Fun times...and not so fun times

Well, I finally got the children's fall clothes out today. It's amazing I was able to postpone it until the end of October, but as the days are finally getting cooler, I convinced Steve it was time. Since this is the first time we've had clothes stored in an attic, this is the first time I needed his help. (I just can't get the boxes down and up by myself. I'm a wimp, remember?) I don't think he ever realized before just how involved a task it is (and why I gripe about it so much). Even with him helping part of the time, the job took about five hours! I paid dearly for the haphazard way I had stored the clothes the last season change. This time, I was very careful to organize everything by size and season, and I labelled each box. I hope that will make things easier in the spring.

Today was not completely labor-intensive. I had a very pleasant time this morning taking Joanna and Elinor to a special fall reading time at our local reading center. Jessica has been going to a book club (for 2nd and 3rd graders) at the center this fall, so Joanna was thrilled they were having something for kindergarteners today. I felt a little bad for the nice lady who runs the center, because we were the only people who came. Still, Joanna and Elinor had a great time. It also helped me to have somewhere to take them, since Steve and Jessica went to help tend the lawn at the National Memorial for the Unborn. (Our church got together a group to do this, and we could have all gone. I didn't think I'd be much help, though, with keeping an eye on Elinor.) Joanna did get to have some alone time with Daddy, when he went to Wal-Mart to get our oil changed.

One nice thing is that I feel like we have FINALLY had a productive Saturday. Yay!

Things Considered

I just stayed up much too late watching For Your Consideration, the latest offering from comic genius Christopher Guest and his pals. I was disappointed. Although it made me laugh a few times, it was missing something- or maybe a lot of somethings. Maybe the material was not as original a playing field. The cast did not seem as invested in their roles as they were in Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, or my personal favorite A Mighty Wind. I did doze a bit in the middle, so I may have missed something great there, but all in all, I found more entertainment value in the old black and white zombie movie that was playing in the restaurant where we ate dinner tonight. (The stock footage and wooden loping across the screen could have been straight out of Ed Wood.)

Not Ready for the Landfill Just Yet

Occasionally, a kids' meal toy can have great play value. A couple of months ago, I got the girls lunch at Chik-fil-a, and they received glider kits for their prizes. None of us were overly excited about the kits, and I stuffed them in the car, figuring they'd probably get thrown away. Of course, I forgot about them, and Steve came across them Sunday. (He tried to give them away to other parents at church, but there was only one taker.) Today, I decided to open up a kit to see if it was worth anything, and it basically contained three paper airplanes and a cardstock model of the space shuttle Columbia. I realize that the monetary value of the toy is negligible, but those airplanes can really glide! The girls and I probably played with them for about an hour after lunch. Even Elinor was entertained, tolerating her high chair for much longer than usual.

I guess it just goes to show you that something that looks worthless can have potential. I wish the same could be said for the toys the girls got at Sonic a couple of weeks ago. What is a reasonable amount of time for a parent to let her child keep a green plastic bone keychain before sending it the way of most fast-food prizes?

Missing My Spouse

I confess to being a wimp. Feminists would hate me. I'm not a strong, independent female who can get along fine without my man. Steve is gone on a business trip, and the house feels so empty without him. I should be going to bed about now, but I know I'll have a hard time getting to sleep. To make matters worse, our neighborhood e-mail list has recently been filled with incidents involving some unsavory characters. Fortunately, there have not been any home-invasion attempts, and the suspicious individuals have been hanging around several blocks away. It still makes one uneasy, though.

Anyway, I'll be glad when he gets home tomorrow night, and I'm glad he'll only be gone one night. (Yes, only one night....I said I was a wimp!)

Back to Blogging?

Well, it has been months since I last posted anything. I think I felt that I needed to blog about "something," but that requires more time and effort than I seem to have. I also don't think I really have the talent for that kind of writing - not "off the cuff" anyway, and who has the time to write rough drafts and edit their on-line musings?

Anyway, this is my new and different attempt at blogging. I still may not have much to say (hence the new title), but now I don't feel the pressure to say anything much.