Have You Seen This?

You can find me in an additional place…

 “My Other Life, Monkey Mama Hoedown.”  

(The blog title is courtesy of Junebug – he’s a little peeved that I stole it from him.  I’ve promised to give it back when he’s old enough to blog on his own.)

It’s a new blog I started recently to compartmentalize my homeschool stuff a little bit.  I really want to keep this blog to art and general ramblings and separate the homeschooling so I don’t get too eclectic here.  I’m not sure how long it will last – I’m notoriously an excellent starter, and a frequent fader, but if you’re interested in what we do, click over and say hello.  If you’re not all that interested in my homeschooling life…stay here.  

You may even see a painting or two.

WHOA, Nellie

 

The Tunnel of 40, originally uploaded by diahn.

Our life usually moves at a pace that resembles this picture. Fast, furious, and sometimes a little blurry.

Today we took a few minutes to sit around and do nothing important. Dr. SmartyPants watched a Pink Panther movie marathon. I embroidered a few onesies for some brand new babies in town. Doodlebug swam at a friend’s house and Junebug played next door.

I hope you all manage to do that sometimes.

I can always catch up on the laundry tomorrow, no?

I’m 40. And 1 Day.

I know I promised to not obsess, and really – I’m not – but I thought since I tortured you all through the process of turning 40, I’d at least let you see that I’m hanging in there.  I haven’t broken a hip yet, my hair is still pink and I have all my teeth except the ones I voluntarily let be removed in order to augment the orthodontist’s needs.

I had a really nice day yesterday.  The boys were extra sweet, they gave me a gift certificate for a spa pedicure at my favorite salon and made me my favorite kind of cake.  Krispy Kreme Chocolate Glazed Donuts.

They took me to Wasabi, a local Japanese Steakhouse for dinner and we pigged out on steak and shrimp and all the goodies that go with it.

Dr. SmartyPants arranged it all, of course, and I got to pick up my birthday present today.

He is SO getting lucky tonight.

Blastoff.

Well.

Here we are.  It happened.  I’m 40.  There were no fireworks at midnight, no champagne while standing on the deck of my fabulous yacht, no confetti.

Not that I REALLY expected that, of course.

One of the things that comes with a 40th birthday is the recognition that the day usually proceeds the way most days do – quickly and without too much drama.  We’ll still have lessons here at Ottwork Academy (Yes, we do call it that.  And we have a logo.  The t-shirts are on the way.)  I’ll still scoop cat poop out of the litter box and clean up spilled chocolate milk and macaroni and cheese.  But I’ll do so with the full wisdom of the ages.

Oh, shut up.  I know it’s not all that old, but I do get a little star in the wisdom pin, don’t I?  I’ve lived FOUR decades.  I realize that doesn’t make me a doddering old woman, and I’m glad that it doesn’t, but I can still impart some wizened truths.  

If only anyone would ask me.  

Instead they say things like, “40?  Shoot – I’ve got underwear older than you.  You’re not old until you’re 60.”  Sigh.  Does that ever change?  I mean, when I’m 80 and sitting in the nursing home I can just see that there will be some 98 year old know-it-all who will insist I’m too young to know what old is.

Neverthless, I think I should share some of the tidbits of knowledge I have gleaned in my 40 years.  Here we go:

1. Always know how to operate the brakes on the bike you are riding.  You never know when there might be a parked bus down the hill.
2. Never date a boy named “Bucky.”

Well – that’s it, really.  You can pretty much live your life by those two principles.

And maybe these:

Smile.  Laugh.  Love.  Create.  Sing.  Dance.  Whisper. 

 Shout.  Read.  Play.  Learn.  Embrace.  Smooch.

Thanks for sharing it with me.  I promise to not endlessly obsess over 41.

Peace.

ONE

When I woke up this morning, I heard D whispering to Dr. SmartyPants, “Mom’s birthday is TOMORROW.  She’ll be 40!”  Dr. SmartyPants whispered back, “Are you sure?  I think she’s just 25.”  Now you see WHY he’s such a smarty.

I can’t say I slept well, though.  This boy decided that I had a better spot in the bed than he did, and he tried to take it from me.

Now, I have to say that I love this dog, but some things are sacred.  As in the sacred sleeping spot upon which I lie.  Do not mess with that spot, dog.

You may be asking, “Why would a woman allow a dog in her bed at all?”  

And the answer would be, “He’s very snuggly.  Don’t judge me.”

On to the irrelevant fascinating August 29 facts:

On August 29 in 1628, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath (English royalist statesman d. 1701) was born.

Hello.  I take baths. 

