Bits and pieces

It should be noted that when the Husbandlet is tired (or, apparently, drugged), he becomes excessively pedantic and apt to miss the joke.

Today, the Husbandlet had a procedure done on a rather sensitive bit of his anatomy. On our way out of the medical practice, we ran into a doctor friend who works there. The Husbandlet explained the circumstances of our visit, and his friend said, “Oh, so I probably shouldn’t invite you to play racquetball with me tonight.”

The Husbandlet (totally serious): “Yeah, I have a bit of tennis elbow right now.”

Add comment May 4, 2011 Jordana

A little ditty

Ngaire has spent about the last 20 minutes in her room singing over and over, “Tell me WHY; I don’t understand.”

I can’t figure out whether she’s going to be a songwriter or a philosopher.

Add comment May 3, 2011 Jordana

Words from the bathroom

Me: “Ngaire, are you done pooping?”
Ngaire: “Go away, Mommy. Don’t you know I have a difficult thing to do?”

Add comment April 20, 2011 Jordana

Almost summer

You’d never know it from the weather here (in the mid 40’s on a good day), but summertime is nigh, even in the Frozen North. How can I tell? The grading is piling up, and the Husbandlet is gone. He is in a village that is accessible only by boat and small airplane. He’ll be gone for a little over a week, so this is nothing … the merest warm-up for field season this summer.

My students do insist on handing in work. I think they will be over that in the next couple of weeks. I’ve been designing a class that I’ll be teaching online this summer, and I’ll be covering classes for a week on campus for the New Professor (who is celebrating his new job by going to jury duty for the first week on contract) … but life is about to get a little less crazy and I am looking forward to that. Oh, wait. Summertime also means summer vacation for Ngaire … I am kind of one of those moms who really likes having my kids in school because I am not that great at coming up with stuff for them to do. Perhaps it is time to institute Chores, as in, “Oh, you’re bored, are you? Here, scrub this toilet.”

On second thought, they might like that a little too much.

I had a birthday! The Husbandlet has promised me some high-tech hiking pants … the Frozen North is rubbing off on me.

I’ve discovered and have been reading my way through the works of Neil Gaiman … verdict is enjoyment, overall, though not so much with American Gods. Let’s just say I agree more with the lower reviews on Amazon …

Listening? I’ve discovered Audrey Assad … highly recommend.

Add comment April 19, 2011 Jordana

Oh dear

From (you guessed it) a student paper (topic: Write about a current issue):

“Indeed, s*ex education is still teaching students the ins and outs of s*ex .”

1 comment March 11, 2011 Jordana

So much more once again major-ish update

Poor, sad little neglected bloglet.

How thou hast been reduced to quick stories about my kids being cute, which are probably of interest only to me and maybe the grandparents.

The weather here has been frightful for the past couple of days. On Sunday, as our SUV squished out of the driveway, Liam said, “I see the garden, all white with ice.” This led to a discussion between the Husbandlet and myself about what kind of side job Liam should pursue to support his future poetry habit.

Remember Rhiannon’s geekie? In the church nursery, the nice nursery ladies put it on a shelf next to the container of nursery snacks. When I went to pick her up, one lady said, “Your daughter was hungry. She kept trying to climb that chair over there and asking for Cheerios! We gave them to her, but she kept saying, ‘Geekie, geekie.’” The poor girl never did get her blanket, but she ate every Cheerio they gave her and was totally uninterested in lunch.

Operation Potty Train Someone … doesn’t really go anywhere in particular. Liam and Rhiannon are both at approximately the same level of dryness, with Rhiannon somewhat pulling into the lead because she will actually ask to go to the potty. (Have I mentioned that Rhiannon has been self-potty-training for the past month or so?) Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies are working wonders for Liam’s inclination to poop in the potty, though.

Rhiannon calls all animals “puppy.”

I am working up to an anti-candida cleansing diet for myself and the kids, after which I plan to keep us gluten-free/casein-free for another six months, at least. There are a bunch of different reasons for this … Liam’s ongoing digestive stuff, while generally improved, is still not totally gone, and the info I’ve read on candida makes me wonder if there’s a connection because of his bout of salmonella and the hefty antibiotics he took to combat it. And Ngaire … has some characteristics of a candida or gluten issue, as well, though hers are more emotional and behavioral and less involving of poop. Anyway, I’m not sure when I’ll embark on this adventure … partly I want to do it ASAP, and partly I think it might be easier to implement once school is out.

Ngaire has started reading to Rhiannon! So cute. And when Rhiannon had her latest illness (N.B.: We’ve been a ton healthier this year than last … right up until the past four weeks, when we’ve been sick sick sick), Ngaire lay on the couch with her and held her. Ngaire can get impatient with other kids, but she is always patient and sweet with Rhiannon. Rhiannon, in turn, absolutely adores her sister.

