Dear Green Girl,
And now, a post to my other faithful reader/commenter. Hello there, Green Girl. I am so impressed with your 3k running time. At my fastest, which was admittedly very slow, you could have lapped me. Well, not white, but trust me - you are much faster.
I just read a book you recommended. The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson. I really enjoyed it. I love books set in the Midwest, since, you know, I'm a Midwest gal myself. I love family sagas that span many years. I wish I could have gotten to hear more of the mother's voice, and I was sad that she died off of our watch. She was fascinating from afar. I also wanted to get to know Torrie as an adult - again hear her voice, hear what she thought of herself as a teenager. Thanks for the recommendation.
Last night I was cleaning up a mess that I wonder just happens in a house overrun by boys, as is my house, as is your house. My Two was grabbing something out of the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and he knocked a jar of fingernail polish into the sink where it promptly broke open and splattered all over everything. Bright pink all over my white tiled floor, toilet, sink. Two was apologetic and it wasn't his fault really< but these boys... Like bulls in a china shop. I love them all like crazy, of course, but I do crave a space - even a corner- that is mine and not overrun by chaos and boy-smell. Do you have such a space?
One has a birthday coming up. He will be 11. He has opted out of a birthday party the last couple of years (which has made me sad and worried) but perhaps another sign that life has shifted into a better, happier place for him, he wants one this year. And he seems to be making up for lost time. He is inviting 10 boys to do laser tag and the (gasp) sleepover here. 10 boys plus my 3 equals a long, loud night. Any tips for me? Have you ever hosted such a bash? My hope is that some of them will not be able to stay the night.
Time to wake my chickadees up and get the morning show on the road. I've gotten accustomed to waking up about an hour before I have to wake them up. I sometimes work out during this time, but I also just enjoy the still, quiet house. Maybe this is my corner.
I so enjoy your blog. Have a great day. Sorry autumn (not your fav) has turned ugly. Put on your favorite sweater, drink some tea, and don't look outside.
:) Teresa
Dear Teresa,
ReplyDeleteAw! I'm so flattered to get my very own LETTER via your blog!
My book club had that exact same thought about the mother in "The Year We Left Home." Here we get in everyone's head but hers, it seems, and she was a very fascinating character. About the book's only flaw. The writing was still elegant and gorgeous.
I never buy nail polish for exactly that reason. I also default to a lot of wood/metal/cloth decor, since it's pretty much unbreakable. About 2 months ago I declared my and D's bedroom totally off-limits unless the boys ask permission to enter. I had to draw a firm line in the sand, since they are so destructive and lay claim to every space they enter. I told them, "Technically this is MY house, so in the event that I want MY ROOM off limits to you, I hardly feel I'm being unreasonable." They've actually handled the shift in policy quite well. I also make them move all their toys out of the living room and back up to their rooms on Sunday night each week. Sure, stuff migrates back down come Friday night, but during the week I feel a little saner, y'know?
Whew. That's some kind of a party! I'm totally giving you props for agreeing to the entire plan. My suggestion would be to tire them out on laser tag and if you can, keep them outside for a bonfire or something of that ilk until at least 10:00. Then pull them in for snacks and set up 2 movies. Odds are half of them will fall asleep before the second feature, but if they're sucked into a movie with snacks, they'll pose less of a threat to your house. I assume you'll put the lot in the basement. That's what I'd do. The most kids we've had sleep over is 4 which seemed like a LOT!
Thanks for the kind words about my blog. I am avoiding the window view per your suggestion. This cloudy cold weather is deeply depressing!!!
XX, Green Girl