I Would Call It The Daimon

This is a painting by an artist named Mike Monterio, while I was torn between this and "Let's Make Better Mistakes Tomorrow" I have to put my lot with this one. Unfortunately, sold. I'm thinking it could be a series-Fuck You It's Baby Weight-Fuck You I Shouldn't Be Able To Hear Your Conversation From Here-Fuck You You Bored Me Before You Even Opened Your Mouth.

My genius has been squandered.

For My Book Club Girls

This is Olivia's closet. It holds most of her art supplies, a mere fraction of her books and all the things I hoard for spontaneous project-making like paper towel tubes. Also, some toys that she is not quite old enough for yet. It is more overstuffed than usually because of the recent birthday. My neighbor and I put it together with peg board and some old parts from her garage.

This is where the rest of the art supplies live in a great little paint corner built by my awesome Father-in-Law. I have to relocate this somewhere else when number two comes and it is breaking my heart, it has been keeping the rest of my house relatively paint free. Olivia has a watercolor station in the kitchen but that is it.

This is where all of the artwork is housed. Some pieces have snuck out and gotten taped to walls, but it is mostly contained in this little curtain rod from IKEA.

I have all of Olivia's dress clothes in a few of these. I used to have hanging pegs, but they were always overcrowded and the clothes were always falling off, besides I believe everything in a small house should be doing double duty.

I hope this is what you were looking for ladies, if not feel free to leave me a comment.

Photo Dump

 
 


Olivia with Miss Frances and the bubbles portion of the aforementioned Fizzy, Foamy Science.

Since I am in such a great mood I thought I would share a few of my favorite things lately.

1) My reading list for Spring, let's just say there is a fantasy that involves me, a hotel room with a bathtub that holds more than three inches of water and this pile. Also, coffee.

2) I am straight up in love with usluairlines nail polish. I would do a lot of things to have my next manicure in bright orange or this sunny yellow.

3) I have been hankering to throw a party and this Bookworm Party at Oh Happy Day should do the trick.
4) My kitchen is so close to being done I can taste it. I think this little pear-shaped terrarium should do the trick.

5) Last but not least, my ten year anniversary is coming up in a month, and even though Chad will celebrate it alone from trial in Green Bay, that doesn't mean I can't want something fabulous like these, or any, earrings from Blue Poppy.

A Note To Readers

I feel compelled to write a post saying that I had a wonderful morning with my daughter today. I feel like the funny posts are the ones where she is badly behaved so those get the most play, but today she was terrific. We went to Spanish storytime in Middleton; hung there reading about everything from ferrets to Ancient Egypt. Then we met Chad for lunch and went and got a scoop of ice cream and ate in the sun. Then we came home and picked the sunniest spot in the house to do puzzles, she went down for nap without a peep.

No monster child, it gives me hope that maybe the nice weather will bring a nice attitude?

**-The Taco Bell Ritual, or A Portrait of Crazy

I am going to let everyone have a little peek at my crazy that may paint a very different picture of me as a person, but is accurate nonetheless.

Whenever I get the opportunity to eat alone I always try to make sure it is a lunch meal. I like to eat lunch alone. To me, it is the meal that you eat reading a book, listening to the radio, quietly enjoying a mid-time break. I usually need a break from having to interact with people, I have mentioned this before, but I do not like interacting with people. I find it stressful and emotionally taxing, but I am good at it and I realize that it is necessary so I do it. I eat lunch with Olivia every day.

When I do get to eat lunch alone I eat at Taco Bell. Despite being a good cook, enjoying well made foods the one food that I feel consistently denied is a bad taco. Whenver I ask to go to Taco Bell my daughter immediately collapses into histronics and my husband looks at me with a stare that says," I'll go because I love you but I will repsect you less afterwards (I have a similar stare for his affinity for the Burger King)."

SO to achieve eating alone and eating at Taco you have to eat in your car, which I prefer to the soul-deadening interior of the Taco Bell, I have better music and it is much quieter, I can read etc. However, I don't like to eat in the car where people can SEE me eating in the car so I have to park in the far back corner of the parking lot where it is a group of people who agree not to make eye contact because they also hate eating with people.

What you have then is a woman who pays someone else so that she can eat bad tacos alone in her car in the back corner of the parking lot. Sad, but I would do it again tomorrow given the chance.

*

So in the midst of my soul-searching about Olivia's misbehavior I decided to look into my own culpability. I know that remaining calm is what I need to do, but it is a challenge when, say she is digging her fingernails into you and screaming' "I hate you, you are the stupidest Mommy ever!!!!!" when you are in, say, the Walgreens.

So I decided that I have had enough of being a good mother who does not choke her daughter and I was going to hire my sitter an extra day this week and do whatever I want-no compromising. Here is where the sad and desperate part comes in, I will give you a quick sketch of what three hours comes down to and you will see how the little things add up.

1) I called my grandfather from my driveway. I never get to talk to my grandfather without Olivia talking over the conversation. In fact, I never get to have any conversation where Olivia doesn't but in, talk over, or try to get on the phone herself and no amount of time outs or loss of privledges has curbed this behavior. My grandfather is the worst though because he insists on talking to her and if there is any kind of torture for me in hell it is going to be translating the conversation between and 88 year-old man and five year-old.

2) I went to the library to read magazines and look through the new releases. Forget flip through a magazine, I never get to leave the kids' section when I go to the library.

3) I conducted my Taco Bell ritual**.

4) I went on a walk through the marsh to see if my running path was still submerged, and I got to walk at a brisk pace, no stopping, just peace and quiet.

So if you find yourself paying another human being money to allow you to do such menial things as go to the library, make a phone call and eat Taco Bell you may be compromising too much in your daily life. After today all I could wonder is what would everyone I know do if they could do something for three hours that they feel they would never get to do otherwise? Would Chad beach out and watch three hours of baseball on full volume while simultaneously surfing the web? I often wonder if when I am gone he throws his wet towel on the floor in defiance.