Conflicted

I hate centipedes.  I really do.  The thought of them gives me shivers down my spine.  Every last one of those little squirming legs just makes me want to run as fast and as far as I possiblly can in the opposite direction.

Our laundry is in our basement, much to my disappointment.  This might not be as big a deal if we had one of those lovely "finished" basements--you know the ones that feel more like a part of your house than a part of a dungeon--but then, if we did have a "finished" basement, we would probably have a house new enough that the laundry wouldn't be down there anyway.  But alas, I digress.... as usual.

I try to keep the area as free from small scary creatures as I can, but there are always spiderwebs and centipedes that I can't keep up with.  I generally prefer going down there during the day to lessen my encounters with said scary creatures.  But tonight I was really trying to get some wash done, so I slowly crept downstairs, trying as hard as I could to keep my eyes peeled for any, ANY, movement.

Then I saw it--not a centipede or a daddy-long-leg, like my usual findings--but a large black spider.  Now spiders don't usually upset me all that much.  They're way less scary than centipedes, I think.  But this one, well, it's size got me to feeling like I didn't really want to be standing a foot away from it loading the clothes into the washer.

So, of course, I did what any woman would do.  I yelled for the man of the house.

Down came my chivalrous knight in shining armor, and he captured the enemy in one swift encounter.  But as he took it upstairs, I suddenly felt conflicted.

Would this spider, left to live downstairs (instead of taken outside, where I had originally banished him), actually kill those most-evil of creatures?  Would he actually help me in my fight against the centipede?

Suddenly I was unsure of my decision... Which did I like less--the idea of a large spider lurking right by where I do the laundry, or the idea that there might be more centipedes scurrying around than would otherwise if it were kept alive.

Decisions, decisions.  Ultimately, I opted to stick with my original thought.  Outside he was taken, hopefully to find another home.  Further from mine.  I do wish I could fight this centipede war with an ally a little less frightening than a large spider....

Really, did I do that??

Do you ever look back at your life, a little bit shocked at things you remember doing?  Like, "Really??  I did that??  I can't ever imagine myself doing that..."  It's amazing how we change.  Our perceptions of the world and the limits we put on ourselves vary so much depending on the factors affecting us at any given moment.

I guess the lack of an ipod or other such nifty device means I actually have to figure out what to do with my mind when I'm at the gym--sadly I can't just let my mind drift into musical nonthought....that wonderful mental absence that I wish I could recreate but can't seem to without the help of some technical device....

Anyway, I was thinking, (as I sat there at the weight machines feeling like everyone else at the Y knew I had no idea what I was doing), or more accurately, remembering, some of those "really??" moments...

I thought you might get a chuckle out of some of the ones I remembered....

*Walking through the mall in high school with a "Libby-terian Party: Libby for President!" poster getting pictures with anyone who would pay me any mind....  This was, of course, a class project of some sorts.  One I'm sure I took way out of hand.  And it didn't help that I had dyed my hair pink at the time.

*Dumping a plate full of food on someone's head my freshman year of college.  You don't believe it?  Neither do I....  What kind of person am I!?!?!  This guy was totally unassuming, just sitting behind me at another table... I knew him a little bit, but I'm not sure he ever talked to me much after that. (I wonder why--hmm.)  What in the world would possess a person to do such a thing??

*Going out with someone in high school who not only couldn't use grammar properly, but also wanted to be a television evangelist.  I even thought I wanted to marry him.  Say WHAT?!  I know what you're thinking--I was probably drugged.  And you're probably right....  (No, not really.  But seriously, those are about the two worst things to be against a guy--can't speak AND wants to be a tv preacher?? EEK!)

*No lie: I used to walk behind this guy in fifth grade who I had a crush on when we had "ACE" at the end of the school day ("Aerobic Conditioning Exercise").  We had to walk around the field over and over again until the buses got there to take us home.  I have no idea how much time it actually was generally, but I do know that pretty much the entire time we circled the fields, I would walk behind this guy and kick his calves.  Over and over and over again.  Oh, I'm sure he was bruised.  And I'm not sure why he never turned around and tackled me to the ground.



