Not So Much

We have been in the throes of some serious summer reading, and each member of our family has a book log to turn back in to our local library this week. I'll do an update on that later, but for now I'm using this space to talk about something that has been troubling me over the past couple of years.

I'll just get right to it. I'm kind of tired of the rambling preamble at the front of every book - fiction or nonfiction. Having a forward, introduction, "author's note," preface or  prologue has become a requisite part of every book, and I stopped reading the author's (or worse! someone else's intro to the book) explanations about a year ago. I'm boycotting all forms of introduction/explanation.

On the one hand, I understand the compulsion to explain what must represent months - if not years - of work. However, do you know what's missing from the pages of classic literature? Introductions. If Steinbeck and Hemingway did not need to explain their motivation to readers, then I am pretty sure no one else does either.  If further words were needed to explain the actual book itself, then those words should have been included in the original text. This is beginning to sound a little mean-spirited, and I do not mean for that to be the case.

My larger suspicion is that an intro has become fashionable at publishing houses and is now considered a requirement... a way to connect with the reader perhaps. Again, if an author has written a book totaling somewhere between 250-500 pages, I'm probably going to feel a connection organically, as the book is being read. If the book is less than 200 pages, let's consider making the text a magazine article/feature. If the book exceeds 500 pages, you know, it's probably plenty; don't add any more words in an introduction.

So, in conclusion, I don't read them any more. Not so much with the prologues, prefaces, forwards and intro's.

Weekend Update

Well hello there. How was your weekend?

We had a busy and productive weekend. First, on Friday, we had morning appointments and then we went shopping for school supplies in the afternoon (more on that later). We topped off what Lauren considered the "best day ever" by having taco night and watching a movie.

Skip apparently had big plans Saturday when he recruited the entire family to clean out and organize the basement. The girls organized their art studio/school space so well that it has kept them occupied since. Skip delivered 2-3 carloads for donation, making things much less crowded. In the newly reclaimed basement area, the trio spent most of the afternoon playing, while Skip and I caught up on some reading. It is crunch time for the summer reading program, and I intend to dominate. (Just kidding, although I do read a lot.)

We hadn't gotten all of the working fun out of our systems - especially Skip - so he re-mulched the flower beds in the front and cut the grass the next day. We also had lunch with Skip's parents, and the trio had fun playing in their basement for a change. As we approach the unbearable heat of August, there will be a lot of quality time spent in the basement.

How was your weekend? Are you surviving the heat by staying submerged in pool water, or has the inferno sent you inside?

William George's Birthday, Part 2

We had many discussions with William George leading up to his fifth birthday in terms of how he wanted to celebrate, etc. In short, he didn't want to do anything. He did not want a bounce house, and he did not want a water slide. He did not want to have a party at any sort of venue. When pressed, he would say, "I just want to play."

George has been in a phase of not wanting to be the center of attention. He barely consented to having a summer birthday celebration at school, and he didn't really participate when he was chosen as star student. We realize it is a phase, and we wanted to honor his birthday wishes as much as we could. However, we couldn't just do.... nothing.

So Skip and George put together a day of celebration in which we would go to the Bass Pro Shop and then go to the motorcycle museum. After looking at the boats and may offerings at the Bass Pro Shop, we struck out to explore the 750 acres that are home to the museum. We were very much in luck because there was a practice race that day, and George enjoyed watching the motorcycles go zipping by.

Driving the boat

Not to be outdone

"We'll hang out back here while everyone fishes"

"Always be prepared for emergencies"

Not shown: Wm Geo attempting to climb into the car

George immediately spotted Captain America's bike

It is impossible to capture five floors of motorcycles

Vroom!

George, posing by the Vespa that I claimed for myself

In addition to motorcycles, the museum is home to many Lotus race cars

These two planned an awesome day of celebration!

"Look! It's a car just like Nancy Drew's!"

After exploring the boats, bikes and cars, we returned home for a birthday dinner. George requested hamburgers and hot dogs, and of course there was cake. CAKE!

Happy Birthday, George!

Welcome to the big time...FIVE

And there were presents... too many presents... but you only turn five once.

Special thanks to everyone who celebrated with us, and we thank you for your generosity.

Happy birthday, George!

William George's 5th Birthday, Part One

We celebrated George's actual birthday by having the lunch of his choice (Chick-fil-A), having a doughnut cake and then going to the movies.

For once our plans were weather-proof, which turned out to be a good thing. We saw "The Secret Life of Pets," a movie that the trio would highly recommend.

