Oh, I almost Forgot!

I ordered my external drive tonight, should have it by next week!!!!!!

Catch Up Post for Fibby

In the past three days alone, the big kids and I have discussed when I might have a baby and what the potentaial repurcussions of that might be, why grown ups swear when they know they shouldn't, and how to construct the perfect omelet. Seriously, my brain is taxed.

And for those of you upping your bets on my reproductive calendar, knock it off! We're not pregnant now, nor are we trying now. ok?

It was kind of funny to be talking it over rationally with a 7 year old was concerned that I might stop being his nanny if I did have a baby...

I've been knitting like a fiend, working on a new project, which I completed yesterday. It's a surprise, so y'all'll have to wait until I've given it away before I can post pictures. Rest assured, it's a masterpiece! I had to frog my Grandma Purl square, on account of the yarn being part synthetic. So, I still have that to do, and I have finish last spring's mitten to finish before the October evenings get truly chilly. Autumn moved in quickly this year, despite the pockets of temperate weather. Has anyone checked the OFA for a prediction for winter?

Wednesday was a bad day for driving in Boston. On our way home from an impromptu lunch at the playground near school with a whole bunch of the kids classmates, I dropped Jack with a friends, and a jackass in a big Caddy SUV nearly hit Jack's friend's dad and their dog, and when the dad yelled at him, he stopped, rolled down his window and swore like a fiend. When I interrupted and politely asked him to tone it down because of the kids, he said, "Fuck you!" and peeled off, with the dad yelling, "Piece of shit" as the Caddy sped away. Emma was just getting over the shock, and the discussion of grown up behavior, when , as we crossed Charles St at Chestnut, a Trolley Tour trolley ran a red light and very nearly broadsided us. The duty cop stopped at the intersection hit his horn. Hit his horn. No flashers, no pull over... Boston's Finest, my left foot! Had I been the one who ran the light, I'd be in court by next week. God forbid the city's tourists be interrupted by idiot driver's nearly killing people.

Tomorrow I have luncheon with the family in celebration of my cousin's impending nuptials, floowed by a thrilling night babysitting for J, E, & O. What a life I lead. Can't stop the rockin, you know?

Knitting Equinox

Yes, today is the day. Knitting season is here. The autumnal equinox coincided with a slight frost on the squash vines in my neighbors' yard. There's a fall-ish chill in the air, and I have a small project to kick off the season. Crazy Aunt Purl's grandma is getting a patchwork knit quilt, and I'm sending a square. It's fuzzy and soft and washable. Happy square!

... Like A Rolling Stone

I just saw Mick Jagger on the Common.

Seriously, and I didn't have my camera phone with me. The Stones were in town for a show at Foxboro last night, and there was Mick, walking through the Common, with another guy, cool as you like, and almost anonymous. I thought he looked like Mick Jagger, but it could have been anyone, until I heard him talk. Then I swiveled around to look again, and a eoman near me said, "Was that Mick Jagger?" We were giggling like teenagers, and I don't even really love the Stones. Bizarre.

Green Cake and Flowers

Nine days since my last posting. It's been a hairy 9 days. Good, overall, but I think I'm still tired from the weekend.

Last Friday I had one of those days where you look at the stack of bills and think, "How did this happen?" Then you realize that there is a light at the end of tunnel and that you're actually OK, and the headache starts to fade. Then you spend the weeked getting two of your close friends all married off and it's just fabulous.

L&T got married on Sunday, cake by Cameron's Cakes, ceremony performed by the Reverend Mark. He did beautifully and the cake was yummy - and green. Sadly, the cake had to be assembled on site, and the Museum of Transportation doesn't allow flash photography, so all the pictures are a litle dim. Maybe the photographer got a good one? The ceremony itself was lovely, on a hillside, under a big old oak tree, with the sun setting behind the newlyweds... ::sigh:: Yay weddings!

The week has been good. I think I'm finally caught up on sleep - we had a few late nights what with the wedding and all. The kids have been tired from school, and Owen's been crankier than usual, but it's kept me really busy, and I can't complain - when I'm busy the work day passes quickly.

Just about time to get the big kids from the bus... I'm staying late tonight, since Mom&Dad have a meeting at their school tonight, so I've got to get some foolishness out of their systems early...

y = 81 Minutes

OK, so here's my house. Here's the gas station. They're almost that close.

The garage where I park my car while at work is 23.6 miles from the gas station (I zeroed it out when I filled up this morning.).

I left my house at 6:58 AM, pulled into the gas station at 7:00, pulled back out into traffic at 7:08, and arrived at the garage at....

8:19 AM

Somewhere in all of this is a very scary algebra problem from high school, involving trains, schedules, and Omaha, but I was not a math scholar, so I do not know the answer.

O was cranky today. And when I say, "cranky," I actually mean he was behaving as though he bore the weight of the world on his 18 month old shoulders. His Nana took him to baby gymnastics class and he had a tiny panic attack. He freaked out on our walk in the park, and he whined though most of his lunch. By the time I got him fed, settled down for a nap, and myself fed, I checked my messages only to discover I'd stood an old friend up for lunch.

Bloody frigging brilliant.

