Mud puddles, Quidditch, and Duct Tape Superman

Hey guys!  Have you seen Panic! At The Disco’s cover of Bohemian Rhapsody?  Pretty awesome.  I’ve been fairly busy this week.  I bought a sewing machine finally!  I’ve wanted one since the dawn of time seemingly.  I got it second hand and only paid $30 (retail $100).  I’m fairly pleased with myself in case you can’t tell. 

 

Made my daughter a new lovely blanket to replace her old ragged thing.  She loved it, and it took a fraction of the time with a machine.

Here in Indiana, we just experienced a cold snap.  It feels like October all of a sudden, which really has me buckling down on planning for Halloween.  A few years ago, we decided we wanted to start throwing Halloween parties instead of doing trick-or-treating.  Fewer and fewer houses are participating, and most people take their children to relative’s homes or truck-or-treats.  Trunk-or-treats bore me, and I don’t feel like driving all over town with two or three minutes to visit at each home; thus, the Halloween party. 

We threw our first Halloween bash last year.  It was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone themed.  The Great Hall (dining room) was decked out with floating candles (fishing line and wall hooks stuck to ceiling and tied to the wick of the candles) and “live” (die cut) bats.  The sorting hat sat on a stool, and pumpkins were painted for decoration as well.  There were letters to Harry Potter everywhere.  I even painted a Mirror of Erised.  I created a scavenger hunt and a potions bottle contest (mimicking the chamber challenge issued by Snape), with a prize for the winner.  People dressed up, ate good food, and had more sweets than they could carry.  It was great.

Me, as McGonagall

A friend of mine brought this cake

My husband, the mountain troll -_-

This year, we’re doing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (if you didn’t see this coming, you clearly don’t yet know me.  Keep reading and you will!).  I’ve been gathering supplies.  I’m mostly just accumulating spiders, webbing, and hula hoops.  The spiders and webbing are obviously for the acromantulas in the forest.  The hula hoops are for Quidditch goals!  I haven’t decided who I will be dressing as, or rather I think I know but I don’t want to ruin the surprise. 

 

Quidditch goals

The Golden Snitch

bludgers

The kids want to be Superman and Elsa this year.  I like to make the kids’ costumes, so I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of sewing these by hand.  Luckily, I now have that sewing machine.

 

Bumblebee and Spiderman 2013

Superman is coming along nicely.  I started his first, because I’m pretty sure it will take the least time.  I used duct tape, which my sewing machine hates apparently.  It was hard to keep it from bunching.  I used thermal underwear as my costume base, because I could, I like short cuts, and shut up!  I couldn’t find the right color blue, so I ordered navy.  When they came, they were the wrong size.  I was hacked off, but I decided to keep them.  He’ll use them when he’s bigger.  I bought a pair in the correct size at the store, but I either had to get a pattern or a solid in black or gray.  We decided black would work out.  I still have a cape and boots to make.  I got my son spray in hair dye for black Superman hair.  That should be interesting. 

I haven’t started on my daughter’s costume yet.  I’m planning to make a dress form with a tee shirt and duct tape.  I have the fabric picked out, and I have a design in mind.  I’m worried I’ll screw it up, but I think it will be okay. 

I’m supposed to be working on my novel more now that I quit blogging regularly on The Case of the Missing Cheerios, but I’m not sure that’s happening.  I’m taking more time to dedicate to it, but most of it has been research.  I’m way too much of a Hermione sometimes.  My book is about a man wrongfully accused of a murder.  It’s actually more interesting than that, but I don’t want to give away too much.  

I'm also auditioning for Jesus Christ Superstar at a local theater in a few weeks.  I'm going out for Mary Magdalene.  I have no theater experience, but they said it wasn't required.  Fingers crossed!

I home school my kiddos, and yesterday was the best day ever.  My daughter’s curriculum is based on the book “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt”.  In the book, one of the obstacles they tackle is a ton of mud.  I watered down a segment of our yard, and they got crazy.  It was the funniest thing I’ve seen in ages.  At first, they were really hesitant.  You want me to do what now?  After they found out they could splash, they were totally sold.  They were stomping around, crawling through it, running through it, rolling through it.  My daughter discovered she could soak her sleeves (her sweater was a bit long) and smack her brother with them, which wasn’t hurting him and frankly was hilarious.  He got mad and flipped mud in her face, but she burst out laughing.  Pretty soon we were all laughing.  The kids got in a wrestling match (MUD WRESTLING!!!), and then laid on the ground in the mud for a minute.  They were so joyful and happy, it really was moving and lovely.  It was one of the best moments of my life.  My husband said he will remember it forever.  I hope they remember it too.  It was a rare, beautiful picture of childhood.

Thanks for reading!  See ya next time!

