Some Knitting, Some Sewing, Some Sleeping...

...describes the weekend. I had a great day out with the girls when Nancy, Stacey and I took off to go shopping yesterday. Any day that involves unlimited salad & breadsticks at Olive Garden is a good day for me. I even purchased some new yarn - cotton yarn to recreate Alex's beloved 'blanket', which literally wore away about a year and a half ago. I knitted it for him when he was first born, and he became like Linus with it. When it first started to fall apart, I tried to mend it but like I said, it was literally worn away in some spots. So I just knit up another one, with a regular yarn. He's tolerated us, but continues to ask for 'Blanket'. So I got home yesterday, whipped out one of the balls of yarn, and said, "Hey Alex, what's this?" He jumped up and down and said, "BLANKET!" It kind of blows me away that he remembers it.

Will is sullen because I haven't started that massive skull blanket project from DomiKNITrix yet, but that's HUGE.

I also got some fabric because Stacey insists that I can too make a simple wrap skirt using one of the patterns I got when Rag Shop went out of business. Let's see how simple it is when I call her, sobbing, at 1 a.m. one night soon... ;-)

I Haven't Disappeared Again...

...I'm just wiped. The new job is great - loving it! But I'm still getting back into the swing of things, and the school year is ramping up, so I'll be back shortly. Just let me get some more sleep...

Zombie Hunters, A Little Late...

I totally forgot to post some of the pictures from the Zombie Hunters shoot we were on a few weeks ago. What a great time. Mike was particularly thrilled at the chance to break a bottle over Patrick's head - something he's wanted to do for 15 years! Stacey got a bit bloody - she blogged about it, too.

I'll be updating the Zombie Hunters blog, so I'll post here when it's live with some juicy links.

Attack of the Crankies

Wow, I'm bitchy today. I just feel irritable and ready to bite someone's head off. I think being at home with the boys all summer long has whittled down a lot of patience. Only a couple of days more... I've even packed my little 'desk drawer bag', or the Duane Reade bag as I call it. All my little necessities, all in one convenient spot.

I think I'll do a week's worth of ironing, just to feel like I'm getting closer to the big day.

I'm at a knitting impasse at the moment, which is also making me cranky. I'm being my notorious self when it comes to finishing one piece that's been done for weeks, and something that should be relatively simple has a small stumbling block that's sent me off into inaction. And since knitting has become such a soothing activity for me, that's made me very irritable. Grr.

I think I need to do some yoga. I've skipped two days and think I'm starting to feel it. Which can be a good thing, since it means I've gotten back into a routine - hurrah!

And in a complete tangent, anyone want to discuss Britney's tragic performance at the VMAs? Or has Kanye's whiny meltdown moved to the topic du jour? Dude, he makes Alex look mature. Yeesh.

Ah... Insomnia...

Coming to you live from New Jersey again, it's 12:54 a.m. and I cannot sleep. Grr. Aside from Alex's small but incredibly bony elbows sticking me into the back, I'm just keyed up like crazy, obsessing on wrapping up business at the current job, enjoying my last few days as a mostly at-home mom, and getting ready to start a new page the week after.

If there were space, I'd do some yoga. But space is tight and I know I'd somehow crack my head open doing an intense downward dog. I'd knit, but I'd need the light on and that would definitely wake one of the boys up at least. I'm lucky the glow of the computer monitor hasn't roused them yet. I'd eat, but lots of things are starting to fit now that haven't in a long time, so I'm not jeopardizing that. Besides, I did some damage earlier at this street festival thingie Will wanted to go to.

Not only was it hotter than the outer reaches of Hell, but the food was awful. If I'm going to blow my healthy eating plan in a spectacular way for the day, it'd better be tasty. Any kind of outdoor festival must involve either zeppole or funnel cake. I saw a sign claiming to have zeppole, 6 for 3 bucks. Not bad! I order a bag and peek inside, waiting for a waft of hot, doughy powdered sugary goodness to hit. Zeppole, my foot. Zeppole turds, yes. They were these hard, tiny things that look like premature zeppole. And they were overcooked. Feh.

Of course, I ate them. Hey, I'm an eternal optimist - what if one of them was done right?

I've got to wander to a site that requires less typing and more reading. More to come, perhaps when the daylight hours hit.

Two Down!

Alex, ready to take on the world in his TMNT backpack today

Will and Alex at the playground for Will's first day, yesterday

I've got two kids in school. It feels so weird to say that.