On the upside, I tried on a pair of pants from last winter that were ... ummm.... snug when last I wore them, and they're not snug anymore, so that's good, right?

Belated Showing Off

Here's the Megasaurus Cake I made for my godson's birthday:

Pretty scary, hmmm?

Baby Pee and Other Friday Concerns

Oh, what a day...

It starts early - between 8:15 and 9:15 AM, O climbed up on the window seat in the living room and got into the diaper basket; from there he found a tube of Bacitracin and squeezed it up his nose. Next he emptied his Mom's purse, and used her red pen to decorate his face - permanent ink! Finally, he peed on me.

Next: I had to go to Chestnut Hill to pick Miss E up from school at 11, so we got bagel sandwiches for lunch in Natick and ice cream in Southborough, before stopping to check on poor Maurice, who's been pooping his brains out for days - after effects from his birthday? Bad grass clippings? Who knows.. anyway, I got to clean up a penful of dog poo and the pack E&O back into the Volvo, so we could pick J and his friend Ellie up at school at 2:30. Now, with four kids in the car, we head back to Beacon Hill, only to discover that Beacon St is under construction. 45 minutes later, we're back home, and the kids are bouncing off the walls. Ack!

And, I'm babysitting for the younger two tonight until 10. Long night...

On the good news front, Paypal and Ebay have finally finished reviewing my case, and I got all my money back. Now, I can actually buy a drive to back up my iBook. I really can't wait, even though the repair costs are going to break me. I might actually get my iBook back by the autumnal equinox!

Since, I got all the pictures from the camera onto our PC, look for some renovation updates in the very near future.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

It's the First Day of School here in NannyLand, and MOMP is celebrating. The first 10 readers to leave comments will recieve a special mystery prize!

(I also have a bridge in Brooklyn if anyone's interested?)

O&I will return to our regular haunts today, hangin' and meeting people... But before too long, there will be a crush of activites, etc, so these last few days of peace and quiet will be very welcome.

Someone yesterday asked me if I was concerned that O doesn't talk at 18 months. Up until the moment of the question, I've been confident in my assessment that as a boy and the third child, he'll talk when he needs to, and that might not be for a while. His motor skills and his emotional developement are spot on, and he's an engaged, interested, easygoing kid... He's also got two older siblings, two parents, and me; all of whom are trained pretty well to respond to his nonverbal communication... Why talk, right? He's got an army of enabling translators...

Damn the person who brought it up, though. Now I'm worried. Is there something we're not doing? Could I be doing something wrong? Am I missing some red flag? I don't know. My gut says he's fine. Hopefully, it's a correct instinct. His parents seem to feel the same way, so I should stop worrying, right?

For today, I'm going to enjoy his company, tell hims stories, sing him songs, and be happy the big kids are back to school.

Maurice's First Birthday, the Capital Grille, and He Who Must Not Be Named

Too impoverished to take your Pug out for a fancy gourmet birthday dinner? Just try lunch!

Today is Maurice's actual birthday. He's one. Or so the breeder says. We had some folks over on Sunday for pre-Labor Day, and apparently Maurice felt it was his party:
Then, on Monday, we took advantage of the gorgeous weather, and drove down to Providence with the Pug to explore for a few hours. We walked the RISD and Brown campuses, the trendy blocks of Thayer St, the East Side, and Downcity before collapsing on a park bench across from Waterplace. We were hungry. Maurice was pooped. We needed a nice patio dining area that wouldn't mind our 20 pound dog sharing our space. So, of course, we walked the few remaining feet to the Capital Grille.

Maurice perused the menu, but ultimately ended up sharing Mark's dry-aged sirloin and my lobster and crab burger, as well as some heirloom tomato chunks in a balsamic reduction.

Now where does the Dark Lord play into all this? Excellent question, gentle reader!

You may all remember that my iBook is still on the injured reserve? Yes, well, that cramps my photo style a bit, since our PC at home is a great hulking dinosaur that doesn't love interfacing with my Nikon. So, all these pictures have come to you after hours of grunting and swearing and sweating... (Eeeew) By the computer!!!

About three days after The Day the iBook Fell, I was stuck in traffic on Storrow Drive behind a political bumper sticker that looked like Bush/Cheney or some other kind of Republican foolishness... until I really looked at it:

I've been waiting for months to share that. Months!

She's A...

I am obsessed.

Clean House on the Style Network. Obsessed. It's my new TV crack. Plus, it's Niecy Nash from Reno 911! Which is, incidentally, going to be a movie. Reno 911!: Miami It's filming now. Train wreck or hilariousness?

So, O and I had a playdate with Maurice today... Our last day of freedom. Summer is over here in NannyLand. On Tuesday the big kids are back from their trip to The Farm with Nana and Poppy, and we only have two days together before school!!!!! Not that I'm excited.... We're actually going to be really busy this fall. Soccer and gymnastics for J&E respectively, chess club for J after school. New friends from summer camps. O has baby gymnastics and playgroup, and hopefully swimming lessons later in the season. Lordy!

Oh, I just watched a frat house makeover. Now I have to spend some time doing a brick house makeover - if y'all get my drift.