Parents arrive in town, Dec 23rd. Imagine lots of hugs and smiles.

Knott’s Berry Farm, Dec 24th – the muggy weather did nothing to stop The Boy from riding his very first adult roller coaster. Yes! He’s tall enough! When did he grow so big? I sat on the sidelines and watched him, fretting over and over, “He’s actually TALL enough?!!!” which led to another realization: I turn every moment into an opportunity to be a weepy mother who can’t comprehend that time passes on for her children just as it does for everyone else in the world.

Video of The Boy on his first roller coaster ride, mind the cheesy music:

Little No Limit is still not tall enough for the big rides, but big enough for the kiddie thrill rides:

Put your hands in the air like you just don’t care!

Disappointingly, I have no photo of me nearly getting stuck on the kids ride I was too tall to ride, but tried to ride anyway, because Little No Limit was scared to go at it alone. But trust me, you wish I did. I looked totally ridiculous (excuse me, could you help me get my leg out of this contraption?).

Christmas Day, Dec 25th – The Family Christmas Gathering was cancelled due to my mother-in-law’s unforeseen ailments, and moved to a later date. My sisters-in-law and niece came over to celebrate with me, the ‘rents, Husband, The Boy, and Little No Limit. I wound up introducing them to Flight of the Conchords. They introduced me to Andy Samberg’s “Rap song!”

The Boy Turns 6! Birthday party, Dec 27th – Remember how I mentioned a couple lines ago that Mother in Law was sick on Christmas? Yeah, sothe whole family showed up at The Boy’s birthday party and to celebrate it. So in addition to boys and girls and running amok and gathering piñata treats, we also had adults and relatives running amok, and many, MANY presents being exchanged between all the attendees. My cousin just got her license and she left to go to Starbucks with my 15-year-old-has-a-learners-permit-niece, and I think it might have been an awesome experience for them. I requested a venti white chocolate peppermint mocha and when they returned, everyone else had ordered the tall size, and my niece said, “Yours is the obnoxiously large one.” That’s right, I told her.

In irrelevant but serendipitous news, it turns out the mother of The Boy’s friend from school knows the artist who painted the abstract painting on my wall that Husband and I bought on our honeymoon 7.5 years ago in Santa Barbara. I know Santa Barbara isn’t that far from here, and that such a coincidence doesn’t sound sooo coincidental, but she knew him from when she lived in Switzerland. And that, my friends, is a coincidence.

Oh, and as for gifts, does The Boy have enough Wall E toys?

From L-R: “I’m the biggest!” “You can plug your mp3 player into me!” “I’m mobile!” “You can bring me everywhere because I fit in your pocket!”

Austin, New Years Eve’s Eve and New Year’s Eve – I hung out with my friends from college the first night. Imagine all the fun of a reunion and none of the anxiety. I love my friends. Among other things, I saw David Garza at the Continental Club, raided the mini bar at the Hotel San Jose, drank Jo’s fair trade coffee, strolled the Capitol, ate at Moonshine, Guero’s, and Doc’s, saw some thought-provoking art exhibits at The Austin Museum of Art (more on those provoked thoughts in a later post). And, of course, attended my dear friend’s wedding. I would love to tell you what Dear Friend walked down the aisle to, but without knowing him, it might give you the wrong idea.

…

…

Okay, I’ll tell you anyway: “I Want to F*ck You Like An Animal” by Nine Inch Nails. You should know, though, no lyrics were involved, and he is the biggest NIN fan you will ever meet (which makes it all the funnier that he used to hope and wish to meet Trent Reznor walking around New Orleans and then one day got in line behind Trent at the ATM and was so struck, he said nothing at all. Alas… youth is wasted on the young). The wedding was among the most romantic, intimate ceremonies I’ve ever attended, the kind that remind me what a wonderful thing it is to be in love. And after they were married, they walked back down the aisle together to “All You Need is Love” and their wedding dance was “Here, There, Everywhere,” and, well, you can’t argue with that.

