So, I was thinking. . .

Santa came with an empty sack

2009-12-15T08:58:43Z

Last Saturday, we went to the church Christmas party. It was a great success.

Santa came, and all the children lined up to greet him. The excitement in the air was great despite the fact that Santa's sack was obviously hanging flat over his shoulder.

Don't go thinking that these children are any worse behaved than other children around the world. They aren't.

You see, the children knew that Santa had not come to deliver but to receive presents. They had heard that there are some places not so far away where there is so little that even Santa couldn't find enough to provide presents for the children living there. So, they all lined up with presents in their hands to put in Santa's sack.

And, when all the gift giving was done, the children happily ran off to played while the parents sat and talked or sang Christmas songs until it got late, and then we all went home to prepare for Sunday.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T17:34:44Z

Our Thanksgiving turned out very nice, despite the fact that we noticed a bunch of little red, itchy spots on the Bulldozer. Although I am relieved that it isn't the flu starting its path of destruction through my family (the rest of us have already had them), I feel bad for the little guy. He is miserable.

As soon as my oldest got home from school, we hopped into the car and drove into the big city where DH joined us to travel a couple of blocks to the Sarah_Create Family. There, we got to eat turkey and all the trimmings. I brought a pumpkin pie, but Sarah and her crew did all the rest of the work. Thank you!! for that, Sarah and family.

Today, I have to say that I am thankful that everybody involved in the festivities yesterday had either had the chicken pox or been immunized. I am also thankful for the internet because I get to keep in touch with old friends and make new ones all in one place.

Ok, now everybody take a deep breath and enjoy a moment of tranquility because Christmas is up next.

Friday Five

2009-11-13T19:45:03Z

1. The Bulldozer had "Waldwoche" this week with the preschool. I took him to the forest in the morning and he and his friends spent a few hours getting himself really dirty until I came back to pick him up. The car smelled like forest by the time we got back home. I grew up in the desert, so something like this is a very foreign idea to me. All I could think of each morning as I walked back to my car was Hansel and Gretel. (Of course, there were adults with the children, but I wasn't one of them.)

2. Today I went to my daughter's little class program. They served a "meal" in musical numbers. All of the songs had something to do with a food item or particular dish. They wore aprons and held kitchen utensils. I thought the idea was very clever.

3. My son is at his class's "Literary Evening." The kids are all bringing books they have recently read to present to the others. You know, a little description of the book, some info on the author and a page read from the book. I wish I were invited. Of course, the kids all brought some food to share, too. What more could you want, right?

4. I am still feeling sad about the death of Robert Enke, who was the favorite to start as goalie for the German national soccer team in the next world cup. He was hit by a train on November 10th. He planned it. Only his wife and his therapist had any idea he suffered of depression. I have no more comments on this subject at this time.

5. I was talking to my neighbor, and she told me she just reached the 20th anniversary of her "Flucht" (escape) from the GDR. Yep, she crossed the border early on the 9th of November. She was still in the car with the guys who smuggled her over when they stopped to get gas and one of the guys came back and said the border was open. Crazy story!

I went to my high school reunion.

2009-10-23T19:58:57Z

As I was packing my bags to fly over, I was seriously feeling like throwing up. What do you say to a bunch of people you haven't seen for 20 years? I had no idea what to wear, and I had to spend several hours yanking grays (which, I swear, appeared in abundance just for the reunion). It turns out, a lot of people felt that way.

The first night was a casual, multi-class get together. No name-tags. A lot of funny facial expressions. People hugging and one of them obviously not recognizing the other. Long confused looks as people passed each other in the crowd, both wondering what name goes with that vaguely familiar face.

I spent most of my time at this three-day event with a the smartest girl in our class. And, the funniest thing was when this guy (man?) came up to her and introduced himself (recognized the name, but couldn't recall any details of his past self). And then, he asked, "So, are you still smart?" Oh, yes, he had been drinking. She was so stunned that she could hardly respond. I, on the other hand, was quick enough to then slip away to go pass the story on. Our other friend, who is much better with come-backs, said a good answer would have been, "No, but I'm really pretty now, so I don't mind." Dang! That was a good one.

In the end, it was like a friend of mine said it would be: the same as in high school, only people are a little nicer.

edawn @ 2009-09-21T08:40:00

2009-09-21T07:27:32Z

I had a rather discouraging conversation with my mother last night. She told me that cleaning never gets done. I have long suspected this. I was hoping that there was some secret method to do the housekeeping and make it stick. Guess not.

