Author: Ellie

The Day After Sunday

Around here, we have what we call “The Day After Sunday” – a term that refers to the outcome of 48 hours off-schedule for children and hour 1 back on schedule for the parents.  It’s a rare and ingenious blend of insanity that tends to manifest itself differently every week.  Comprende?  That’s right, I’m talking about the disease known as “Monday“.  Know of it?  Had it?  Catch it every six days or so?  Here are some of the symptoms as they manifest in the Ewoldt house:

    • A sudden craving for “time out“.
    • Onset of flailing limbs often coupled with a high-pitched wail.  At times, this may be followed by an inability to stand and horizontal kicking which usually sends the prone individual in a circular motion on the floor. (a la Donald O’Connor in Singing In The Rain – without the backup orchestra)
    • Selective hearing loss: the loss is often triggered by words such as “chore” or “school“.  Have no fear!  This symptom is rarely permanent.  A full auditory recovery is usually brought about with the use of words such as “candy” or “movie“.
    • Loss of control over bodily functions in previously bodily-function-trained individuals. (at this time, it may become necessary to administer a sedative to the primary care giver)
    • Repeated use of the word “No“.  Most often manifests as “Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!”
    • Insomnia for the individual and ALL those in hearing range of the 60-minute “truck noise recital” with an encore of “57 ways to call your mother“.
    • Loss of appetite: especially for anything that might resemble a healthy meal choice.
    • Sudden desire to eat things not considered edible (such as legos).
    • Heightened inappropriate activity -such as hitting, punching, poking, kicking, licking and Kung fu- may occur. Such activity is usually directed at another individual, but in some cases may be directed at inanimate objects such as chairs, tables, shelves, the refrigerator, and the occasional motor vehicle.  Note: this behavior is often a precursor to the aforementioned craving for “time out“.

To date, there is no known cure for “Monday“.  However, this maternal care provider would highly recommend combining one trailer truck-size serving of your caffeinated beverage of choice with approximately 3 weekdays of detox.  “Monday” is almost always cured by such things as “Friday“, “The Weekend” and “Daddy’s Home“.

With that, I’m back to the trenches … My “Monday” patients have light sabers and broad swords.

Signed,

The C.I.C [“Crazy In Charge“]

No, make that the C.C.I.C [“Caffeinated Crazy In Charge”]

**FYI, this is a “no image” post to protect the guilty, er, uh, the innocent**

My Antique Book Kick

I love books and I love reading and I love antique books …oh, and I love reading.  Did I mention that?  Bob loves reading too and I think it’s safe to say that we came into our marriage with a lot* of books.

*this may or may not be a slight understatement

Real talk: we have three large book shelves in the living room alone.
This is my favorite section in our collection:20120624-224513.jpg
Several volumes handed down to me by my great-grandmother.  (and an adorable picture of my oldest two … Awww, so cute … right?)

20120624-224555.jpg

My great-grandmother’s name inscribed and then my great-aunt’s note to herself that the book might some day go to me (those are my initials under the signature).

My favorite has always been this book:

20120624-224701.jpg
It’s such an old-school, sensational fairy tale with kidnapping, mistaken identities, tiny Bavarian kingdoms, Europe before the first world war …ah, I can’t even help myself. Look at these illustrations!

20120624-224759.jpg

Okay, I’ll stop … Except, oh wait, I didn’t stop … I actually Googled the author a few weeks ago and found out that he was quite the prolific writer. And … SCORE! … Most of his books are free downloads for my Kindle!  (insert shameless Amazon plug here)

I downloaded … never mind.  I won’t even tell you how many I’ve downloaded.  It’s embarrassing.  Nor will I tell you how many of them I’ve stayed up late to read.  That’s even more embarrassing.

I don’t know what is more intriguing for me: the late-nineteenth century drama or the early-twentieth century social commentary.20120624-224833.jpg

See?  I’m waxing historical. I can’t even help myself…

Happy Summer reading to me!


What are you reading this summer?

 

 

 

 

Saturday Six

Back in “ye olden days” when we were but five, I always wrote my “Friday Five” editions. Now we live in this new and modern era of six and now my title is irrelevant as none of us is getting “voted off” the 1100 square feet anytime soon. I found myself considering such titles as the “Friday Five: The Not Five Edition” or concepts such as cutting the least interesting person of the week. Seriously, my worst idea in quite some time. So for now, I gave you the “Saturday Six“!

… or rather I will give you the “Saturday Six” after I stop one of my children from eating a refrigerator magnet…
As my sister Carrie would say: “Real talk“.

The topic that’s coming to mind as I compose this is thankfulness.

Bob: This week, Bob’s tireless effort was officially recognized by his employer and they gave him Friday off of work. If I were tweeting this, I would say #AWESOME.

Ellie: My moment of the week actually has to do with Bob as well. My husband does heroic things for us every day, but there are some days that he goes above and beyond into something truly amazing. I won’t elaborate further at this time, but yesterday was one of those days and I’m still smiling as I think of it. See? 🙂

Darcy: …is most likely thankful for the safe removal of a splinter from her finger yesterday. This girlie has her mother’s sense of drama and there has never been anything so horrifying for her, I’m sure. It is still much discussed. Oh, and I’m sure she’d also be fairly thankful for parental bribe of ice cream she got after said splinter. Come to think of it … So am I!

Aidan: When I talked to Aidan, he informed me that he was thankful for chocolate. Aren’t we all? Definitely a proud mothering moment right there.

Chase: When I pinned Chase down for a little chat, all I could get out of him was “Uh….I TWO!!!!”. That in and of itself is a point for rejoicing. Here’s hoping that he makes it to three.

Karsten: If chins could talk, Karsten would tell you that he’s thankful that he acquired the neurological skills to pick up and devour dry cereal. But they can’t and he won’t … Yet, he is. Are you with me?

There! You made it through the first “Six“! Are you stunned, stymied, suspenseful…? Okay, I’ll stop…

But hey, what are you thankful for this week/end?

20120623-210307.jpg
Oh yes…I’m also thankful for this picture because it makes me laugh.

Commonplace … Or Not

 

Just recently, I was putting the kids into the car and we saw a caterpillar.  It was fuzzy, green, and directly behind the front wheel of our van.  I probably would have forgotten about him, climbed into the driver’s seat, and gone into reverse without a second thought, but one does not do this in front of small children to whom each bug is a new best friend.
After once and for all time settling the question of whether or not the caterpillar could be our new house pet (“He could be like our dog, Mom!”), we decided that the best thing we could do for him is move him away from the path of the van so as not to “goosh” him (as Aid said).
I poked him with a stick, and then two sticks.  I tried to get him to climb onto one or the other so I could move him.  I tried picking him up in every way I could think of without the aforementioned “gooshing” occuring.  Still, the caterpillar refused to be rescued.
I finally got him to move enough that my car wouldn’t kill him and we were able to move on.

 

As we were driving, I got to thinking about this picture a little more…
Metaphorically, I think I must look a lot like that caterpillar … I’m often stuck behind a giant wheel of sin and pride that will “goosh” me, yet how often I refuse the gentle prodding of offered rescue because I – in a grand delusion of deceit – believe that the stick will hurt me and that I must move in my own strength, will, and time.
The verse that kept coming to my mind is a passage from the book of Hebrews: “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”   (Hebrews 3:13, ESV)

 

Even thought my little caterpillar picture is silly and ordinary, there is nothing silly, ordinary, or commonplace about grace.  Grace saved me and teaches me – now and until the day that I will see Christ face to face.
The hand of Grace is extended – have you reached for it?

 

He breaks the power of canceled sin, he sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean, his blood availed for me