This. THIS RIGHT HERE!

Yesterday was a day filled with hope and tears of joy.

There is much work to be done, but for today I'm still celebrating. Tomorrow we get to work to elect two Democratic Senators from Georgia in January!

 

The Corona Diaries Day 6 - Not So Sick Day

Today the ear was better, but we took it easy in the morning. Harper asked again to do yoga - yay! So glad she's loving Cosmic Kids. And I love that she said on the first day "She's from England!"

Biscuit supervised.

Yoga in the books, she said her ear hurt a bit so gave her more motrin. Then she got to watch tv for an hour with a breakfast of chamomile tea and green apples. I then went for my own long walk which was so nice. Get out in the clean fresh air.

Biscuit is a long cat.

Later, Harper got to choose between art, math or language arts. She chose art first with Kurt and they did alcohol inks. I was in my office dealing with the rest of our lives. Not clear who was in charge of the class.

Today was also clean house day! Bringing back Home Ec to school. Harper helped a bit with all of it and we all learned to appreciate our housekeeper even more than we usually do. (She's being paid to stay at home during this wacky time.)

Biscuit again with the Supervision.

By the way, Willoughby is here too, but has had a terrible case of feline acne and we've had to give her special medicine which she freakin HATES so she keeps to herself a lot.

Lunch happened with ramen, kamaboko and hard boiled egg. Surprise-two yolks! Harper said it meant she would be lucky for five days. Cool!

After lunch was Math with Prof. Frey and again the table sitting appears to be the key to good math studies. Following Math Class was AP Try On Mom's Fancy Shoes. She nailed it. It was pretty cute then I looked the picture of her in which I focused on the silver shoes and man oh man, she already looks like a model with that pose.

Awww, shoe-heart.

The rest of the day included language arts, playing video games and having snacks. Before dinner we went on a walk in more sensible shoes and waved at neighbors.

Things have been okay, but it's not always easy or fun, that is for sure. I was doing tax prep while Harper and I did language arts. Harper really puts in the work which I appreciate. Don't get me wrong, she doesn't go way above and beyond, but she focuses and gets it done. Can't ask for more than that.

As for me, my temper is kinda short, my nerves on edge often. I'm working on breathing through it but every morning I wake up with my inner cheek rubbed raw from the teeth grinding while I sleep. It's worse than it's been in a long time, the teeth grinding. Glad I have my sexy night guard. I make sure to get outside every day, have time to myself for at least half an hour here and there, even just to play stupid candy crush on my phone. God it's relaxing.

How are you all holding up? We have weeks if not months more to go. I plan on going to the hardware/nursery store to get plants to put in the garden. Tomatoes, etc. A good activity with bonus food down the line!

One day at a time, my friends, one day at a time.

 

 

 

The Corona Diaries Day 5 - Sick Day

Last night Harper woke up crying at about 11pm with an earache. She cried and cried and cried. My theory is that half of that was unexpressed emotional stress about all these changes. Poor thing. I gave her motrin and water and read to her for a bit and she felt better and went to sleep. It was about 11:30 or 12. She woke up at 6:15 this morning and napped a bit this afternoon. Hopefully she'll get a good long sleep tonight.

We do talk to her about what's going on, that it's serious and we are serious about doing all the right things, that it's going to be a big challenge, but we will be okay. I try to ask her about her feelings and share some of mine (But not all. I'm not a monster!)

So Day Three of homeschooling was a sick day. Sweet girl did do another yoga session (she asked to do one!), then got to watch Netflix for a bit as it was a sick day. She ate apples and had hot chocolate.

I enjoyed that down time with a lovely pot of tea.

I attended to household business, bills and calling the doctor for Harper's ear and such. Kurt was out golfing - I know I know, it sounds nutty, but out in the wide open and easily staying far from the other players sounded good. On his way home he stopped at Vons for more apples and cucumbers and parchment paper and potato chips. Many things were empty but many things were still very much available and it wasn't too crowded. We got a starbucks treat as well (Biscuit was jealous). Kurt took a silkwood shower after all that outdoors/among people stuff.

Harper had a doctor's appointment at 2:30 so we hung out and ate lunch then played Uno (aka math practice with the Biscuit assist) on our bed.

It was nice to drive around, traffic was fine, but busier than I thought it would be. There were cautions galore at the Dr.s office, which is good. It took no time to get seen, which was even better. Harper got a strep test just to be overly cautious, negative in the office, we'll get confirmation tomorrow. For now just take the motrin as needed.