Okay, time's up for reminiscing.  For now.  Perhaps we'll continue this again some time...  Just to remind everyone how far I've come. ;-P

Bubber

My son has been playing with a trial-size of Playdoh for months now.  He got it at a birthday party and loved it.  Sadly, I have consistently forgotten to get him more.  (Which is especially sad when I am probably at Walmart twice a week or more.....)

Without knowing this, my mother-in-law offered to get him something called Bubber for his third birthday (last week). Bubber sounded like a great solution to my failure to increase our Playdoh supply. It was supposed to be a cross between Playdoh and Styrofoam...or something like that.  I can't quite remember the description; all I remember thinking is, "sounds PERFECT!"

I think a part of the description, though, should have included something like "Warning: User must have extremely active imagination for ultimate enjoyment of product."

Or even better: "Warning! If you want to make things that actually resemble something real, use another product!"

In my head, this is what I was imagining after my countless failed attempts at making recognizable objects....

Although, I must say that honestly, I asked Elijah to pose for this, so you can't take it all too seriously.  I was extremely frustrated by my inability to make things, but he was having a great time waiting patiently for me; all the while squeezing Bubber between his fingers.  This is a more accurate picture of what was going on:

Thanks, Grandma, for a gift he is surely enjoying!!

Quick Note on Design

I decided there was far too much color on my blog.  There still is; yes, I know.  But until I can find some knowledgeable compassionate person willing to help such a blogger-ignorant sole as myself, it will continue to be this crazy.*



*Please, if you know someone who can help me figure out this whole website design thing, I'd greatly appreciate you directing him/her my way....Obviously I am in need of some help.

running out of time

Do you ever feel like you're running out of time?

Imagine:

You're running in a scary, dark tunnel.  Every sound around you sounds terrifying and evil--like whatever its source, it's about to jump at you and tear you to pieces.  If only, if only, you could get to the end.  That light, that beautiful light.  You're running; faster than you ever thought you could run.... You tell yourself, Al-most--there as you're panting for breath....  Then finally, at last, you reach the end--still running, into the light.

Oh, but it's raining.  Things aren't that great on the outside either.



That's pretty much how I felt the other day when I spent THREE HOURS making gnocchi.  Dinner time came and went.  Then, when the gnocchi was finally ready, it wasn't even that spectacular.  You'd think such a marathon would merit a great finish.  Right?  Oh well.

So, I decided to draw a picture of just the funny thought I had in my head--running out of "time". :)

renovation

In hopes of renovating my process of cooking (referring to my last post), I decided on Friday to find a meal that was both simple and fast.  Hopefully this would prevent tragedies like the night before......  Loved the idea of gnocchi, but not the extensive prep time.  I found this recipe and decided to try it:

Pan-Fried Lemon Ricotta Gnocchi

Should you read the article that precedes the recipe, I would mention here that I don't recommend going about finding good recipes in the same fashion. For a lot of reasons.  If you need a list of them, feel free to ask me.  That said, the recipe is FANTASTIC!  Super duper easy and fast too.  My 3 year old helped make it, and he loved eating it all the more!

As usual, my result wasn't nearly as beautiful looking, but it was definitely amazing to taste.  It was a wonderful light dinner before going to a show at the college.  Delish!

betrayal

Have you ever felt like you were betrayed?  Either by someone or something...?  I find that I sometimes put it on myself--I expect something, but then when I get a different outcome, I feel cheated and angry.  And other times I am just being far too naive and let people cheat me--like, when about 8 months ago a young girl and her "brother", along with her "father" came for a "fundraiser" for "cheerleading."  (Notice the parentheses....????)  Right.  Well, I was so excited to help them since I had done so many fundraisers myself, being in band and all, in Middle School and High School.  And even though I RARELY buy fun things just for me (since we don't really have the money to do that kind of thing), I thought I would make their day by giving them $10 for a candle.  Oh the joy it brought me knowing I could help them out!

And oh, the anger I still feel at having been cheated out of my ten dollars!!  Okay, so, I suppose there's still time for them to get that candle to me.... I mean, it's only been EIGHT months.... I was only very pregnant when they brought it and now have a SIX MONTH OLD DAUGHTER.... Right...  Guess I shouldn't assume things.....

