Lars and the Real Girl

A few weeks ago, my sister, Mary and I were scanning movie trailers to see if anything good was coming out soon. Then, we stumbled on a film starring Ryan Gosling, whom we had both found to be dynamic in his role opposite Anthony Hopkins in the courtroom drama Fracture. Lars and the Real Girl is a departure from the courtroom drama and is about a man who develops a relationship with a full-size vinyl doll. For those who say "That I gotta see!" You will be disappointed. The relationship is chaste as, according to Lars, the "doll," aka Bianca, was raised by nuns and is a missionary with nurses training. Oh, and she is good with kids. Ryan Gosling plays a sympathetic, albeit pathetic, character who is just plain good. His odd behavior and social deficits are overlooked by an equally just plain good co-worker who is smitten from the first time she sees this disheveled man who wears his blankie as a scarf. I must tell you I was on the brink of a terrible bout of flu when I sat in the theater. But I was so caught up in this lovely little story that I did not sense the impending headache and chills that would follow me home from the theater and stay with me for days. Mary and I were thrilled to find it playing at a theater near us...well not so near. We had to drive to Norfolk and got stuck in tunnel traffic. Bill, Mary, and my sister-in-law Christina (who got a get out of the house pass for the night...lol), had a memorable time. There was applause at the end of the film and the woman in front of me chided Bill for asking if the doll was recyclable at a critical point in the movie. All in good humor. As this woman was choking back tears and laughter the whole time. We all were. At the risk of sounding redundant. This is a must see. Enjoy!

How to get rid of mice

We dashed out of the house this morning as we always do and made it to the car @ 7:28 AM which is just the right time to beat the 8:00AM traffic and get to school just before they open the doors. Rose and I returned with anticipation of a play date with cousin Julia. We came in the house and set our things down and the first thing I see is a tiny mouse trapped under the leg of one of our rocking chairs. And then Julia arrived and I ushered them to the den and told them to play, play, play with a fake smile on my face. I am not equipped to deal with mice, living, dead or squirming under the leg of a rocking chair. I frantically paged Super Daddy, twice and called his office desk, twice, while standing on the nearest chair to guard the squirming creature. The girls chattered and giggled out in the den, completely unaware of my pathetic situation. I thank God that Chloe and Ethan were not home because Ethan would have grabbed the creature's tail and tossed it into his plastic habitat and claimed it as his pet. And Chloe would have tried to pet it and name it. Super Daddy called and laughed and agreed to come home and rescue me. So I stood on the chair staring at the clock and watching the creature squirm and almost set itself free! After about 10 minutes of being completely pathetic, I started to go about my business, making coffee and sweeping the kitchen and peeking on the creature every once in awhile. But my bold movements were providing the needed adrenaline that the creature needed to free itself. So I returned to my post and sure enough Super Daddy arrived and had so much fun with my pathetic situation.
He put rubber gloves on and grabbed the tail and whisked it outside, across the street where I have to wonder about its disposition while I rest assured that it is out of my house. I give SD a big hug and a fresh pot of mocha for his drive back to work. Somehow, my pathetic situation has made his day. So, I go to the computer and google mice and I see two categories of hits: How to Get Rid of Mice and Mice as Pets. You can see by the title of my blog which way I am going with this. If anyone has any ideas, please comment! Otherwise, I will have the pricey professionals come in and do their business.

The most wonderful boy

I had a sad mommy morning. Last week was a blur of activities, what with soccer, and brownies, etc. On Thursday afternoon, I checked Ethan's folder, scanned his homework assignment and announced that he did not have homework. The next day, my husband picked him up from school and Ethan told him that he had a bad day. Apparently, the entire class had a "dog show." They were allowed to bring in their favorite stuffed animal dog, name it and make a tag for it. Ethan did not have a dog for the show. Rather, he had a note stapled to his folder that said "homework not completed on 10/4." I did not discover the note until I dropped him off this morning because when his dad picked him up at school on Friday, he forgot his bookbag at the school (I have to find some way to blame my dear husband). In addition to not being able to have a dog in the show, it appears that Ethan was put in "stop and think" one too many times for the day and he ended up with a "yellow" day. And now I think back to friday and I wonder what he thought of his mommy when everyone else had their FAVORITE stuffed dog at school and got to parade it and all he got was a note from the teacher that he DID NOT DO HIS HOMEWORK! I don't know what I read that blurry Thursday afternoon on his homework assignment! All I know is I left him at school this morning, walked with Rose to the car and cried! I was flooded with guilt and wondering if his teacher was compassionate. Did she lecture him? My poor baby! Exhale...I suppose he will survive this. I just hope his teacher knows that he is the most wonderful boy in the whole wide world! I am being silly, but if I feel this way about such a little event in the life of my son, what must the Blessed Mother have felt on that Friday when she watched her Son on the cross. And how she must weep when people do not love her Son the way that she does. Funny how this little moment gives such insight. Ethan and I will survive this little bump and we will both forget about it next time he pinches his sister or throws the soccer ball in the house! In addition to being the most wonderful boy in the world, he can be quite the boy...you mom's know what I mean!

