Another New Year's Goal Achieved!

I did it! I made a quilt for my daughter just as I promised her and myself on January 1 of this year. Usually, I am not one to embrace the sewing arts. In fact, I try to avoid it because it makes me frustrated, and it is just something that does not come naturally to me. However, she did not have a quilt like the other girls, so I decided to make one for her. Yes, I put it off for months. We picked out the fabric this spring and I began cutting pieces for it soon after. Only having 5 more weeks in 2007 (!) I focused on it Friday and Saturday and she was able to sleep with it last night. I'm proud of myself and she is happy with the results.

Homebodies

Maisy was invited to a sleepover birthday party and just before it was time to go, she broke down crying. She wasn't sure that she wanted to go and sleep away from home. I told her that she didn't have to stay the night but to calm down and go to the party. She called at about 11 pm ready to come home. I was ok with that because it is part of my going to bed routine to check on the sleeping children and make sure all is well before I relax.

A Blog a Day...Maybe

I'm trying. Really. But it is proving to be a bit harder than I thought it would be to write everyday. The girls keep me very busy, of course, and I've been focusing much of my attention on the necessary preparations for homeschooling Maya. I'm getting very excited about it. I'm hoping her reading ability gains leaps and bounds with us working together on it. When I took Maisy to her before school book club meeting, I told her goodbye and to have fun. I heard Maya from the back seat say "Ya right! She's not going to have fun in that place!" So I know she's over school and ready for me to teach her.
Thanksgiving is so soon, and my parents are coming over to feast. I hope and pray that the girls can remember to use their best table manners. Some sort of bribe is in order.

Twins Dressing Alike

Just when I thought the girls were never going to dress the same again, I got a hard time after bringing home two different outfits from a shopping trip. Then, my mom bought them matching outfits which they wore the same day. It was very cute and there were many comments. I personally like it when they dress alike, but I'll continue to let it be their decision. I guess it is a lesson about being flexible and knowing that kids are always changing and growing.

Consequences of Procrastination

This week, Maisy got her first bad grade. For an academic overachiever, this was a near tragedy. She was supposed to have read a certain number of pages with accompanying book reports (kept track of since school began). She did not read the number required to receive the highest grade. She was disappointed in herself, but I believe it was a good lesson. I've been reminding her of today's deadline for a couple of weeks, but she seemed to pay it no mind until this morning when she realized that today was THE DAY. She got up an hour early and read, and I read to her while she ate breakfast. Too little, too late. Will she learn the consequences of procrastination from this? Let's hope.

Sweet Girl

Linn was so sweet to me on my birthday, and very cute. She kept finding things to wrap up for me and gave me many birthday gifts - matchbox cars, rocks, pencils, and even a jack in the box. She had a great time using the paper and tape and enjoyed my reaction each time I unwrapped something. Maisy wanted to get in on the action too, so she got $2 out of her bank and wrapped it up for another gift. I felt very grateful for my lovely girls.

Weaning Twins and Marking Milestones

This year, their 4th spring, my twins could not longer be called nurslings. For me, this meant the end of a 10 year stretch of being pregnant and/or nursing. I was ready for the girls to wean. Obviously, they were too, because the weaning process went very smoothly. I said to them, "After you go for as many days without ninny as the number of fingers you have, you can say you are weaned. Then you can get your ears pierced." 10 days later, we were at the jewelry store. It really was that easy, and honestly, it seemed to be more of a big deal to me. I have decided to get a tattoo to literally mark the end of that era in my life.

Researcher in the Making

It seems like no matter where we go, at least one child does something unusual and humorous. At tennis lessons, Noli put two tennis balls in her shirt and strutted around, pointing to her ball boobs! Crazy.
After tennis lessons, we went to the pet store. It's our usual Wednesday routine. This time I noticed Maisy had a notebook and pencil. She was writing down prices of various products relating to Betta fish. We found a worker who gave us much more information than we needed on the care of Bettas, so it ended up being a good lesson for her. Now she has a monetary goal to reach, which I'm hoping will inspire her to continue completion of her chores.

My Irreverent Maiden

As two of our violin bows were in need of repair, the girls and I made a trip to the violin master's home studio. We entered and Maya promptly took off her faux fur coat and put it on a beautiful grand piano. I apologized and removed it, noticing that she had also removed her Uggs and was proceeding to explore the house. The other girls were staying at my side. I was trying to keep an eye on Maya while showing the bows to the violinist. Then Maya, wearing her Marilyn Monroe style golden "dream dress," stood over the vent and let the air blow her skirt up, and said, "I tooted!" By now, the violinist was staring at us with a look of incredulity. I then realized that her house was very quiet - no children. I asked if she taught little children and she, still staring at us like we were aliens, replied emphatically "Oh no! Not until 4th or 5th grade!"
She gave a date when the bows would be ready, and we made a hasty departure. Driving home, I couldn't help but laugh out loud at Maya's antics, and I felt very grateful for her presence in my life.

