate weather is much more than an inconvenience - it's a red alert, stay in and shut the doors until the all clear kind of emergency. People stock up on bread, milk, water, canned goods, shovels, and sidewalk salt like it's the coming of the Four Horsemen. For any kind of snow - even a dusting. You'd think living in a metropolitan area such as Northern Virginia would have prepared the people better for such occurrences. They have a Metro, people protest outside the Capital in all kinds of weather, fans go to Redskins' game without their shirts in December. But snow? Enough to turn even the most hard-core, oblivious to the fans sports owner into a little boy who got shoved into a snow pile while walking home. Snow is a bully, we're just the victims.

At least for those of us who drive a luxury car and have a stubborn streak a mile wide. For the rest of us, who either have the sense to know when to drive and when not to or 4-wheel drive, snow is no problem and we don't see what all the fuss is about.

But for now, we're curled up on the couch, having some quiet time. The kids are watching Shrek for the millionth time underneath blankets after lunch - resting up to venture out in the snow in the afternoon. Tom and I are doing various weekend chores inbetween helping Baz build a track for his Lego trains or setting Belle up with paper and crayons for her latest masterpiece. But after posting this, I'll probably turn the computer off and open up a new book I'm reading to get lost for a little while.

Snow days are great. If only we could have a few without snow sometimes.

Poetry

So...I've been writing lately. Poems. But it's been so long and I'm rusty. So just so I can keep going and practicing, I'm going to post them here so I can let them go and just kind of - grow - without me thinking about them. And I can look at them in a fresher way later on. Comments are fine - just be careful with my fragile ego, please. :)

Simple

i learned a long time ago
that simple can be dangerous
difficult is richer than easy
simple lends itself to black and white
i want my complicated shades of grey
blur the black and white


Bedtime

a long day is over
full of tasks checked off
messes cleaned up
meals made and enjoyed
the noise ebbed away
leaving the hum of a sleeping house
in bed finally
pillow holding my head
flannel sheets curving around me
breathing in your scent
but it's too big
and the fabric doesn't warm
without you in it to hold me
and kiss me goodnight


Dream

you feel so
real
to me
your hair sliding through my fingers
like rosary beads
touching you
burns a hole in my heart
warm smooth skin
i burrow into your chest
and throw your arms around me
like diving under the covers
close my eyes
and all i smell
is grassy soap
and heat
exhale
roll over
and i hit a wall
of cold space
you were so
real
to me


K
(You have no idea how long it took to publish this post and how I tried to talk myself out of it...)

I'm Not Dead, Unless This Is Supposed To Be A Funny Dream...

Things are in full swing here in NOVA.

Anabelle has surpassed all my anxiety about the start of the school year. I cannot be more proud of her.
New School, where she knows no one and no one knows her? No problem. She's making friends and doing her own things, really starting to become more of her own person.
Another year of kindergarten (she was too young for public school last year, so we enrolled her in a private program and her teacher recommended to us that she have another year)? No problem - she's a bit out front of her other classmates, but that is bolstering her confidence in her abilities in a big way. Her current career goal is an artist. Before bed one night, I'm helping her read a book and I notice a picture and crayons out on her desk. I ask her why her crayons are out, after the Baz-Drawing-Train-Tracks-On-The-Carpet fiasco. She sighs dramatically and says, "Oh, Momma, I'm an ARTIST and that picture isn't done. When I'm ready, I need my crayons to be right there."

Sebastian is growing before my eyes as well. The break from day care has been really good for him, as well as having some good Mommy time while Anabelle is at school. He's always been a great independent player, but now he makes up the best adventures. I can hear him "narrating" with his trains and cars when he plays. He's also more interested in me reading to him and we go to the library several times in the week. However he's still completely independent and stubborn - no interest whatsoever in potty training. He doesn't care if his older friends can do it, doesn't want any bribe for his efforts - no interest whatsoever. It's a bit frustrating. Otherwise, he's all about doing everything for himself and gets irritated if you even try to assist. He is also perfecting his Jedi Mind Trick:

Baz: "Momma, I have snack?"
Me: "I'm making dinner - we'll eat soon."
Baz; "Please, you want to give me a snack?"
Me: "Not now."
Baz: "You WANT to!"

Tom is doing great - he's been having Band Practice sporadically with his old band mates from high school. Work is the same - prepping computers for new employees, doing maintenance on computers for people who don't know how to use them. He has amusing conversations with Dell's Tech Support People. They apparently can't end a tech chat - the customer has to. Tom also had the good luck of being a big fan of Faith No More and being friends with a guy who's as big a fan as he is - a friend won tickets to the first show of their first tour after ten years apart, at the Brixton Academy in London. So he got to check out an amazing show and go to London. Yea, a little bit jealous.

As for me, I'm still on the search for gainful employment - mostly taking care of and enjoying the kiddos and doing house stuff. Turned 30 in October and had an appropriate blowout, thanks to Tom and friends. Received a surprise visit by Red just in time for my actual birthday and Halloween - that was a great present. And while things are a bit tough right now, I'm still very thankful for what we have.