But anyway, I was feeling betrayed this evening because I decided, for DH's and my 4th anniversary, to make a special meal.  I had never had potato gnocchi before, but it looked super yummy and I was prepared.  I had been eyeing the pictures for weeks now and making sure I had all the ingredients.  I did a quick skim of the procedure and looked up what to do if you don't have a potato ricer on hand....  I felt so prepared.  And seriously, I was actually starting to make the meal at 4:30(pm)--I almost never have my act together that early in the day. ;-P

"Simple Potato Gnocchi"

That's what it said.  "Simple."  Does that word mean something to you?  I think I might have some inaccurate associations with that word because when I think "simple" and meal prep, I think, this won't cause me angst and make me wish I had never started this process at all.  There certainly have been meals in my past that have made me feel that, but "simple," no, surely a dish that has the word "simple" as its first descriptor couldn't be such an entree. Nope.

And yet, there I was, at 7:30, still minutes away from getting the meal on the table, thinking to myself....

SIMPLE?!?!  SIMPLE!?!?!  Three hours later and you call that SIMPLE!!!??!?!  My legs hurt from standing by the counter for the last three hours barely moving; my skin is down to its final layer because of how many gazillion times I had to wash potato off my hands; my counter is a mess and my sink is full of dishes that I won't have energy to wash until tomorrow; my children are ready for bed; my husband was ready for our anniversary dinner by candlelight over an our ago, and to top it off, I'm ANGRY that the recipe said SIMPLE!!

Okay, so, again, maybe it was MY fault.  What was I thinking?  I do have this problem with deciding to make new recipes on the worst of days, but seriously..... this is crazy.  And of course, while in the middle of the process, I realized that it even warned me (in small font, of course) by saying something like "prep time: 2 hours"--which is an already woefully underestimated number as far as my culinary skills are concerned.  As much as I want to be a good cook, I'm really not at all.

So, is the moral of the story "look before you leap"??  Is that it?  Don't give money to strangers (duh...) and don't make recipes that say "simple" until you look at the prep time and know for sure it's going to be something amazing....??  Hmmm..  I think the real issue is me.  How can you overcome your problems when you ARE the problem?

"chicken spackets"

Tonight I made something that my husband coined "chicken spackets" (SPA-kets) and I figured I'd share it with all of you!  I took my normal recipe for the inside of spanakopita, added boiled chicken, and put them into pastry puffs.  Yum!  I've decided that I could put anything into a "pocket" and my toddler would love it.  We called them "spackets" because that was a combination of spanakopita and pocket--seemed to fit!

Here's what I did:

1) boil chicken on the stove until tender.

2) mix together 1 egg, 1 10oz. package thawed spinach, 1/2c. feta cheese, parsley, dill and oregano.

3) tear apart chicken and add to spinach mixture.

4) cut pastry sheet into four squares.  place mixture into pocket and fold into a triangle.  squeeze edges to keep filling inside.

5) bake at 350 degrees--maybe ten minutes??  check on them every five minutes, i'm not sure how long it really took! i was baking muffins at the same time.... :)

That's it right there with some yummy squash. I just cut the squash in half and put it on greased foil in a 400 degree oven.  Half an hour later and it's finished!  You can serve just like that--add salt, pepper and butter, then people can mix it all up in the shell itself.  It's yummy AND easy! :D

"larry"

While buckling baby Abby in the car to head to the library:

Elijah: "We will get another baby when she gets big."

Me: "What??"

Elijah: "When Abby gets big, we will get another little baby."

Me: "Oh, really?"

Elijah: "Yes.  It will be Larry."

Me: "Larry??"

Elijah: "Not like the Veggie Tales Larry...."

Me: "A different Larry?"

Elijah: "Yes.  A different one.  Baby Larry."

Me: "Interesting....."

carrot soup

I didn't think to post this until after I had dumped the contents of the leftover soup into a bag to freeze it, so, regretfully, I don't have a beautiful picture of this soup brimming on the stove.  But, I figured I'd share the recipe with you nonetheless because it's super yummy and healthy too! :D  My toddler loves it.  Actually, I have quite a few pureed soup recipes that my son (and the rest of us) love.  I'm sure I'll be sharing them with you as the colder months approach.  They are my go-to on any day I'm feeling tired, or just want a warm bowl of yummy soup to end my day in comfort!