Therese of Lisieux

Today is the feast day of our little Rose's patron Saint, Therese of Lisieux. I have always had a fondness for this young Doctor of the Church. She encouraged the path to Sainthood through what she called her little way. It was her vision that she could become closer to God by doing little things that went unnoticed to all but God. This idea resonates with something else I have come across and I cannot remember the exact source, but the sentiment is that we should do all, say all, and write all with the intention of pleasing an audience of One. That One would be God. These are such simple truths. In my googling of Therese today, I came upon the brief life stories of her parents. They are being considered for Sainthood. It was Therese herself who said that she was blessed with parents that were made for heaven more than they were for earth. So, on her feast day, what better way to honor Therese than to learn about her mother and father.

Here is a lovely prayer in their honor:


God Our Father, we praise You for Louis and Zélie Martin, a truly faithful husband and wife, who lived their Christian life in an exemplary way through their duties in life and practice of Gospel teaching. In bringing up a large family, in spite of trials, bereavements and suffering, they showed immense trust in You and obedience to Your will.

Lord deign to manifest Your will in their regard and grant me the favours I implore while praying that the father and mother of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus be presented as models of family life today.

Amen.



Learn More:
http://www.sttherese.com/Louis%20and%20Zelie.html

Last days of Summer 2007

The pool is closed, the kids are back in school and on the soccer fields. The brownies are meeting and the leaves are going from green to gold. Here come the fundraisers and fall festivals, chili cook-offs and Christmas wish lists. There is a welcome chill in the night air and the sun is slow to rise. It is a time for sniffles and sneezes and cozy afternoon naps. I will be cooking beef stews, chicken and dumplings, and lots and lots of veggie soup and dragging my heavy legs and feet to the gym to ward off my desire for hibernation. Time to pull out the jackets and socks and lace up shoes. Time to toss the flip flops, so worn out from the sand at Bethany Beach, the tar, brick, and concrete of Busch Gardens and the grassy yards of friendly visits to family and neighbors. Goodbye, Summer 2007

Annual stroll at Bay Days Event

We took the kids to Bay Days in Downtown Hampton this weekend. It was a beautiful windy and hot day and there were lots of people strolling through our usually quiet downtown. We tried to make a bee-line to the children's area, as we were making a perfunctory visit this year. Chloe had been sick all week and when she awoke with a slight appetite and a request to go to Bay Days, we packed up and went. Bill was having an allergy attack and I was very sore from a pilates class on Saturday...but we went anyway. Because that is what we do. On our way to the children's area we passed a Right to Life booth and loaded up on stickers, pins, and buttons and signed a petition to prevent human cloning. Then we pushed ahead. We passed the Daily Press Go-green display and I shared with them my commitment to stop drinking bottled water. The woman manning the Go-Green booth was drinking a chilled bottle of water and asked why I was not going to be drinking it anymore. We were in a hurry so I smile and tell her that water is good for you anyway you can get it. She hands me a newspaper flyer (which will go right into the recycle bin) telling me how to go green. The G0-Green booth people think I am a wacko. Next we pass the Democrats booth and ask them about their candidate. When it is clear that we are not going to be voting for the candidate (he sees our right to life buttons tacked all over the stroller) the guy mumbles something and a woman from the next booth walks up to us and askes us to sign a petition to protect Gays, Lesbians, and Transgendered individuals in the workplace. From what? Bill asks for the name of a legitimate case where someone was fired because of their sexual orientation and the woman hesitates and says it happens all the time. Bill wants the name of a specific case and she says the words lesbian and gay a few more times, wherein I shyly steer the strollers out of earshot, and she refers us to their website. It gets me thinking. Are Catholics protected in the workplace? Then I think that the last thing we need is more legislation and we continue to make our bee-line to the children's area where there was a fantastic puppet show and lolipops. We watched for about 15 minutes and then attempted another bee-line back to the car. We avoid the political corridor and hit the food area. We are all really hungry but not willing to pay $15 for a crab burger and $5 for a slurpee. We finally get to the car and make a bee-line to BK. We did it. We made our annual pilgrimage. We can cross it off the list. One thing, though. We forgot the camera and we wonder: Did we really go if there are no photos to prove it? I argue we did based on all the flyers, goodie bags, pins, and buttons that are now strewn across the floor of the van. Next stop: The annual Fall Festival in Newport News during the first weekend in October.

