LAmom

JG HAS BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS DAY!

This Sunday we went out to eat for the first time since JG turned 12, which means that he was finally able to order from the adult menu.  JG was so sick of children's menu items that he had even written a web page about it: Why are kids menu foods all the same?

He celebrated his liberation from the kids menu by ordering a Chicken Fried Steak breakfast plate.

GETTING READY FOR A MOVE

We're moving from Lynwood to Lynwood so it won't complicate our outside life too much, but moving is always nerve-wracking.  Wish us luck.

SOLVE A BRAIN TEASER!

I just did a write-up on Squidoo about a real-life incident where I was locked out of my car.  It presents the whole story and then invites you to make a guess about how the problem was solved.  See if you can solve "The Case of the Locked Beetle".

I'VE STARTED A NEW BUSINESS!

I'm unveiling my new business, ChoirParts.com.  This is a service that provides practice tracks for choir songs -- individual soprano, alto, tenor, or bass tracks that can be downloaded as MP3s or purchased on CDs.

Gospel choirs generally don't use sheet music.  They learn their music completely by ear and through repetition.  Practice tracks from ChoirParts.com make it possible to continue that practicing outside of rehearsal time.

We have a catalog with some songs to choose from, but we also take requests.  Choir directors can tell us what song they want choir parts for, and we'll do the to order.

The site is here: ChoirParts.com

And I made a Squidoo page that describes the service in more detail: What is ChoirParts.com?

IT'S MY TENTH ANNIVERSARY!

Yes, it was 10 years ago today that LAdad and I tied the knot (here's a link to my seventh anniversary post).  We are overjoyed to still be the same ordinary people with the same non-dramatic relationship we had back then.  He never gets on the computer, but I'll pretend that he does and send him this message anyway:  I love you honey, and I'm ready for our next 40-or-whatever years.

Also, happy anniversary to David and Elizabeth Weinlick, who got married the same day that we did.  Their arranged marriage at the Mall of America was the subject of stories on the Today show (and other outlets as well).  Today they were on the show again, and Matt Lauer officially ate crow, as he had predicted nothing but disaster for them.

WHY I'M GLAD TO BE BACK HOME: PART IV

Now that we have a backyard again, we've planted a few vegetables.  We tried to pick the shadiest part of the yard to plant peas, but the recent heat wave has left them looking pretty sad.  Similarly, we got no response from the carrots.  But the squash, sunflowers and turnips are looking great!  We went out this morning for our first harvesting.  JG and I got to discuss which parts of the turnip plant we eat and why ladybugs are our friends.  We picked a huge potful of turnips greens which are now in the crockpot cooking with a chicken.  Woohoo!

WHY I'M GLAD TO BE BACK HOME: PART III

I have a gas stove again.  Very glad.

WHY I'M GLAD TO BE BACK HOME: PART II

Right now I'm sitting at the computer with my kids less than 10 feet away from me.  The only available place for me to put my office was in a little cubby adjoining their room.

This is one of the things I really like about being back in a smaller house.  It's easy for us to be close to each other and stay involved with each other.  The other house was huge.  There was a much greater distance between everyone's rooms.  One of the things BT disliked the most about that place was that sometimes he would call for me and I couldn't even hear him.  For a little 4-then-5-year-old, it can be distressing to call repeatedly for your parents and get no response.  And the prospect of walking from his room all the way to the kitchen was so intimidating that he would ask someone to go with him so he wouldn't be scared.  In this house, he can be heard by anyone from anywhere and he feels comfortable exploring his own home.

Also, my parental responsibility to know what my kids are watching on TV has gotten much easier; their shows are inescapable now!  (Miss Spider is on at the moment.)  Sometimes things get loud, but this is what we're used to and we like it.

WHY I'M GLAD TO BE BACK HOME: PART I

After a year and a half of living in the enormous house in Carson, we are back at our old house in Lynwood.  It really feels good.  One of the things I missed the most at the other place was having a backyard.  Previous owners had converted every inch of the backyard space into additional rooms (except for the little patch where the electric meter was, and that was covered with concrete).

When we arrived back at the Lynwood house (or, as I call it, "home"), JG (he's 8 now) and BT (he's 5) returned to their previous habits of going into the yard to observe bugs.  And we have a great spot back there where we get good sun and very little breeze.  Perfect for warming yourself on a winter morning.

And right now there are huge amounts of mallows growing in the yard!  There's some sow thistle as well, and on the side of the house there is wood sorrel and some of the best chickweed we've ever gotten.  At this very moment I'm eating one of those fantastic free organic salads that I've been missing for so long.

More tomorrow about why I'm glad to be back here.

HOUSE UPDATE

Finally have a stove.  Life approaching normality.  More later.  Really.