just another post...

I've been meaning to blog for days, have had various posts running in my brain but though i am on and off the computer all day (and kevmo can attest to this) having uninterrupted time to complete said post from start to finish is tougher. By the time both kids are in bed and asleep i am either not far behind, or my brain can listlessly surf the web or watch some Tv on DVD and that's about it.

But tonight- you are in luck. A few handfuls of chocolate chips too many and the hours my dear, sweet husband allowed me to sleep in this morning have given me a second wind here at nearly 11pm. Which is good for you, in that you'll have this nice, rambling blog to read, and bad for me in that once again, i will have stayed up far too late. Though i am sure the parents in the audience can attest to how difficult it is to give up those kid-free evening hours. So often I am sooooo tired and I really should fall right asleep with Liam at 8pm, but then it would be like i got no break. Sleeping does not constitute a break. Thus I sacrifice a few hours of rest for some uninterrupted time to push the laundry through another cycle, get the kitchen cleaned, find some random space for the many toys scattered through out the house... oh, who am i kidding? mostly the kid-free time is spent emailing, surfing the web, watching a movie or hanging with kevmo if he isn't working.

But this is not what i intended to blog about.

So as kevmo wrote in his blog, we're checking out and pursuing quite seriously a chunk of land with a passable house and a nice looking barn. The property is up on a ridge about 25 min. from our current home, with unbelievable views of the valley and lake below- a nice country lake, not a jet-ski playground like the lake we currently play in. This opportunity kind of just fell into our laps, and there's nothing perfect about it; in fact, there are several things that are pausers. But when is anything perfect? I could ping-pong this thing back and forth in my brain until i've anticipated every possible move, but even then...??? It's taking a chance, a chance at country living, 25 min. from any decent size town that has things like groceries and gas.... a chance at living and making decisions with some people that we really don't know at all...a chance at managing a family, remodeling a barn, tending a marriage, finding solo time- all at once. But most importantly, it's an opportunity to live a conscious life, to choose to spend the majority of our time in a place that challenges us to stay awake and alert. It's pretty cool to have that opportunity. With all of the f*&cked up shit going on in the world today, I welcome a place of constant beauty.

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in other news, we attended one of the first of- i assume- many performance that one of our children will be in. Raelin took a little ballet camp every day this past week with a gaggle of other 3 and 4 year olds. I was thrilled to see 3 boys in the camp, and since one of our good friends' daughter was also in the camp, i had some nice mommy time with a friend. On Friday the kids did a mini-recital. It was really just doing what they did in class, but in front of a line of parents armed with video and digital cameras. Yup, i filmed along with them... until i was laughing so hard i couldn't see the screen and decided i would miss it if i didn't put the camera down and just pay attention. Oh my. What.a.show.

For the first part, they stood in this nice little circle holding hands and showed that they knew first position, plies, tondeaus and the like. Well, some of the kids did. Some looked around wide-eyed. Some did the move 30 seconds or so after the others had moved on (Raelin)... some picked their nose (Raelin)...some ran over to mommy and daddy and Liam to give kisses (Raelin). When the ballet part was done, they did a bit of interpretive dance along to a taped voice that encouraged them to "Sway... like a tree" (Raelin hopped... like a ?)... or "melt" at which time Raelin announced that she was "swimming." We kinda felt like Steve Martin and his wife at the end of "Parenthood," when they watch the play desintegrate before their eyes with their kids at the center of it. It was priceless.

Needless to say, when the teacher, Miss Emily, handed out the fall schedules I told her that we had to settle into preschool and then maybe we'd consider doing ballet again in the winter when presumably Raelin's attention span and ability to follow some directions will have matured along with the seasons. We shall see. I doubt we have a dancer on our hands... at least not of the classical type. Abstract, interpretive and creative, yes. Structured, poised, focused ballet... doubtful. But then again, this is not anything that i didn't already know.

Well, it's time for me to retire for the evening.... Good night, Children, Everywhere...