Homeschool

I'm taking Maya out of public school. I've been doing research and talking to family members and feel that this is going to be the best way for her to be educated. My sister just received her M.A. in Education and she supports my decision. Maya will going to go school until Thanksgiving break.
I've been using The Complete Daily Curriculum For Early Childhood for the twins' homeschool and it has been wonderful. In my research, I found that ours and many other school districts have an automatic twin separation policy regardless of parental complaint. This has led to some twins becoming depressed at being away from each other, and I know my girls would be devastated. They do not and will not do anything without the other. So, it seems that the list of reasons to homeschool grows.

Rock, Gem, and Mineral Show

Yesterday, I took the girls to the rock, gem and mineral show. As expected, there were many beautiful things to see. I found myself having to breath deeply and make a concerted effort to relax, because the little girls could not keep from picking up the rocks and jewels. I didn't blame them. All that energy! I found a hand blown glass Goddess and when the vendor told me it was $20, I exclaimed "Twenty dollars! I'll have to borrow money from my daughter to buy it!" He let me have it for $15 and threw in a stone heart for each of the girls.
Maya bought an amethyst crystal cluster and was very happy to receive a gold dollar coin in change. Maisy bought earrings and a large ceramic bead in the shape of a panda.
This was one of the more difficult outings for me because I spent most of it overseeing the children.

More Fun With Food

Last night, we had so much fun making orange juice. Each girl got a turn holding orange halves on the juicer until we had a wonderfully full pitcher of fresh liquid sunshine. Then, I poured juice into the empty peel halves and they used them for cups. It was good, healthy fun.

Another Big Saturday With 4 Kids

This morning I awoke with Maya saying "I Love You Mom. I really do. I Love You." It was a sweet way to start a fully scheduled day.
After a very fruity breakfast, I got everyone ready, gathered towels, goggles, and clothes and got them to swimming lessons on time. They enjoyed it despite the cold water. (Even the instructors were complaining) Home, lunch, change (not much glamour today) and headed to the museum for art class. The weather was so incredibly beautiful that we spent almost the whole two hours outside on the grounds. We even got our snack at the cafe and took it outside to eat.
One of Maya's pieces was held for display, which brought pleasure and pride to us both. She said, very seriously, "Well, I did put a lot of detail into it." So cute, I mean, she's 6!
Home, piano and violin, and some down time. Phew!

Tennis Really is The Sport of a Lifetime

The girls and I went to dinner with my Dad last night. He made dinner for us and we hung out with him, ate, and talked over a glass of wine. Maya was being so trying because she has a new word du jour - "pitiful"- and was using it all she could. I asked her to please refrain from saying it, until she said "George Bush is pitiful." That, actually, made me laugh, so she enjoyed repeating it.

Dad and I talked about how tennis and golf are wonderful sports to learn because even if you aren't great at them, they can be played into your elderly years. Mom is 73 and she plays golf 3-4 times a week. Dad is 70 and he plays golf and tennis. Tennis allowed me to attend college on scholarship, and gives me the opportunity to get exercise and a precious bit of adult social time. The girls enjoy lessons, and I like to imagine them playing doubles when they are older.

Halloween

Halloween is our favorite holiday. We had loads of fun and made good memories. Notice Snow White's fangs!

November 1 - A New Month, A New Year

Last night's festivities were great. The whole day was a celebration with the little girls having a preschool "show" and party, the older girls having parties, dinner at a restaurant in costume, our little family ritual, and trick-or-treating. We did not have any photos to add to our altar this year.
It is always so fun to see the neighborhood on Halloween night with all the decorations, music, families, and costumes. The girls must have said "just one more house" about 10 times before they finally were ready to come home and warm up. I left "tricks" in a box with a note saying "help yourself" while we were gone trick-or-treating. I gave out spiders, skeleton book marks, pencils, and erasers. The most popular costume was a pirate, followed closely by princesses.
I was very happy to have finally been able to be Marie Antoinette. I've been collecting the pieces for many years now and this was the year it all came together.
Maya was a little embarrassed when I picked her up from reading club, and was uneasy about going into the restaurant. When she saw the waitstaff in costume, she lightened up.
Now it's November 1st and we have nothing scheduled until this evening's ballet. Sometimes, that's a good feeling. However, it also means there are no excuses for avoiding chores! So, here I go...