A Kodak Moment

We had a fence installed this week. This has been a long awaited coming. We have discussed it for a few years and last year we started the yard preparations. In the fall, we had our old 6 foot hedge removed. That was fun to watch. We had a neighbor with a John Deere and all its attachments blazing through the lawn ripping up and dumping earth. I watched the hedge disappear right before my very eyes. Earlier in the day, I phoned my dear old neighbor and warned her so that she would not be disoriented when she saw the newly cleared view. After the earth was all churned up, we had it leveled. Fresh smell of turned earth lingered and we had a canvas of possibility emerge. And now we have a beautiful white picket fence. It really is a work of art. It all started as a need to set a safe boundary for the kids. I didn't want them running out into the street to chase a ball. The fence is almost done. A few critical pieces, like gates with locks, need to be installed. I am only too anxious for these final touches. And here is the Kodak moment. We are potty training Rose. She went through three pairs of underwear by noon. I went out to the garage to start a load of laundry and Bill went upstairs in search of diapers and Rose let herself out in the backyard and quickly wandered to the front whereupon I returned to the kitchen and asked: Where is Rose? I noticed the open french door and I quickly ran to the front yard to head her off, if, indeed, she was wandering around the gate-less yard naked. And there she was in the front yard naked and heading for a victory lap. Monday we are having the gates installed. Tonight, I am having Bill run to the hardware store to buy Rose-proof padlocks.

Ode to good ole Tidewater Tap

It is true that grabbing a chilled plastic bottle of water is oh, so convenient when heading out to the blazing heat of an August day. A cooler full of plastic bottled water can be your saving grace for a day at the beach. But it has come to my attention that it takes 26 litres of water, 1Kg of fossil fuel, and 1 pound of CO2 to manufacture one litre of Fiji water. So, I ask my husband: is he willing to stop buying caseloads of bottled water? He doesn't believe what I tell him about the environmental impact and he gives me a list of reasons why bottled water is in our life. But then he reads the citation http://digitaljournal.com/article/108604/ and he, too is pondering the impact. Then he proposes that I start to recycle my grocery bags by reusing them next time I go grocery shopping. One thing at a time, I tell him. I recycle those bags as trash bags, I think to myself. Now he's got me feeling guilty about those darn trash bags. I am going to give tidewater tap water a try. I started drinking bottled water over 20 years ago. Way before it was sold at convenient stores. Each morning as I headed to school or work, I would fill my bright green bottle with the funky straw attached. I would refill it as I passed a fountain and I would rinse it in the sink each night. I never liked the funky straw so I won't be going down that route. This whole thing has me thinking and now I am thirsty for a chilled bottle of....chilled glass of tidewater tap.

Have You Finished your Christmas Shopping Yet?

I haven’t posted in awhile. I have made attempts but have had some technical difficulties. And I have been busy… That’s my mantra and it used to make me tired just saying it. Then one day someone said to me that if you want to get something done, ask a busy person. So I stay busy and I keep getting things done. So, I decided to start Christmas shopping. I may be about 15 years too late. There are no toys left. No toys made in the USA, that is. Well, you can find a wonderful wooden game of Chinese checkers, and a jazzy wooden jump rope. But I was looking for the incandescent pink and purple stuff with glitter and flowing nylon hair…the Barbie type stuff or a cuddly vinyl doll with sleepy eyes. Not gonna find it. We are at the mercy of the Chinese toy manufacturers who crank out miles of useless colored plastic pieces that end up getting stuck in my vacuum cleaner. Only, now it comes with loose deadly magnets and poisonous lead paint. And now I am getting suspicious of whether there was negligence or intent to harm. It seems that once the problems were identified, the Chinese officials temporarily ceased exports from one manufacturer. That weekend, the co-owner of said facility committed suicide. I have to wonder, was the suicide the result of a crippling mental illness gone untreated or from the weakness of an individual who wanted to avoid facing the consequences? So, is the Chinese government trying to poison our children? Or are we just facing the consequences of wanting cheap toys? Maybe we need to open a toy factory in the Heartland and charge accordingly for the toys that are produced. I would gladly trade in the convenience of having access to millions of toys for under $20 and pay $150 for one nice doll that my daughter would really treasure.

