Crafting Confession

I am seriously crafting challenged.

As lost as some are in the kitchen, I am in the isles of AC Moore and Michael's.  

You will never find me making a quilt from my children's old team t-shirts.   

Don't ask me to make costumes for the class play - I don't think 1st grade is ready for a revival of "Hair".  

My children will always wear commercially-produced costumes (unless they make it themselves).  

Playdough is my neat-freak vexation, while my 6-year-old creates an underwater volcano, complete with underwater creatures, from just yellow, black & green.

My 4-year-old's stick figures are better mine.

Then I realized the usefulness of something that's been buried in my photo supply bin for years, one particular item that may significantly impact my future crafting with my arts & crafts-loving Padawans -- scrapbooking tabs.

No sticky glue sticks or gooey Elmers! Clean & simple -- definitely a new favorite thing!

I have also discovered the usefulness of the whirling dervish of crafty shears my mother sent to the boys a few years ago.

All I need to add is a multi-colored pad of construction paper!

Collages just happen! With little instruction or supervision from Mom!

Then today, as I struggled to entertain the Master while the Baron was off at an after-school playdate, I stumbled upon a moment of crafty genius...

Tic-Tack-Toe!

Is there hope for the Fortuitous Housewife? 

But don't look for any costumes or quilts anytime soon!

Redshirting...what about tomorrow?

Kids have only been in school for a few weeks, but already our local playgrounds, my web of Facebook friends, and the Frog & Snail Society is abuzz with the "hot topic" of this fall . . . redshirting.

 

And Moms in the trenches aren't the only ones discussing & debating - Parents magazine's August issue offered up "Holding Kids Back for Success", while a few days ago the New York Times weighed in with Sam Wang & Sandra Aamodt's "Delay Kindergarten at Your Child's Peril".

Before I share my meager two cents, a few personal disclaimers...

• I was the youngest in my class (until high school), with a November 29th birthday running up against California's then December 1st cut off.
  (Imagine my excitement when I discovered a girl in my high school biology class had a November 30th birthday!)

• The Baron of Boredom is a Gemini, while the Master of Mayhem is just two days into Cancer - both June babes - and I've been fielding the kindergarten enrolling inquest since 2008, when the Baron started preschool at age three.

• I am so very thankful both the Baron & Master met all their milestones and are big for their age, so "redshirting" wasn't something we ever felt we needed to consider.

• I try to stay far, far away from the parenting soap box full of opinions & judgement -- there are plenty of folks eager to step up on that platform. I may not agree with your choices, but I do firmly believe we are all trying to do the best for our children. 

That said . . . enough already with this "redshirting"!

Just because your kid's birthday is a few weeks, or months, before your school system's cut off date, or is a few inches shorter than their peers doesn't mean you should sentence them to another year of preschool.

Of course, there are instances when both the professionals and parents agree that a child truly needs a little extra time before confronting the pressures of kindergarten, but holding back solely because you don't want them to be the youngest or the smallest in their class seems just plain selfish.

Why must your child be the oldest? The biggest? 

In the midst of this developing trend, I keep waiting to hear someone with credentials, someone wiser than myself, consider the potential long-term impact of "redshirting".

• Back in my day, there was a stigma attached to being "held back".

• Why is it alright for some parents to sentence my children to being the youngest? Just because I sent my boys to school when there were supposed to go.

• And how will this trend affect future classrooms, with bored students that really should be in the next grade up. How will teachers juggle teaching those that are in their age-appropriate grade while still engaging those that are older?

Personally, I think folks are failing to consider the long-term ramifications of their short-term choices.

Back in Vogue

I started buying Vogue way, way back in high school and kept reading right through college.

Heck, at my small, mid-west alma mater, Stephens College, a womens' college with a serious fashion fixation (surprise, surprise), I think Vogue was actually considered a textbook, maybe even a sacred tome.

As a young professional woman, I continued to peruse Vogue's pages, a guide to aspirational living, but I abandoned Vogue during the decade I was lost in the Adirondack woods (jeans, t-shirt, fleece & hiking boots are the uniform of the north woods).

Recently, while standing in the CVS checkout line, struggling to corral the Baron & Master, the mega-sized September Vogue caught my eye. I pulled it off the rack without much thought, an old reflex awakened.

As in the past, it took me a few days to wade through the hundreds of pages, and I was left with just one question . . . the 80's are back?!

Source: dolcegabbana.com via Lollie on Pinterest

Gold lamé, fedoras, Ray-Ban Wayfarers, peg-leg pants (I've even spotted a few zippers at ankles!), pointy-toed loafers & pumps...