And there's an update.

The Half-Blood Prince: Half the book made into a Whole Movie

The latest Harry Potter movie opened Wednesday night at midnight and yes, I was excited. Since I no longer have to worry about being at work at a certain point each day, I decided this was an occasion to stay out late and have some alone time. At least, alone being without my kids or the husband. I couldn't help all the other people who wanted to see the movie straightaway also.

I caught on to the book series the summer I graduated from high school, through a friend who was also recommended the book by a friend. The first chapter of the first book was a bit of a slog, but after that, I was hooked. For the end of the series in 2007, I re-read the entire series. My favorites in particular are Prisoner of Azkaban, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows. They all have their charms, but Azkaban I can read stand-alone and be satisfied and the final two books are just an amazing contrast from how they all started, with Sorcerer's Stone.

Like any book person I know, it's tough to watch the film adaptation and be satisfied. The only one that immediately comes to mind is Silence of the Lambs - the movie is exactly the same as the book. But that's an entirely separate argument.

I wanted to enjoy HBP - I did enjoy it. Just not as much as I would have if they hadn't left half the book out. Yes, I realize they have to cut a lot - it's a long book and the average movie-goer doesn't want to sit in a theater for 4 hours watching a sentence-by-sentence copy of the book. But there were also scenes added to the movie that were not in the book at all. If they had room to add crap that they made up or took from a future book, then they had room to get in the important stuff.

Spoilers ahead, if you haven't read the book or seen the movie.

The movie opens with an entirely new scene - No Dursleys, just Harry in a coffee shop getting hit on by a hot chick. Nothing wrong with that in terms of plot - except in the book, Harry is visited by Dumbledore while still at the Dursleys and he gives them the talking-to that I've been waiting for since book one. For saving time within the movie, it's ok to be cut, but in terms of enjoyment - I really wanted to see that scene on the big screen.

The movie progresses nicely and we get to Harry's first "lesson" with Dumbledore, where we see Dumbledore visiting Tom Riddle in his orphanage. No earlier memory of his mother, grandfather and uncle in the shack - something that is definitely necessary in the next book. In the book, Harry's lessons with Dumbledore are to help him learn about Voldemort and how to defeat him. In the movie, these moments are glossed over, showing only 2 memories in the entire movie and no discussion of additional Horcruxes beyond the one they seek out at the end of the movie.

Harry and Ginny's relationship was also pared down to tension-filled encounters and a tiny kiss in the Room of Requirement. This was also a necessary plot device - the small amount of time he had with her in the book, being happy, confiding in her - it gives Harry more reason to continue on after Dumbledore's death, it gives him motivation to try to get rid of Voldemorte, so he can be free and normal after Voldemorte's gone. Not to mention that Harry thinks Ginny's hot and he's a boy, after all. :)

The scene where Ginny and Harry kiss is also a disappointment for another reason - in the movie, Ginny is helping Harry hide his Potions book in the Room of Requirement so no one will ever find it. In the book, Harry is hiding this book alone and he hides it in a cabinet, covering it up with a bust of an old wizard and puts a tiara on his head, so he can find it later. This scene is crucial in Deathly Hallows because the tiara turns out to be a Horcrux. How is Harry supposed to know where to find it if he's busy snogging Ginny? It's only going to make for awkward re-telling in Deathly Hallows' movie version.

No Tonks and Lupin - an unnecessary attack/ambush at the Wesley's house - no Ginny/Harry breakup at the end - NO FUNERAL/REMEMBRANCE FOR DUMBLEDORE - no stalking of Harry by the new Minister of Magic - no Order of the Phoenix - no attack of Bill by Fenrir Greyback - and the final scene of the movie had Harry and Hermione talking in a tower of the castle with Ron just off to the side. Not a single line from him. What the hell?? I admit, in the movies previous, there's has been a bit of shunting to the side for Ron's character. But it was blatant at the end - the core of the HP series is Harry, Ron and Hermione's friendship. I felt this scene was really unjust to Ron's character.

Everything that I loved about this book was snipped and resized to be bits and pieces of a movie. If I had never read the books, I probably would have liked it a lot. I won't deny that it was good and I did enjoy it. It just wasn't what it should have been. HBP was so different from the books before it - except for the fact that it was a book about wizards, it was very real. A book about kids at school, going about their normal routines, liking boys/girls, complaining about schoolwork and teachers, playing sports - intermixed with very real and scary things. Terrorist attacks on their friends' family's, government reports and safety warnings, being searched at school for dangerous items. In the middle just happened to be a story about a boy who is the only one who can save them.

Yes, it's not the greatest book that was ever written and it's pure fairy tale with real-life reflections - but aside from all the escapist fun, it was a fairy tale that made me believe, maybe, just maybe, if this were real, there would be a majority of people who would sacrifice their lives in the same way, for the good of everyone. This movie did not make me feel that - I merely wished for more popcorn.