While they were out
Nov. 30th, 2007 09:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mamagotchaSo Bill left yesterday for a six-day trip to Seattle and Spokane. He took the Linker with him.
First off, spending lots of time with Clay. He's at that awkward stage, the one that the word "awkward" must have been created for. He's yearning for adult freedom and privilege, but his age and inexperience thwart him mightily. His body has grown to man-size almost overnight, but he's got a ways to go before he's going to be considered a man. My heart is breaking for him... I see and understand his frustrations, but there's little I can do besides provide a tiny relief valve for his internal pressure. We've discussed and practice a bit of driving (he's been putting the car away in the garage and getting it out for me), I let him have a bit of wine or beer when I'm having some, he's got complete control over his educational plans, we try to fund him when we can, he's got a bus pass and cell phone... but he wants a job. He's still 13, and about the only job you can get here is as a bagger at the local grocery.
He's a good kid. I know we'll get through this just fine, but right now I know it's so hard for him. I'm so glad he talks to Julia a lot... he misses her. We all do. I know she's probably helping him more than anything else right now; her memories of being in the exact same position are still fresh and raw, so her commiseration is genuine.
Our recent project together has been hunting down a cheap but not too Charlie-Brownish tree (scored an aromatic and pretty Balsam Fir at the hardware store for $25), and figuring out some Christmas lights for the front yard (no outlet out there, and it's waaaay too cold to leave a window cracked to run a cord out there, so I found these plug adapters for the front porch lights... you can't run too much current through them, but two short strings of lights each seem to work OK).
I'm slowly cleaning up the house, too. Most of the clutter has been cleared, and we got all the recycling and garbage out for collection last night. Our recycling pile was significantly larger than our garbage pile, which made me feel good. I need to spread out some more paper bags through the house to catch more paper to recycle. Got the kitchen mostly clean, today I need to finish with some dusting, sweeping and mopping. Then we'll put up the tree, decorate it, and get the rest of the holiday goodies out. It's going to be the first time in a while that I've actually gotten the Advent calenders up BEFORE Advent actually starts!
(Linc is LOVING the Christmas fuss this year. Every time he spots lights or a tree or decorations, he cries out "Christmas!" We've been enjoying the holiday model train layout and tree/wreath displays at Union Station, but this last week we also headed across to Crown Center for their gingerbread train display, and we spent at least two hours there looking at all the decorations, listening to a few choirs, playing in the little Santaland playground they've got there... he wasn't interested in actually talking to Santa, but that's fine.)
Tonight, I've got about eight girlfriends coming over for a little pre-holiday party... I'm gonna makes some pumpkin-chocolate chip muffins, defrost some of that excellent white bean/sausage soup we made a while back (and make another, yet-to-be-determined vegan soup), get some wonderful Fervere bread and serve it with all the fun cheese we didn't eat at Thanksgiving, crack open a few bottles of wine, break out some of the good chocolate, put on some holiday music (I wonder if I can get my Pandora jazzy music playlist to work on the Wii?), light a bunch of candles, and enjoy a gabfest while we work on our Christmas knitting (plus spinning! I still haven't done much spinning with my new drop spindle, but I really want to try it).
Tomorrow, Clay and I will be volunteering at Harvesters with a bunch of local bloggers, then hanging out at a blogger party after. Sunday, we might just hang here or go out shopping, depending on how we're feeling.
I won two tickets to see a Tuesday preview of "The Golden Compass," which we've been waiting for impatiently. Then Bill and Linc get back Wednesday night. Other than those events, I'm wide open and going to write, knit, spin, bake, play games, maybe fiddle around on a family Christmas card... or not! Maybe I'll just stay in bed and surf the net... or sleep... ahhh! I miss them, but I'm makin' the most of their absence.
We're thinking of taking a road trip to St. Louis one of these weekends, going to the Children's House, City Museum and Science Center. It'll be all four of us. Woo hoo!
Time for breakfast. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, too!
First off, spending lots of time with Clay. He's at that awkward stage, the one that the word "awkward" must have been created for. He's yearning for adult freedom and privilege, but his age and inexperience thwart him mightily. His body has grown to man-size almost overnight, but he's got a ways to go before he's going to be considered a man. My heart is breaking for him... I see and understand his frustrations, but there's little I can do besides provide a tiny relief valve for his internal pressure. We've discussed and practice a bit of driving (he's been putting the car away in the garage and getting it out for me), I let him have a bit of wine or beer when I'm having some, he's got complete control over his educational plans, we try to fund him when we can, he's got a bus pass and cell phone... but he wants a job. He's still 13, and about the only job you can get here is as a bagger at the local grocery.
