The Love, Blood, and Rhetoric School

Oh dear god, make it stop!

I have one suitcase for everyone for the wedding weekend. One smallish suitcase with Katrina's and Robs' clothes and shoes for Williamsburg/Hilton Head. I need to borrow a large suitcase from ma for my and Bruce's gear for that time. I have a medium suitcase of things just for the beach week for ma to drive down. And I have one small suitcase with the toiletries/medicine/blahblahblah that we will need everywhere.

Katrina and Robs will each have a backpack for toys/blanket/babies, we'll probably take a laptop case, a cooler for drinks and snackies, and my gym bag always ends up getting stuffed with all the last-minute crap.

This multi-phase trip stuff is for the birds.

Speaking of which, pileated woodpeckers really fly funny. I've never seen one like that before.

We have had several very nice days lately. This is not going to be as long of an entry as I wanted, however, because I can't get lj to load on the laptop, and typing on the app takes forever.

Wednesday Bruce took Katrina to school, then Robs and I went to the Y. I lifted, then we both did toddler gym. Plus it was raining, so puddles!

We had a quiet afternoon, Bruce has been trying to sleep off a bad cold between work shifts, and I took the kids for a walk before supper. It took us an hour and a half to walk two miles, which was slightly maddening, but the weather was beautiful by that time, and everyone slept well. Robs managed over a mile and a half on his own stubby legs.

Thursday was another great, happy, fit-free day. I actually got to spend real time with Bruce outside of going to sleep at night. We went to the Indian restaurant for lunch with Robs and had a great time. I hadn't realized how long it had been since we'd done anything together. We need to work on that. We both have the tendency to get our heads down and really get into our individual schedules.

Katrina had Ukrainian dancing at church in the evening, and I had choir practice immediately after. We hired a sitter to play with all the kids in the school building, which means we are a lot more productive and less stressed out. I also made an amazing pot roast with lots of roasted onions.

Friday is Katrina's half day at school. Robs and I went to the chiropractor in the morning, which I desperately needed. Then we had lunch and Katrina played with the girl across the street while Robs napped. E's a lovely 10 year-old, and the two of them had a great time playing with ribbon streamers and digging holes in the backyard.

I even managed to convince them to dig the holes where I want to put foxgloves along the fence. Then E's brother and mother, Sherry, came over for a bit. The kids were invited to the Pirates game that evening. Katrina was disappointed that E couldn't stay and play "forever", but there was no meltdown. And she cheered up after I fed the kids, so we went to the park for an hour before bed. (Bruce came home at noon after working overnight, went to bed, and didn't get up until this morning.)

I was settling in for a serious evening of cross stitching, when Sherry called and invited me over for an hour or so. I came home three hours and two bottles of wine later, after climbing on her furniture to rearrange the window treatments. I think it went well. We both know we need to be a little more proactive in making friends, and since the girls like each other, and we live across the street, this could work out pretty easily.

I like Sherry. She reminds me of Lisa, with the sense of humor and the low-grade anxiety. I think she ended up sharing more than she meant to, so I hope she doesn't feel awkward about that. It wasn't anything inappropriate, but that was our first time having anything more than superficial neighbor conversation, and she seems to worry a lot about what people think of her. She feels like she comes across a whole lot less together than she actually does. All the thinks she mentioned being afraid of me judging her for I had either not noticed, or noticed and thought of positively.

Today we went out with dad, had brunch, and bought flowers at Lowe's. We also got a little garden fountain for the backyard!!! I'm super excited, though now I need to figure out where to put it. I love the sound of running water, and I've been wanting a little water feature of some sort forever.

This is the model at the store. I like the little stone bed it's on...

And here's the kids snuggling with dad at the restaurant

Dad was trying to hand me his phone to take pictures. He never quite managed to.

So nothing too exciting, but I feel like I need to document that yes, life is sometimes easy and pleasant, even with all the routine busy-ness.

I'm hoping that the marked decrease in drama and increase in "sure thing, mommy!" is an indication Katrina is more able to deal with the everyday frustrations of life. I hope so. I hate seeing her made so unhappy by one thing not going the way she wants. I'm trying to convince her that a good day doesn't mean everything has to be perfect.

Hope everyone is enjoying the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox.

I am glad this week is over. I always am. I can't adequately explain this to someone who is not part of the same little pocket culture, but this is bigger than Christmas. By several powers. And Katrina is already absorbing that. Yesterday she kept reminding me that "tomorrow is Pascha. And Pascha is the most important day of the year." Because I really needed the extra pressure. ;-)

I skipped out on a lot this year, to be honest. Only went to church once during Holy Week, and of course today. Today started at eleven, which was blissful after several years of stumbling around outside at six am with banners, candles, and way too many sleepy toddlers. (I kid you not. That church in Virginia Beach is serious. Ruthenians are hardcore.) We went to the basket blessing services yesterday, but just to sell lambs and raffle tickets and so the kids could do the egg hunt.

We didn't bring our own basket of ham, butter, eggs, horseradish, etc because I did not cook Easter dinner! Mom is out of town, dad doesn't care, Bruce is at work, and he and I finally realized that neither of us actually like the traditional dinner much anyway. So last night the kids and I went to the supper buffet at the Indian restaurant we like, and brought home takeout for today.