Here's one of two carrot soup recipes I have.  This one tastes more heavily of carrot, so make sure you use good, sweet carrots that aren't too old. :)

4c. Chicken Broth

2c. water

1 package dry onion soup (or, one fresh onion with seasonings)

2lbs. Carrots scrubbed and sliced

dash of nutmeg

1/4c. peanut butter

2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

dash of tobasco/ hot sauce (if you want--I didn't have any on hand to add)

Simmer all ingredients in a pot 15-30 min.  (With the kids and all, I actually let mine sit for an hour or so--don't think it really matters...)   Puree. Enjoy!!

I put what was left in a freezer bag for another time.  This is something I love doing with our soups.  On a really busy day, I can just take it out of the freezer--add some salad and bread and that's it!  Dinner is served!

blank slate?

It's a good thing I don't believe in tabula rasa..... you remember the concept from high school, right?  "Blank Slate"...John Locke?  Ring a bell??  Basically it's the idea that people are born as a blank slate and all of their attitudes and perceptions of the world come from how we nurture them--as though we are writing the language of their life on them.

Anyway, now that I've reminded you of what it means, I will say again that it's a good thing I don't believe in it.  Because if I did, boy would I be in trouble.  As a "stay at home mom" (not that I stay at home all day by any means!!!), I would surely be the cause of any problematic issues that my son has--seeing as how I am the foremost authority and teacher in his life.

If this were the case, then here are some things you could learn about me from my toddler:

1) I am extremely covetous.
2) I whine.  A LOT.
3) I am not always good at sharing.
4) When I'm not in a good mood, I push people around.


Oh dear.... this doesn't bode well.  I think these things actually could be said about me.  :-P
This is a problem.  Hmmm.... how about some things that definitely can't be said about me:

1) I definitely don't sit on top of other people just to see how they react.
2) I don't squeeze my food between my fingers and then wipe it all over the table.
3) I don't lift my shirt up and exhibit my belly button every time I get really excited.
4) I don't pick up lint off the floor and roll it in between my fingers for hours. (Yes, my child has OCD.)


Phew!  Boy, I had myself scared there for a moment.
Tonight, Elijah refused to go to bed--tears streaming down his crinkled face--because he wanted his sister's blanket with him in bed.  Of course, since she's only six months old, she really wouldn't have known the difference.  But, on principle, we told him he couldn't have it.  That certainly wasn't the answer he wanted to hear!  I am glad to blame the Fall, and not me, for his extreme covetousness.  ;-P  (I do always love to point blame.)

mamas

I was sent this via email from a friend and had to share it:

THE MAMA TEST

 I was out walking with my 4-year-old daughter. She picked up something off of the ground and started to put it in her mouth. I took the item away from her and I asked her not to do that.  'Why?' my daughter asked.  'Because it's been on the ground; You don't know where it's been, it's dirty and probably has germs,' I replied.

At this point, my daughter looked at me with total admiration and asked, 'Mama, how do you know all this stuff? you are so smart.'  I was thinking quickly and replied, 'All moms know this stuff..... It's on the Mama Test. You have to know it, or they don't let you be a Mama.'

 We walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes, but she was evidently pondering this new information.  'Oh.....I get it!' she beamed, 'So if you don't pass the test you have to be the dad.'  'Exactly,' I replied with a big smile on my face.






There are times when I feel this great sense of power, like that idea, "I am invincible.  I am woman."  Of course, most days, I laugh at what a preposterous thought that is, but there are days here and there that I feel like being a woman and a mother is an amazing thing.  My husband and I were watching a series of movies based on John Adams a month or more ago and there was a scene in it with Abigail Adams (John's wife) and daughter Nabby.  Nabby asks her mother why the boys, who are off doing things other than the daily chores, always get to do the fun stuff.  To which Abigail replies, "Because we let them."


I don't think I'll ever forget that line!  There is something intangibly valuable and wonderful about being a woman and mother.  Don't forget it!  :)

we are hermits....or are YOU.....??

I'm not sure if you realize this, but we do not own a television.  Consequently, we don't have one in our home.  We certainly weren't the only Cambridge, MA dwellers who went TVless, but here in small town Indiana, well, let's just say, we're in the minority--the very small minority.  In fact, I would hazard a guess that there are fewer than a dozen homes in this town without a TV.  Okay, I'm totally making up that number.  But you get the point.

