Doin' the flip

We used to take short videos with our old point and shoot, but that's completely crapped out and won't hold a charge anymore.  That's really all we needed it for, and since it's kaput it gave me a great excuse to talk Bryan into letting me get the Flip Ultra.  I am so in love.  This video was shot within a minute of getting it out of the box, I didn't even look at the instructions.  I put in the batteries and started recording, because it is THAT COOL.

Oh, family.

I had another crazy dream, this time, I was buying a ton of food for Thanksgiving (two turkeys!) and took it all back to someone's house and tried to put it all in the fridge. The problem was that the fridge owner had bowls on every shelf with houseplants in them, I think they were all african violets (I wonder if that's significant?). Anyway, I re-arranged the plants to try and make room, but right before I woke up I had pretty much determined that it wasn't going to work out.

Part of that dream stems from my family relationships lately. I've cut some people out (my mother, my mom's stepdad), and others have cut themselves out (my grandfather), and I think it's really getting to me. Not for my sake, but for the kids' sake. I guess I don't understand people, and the more they act like buttheads the more pissed it makes me. I don't expect much, but for the kids' sake I wish that adults could sometimes be a little more grown up.

Thank god for my friends, and for the fact that we've made our own family, small as it may be. I know that no matter what, I won't become the type of parent or grandparent that would be so selfish as to neglect my family. Whatever happens in the kids' lives, Bryan and I will be there for them, and we'll share their lives with them, because THAT'S what family does.

Miscellany

I just found out that they're making a movie of The Secret Life of Bees (check out the trailer here).  I'm kind of excited, but know with absolute certainty that it will be nowhere near as good as the book.

Watching 30 Days, with Morgan Spurlock (the Supersize Me guy).  Awesome show.  My favorite episode is "Off the Grid."  Naturally.  I've looked into going to The Dancing Rabbit (from the episode), but it will most certainly have to wait until next year.  Think of all I could learn from a place like that, and it's only 12 hours away!

United Airlines suck donkey penis.  The Godmother had 18 different kinds of trouble on her flight out, and I called the "lady" behind the counter Forrest Gump (which, really, was too nice).  In my defense, this was AFTER she threatened to call airport security on me.  I might rant about it in a different post, but really, what could I say that everyone doesn't already know?  Airlines suck.  United in particular.  Word.

We went to the lake again this weekend, and it was the awesomest.  That lake is so beautiful, and the kids were swimming feet away from a couple of mallards.  If it weren't such a pain in my butt to get the boat loaded and unloaded I would want to go every single day.

I made myself a pair of shorts from the Built By Wendy pattern (Simplicity 3850).  First zip fly ever.  They rock my world.  I'm fer shure going to be making more, and the way Marissa is growing the pattern will probably fit her, too.  When the Godmother was here we made shirts from this BBW pattern, I just love them.  So easy, yet cute.  Pictures soon, probably.

You liked all my links in this entry, didn't you? 

These girls.

Okay, wow.  May was about the craziest month ever.  First, Marissa turned ten.  As in, ten years old.  As in, saying that makes me feel ancient.  We're struggling with some of Marissa's behaviors right now, and I can't see how we're going to make it to the end of next week, let alone survive all of this so we can do it again when she becomes a teenager, but at least things are interesting.  Nothing brightens up my day like some attitude followed by hysterics!

Even though she's sometimes a pain in my ass, and even if I sometimes want to grab her and shake her and scream "WHY?" in her face, I love her, and I love who she is.  Pain in the ass and all.  I know she'll grow out of it, and I know that this is hard for everyone.  She's kind of trying to figure herself out, and what she likes, and who she is, and it's hard.  I get it.  I know what she's feeling, even if I don't understand some of the things she does.  We'll work it out, and hopefully be stronger and closer for it.  Provided I don't do that thing where I shake her and yell in her face.  Even if I want to.

Phoebe, well, she's Phoebe.  She's amazing.  And crazy.  And so effing smart.  I mean, all the kids are smart, but Phoebe is wicked smart.  Like really wicked.  As in, she'll be that kid who figures out how to disassemble and then reassemble some teacher's car inside the cafeteria.  Like that.  

She's still prone to dramatic fits, but I think it's winding down.  I hope it's winding down.  There are a limited number of times that I can handle her flying around the house screaming because Charlie won't let Phoebe comb her hair.  I mean, really.

I have to say, though, that the girls' dynamic is really interesting.  Sometimes Marissa is the big sister, the "watcher" and the boss, and sometimes it's Phoebe.  And, sometimes, it's Charlie. Charlie and Phoebe are like twins, and they run around doing everything together.  I know that it can get on Phoebes nerves, because she is one independent kid, but I secretly think she likes having a fan club, and someone she can order around.

Marissa is adored by both her sisters, and since she's older she gets to do things without them, like go to the pool, or hang out with her friends.  Since she gets that alone time, she seems to not be bothered by her sisters as much, or get as frustrated with them.

They really are a unit, those three.  They're boisterous, and insane, and hilarious, and the most amazing chicks I could ever hope to know.  Despite the chaos, I know we're lucky.  I can step back and look at the big picture, the picture of these sisters who are so loved, and who love each other so much.  And they'll always have that, for the rest of their lives.  No matter what.

Note to self

I got one of these digital recorder thingamabobs. I wanted the cheapest one I could find, because it's basically one step up from a zillion post-it notes lying around, and I don't need it to be fancy and read latin or integrate with my TiVo or anything. Not that I have TiVo. But if I did. You know.

I'm so excited about this -- think of all the things I'll remember to do, like call about cheerleading camp, and return books to the library, and buy cat litter! Without having to track down which receipt I wrote my notes on, or dig around for one of the millions of notebooks I buy for this purpose!

The first message I'm going to record on there? "Note to self. I am a rockstar."