The Comeback Kid

AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!! THIIIIIIIIINGS!!!!


1. I said fare-thee-well to my twenties last month. We had some lively times. Including: working at Disney World, starting a band, going to concerts, meeting a super-neat guy, marrying that guy, having some babies, graduating from college with honors, making some quilts, teaching some Zumba, writing some really boring things, and other stuff. On to the next adventure! I was ever-so blessed to be able to spend my birthday weekend with my beloved friend Katie doing all the things that I love. Reading, eating ethnic food, hanging out in little breakfast cafes, watching UK period dramas, jumping on hotel room beds. It was marvelous. Oh, also, neither of us thought to bring a camera, which is ironic, since she is a professional photographer. Nice.

2. Elliot has a sweet little friend who carpools with us to Kindergarten. He can never quite remember Astoria's name, and has started calling her "Australia". Awesome. I like that kid.

3. Did you know that my two-year old has figured out how to open all the doors in the house, and completely disable those little child-proof doorknob covers?  I cannot tell you how many times a day I scream into a pillow. It is a lot. While it is true that children are wonderful and full of sweet and hilarious things, they are also little turds. All of them.

4. I am collecting songs that involve hand claps. If there are any you know and love, leave it in the comments. Some I've collected so far: Photograph - Weezer, 1234 - Feist, Close to Me - Get Up Kids (The Cure Cover), The First Single - The Format. But I need more than this, or my bathroom just isn't going to get clean. That's a fact.

5. So, like any mom, I love bragging about my kids. Love it. And it's totally easy, because my kids are geniuses (they get it from their mom, of course). So the fact that my youngest is now visiting a speech therapist is, well, a different experience. Part of me wants to hold on to her adorable "deedle dees" as long as I possibly can, but when it comes to trying to decipher what she wants when she's furiously pointing in a vague direction screaming "deedle panna!!!!" (No. I have no idea either.) It's more than obvious that she needs a little guidance from someone who knows about these sorts of things.

6. Downton Abbey. Yes yes yes yes yes.

7. Did you know that both songs nominated for Best Song at the Oscars are in some way directly connected to Flight of the Conchords?

8. This song. A million times.

Outdoor Church

This is a post that was supposed to happen a log time ago, but didn't because these pictures were all on Blair's phone.

One sunny August morning, the Einfeldt family was anything but peaceful. No one could find their shoes, some people wanted to play on the computer (or check baseball scores) instead of helping little ones get dressed, some had nothing to wear, someone ate someone elses graham cracker, everyone was yelling at someone else. It was an all around bad morning. We finally were dressed and ready for church, but as 5 grumpy people got into the car, we made a quick game time decision. At the end of our street, we turned the other direction, and drove up the mountain for outside church.

It was an excellent decision.

December-y Things

Why do people like me even have blogs anymore? Post-shmost.

1. We are doing an advent calendar "for the first time in a hundred years" (thanks, Elliot). Inspiration came from Katie, who did some awesome things last year. Like a face paint day.

Most of our activities have been pretty simple; making paper snowflakes, hot chocolate, take cookies to a friend, write a Merry Christmas letter to grandma, those kinds of things. The best one so far was having the girls dress up in tutus and dance to the Nutcracker. Hilarious. AND Tomorrow we are going to Krave (sweeeeeeet.)

2. I finally got new shoes for my Zumba classes, but it may have come a little too late. Can I get a knee transplant? Is that a thing?

3. Rou has decided she hates her bed, which is SUPER-AWESOME for everyone as I'm sure you can imagine.

4. Rou also has a little meeting with early intervention the first week of the new year to have her hearing checked. As adorable as it is to hear "deedle-dee-shooo" every day, it'd be nice to have a few real words thrown in there too.

5. OH. Also, my little Ruby Soho turned two. Aaaaaand all the pictures were taken on Blair's phone, aaaaaaand he left his memory card at the school... which he will not be returning to till after the Christmas break. Of course.

6. It's getting to be that time of year where I'm in pretty desperate need of real-life friends. So if you are at all interested, there is a lengthy application and interview process. Included in the application is a 100 question quiz on ridiculous things like sci-fi television and movies, classical literature, and punk and emo bands of the 2000's. I'm just kidding. I just need someone to hang out with me and not mind that I have crazy children and no husband until March. That's all.