That dog needs a bath.

I tell ya – these “coincidences” are beginning to creep me out a little.

Sleeping Giants

 

Reclining SmartyPants, originally uploaded by diahn.

Dr. SmartyPants isn’t exactly a giant, but I had to give it a title, didn’t I?

Two. More. Days.

More fun facts…On August 29 in…

1521 – The Ottoman Turks capture Nándorfehérvár, now known as Belgrade.

1526 – Battle of Mohács: The Ottoman Turks led by Suleiman the Magnificent defeat and kill the last Jagiellonian king of Hungary and Bohemia.

1541 – The Ottoman Turks capture Buda, the capital of the Hungarian Kingdom.

I have an ottoman. I’m thinking of changing my name to Diahn the Magnificent.

Anyway – what was up with those Ottoman Turks and August 29? Must have been a good luck day or something.

Oops – maybe not…

In 1904 – Murad V, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1840) died.

Whoa. Check this out. Ingrid Bergman? The actress? That was born on August 29, 1915?

She died on August 29, 1982.

Not cool.

Wordle

I made a Wordle from my blog.  It basically scans your text and makes words larger and smaller based on usage frequency.  I was pretty excited to see that “book”, and “love” were prominent.

Go try it with yours – see what really makes you tick…

Some Days

 

Doodlebug in Sunlight, originally uploaded by diahn.

The countdown continues. Three…

More “interesting” August 29 facts…

In 1861, the US Navy captured forts in Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina from the Confederacy.

Hatteras is my favorite place. 

In 1966, The Beatles played their last concert before paying fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

I just went to San Francisco.

In 1898, the Goodyear Tire Company was founded.

I have tires.

Freaky? I think so.

Wait – it gets better…

In 1924, singer Dinah Washington was born.

If you rearrange the letters in her first name, you can spell Diahn. 

I’ve been to Washington. 

 

I’m a singer.

 

Dude.

I took this photo over the weekend on our camping trip. Every now and then, when I cull through the hundreds of pictures I take on such trips (375 in 3 days), I find one like this and it makes me so happy. Everything about it just works for me.

I guess you take 375 photos in 3 days, and 1 is bound to be good, right?

Five. Uh. Four.

Maple Leaf, originally uploaded by diahn.

Only four days left in my 30s. I’ve just realized that I share a birthday with John McCain. And Michael Jackson. I’m not sure what that means, but I’m sure it means something. Why can’t I share a birthday with Georgia O’Keefe or Sue Monk Kidd?

Well – I do share with Ingrid Bergman. That’s good. And Hurricane Katrina. That’s bad.

I’ll try to share some more fascinating birthday facts with you over the next four days. Aren’t you never going to read again excited?

We went camping over the weekend and had a great time. I even found the energy to draw a few things here and there. Like this holy, or rather – hole-y leaf. It was very meditative and made me realize how long it has been since I have drawn anything at all. Time to tone up those sketching muscles again, I think.

I have a few more sketches to share with you over the week, as well.  But I’m going to leave you with this one by D.  He sat down right next to me while I was sketching the maple leaf, and decided to join in…

 

My Best Birthday Present. Ever.

Tomorrow is Junebug’s 7th birthday.  

Yep – exactly 1 week before my 33rd birthday, I had my second son.  It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

We’re heading out to camp today in honor of his birthday – that was his request instead of having a big party.  (whew.)  So, yesterday, we decided to have a family party for him.  Really – we just didn’t want to lug all the pressies in the camper with us.

We took him to his favorite restaurant (Golden Corral.)  (I know.)  (He’s almost 7.)  (It could have been McDonald’s.)  Then we headed to the mall to Build-a-Bear, ’cause there is nothing this child likes better in the world than a stuffed animal.  Afterwards we headed home for cake and presents.

Because (other than stuffed animals) little boys are all about Star Wars, LEGOS and Nascar, that’s what he got.

He seemed pretty happy with it.  Which is great – because usually, he looks like this:

Or sometimes like this:

He’s kind of like his Mama.  MY mom’s nickname for me when I was little was “Stone-face”.  And I deserved it.  But, I digress.

Junebug’s Nanny and Pop-Pop sent him a Nintendo DS (after he dropped MANY hints.  and suggestions.  and outright begging for one because D got one for his birthday.  and make it blue.)  He was so excited about that gift, that he celebrated a la Michael Phelps.

Minus any muscles.

And yes.  We do feed him.

Happy Birthday, Baby – Mama loves you.

P.S.  I’ll be back sometime Sunday – we’re off to the deep dark, internet-free, no-cell-phone-coverage woods.