Take a load off, Fannie...

I suppose I might have hit the limit on blog-filling “Quotes of the Day” and might actually have to post a real, live, “this-is-an-update-from-she-herself” entry and be done with it. No cute links. No fancy puppy pictures. (Ok, maybe, but totally at the end.)

It was a really long, eventful summer and the best way I can sum it up from my end is: we survived it.

The custody trial for Boy Wonder was decided in our favor. That was awesome and it's great to finally let it go and BREATHE for once.

We scrambled and got him registered for kindergarten and a few weeks ago he embarked on a brand new adventure at the school down the road. He loves it, though we do have to deal with the occasional “bad report” day for him not listening, or talking during quiet time, or launching a buddy off the top of a slide because said buddy got in his way during a raucous game of tag. But hey, could happen to anyone, right? He starts basketball next week and we're thrilled about it. Not so much about yours truly attempting to coach 10 kindergartners (herding cats, anyone?) but any chance to see my Boy Wonder with a sweatband and tube socks is a definite plus.

Boo is growing into his own…a drooling, screeching, half crawling, half butt-dragging, mobile little dynamo. At seven months, he’s amazing. And damn demanding. Do you ever look at your kids mid-tantrum and wonder “who the hell are you, and why are you in my house?” I do. But that’s just me. It’s a tightrope, learning to balance your energy and attention between two very different boys. One wants to impress you all the time and leans on you for positive, encouraging feedback…and TIME, while the other needs to be nurtured, bounced, changed, fed and leans on you for constant, focused attention…and TIME. I’m pretty sure it’s a question for the ages and parents long before us have struggled with answering, but let me be the next to say “holy sh&*, this is tough work.” I never truly understood until Boo started to move out of that “content to be in a swing for hours on end” stage into the “holy crap, I’m bored out of my mind, don’t leave me alone in this living room for ONE SECOND, I don't care if you need to do dishes, get back in here, NOW!” Some days I look at him and wonder if there’s a little Stewie Griffin brewing in there. I kid, I kid.

P also started school. Doing great…again, struggling with the demands of being “the man” at all hours of the day and getting his homework/studying/living done.

We’ll figure it out eventually and then we’ll make millions teaching everyone else how to do it, I’m sure.

As far as the writing goes, don’t ask. OK OK OK, I kid. I haven’t heard anything from that manu that I sent in July 7. We’ll see, right? There’s a couple more contests I’m looking to enter next month if I can ever clear the baby food and legos off the table long enough to sit down and map something out.

Someday I’ll make my millions writing about heaving bosoms and fierce alpha males, but first I need to learn to tame the baby dragons currently living at my house.

And there, gentle readers, in a nutshell, is where my mind has been since August. It’s been a mess. Next time, I’ll send a postcard and keep you better updated...