7. I firmly believe that my house would be a whole lot cleaner if Plants vs. Zombies didn't exist.

8. Lately I have been requesting that at least twice a day, Astoria sings me the "North Star" song from Peppa Pig. She does it in a little English accent, and it is the happiest thing in the world.

9. Hugo. Loved the book, loved the movie. Loved.

10. It is possible that I am just as excited as Elliot about her getting Lego Harry Potter years 5-7 for Christmas. Maybe even a little more (though I doubt it).

***11. Christmas is lovely, isn't it?

I love Celtic Woman at Christmas time.

The Ninja Quest

Me and my sister-wife. I love this picture.

For the last couple weeks, my darling friend Brittni has been staying with Team Einfeldt. It has been lovely. I like to refer to her as my sister-wife, and I'm terribly disappointed that her sojourn with us is ending. Brittni and I were English majors together, we also worked together for about three years as business and technical writers for a computer education company. Also, she is wonderful and I adore her.

Last night, Coach Blair was telling us about the day's basketball practice, and about a kid on his team who expects to be a starter, but isn't putting in the extra time and effort to be the kind of player he wants to be. "You can't just play for 4 months out of the year and call yourself a basketball player. That's just not how it works. The kids who do well on the team are the gym rats who play because they love it, and play and work on their game whenever they get a free minute." I've heard Blair say things like this a hundred times, but it wasn't until Brittni mentioned something about it later that night that I realized that it applies to me too. "How can we claim to call ourselves writers if we don't actually write?" That Brittni is a smart cookie.

So we have decided to resurrect the Ninja Quest. It is a little silly game we devised a few years back in order to give each other writing prompts, and post them on a little blog. Most of the stuff is, well, it's practice. Meaning it's probably not very good (mine especially) but the point is to just be writing things again. Thanks Coach and Brittni for being so awesome.

p.s. anyone is welcome to be a ninja, if you are in to that kind of thing.

Do I Dare Eat a Peach?

Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky 

I just realized that I can count the weeks remaining of my 20's without taking off my shoes. Outwardly, I came to terms with this a long time ago. When asked my age, I usually just say "30" or "almost 30". Might as well get it over and done with. Inwardly, however, it's a different story. You know those dreams where you are supposed to be teaching a class, or giving some kind of big presentation and you are totally and completely unprepared? It feels kind of like that. (Which is bad, but not as bad as the dreams where your teeth fall out. Those dreams can go jump in a lake. A lake of piranhas. Who, I assume, have stronger and more plentiful teeth than I ever do in those lousy dreams)

I am completely aware of how melodramatic I'm being. I also don't care.

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.

1. Are there things that a person is supposed to do before they are 30? Should I have made a list? I have a good 9 weeks left, so if you have any suggestions of "Things a Person Should Do Before 30" pass those along.

2. I'm curious about something. Does food start to taste more bland as you age? Is that a thing? I made grilled cheese and tomato soup for me and the girls today, which has always been the foremost in winter comfort foods for me. Bland city. I added a good 6 drops of hot sauce and it was rather enjoyable. Am I alone in this?

3. The deer have come down from the mountain into my neighborhood.

For I have known them all already, known them all;
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,

I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;

4. You know what I just love? Working out, dancing, lifting, walking, all those things. You know what else I love? Truly and deeply? Cake. Brownies. Cookies. Soda. Roast beef with potatoes and gravy. Butter on everything. Why can't I love things like lentils?

5. Is there anything more lovely than this song?

6. Another thing I'm curious about? Do ALL almost-two-year-olds love nothing more in the world than running full speed away from you? Love taking all their clothes and diaper of at least 3 times a day? And hate hate hate sitting down, sitting in a stroller or car seat, and more than anything hate being held in public so they writhe and wriggle and scream out "no! no! no!" so that passers-by assume you are beating and pinching them? Just want to make sure I'm not alone in this either.

Do I dare
Disturb the universe? 

7. Some things I really like: acorns, lampposts, doorknobs and keyholes, wisteria, stone pathways, teacups, lavender, willow trees...