Afterward, our plan was to have the dinner of George's choice, California Pizza Kitchen, but the rainy/stormy weather made him more agreeable to going home and ordering pizza. Afterward, we all joined George for some elaborate cars/trucks/highway play. Having two older siblings, George being able to be in charge of all the imaginative play is a rare treat.

His birthday had a wonderful kickoff, and he is looking forward to celebrating all week.

Cheers to five, George!

William George Turns Five

Dear William George,

Every time I have contemplated the approach of your fifth birthday, I have done a mental double-take, to kind of mentally check the math. As cliched as it is, how is possible that you are turning five today? How is it possible that you will begin K5 next month? We know that once school begins, your life will seemingly accelerate very quickly, and it will seem as if you are on a treadmill, zipping through the school years. After all, your sisters are entering the fourth grade and that has certainly been true for them.

Accordingly, now seems like a good time to look back over your birth story, your toddler years, and your preschool years to lock in your preferences, proclivities and habits. Going all the way back to the day you were born, your favorite song initially was You Are My Sunshine, and you locked eyes with me knowingly in the operating room when I sang that first song to you. A close second was Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and that was the most requested song from your first through third years. You also loved to read your child's Bible, and your very favorite story was the story of Jonah, followed by Noah's Ark and David and Goliath. Now you love to hear about Jesus.

Goodnight Moon from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.


You went through a very brief Elmo phase, although it was limited to a Christmas special that we watched thousands of times when you were 18 months old. After that you loved Little Einsteins, Cars, and Planes. Your very favorite of all time is Scooby Doo - the vintage episodes, the movies and the recently released Scooby Doo Incorporated.

You love anything and everything transportation related. Your first love was the airplane, followed by helicopters and trains. Your Poppa took you to the airport regularly to look at the planes, and  you went to the Museum of Flight on your third birthday. You also are fascinated by all cars and trucks, and you can identify them on the road. You can spot a Dodge Challenger from miles away. You love the racing-banned Superbird and have a couple of those in your car collection. Your favorite thing to do upon waking (and you always get up early) is to drag out your cars, and then you bring the extra Superbird to dad and ask him to come play with you. You have hundreds of cars, and when you are allowed to purchase a new toy, you spend considerable time in the toy section of Target, carefully considering possible new additions. You take your toys very seriously, and you are a very careful shopper.

You love Snoopy. Over the years your collection has grown to maybe 25-30 different Snoopy's, but the original is your obvious favorite. You take Snoopy with you everywhere. (You also still love "cloffie," but that can be our little secret.)

(Both of the above photos are of you after a near-loss of Snoopy.)

You also love sports, especially football. PawPaw taught you to raise your arms and yell "touchdown" before you were one year old, and you and he would often exchange the "touchdown" sign throughout dinners. You run plays in the house, often slamming into walls, and you wear cotton, fitted pajamas as your uniform. You have worn holes in the knees from your many "catches" and slides across the rug. Gran found an Alabama basketball uniform for you, and you live in that thing. You wear it at least three days each week, and you even wore it all day Christmas Day this year because Santa brought you a new football and you needed your uniform. Speaking of grandmothers, you are the apple of Grammie and Gran's eyes, and between charming them and your sisters, you love women and flirt constantly.

You are also a big hit with guys... of all ages. It is not uncommon for you to fit right in with teenaged boys, and you even made good friends with a couple of college freshman last year. You are a guy's guy, and you're very social. However, you shy away from the spotlight. In K4 this year, you preferred to navigate "star student" in low key fashion, and you did not want to celebrate your birthday. Further, we have had to carefully put together this year's birthday because, although you want to celebrate, you don't want anything "too big".

Probably your very favorite thing is music, and you had an affinity for certain artists from a very early age. You have gone through our entire inventory (barring some inappropriate selections) and are always eager to add new music to the library.

Finally, you love to read. You read through tons of preschool books, and now you are going through chapter books quickly, often wanting to read the entire book in one sitting. Currently, I read to you, but you are picking up words quickly. You love geography and can label all 50 states, as well as the continents of North and South America. Obviously, you're a smart boy, but you're also curious and committed. As with your sisters, we love watching you think, learn and figure things out.

William George, we love you so much. You are the love of Lauren's, Grace's and my life, and you are your father's best friend. We love you tremendously.

With love and adoration,

Mama

Enumerated Update

Happy Friday, friends!

We have enjoyed a week with no structure and plans and are looking forward to more of the same this weekend.

Here are just a few quick things before the weekend kicks off:


1) Her Royal Highness: Twenty-nine times Kate Middleton played sports in heels. I always say one can do anything in a good wedge, but she is rocking a legitimate heel in many of these instances.

