Fat Biscuit

Raspberry Scone Day

School is back on and so is my more tranquil schedule. Unfortunately, Owen doesn't find his going to first grade every day as tranquil as I do, but he is managing. This morning, for instance, after a few minutes of yet again trying to convince me that watching television before school is not only more fun but also fair and just, because other kids get to, he settled down and listened to a Hank Zipzer audiobook. Then he ate two pieces of french toast and drank some orange juice. This counts as a good morning. He wasn't thrilled to be going to school but once he was at the bus stop, he perked up. 

First grade, after all, is a bit more challenging. Owen has a math worksheet to do every day, and soon we'll start getting reading homework as well. Every day, his behaviour chart comes home, which I then have to sign. If he forgets to get his chart signed, he gets demoted to a green day (purple is perfect) the following day. Twice a week, the kids get a visit from the Spanish teacher, who tosses a little Espanol their way, and in the next week or so Owen should start back with his speech teacher twice a week. Wednesday after school we drive straight to the recreation center for Owen's private swim lesson. Starting next Monday, Owen will go to an after-school sports class for an hour. In our household, this counts as a busy schedule, though it is NOTHING compared to the crazy weeks some of his peers have. (Note judgmental tone.)

This year I've started to volunteer regularly at Owen's school library in addition to my mini-stint at the regional branch. (Book dork!) The school "media assistant" (as she is formerly known) wants me to be able to sub for her if she needs to miss work. That means learning how to do circulation. More importantly, it means interacting with kids in a friendly yet firm manner. That's harder for me. 

This week also marks my third back at a decent running schedule. I'm motivated by races, so I've registered for the Run Like a Girl 8K in Richmond in mid-October. This is also a great excuse to spend time with K and A in Richmond.

Now I'm off to the farmers' market, where I can buy my favourite raspberry scone and, if I'm feeling virtuous, a vegetable or two . . . 

Now Slightly Tanned

I have so not been getting my $8.95's worth these past few months. What time I spend on the computer is devoted to work, keeping up with e-mail, and the quick Facebook status update. 

I miss those 6-hour school days.

Strangely, the summer break is going by quickly, which is OK with me. I'm not much for strict schedules and jam-packed days (no comment, please, Rachael) but every week being different makes me uncomfortable. But a lot of things make me uncomfortable, like the curtains not being drawn evenly, bread crumbs on the counter, the heat, gusts of wind, Owen leaning back in his chair, . . . anything loud. Can you tell it's getting to me?

O and I have had fun visits to grandparents and many a free movie at the local movie theatre. I even have an ever so subtle tan on my legs to prove that I've taken my son, dutifully, to the pool and water park. 

And this week, we're having a tree removed from our front yard and others trimmed back. That should be entertaining for everyone, including the cat.

Every Saturday morning I get up early to go running with a couple friends. I look forward to it each week. 

four days till ocean city!

Spotting Hummers at the Farmers' Market

We're two weeks into summer break, and I'm already exhausted. It's tiring staying busy and entertained with a 6-year-old boy. That said, I wouldn't trade it for the 9-5 for anything.

It's funny how you can try something once, and it will not work out; then you try it a second time, under different conditions or a new mindset, and suddenly it all falls into place. That's been my recent experience with running. I started running outside a couple of months ago and have been loving it. Don't know if it's the fully healed back sprain, the new, fancy sneaks, or the great outdoors, but it is so much more gratifying than the treadmill ever was. In the last two months, I've run two short races and hope to run another one in the fall. I feel healthier and obsess less about all the squishy parts of my body. 

The last race we did had a 1-mile race for kids with parents, so I cajoled Tay and Owen into participating. We were so proud of Owen for participating in a RACE, or COMPETITION, because these things usually terrify him. He ran the entire mile and wore his race shirt and medal for the next two days straight.

This summer Owen and I are staying busier than usual, thanks to Owen's increased maturity and my decreased anxiety. Here's a list of the typical activities:

• swim lessons (where we spotted a Mitt Romney for President tee shirt)
• farmers' market (where we often spot the aforementioned hummers) 
• library time (I still need to do my weekly volunteer stint)
• free movies  
• Pirates' Cove (Pohick Bay)
• Great Waves Water Park (Cameron Run) 

We've also got visits planned with Nana and Am and Baba, as well as our traditional beach week at Ocean City. We also HAVE to see Jim Waive and the Young Divorcees at Fridays After Five on August 28 in C'ville. Owen will love that. 

  

Biking at Sunset

Immune System of a Thirty-Three-Year Old

That cold tried to wrestle me to the ground, but I fought back (or at least my body did), so I was not still ill on my Birthday. Yeah, body! 

