Loco-motivation

This is a freshly-sealed mounting block for the mask I'm making to send to NYC. I have all the pieces ready... I just need some motivation to put it all together and get it in the mail... *sigh*





The mask itself is out in the garage waiting for the final coat of paint to dry. It's going to be a dual-part mask, completely different from anything I've ever done, and I'm totally excited for it to be finished.

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In the rush to get going this morning, I didn't get a chance to weigh the kittens, but they're doing wonderfully.

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I have a raging headache from so much stress the last couple days. I'm going to go drink some water and wait for my lemon cake (for the school librarian <3) to come out of the oven. Then another cake will go in.


Oh! Speaking of water, anyone who knows me well knows I have a bit of an obsession with 24 oz tumblers. I don't want glass. If my kids knock it over, I don't want it broken. So I have some Tervis tumblers. They are genius. They hold 24 oz, but there are smaller sizes and coffee mugs and all sorts of stuff. They have travel lids. They are dishwasher safe and the microwave safeness is awesome! You put them in the microwave and the stuff inside gets nice and hot and the outside stays room temperature. They insulate so the stuff inside STAYS hot or cold. They don't sweat! They are way more efficient than those weird insulating glasses with the not-water (what IS that stuff, anyway?) in between the walls. They come with cute patches in between the walls. I have one with owls, one that says "mom", an Avalanche patch in one, and Husband always steals the one with the flag inside. They're 100% made in America! Tons of options for patches! You can get them at Tervis.com or at your local Bed, Bath and Beyond or whatever linen supply store. Get them! They're a little pricey, but totally worth it!

Here we are at 19 days old!

Twisted Metal- The Aftermath of a Train Wreck

It's not that I don't like being a mother, it's just that my kids spend an unbelievable amount of time trying to make me crazy. For instance, I don't understand the appeal of cat kibble to small children, but now that Older Daughter has learned that we Do Not Touch, it's time for Younger Daughter to be in it all the time. So I try to keep it picked up unless the cat is actually eating. But then I get busy doing something else (dishes, taking trash out, changing diapers, etc) and I forget and immediately I have to dig cat food out of baby's mouth and wash it off of her hands and sweep the floor.

If I sweep and mop the floor, someone will immediately spill their milk or water or drop sugar all over the floor. I can't win. Eventually, it all starts really getting to me and there are days, like today, that I'd like to pack my bags and leave all of this behind. I won't, but I'd like to.

This morning started with Son taking a shower and immediately putting on filthy clothes that he'd worn twice since last week without washing them. They were smeared with who knows what and when I told him to go change his clothes, I was met with half-assed refusal. So I yelled at him, swatted his butt, and then I followed him up to his room and watched while he changed all of his clothes. It would be one thing if this was the first time, but we've gone through this before. He wore the same outfit for a whole week once before I lost my temper and spent 20 minutes screaming at him that he needs to put on clean clothes every day. Why? Why is this even an issue?

While we're on the subject of Son getting on my nerves, I'd like to know why he will NOT stay out of things he's not supposed to be getting into. Why does he insist on destroying things for no reason? Why does he have to give me THAT look when he knows it makes me crazy? Why can't he just behave for once, if even just for a little while?


Younger Daughter didn't help matters this morning by screaming like she was being killed when I put her in her high chair to feed her breakfast. I gave up and put her down for an early nap.

Kittens? They're good. Not much to report. Closing in on half a pound each, still way behind where they should be, but they're healthy and energetic so I won't worry.


I've got my first Pay It Forward project for facebook completely put together. A little polishing and it will be finished and in the mail. I also have some wonderful ideas for other stuff I want to make, I just have to actually go DO it.

For now, I'm going to take Older Daughter up to my art desk and let her dig through stuff so she can decorate a little heart thing for her preschool class. I don't really want to do so, but it's due tomorrow and I need to get moving and stop stewing about everything that's annoying me today.

First a nap, zen we launch ze miss-siles!

