braine power--who needs new math?

wordless+wednesday...

it's been a long time...

Princess Mikkimoto: Remember when you used to blog?

Amy: I did that?

PM: Yeah, you did. That was fun.

Amy: Yeah, those were the days... Working is really ruining my schedule.

......................................
Dear More...,

I haven't totally forgotten you and abandoned you. It just feels like that. I think of you often, though. And then, well, I am having trouble really getting down to writing anything.

I've started working again on a project I'm really enjoying, and am now working full-time, which feels amazing while I'm actually working. But when I get home to the dishes and after-school activities and the homework and the laundry (oh lord, the laundry), and the lunches (and you know how successful I am with those--just ask Tali's teacher), well, something's gotta give and lately it's been you. Hey, don't feel too bad... My Bejewelled score is suffering terribly, too. And you know, I've got this half marathon next Sunday, and um, it's been awhile since I've run 13.1 miles. Like, since last summer.

But after a month, I feel like I'm getting the hang of things. I love being back on a project and how productive it makes me feel. I love the challenges and the opportunities to find creative new ways to do things, and I'm really enjoying thinking about marketing and how people use, love, and hate it.

It's good to be back at work and it's so good to know it.

Apparently Tali was so excited when I started back that she shared me for sharing at school Nevermind that when asked what I did, she had to pause and then say "She answers phones or something..." She was excited for me and to see her understand how much working means to me absolves a lot of that working mom guilt. Not all, but a lot of it.

So I haven't forgotten you, Blog... Now that we're all getting used to my schedule, I'm recommitting to the things that I've had to drop in the last month. Be patient. And though I can't promise that the laundry mountains are getting smaller, I think I saw the icecaps at the top melting just a bit.

Talk to you soon,

Amy

portrait of a seattle princess in fleece and boots...

wordless wednesday

scary, not cute...

Contrary to their grim faces in this pic (can't you tell they're looking scary?), Sam and Tali had a great Halloween. Because Naomi was sick, we had to cancel dinner at our house, but the bigs trick or treated with neighbors and friends they met up with in the street, went over and trick or treated with friends, and just as we were about to call it an evening, more friends came over and Sam and Boaz went with them to go check out a haunted house down the street. Even the rain didn't put a damper on the festivities.

And even Naomi had a great time. She dressed up in her costume, and we took her outside for a few minutes to greet our neighbors (from distance! :) And when one of Tali's friends knew exactly what she was dressed up as (a Cheetah Ballerina Kitty), Naomi beamed.

And the thing about Halloween is that it really is an awesome community evening. There are very few other times when you can walk outside and greet your neighbors and all walk around together, without even planning it. I loved seeing all the kids dressed up and excited to see each other's costumes and giving visiting neighborhood kids tips about which houses give the best candy. We all belong to a lot of different "communities" but it's so nice to feel apart of our actual neighborhood, too.

It was also really interesting to see the evolution of costumes over the years. Sam insisted on being as scary looking as possible, and I think Naomi's screaming until she realized it was him confirmed his success. And while Tali wasn't quite ready to give up the princessy thing, she conceded with her own creation of Vampire Fairy. And by the end of the evening, she was just a plain vampire. It worked for her.

Though, I'm not sure any holiday is really a good excuse for culinary experiment of Veggie Jacko Burgers. Hmmm...

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I also wanted to share with you a great promotion from Motionbox and Shutterfuly to help you share your Halloween pics and videos.

From now until November 8th, you can get up to 60 free 4x6 prints just for posting and sharing a video on their site. Motionbox seems like an easy way to share videos online and their editing features look like a fun and easy way to play around with your videos. Let me know how it goes if you try them out!

it's official...

I no longer know more than my kid. I can no longer help him with his Hebrew homework.

Hebrew math in Rashi script???

Um, good thing I have Google to answer questions like why the sky is blue...

what a city girl puts at the top of her wish list (or why kids shouldn't be admitted to costco during the holiday season...)

wordless wednesday

kids these days, or how i prove how old and out of it i am...

After school today I took the kids to our friendly neighborhood Target to peruse the Halloween stock. We checked out the costumes, the candy (did you know that Hershey Kisses now come in Pumpkin Spice? Is that truly necessary?), and of course, the Halloween makeup where you can make disgusting scars and disfigurations that my kids are totally obsessed with. No longer fascinated with Star Wars or fairies, the kids like the scary and disgusting. And nobody could be bothered to check out the cute animal costumes.

"Not even Noemi would like those," Tali sighed, rolling her eyes and giving her shoulders a little pre-tween shake.

After we'd looked at everything, we headed to the groceries (OMG, Target now has groceries??? Do I need another excuse to head over there?) because once again we are out of milk.

"Hey, Mom! I'll bet they have stickers!" Sam suddenly yells.

"Um, sure," I say, heading toward the coolers. "Why do you want stickers?" I ask. "For your locker?"

"Noooooo!" he says totally insulted. "Why would I want stickers?!"

"I don't know," I say. "That's why I'm asking?"

"No, Mom," he says slowly and carefully, as if he's talking to someone who needs some special help (like his mom?). "Stickerz! You eat them, but you can also use them as stickers! For your face!"

"Those are so cool!," Tali chimes in. "I love those! They stick!"

"Wait," I say, "You eat them and then put the fruit snacks on your face? Why would you do that?"

"No, really," he says. "They're cool."

"Don't you usually try to avoid food on your face?" I ask.

But nobody answers me because they've found the Stickerz and hallelujah, they're on sale for .87 a box (um, that somehow did NOT surprise me that the store seems to be trying to close them out), but I score major points by splurging on two boxes.

In the car, they squeal as they each rip open a package and promptly lick their fruitsnacks and apply them to their faces like large, juicy star-shaped pimples.

"We are so cool..." Tali sighs.