Eutrapalia

I did a search for this virtue and found about 12 hits. Twelve hits? This is an amazing "virtue" and noone has written exhaustively about it? I will now be lucky hit number thirteen. In a quick scan of the sites where eutrapalia is found I learned that it was a virtue discussed by St. Thomas and a vice if used by late night talk show hosts. What am I talking about? The virtue of playtime and humor. I found it referred to in a poem as such: "Long neglected in the listing- Mainfested through the playing At appointed time for resting: Games, and walking, even dancing- Yes, we speak of recreation! So Thomistic: Eutrapalia." And yet another blogger, Father Sibley, writes that a lack of eutrapalia is a vice! So, it is quickly becoming my favorite virtue and one I hope to master. I think we are born with this virtue and somehow lose it along the way as we seek to achieve a clean house, well-behaved children, or a stellar curriculum vitae. I think I will start to work on this virtue as soon as I have mopped the floor, made dinner, and prepared my next art therapy presentation. Oh, and I will let the kids continue their virtuous life of play as soon as their room is clean. Hope I made you smile. Have a great play day.

Autonomy versus shame and doubt

I started this blog a week ago and I have not had the chance to sit and rant all week! I have been busy cleaning up after Rose's multiple attempts at autonomy. On Saturday, I asked the kids to entertain themselves while I did some cleaning in anticipation of some dinner guests we were having on the next day. Pretty much the only room in the house that did not need to be cleaned was the upstairs bathroom. It's our little oasis that was recently rennovated. I clean it daily because I just like being in the room. So, I was downstairs picking up, sweeping, and mopping when I heard the first call of frustration from Rose, "Moooom.". The sound was coming from the general direction of the oasis. I ran upstairs and saw the door closed and I opened it. The first thing I saw was Rose standing on the stool at the sink with her hands covered in antibacterial soap and some other material...coffee grounds? Before I could utter..."What is that?!" I turned to find Chloe and Ethan behind the door with a spider plant from the downstairs. The dirt from the spider plant was in the tub, on the floor, crushed into the thick fibers of the white cotton rug. Needless to say, pursuit of autonomy faded and shame and doubt ensued and I had a lot of undoing to do...starting with the vaccuming and ending with, "Sorry, I got soooo angry, guys."

Are we getting greener?

Forecaster cuts 2007 hurricane outlook

That's the good news headline from Reuters this AM. We must be doing something right. Or maybe this living thing we call earth has a plan of its own. I love the earth and, at the risk of appearing trite, I love the pillowy sweeps of cloud against the pale blue sky. And I love the way the shadows mingle beneath the shade of a maple tree creating a flickering palette of greens. I am humbled by the earth's majestic mountains, crisp cool lakes, and hurricanes. I invoke the name of Al Gore as I walk through the house flicking off light switches and turning up the temp on the A/C to a balmy 77 degrees. And I think of Sheryl Crow when I stock the toilet paper in the bathroom. I want the earth to be here for my kids and I walk through the house pointing out waste, waste, waste!!! We recycle. My husband drives a wee Saturn to work and we use it as our "date" car for the economy. However, I apologetically admit that I transport the kids around town in a very large van! Well, we have three car seats, you see (state regulation), so we cannot cram it all into the Saturn. I will encourage my kids to do their part. Do I have to rinse out the Ziplocs? But, here's the thing, is it really making a difference in the grand scheme of things? Or are we mere passengers on a magnificent work of art? How much of our ego is involved in propagating the idea that we control the earth's destiny? Are we still free to believe that there is a Creator who said "Let there be light!" Is England flooding because we use disposable diapers? If I eat local grown only, will this downward spiral to doom end? This all remains to be seen. One last thought. Did you know that Earth Day was started in San Francisco, the city of Saint Francis, to bring about peace on earth? I did not know that. The founder prayed that every year St. Francis Day and Earth Day would "bring a new sense of identity with the whole human family and a commitment to see peace through understanding and love -- the love that Jesus revealed." May we combine our actions with our prayers and create a lasting Peace on earth. Now, that is something I think each of us can work together to do. And if, in the process, we stop the hurricanes, floods, and volcanoes, then wouldn't that be something!

Pool Time

I have just set up this blog and my kids are pulling at my sleeves to get them to the pool before the sun sets. SO I have just a quick post today to give you some idea of the character of this blog. I chose the title Green Gazette because green evokes all things that are fresh and healthy and gazette suggests that herein lies some sort of journal. Ergo, Green Gazette. Additionally, green suggests something new. This blog experience is new to me and I don't know what to expect. I am going to comment on current events and give my fresh opinion on all that happens. Gotta get to the pool, now! Please vote on the survey and leave your comments, too!!