Bad Blogger. Bad.

So, I'm up to my old sheninagins and not bloggin regularly, but I have to admit, this time, it's not my fault. Two main obstacles have blockaded me from my computer access: my three and 1/2 year old daughter and a computer virus of bubonic proportions. As I have seemingly mostly have remedied the latter, the former is still the present. Although there has been MUCH improvement in her behavior (which recently consisted of constant whining, clinginess, and potty-training regression and in-general, neurosis) we're down to just minor clinginess, hershey kiss smears on the undies and mild fits). She's really changed a lot even within the last two weeks and it's such a relief to my nerves.

Anyway...the daughter beckons as we speak. She "wants something". She wasn't specific, so, I'll have to think about what I want to give her. Daddy always says, "Do you want a knuckle sandwich?" I just asked her that question and she said, "No, I want juice."

My favorite thing she's been saying for the last couple of months is, "Are you just pretending?" and it can pertain to something as mundane as, "Honey, I'm taking out the trash." Cutie.

As I most likely won't be writing again before the holidays, um, Happy Holidays!


I love you!

How many insomniacs does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Things have been crazy for a while. I'm blogging semi-non-professionally for the Sacramento Bee and while that's not really the main reason I've stopped blogging here, it's definitely a contributing factor. The other is child-rearing, child-fronting, pain, fatigue, writing for money and crafting for money. The last one has been getting me down lately as I found myself swimming in a sea of coasters with no end in sight. I never expected to them to become as popular as they did. I really couldn't keep up with the orders and I was experiencing some sort of arthritic pain as a result. So, I've called it quits from coasters (for a while at least) and will work on other crafty things for fun and for shows.

The child-rearing part is what keeps me busiest (and happiest, but also most stressed, but in a good way, you know?). Our kids just keep growing up and trying knew things to make us hair-pulling insomniacs. Our son has been pushing every boundary with school and his diabetes. He's even been lippy, which has never really been a problem before. However, he's not the only child acting out in this respect. Our Maddy's been in my face making sure I "Don't do that ever again, do you understand me?" which, apparently I said to her at least once before, but made quite an impression on her. She usually hits me or pinches me while she says this statement (which I can assure you, I have never done). It's just kids don't like to be told "No!" just like us adults.

Fortunately, not all of her verbal experimentation this bold and brash. She also talks like a little lady. All formal like. In fact, a couple Sundays ago, before a trip to my husband's mother's house, she told her daddy, "Let's go, Father. It's time to go see your mother." I kid you not. She sometimes refers to my husband's mom as "Grandmother." But then again, she also calls her Nana, Non and Grandma. I might just teach her to call her Nana by her full name and see what kind of reaction she gets. Priceless!

I love you, Brown Bear!

Empty Nest

Our daughter just turned 3 1/2 and is now fully potty trained which means that Daddy and I have no more excuses for NOT enrolling her in a preschool program. Both my husband and I are sensitive and clingy and plain just didn't want to let go. But seeing how our daughter's little face lights up whenever she has the opportunity to play with other kids her age, we knew it was necessary.

This is strictly for socialization, considering our daughter's known her alphabet, numbers, shapes, colors and animals since she was two. She can write several letters and knows how to draw rudimentary people and objects. She's more of an artist than I'll ever be. We know that she would have no problem entering kindergarten straight from our home on an educational perspective.

I know my daughter and if she didn't have a preschool experience, then I could see her going into school concerned solely with the the social aspect. She would just worry about playing, making friends and keeping them, instead of what the teacher was saying. I'm glad this will give her a chance to get her used to the novelty factor and then being around other kids will just be as normal as having Cheerios and bananas for breakfast.

So, we signed her up yesterday morning and she starts next week! Yes, my husband's leaving from work to walk her to her classroom on the first day. And yes, he will have our camcorder in his hand (and most likely a tear in his eye). I will have to be the strong one and reassure him that she'll be ok and it's for her own good. Then after he leaves to go back to work, I'll break down in the hallway and sit there the entire three hours just so I can make sure my daughter isn't bawling her head off just like me.

Happy Birthday, Boy!

Fourteen years ago today, I gave birth to a 10 lb 11 oz boy in a hospital that no longer exists. It was demolished about six years ago and in its place are yuppie townhomes with red Spanish tile roofs and windows in any shape but rectangle.

