Sweet

Even though Chloe's been talking about this moment for, like, the last 364 days, it's hard to believe the big birthday is, like, finally upon us. Sixteen. Like wow! Better check your rear view mirror. Like now...

Little Green Man

No, that quarter-pint isn't beer; it's ginger ale. But in every other respect, Jack reveled like the die-hard party animal that he is. He was shakin' his stuff and stomping his feet to the St. Patrick's Day pub music, wearing a light-up glittery necklace, a pair of springy shamrock antennae, and a "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" sticker by the end of the evening. I'm pretty sure he could go all night, but I really do need to get some sleep.

Eating Down the Fridge: the Non-Event

This whole "Eating Down the Fridge" thing had me so nervous at the beginning of the week. The milk was looking dangerously low. There were a couple of unfortunate substitutions. If we ran out of bread, there was sure to be a revolt. How were we going to make it through the next seven days without a trip to the grocery store?

Ha! The only thing we ran out of was orange juice; Wynham was not pleased about that. It's true that the tiny fridge is nearly bare, but actually there's another complete meal in there. There's barely a noticeable dent in the the freezer. You can't even tell whether anyone ever went in the pantry or not. Given my "earthquake" mentality, it would probably take at least six weeks to get through all the canned goods.

Still there were some lessons to be learned. I've always known that planning ahead is great thing, but I tend to buy more than we really need (I'm all for leftovers; other members of the household are less enthusiastic). It's nice not to have anything in there that has to be jettisoned because I forgot about it. I stretched the meat, and tried some new dishes. We saved money and time. Nobody went hungry.

Now, for the freezer. That could be scary.

Unique Horns

Question: How do you catch a unicorn? Answer: You 'neak up on him! My Grandfather would love that joke. Wait; maybe he's the one who told me that joke...

Anyway, I'm sure I've mentioned before that James is the fun parent. Who else in the family would make unicorn horns out of plotter paper and scotch tape them to the children's hair? Not me. I'm the one who gets to try and remove the scotch tape from their hair.

But the kids had a blast galloping around the house, engaging in horn-to-horn combat and other sorts of horseplay. Maybe when he retires from his mad scientist gig, James can teach a course in MacGyver Parenting. I'm sure it would be a sellout.

Kitchen Duty

This may not be the most efficient way to clean the kitchen floor, but it's certainly more amusing than the traditional methods. It's nice having kids in the house who still think being Mama's Little Helper is FUN! Lord knows, that sentiment doesn't last long...

Dreaming of Sub-Zero

Tomorrow we kick off the Eating Down the Fridge challenge -- "a week-long kitchen challenge of abstaining from food shopping, and using up what’s in the fridge, freezer and kitchen cabinets" (thanks to the Tipsy Baker for clueing me in to the event). I've basically been doing something like this for a week already anyway, since I've been sick. Add to that the fact that there are six of us and one extremely tiny fridge, and it's like a triple challenge, really.

When I explained to the family what was going to happen over the next week, I was met with slack jaws and stares of disbelief. But I love a challenge, so I'm going to stick to the rules in my usual draconian fashion. There may be a mutiny, but chances are that if I hadn't mentioned it, nobody in the house would have even noticed my cleverly disguised main dish of martini olives with strawberry cream cheese and mango chutney...

I'll report the results at the end of the week, or maybe before then if it gets really hilarious. Not even the anonymous plaintive "please get food" note I found at the foot of the stairs today can sway me!

Here Comes the Sun

After days and days of downpours, the sun broke through in earnest this morning, just in time for an impromptu picnic near Point Bonita. I can't even express how overjoyed I felt to get out of the house. The bay was filled with sailboats and the City sparkled behind the Golden Gate.

We packed in a full day's worth of activities: an historical tour of a Cold War Nike Missile Site, a homespun secret agent movie in the abandoned bunkers (starring Wynham and his friend, Wiley, with a cameo appearance by Mom!), and a splash in the Pacific at Rodeo Beach. The car is filled with mud, rocks, sand and dog hairs, but everyone is well worn out and hopefully ready for a long, hot bath and a good night's sleep. Me first.

Les Eaux de Mars

The abundant waters of March have brought our seasonal levels back into a respectably healthy zone and the rainy days, alternating with warm sunny ones, have provided a profusion of flowers everywhere. The single tiny plum blossom I posted a photo of recently now has thousands of companions.


Seeing all the rain in March reminded me of a wonderful lilting song that became one of my favorites while living in France, Les Eaux de Mars, sung here in French by Georges Moustaki (click the "preview" button on this MP3 download to hear a snippet). Perhaps you know it in the original Portugese version, Águas de Março by Antonio Carlos Jobim. The song is beautiful in any language -- captivating, just like raindrops swelling on tree branches.

My Week In Review

Oh, how the mighty have fallen... I don't remember the last time I had such a bad case of sniffly-sneezy-achy-coughing-chills-and-fever symptoms. All I can say is, God bless whoever invented ultra soft Kleenex!