Alabaster Mom

As I've mentioned a few about a hundred thousand times, my husband is not big on home repair tasks ("it'll just get that way again."). When we bought our house in 1998, we made note of the fact that the ceiling fan in our bedroom was ugly. It was dark grey and just didn't seem to match anything. My beloved assured me he'd replace it that summer. Because the fan contained a light fixture, it was the main source of light in our bedroom. It had four separate sockets for light bulbs. One socket died last year. Then recently the second one called it quits. This left us with two low-watt bulbs in our bedroom. I don't need it to be lit up like Kohl's in there, but I need to have a reasonable expectation that I have, in fact, selected two black - and not navy - socks to wear to work. Matching earrings are also a plus. So, I went to Home Depot and selected a new one. Then I set the box in the bedroom, patted it a few times, and spoke loudly of how I couldn...

Several years ago, I fell up the stairs in my house. It was a fairly dramatic fall and I sustained an injury to the big toe on my left foot. When it didn't get better after a few weeks, I went to a doctor. He told me it was fine and that I could do physical therapy at home by picking up coins with my toes (while I watched television). I translated his advice to: "You should go away now."  So, I didn't pursue any further action. In case you are keeping a tally: Medical-type person (encountered after moving to current city) How I feel about them Doctor who didn’t care about my toe Mild dislike First dermatologist who cared more about selling cosmetic surgery than helping with legitimate medical issue Dislike Second dermatologist who’s totally old-school but nice as can be Adore First OB-GYN, who refused to give me an ultrasound in my first trimester when I told him something was wrong Full-on...

We had our annual fundraiser for the rescue on Saturday. It was a loooong day.  However, it all pays off in the end. Our volunteers band together and do a kick-ass job (we work on it for about six months prior) and as a result, the rescue is able to pay its veterinary bills and buy leashes and collars and whatnot. I worked at the fundraiser all day and then drove home (two-hour drive). I had my heart set on taking a nice long bath. By the time I got everything unpacked, it was around 9:00.  I set up my daughter's portable DVD player in the bathroom (yes, decadent, right?) and watched a documentary while I soaked my old-lady bones and sipped a wee bit of merlot. I went to bed at around 11:45. Then, at some point, I got up and let the dogs outside (how did I know they wanted to go outside? My foster dog jogged into my bedroom and peed on the floor, so that was my main clue).  A few minutes later, I let them back in and then climbed back into bed. At 2 a.m., my husband r...

"There are 47% who are with him, who are dependent on government, who believe that, that they are victims, who believe that government has the responsibility to care for them. Who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing." - Mitt Romney I don't talk politics too frequently on my blog, mostly because by the time I get around to addressing a particular topic, other bloggers have done it faster and better. Whether this is your first time reading my blog or the hundredth, it probably won't surprise you to know that I am a Democrat. I'm a Unitarian Universalist. I listen to NPR and take yoga. I believe in fighting for social justice. I believe we all have equal value. I'm left-leaning for sure, but lean just slightly to the right in certain areas. I reserve the right to edit my thinking as the world changes (lest you think I'm entirely inflexible). I just figured I'd get all of those disclosures out of the way. I do not buy...

I am not a stylish person. I realize you came to that conclusion all on your own without my assistance. It's not that I don't like clothes. I do. I like a cute outfit and a kick-ass pair of heels as much as the next girl. It's more a matter of knowing I can't pull off anything that's too "out there." My main goal is not to walk into a room and know that people are thinking, "Oh, sweet Jesus. What was she thinking?" My daughter, on the other hand, is very stylish. When I was a kid, a running threat (from the 'rents) was, "Knock it off or you're getting clothes for Christmas."  And I knocked it off, because I did not want clothes for Christmas. (Sometimes the threat was more specific - SOCKS AND UNDERWEAR!) My kid is happy to get clothes and shoes for any given occasion or no occasion at all. Santa brought her pink cowboy boots for Christmas one year and she loved them. Since she was five, she has been dying to shop at Justice...

I have an owie. I guess this is just part of getting old, but it pisses me off. I somehow managed to injure my lower back in yoga class.  I was doing a pretty basic move (it was essentially a twist on the classic cat/cow pose) and felt something pop. I don't like to admit I have an owie, so I went to class again a couple days later. Then I went to the gym a couple days after that and did 50 minutes on the elliptical. I think I have some not-based-in-logic theory that something will reverse the pop and then all will be well. Kind of like how in the movies, amnesiacs just need a (second) swift blow to the head and then their memory comes back. Anyway, the back injury is just irritating, but I'm sure it will get better. Otherwise I'd have to add it to my list of permanent maladies, which includes my hips, the big toe on my left foot (injured when I fell up the stairs one time), and the thumb on my left hand (broken when I fell while carrying a glass casserole dish). Now that...

As you may recall, my daughter recently learned that she has some biological half-siblings living in the great state of Texas. Her birthmom has three sons. My husband and I had not been hiding their existence from her. We had just been waiting for the right time. From the time of our daughter's birth, we have just tried to keep our discussions age-appropriate. We never hid the fact that A was adopted, but we didn't sit her down and tell her formally until she was three. We waited until then because it didn't make sense to tell her she didn't grow in my tummy when she didn't know she had ever hung out in anyone's tummy at all. Once she started to figure out how things work, at least in a vague sense, it was time to tell her.  So we did. We felt we should wait until she knew more about reproduction before mentioning that she also has a birthfather and some siblings floating around in the world. I know she has some on her birthfather's side of the family as ...

As my daughter begins the new school year, I've been thinking a lot about how I can encourage a little more independence from her.  I don't want her to move out or anything - I just want her to feel more comfortable doing things on her own and taking on a little more responsibility. I have started with little things. For example, when we go to the grocery store I can tell her, "Go to the frozen foods aisle, pick out some ice cream, and then meet me back here."  I can be reasonably certain that she will find the ice cream and return to me without getting abducted or anything. It is sort of nice when kids reach an age when you don't have to have your eyeballs on them every second. When she is in her room playing Barbies, I feel pretty confident that she is not actually drinking Windex or something (a legitimate concern when she was a toddler). At church, I teach Religious Education about once a month. I teach the pre-K through first grade class. Yes, I am terrib...

She's rocking her skinny jeans and her rock star tee. I even let her wear the new sequined scarf she's been dying to wear. She's older, she's wiser . . . she's a second grader!  And she still doesn't get up on time.

After going on vacation and doing so much driving in late August, we decided to do a whole lot of nothing this weekend. With gas prices being as high as they are, staying close to home seemed like a good idea. I went to yoga twice and that was the extent of my physical exertion (although I gotta say I worked up a more-than-respectable sweat in this morning's class). By the way, the owner of the yoga studio installed a large mirror on one wall.  If you only knew how many times I've uttered the words, "Thank God there's no mirror in the yoga studio."  I feel like it shouldn't even be legal. On Saturday afternoon, I took the kid to see a movie called "ParaNorman."  I had heard that it might be too scary for younger kids but I think my child is immune. She plays Lego Star Wars all the time with her dad and the two of them get pretty excited when they get to embody the character of Chewbacca and start "ripping arms off left and right!" (that i...