8. The quilt I started for my in-laws in May will not be finished in time for Christmas. Boo.

9. I love Elliot's pictures. She just drew me a picture of a girl robot with hair who ate a bug. Awesome.

I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. 

~T. S. Eliot

10. A Care Bear, Peppa Pig, and a little punk.

I was the Green Lantern for Halloween, but didn't get a picture.

And I said Hey. What's going on

"When I'm a stay-at-home mom I'll have plenty of time to blog." - FALSE.

So if not blogging, what exactly have I been up to these past few weeks? Other than accidentally leaving comments on people's blogs while still signed in as my husband?

1. Unholy amounts of laundry. Where are all these clothes coming from? Dear everyone who is teleporting your dirty clothes into my laundry baskets: that is so weird. You should really stop doing that.

2. Hanging out with the world's most radical five-year old.Is she kind of a little bit of a tom-boy? Maybe. But I prefer to think of it as a girl who likes awesome things like superheroes, Harry Potter, and Star Wars, in addition to awesome things like gymnastics, soft toy animals, and pink things. Recently she drew me a picture of a scene from Thor. Complete with Frost Giants, a feast for Odin and Thor and all their friends, and a battle on the Rainbow Bridge (the Bifrost). The last book she checked out from the library was a Norse Mythology book. Yes. I am rather proud of her, thanks for asking.


3. Loving but also hating my hair. Here's the thing, it's long. Like really, really long. Most of the time I love it. Except when it's my 6th Zumba class of the week, it's a disgusting sweaty mess, and I think "what, you mean I have to go and wash AND dry AND do something with all this? No. that is garbage. I'm going to destroy it with kitchen shears in about 4 seconds." Then I come to my senses and realize that if I chop my hair off before the new year, my Christmas card photo will be a lie.

See? It's long. And please excuse the lack of makeup. It's a weekday.

4. Reading too many books; on my own and with the girls, but that is okay.

5. Preparing for Octoberpocalypse. That magical stretch that involves an anniversary, a birthday (Astoria), Halloween (and it's, like, 12 accompanying Zumba parties. guh.), and the return of basketball season for Blair (Bye Coach. See you in February.)

Rou brings me a shoe - "Deedle deedle deedle SHOOOOO??" As soon as the shoe is on - "Deedle deedle Buh-bye!!" Because, obviously, shoes = going buh-bye.

All the Fall Things

Elliot and I are equally excited about Kindergarten. I'm not a cry-on-the-first-day kind of mom. Not because I won't miss her (How can I? It's only 3 hours. I can barely get laundry and a Battlestar Galactica episode in that time) but because I know she is hardcore loving it.

I know that the cool thing to do is to downplay things like this (I'm also aware that it's going to make me sound like one of those moms that you just want to punch in the face) but gosh dangit! How did I get landed with such freaking brilliant kids?! Given the fact that she is so very young and so very tiny, I'm not trying to integrate her into a first grade class or anything, but that's not to say she couldn't handle it. Luckily, her teacher is the mamma of a dear English major friend of mine from college, and is sending Elliot home with 2nd grade level books to read for homework, and doing all the other amazing things that are so rare in NCLB schools. (And don't even get me started on NCLB. It makes me want to kick trees.)

Preschool totally caught me off guard, as you can see by Astoria's ever so fashionable hairstyle.

This kid on the other hand? I have no idea what to do with her. She reads all the books Elliot brings home. (She is 3. No, I'm not kidding. Ask my mom.)  And the blue faced doll dangling by her side is George, named after Peppa's little brother from her very most favorite show, Peppa Pig. It's adorable. And the little Brittish accent Astoria's adopted because of it? The best thing ever.

 

And Miss Rou? She's still the best snuggler a mamma could ever ask for. She also has taken her "deedle-dee" language to the next level: Winnie-the-Pooh - "Deedle-dee-Pooh?" Hi daddy - "Hi deedle-dee!"  I want a drink of juice - "Deedle-deedle-deedle-SHOO!" I want to wear this pink coat - "Deedle-deedle-deedle-deh?" (and my personal favorite) Yes - "SHEEEAAAAYYY!!"




For going into the kitchen to retrieve my camera, I deserve a prize. So I'm going to eat one of these dark chocolate pomegranate candies and not even feel bad about it.