Haiku

No I didn't sneeze, that's Haiku, as in poetry. Eva's homework tonight was to write a haiku for her language arts class. So I'm inspired to write my own. In case you are approximately 30 years beyond 5th grade like I am then I'll remind you what a haiku is. The definition taken from Wikipedia (I love Wikipedia) is .....ok never mind, that was way more than I can process at 7pm. Let me just give you my own definition as gleaned from Mrs. Shore, 5th grade teacher. It's Japanese poetry that typically consists of 3 lines that don't rhyme. The first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 and the third line has 5 again.

Let me give you an example:

Kids never clean up
My house is a disaster
Wishing for a maid

Or...

My head hurts
Too many questions from them
I ask, why, oh why?

How about....

It's $#@%! cold out there
Where is my long underwear?
Move to Florida

Oops I rhymed. Writing poetry without rhyming is a challenge for me. But I think I'm doing pretty good.
And....

Oh my gray, gray hairs
Children, children everywhere
I need a bigger house

Ok, that last line had six syllables but I needed to get that point across.
Last one...

She is a good dog
And she can be a bad dog.
What is that god forsaken smell?

Ok, haiku is a little harder than it looks. Send me your attempts at haiku. Tomorrow will be a good day to stay inside and read poetry.

Haiku is fun fun
Kinda like Shakespeare but not
Don't be a chicken

You Lobster, Me Burrito

It's the season of love, well, almost. Valentine's Day is just around the corner so you'd better start planning something special for your sweetie. Or if you're like my parents just go to a Hallmark store together, pick out each other a card and then give it to each other right there in the store. Read it, then put it back. After 40 some years of marriage it's the perfect Valentine - quick, easy, and cheap.

Last night I told Tim he was my lobster. It's a phrase I've often heard his sister Linda say. Maybe it's a phrase you haven't heard before. It was definitely a phrase Tim hadn't heard before. So let me enlighten you. Lobsters supposedly mate for life so when you tell someone they are your lobster you're essentially saying that they are your soul mate, you're willing to love them till death do you part and there's no one else in the world you'd rather scour the ocean floor with. Tim responded by saying I was his burrito. I said "WHAT???" What does a burrito have to do with eternal undying devotion? Evidently he thought we were talking food.

He recovered by saying that he LOVES burritos and since I know this is true I know that he loves me at least as much as he loves burritos, maybe even more. Although if he'd taken a little more time to respond he might have come up with a food he enjoys even more than burritos. He might have said "you are you're mother's meatballs". I think I'm glad he didn't take more time.

So to add another page to "A YEAR IN PICTURES" I decided to go ahead and make a Valentine for my special lobster. A homemade Valentine - even better than my parents cheap and easy version.

For my one and only lobster..... in color too!

Totally Maniacal Music Monday

Welcome to the first official edition of "Michelle's Maniacal, Magic, Music, Anti-Manic Depressive, Music (did I say that already?) Monday." (name subject to change.) Ok, I know we're already half way through this Monday but better late than never right? It's hard to be musically inspired on this rather bleak and gray Monday especially with below zero degree temperatures heading to the Midwest. I think this song is a good pick because it starts out a little slow and depressing but leaps right into "IT'S A NEW DAY CHIQUITITA!!" You might just want to get up off your desk chair and dance but I'll leave that decision up to you and the people you have to watch you. This ones for you Tim!

Happy Monday.

Day 2

Sometimes life just isn't fair. Ironically this is something I'm always telling my middle child Eva who is yet again, home sick today. I'm sure she thinks this day is perfectly fair because to her the whole concept of education, school and learning is completely biased AGAINST children. Today because she is home (for yes, just the second day) my life is unfair. So, so UNFAIR.

It was just Tuesday that I finally sent all three of my children back to school after Christmas break. I had one, solo, single day of peace. Uno pequito dayo. (My spanish is a little rusty.) I'm ready for the next one.

I am going to do something that is WAY out of character for me I'm going to attempt cheeriness or rather I'm going to fake cheeriness. (It's not like you can tell the difference from my typing.) I am going to bless us all with a little pick me up. I might even make this a regular feature here at Blogginwoman. Maybe I'll do it every Monday and call it "Musical Mondays" or "Not So Manic Depressed Monday" or something like that.