The true highlight quote of the night (although there were many) was this: “If anyone has any reason to believe this man and this woman should not be joined together in marriage, then meet me and the groomsmen outside and we’ll take care of that.”

Me and Hubby celebrating Dear Friend’s marriage:

On that note – I am home and everyone is sick but we are ready to kick it into high gear for 2009!!!!!!!! Happy new year to y’all! (dang, I sound like I just got back from Texas!)

LNL: Yes!

Nana: Do you like hearts?

LNL: Yes!

Nana: Do you like things that are warm?

LNL: Yes!

Nana: Would you like something pink and warm and with hearts on it?

LNL: Yes!

Nana: What do you think it is?

Proudly Beaming LNL: Power tools!

(Note to self: Time to moderate the amount of Handy Manny watching going on in this house)

“Uh!” She exclaims. Then she looks at her dad with her lips protruded and anxiety inked all over her big brown eyes and says, “Daddy – pick that up.”

“Excuse me,” I said. “That is not how you talk to Daddy.”

She turns her eyes to Husband, lips protruding even more, maybe even a little tremble, and Husband laughs. “Oh, she just wants a little help.”

He walks over, picks up the pen, and hands it to her. I feel like he might have called her Princess too. She snatches the pen back, and without so much as a thank you, continues cutting paper.

I am about to say something, but Husband chuckled at that moment. Chuckled at this… this… behavior, and then looked at me and said, “Who knew when I married one, I’d get two?”

“That was, uh, so not cool.” At which point, I knocked something on the floor, looked at him, and added, “Pick that up.”

Friend and I are putting on a little Christmas shindig and we need some supplies so we thought today would be a good day for Costco. I am waiting for her to arrive at my house, which gives me ample time to consider the last time she and I went to Costco.

It wasn’t “she and I” at all. Her husband came with me.

They were throwing a birthday party but she wound up having to work on the day I was planning to go to Costco. Her husband showed up with a list of everything he was supposed to buy. We arrived at Costco, and I asked if he wanted to walk around together, or separate and meet at the DVDs in half an hour. He opted for separating, so I went about my shopping.

About twenty minutes later, he finds me in the fresh veggies, and is like, “Hey! There you are!”

“Wow,” I said. “Did you already get everything?”

“No.” At which point I noticed his cart was empty.

“Dude, did you get… anything?”

At this point, I realized there was a different look in his eyes than I am accustomed to seeing:

Fear. Confusion. Anxiety.

“Where is everything?” he said. “I just keep walking around! This place is crazy!”

Needless to say, I laughed. A lot. Then I helped him find everything he needed (in seriously, like ten minutes flat, and that includes navigating those random customers who push around the big dolly laden with 500 gazillion cans of soda and one thing of water), and then proceeded to ridicule him the rest of the shopping excursion, complete with mimicking.

On that note, I’m looking forward to today’s venture.

The Way of Costco.

Who knew it could be so daunting?

1. Mama, PhD: Women Write About Motherhood & Academic Life
Edited by Elrena Evans and Caroline Grant
A literary anthology of deeply-felt personal narratives by women both in and out of the academy, writing about their experiences attempting to reconcile bodies with brains. These essays voice stories of academic women choosing to have, not have, or delay children, and make recommendations on how to make the academy a more family-friendly workplace. Candid, provocative, and sometimes with a wry sense of humor, these essays speak to and offer support for any women attempting to combine work and family.

2. Literary Mama: Reading for the Maternally Inclined
Edited by Amy Hudock and Andrea J. Buchanan
This unique collection features the best of Literary Mama. It celebrates the voices of the maternally inclined, paves the way for other writer mamas, and honors the difficult and rewarding work women do as they move into motherhood.

3. Peeking Under My Skirt
by Stephanie Hunt
From intimate peeks at marriage to ruminations on candlelight, to an expose of the mayhem surrounding the annual extended family beach trip, Peeking is both lyrical and light-hearted.

4. A Ghost at Heart’s Edge: Stories and Poems of Adoption
Edited by Susan Ito
Fifty short stories and poems reveal the sometimes heartbreaking, often affirming tales of adoption, written by birth parents, adoptive parents, and adoptees.

