gwennieg's Xanga

Pirating Free Internet

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:49:42 GMT

You know, the great thing about a laptop is that you can sit in the grass and watch you daughter play (and react to the sun) while you type. My borrowed internet has taken a vacation, so I'm out and about, searching for child-friendly sources of free internet. My location today is near an old train caboose in my town that now serves as a tourist information site--and offers free internet. I might be here all week while Chaos and Mayhem are in VBS!

It's been a great two weeks. We've been white water rafting (a scary first experience for me, but a blast), camping, visiting, sunburned, to a parade, and more. We've been able to see friends and family that we don't normally, I've been walking with my sister and my sister in law, and I've been sleeping in an actual bed. I've slept in an RV, in a borrowed bed, on the ground, on a mat on the ground, and in my bed. Chaos turned six, Mayhem plotted her wedding (see below), and Frenzy learned to run. We've done the rodeo (radio, to Mayhem), the parade, and house hunted like crazy.

Did I mention that I'm moving...that I have moved...that I'm halfway here and halfway there and really not anywhere? I don't know my address, and I don't really care. I'll see you when I land...or before, depending on how the internet pirating holds out.

Oh, and eventually I have thoughts to share: on water and taking the course of least resistance, on the path less traveled, and on life in general. Stay tuned...

Out of the corner of my ear....

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:33:41 GMT

So my Mac arrived and it's been wonnaful. Even got to watch the next-to-the-last episode of Top Chef (we missed the season finale--spent that time out in the wilderness instead), so don't ya'll go spillin' the beans, now, hear?

The thing about working with kids is that you get to be part of these great conversations. Unfortunately, being as I'm not a kid anymore, I quickly forget many of these quirky exchanges, but I've got these two rattling around in my brain. Banana, there was another one from the reunion. Can you remember it?
*********************************************************************************************
Thora: Mr.J, I'll trade you my three kids for your dog. (it was a rough day, trust me)
Mr.J: Really. Just the three kids? And you think that's a fair exchange?
Thora: Well, I could throw in the mini-van and a brand new box of diapers.
Mr. J: How long before I could sell them on the black market?
Thora: At least a week.
Mr.J: No Deal.
**********************************************************************************************
(I sort of tuned into this one midway, and it was a conversation that lasted about 30 minutes between my two oldest, so you're just getting the highlights, edited and/or jumbled a bit as it suits my purposes.)

Mayhem: Well, I'll be getting married soon (she's four, by the way) and I really need to find the right guy.
Chaos: I know...I'm going to start looking when I'm six, on July 1.
Mayhem: When I get married, I'm going to invite Mom. And Dad. Because they'll have to drive me to it.
(At this point Smiddy and I interjected, informing them that while we won't necessarily have to drive her, we'll probably be shelling out the dough, and we sure better be invited.)
Chaos: Will you get married at the day or at the night?
Mayhem: Well, it will be long, so at the night.
Chaos: All you have to do is listen to the man and then kiss. That won't take long.
Mayhem: But I'm going to hide the ring, and we'll have to find it. And then he will hide my ring and we will find it.
Chaos: That will take a long time.
Mayhem: I think I'll marry Austin. But he doesn't like me. Chaos, how do I make him like me?
Chaos: You do something he likes.
Mayhem: Like what?
Chaos: You could send him a card.
(much debate ensued over proper card-sending etiquette, what colors mr. Austin might prefer, and his supposed reaction to said card)
Mayhem: It sure seems like a lot of work just to make him like me.
Thora: (interjecting again) Well, what if God has another boy out there for you to marry, and you just haven't met him yet?
Mayhem: Mom, I already know Austin. I might as well start there!
******************************************************************************************
I do so love my children.

We took them to the rec center today, and Frenzy may have been single-handedly responsible for closing down both the indoor and outdoor leisure pools. I swear, she was wearing a swim diaper, and I was keeping an eye on her, and then suddenly there was mustard-y stuff floating in the water. Just a little. Got her out of there, discovered the slime running up her back, and decided our swim was over. After we were all dressed, we explored the Rec Center a little, and I happened to notice that the pool was clearing out. By the time we left, not a soul was in there. Coincidence?