Poison ivy/potty time

I struggle with depression.  Some days are better than others.  Today?  Today was one of those not-so-great days.  My morning began just fine, but then I had a little hiccup.  I was planning to do two experiments with the kiddos today, both of which involve a bottle of Coca Cola.  No problems with the first experiment.  We poured half a bottle of Coca Cola into a pot and proceeded to boil it to see the sugars and color additive left behind afterwards.  The kids were properly horrified (especially since I accidentally burned it).  The problem was that my second experiment involves adding milk to the remaining Coca Cola.  The Coca Cola becomes clear when performed properly.  My husband used the rest of the milk for breakfast this morning.  Even though I mentioned to him the experiment that was coming up at the beginning of the week, he failed to realize that I needed this. 

It wouldn’t have been a big deal, SHOULDN’T have been, if I wasn’t already dipping into a “mood” by then.  If I were a lot younger (and had there been no witnesses, maybe I still would have), I would have dropped to the floor and totally lost my shit.  As I’m not a child anymore, I kept it together and tried to work around it.  We used the remainder of the milk (which was maybe ¼ of a teaspoon) from the bottom of the empty milk jug my husband left on the counter.  I was hoping it wouldn’t take as much as I thought it would, but sadly I am SOL on that account. 

We continued homeschooling, but I found myself just getting angrier and angrier as the day progressed.  I put the kids in their rooms for nap/quiet time and attacked a folding chair that wasn’t even the slightest bit in my way.  I decided to take a shower.  Maybe I would feel better after that.

By now, I was just drained and resentful, albeit clean.  As I was getting dressed, my daughter begins screaming that she has a joke to tell me.  On about the eighteenth time, I open my door to yell at her to quit yelling (because I am ironic like that), and she informs me that she has to pee.  I let her go potty, but she’s taking forever.  I finally decide to just go do something else for a while since I have zero patience at the moment, and I’ll come back to check on her.  I tell her this and head into the living room to scan facebook. 

I remember on my way to the living room that the dog is still outside.  I put him out on the tie out in the yard before I took my shower.  It was a prevention kind of move.  I didn't want to find pillow fluff or anything crazy when I got out (other than my reflection, I mean).  I put on my shoes and head out to unleash him.  I do, and the crazy mutt is running all over.  I walk to the mailbox, grab the mail, tell the dog to pee, and then curse fluently.  Not only did my dog NOT pee when told (just like my daughter), but he decided to instead run through a large patch of poison ivy and then head straight towards me.  I should point out that I already have poison ivy, likely also his fault.  I eventually manage to put him back on the tie out and bring him food since the idiot can't come inside until I am ready to give him a bath.  Which is maybe never.  This day is a jerk.

This guilty face is not about the poison ivy.  He's been digging again.

I head back inside and go to check on my daughter.  She should have been finishing up on the potty this whole time.  I know I’m about to discover something awful, because she has closed the bathroom door.  Opening it, I find her with her panties and skirt around her ankles, standing in the middle of the floor, a suspicious wet spot in the middle of her skirt, and a yellow, dripping baby wipe in her hand.  The potty is empty, naturally, its contents having been scrubbed into the child, her clothes, and the bathroom step stool.  Again, I would have lost it at an earlier stage in my life.  Instead, I strip her, wipe her off, and send her butt naked back to her bedroom for some patience drawing (and cleaning) on my part.  Turns out it is also all over the back of the bathroom door and soaked through the toilet paper roll. 

The phone rings and it is my husband.  He is sweet enough to call after work to see if there’s anything I need him to pick up, but today I can only growl about milk.  He promises to grab some and I hang up. 

I had made the mistake of laying down on the bed while I spoke with my husband.  I call this a mistake, because if I lay down during a “mood” I might not get back up again until it passes.  The kids keep me needing to get up, thankfully/damn it, so I roll over to get out of bed.  Don’t ask me how, but I somehow trip in midair, can’t get my hands or legs under me, and fall flat on my face.  Damn it. 

I’m not sure if there’s a point to this post.  I guess I’m just trying to say that depression is a beast.  When you have it, even stupid little things are about a thousand times worse.  And when I read this post next, I will think that tripping in midair and falling flat on my face is the funniest thing in the world, but right now I just want to cry.

P.S.  My husband forgot the milk.  -_-   I also eventually washed my child properly and got her dressed.  Duh.

Welcome!!

Hello!  Welcome!  Expect great things or something!  This is going to be a blogging-life-stories sort of thing.  You can look forward to me sharing my passions, beliefs, stories/rants, and general whatever and what the hell type posts.  Updates will be sporadic and done between writing my novel.  Until next time!  Thanks for reading.  :)

P.s.  If you are coming to this blog as a newbie, I'm Heather (a.k.a. priddymomma).  I am a SAHM to two kiddos that I home school.  I am married to my high school sweetheart.  I enjoy writing and singing.  I think that's about all you need.  ;)