I'm tapping this on my MacBook from my little kitchen: I've got fish sticks in the oven, Heinz beans (British style) ready, and salads prepped. Most importantly, I've got my Magic Hat #9. Owen just interrupted me to ask for something to eat; he typically does this 20 minutes before dinner. Perhaps an indication that I should make dinner earlier?

This Saturday was the best Birthday I've had in ages. Mum and Tay's parents were here, I had a cake with my name on it, and I went out for dinner with Tay, K, and L. Dinner here was fabulous, even though we had to wait 40 minutes for a table, forcing us to have drinks at the bar beforehand.

Today Taylor did a lot of yardwork and I did a lot of Owen tending. Specifically, I played many rounds of hide-and-seek with Owen and his neighbour friend, R, and then played grunt to Owen's general in a highly strategic, potato-gun-enhanced Army battle. 

Owen climbed many trees and had another biking session, again with R. He has a happy life; only 20 more years before he appreciates it.

Six Months Between The Two

April is one of my favourite months, but it's also one of the busiest. Not only is it the birth month of both myself and my son, but it's also when several of my closest friends and family members celebrate their birthiversaries as well. (I did it again; I made up a word, . . . just like that!)

Starting it off, on the first of this month (six months to the day after Frieda died), as you must have noticed by my recent catcentric photo postings, we adopted a new cat, Reese. Reese is about as good as it gets. She is friendly, cuddly, tolerant of loud noises, and playful; she is also highly skilled with the cat box. She eats dry food; she eats wet food; she likes the occasional cat treat (but doesn't scarf them down); she enjoys some cat nip. She hasn't even tried to eat our plants. We made an excellent choice.

I thought I would pass on perhaps the most annoying exchange I've ever had with a stranger in public. I was at the checkout line at Whole Foods when I noticed that my tub of grape tomatoes was moldy. I wasn't quite up to the checker yet, so I turned to the woman in line behind me and said, "Would you mind if I just run back to grab another?" She looked at me with little enthusiasm and said, "Do what you have to do." 

What the F**K does that mean? 

I've hated her, that stranger at Whole Foods, ever since. She's got a whole backstory now as well. If you'd like to hear more about her emotionless, joyless upbringing, just drop me a line. Don't even get me started about her political leanings.

Another April breakthrough: Owen rode his bike without his training wheels. I'll put up a picture as soon as the resident photographer gets some uploaded. 

Finally, it seems I always get a nasty cold in April. I remember the most heinous one was my final year at college, the year I turned 21. I felt like dying but had so many papers to do and tests to study for. That was also the year that Katie and Kalai gave me a Welsh coffee mug and a tiny bottle of Godiva liquor.

Owen Finds Reese

Boy Turns Six

Cat . . . Maybe?

We're so close to getting a new cat. We visited a local shelter on Sunday and left having put one cat "on hold." The shelter now needs to call our former veterinarian and make sure we are decent pet-owners. Hopefully, by Thursday we will get a call saying we can pick up Reese. Reese is the cat, obviously. We had originally planned on getting a couple of young siblings (2 yrs.) that we spotted on the shelter's Web site. However, when we saw those two in person, they seemed terribly scared. Reese (4 yrs.), on the other hand, came up to us several times and seemed much more laid back (just like her future owners, cough). Isn't it sad that when you're discussing cats, a mere "came up to us" feels really playful and extroverted? 

Owen can't wait to get Reese. I can't wait to buy a lime green cat collar for her. 

Pancakes and Scarves and Boy Briefs in Pink

It's trying to snow outside, but it's not going to amount to much. I go out and buy a summer scarf, and the spring weather steps back and a series of chilly, drizzly days follow. Regardless, Taylor and I are making the switch to a spring-like dinner menu: most dinners are composed mainly of a large salad. Last night, though, we whooped it up and had a pancake dinner (with blueberries thrown in to make it "healthier," like that's possible). 

Yesterday, I bought a floor cushion from the Orla Kiely for Target line, placed it on the floor in front of the kitchen sink, and then promptly tossed the old red rug in the washing machine. (I'll probably donate the rug, but either way it needed a clean.) I didn't check the washing instructions, but this rug was hand-wash only, which I realized as soon as I opened the washing machine. 

Now Owen has a couple pink pieces to add to his spring wardrobe: a pair of boys' briefs in a subtle rose wash and a hooded skateboard tee, with the hood in a lovely strawberry hue. He'll kill me. He loves that skateboard shirt. I might just hide it and hope he forgets it ever existed. 

I visited a friend a couple days ago, and when it was time for me to drive home, I gave her a hug goodbye. And that got me thinking, How many "hug friends" do I have?  I suppose for some people, every friend is a "hug friend." Not me, though I've gotten more huggy in my old age. How many "hug friends" do you have?