Making an effort...

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:14:20 GMT

...to stay awake.

I've opted for internet time over a nap. We'll see if that's smart choice. Might regret it in a few hours, but for now it's nice. Have a bran' spankin' new apple lappy heading my way this week, and I'm excited.

It's amazing to me to watch all the people that come through here. Last week we had a work group of middle-school age kids. They worked like crazy, but it was all low-skill stuff like loading river rocks into the backhoe bucket and dumping it along the stream or pulling 26-foot logs out of the forest. (I helped with those projects, by the way!) This week we've got half as many high schoolers from Kansas, and they are burning through a re-roofing/re-siding project brought on by a tornado. These kids are skilled, kids who have been helping their dads do dry wall and windows since they were knee-high to a grasshopper. The desire and will to work is huge in my groups, but the second one is definitely going places.

Laramie is stimulating my creative juices. I've got a couple of chapters for the great American novel rattling around in my brain...and no time to write it all down. Maybe once the compy arrives.

All in all it's a great time, and while I miss my internet time, I wouldn't trade this for anything. Thanks to those who have made it possible for us to be here, and to those who call and leave comments so we don't feel neglected. We love you.

Quotes:

"Aren't you glad they didn't realize you almost killed them?

Mayhem: Mom, is my heart white?
Thora: No, honey, it's more of a red.
Mayhem: But, Mom, Jesus cleaned it out!
Thora: You're right. We do say our heart is white after Jesus takes away our sins
Mayhem: But Mom, I'm still all sin-dy!

The Un-Johnny: I'm really doing great with this demolishion work!
Someone Who Shall Remain Anonymous: Yeah, because it's a no-skill job!

Living on Borrowed Internet

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:29:32 GMT

Well, we're here. We've packed and stored most of our worldly belongings, and I'm beginning to see just how unnecessary and wordly most of those belongings are. In the RV we've all got two week's worth of clothes, a smattering of books and toys, a few dvds, and an assortment of the miscellaneous. And we really don't need most of that. What we do need is each other, and we have that anywhere.

It's been an interesting week. We're going from a summer operation to a year-round one, from the plains to the mountains, from working primarily with youth to working with all age groups. Yesterday we learned knots and harnesses for rock climbing, and then hit Beehive, a fairly easy (said the newly clean-shaven mountain man Jonathan) climb. We watched him lead up with the rope and land back down on the ground in the time it took us to don our rock shoes, and then we attempted to scale the face. Most (me not included) made it to the top after a try or two. Jonathan hooked Chaos and Mayhem up with harnesses and we discovered that Mayhem might have been a mountain goat in another life. Frenzy took a spill on the ground and is sporting a scrape across her cheek.

I'd love to post pictures, but living on borrowed internet makes that a little difficult. Perhaps when we land back in a house for a day or two next weekend. Or not. All in all, we're enjoying it, we're soaking it all in, and we're growing.

My Week (in assorted media)

Wed, 21 May 2008 18:20:52 GMT

There's a trick to moving. It has to do with remembering what you packed in which boxes last time and the courage to leave sentimentality in another room while you toss things you've carted around with you for ages. It involves jamming all of the photo albums into a box and labeling it "memories" so you'll smile at the other end when you unpack it. It's about packing boxes when you really want to be talking on the phone to friends you won't see for a while and hugging your kids because at least they'll be with you in the new place. It's about goodbyes and new beginnings, about wondering if you'll think to look for the digital camera in the box with the dvd's, and which one you'll end up looking for first.

And it's about keeping life as normal as possible for the small people in your world who don't necessarily understand why some of their toys are already in boxes and whether or not the hamster will show up in the new location. It's a little sadder this time, because this move is really "away". I keep thinking about how we don't really want to be leaving, and yet we're so excited to get there. It's just a little harder this time.

And that's all I'm going to say about that.

So here's our week in pictures, word and video.