I am giving up Facebook and general Internet-surfing for Lent, along with sweets (and, if I go for the ASAP option for dietary changes, pretty much all other food). However, I am NOT giving up blogging—hard to give up something I don’t do all that much. So … maybe I will blog more?

Toodles!

5 comments March 10, 2011 Jordana

Ahem

Student quote: “Some of my strengths in my essays are getting things more grammerically correct.”

Add comment February 25, 2011 Jordana

Oh, brother

It’s paper-gradin’ time, and in honor thereof, a student quote … but first, a little background. The assignment was to read excerpts from Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther alongside a plot outline of the story by Lewy Olfson.

The question: “What are the most important motivations in The Sorrow of Young Werther, from the perspectives of Werther and Olfson?”

The student’s answer: “[Werther’s] motivation turns to spending as much time with [Lotte] as possible. Olfson’s motivate [sic] was to outline the plot for the story.”

1 comment February 22, 2011 Jordana

I’ve lost several good blog posts along the way

Mentally, of course, that is. They never made it as far as drafting.

Oh, things have been busy around here. I’m teaching three classes again, and still coordinating a local mothers’ group, but the last week or so has been even more hectic than usual due to Extra Meetings and Backed-Up Grading. So, recently the Husbandlet has been witty, Ngaire has been clever, and Liam has been cute, and Rhiannon has developed in all sorts of ways (she’s really, truly talking a lot here … and meowing, since her older siblings like to pretend they’re cats, especially Liam, who is CONTINUALLY a “new, new baby cat”) … but I don’t really have much to report on any of them. Oh, I’ll try and dredge up a few memories. I know you want me to.

Today, Liam and Rhiannon and I were snuggled up, reading this. When we finished and I moved on to the next book, Rhiannon went nuts: “Up! Up!” (which means, “Down, down!”). So I lowered her to the floor. She dashed off and returned a couple minutes later with this other old favorite. Coincidence?

The days are getting longer, but it’s still pretty dark most mornings when I’m doing the work and school drop-offs, so the street lights are generally on. Whenever we pass one, Liam cries, “We’re bumping into the light!”

Ngaire has been having sleepovers at my parents’ house every Friday night. She absolutely loves this, and enjoys the little routine they’ve put together, which usually involves watching a movie and eating French toast for dinner.

The Husbandlet and I have been leading a small group for college and career aged kidlets. One of them (who is also my student; it’s a small town) is a Southern boy who has lived here in the Frozen North for several years. We got to talking about Priuses, for some reason, and this was his comment: “If I get married, no way will my wife drive one of those things. She’ll drive a Tahoe and like it.” I was amused.

I made doughnuts recently, for the first time since I was about 12. I was surprised as how easy they were and how well they turned out … though I made them a bit too thick, so they didn’t cook through when frying and I had to bake them for awhile. I’ve been pretty religious lately about the dairy-free thing with Liam, so it was nice to have doughnuts that he could eat.

In reading news, I read an abridged version of The Count of Monte Cristo. I can’t find a link to the version I read, but that’s OK, because it was probably the worst abridgment I’ve ever encountered. I kept going to the Husbandlet (who listened to the unabridged audio version) and saying, “This makes no sense! It’s like the Count doesn’t do anything except stand back and watch a bunch of people implode!” and then he would be all, “But didn’t you read the part where the Count (fill in the blank with some important detail that had been abridged out)?” Now I feel like I should probably go read the original, except NOT (see above re: not all that much time on my hands).

Anybody else catch this little news tidbit? I don’t know, this brought back memories of my own experiences as a high school English teacher, and made me think about the vulnerable position teachers hold in our country. I know I always felt the target of blame from students, parents, and administrators alike (or slightly differently) … and I can’t help but think that nothing like this level of disciplinary action would be–or, in fact, IS–taken against students who trash their teachers online, even in a far more public forum than a personal blog.

This is a bunch of non-wittiness. Sorry, folks. When all those stories come back to me at 2:00 tomorrow morning, maybe I’ll leap up and shoot them Internet-wards. G’night!

Add comment February 19, 2011 Jordana

Quotables

Liam got his police car this morning and snuggled in my lap. He opened one door, pointed to the driver’s seat, and said, “Mommy, I want to put my carseat in this. Then you will sit here (indicating the passenger seat) and I will drive and you will not drive.”

* * *

Ngaire, at reading time: “I know a lot of English words. And I know a lot of Liamish words–words in Liam’s language–Liam’s words, too.”

Add comment January 27, 2011 Jordana