I was sad when Patrick Swayze died. I saw a clip of his interview with Barbara Walters, his last interview, and he said his favorite line in Ghost was when Sam said, "It's amazing, Molly. The love inside, you take it with you." That made him tear up. Me, too.

I think it is time to get back to writing. I was doing a lot of reading for a while, but I feel that it is time for me to start producing words rather than consuming them.

On not being a soccer-mom

2009-09-01T16:24:01Z

Last night, we called my son's soccer coach and informed him that he would no longer be on the team. It was hard. There were tears. Mine, his and his father's.

My son has been on a soccer team since he was six years-old. He has spent a couple of evenings each week and almost all Saturdays for the last 5 years at practice or games. He would sometimes speculate about what he would do with the money when he became one of those high paid stars. He would gladly go to practice in cold rain, thick fog or suffocating heat. All he ever seemed to want to do was play soccer. And then, just as he was starting to really shine on his team, getting compliments from his coaches and teammates, something changed. He wasn't playing as well, and, slowly but surely, he stopped wanting to go to practice and to the games. I kept telling him to give it a few weeks. Finally, we decided that he had given it enough weeks, and we made the phone call.

Maybe it is just a break. Maybe he will find that he misses it too much. Maybe. Maybe not.

clean clothes and revisions

2009-08-27T19:56:04Z

So, I bought this really funny t-shirt for the Bulldozer. It says: Save energy, wear a dirty shirt. It is black with blue letters and there are some brown smudgy looking spots across the belly. For months, it has been washed over and over. As soon as I wash it, it ends up in the laundry basket again. Finally, I had a talk with him and tried to explain the humor. He just looked at me with raised eyebrows. He still won't wear it.

On the other hand, my oldest son has begun to be rather concerned about showering and stuff. Even the hair has become a project of its own. The only thing the new behavior hasn't included is the clothing. The way he gets dressed in the morning is to grab whatever pair of pants he finds and whatever shirt, whether they match - or fit, for that matter - or not. I kid you not, one day he came down in my shirt, which neither fit him nor looked very masculine.

The night before they went back to school, I asked the kids if they had something to wear the next day. Princess, of course, said she knew exactly what she would wear. Her older brother said he had something to wear. Knowing him, I felt unsettled. "Something clean?" I asked. "Probably," he said.

On a completely unrelated note, I have done some revising. After months of thinking and deciding and then procrastinating, I have finally gotten some words on a page. Not many words, but it's something. I feel so much better now that I have started.

two down, one to go

2009-07-29T22:16:09Z

Or something around that, anyway. I know that three weeks staying at siblings' houses is not always going to be a relaxing way to vacation, but it was the thing we needed to do this year. Despite the lack of sleep and the volume one would expect to experience, we have all been having a great time. Since everybody knows that it could be about five years until I will be able to bring my whole family over again, I think it has been important to make this time good.

Other than the regular family hang-out time, we have done some shopping. Let's just say that every bookstore in the area has received a few dollars from me. I did make it to The King's English Bookstore in Salt Lake City. I was starting to think I wouldn't get it in, but we made it happen. Well, all of the bookstores made me tear up, but The King's English nearly had me on my knees refusing to leave. My husband is lucky I hate embarrassing scenes as much as I do or he would have been dragging me out of there by my ankle. The whole neighborhood is lovely, so my husband and I were already starting to get wishful as we stumbled around the residential streets in search of the small cluster of shops which include the adorable blue house full of books. So, if you have heard good things about this place, it's true. You gotta go!

I had to stop by and check on you all here at lj, but I don't think I will make it through all the posts. Glad to see that most of you seem to be doing all right.

Uh, help.

2009-07-03T17:51:59Z

I don't need to be told that a four year old should not be left alone at the computer, not even for a moment. I have figured that out. I do, however, need somebody to tell me how to get the picture facing the right way. Right now, the top is on the left side of the screen, and I have to read this sideways. Not tomention that it is really hard to use the mouse, which still thinks the top is at the top. Trying to read things is giving me a bit of a headache because I have to tilt my head so far to the side. Can anybody tell me how to fix this?

Update Olmue gave me the solution.

Welcome, July!

2009-07-01T19:02:44Z

I am so ready for school to be out. One more week, and I will have made it!

June was productive, but not what I hoped it would be.

I finished translating the contents of a website into English. I have to proof read it, but then I can send it to my friend. I hope it is alright. I started to worry at times because I wasn't sure if I was saying things the way a native English speaker would or the way a German would say things. I have been away far too long.