The roses Smiddy purchased for my birthday (the chocolates are already gone--two gifts that don't have to be packed up this week).

Mayhem demonstrates the "caterpillar" fingerplay she learned this spring.

I'd love to show you how Frenzy is finally walking, but it seems I shot that particular video sideways, and I don't know how to turn it around, so you'll have to take my word for it. Here she is, singing "Idol-style" into a mic that isn't really plugged into anything.

And here's my boy, Chaos, showing off the tres cool hot air balloon he and his sis constructed from our Cranium SuperFort.

First Things First...or Last, As The Case May Be

Sat, 17 May 2008 18:37:02 GMT

So I'm packing boxes again, and it's a little trickier this time. See, instead of going straight to a new home, these boxes are going to go live in storage for an undetermined amount of time, and what goes in first will be last out. So I have to think as I pack--choose the things I will want least/last to go in first and hope like crazy that if I ever decide I need the box with the 3T clothes in it, it won't be behind Smiddy's gun case and under three boxes of books.

In fact, it's books that I'm packing...homeschooling books and activities, because I hope like crazy that we're into a real, live house by the time I need those resources. Keep praying, keep making those phone calls, that's my mantra.

And speaking of books in storage, we didn't unpack all of our books when we hit this house 4 1/2 months ago. I miss my books. You need to know, I almost never buy a book I haven't read, so my bookshelf generally contains lots of favorites--John Grisham, Lewis Carroll, Pat Conroy, lots of good stuff. I'm missing those books. So how about you tell me what's on your shelf that you wouldn't want to be without? What's your favorite read?

Lastly, can anyone tell me why I can load the newest FlashPlayer on my compy? I can get to the site, but when I click the "install" button, nothing happens. I've got pop-ups allowed on that page, still nothing. And I can watch Xanga videos, but not the neat link my sister sent me (YouTube) for Mother's Day. Advice?

Who Needs Heloise...

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:42:03 GMT

...When You've Got Thora?

or:

Helpful House-cleaning Hints

You need to know that I'm not much of a neat-freak...as long as no one is sticking to the floor or drowning in the mess, I'm pretty happy. But the house I'm living in is now officially "almost on the market" (love my procrastinating brother in law, I do), and needs to be "showing-worthy" at pretty much anytime. This condition led to a frantic house cleaning Sunday morning before church, and I'm now trying desperately to keep it clean in case we get another "we'll be there in 45 minutes if that's okay" call this week.

When we're left to our own devices, the standard slips a little lot, and house cleaning in the Beserker household goes more like this:

For a dirty kitchen floor:

Put on a pair of socks. You won't feel the grime anymore, and if you do happen to wander through a puddle of water (quite a frequent happening here, what with all the plants outside that short people inside feel the need to water), you can slide around in the mucky areas for a while and call it mopping.
Take off your glasses. Chunks and smears magically disappear.
Let the baby loose in the kitchen. She'll scoot around until her rear and socks are covered in the mess, and then you can just take outside and shake her out.

For a messy bathroom:

Start by giving as many children as possible baths. Leave the shower curtain open and make no attempt to curtail the splashing. When bathtime is over, let the children hang out in the bathroom, wrapped in their hoodie towels, until every surface has been brushed up against and wiped off. Toss towels in the washer.
Sprinkle Comet in the toilet, then ignore it for a few hours. The next time someone flushes, the "swirly" action should take care of the biggest mess, and that little sprinkle of blue powder will tell anyone who cares that you at least made an effort.

In the living room:

Again, a baby is extremely useful. She can pick up those little bits you didn't want to mess with, and what she doesn't ingest will end up smeared across her clothing, which you can throw into the washer at the end of the day.
Baskets. A mess stuffed into a basket somehow looks neater.

And for the entire house, my best hint is to hire a housekeeper. I've said it before: you don't actually have to schedule her, you just have to say, "Sorry about the mess...the housekeeper hasn't been in yet this week."

Stranger Things Have Happened, I Suppose...