Because we have no TV, we generally have been solely paying for internet and phone services.  Recently, I had to make that semi-annual call to our provider to get the "best package"--you know.... how they rope you in with that super amazing deal and fail to mention that in one year (or sometimes less) that super amazing deal will completely vanish and your rates will either go soaring or gradually increase little by little so that you won't notice it until they ultimately drain your entire bank account.  (You don't hear skepticism in my voice, do you??)

Anyway, my annual call ended up not being what I quite expected and somehow when I got off the phone, we were going to be paying only a little bit less than we were but getting TV, phone and internet.  You might think, wow, GREAT deal!  All three for less than the two?  Yes.  Yes. I hope you're thinking that.  Because it really doesn't make sense.  And it really doesn't make sense that we couldn't get a BETTER deal on just the two services.  They really play you well, don't they?  So, I spent many consecutive  hours on the phone with people from the company trying to figure out why exactly we wanted this deal that they were so happy to give us.  (Many of the hours on the phone were attempts to actually get this "subscription" to actually work for us at our home.)

At this point, I have probably spent more than 10 hours in the past two weeks with this company, getting shuffled from one customer service agent to the next trying to solve my numerous dilemmas.  I believe that in essence, our problems all boil down to this one fact: we do not have a television.  And this greatly frustrates me.  It frustrates me to the point that I'm now actually spending an entire blog post on the matter.

Why do we have to own a TV?  Seems like such a useless piece of equipment when you can do almost all of the same things on a TV that you can do on the computer (at least in our house).  All these service agents at the company painted it like we were hermits and super strange--what if YOU'RE the strange ones!  You know, it's the people with the TVs who are sitting at home all day in front of them.  It's the people with their TVs on all day that are discouraging kids from getting outside and raising the obesity rate.  Shouldn't there be a movement against TVs??  I mean, instead of thinking we're some kind of freaks, why not stop to think about the reality of the culture we live in?  How much better would it be if fewer people had TV.  I'm not saying you can't watch things--in this house, we watch things online.  But the difference is that when you're watching something online, you have to think about it.  You have to be purposeful.  There's no flipping through channels and sitting there for hours.  You pick a show, you click on it, you watch it.  When it's over, you have to get up and go back to the computer.  That's not a nuisance; that's GOOD!

I'm starting to wonder if TV providers should be putting a portion of their profits into healthcare.  I mean, come on--you have to admit they are feeding this frenzy.  Giving away a bundle package of the three services at a lower price (or only dollars more) than the two; it's outrageous.  

But truth be told, I believe that the number of people looking to the internet for entertainment and media is growing.  Obviously at this point, most providers aren't prepared for that.  But if they don't recognize the wave coming, they're going to get washed up on shore with nothing left.  If these companies want to make the big bucks, they better figure out what's happening and act accordingly.  Otherwise, we're going to see a huge shift in the big money-makers we know today.  Some small start-up that's paying attention to the changing winds is going to snatch half their customers and start making their own billions.  (Remember Netflix??)

sickness and parenthood (warning!! in-depth description of illnesses; beware!)

Have you ever longed to see mucous pouring out of your child's nostrils?  No?  Well, okay, I understand--that's a pretty strange, and disgusting, thought.  But to be honest, there are times when I feel like it would be such a great relief to see that.  My almost-three year old is once again sick but showing few signs.  Yesterday he was acting super strange and not eating much, but otherwise no signs of an "illness."  Finally by last night, he had a temperature, but that was still the only sign (minus the lessened appetite--which happens to him fairly often anyway because he has ketotic hypoglycemia and his body gets confused about whether it's hungry or not...).  Sometimes in parenthood I find myself either longing for or enjoying the strangest things.... (Those of you who aren't parents might not understand this--so please don't pass judgment until you've had kids of your own!!)

For instance, there were days when Elijah was doing really poorly medically, with lots of seizures and strange stuff, and I just wished he'd have an abnormal EEG.  In hindsight, I think that's absolutely insane, since it would mean nothing but more testing and more issues, but for some reason then, it seemed like at least it would be something--some kind of tangible evidence that there was a problem with my son.