5. The Broken Bridge: Fiction from Expatriates in Literary Japan
Edited by Suzanne Kamata
This collection of short stories is an absorbing look at the Outsider in a nation that does not absorb foreigners easily.

6. Losing Kei
by Suzanne Kamata
Jill Parker is an American painter living in Japan who must choose between freedom and abandoning her child. Told with tenderness, humor, and an insider’s knowledge of Japanese family life; an exceptional expatriate voice.

7. Love You To Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs
Edited by Suzanne Kamata
The first collection of literary writing on raising a child with special needs, Love You to Pieces features families coping with autism, deafness, muscular dystrophy, Down syndrome and more. Here, poets, memoirists, and fiction writers paint beautiful, wrenchingly honest portraits of caring for their children, laying bare the moments of rage, disappointment, and guilt that can color their relationships. Parent-child communication can be a challenge at the best of times, but in this collection we witness the struggles and triumphs of those who speak their own language—or don’t speak at all—and those who love them deeply.

8. Generation
by Sharon Kraus
Generation maps the survival of a traumatic childhood. Kraus masters the toxic fall-out of abusive experiences by rendering them fiercely meaningful, almost as a dance or a biblical drama.

9. Strange Land
by Sharon Kraus
Chronicling the life of a woman embarking on marriage and contemplating motherhood, these poems wrestle with the narrator’s violent childhood and work to reconcile her past with the course of her future.

10. Real Life and Liars
by Kristina Riggle
As a wilted flower child, Mira Zielinski has never been one to follow orders. Not from her husband, not from her boss - not even from her oncologist. Mira has her own idea about handling her newly diagnosed breast cancer, and it does not involve hopping up on the operating table. Her grown children will no doubt object — when she gets around to telling them.

11. The Maternal Is Political: Women Writers at the Intersection of Motherhood and Social Change
Edited by Shari MacDonald Strong
Exploring the vital connection between motherhood and social change, The Maternal Is Political features forty-four powerful, hard-hitting literary essays by women who are striving to make the world a better place for children and families—both their own and other women’s—in this country and globally.

12. One Bird One Stone: 108 American Zen Stories
By Sean Murphy
Amazing collection of stories and interviews with Zen masters living in America.

13. A Thousand Dollars for a Kiss
by Cindy Bokma
Dark chick lit comedy about what happens when a celeb-obsessed gal ignores everyone in her life to pal around with her favorite music star.

1. Come up with exciting things to keep the kids busy while they’re out of school, like hang gliding off the roof with a couple umbrellas and a baseball bat. Hey, MacGuyver could do it.

2. Send out last minute cards. E-card or otherwise.

3. Buy last minute presents. And keep them hidden from prying eyes.

4. Partake in a White Elephant gift exchange where you wind up with the clown shoes and bow tie that squirts water. Score!

5. Write something for the True North contest.

Whoa, whoa, whoa… wait… what’s the True North contest?

Trust me, you want to enter this (though part of me would prefer it if you didn’t because it would increase my chances of winning).

True North Snacks, nut snacks from Frito-Lay, is sponsoring a contest for everyone to share their True North Story. In 300 words or less. This story should say what keeps you going, what drives you, what you want out of life, that old chest nut (pun intended).

The winning story writer receives twenty-five grand (just imagine how many postcards I could buy with that) and the story will be turned into a 60-minute commercial directed by Helen Hunt and ideally aired during the Oscars 2009 (which will give you TOTAL bragging rights at that Oscar party you usually don’t like attending because all you wind up doing is making fun of the outfits and speculating over movies you haven’t seen).

So what’s My True North Story?

My writing. That really is what I want out of life, to continue to be a writer who pursues her passion with passion, who writes what she loves, who writes words that can change people or move people or, in select instances, cause them to jump up and scream aloud, “Yes, Elvis is the Man!” (or “I’m all shook up”) I am having trouble formulating this story into a compelling string of 300 words, though.

Can you define irony?