Sun, 04 May 2008 00:13:00 GMT

So I lost a pair of sunglasses. Last fall sometime. They were a $20 pair from American Eagle, so nothing special, but they were the first pair I'd managed not to break/sit on/crush or lose after owning for a week or so. And I liked how they looked, for whatever that is worth. I had them for over two years, and then suddenly, they were gone.

I tore apart the van in my search for them, went through Smiddy's car, searched the house, moved to a new house and vainly hoped to find them in each box I unpacked, and finally concluded that they were gone forever. I bought a new pair at Kohl's two weeks ago.

Last night I dreamed that I found my sunglasses. When I woke up in the morning, I kept thinking that if I could just remember where I found the shades in my dream, I could look there, but the details were gone.

Today I stopped by the home of some friends who have taken care of my children every once in a while for the past few years. As I fiddled with my new pair of sunglasses, James jumped up and said, "I have to go get those! They've been at our house for a long time, and Mom said I have to give them to you today!" And returned with my old pair of sunglasses, which apparently fell out of my van into their driveway--sometime last fall.

How weird is that? Have you ever had that deja vu feeling?

My Armpits Smell Like Peaches

Thu, 01 May 2008 18:03:29 GMT

It all happened so subtly that I didn't even see it coming. I remember buying my very own deodorant/antiperspirant for the first time, standing there in the personal care aisle at WalMart, agonizing over powder fresh or baby powder scents. There might have been a few more choices available, maybe something like shower fresh, but by and large, most d/ap scents made one's armpits smell like....like one had just stepped out of the shower.

Which, to my mind, is certainly the goal. I'm sure no company ever even tried to market just played some ball with the boys or this shirt should have been washed last week, much less saw any success. Funny--I do come across that odor from time to time...but that's a different story.

Anyway, over the years, I began to notice that deodorant scents became more creatively named, and that the line of scents became broader and broader. First there was the fresh rain/cascading rapids/coastal surf line, and I sort of understood. After all, those are all scents that evoke a fresh, clean feeling--and again, who doesn't want that?

But as I stood in the personal care aisle at Target last week, I began to wonder just how far this could go. I was holding two containers of deodorant: chai vanilla and orchard peach, debating which smelled better, when it hit me that I wasn't sure I wanted my armpits to smell like either. I had already rejected fresh apple and caramel mocha when I realized that I might pick up the same things on a trip to Albertson's. I began to ponder what might happen if, on the rare occasion that anyone caught a whiff from my underarms, they might think--perhaps that I had been rubbing tea bags and peaches under there?

Honestly, I just want my deodorant to smell like deodorant--not like rainforests or fruit or drinks that someone might pay $5 for at Starbucks. I would rather they not smell like food; chances are the stuff that the baby has been smearing on my shirt will take care of that, anyway. I don't really need a scent to relax or invigorate me--chances are I'm not going to go sniffing around my underarms for that, anyway. I just really want not to smell like sweat. Is that really so much to ask?

Spring...and things.

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:54:21 GMT

As usual, I'm here blogging instead of over in my "work" screen getting things done. Ah, well, the homeschool group doesn't really need their yearbook by the end of April, do they? I'd like to blame my lack of motivation on spring, but the fickle lady seems to have taken one glance at Western Nebraska and left us to our own devices for the remainder of the season.

Nevertheless, spring is my favorite season (except for in fall, when fall is my favorite, and in winter, when winter is my favorite...summer is never my favorite) and the topic of this month's Featured_Grownups site, so I think I'll expound.

For me, it's the anticipation. I don't think there's another season I wait for like spring. I enjoy fall and winter, but I truly look forward to the arrival of the first green stems poking through the grass, the first day when you can sit outside and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, that first rainshower. There's just something fresh about spring, something innocent and worth treasuring.

I love the rain and the thundestorms, and the puddles and mud. I love the freshness of each new plant that appears, and the fierce growth each one displays at first. It is as if they are straining to get as close to the sky as possible, as quickly as possible, and that is how I feel, too--that in the spring, the sky is almost touchable, that the warmth is something you can feel the texture of, and that the feeling of anticipation is something you can almost taste.