I also distinctly remember being thrilled on the inside the first time he threw up.  I remember it vividly--I was nannying at the time and was driving my two charges along with Elijah back to their house after a karate lesson for the oldest.  Elijah threw up in the van (THEIR van), all the way in the back seat.  Normal people might be devastated--shocked and embarrassed that their child threw up in someone else's vehicle, and also overwhelmed by the extreme clean-up necessitated afterwards.  But me, heck no!  I was like, "AT LAST! Something I know how to handle!"  I think cleaning up his throw up was one of the most rewarding parts of being a mom so far....  It was one of the first mom-problems I actually knew how to solve.

I'm still not sure whether those kind of bizarre thoughts are just a part of parenthood, or if maybe I'm just crazy and my experience is totally different than others.  (Feel free to chime in here!)  I do know for sure that parenthood is not at all what I thought it would be.   I have become much stranger than I ever imagined I would be--and I think I have my children to thank for that.

the end of hope

Yes, it is the end of hope.  My hope in ever having a creditable, well-liked, oft read blog has run away--high-tailed it to the nearest capable and creative blogging mom who is not me.  Why you ask?  Because tonight, tonight I have journeyed to the other side.  I have spent this last half an hour, while my husband peacefully rests behind me on the couch, clicking on one link after another after another only to find what I desperately feared (but always new inside myself) was true.  <<insert sad and yet suspenseful music here>>  That there are indeed amazing blogs out there that I will never be able to match in beauty or creativity.

Oh, to have the knowledge to make my own website! (Grr, these templates are so unsatisfying!!)  Oh, to have the ability to take great pictures! (Ahh, when a digital point and shoot is just not enough!!) Oh, to have enough lighting in the kitchen to be able to see the food I want to take pictures of!  (Such a dungeon I live in!!)

Yes, yes, it's true.  It is the end.  But, fear not, my loyal readers (however few there are of you) I am a stubborn woman.  And so, while I have realized that my blogging will never reach the ranks of one able to make a small fortune in advertising, I will carry on.  I will continue writing despite the odds stacked against me.  How, you say? How can I push on against such despair?!  It is simple you see...

...when everyone else in my house is asleep, I'll still need some kind of outlet for my obsessive rambling.

Easter is coming to our house

I know, you're thinking "Easter?? It's the end of summer and you're talking about EASTER?"  I am.  Only because Elijah is.

My son has a great memory.  He remembers that when we went to a friends' house to celebrate Easter this year there were jelly beans at the table.  He also remembers that someone dropped a ceramic bunny off at our door that was carrying some jelly beans inside of it--all for him.

Elijah loved the jelly beans. And he still remembers how wonderful they taste.  And so, he's been asking for jelly beans lately.  To this I reply, "Well, we can maybe get some more jelly beans for Easter."  Today we had a longer conversation about it, and I couldn't help but want to share this with all of you...

Elijah: Can I have jelly beans?

Me: Yes, maybe you can have jelly beans when Easter comes.

Elijah: Oh. What's Easter?

Me: Easter is a Holiday that we celebrate.  We remember that Jesus died and rose again; he conquered the grave.  He paid the debt for our sin.

Elijah: Oh.  Easter is a Holiday?

Me: Yes, Easter is a Holiday.

Elijah: Am I a Holiday?

Me: No, you are not a Holiday.  A Holiday is not a person.

Elijah: When Easter comes to my house, I will give him jelly beans.

sewing! :)

I realized that we had only borrowed Elijah's baby bumpers for the crib, so I had nothing for baby Abby.  I found something online for sale that was basically just fabric tightly fitting the crib to prevent escaping limbs and legs.... (yes, putting a child in a crib is like caging an animal....).  So, I figured, hey, it'd be super-simple to make something like that myself, just with a few adaptations.  Tada!!!  Presenting, my homemade bumpers with just stuff I had on hand.  Of course, they'd look prettier with cuter fabric and some adorable ribbon ties, but, like I said, I just used stuff I had on hand.  BUT, I can always buy cutsy stuff at the store if you know of anyone who could use some (since I myself could use some extra $!). :)  Just getting the word out there... :)  

energy; where have thou gone?

Oh how the excitement to blog dissipates as days get busier!  Such a shame, too.  Since (at least in this house) busier days usually come with interesting new stories to tell or questions to ponder.  Let's see if I can remember anything of interest from the last few days....