Now that I don't have to feel guilty for not having that translation done every time I turn on the computer, vacation season is starting. Oh well, at least I can type my own sentences now when I do get a chance to sit at the computer.

Ok, I'll do an MJ post

2009-06-29T10:17:16Z

We watched one of the many tributes being shown on television these days. My 11-year old was sitting with us, and you should have seen his face when they showed the performance where the moonwalk was first seen. I never thought about it, but my son had never seen the moonwalk. (I know! Shocking that DH and I don't spend our evenings moonwalking to the tune of Billy Jean.) He had the same look my siblings and, I assume, I did back in the good old eighties. Big eyes, jaw dangling somewhere just above his collar bone. "How did he do that?" As I was trying to explain how it works, the image of me with my siblings and my dad trying to do the moonwalk between the kitchen counter and the dinner table flashed before me. It's so funny when today meshes with yesterday.

my new theme song

2009-06-18T05:31:27Z

I was watching Larry King, and, when they went to break, this commercial came on. It doesn't matter what the commercial was for, but the song they played in the background spoke to me. There are so many things about this song that are perfect for me.

So, I looked up the website for the company and found out the name of the song. The song is far far by Yael Naim. Here is a link to the video on youtube. The strangest thing is that the old house they show at the beginning looks just like the one that appeared in the recurring nightmare I had as a teenager.

It was a gray and rainy Saturday morning.

2009-06-07T19:38:09Z

A conversation between Papa and the Bulldozer yesterday morning.

Bulldozer: Papa, do you know why it is raining?

Papa: Why?

Bulldozer: Because the Papa weather told the kid weather that he couldn't watch television, so the kid weather is crying.

Watch out for those dolphins!

2009-05-28T14:50:41Z

I was helping my son pick out clothes to wear, and he insisted on a t-shirt with a dangerous animal on it. The tiger one was dirty, and so was the dinosaur, so I offered him the rhinoceros.

No, he said. That's not dangerous.

Well, if it chases you with that horn, that could be dangerous, I said.

The one at the zoo doesn't do that, he said.

So, I looked some more.

I only have this one with the dolphins, then, I said.

That's dangerous, he said.

They are? I asked.

They have teeth, so they are dangerous, he said.

He put it on, and then we marched off to Kindergarten. I stole a look at him on the way, wondering if I will ever understand the workings of a four year-old's mind.

The European Song Contest

2009-05-15T07:59:21Z

It is Eurovision season. This is a big deal in our home. REALLY big deal!

Last night was the second semi-final.

The final is on Saturday. Can hardly wait!

We have a lot of good stuff to look forward to. I loved the Lithuanian entry, and the Danish one.

Norway is also in. I have been trying to figure out their lyrics. I don't mean the ones from this year, although they are sort of odd,. Norway has a tendency to sing strange things in English. I wonder if this has something to do typical expressions being translate from their language or if they are just trying too hard to get that rhyme. The best example of this is their 2003 entry.

Too bad they aren't in, though!

I only have one thing to say.

2009-05-13T22:52:16Z

THIS is why we love to watch the Eurovision Song Contest.

Too bad it won't be in the final on Saturday.

But, this is! (You have to get through the crazy intro to see the performance. It's worth the wait - or not.)

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T08:48:51Z

My Mother's Day was better than I expected. First, breakfast compliments of oldest son. Then, lunch and a cake compliments of the Princess. And, a cute card with lots of "writing" in it from the Bulldozer.

I called my mother. Her husband was making her breakfast, and even got to go to church with her. Her step children were coming over for dinner later. She did get some flowers from my brother - delivered FedEx on Saturday.

Next year, I am going to see if we can work on the cleaning up after the cooking for mom part. This morning things are looking pretty bad. I didn't feel like getting on their case about the clean up yesterday. We have a year to prepare for the next time, though.

For those who are mothers or feel like mothers or have mothers, I hope yesterday was a good day.

Contest

2009-04-23T17:30:02Z

For my friends who love books, I wanted to share this: Shana Silver is giving away some fun books.

Pretty much everything I wrote when I was young(er) was tossed, except for a page that was torn out of an old poetry journal. I have already posted a really bad poem from that page. Well, just when you though it couldn't get any worse, it does.

Believe that my love is true
Believe that I care for you
Pretend that your love is true
And I'll pretend it, too.

Now, I will go crawl into a corner and play dead.

edawn @ 2009-04-08T19:29:00

2009-04-08T17:32:50Z

You know how they say that the quality that bothers you most in other people is a quality that you have?