Here's a crazy idea. Send me a comment and let me know what YOU think. And no email. Sign up and comment damn it. I know you're out there reading this. If you comment then I'll feel like I'm not just talking to myself. Although I'll still talk to myself too. How about Musically Manic Mondays? I know you have an opinion.

So here's my treat to you. Crank up the sound baby. Let those bell bottoms take you back to the 70's (if you really want to go there) then close your eyes (cause the Bellamy Brothers are not really a visual treat) and just sit back and let the love flow....

This one's for you Bobbie - hope you feel better soon!

Too Bad, So Sad

It was a sad morning this morning. Eva was not feeling well so we let her sleep in. So Maya had to get on the bus by herself which made her very sad. She also had to go to school and her sister did not which made her very sad. I was sad because Eva was probably going to end up staying home all day from school and I had yet to determine if Eva was sick or just "sick", so my sadness made Maya even sadder. Isaac wanted me to come to lunch with him today and I told him I couldn't do that with Eva home sick from school so he was sad.

Eva got up at 8:30 and was very happy because she didn't have to go to school. At least someone is happy today.


So here's my picture of the day...
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Our first real snow this season. This is from my front door.

You thought it was going to be a drawing of me crying my eyes out and Eva sick on the couch. Don't be sad, I'll save that for tomorrow's post...

Back To School

I have an idea. It's for a series of blogs and I'm calling it "A Year In Pictures". Scroll down for my first one.
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Those 4 years of art school have finally paid off.

OMG

Oh........my..........god........... Is it Tuesday yet? That would be the day my many mini minions go back to school. Suddenly the days are ..... moving ...... very ..... slowwwwwllllllyyyyyyyy .......

It was Saturday night that I started thinking "I'm not going to make it two more days." That might be why my head started hurting. And here it is two days later and the pressure feels like I'm 20 feet underwater. I'm fairly certain the only thing that could release the tension in my neck would be a Valium. A Valium and that big yellow school bus....

My kids are really well behaved, that's not why they make my head hurt, for the most part. What sends me over the edge is the 82 questions I answer hourly from each child. That's .... wait.... 246 questions per hour. I think I just popped a blood vessel....

The truly annoying factor is that one kid will ask a question right in front of the 2 other kids but for some reason the other two kids EACH have to ask that question again themselves. For example Maya might ask me "What's for dinner?" I'll answer the question with the other 2 children present and then Isaac will say "what are we having for dinner?" and then Eva will say "What are we having for dinner, why are we having that?, can I have something else? and when will dad be home? I'll answer all three questions so that Maya and then Isaac can follow up with the same 3 follow up questions. And then I hear some woman yelling at her kids to let her make mac 'n cheese in peace and realize shortly after the room clears that I was the one channelling Joan Crawford. Well, at least I kept the language clean. I think.

Eva has a special gift where she can ask the same question in many, many, multiple different ways which not only leaves my annoyed but frustrated. It's a gift Eva has. I hope someday it works to her advantage. I'm thinking maybe divorce lawyer. Anyway, for example, Eva has asked me several times when she and Maya can take their earrings out (Maya and Eva both got their ears pierced about 5 weeks ago.) I told her in the middle of January some time. I understand this wasn't specific enough for her. So Maya came up with a date of January 10th which she told me in front of Eva so Eva had to ask "Can we take our earrings out on January 10th?" Yes, you can. End of discussion.

The next day Eva asked me "Mom can we take our earrings out on January 10th?"
(Me) "Yes, January 10th". (She just needed a reminder.)

The next day Eva asks "Mom can we take our earrings out on Saturday?"
(Me) "Is that January 10th?"
(Eva) "Yes".
(Me) "Then yes you can."

The next day...
(Eva) "Can we put in different earrings in on Saturday?"
(Me) "Yes, you can. You can take out your earrings on Saturday, January 10th and also put in other earrings on Saturday, January 10th. You can do all those things on Saturday, January 10th. Don't ask me if you can do anything else, Saturday, January 10th. I'll say "no". Thanks for asking."