*Elijah has been remembering the fun of going to the Dining Commons here on campus (it has been closed during the summer) and has been anxious to go where the "man in the white hat makes us food."  We finally went on Sunday and the whole way there he said to everyone who passed by us: "we're going to the dining commons where the man in the white hat will make me food!!!"  Of course, most people had no idea that he was indeed actually yelling something at them--so they all just walked on by the loud unintelligible toddler.  Elijah didn't seem to mind.  He just tried the next person...and the next person...and the next.... until we finally got there.  At last he could enjoy his pasta and corn and chocolate milk (and chocolate ice cream!) that he had wanted for so long.

*There were a lot of door-knockers this past weekend, searching for any listening ear to hear of the great things their religion has done for them.  It does make me wonder--does this actually make an impact in the year 2010?  Did it EVER?  As someone interested in culture, it made me want to go around the neighborhood myself, surveying people to see what kind of impact a door-to-door religious salesman (if I may put it that way) would have on them.  Now, I'm not knocking (get the joke?) the spreading of your faith.  I think it's a crucial part of any religion--sharing it with the world.  But, does knocking on doors really get you anywhere?

*And again with the door knockers, to be honest, I saw the first bunch and was like, "eek! gads!  Mormons!  HIDE!!"  Seriously, I was unbelievably close to trying to get Elijah to stay super still so that they wouldn't know anyone was home.  The only reason I didn't was, well, because I knew Elijah wouldn't actually listen.  (oh, the disadvantages of having toddlers!)  Turns out the first group were just Baptists from down the road, but the second bunch were Jehovah's Witnesses.  I was nursing the baby at the time and couldn't help but laugh at the conversation I heard Jon having outside.  Something like this,

Jehovah's Witnesses: "blah blah blah, faith and assurance."
DH: "yes, we're very sure of what we believe..."
JH: "ahh, blah blah blah Bible."
DH: "Oh, YES.  We very much believe the Bible.  In fact, we'll soon be having a Bible study here in our home.  You're more than welcome to join us."
JH: "OH!  GREAT!  We're always so excited when we hear about people wanting to learn more about the Bible--here's some great information to look through as you read."
<<Insert me inside wanting desperately to yell, "UM, no thanks!!  We don't want any of your crazy books here!!!  But of course, my husband was more loving...>>
DH: "Oh, no thanks.  We don't need that."

But seriously, did they think they were going to change our ideas?  Did they think if we already believed what that Christian Bible said that we'd actually be interested in taking their pamphlets that conflict with what we already hold to be true??  Are they just crazy, or does that stuff really happen???





Well, now that I've bored you (or, worse, made you angry), I will go to bed.  Hopefully I can write a post soon that will be somewhat interesting!  (Don't hold your breath waiting, though!)

pros. vs. cons. to marrying a genius

I have already shared some of the hardships I endure on account of being married to a theoretical physicist. This morning I was spending a little time thinking about some of the pros and cons, and  I thought you may enjoy some of these thoughts. :)

Benefits	Disadvantages
He’s a genius! (genius=heartthrob)	I think everything he says is true even when he’s totally pulling my leg.
He can beat  normal people in pretty much any strategy-based game.	He beats ME in pretty much every strategy-based game; leaves us with so few options of games to play.... (I do so hate to lose over and over and over again....)
He’s smart enough to teach college.  And does.	I’m the wife of a professor--suddenly I feel very very old.
He went to MIT and knows what technology is out there.	Gets [extremely] annoyed almost EVERY time I’m dealing with a provider (medical, internet, phone, you name it) and their systems are “so medieval!!!!”  (So, I’m supposed to tell them that on the phone or what??? YOU tell them that and see if it resolves the issue!)
Likes to teach our children to inquire about the world around them.	Elijah has watched so many absolutely disgusting videos.  Did you know there are parasites that will grow inside another animal and take over it’s functions--so it basically makes the host like a zombie?  Then they’ll eat their way out--GROSS!!!!!!
Finds math very easy.	He can then get frustrated with people who don’t do their math. (Like, when he knows that America’s Got Talent is trying to pull a fast one when they say, “oh! wow! both of you will go instead of just one of you”--No surprise to Jon... he did the math....Why does EVERYTHING have to be about math!?!  give me a break! :-P )

Okay, I'm done chuckling at my husband's expense.... (for now!) Time to make better use of the kids' nap time!