He's a good kid. I know we'll get through this just fine, but right now I know it's so hard for him. I'm so glad he talks to Julia a lot... he misses her. We all do. I know she's probably helping him more than anything else right now; her memories of being in the exact same position are still fresh and raw, so her commiseration is genuine.
Our recent project together has been hunting down a cheap but not too Charlie-Brownish tree (scored an aromatic and pretty Balsam Fir at the hardware store for $25), and figuring out some Christmas lights for the front yard (no outlet out there, and it's waaaay too cold to leave a window cracked to run a cord out there, so I found these plug adapters for the front porch lights... you can't run too much current through them, but two short strings of lights each seem to work OK).
I'm slowly cleaning up the house, too. Most of the clutter has been cleared, and we got all the recycling and garbage out for collection last night. Our recycling pile was significantly larger than our garbage pile, which made me feel good. I need to spread out some more paper bags through the house to catch more paper to recycle. Got the kitchen mostly clean, today I need to finish with some dusting, sweeping and mopping. Then we'll put up the tree, decorate it, and get the rest of the holiday goodies out. It's going to be the first time in a while that I've actually gotten the Advent calenders up BEFORE Advent actually starts!
(Linc is LOVING the Christmas fuss this year. Every time he spots lights or a tree or decorations, he cries out "Christmas!" We've been enjoying the holiday model train layout and tree/wreath displays at Union Station, but this last week we also headed across to Crown Center for their gingerbread train display, and we spent at least two hours there looking at all the decorations, listening to a few choirs, playing in the little Santaland playground they've got there... he wasn't interested in actually talking to Santa, but that's fine.)
Tonight, I've got about eight girlfriends coming over for a little pre-holiday party... I'm gonna makes some pumpkin-chocolate chip muffins, defrost some of that excellent white bean/sausage soup we made a while back (and make another, yet-to-be-determined vegan soup), get some wonderful Fervere bread and serve it with all the fun cheese we didn't eat at Thanksgiving, crack open a few bottles of wine, break out some of the good chocolate, put on some holiday music (I wonder if I can get my Pandora jazzy music playlist to work on the Wii?), light a bunch of candles, and enjoy a gabfest while we work on our Christmas knitting (plus spinning! I still haven't done much spinning with my new drop spindle, but I really want to try it).
Tomorrow, Clay and I will be volunteering at Harvesters with a bunch of local bloggers, then hanging out at a blogger party after. Sunday, we might just hang here or go out shopping, depending on how we're feeling.
I won two tickets to see a Tuesday preview of "The Golden Compass," which we've been waiting for impatiently. Then Bill and Linc get back Wednesday night. Other than those events, I'm wide open and going to write, knit, spin, bake, play games, maybe fiddle around on a family Christmas card... or not! Maybe I'll just stay in bed and surf the net... or sleep... ahhh! I miss them, but I'm makin' the most of their absence.
We're thinking of taking a road trip to St. Louis one of these weekends, going to the Children's House, City Museum and Science Center. It'll be all four of us. Woo hoo!
Time for breakfast. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, too!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Hey Sweetie
Date: 2007-12-02 03:10 am (UTC)Linc's been OK, but had a pretty major meltdown last night. Just too tired and missed his mama. This morning he was obviously having fun at the zoo (he and Zachary, Justin and Colleen's oldest, run around and play and are getting along quite well) but this afternoon he's been getting hoarse and sniffly. May be coming down with a little cold... trying to keep him fed and hydrated but he has other ideas. But we have some nice pics and a lot of snow falling outside!
Gotten to do some baking for the people here. Did the oil-poached garlic focaccia last night (vanished in seconds), did bagels today and they were so well received that we just started another batch to do tomorrow. Sheryl's also gotten into baking (in part due to working around Logan's allergies) and was quite interested in the recipe, so I showed her the whole process and she's going to try them at home.
HP, his wife and daughter showed up, as did Miranda (who left gradschool and is in Seattle looking for a job, she has an interview at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center sometime soon).
Miss you, glad to hear you're having a great time!
Love,
Bill
Re: Hey Sweetie
Date: 2007-12-02 07:19 am (UTC)Teach him about yawning on the plane BEFORE his ears hurt so he can try to relieve pressure.... when it hurts will be too late.
Sounds like you're doing a great job with him, I'm so sorry he's such a bug magnet. Good luck and give everyone a big hug from me!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-02 04:43 am (UTC)Thanks for sharing Bill. Next time i hope you both come.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-02 05:20 am (UTC)The comments about Clay were so sweet. You're such a great Mom. It's strange to imagine Miles at that stage in life, and yet not so strange, too.
I really want to sit down with you sometime and talk about the unschooling/homeschooling thing. I want to do that so much with my kids, but I have a lot of fears, and it would be good to just chat about them with someone who has been there.