Will started third grade yesterday - I think the bloom is off the rose, so to speak. He's happy to be around his friends again, but I'm not sure how much he loves school. I think he's turning into a 'dude'. I'm a little worried, what with this being the first year of the state tests that our NYC Public school kids must endure, so I'll have to sit tight and brace for the rough ride. I'm hoping I'm worrying for naught.

Alex, on the other hand, LOVES school. Walking with him today, I asked him if I could cry. He told me no, because he'd "be home later!" First into his classroom, he greeted his teachers with a happy "GOOD MORNING!", happily chose his own cubby, and proudly displayed his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack for them. Then he put his picture on the attendance board and ran to the circle time area to read. I barely got a kiss on the side of my ear because his new buddy, Jason, had arrived.

It's very strange, after being home for 9 months, to suddenly have 2 1/2 hours to oneself. I went back to Will's school to help escort new kindergarten parents and kids to the classrooms, and then took a nice, long walk. I figured if I rushed home just to sit in silence, I'd be pissed at myself for wasting two hours on a beautiful day. So I walked into Forest Hills, ended up at Barnes & Noble with a $25 gift card from my CafeMom Secret Sister (mwah! Love ya!), and browsed the crafting titles with an intensity normally reserved for parent-teacher conferences.

I ended up getting three kids' books and a free Halloween tote bag. Hey, I've got $6.50 left on the gift card, I'll get a new magazine; maybe the next issue of Interweave Knits.

I saw a chapter book for Will that looked interesting - and honestly, anything that keeps him reading these days, when it's getting tougher and tougher, is a book I'm going for. I've got the first in a new series, Fred and Anthony's Escape From the Netherworld. It's definitely going for the Captain Underpants audience, a couple of years older. And it claims to have "Ghosts! Monsters! Blood! Guts!" on the cover, so I'll take it. Wish me luck.

Alex, for whom reading and being read to is still a pleasure (please, please, PLEASE stay that way!), got two books (well, I figure he and Will could share one). Max's Halloween, which is a cute board book featuring Max from Max and Ruby, who Alex loves. Very cute stuff. I also saw a book by Carl Reiner, Tell Me a Scary Story - But Not Too Scary. It even came with a CD of Carl Reiner reading the book, with sound effects. For $7.99 and the chance at getting a free tote bag, it sealed the deal. The book is a home run with both boys, by the way - I've played the CD for Alex three times today, and Will's just put it in now. Score, baby!

I've finished off two books myself, but I'll blog more about them later. I'm wiped and I still have to get one kid out of the bath and put one in. And work out. And iron. I think I should rename myself Cinderella.

School Starts Tomorrow? Holy Crap!

So it's Labor Day today (Happy Birthday, Mom!) and I find myself embracing the fact that Will goes back to school tomorrow, and that Alex starts Pre-K the following day. And yes, I will cry like a 2-year old with a skinned knee when he does.

After being home all summer with the boys, I'm grateful to have had the time with them, but as I've said before and will say again until the day I die, being an at-home mom (or a part-time at-home mom, as I've been for the past few months) ain't pretty. I think I've said the word "Guys" in a threatening voice approximately every 2.5 seconds every day since June 28th, when Will got out of school. "Please!" follows, clocking in at about 3.2 second intervals. I've almost had sunstroke from being out in the park, while my children play blissfully on, I've watched a lot of DIY Network (new obsession show: Greetings from DIY - Lauren and Linda, I'm talking to you), I've knit a lot and even got to know my sewing machine a little better. I've baked a lot of muffins, I've explored some new recipes, and I've had a lot of fun.

That said, I'm thrilled to say I've accepted a full-time job! Starting on September 17, you can find me at Working Mother Magazine, where I'll be a Consumer Marketing Manager. I'm so excited; I've been reading the mag on and off for about 8 years, and to have the opportunity to be a part of the magazine is so exciting. I love the location (42nd right off of Vanderbilt), which will leave me the opportunity to meet with Stacey for some mac & cheese at Burger Heaven (mmmm...); I really hit it off with the people I interviewed with, and I'm thrilled and hopeful, which I haven't really been much of in a while.

The boys are excited to be in afterschool - yes, after I started my little experiment, figuring I'd give them the home-time and security and freedom I thought they were lacking, they turn around and tell me they miss their friends. Who knew?

So it's Fall, the kids are going back to school, and I kind of feel like they do, as I get ready to go back to work. I'm psyched that I'll have their first two weeks of school off for them (especially since I don't feel like scrambling so early on to find out where to put them on Rosh Hoshanah).

And to be mercenary for just a moment, it'll sure be nice to have two full-time paychecks again... a girl's gotta have yarn, ya know...