I am for right now putting my energy into my new blog where I am writing about families. I am now the Anchorage Family Examiner! Please come over and comment with me!

Clean up, clean up, everybody does their share. . .

I have started spring cleaning. How is it that over thew course of three years, so much went into my master bathroom drawer? I'd not cleaned it since a few days before Starshine arrived 3.5 years ago. I reduced it to two prescription medications (birth control and vitamins,) nail care items and hair care. Amazing. The rest was mostly thrown away except for the faux pearls which I seem to be collecting and wear constantly.

Boom.

We just had an earthquake. . .

I'm almost the mother of a fire fighter!

Today my eldest passed the physical aspect of her fire fighting test. I am so happy! The rest this week is studying and testing and she said that they really, really want you to pass, so with her background in forestry and her college classes, she isn't too worried. She'll probably stay up here in Alaska once she passes.

On the exact opposite, a "frilly" aspect of my day, my corset from Romantasy came in. It was several months in the making and is a true work of art. I had it made at 25"-- I am really 26 inches but I started out at 30" (maybe a tiny bit bigger, cough, cough, OK, I lied to my maker, I was 32") with my "old" corset. I only wear the thing once or twice a week so that I am down where I am is pretty decent. I am going to start doing the exercises now and doing this seriously since I have a place to go once I am 25" out of the corset. My very buff, not an once of fat on her firefighter daughter is like, "Why do you have to be this way?"

My daughter and I are very different, but it's OK. I am so proud of her doing as she does.

Things I shouldn't do when my man is away. . .

I took the kids to church tonight and my husband is on a business trip. I am having a glass of pinot noir right now. Wine is not on the fast-- but I need a glass. The kids were being scamps! My 11 year old son was trying to melt and bend candles UP IN FRONT OF EVERYONE, my littlest ones were swatting at each other and being silly, using me as a barrier to hide behind. We would bow and cross ourselves and my 6 year old, who is TALL, up to my mid upper arm (I am 5'7") was bowing as was I and she stood up before I did and I got a bloody nose. Starshine was doing standing bow (yoga move) and then trying to country western dance as I'd grab her hand and she'd do a little turn under it. Mudd kept doing a Michael Jackson grab and saying that he had to use the bathroom but didn't need to actually urinate-- he was stringing toilet paper in there. Basil (10) kept going outside to look around as he obsesses over the volcano. Dmitri (9) was bopping around to some internal music (he does not have special needs.) The service was long and we left early.

The bright spot was the priests' daughter who came to me and held my waist. She is 5 and a little angel. I could have stood all night with her.