Rita Arens's Blog, page 42

How I Know I'm Over the Only Child Thing

Last night, I was reading my book at my daughter's gymnastics class, listening with half an ear to two other mothers talking about their children's extracurricular activities. This year is the first year we've had the girl in more than one activity at a time (swimming lessons being the exception -- swimming lessons trumped everything for us), and it's tough. We've already had to make a hard decision to keep her from trying out for something in ballet she really wanted to do because of a famil...

Thinking You're Aging Well? Try FaceTime!

Last month, the Arens family won an iPad in a sweepstakes put on by ClassWish. (They are awesome, go buy some books and the school of your choice gets part of the proceeds.) Since then, we have been using the FaceTime feature on it to talk to family back in Iowa.

We've noticed something. If the camera adds ten pounds, the pixelated oranges of FaceTime adds ten years, as well as sunspots, shine and huge pores (for white people, at least).

It's so bad that my mother commented once on how unfla...

Sarcophagus for Bears

I'm told I should start a Tumblr blog for these pictures. I'm too lazy to do that, so I'm creating a new category: Scenes I Walked in On. I'll try to go back and find all the others and tag them so they're in one place. I can't bear the thought of tracking more than one blog.

A few days ago, I walked into the living room after the little angel had gone to school and found this.

It reminded me of some horrible movie I saw in the eighties in which all the people were wrapped up by giant bees o...

The Parents With Kids Older Than Yours

We need each other.

Yesterday a Twitter friend tweeted about his kids sobbing at preschool drop-off. I was back crouching under the window in the door at the Emerald City in a split-second, listening to the little angel screaming for me and throwing her little body against the door. I'm on the verge of tears at the memory, just the memory.

Then this morning, I read a post on BlogHer about the advice people give when your toddler has sleep issues, and my body had a visceral reaction. My body...

Frustrated With Politics? Here, Read These.

Hi everyone!

I've been immersed in politics for the past two weeks because of my job. And yes! I am very, very excited the conventions are ending tonight! For even though I'm very passionate about my politics (I apologize if you read my Twitter feed or its flowthrough to Facebook), I grow weary, too. It's all so big and so hard and what the hell, those numbers have more zeroes than my daughter has toes.

Part of what I've been doing this week is sitting on Twitter to see what people are saying...

Yep, Labor Day Weekend Wasn't Enough

{BOOM! Thanks, as always, for tolerating my extreme desire to pay down debt and work toward a new kitchen floor. Every penny counts toward the Arens debt calculator. We are making progress!}

I think I need a vacation. While the Labor Day weekend was air-clearing for me, my brain feels dried up. This morning, I thought it was Saturday and started muttering to the little angel to go find her blue leotard for the first day of ballet. I was halfway into three projects at work when Beloved forwar...

(Sponsored Post) What To Do With Fried Summer Hair

It’s the end of summer, which means everyone’s hair is
totally sun-and-chlorine-fried. Right? Right. If you read this blog much, you
know my hair is about two inches long, so I don’t have much to worry about in
terms of fried hair because I cut the ends off every five weeks. But I happen
to have someone here with slightly longer hair.

So when BlogHer asked if I wanted to review some Dove Damage
Therapy conditioner, I said, um, YES.

My girl went to summer camp and they took her swimming three...

In the Midst of That, There Is This

The vine kept wrapping itself around my flowers and strangling them, every year for four years. It was impossible to kill, no matter how many times I ripped it out, because its roots are under the deck where I can't reach them.

This spring, as it reached its little tendrils toward my pepper plants, I wrapped it around the deck railing in frustration. I told it I would let it live if it would keep to itself.

It did.

It just bloomed this past week, and now there are at least ten very happy be...

I May Not Survive This Election

It's here. The lead-up to Election 2012. As part of my job, I need to look at it, to look at it with as open a mind as I can muster. I can't hide my head and turn off Twitter and the television, like I'd really, really like to do. It's good, in a way, as it's forcing me to confront the issues of the day and solidify how I feel about them and make sure I get myself to the voting booth on time.

But wow, I'm really struggling with it. Last night the little angel brought me my bear when I was red...

Happy Birthday to My Man

Beloved is 39 today.

Which means we ARE officially growing old together.

Happy birthday, darling!

Photo Credit: Randy Braley