summer sucks

So Monday was my last day at work, and I also found out that DD 1 has strep. By Tuesday, it was clear that I also had strep. Several days of fever and chills foloow. Then I took DD2 and DS to the doctor because she complained of a sore throat. They are all on antibiotics although DD2 did not show positive for strep. Hey barkeep, a round of cefzil for the house.

I was supposed to drive to Philly today, but I can't see that being remotely safe. I am not sure if I will make it tomorrow. Time heals all, right?

How do you teach manners?

I try to teach my children to be civilized, some days it is hard. Today at the swim club we had a problem with the mommy's not wanting my child to share their child's toys. I know three is an uncivilized age and I know he is a bit wild but when the one mommy told me I needed to do something and I saw her friend (we'll just call them bitch and bigger bitch) wresting her son's toy from my son I was appalled. She actually said, these are ours we brought them from home. Well, where did she think the rest of the toys came from? We all bring things from home, but we still share. Usually if other kids play with my kids' stuff, I just let them know where to leave it when they are done.

The bigger bitch had been talking loudly about her son's need for pt, ot and speech - all I could think was this was a bad enough example for a typical child let alone a kid with special needs. My friend walked by and found them bitching about me, and commented that not only were they not nice but they were caught being rude. I would have cancelled my membership on the spot if it hadn't been for the two nice moms who made a point to come over and tell me how appalled they were. I still don't know if I can hang out there every day this summer and face that! I just don't know how I can tell my child that he must share nicely with other kids but that he must not touch the toys at the pool.

Let me share a happy amazing thing. I was going to post the new firebird color of STR that I received on Wednesday, but saw that someone had already knitted hers up and boy are they gorgeous. I will now humbly link to Nicole. I bow to her knitting speed!

new sock

This is the first pedicure sock, made with yarn dyed by my daughter for our dear friend from a made up pattern, now on to the second sock. I always forget to write the patterns as I make them up so the second sock is always a challenge. In this case the gauge seems slightly looser on the second sock. I'll have to get my foot model (aka dd #1) to test drive the second sock which is done up to the heel turn.

On a personal note, I finished up at work this week and I am hugely sad to be leaving this school. It was great to be back using my clinical brain, and I really enjoyed the kids. It makes me realize that I have no great interest in working with typically developing kids. To walk into an established team and have people welcome you and your input is amazing. I am glad I didn't get weepy on the way out. I got lovely cards and a few gifts. I will never again think that acknowledging the end of the school year does not matter to the school staff. Now on to the task of looking for permanent employment!

Guess who's been knitting

I just realized how long it has been since I have posted any knitting. So I have finished a pair of socks using the Naga pattern, which I linked in a previous post. I added a picot cast off, my new current obsession. The yarn is flamingo by opal.

The second shot is the beginning of a pedicure sock, which I am designing as I go. The plan is to end with k2tog yo picot edge (as opposed to the picot cast off which involves lots of cable cast-ons). Then I am going to make a little i-cord thong thing for between the big toe and its little friends. The yarn was hand dyed by my six year old daughter.

Another knitting related item. I tried to break my yarn diet by ordering from marianne's opalwolle in Germany. She has gorgeous undyed yarns, including a bamboo blend sock yarn. She has opal patterns that probably will never make it here. I haven't bought a single skein since before January 2007. Needless to say, I tried to order more than a single skein but somehow never got the thing from paypal to pay. As soon as that happens I guess I officially broke my diet. Oh, well- its the longest I have ever gone on any sort of diet!

Off the knitting thread, I was a little gathering this weekend with lovely women from my area. There was jewelry selling and wine drinking going on. I tried really hard to not be my usually strident self, but eventually I erupted. What set me off was listening to these lovely, well-educated women talk about how great our local school system is based on statistics. I couldn't hold back. How great do the school have to be to educate a bunch of privileged white children being raised in a community where more than 60% of homes have one advanced degree? Show me those stats in a city school where the homes do not average 3000 square feet, then I will be impressed. As someone who works in a school, I can't buy accepting the whole statistic thing without questioning it. I asked one mom who was talking about the great curriculum if she knew what the town's educational goals for kindergarten were. She did not, nor was she aware that there is no gifted intervention until middle school. I do not wonder why I don't get invited out more! I realize that I am by no means the world's easiest human. I am glad that there are people who get it and get me or it would be hard living in the blinding whiteness of this area.

redo photo

I just realized what a bad photo I posted. This is much better!

Mary's big day

My daughter had her graduation from primary (aka kindergarden). At the risk of sounding immodest, she looked so cute. Her behavior and that of her brother were less than cute. The nadir of the day was when George lifted the back of my skirt up so that I essentially mooned all of the Cobb school. Ahh, good times.

On the craft front, I finished a painting this week for a little guy who likes outer space. Hope he likes it, I liked painting it. I got a little carried away. There was glow in the darlk paint involved. Hehe.

my latest obsession

Well, just when I thought that I could go no further with my knitting obsession I joined a group that blows me away! The German sock knitters group is beyond belief. I joined thinking I could use my bad grad school German reading to understand but its more than a little over my head. I can say that language barrier or no its great fun to just check out the blog links. I have seen some great socks and some awesome dying. And just when I thought it couldn't be better, I realized that many Europeans understand some English and have gotten some great email from members of the group.

I have been proud of the fact that I have bought NO yarn since the beginning of the year, but I have been finding some amazing stuff from the SKL. If these vendors ship to the US my yarn diet is doomed. I consider it a bad sign that I have emailed one vendor, the diet is circling the drain.

not that I am vain

I want a photo on my profile and this cockamaimie blogger thing says first I have to post a photo. So this was taken on a rare good hair day. I have a bad edit gene and end up erasing all images if myself, after 9-11 I tried to stop because I was worried that if I died somehow my kids would have no clue what I looked like. But yet I delete, in a ballsy move for me - I will keep my hands away from the delete key. You should see, its like the scene in Dr. Strangelove, one arm is pulling the other away from the delete key.

Any bets about whether from this point I can figure out how to get this connected to my profile?