Harper proved she is genetically related to me and my mom by doing THIS all on her own. God I love looking through drawers in doctors waiting rooms...!!!

Harper was perky in the afternoon so Prof. Frey had math class ready for her after the doctor. She did great. I think the alternate seating options are helpful!

Later she distracted herself with lemon picking and while I'm glad she found something to do on her own, I was really bummed she picked all those lemons as I had planned to leave them on the tree and use them as needed. :-( Luckily there are still a few on the tree.

So.

Thursday is Lemon Zest and Juicing Day!

She had a nap while I made a lovely leftover rice/chicken/cheese casserole for dinner with enough for more tomorrow and a bunch for the freezer.

Quiet dinner, a bit more tv and now bedtime with a slug of motrin for the girl and hopefully a good night sleep!

Fortunately, fresh lemon goes well in a vodka tonic.

 

The Corona Diaries Day 4 - Diorama Day

Tuesday, St. Paddy's Day. We didn't find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but dang, we got a rainbow! Small blessings.

 

I got to write more this morning, Harper woke up a little after 7:00am. Clearly she needed the sleep after being up so early yesterday. It was good to have lots of quiet time to myself and put some words down in a creative fashion.

Before school started I put on my walking shoes and went for a lovely cold march through the neighborhood. I was thinking I might pop into Trader Joe's for 2 small things on the way then came around the corner and saw this:

I didn't get any details but am guessing people were only being let in a few at a time. I am very happy to wait for my small not very necessary items.

I came home to find school was gearing up. Harper started with more yoga and then as I made some breakfast, she and Kurt started math class. I audited. Then they went for a walk as I hit the showers.

Afterward was break time then onto The Diorama! Harper and I worked on it with my trusty new glue gun. I didn't burn myself at all and Harper only did once. Success!

There was some lunch and more chillax time, followed by Language Arts. We went through her workbook and then the worksheets which we forgot yesterday. Harper didn't really want to do the work sheets at first, but then she started rolling I just sat back as she plowed her way through them. Rock on, girl.

Then she got to watch Frozen 2 while I dealt with grown-up stuff, tax prep, paperwork, etc.

Then the diorama beckoned her again and she finished it before dinner with supervision and some assistance from Kurt. I was amazed and pleased as I told her she could do more this week. But no, DONE! Well, not 100% done. Still needs the facts and description.

While they glue-gunned away, I baked a water cake that someone had posted on Facebook. A cake made without milk or eggs or butter. I was dubious but decided why not give it a go. I had wanted to make Irish soda bread but didn't have buttermilk or cream or even white vinegar to make faux buttermilk. Gravity was on my side today, no mishaps.

 

It's different. Definitely benefited from the lemon curd I had in the fridge. The flour I used was not All Purpose, but a stronger one I had from Grist and Toll. You can taste the flour a bit too much. There is lemon zest in it, but not nearly enough. I would play with this cake recipe when I have more flour. I do have some coconut flour in my baking drawer, I should find something to make with that.

I had a nice call with my sister in San Diego and texted with friends around the country. It's nice to be in touch in this wacky time.

Second school day in the books. It went really well, though there were a few moments of WHY IS EVERYONE IN MY OFFICE RIGHT NOW??? on my part, but more in my mind than out loud.

We are working on a field trip idea! More on that later...

 

The Corona Diaries Day 3 - First School Day

Day 1 of actual 'school' day. It was chock full, starting oh so very early.

I woke up extra early to get some writing done (since all my day time writing time will disappear). Started writing at 5:40 am hoping Harper might sleep till 7:00.

6:04.

SIX OH FOUR!

Ugh. Oh well. At least I got a page done in that time.

Harper and I did kids yoga via Cosmic Kids this morning. It was a bit, um, faster than I was used to for a yoga session. But a good thing to get going with. And later in the day she asked if she could do another one. Cool!

The morning was filled with a friend of Harper's whose parents were in a child care pickle and of course you have to step up and help. They had a great time playing and making silly videos (which I will not post here because it consisted of much screaming and running.)

After our friend left there was math and language arts. Using the handy dandy white board in an alternate direction.

Around lunch Harper found an alternate use for her backpack. Biscuit kinda liked it.

After lunch was art class. I happily observed the lesson on shading, cross-hatching and blending. Kurt is pretty darn good at drawing! There was a lovely rain shower while class was on. It was very relaxing.

