Lighten Up

      I posted something big and important (to me) this morning.  Then I immediately thought, "Man, that post is WAY too heavy (and preachy, and loooong)."  So this is my randomness post to make up for it.  AND to link up with the wonderful Shawn and IA for Talk to Us Tuesday, the link up with no rules!






 

      Yesterday, I was informed by Flintstone's teachers that he is an absolute genius.  Ok, so maybe those aren't the precise words they used, but it was close enough.  They were certainly all atwitter (and I mean that in the true meaning of the word; not like they were all up on the internet talking about my baby) about his amazing communication skills.  It started when I dropped him off in the morning and he stopped me and signed that he needed to be changed.

      I love that Flintstone can tell me when he wants his diaper changed.  I never have to worry about him being uncomfortable or being wet for too long.  Though it's not exactly the most thrilling sign to have waved in my face at 4am - an hour or two before I usually have to get up.  (Seriously!  This kid pees GALLONS at night.  GALLONS).

      So, he told me he needed to be changed, and I changed him.  His teachers thought it was the neatest thing in the world.  Then, that afternoon when I picked him up, one of them told me excitedly, "He is SO smart.  Guess who said 'Bu-bye' and 'Thank you' today?"  Awesome!  He's already said bu-bye a few times, but that was the first time for thank you.  I'm so proud of him.  He signs "please" when he wants something and now says thank you!  Smartest. Baby. Ever.  15 months old.

       AND, by the way, the cutest thing known to man:

Sorry such a cruddy pic, but I still love it.  This is my little veggie monster hanging out in the garden.  He has a half eaten sweet pea in one hand and a tomato in the other.  Kid loves picking veggies in the garden.

       Work remains crazy as ever.  I've been trying to develop my professional website, but to no avail.  I only have so much engergy that I can devote to work in a given day, and my clients tend to suck up all of that and more.  Last week, I had one of the saddest cases I've ever encountered (which is saying a lot).  This week, I have one of the most obnoxious clients.  I keep reminding myself that the matter I'm handling for this client is very important to them, and that I would be equally impatient.  But seriously, getting HOURLY calls and emails doesn't actually make me work any faster.  It just annoys me.  Deep breath.  Treat others as you would want to be treated . . .

      I'm wondering if that's always possible as a lawyer.

      Of course it is.  It would just be easier to think it's not ;-)

      We got most of the Holiday cards out in time (read: I think MacGyver is mailing them today).  I got most of the gift shopping done, but haven't wrapped any of it.  And if McGyver shows up in my office before I get this stuff wrapped, I'll frigging kill him.

      Punky has a boyfriend.  I'm not thrilled with this.  I was shy and socially awkward and a total late bloomer.  I didn't really start dating until about Sophomore year of high school (though, granted, I started with a vengence and more than made up for lost time by being a total player - but NOT a sl*t).  Punky is very social, confident, pretty, and she has a boyfriend.  Of course, she's spending all day today (and yesterday) with a different boy (and an absolutely fabulous one, I might add) . . .

      Oddly, what I think bothers me more than anything is that she says she and LittleBF "are dating."  When did 9 year olds start saying that?  No, you are NOT dating.  I'm pretty dang sure if you had gone out on any dates, I'd know about it.  Whatever happened to "going together?"  Is that dead terminology?

      Perhaps it's geographic.  One of the sad consequences of having dragged Punky all over the country at the whims of the Marine Corps is that she's picked up a lot of geographical terms that I do not use, and it annoys me for no real good reason.

      I say: Hot Chocolate
      Punky says: CoCo

      I say: teenager
      Punky says: teen

      I say: pop
      Punky says: soda (or soda pop)

      And there are pronunciation issues:  I pronounce syrup (sir up), Punky pronounces it (see rup).  Granted, this is because of an episode of Friends (for an explaination of why we have a freakish love of Friends in our home, read this).

      There are more, but you get the idea.

      We are still embracing the new holiday traditions at home.  Tonight we're making ethical gingerbread to be used Solstice night.  MacGyver is We're almost done with the first incarnation of the Wheel of the Year Tree.  I say first incarnation because I've already come up with a couple ways I want to change and perfect it.

       The Wheel of the Year Tree is something I came up with (though I'm sure I'm not the first to have come up with it) a while ago, but never got around to putting into practice until MacGyver came up with a couple of ideas that would work perfectly with the Tree.  The Wheel Tree is basically a year round holiday tree. 

      It is made of a few tree branches lashed together into a smallish tree, which will go in the center of our dinner table (MacGyver's brilliant idea).  From it's branches, we will hang seasonally appropriate objects.  Next Solstice season, it will serve as our advent calendar:  We will hang little numbered ornaments that open up from it's branches.  For Thanksgiving, we will hang leaves with things we are thankful for written on them.  At Ostara, we will hang wishes, probably in eggs.  You get the idea. 

      I'm very excited about this new tradition.  The tree is almost ready to be placed on the table.  I'll be sure to put up a post once we get into the swing of using it.

      I wish you all a happy and not-too-chaotic pre-Solstice week!

     

Guess Who!?

Someone got into the kitty's stocking and decided to go "fishing" with his catnip fish.