Well, I must be really stupid because I can't stand people who are so stupid that they are proud of it.

Spring Break, Spring Fever, Spring Cleaning and Stuff.

2009-04-06T15:21:52Z

No school for two weeks!! I am actually glad. I may not feel that way next week, but I might.

The sun has been shining for about a week now. I love it!! For those of you who live in places where this is lots of sunshine all year, trust me, this is a big deal.

So, now that there is plenty of natural light illuminating the dirty corners of my house, the mess in the middle of the floor is bothering me more. Time to de-clutter. Spring always makes me want to throw things out.

I was walking to the library with my 4-year-old bulldozer, and he said, "Let's do it without holding hands." Ouch.

My daughter and her friend roller-bladed up to me as I was walking to the library, and they asked if they could get the hose out and spray each other in the backyard. I said that we had bags of leaves there which I would rather not have get wet. DD started to make a fuss. I looked at her and her friend, and asked, " What did E's mother say?" The response? "Uh, well, we don't really remember." No eye contact. ---That's what I thought.

Oldest son finally changed out of the clothes he has been wearing since yesterday (it's 5pm). He is back on the couch, though. The weather is nice, so I am going to kick him out for a while. I'm sending my Bulldozer out with him.

Ah, quiet.

Disturbing

2009-04-02T11:48:17Z

I don't usually like reading books about the Holocaust, but I ordered The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne when I ordered Speak. I was too curious about how things would look through the eyes of a nine year old German boy.

It was interesting. Very, very interesting. Sometimes I wondered if the boy wasn't a little bit younger than nine, but it was a new perspective for me.

Ok, but did anybody else read that book? The end?

I think I am in denial. I have been telling myself for a few days now that I need to finish reading it, but then I realize that I did read the end. I am not dealing with the end at all, though. I am not saddened by it or upset. I know I tried to think about it, but I went to the part of my mind that likes to deal with these types of things, and it was empty. Seriously, my jaw dropped at the end - and not in shock but in utter blankness of thought.

Here's the five.

2009-03-28T08:22:28Z

We can pretend it's Friday.

1. Sore throat

2. Headache

3. Dizziness

4. Ear pain

5. Exhaustion

I think I'll go back to bed.

Sometime you have to read a book.

2009-03-19T08:49:37Z

The nice thing about reading a book,especially if it's a good one, is that somebody else did all the work to get it that way. If the characters are interesting and the story exciting, you can get to the end of it in the space of a few hours, put it down and smile. Perhaps you will want to go back and read your favorite passages.

Writing a book! Well, writing a book is something else. Writing a book is different from thinking up a story. Writing a book is WORK. A lot of WORK. And then, you have to revise it. And revise it. And ask yourself why you are doing this. And revise some more. And then you send it to somebody else. Then, you revise more.

I knew it was going to be work when I started, but I had no idea what that meant.

I'm not trying to complain. It isn't like I hate the work. It's just . . . harder than I thought it would be. (Sort of like being married and being a parent, but that's another post.)

I'm taking a moment to think

2009-03-11T20:18:59Z

First of all, I want to say that I do not live near where the school shooting took place. My children had a normal day at school and came home without any serious injuries.

I was in the car with my husband, when we first head the report of what happened.

It is always a strange feeling, to be relieved when you hear that it happened somewhere else - to someone else, and at the same time to be aware that it could have been you . It could have been your children. Because, it was somebody. It was somebody's children.

I need to pause and let my mind come to terms with this.

edawn @ 2009-03-10T07:36:00

2009-03-10T07:03:14Z

-- I just finished reading a book that didn't end, it just stopped. I don't like that. I was, in fact, so upset that I woke my husband up to complain to him about it.

-- When I asked my 4-year old where the red marker that he had stained his pant leg with could be found, he made me play charades to figure it out.

--A little girl we know had a birthday. We aren't close friends, and she is not the same age as any of our kids, so we didn't go to a birthday party, but the kids used the opportunity to clean out some shelves. They presented the treasures to her the next time we saw her. She was happy for the presents, anyway.

-- I bought some Ovomaltine Crunchy Creme bread spread. Yummy!

-- My oldest son ran out of the house claiming he was going to be late to school when I tried to give him a kiss on the head.

-- I am sleeping plenty, but I am tired all the time, anyway, and my eyes are itchy. Does that mean Spring is coming?

-- The German's use of commas baffles me.