Oh my god! 

Gag me with a spoon!  

Has anyone notified Elvis Costello, Boy George, Howard Jones, Adam Ant, Flock of Seagulls, and the Stray Cats their time has come again? 

Then, the other day, I spotted Lindsay Ferrier's  post on The Stir..."Jennifer Aniston Has Sharp Fall Style: Copy Her Look!"

Source: thestir.cafemom.com via Lollie on Pinterest

Ms. Ferrier says I can copy Ms. Aniston's "Sharp Fall Style"...I say Jennifer's copying a look I sported through most of my college years.

Back then it didn't get any simpler...a thrift-store scored men's blazer, a white Fruit-of-the-Loom boys' tee, some long-ago forgotten ex-boyfriend's Levi 501's, Ray-Ban Aviators (my personal style choice, something ever so slightly off the trend). 

Of course, Jen is sportin' the oh-so-of-the-moment bootie, shobootie, shootie (whatever you want to call it!). I remember my college roommate stashing away waitressing tips for weeks to buy herself a pair just like these. I think they were from Guess.

Source: thestir.cafemom.com via Lollie on Pinterest

Alas, I was never a cool bootie gal, I thought they looked odd back then & I still do.

Source: kswiss.com via Lollie on Pinterest 

Back then, for me, it was always a pair of perpetually untied, K-Swiss Classics (no socks!).

OMG, it's official...I am old enough to have fond memories of one of today's hottest style trends from its first time around!

I don't know whether I should celebrate the return of familiar fashion friends or slink off into a corner and cry into my tequila.

Fall Resolutions

Once upon a time I claimed to not be one of those people that make resolutions, then again, once upon a time I said I would never be a blogger...never say never, it will always come back to bite you on your good intentions!

Now that the Baron of Boredom & Master of Mayhem are back in school, it seems like everywhere I turn there's a project I am eager to pounce on.

You know, we all have one, that project wish list that never seems to get shorter, the one tacked to the bulletin board and curling at the corners, yellowing in a notebook, or buried under a pile of junk mail, receipts and permission slips on the kitchen counter.

So, now that I once again have a few hours each day to call my own, I find myself making promises to myself, resolutions you might say, and I figure if I publish them it might help keep my ADD-addled brain focused on results.

So here we go...

1)  Get back to thrice (or more) weekly posting. 

When I started this bloggin' thang I thought "How can I possibly ever have enough to blather on about to keep a blog going?" Now, I find myself perpetually frustrated by the abundance of inspiration and limits of time and energy.

2)  New & improve the Fortuitous Housewife. 

As I immerse myself in this ever expanding blogosphere, I discover, learn and am inspired, and my list of things to read, research and implement grows.

Stay tuned, gang, this should be fun!

3)  Clean out, purge, reorganize & freshen up my little nook.

This was my cozy space a few weeks after we moved into our house,before any pictures were hung, or calendars & notes were taped up.

The "to be filed" pile grew into a leaning tower, then recently collapsed onto the floor behind the door. Yikes! All the while, the filing cabinets are chock full of ancient, irrelevant history.

I always work better in an organized environment -- it's my anti-ADD solution -- but the piles are steadily expanding their dominion and my "work space" may be put on the endangered list.

4)  Update the photo collage wall in the living room.

I was so proud of my collage wall when I hung it shortly after we moved in, and was going to update the photos regularly. Ah, once again those good intentions fall victim to the day-to-day! The most recent photos are 2+ years old!

This one is really driving me crazy -- every time I sit down on the couch (not that that happens all that often), those aging images taunt me. 

5)  Scrapbooking 

The album fantasy list is long -- "first year" for each of the boys, redo my grandmother's flapper-era photo album (the book & pages are turning to black dusk), my high school years, my college years -- but those damn good intentions have failed me everytime.

Thanks to MyMemories, who recently shared their software suite with the Fortuitous Housewife (and I'm looking forward to sharing with one of you), I am once again inspired to give scrapbooking a try.

Stay tuned, I'll be sharing the results with y'all VERY soon.

Of course there are a multitude of other action items I could add to the list, but I'm aiming for realistic & attainable, hopefully before the holiday mayhem ensues. 

Pray for me!

Sigh of relief heard 'round...

The world? Ok, maybe not the world, but definitely around our lovely suburban hamlet.

As of this morning both the Baron of Boredom and the Master of Mayhem are back where they belong, in school, and this housewife is feeling very fortunate indeed.

Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful summer with my mini-men. I count myself truly fortunate, even on the very worst of days, to be able to be home with my guys. It truly is a gift I will always treasure, and I hope they will also look back on without too much groaning & eye rolling.

Ah...what a difference a week makes though. This morning's sun rose into a clear blue, cloudless sky, birds were chirping, and the Baron & Master woke in spectacularly good moods.

Breakfast and toilette were accomplished without Mom straining her voice or nerves, heck, there was even time to squander on a few Beyblade battles and some Tom & Jerry.

8:15 a.m. -- shoes on, backpacks hefted onto each little backs, a few quick snaps, into the mini-van, seat belts buckled -- all systems go! Still no stressing!

I actually had both boys dumped at their respective schools early!

Back home, a quick happy dance, while the coffee steeped in the french press, then up to my office I skipped!

Fall's arrival has got me giddy with excitement, anticipation and enthusiasm. So much to get done, so many lists to attend to, but now there's time, blissful, bountiful spans of time!

For now though, I must turn my attention to a newsletter that is days behind schedule.

How are you savoring, or squandering, your back-to-school free time? 

Tomorrow...fall resolutions, and maybe a mani-pedi, too.

Worst First

I should be sitting here in my tiny home office (A cubicle is spacious compared to my little nook with a door, but it's mine, all mine.) sipping a latte and thinking of my excited little man settling into his 1st Grade classroom, instead I'm sitting here waiting for my blood pressure to return to a safe zone as my clothes tumble around in the drier.

Kinda wishing it wasn't 10:30 a.m.

I started this morning a "good" Mom, determined to make it a memorable and peaceful send off for the Baron of Boredom. I got up at 6:15, carefully packed a smorgasbord of favorites in his lunch box and made a special 1st-day-of-school breakfast (Challah French Toast, Canadian Bacon, Strawberries).

Weeksworld was humming along. Daddy kissed our 1st Grader goodbye & wished him luck.

Then, mere moments after Daddy walked out of the house into the drizzly morning, negative forces, like a gang of Deatheaters, swooped in and hijacked my carefully planned morning.

Suddenly both pairs of "hearing ears" malfunctioned, the first-day-of-school outfit was vetoed (only his ratty old Star Wars t-shirt would do), and, despite the deluge outside, rain boots were refused (insisting on wearing his new sneakers and explaining at length that he didn't want to have to change his shoes when he got to school).

Then the Master of Mayhem decided to up the level of difficulty on Mama, too! Refusing to wear the khakis and t-shirt I'd laid out, demanding to wear the Star Wars shirt his brother had just donned and a pair of wintery fleece-lined pants.

And then there was the struggle to brush -- teeth, hair -- ugh!!! 

Mama was reduced to a screamin' freakout! 

With each passing minute the rain intensified and so did the decibel level in our humble house.

I knew what this rainy morning meant - our "walking" school would all be driving, the tiny school parking lot would be jammed, cars would be parked along every side street, and we would end up parking 1/2 way back to our house. But there wasn't any time left to walk! We had to leave, now, now, now!

In the midst of the mayhem, my poor, dear 1st Grader mutters "I'm nervous, Mommy. I don't want to go to school."

Perfect! School starts in 2 minutes, dude! What happened to the guy that was begging for school two weeks ago? There's no time for hugs and reassurances, mister!

Shoot, I almost forgot -- the official back-to-school morning picture.

Not even "say booger", "say fart" or "say poop" could get a real smile out of him.

It was official -- I had gone from "good" to "bad" Mommy in less than 30 minutes. That must be some kind of Momming speed record!

Sneakers wouldn't tie, rain boots went missing, rain jacket zippers jammed, and a curse or two may have been muttered as I chased my mini-men out of the house and into the mini-van.

True to my prediction, the parking lot was a battlefield, every inch of curb along the side streets was taken. We finally parked two blocks from school (we live five blocks from school) and hoofed it up the hill in the pouring rain, no puddle missed, to a school full of wet, nervous chaos.

The annual playground ritual of each class assembling behind their teacher and walking into to school was replaced by noise, confusion and damp body heat.

The Baron clutched my hand, and buried his face in my dripping Mt. Hardware shell. But he prevailed, and when it was time to head off to learning, he gave me a hug and a kiss, then marched away with his damp classmates. I couldn't have been prouder.

Phew, I survived the first of two first days! Now, I'm praying next week, when it's the Master's first day of school, Mother Nature will be kinder and my children will be gentler with Mommy's nerves.