Then we rounded out the day with baking cookies for St. Paddy's day tomorrow. We had green icing but no shamrock shapes. And in case you imagine I have my sh*t together, please observe many an imperfect moment! Ha! Gravity and heat...my nemeses.

After we made dough, when it needed to cool for an hour, Harper took a long nap. Something she rarely does. I guess that early wake up, super high energy morning with a friend and classes at home really did her in.

I hope she sleeps later than 6:04 tomorrow...!

It was a good first day and a good start to the whole new world we are living in.

Can't Quit Now

During the election there was much talk of the sexism that was happening.* My female colleagues and friends all knew what that was about. We've all been in meetings where we are the only women in the room, learned to walk that fine line of polite but firm, to not rock the boat, smile more. I kept also thinking back to my crew days.

In college, I rowed on the crew team all four years. Junior year I was on the varsity lightweight 8 and we were awesome. We worked our asses off and were a great team. Four of us lived together and almost everyone in the boat was dating someone from the men's team, myself included. Crew becomes your whole life. During that amazing year, we won. We won all but two races we had that year. We lost to Radcliffe at the San Diego Crew Classic and we lost to other east coast teams when we went out for nationals at the end of the year. (That weekend was a blur of trying to make weight and white caps on the water during our race.)

The LMU Women's Varsity Lightweight 8 Crew beat everyone we met from the west coast. We were West Coast Champions.

The LA Times came down to the boathouse that spring of 1988 and wrote a full page story, complete with tons of photos, about the men's varsity team.

The men's team.

The men's team who hadn't won a race. The team who was barely making a mark in California, much less in the wider rowing world.

I vividly recall being on a run with my college boyfriend (who is a wonderful human being) and we were on the bike path along Ballona Creek in the Marina and we were talking about the story (he had been in it) and I had to stop running and burst into tears. I felt like I was doing something I'd never done before, working harder, getting stronger (physically and emotionally), plus the crazy weekly weight loss to make the 130 mark before a race. This was the hardest thing I'd ever done in my young life and it was paying off! We were winning! But the full page sports section story in the Los Angeles Times was not about us. It was about the men with a subpar record of success.

I was heartbroken. All that work didn't matter to anyone but ourselves, it seemed.

So we kept winning anyway.

Maybe that's where the seed of my cynical streak got planted. If you know me, I doubt you'd describe me as cynical. But there are moments. I learned from way back that there are times when no matter how hard you work, no matter how much time you put in, how much commitment and teamwork, no matter how much you actually succeed, few people are going to care.

But before I acquired a cynical streak, I believed in fairness and I still do. In this new era, with this new president, I am committed to fairness and making sure those without a voice are heard and helped and protected.

No, I don't compare my crew team experience to people in our country being wildly underserved. Just saying I learned a lot that spring in 1988 and am committed to working just as hard, if not harder.

 

 

*Oh there was plenty to talk about before and after the election and I'm not going talk about all that here. You can subscribe to my new Post Election Connection email newsletter for that

Help A Mother Out With A Mother's Day Gift

There are only ten more days until Mother's Day. Have you thought about what to get her?

Flowers? Candy? Brunch?

These are all nice things for sure. Why not consider a gift that helps moms (and their babies) who really need it most? Please join Help A Mother Out on their Mother's Day Call To Action! Our goal is to raise $30,000 (or more) by Mother's Day. (May 13)

CLICK HERE to donate in your mom's name (or stepmom or grandma or mom-in-law or whoever you call mom). Your money will go a long way to help families in need (and the babies!) get the clean diapers they need.

Can you imagine not having enough diapers for your baby?
Sadly this is the case for more moms than we like to imagine. In 2010, an estimated 22% of California children lived below the FederalPoverty Level (FPL) of $22,113 annually for a family of four with two children.

Diaper NEED Facts
1 in 3 families in the U.S. struggle to buy diapers for their children
Most free/subsidized childcare programs require parents to provide disposable diapers
You cannot use Food stamps or WIC for diapers
For many families in crisis this can mean being forced to choose between buying diapers or other basic needs like shelter, food, and medicine.

Help A Mother Out (HAMO), a non-profit dedicated to providing diapers for homeless and low income families, has launched a national Mother’s Day Call To Action with a goal to raise $30,000 to support the work to get diapers to families in need.

