*sigh*

I'm going to take a bloggin' break for a while (I have been unofficially for about a week) and I will leave you with this:

A friend of my mom's posted this..I think it was somehow related to the election and John McCain has 7 houses or something stupid but the question was, "If you could own 7 houses where would they be?"

First...Right here. All alone.

Second...

I don't really like big houses but if I could pick one of them to be extra large it would be a cabin. A cabin with a creek just deep enough for sitting in a lawn chair in the middle, lots of hiking nearby, lots of snow in the winter and a mess-o-bedrooms with a bunch of bunk beds and a loooong dining table with 20 chairs, a huge kitchen for some group cooking/eating, a fire pit outside, a huge fireplace inside (damn efficiency, I want real wood and flames) a closet full of board games, a heated porch to hang your cold snowy clothes, a meadow that has wildflowers in the spring and maybe even a little garden (all practicality of upkeep aside).

Third...

Doesn't it just look FUN!?

I checked out a tree house in Mexico and it was so cool! The problem was that these houses were built in trees because of seasonal flooding. Not so much fun.

Fourth...

I would love a big 'ol creaky farmhouse that is maybe even a little creepy. It would need a barn for sure, with a hay loft, and a huge flower garden, a short fence covered in some kind of flowery vine, grass, trees maybe some chickens.

Fifth...

Pacific Heights neighborhood in San Francisco but only on a beautiful day with a little breeze, a lot of sunshine and a view across the bay as far as you can see. That was a perfect, perfect day that makes me hold a special little place for that neighborhood. Not to mention that it's full of beautiful houses!

Sixth...

and Seventh...

The most realistic and the one I want the very most...

A perfect craftsman bungalow in my very own hometown.

2 bedrooms, one bathroom, garage in the alley, front porch, wood floors, plenty of windows, small yard, walking distance to school. A girl can dream, right?

Lovin' Right Now

1. Making a couple things for Christmas from this book and this blog.
Making things used to be my favorite thing to do, but lately (my mom is a little horrified, I think) my "maker" is totally broken. I haven't even bought any pretty paper lately. Maybe it's coming back, slowly.

2. New books from the library.
I get so caught up in buying books that I forget that crazy little thing called borrowing.

3. Different ways to celebrate winter holidays.
Jodeen (yoga teacher at school) talked about Solstice today in my class. Saturday night I'm going to incorporate her idea into our little Solstice celebration. Isn't that what we're calling it, Jen? hehe

4. A stack of wool sweaters from the thrift store.
To felt and recycle into cute little things like this! Gotta get lots of things to do in the winter! This will be our first NO TV winter. Cross your fingers for us. This book is so adorable.

Browsing

I always like to take a little looksie at the blogs that other people read.

I finally got around to checking out the blogs that N*77 and The Dead Acorn read regularly and I came across this little gem:

Hmmm. I wonder if The Dead Acorn thinks this one is funny?

And on N*77:

Moping With Intent To Gawk said:

"Junior seemed nonplussed by the entire transition while Mom and I fretted through that first night, the walkie-talkie baby monitor action is something I'll have to get used to. Not sure if it allows me to rest assured knowing I'll hear the mayhem when it starts or if it just furthers the level of paranoia I'm already experiencing."

Ah, reading this brought back memories of that baby monitor paranoia.

Hey P77: It furthers the paranoia!

I remember the day that I made peace with it. I read in a book or magazine something like:

"Turn it off!!! No one I know owns a house so big that you can't hear your baby cry. Baby monitors are the devil!!"

Something like that. So I said goodbye to the monitor and voila! better sleep for me AND Juju! Apparently she didn't want me all up in her face every time she sniffed any more than I wanted to haul out of bed!

Quote Of The Week

"You're a teacher and a democrat. You can't say 'retard'.

-Joe O'Dell

Happy Birthday To You!

Dad,


Happy Birthday!


Love,

Your favorite kid
(That's me, right?)

More where that came from

She's such a little kook!

The essence of Juju

I think this is "Faux Horror" as in "Oh my there is a giant crab on the beach and I am so afraid! Giggle, giggle."

"Juju Wogers"

My baby turned 4 yesterday.

I can clearly remember the day I found out I was having her. If you do the math from my previous posts you'll realize that Olivia and Jamie are 13 months apart and (no offense to anyone who DID plan it) no one in their right mind would plan on having kids that close together.

It was the first week in July and Olivia was just starting to do a little scooting around on her belly and getting up on her hands and knees to crawl. I sat and watched her for what seemed like hours and thought, "If I don't take a pregnancy test and I never find out for sure then it won't actually be happening." I was THAT terrified. It could have been that same day or maybe the next that I finally called my friend, Jen, and told her I thought I was pregnant.

My memories right here are a little foggy...we went to Walgreens together or maybe she went alone..but an hour or so later there we are in my bathroom looking at that stick with the two lines and I can not think any thought but, "FUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (sorry mom)

Jen just happened to work at the medical imaging center so she very calmly (yeah right) said, "Lets go down and see how far along you are. Maybe you are just pregnant and they'll be about 18 months apart. That's not so bad."

Fast forward to me and the ultrasound technician:

"So, how far along do you think you are?"

"Oh, about 4 months."

Raised eyebrow, "Really?"

"Yep, that was the last time I had sex"

"Well, lets just see here."

Puts the gel on my tummy, presses the wand thing-y to my tummy and instantly says,

"WHOA! You weren't kidding!"

I'm pretty sure that I immediately started crying.

"Well, it's a girl and you are about 18 weeks along" (THAT'S ALMOST HALFWAY!)

Fast forward over the next very terrifying several months and here's the part where it gets maybe too honest.

I would like to say that I got over it and that by the time Jamie was born I was the picture of serenity but the truth is that I wasn't. I was just as scared on the day she was born as I was way back in July.
I was sure that there was no way in hell that I could take care of two babies.

My mom never left my house without all three of us in tow for a week straight. I cried all the time. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep and I'm pretty sure that my mom made me take a shower.

Gradually things got better and ever so slowly I found out that I was quite capable of taking care of two kids. (Wait a minute? Don't I do this for a living?) And I found out that I was capable of some pretty amazing things. Things that you see in a movie. Baby attached to left breast, one hand changing a diaper and the other hand holding the phone.

And now.... How boring would my life would be without my beautiful, quirky, hilarious JuJu?
She keeps me on my toes, that one.

To my Wittle JuJu Wogers:

Happy birthday little softie. I love you so much. I can't believe I get to be your mommy. You are just so darn cool.

Every time you find the crazy in the mundane, I think, "How did I ever live without you to bring so much life to my life?" You make every day an adventure and an exercise in arms wide open pure joyful living. YOU are the girl that I would pick to go dancing in the rain with.

I love you baby and I can't wait to live another year with you...you get funnier every day!