Summer's End

I have one hour and 56 minutes before the "unofficial" end of summer -- I better get these snaps from our Maine sojourn posted before the statute of limitations on summer sharing runs out!

My dear friend, The Runner, invited we Weekses to join her family on the Main coast, in a wonderful, quaint, slow-paced spot just outside Portland. Her family has been spending the summer in this particular little beach village for decades, and after our visit I understand why they keep going back, year after year after year.

All these vistas were mere steps from the beach house stairs down to the beach - quintessential, idyllic Maine.

It was this CA girl's first trip to the ME coast -- I knew they had beaches (and blueberries and lobster), but other people's pictures just didn't do the place justice.

Rocky shorelines, expansive beaches, slow-pace, and totally lacking affectation -- I felt right at home. Not even the chilly Atlantic waves cooled my crush -- heck, California's Pacific ain't no hot tub.

And it was beach nirvana for the Baron of Boredom, Master of Mayhem and their two best pals!

There was plenty of space to run & play, gentle waves to frolic in, open skies & steady breezes for hours of kite flying fun, shells to collect and tidal streams & pools full of  critter hunting.

Heck, the beach even had the remains of a real 19th century shipwreck just waiting to be explored!

 

There was, of course, dinner at the perfect lobster shack...

with an adjacent rock climbing gym only Mother Nature could build.

And a supremely photogenic lighthouse.

 Some goofed off...

while others took a semi-deserved moment to loaf.

Ah Maine, how I enjoyed our brief encounter!

I'll be looking forward to exploring more of your treasures & pleasures next summer.

Did you have a personal Christopher Columbus moment this summer? Where or what did you discover?

Phew! Barely got this one done before the end-of-summer alarm went off!

Pure Decadence

The boys are off at camp 'til 2pm today and the "Mama should" lists of work, chores and projects is L-O-N-G, but this morning I choose to ignore them A-L-L, every single one of 'em!

It's always such a personal struggle...do you use precious non-Momming time for work (marketing consulting work that actually generates some cold hard cash!), editor duties (a volunteer gig editing a local parenting newsletter), blogging (there are never enough hours for all the ideas pinballing through my brain!), do the dishes, fold the laundry, sort through the boys' overflowing drawers (the summer duds got piled on top of the school clothes and there's an entire outgrown wardrobe waiting to be shared) OR do you do something just yourself?

It's a lovely late-summer day -- sunny, not too hot, and most of the Irene debris raked into piles -- so I dumped the boys and hopped on Ruby for a ride around town.

Last August, after a lot of working out & conscientious eating, I was just a few pounds away from my goal weight. After birthing two bundles just two years apart, it felt great to feel comfortable in a swimsuit again. I even dreamed of buying myself a bikini (nothin' too skimpy, somethin' cute, sporty & Mom-friendly from Title Nine or Athleta) when the scale hit my goal. But a couple of pesky health issues intervened this year and I'm almost back to where I started -- feelin' like a Mom blob.

It's daunting getting back on the fitness band wagon, especially when you're over 40, are still on limited workouts (due to a recuperating ACL replacement), and know the slow road ahead.

I have to admit I've struggled this summer.

Some days I've wished I could wear a little sign that says "I'm not normally this dumpy." The body-image dialog in my head has been less than positive, and sometimes I've felt outright depressed and defeated.

Of course, having a newly-minted triathlete hubby training, training, training and getting slimmer, trimmer, leaner & stronger doesn't help. I've happily cheered him on, smiled as he rode off on his fancy new bike when I still wasn't allow on anything more challenging then the stationary bike at the Y, then slouched and pouted while no one is looking.

So this morning I said "productivity be damned!" and I rode!

Then, in an even more brazen act of selfishness, I downloaded the new Nike Training Club app for my iPhone (that my pal at Everyday Treats has been using to jump start her fitness regime) and decided to take on some targeted ab work.

Wow, that's was some tough 15 minutes! (OK, I admit it, I didn't actually it thru all three sets. Next time!) Definitely a challenging ab workout, something my doughy mid-section desperately needs!

My recovering ACL will require me to hold off on some of the exercises in the program, but a few new moves will freshen up my workout routine and hopefully jump start my motivation and results.

After working up a respectable sweat, I even treated myself to a little at-home spa time -- deep conditioning, shaving, pumicing, plucking, moisturizing, cuticle pushing and filing.

Wow, I feel like a NEW woman!

Now, it's time to squeeze in a little productivity before pick up time!

Tomorrow -- full-time Momming, pie baking & packing for one last summer weekend at the beach!