We did all right today, I suppose. Katrina was too excited to sleep past six this morning, so we did Easter baskets early. No one even noticed the bunny didn't bring any candy. Robs' favorite part is the plastic eggs you can open and close over and over.

Church was a mess. The kids were all wound up, it was packed downstairs, the choir loft was hot, and all the changeable parts for Liturgy were the same words (though sometimes in English and sometimes in Ukrainian) but with different melodies. We sang about five different settings of Christos voskrese ees mertvich, etc. today, and they were all just slightly different from the ones I've sing for the past eight years. It was crazy.

Got home, fed kids lunch, and got serious with the mimosas. I did drag Katrina on an almost three-mile walk this afternoon. She hasn't been falling asleep until after nine the past few nights, and it's wearing on all of us. Indian food for dinner (yay!), baths all around, and Katrina is already in bed. Robs is feeding his kitty Easter eggs right now, then I'll get him packed up. And mimosa day will draw to a nice, calm conclusion. Bruce should be home before nine.

I think kitty is done with her supper. Hope today treated you all well. Enjoy the improving weather, and try not to think about the Hugo Awards too much.

I am hungry. As in gnaw-my-own-arm-off hungry, but absolutely nothing sounds good. This is a very odd and uncomfortable position.

I have a plan. It's still in the formative stages, so I need input.

What were everyone's favorite fictional characters as a small child?

This is the video I found most helpful. She shows you the way I do mine first, then a more dramatic rockabilly style.

The angle you pull the hair out at will change the poof and where the roll will sit. The advice about keeping the ends/already rolled hair even with the taut hair was what finally made it work for me. The only thing I would add is that I pull my hair forward before I roll it as well, otherwise it ends up pretty far back.

First day decaffeinated. I think my head may explode.

I also think that may be an improvement over the current state of affairs.

So I'm getting ready to walk out the door and go see Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson with Jen. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to go after everything that went on yesterday, but the ticket was my Christmas present from her, and sitting at home being depressed isn't going to help Ukraine at all. Mom grudgingly said she would stay at my house for an hour until Bruce gets home from work. I wasn't hundred percent sure on the shirt I am wearing, so I asked her if it looked okay.

"Looks fine."

"...just keep sucking your gut in."

What the ever loving fuck?! Either say it looks fine, or tell me it's a little tight and I can change into my backup outfit. This is why I started dieting when I was 12 and weighed one hundred and 20 pounds, because my mother said my butt was getting big.

So I would like to thank my insecure, passive aggressive bitch of a mother for making me unable to enjoy how I look or feel at any weight.

Just fuck today. Sideways.

I'm turning into the frakking bluebird of happiness over here. Watch, I've probably fallen pregnant and this is the calm before the year-long hormonal storm.

Bruce seems to be starting on the flu bug, not that he seems to realize it.
Him- "I don't have the flu."
Me- "Are you achy, tired, irritable, and do you have a headache, chills and light sensitivity?"
Him- "yes. All of those."
Me- "That's what the flu is."

But because I am happy for no reason, I tucked him into bed, made him some iced tea, and hold him to rest and watch Burn Notice while I cleaned up the kitchen, and I'll be in to bed at ten. Even when he snapped at me. Because instead of my brain going "oh gosh, he's mad at me, quick, fix it!!!" Or "what the fuck is wrong with you buddy? Get over yourself!", it went "he must really be feeling bad to be so cranky". My jerk brain is apparently on vacation.

Had an impromptu playgroup/choir practice/zabava today at church. We missed last week's playgroup because of weather, and rescheduled for this week. Then we decided it was a good chance to go over the Presanctified Service for the Great Fast

(We say Great Fast instead of Lent. Presanctified is a psalm and communion service that is done the first Monday and every Wednesday of the Fast. It's called Presanctified because the Eucharist is not consecrated during the ceremony; it's been previously blessed. Makes the service much shorter, is appropriate for strict fasting days, and also means you don't need a priest, just a deacon, which can be a great advantage.)

I've never done Ukrainian Presanctified before, just Ruthenian, and it's just different enough that I would not want to pick it up on the fly. So the plan was to let the kids play and the four of us ladies would review things for Monday.

Then every one of us brought treats. We generally take turns, but this was not on the schedule. So we had our own little carnevale/zabava and ate snackies and had tons of fun. I had an eclair and it was glorious.

Then we ended up taking all the curtains down while we were on a sugar high. The windows are set very high in the social room, and they are glass block, so all the curtains really do is make the room very dark. They're in the back of my car. We're waiting to see if anyone 1.) notices and 2.) complains. If they do, well I just took them home to wash them. I think I have attained the status of Church Lady. Not sure how I feel about that. ;-)

I'm happy feverish at the moment. It's like happy drunk, right to the point where it wears off and leaves one shivering and sweating while the room spins around you.

So far the kids continue healthy. Fingers crossed. However, without me to read his schedule to him, I think Bruce went into work a whole seven and a half hours early. I can't muster much sympathy, he's 36, he can read his own damn calendar.

Off to feed children and get something done before the desire to lay down and die returns.