Reading

Three months ago I started reading a book that has nothing to do with parenting or Christianity.  A Death in the Family has been on my bookshelf for years, probably from some summer reading list that I never got around to fully doing.
I swear, it's the best thing I've ever read. 

Then I realized it's the *first* thing I've read in months that doesn't rhyme or involve a list of things we're out of.  Oh.  Real writing.  What is this novelty??

Of course, it's been three months and I'm only halfway through, so we'll see if I can finish it before the year ends.  (Laugh with me!)

I am a sweating mess. 

A few weeks ago we got a nasty-gram from the HOA saying our fence needs to be cleaned and resealed, and if we don't do it within 30 days, they're going to start fining us daily.  Wah wah.   I got an estimate from some upstanding company I googled up.  Twenty-two hundred dollars.  Er.Mah.Gerd.  So, I told my dad, who "knows a guy" for any of life's little debacles who should be able to help us out for much less. 

So, I pressed "brew" on my little coffee pot, sat down in this chair for my sacred twenty minutes and as soon as my butt hit the seat, my phone rang.  The guy is coming over today to take a look around.  Also price out painting the exterior aaaand interior, since we'll need to get that done to sell the place.  (Don't ever live in a house with flat paint and children.  Just... don't.)

Anyway, since it's well after 8:15am, my house is sufficiently trashed with food and toys and paper cuttings and crayons and markers and clothes and shoes and books and pipe-cleaners everywhere.  And I was in pajamas.  So... I just did the Insane Woman Speed-Clean so I won't be completely embarrassed when this guy shows up.  Whenever that is.

My children have "Quiet Hour" every day in their room.  A lot of days they just keep coming out and yelling things at me that they need, which makes the whole thing annoyingly pointless.  Today they are staying nicely, but they're screaming at each other so loudly, I expect the baby to wake up any second. 

Other news is that Z's speech therapist, Becca, said he's made such improvements in the past 5 months that she thinks if he tested now, he wouldn't even qualify for their program.  I'm proud of him, but I hate that they might kick him to the curb since he loves it sooo much.  And we'll still be going there every week for E's occupational therapy (yeah, we've got a house full of issues!), and trying to get a two-year-old to understand that is going to be difficult. Josh suggested me getting a cake and having a small graduation ceremony for him.  I looove the idea, just wish I wasn't going to have to do it alone.

I used to do crafty kidtivities almost daily.  Now, I just squirt some dish soap in a pan with the hose outside and call it good.  Wait. I still haven't done that yet because it seems like too much work.  Anyway, yeah.  Let me get riiiiiiight on a graduation cake and fake diploma.  Yeesh.

I think I should title this blog "Come Look At All the Ugly Thoughts In My Head" instead.  Maybe one day I'll prose poetic again.  I cannot believe I actually blogged and wrote poetry regularly just ten years ago.  If I saw that girl now, I'd scowl at her, huff, and tell her she has no clue about life.  "Stop being ridiculous, child, and go take a freaking nap then get your haircut every six weeks because the day is coming when you will only be able to get your hair cut once a year and you won't know how to spell anything or find your belongings after you sit them down!"

Yeah.  So, that's my twenty.