 

Support The Diaper Act

As you may know from reading this blog, one of my favorite charities is Help A Mother Out. Their work is very straightforward: get diapers and wipes to families who desperately need them. It's that simple.

HAMO is now working to get signatures for The Diaper Act to pass through Congress. Here are more details about the act from HAMO's website:

Today is the day to make a difference with families who cannot access childcare due to lack of diapers.

• The DIAPER Act asks for NO additional federal funding
• Lack of diapers can result in (1) major health consequences and (2) a barrier to employment
• If Congress enacts the DIAPER ACT, eligible child care centers would have the flexibility and choice to provide diapers (disposable or cloth) to their neediest clients.

Please sign this petition to Members of Congress (House of Representatives and Senators) and ask them to join Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT) and co-sponsor the “Diaper Investment and Aid to Promote Economic Recovery (“DIAPER”) Act.”

 

If you can't see the "Sign the petition" widget in this blog post please CLICK HERE to go to HAMO's website to sign the petition. Thanks!

Purpose of the legislation: To increase access to child care and relieve economic strain on families who cannot otherwise afford sufficient diapers for their children by amending the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to provide diapers and diapering supplies to families in need through child care providers. There is no increase in appropriation (i.e., no ask for additional federal funds) required for this legislation. Scroll down to bottom of page for detailed documentation.

Quick links:

The Diaper Difference Coalition

Talking Points: http://www.scribd.com/doc/67609495/DIAPER-Act-Talking-Points

The Diaper Act: http://www.scribd.com/doc/67609472/The-DIAPER-Act

Diaper Act description: http://www.scribd.com/doc/67609487/DIAPER-ACT-One-Pager-091611

Thank you for taking time to read about this important legislation!

As Good As My Word -- Earthquake Kit Updated

After today's horrific earthquake we were moved to update our earthquake kit. (It was on the to-do list and now it's to-done.) It didn't need a full redo but some of the cans of food were expired, we needed new water and batteries and a few other bits and bobs.

We have two boxes. The main one seen here that holds mostly non-perishable items like batteries, first aid kits, gloves, tools, flashlights, cooking utensils, toiletries, towels, feminine hygiene products, rope and tarp, radio and most importantly - pencils, paper, decks of cards, a bag of green army men and a little University of Texas football game (Hook 'em Horns!). If we are sitting in rubble for days, there has to be stuff to keep us occupied between beheading zombies.

The second box has the canned food in it -- mostly beans, chili, spagetti-os, canned fruit and veggies and Spam. Oh yeah! We have three different kinds of Spam - regular, lite and turkey Spam. We have to make ourselves laugh while eating amongst rubble.

We also have a corkscrew (when we rescue wine from the house) along with instant coffee and hot chocolate. We must be civilized.

There is cat food and a small litter box with litter and water for the two of us and the two cats. We bought three cases of bottled water -- I'm not sure how else to buy water for this. The larger jugs have leaked before and it seems hygenic to have separate bottles in an emergency situation. Anyone have an alternative?

Have you made a kit? What are you waiting for? At least put a stash with a flashlight, radio, first aid kit and water somewhere and remember the pets! We will be happy to share, but three cans of spam only go so far.

O Goody!

I am amazed at how happy I feel with PRESIDENT OBAMA in office. Gods, I love saying "President Obama"!! I spent the morning at Sarah's for Obamimosas and yummy treats brought by many women who came together to watch this historic moment. Then my New Yorker came today with this cover:

The image is called "The First" and is by Drew Friedman. I totally dig it.

I twittered throughout the inauguration, here are some of the highlights:

I am at a friend's watching the events and on the way over was already tearing up!

OMG here we go!!

If I were Obama, I'd be doing cartwheels!

HE's Human and president! (When he stumbled a bit while saying the oath)

I feel like the weight of a man sized safe has been lifted from my shoulders. (if you need the reference, here's a great one.)

Grateful grateful grateful.

Amen Mr. Lowery!!

Maybe now I can finally feel good about bringing children into the world!!

Now for the inauguration luncheon -- is it like a wedding where President Obama and Michelle will have to remember to eat?

Does anyone know what Obama's secret service code name is? 

Today is such an exciting day I almost forgot I'll be going to JPL tomorrow for the tweet up!!

And I'm enjoying watching our new President and his wife dance at various balls and parties. They are vibrant and young and gorgeous and I'm really really pleased. 

Now the real work begins: "Progress, Not Perfection."