The Kitchen Refresh Project

It's not like we aren't busy.  We are.  But when we found a bit of rotten wood in the kitchen earlier in the summer, that snowballed into a much bigger project.  We aren't able to remodel right now, so I am doing what I can to give our kitchen a much needed face lift with just some stripper, poly and paint.  All of the cabinets and doors were painted with a single layer of cheap white paint that, over the last decade, had started to chip and flake off.  I stripped one door and we found what we had long suspected: the solid oak cabinets are beautiful and the previous owner had just slapped white paint on them prior to selling the house.  The good news is that the paint is coming off easily.  The bad news is that that means I'm stripping, sanding and refinishing 43 doors and drawers!  The effort already looks to be paying off as we're starting to paint he cabinets a retro 50s blue to match the exisiting 50s flooring.  Next, I have to figure out how to remove wallpaper from plaster.  This project is what I call "clandestine home improvement" as I have to work on it a little at a time during the children's naptime and after they go to bed at night.  At this rate, it may not be done for several months.  Wish me luck.  Or, come over and help.  Or both!

Children's Museum

Siri listening to the wolves in the Habitot

Henry's a kitty!  Meow!

Lunchtime Nursery Concert Series

The best thing about Daddy working a mile from home?  He can come home for lunch!

Madeline Island

We had a great time on our summer vacation to Madeline Island.  The kids got to play at the beach and in Lake Superior.  Momma, who had been "drying out" spiritually, got a much needed rejuvenating swim in Mother Superior, which always puts her chi back in line.  We hiked and saw many friends and danced to the music of our friends band at Tom's Burned Down Cafe, our home base on the island.  Daddy got up and played a couple of numbers and, while the band was distracted, Henry helped himself to their tip jar and almost pocketed a ten-spot.  Siri danced and danced and charmed the local bar riff-raff with her dazzling smile.

On the Road

Siri is experiencing a major cognitive leap right now that is great fun to watch. She is starting to talk and us trying to repeat words. She could walk if she wanted to, but hasn't yet taken off without holding on to something or someone. She has also popped four new teeth through this week and, subsequently, developed another ear infection. Despite this, everyone slept well last night and we are on the road this morning headed to Madeline Island on vacation. We are armed with antibiotics and bunny crackers and are hoping for the best!

Muddy Baby Explores Backyard

Siri loves playing in water and mud and is always eager to explore. She takes time to smell the flowers, too.

Bitch, bitch, bitch

It occurs to me that I have spent a good deal of the summer thus far complaining, whining and/or bitching about how hard it is to be a full-time stay-at-home parent of two small children.  And it is.  And I have. 

It is mind-numbing, back-breaking, completely defeating and just really fucking hard.  (Allow me the liberty to swear here as I try not to do it around the children...Try, anyway).  Our big parent bodies are sore and bruised and broken from the work of it.  Our minds are as mushy as our bodies, our thoughts often incoherent.  It is impossible to hold conversations with friends about anything but the children and how challenging they are, especially if we've been granted a few hours of freedom and a few beers...  Sorry about that.

Being stuck so far into the middle of the "baby tunnel" that we cannot yet see the light at the end may be socially debilitating, but it is also wonderful, amazing, beautiful, full of love and happiness, unabashed joy, sloppy baby kisses and gigantic hugs for no reason at all.  We sometimes sit on the floor and just play with the babies and stare at each other with amusement and awe at how lucky we are.  Our kids are healthy, happy and bright.  We laugh every day.  We've gotten just what we wanted.  We're happy, actually!  Really! 

We're just tired.  And, we knew it'd be hard, we were fully aware of what we were getting ourselves into... although that knowledge doesn't really in any way prepare you for the grinding reality... Oy.

I now fully understand that glazed-over and vacant look that some parents get when their child is crying/yelling/screaming in public.  I used to think, why isn't that mom doing anything about her kid?!  Wow.  I get it now.  It's because this is the millionth time she's fought the same fight, possibly just today, and she hasn't slept in weeks and there was no fucking way she was going to cook and so they are at this restaurant anyway and she is going to drink the beer that is in front of her and she doesn't give a fuck that her kid is screaming about her Elmo doll right now because she deserves that beer, goddammit, and so she's going to just tune it out and stare at the TV and drink that beer and fuck you for judging her, the end.

So, yeah, we're doing just fine despite the whining and the bitching.  The luxury of being able to spend all day, every day with my babies is mostly blissful.  I get to eat graham crackers and play pretend and go for walks and play at the park and cook yummy things and am rewarded daily with hugs and giggles and snuggles and kisses.  Which is so much better than bitching about back-stabbing office politics and shitty bosses.  Around here, the bosses are just occasionally poopy, and that's pretty easily cleaned up.