Anyhoo, go ahead and check out the site. Seems like a fun thing to enter, and gives you a chance to really ponder the question “What do I want out of life?” and if you ask me, there aren’t enough of us asking ourselves that question these days.

So here is my wreath and Santa bird feeder, which is a friendly, welcoming accompaniment to my dogs’ angry barking when the doorbell rings:

The Boy’s Christmas count down chain:

My Christmas tree (the lights didn’t do so well on film) - do you see the heart-shaped Elvis ornament?

And next to the tree is our mantle, where we put all the Christmas cards and the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, and blah blah blah:

I love Christmas. There’s lots of little things around the house, but I dunno, I didn’t really think you should see my bathroom and my shelves and my bed and all… there is such a thing as too familiar, you know…

One can get too familiar with vegetables, you know!

On that note, here’s a veggie-full dish I made the other night:

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cup quinoa (or rice)
1 can packed pumpkin
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cups broth
1-2 tbls olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
salt and pepper, to taste

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until clear. Add celery and carrot and saute another 1-2 minutes. Add broth and pumpkin and stir until the mix is free of any lumps. Add quinoa or rice and bring to boil. Once boiling, add garbanzo beans, stir, then put lid on and turn to simmer for 20 minutes (do not take lid off or stir). Turn off heat, stir again, put lid back on, let sit another 10 minutes. Done.

(Psst - you might want to add a few spices to this if your kids are open to it. Mine are not. Husband adds tobasco to his. I add paprika.)

Huzzah!

Well, such a fabulous artistic rendering couldn’t go unnoticed and it wasn’t long before both kids were asking for REAL gingerbread men to decorate.

As luck would have it, we went to a birthday party over the weekend and the craft was deorating gingerbread cookies. Or as the package described them, “Gingergread Boys.” (Many jokes about strategically placed gum drops ensued.)

Here is Little No Limit’s gingerbread boy:

Wocka wocka wocka!

And here is The Boy’s gingerbread boy:

I have ears. Like them?

He couldn’t even eat this cookie because it wasn’t gluten free and the icing contained dairy, so I shall be making new cookies at home this week for him to make and consume.

For other children’s artwork, visit Magic Marker Monday, and also check out Our Little Tonginnator’s fabulous angel.

January: “The View From Mount Joy” by Lorna Landvik

February: “Behind The Tortilla Curtain” by T.C. Boyle

March: “Loving Frank” by Nancy Horan

April: “One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd” by Jim Fergus

May: “The Lace Reader” by Brunonia Barry

June: “Ahabs Wife” by Sena Jeter Naslund

July: “The Island” by Victoria Hislop

August: “The Secret Between Us” by Barbara Delinsky

September: “The Life of Freya Stark” by Jane Geniesse

October: “A Gesture Life” by Chang Rae Lee (my choice! I’ll probably read it before October)

*Alternate Books:
“The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larson & Reg Keeland
“A Case of Exploding Mangoes” by Mohammed Hamif (also my choice, which I STILL haven’t gotten around to reading)

On another note, look for yours truly in Literary Mama’s Essential Short Story Collection list. Anyone else a Roald Dahl fan?

A writer friend of mine says she likes to study and write poetry because it gives her the opportunity to examine words from a completely different persepctive than when you’re writing fiction or nonfiction. I couldn’t agree more. So I decided to participate in Pensieve’s monthly Poetic License. The deadline for submissions was Friday, but it was a fun exercise so I’m posting anyway.

The theme was winter or Christmas and the form was haiku or pensieve. I chose the pensieve, defined as this: “A titled, five-line poem; each line correlates to one of the five senses–sight, sound, scent, taste, touch–and describes the subject (title). The goal is for the reader to take on the poem as his own, being able to ‘experience’ your subject through your words, by seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling what you described.”

Tree Decorating

Giggles and gasps as the tree branches receive their wares one by one:
Glittering glass orbs that sparkle in the white lights;
Gingerbread men, baked with vanilla and cinnamon;
Gilded, bumpy angels, a texture little hands can’t resist.
Ghirardelli hot chocolate, to cap the night off.