This Little Piggie

This evening while out on our constitutional, Olivia came upon a patch of ants. A few yards later she started whimpering about her "woast beef."

Steven caught on quicker than I did: she'd been bitten on her middle toe.

Kids are so funny and so cute.

I love music, Mommy

I've meant to blog about this for a while: I am a piano teacher.

I absolutely love teaching piano. I love getting to talk to other people during the day. I love watching kids progress. I love feeling like I'm making a difference and training new piano players, since I guess I was brought up to believe that piano playing is an essential element of being well-rounded - at the very least, it's extremely useful.

But, I think the best part about teaching piano is that it's made Olivia interested in it. She likes to sit at the piano with a book in front of her and play on the keys. She's also picked up a few other choice phrases that she likes to coach us with while we play piano:

• All cows eat grass! (over and over, giggling)
• This is C (playing a note that is rarely C)
• One more time. That's perfect.
• Play this measure.
• Take the repeat.
  
• I'm putting a star right here.
• What note is this? (pointing at the sheet music) It's G!

She also likes to put stickers on any and all sheet music (as my students do when they pass off a song).

I guess when she starts repeating, "Why won't you rotten kids practice?!?" I'll know it's time to quit.

Quarantined

This morning I woke up with the flu.

And when I was giving Olivia a bath, I noticed that she appears to have chicken pox. For the second time since we vaccinated her.

So, the TV will be watching my children today, since it's the only thing we won't infect.

I'm alive!

I don't feel like blogging but I know it's been a while. Here's the worst update I hope I ever write.

We just got back from a vacation to Venice Beach. Olivia loved playing in the sand. The family reunion was fun. My mom put a lot of work into planning it, so I hope she feels appreciated - she did a great job. We saw body builders and film students and a guy dressed as an ear. The ocean was cold. The kids were good on the plane. They charmed everyone and on the way home Carmen was so cute that a lady in back of us took her picture.

I broke my tooth on a BLT sandwich - it felt so much like those dreams where my teeth all break that I had to keep feeling it with my tongue to make sure it really happened. I'm getting it fixed next Monday.

This afternoon Carmen had a huge blowout poop while she was taking a nap.

One of our sprinkler heads broke and needs replacing.

Last night I had horrible dreams about feral cats who had gross snotty ooze all over them and were jumping through my door.

Our poor little camera is dead so we're buying a new two, and I'm excited.

Olivia got a free book today from the Library's summer reading program.

I don't think it's bragging to say my kids are good looking because it really has nothing to do with me. Olivia and Carmen don't belong to me; they are their own people and I'm just here to take care of them. I guess they have some of my genes but since I cannot control those I certainly cannot take credit for their beauty in that respect. Also, it is very evident to anyone who has seen us that my girls are much better looking than I am, so it's not like I'm claiming beauty by association.

Time for bed. I'm hoping for no feral cat or teeth-breaking dreams. Wish me luck.