No post yesterday as the whole day was a chaotic mess. Son couldn't get on the ball in the morning and it took constant prodding to get him to eat, shower, and brush his teeth. Youngest Daughter was screaming to be fed, kittens were screaming to be fed, Grandmother was busy taking medicine and putting on makeup and wasting time doing nothing. Oldest Daughter crapped in her pants and proceeded to take off her pants, leaving her mess all over the living room floor and smeared up and down her legs.

Emergency bath, load everyone in the car, almost missed the bus. Traffic to Denver was ridiculous, but that's 9 am rush hour for you. Dropped Grandma off at the Center for The Blind, Youngest Daughter is hungry but too tired to eat by the time we get home.

Weigh the kittens, both are down about a half an ounce. Covered in urine and feces. Feed them, wash them, now they're escaping the box when I'm not looking.

Youngest daughter gets up to eat, we drop cakes off at the school and come home and she goes right back down for another nap. Feed kittens again. Start some laundry, load the dishwasher, Husband calls at 2:00 when he's supposed to be almost home from Colorado Springs and says he's just now leaving. This upsets me, but it isn't his fault.

So now I have to get dinner started because Oldest Daughter is always hungry around 4:30 or 5:00, sooner if she's been at day care all day. A neighbor brought Son home from the bus stop because Youngest Daughter is still asleep. Dinner is started, ready to go in the oven right as Husband gets home with Oldest Daughter.

Give him directions. Do some laundry. Dinner in 30 mins. Kittens need to be fed. I have to go.

Book fair wasn't bad, waves of lots of people and then dead for a while. Rinse and repeat.

Neat fundraiser they're doing this year. Colored change buckets. Green, pink, purple, orange, blue. Drop in some change. Librarian will dye her hair the matching color after 3,001 books are sold. Money goes to Children's Hospital for new books. Scholastic will match each book we buy for the hospital with another book for the Homeless Coalition.

8:30. Time to go home. Free bag of clementines. Avalanche lose to the Wild. Guinness! Sleep.

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Now it's Wednesday. Oldest Daughter has spent most of the morning on the potty because I can't have another episode like yesterday, and she's ready to be potty trained anyway, even though she blatantly refuses to be at this point. She changes and wipes her dolls. Wants to wipe herself. Makes all her dollhouse dolls sit on the toilet. She's ready. I will get her potty trained.

Going to Denver this afternoon, like every Wednesday. Half to come up with a casserole idea or something since I'm not making a roast this week. I'd really like to take a nap, but instead it's more laundry, more dishes, more kittens.

Each life has meaning

Da Vinci passed this afternoon while I was meeting the bus. In 12 days, he'd only gained an ounce. He and Spirit will be buried in the flower garden this spring.

Waiting with baited breath

I'm making a special update for those of you following the kitten saga. I have a vet appointment this afternoon for Da Vinci. He's suddenly very lethargic and won't eat anything at all and he's lost lots of weight.

Lunar (Chinese) New Year

It's the Year of the Dragon, y'all. I'm a snap dragon, myself. Part of me has snapped and the rest of me is draggin'. Speaking of dragons, the Postal Service has new stamps out today. Oh, and another lovely price increase. But cool stamps.

Book Fair at Son's school starts today. I've working sales tomorrow afternoon until about 8:00 pm. I've also volunteered to bring in something for the cake walk, so I've got to make a decision on what to make and then make sure I have everything I need for it.

All of the kittens have their eyes open now. They're getting big too, and look like real cats and not just balls of mush and fur. Da Vinci is the only problem. I have to fight him to eat at every feeding. He's lost about a half an ounce in weight (which is a lot as a kitten) but he did finally eat really well this weekend.

Neighbor girl and her mom came by last night to see him. They want to take him to their house for the weekend. I explained that he has to be fed every three to four hours and they'll have to stimulate his butt so he can poop. Mom doesn't seem to thrilled about the idea now, but I think if the daughter wants to do it, they'll go for it.

I started a new book this weekend, since I finished The Mill River Recluse (the ending was wonderful!). I'm now reading The Magicians by Lev Grossman. Only about a chapter in so far, but it's starting out well.

I have all the supplies for the Mardi Gras mask. No I just have to get it put together and have a plaque made, and I can put it in the mail.

Not much else to talk about. We stayed at home the whole weekend with kids and kittens.