2) Treating Yourself: Whenever I used to have to do something especially unpleasant at work, I would treat myself to a new purse. Because this could quickly get out of hand, I reserved this privilege for an especially heinous task, and I think only three purses were purchased over the course of many years. (Also, this was back when shoes were my obsession before the purse thing got really out of control.)

Instead, here are some ideas for treating yourself without wrecking your budget or splurging on a caloric treat, i.e., 23 ways to treat yourself without buying or eating anything.

3) Repeat: I feel like I may have shared this previously, but cannot readily locate these tips on photographing your children.  Lately we have slipped into a pattern of grabbing the camera when we are all dressed up, but I don't want to lose the "daily", even with older children now.

4) Sedaris: Am I the only one who thinks we are long overdue another collection from David Sedaris? Until then, here's what it would be like to go shopping with him in Tokyo.

5) Very British Problems: Why am I just now learning of this series?  I don't know why, but the video contained in this link is soooo funny to me. First of all, the primary example given of someone opening a refrigerator in your home would not disturb me in the least. It might have at one time, but all bets are off once one has children. Because the act of opening the refrigerator loses any invasion-type stigma and is elevated (to me) to pitching in to help. I'm pretty sure I opened a neighbor's refrigerator during a recent dinner to refill the trio's drinks with tea. Because our lovely neighbors, while kind enough to host us in their home, are not waitstaff. Also, were you, dear friend, to open my fridge in search of a drink or condiment, my internal dialogue would be along the lines of, "Yes. Thank you. I clearly have my hands full, and you are so kind to help yourself."

Also, as a longtime Anglophile, the Brits are just hilarious to me on all levels. For example, I clicked through to YouTube to imbed the video (and because I was hopeful that there would be more videos from the series), and a little sentence popped up that read:

This video is unlisted. Be considerate and think twice before sharing.  

That tickled my funny bone all over again, because I will totally share that video in a nanosecond. (It's not like it isn't properly credited.)

Hello, my name is Cathi. I'm an American and apparently very, very rude.

To conclude... Very British Problems? I'm going to need much, much more of that.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Camp Injuries

Grace came home from camp one day with a broken baby tooth. She was eating her sandwich when one of her teeth broke. Yesterday she went to the dentist for extraction of the remaining half of her tooth, and she was an absolute trooper. Naturally a treat was in order.  

July 4th + Weekend Update

How was your long weekend?

Skip worked a full day Friday (versus making the weekend a four-day break), but the trio and I got their new backyard pool out, inflated it, filled it with water and had an impromptu pool party. Our sweet neighbor even stopped by for a swim.  

Also, George announced all day on July 1st that it is now his "birthday month," and that we all have to do what he wants. How July differs from the other eleven months is a mystery, but the edict has been handed down.  

Birthday Month from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

A couple of notes about this clip... 1) he was bashful about documenting his birthday month rule and 2) if you think that "yes, momma" gets him out of a lot of trouble, you would be correct.

Saturday morning, we went to Skip's parents home to visit with them and Skip's sister (+ her family) who were visiting. The trio had a fantastic time with their cousins, and George and Riley celebrated early birthdays.  We had a wonderful visit, ate way too much, and enjoyed catching up. 

After that, we had planned a little staycation get-away to a local golf resort so we packed up an overnight bag, checked in, and made our way to the pool. We swam all afternoon, grabbed a casual dinner and then made our way to one of the balconies to watch their fireworks show, which was impressive. 

William George was a little bitter about the outdoor pool situation because he was deemed not tall enough to go down the water slide. Although he quickly scampered up the steps with his sisters, a member of the pool deck staff escorted him back down and had him stand next to the you-must-be-this-tall-to-ride-the-slide sign, a humiliating development since it confirmed that he was not yet tall enough. Our assurances that he would be fine on the slide were not enough to override the character's height requirement. After that, George wanted no part of the outdoor pool. Although Monday was a repeat of Sunday in terms of how we spent our time, George opted to utilize the indoor pool after lunch. It was a moral victory, and he was rewarded by finding a crew of older boys with whom he could play. He mastered the art of pushing his friends into the pool and even learned to accept being pushed in when it was time for retaliation.  

After a second full day of swimming, the trio came home, showered and crashed. They were sound asleep before 8:00pm. Our neighbors shot some fireworks in the cul-de-sac, and we did not even have the heart to wake the trio to see it. They never heard a sound.

The weekend in photos:

Lego building

  

PS: William George was a little nervous about the fireworks initially so we videoed portions of the show for him to watch later.

 Fireworks 2016 from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

July 4th

I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure it will cost us to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states. Yet through all the gloom I see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth all the means. This is our day of deliverance.

John Adams (1735–1826)