Guilty Pleasures

What I should be doing= cleaning the house.  What I'm really doing= reading a book.

I remembered about books today.  That I like them.  Shawn happened to be able to go with me to library story time today because we didn't go on our normal day.  Usually, we sit and listen to the stories, color a picture, and then pick out books and go home.  I'm busily running after a 1 year old the whole time and keeping tabs on 4,6,and 10 year old boys who are grabbing books at random (except Demetri- who is supposed to look them up first and find what he wants) and asking if we can bring them home.  (We now limit picture books to age.  The 4 yr old gets 4 books, etc.)

Today, since Shawn was there to watch kids for a little while, I got to go...UPSTAIRS, to the adult section of the library (*squeal*)!  I was a little hurried, but I picked up three books and my house has been suffering for it ever since.  The kitchen is clean and that's the important part right?  I even had two people separately drop by today (of course, since I didn't clean much), and was able to let them in my house :).  So I figured maybe I could get away with reading for a while.  I asked for books about developing a music curriculum- like Kindermusic or something.  There wasn't anything like that so I'll have to peruse Amazon.  But there were a couple of about music and young kids in the home, and I'm always looking for new activities or ideas for singing, rhythm games, and anything else related.  They know all the ones I remember...and it's starting to get repetitive.  You can only play "Who Stole the Cookie From the Cookie Jar" so many times.  They like "The Telephone Game" and there are definitely some favorite songs.  They love to "throw people out the window"- haha.  But still.  Variety is good.  So I'm making a list :).

Oh, and Olie has been super duper excited all weekend because today he was able to get a library card.  The librarian told him he could have one if he can sign his whole name, but he had to talk to Shawn and me first.  We decided he is old enough, and he has a place to put it (he got a wallet as a prize for losing his first tooth a month or two ago), so now he gets to be more responsible for his own books.  He borrowed a movie today too because he's been saving money (it costs $1.00 at our library).  He's been proudly showing his library card to anyone who would look at it :).  

And with that, I think I'll go back to my book!

Books and Children. Two of my favorite things.

This evening I attempted to go through my Amazon wish list and figure out what book I want to buy next month.  Ha!  I’m approaching 300 items on my list.  It appears that I am getting behind in my reading.  They aren’t all books.  There are probably about 10 games, 5 or 6 pieces of sheet music, and several soundtracks from classic films and Broadway plays.  But still.  My husband wants to know where I’m going to put all of them.  We have a whole wall of books in the living room, and some upstairs for kids, and in my room.  The guest room?  :).  Picking one book…I may as well point a finger at a random spot on the computer screen and get that one.  (I figure I could spend $1000 on books without wincing.  Don’t worry Shawn, I won’t do it…right now.)

Teddy is out of a cast and into a boot.  He doesn’t mind, and it sure doesn’t seem to hamper his walking.  Olie got all of his chores done this morning, and his school so he could go play.  He’s in a “super-excited about learning everything” stage.  Xander is really into pushing everyone else off Mom’s lap; he OWNS me right now.  The other kids come sit on my lap just to watch him squeal and come get them off.  It’s become a great game to see how long someone can be there before he notices.  Demetri is getting much better at writing without whining.  I hope someday he learns to love it.  I love them.  I enjoyed being a mom today.  I need to take more pictures.

Why do I always have to think up a title for my posts...it's more trouble than the actual posts!

I've tried to post several times in the last couple days, but something has been wrong with this page.  The kids and I are at my in-law's while they are in Florida :).  Everyone's doing pretty well I think.  Incidents have been kept to a minimum, and I'm learning a lot!

I've found some great books lately, and I've actually been getting a lot of reading in because I haven't been feeling up to lots of cleaning and walking around.  My ankles have decided that I'm putting too much weight on them...so I've been sitting down a lot.  Who knows, maybe I'll get that nesting instinct in the next 3 weeks, but for now I'm pretty sedentary.  And glad to have help from Lena and Demetri :).

The boys are enjoying their time here, don't quite understand the idea that we're only going back to California for a month, but are pretty excited about Texas.  They're making the most of the snow and the hot tub.  I told Shawn someday we may have to get a hot tub, because I think my children are half fish.  A pool might be a little more appropriate but I'm pretty sure they'd get by with a hot tub, haha.  On the other hand I feel children are drowning in privileges today and it's not good for them.  I guess I may rethink the idea.  

It's my house...

My brother and my mother just had an argument about whether or not they would record a show called Hot Shots. It's a PG-13 show about people who shoot really well. Mom says its a waste of time and she doesn't want PG-13 shows or movies in the house. How do I justify recording Gilligan's Island but not Hot Shots? I don't. It's completely arbitrary, and I like it that way. It's easy to argue that Gilligan's Island is just as much a waste of time (or more) as Hot Shots and that the only difference is preference. Or even that at least you learn something from watching a movie about real people who shoot really well. I don't care; I have simply decided, like Mom, that I like Gilligan's Island and PG-13 movies and shows are out. And that's one of the beauties of having my own house. (You know, I think a lot of my ideas are shaped by my mother!)

I'm sick. I hate being sick. My friend gave me some Super Tonic and Antiplague. Both are gross, but I'm used to Anti-plague. Super Tonic is the most horrid tasting stuff I've ever voluntarily taken- icky! However, even pico de gallo doesn't drain my sinuses this well; it works like a charm...maybe a little too well. I'm going to have to find out how to make it.

I'm reading a book called The China Study. I'm only about 40 pages into it but so far I love it. I'm never all to sure about health and nutrition books because of all my preconceived notions and my general distrust of “experts,” and I don't know that I'll agree with everything in this book, but so far it's pretty good. Lots of statistics, which aren't really my thing, but my husband will like it.

I think I'll go watch a really good old movie and then go to bed, hoping to feel a lot better in the morning.