Sometimes we tease him and tell him that HE doesn't exist, that this is all a figment of his imagination and then of course, he has to remind me that if he didn't exist then he would have no brain to imagine with and then he continues to outwit me with pseudo-physics that he couldn't have read in a book, but seem just as logical. He impresses me.

He's always been a cuddler. When he was two, he would come into my bed with me in the morning and stroke my hair. "Mama," he'd say. "It's time to get up." I would look at the clock and it would be around six. My body said sleep, but my heart said get up and play "cars" on the couch for an hour, make breakfast and then resume "cars" for another hour, walk to the park and play "cars" in the sand and pine needles and then come home and put him down for his nap. He would fall asleep pushing Hot Wheels around on the pillow next to his head. He dreamt of cars.

Not much has changed in that respect. Today, his dream, I mean, OUR dream is to buy an old Datsun 280Z, (kind of like the bronze colored one that we used to own when we lived in those crappy apartments in Roseville off of Santa Clara) and fix it up. We don't know where we're going to park it. We're trying to persuade my husband that we need add on to the driveway for the sports car, but he's still not convinced that we're really committed to the plan. In our hearts, we know that nothing's going to stop us.

Everyday, I thank the powers that move all the beautiful and ugly things around in this world for my family. They are what does it for me. As much as I have my own dreams of becoming an screenwriter, or owning a studio where I make my own glass beads, showing my photos in a gallery, or writing the mediocre, not-so-American novel, I realize these dreams could never happen without the love and support of my family. Wait...don't go! I'm really not all sappy. I'm just feeling a little emo because my Christian's 14!

Today, he's with his father in Grass Valley, so I called him to wish him a Happy Birthday. I asked him, "Do you feel old?" He thought for a second and then said, "It's not much different, 13 from 14." Then he asked me the same question. I slyly changed the subject. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

Shake the Disease

Hi Everyone,

As some of you know, our son Christian was diagnosed two years ago with type 1 diabetes. For the second year, we will be participating in the Walk to Cure Diabetes on Sunday, October 7th, 2007, to try to raise money for the cure.

Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, has an average onset of 12 years of age, however, I've talked to parents who have had children diagnosed as early as three months and as late as 17. There are also cases of adult onset type 1 diabetes, too. No matter how old the child is, the parent always feels the same about having to watch their children manage this disease (often the parents have to manage it for them, and our hearts go out to them). I get a pit in my stomach whenever I see my son wincing in pain from an insulin shot, or crying in frustration because he couldn't get enough blood on his test strip after three tries. His stomach is often spotted with bruises from when the needle hits the muscle tissue and is tender to the touch. We thank God everyday that this is a manageable disease, however we pray for the day when he no longer feels pain from it and we no longer have to worry about the serious, short and long-term complications from this disease.

There have been remarkable studies done within the past ten years that indicate that a cure is possible (gene therapy, stem cell-including non-embryonic, and islet cell transplantation without immuno-suppression). Within the last year, scientists learned how to reverse type 1 and 2 diabetes in rats with the use of pig islet cells. This is an amazing development and precursor to curing the disease in humans. The only problem is that it requires more research, studies and trials, all of which, cost money.

This is where you can help. Our family team, along with The Sacramento Craft Mafia team will be doing the 5K Walk to Cure Diabetes on Sunday, October 7th, 2007. You can help by donating anything possible to the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Seriously, if times are tough, please give a dollar, if you have it. ANYTHING will help us get closer to the cure. Donations can be made directly to the JDRF by visiting the link below:

The Sacramento Craft Mafia donation page, or for those of you who would rather donate using a check or money order, please make them out to JDRF and either mail them to the name and address below:

Melody Claussen-Furry

P.O. Box 601116

Sacramento, CA 95860.

 In addition, I've opened up an Etsy shop called the Sugarcube Society (click on banner below) where I plan to sell off most of my goods. All proceeds (after Etsy & Paypal fees) will go directly to the JDRF in order to reach the Sacramento Craft Mafia team goal. If anyone is interested in donating items to help support this cause, please email me at handmade.luck@yahoo.com

We sincerely thank you all!

The Furry family including: Melody (aka Handmade Luck), Rich, Madeline and Christian, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes on July 21, 2005 at the age of 11.

Change is Good, Necessary and Inevitable...

A lot of changes in the house of Furry. The first change is the Furry Five. It's Maddy's invention which consist of a paw dap followed by a high five. She's the raddest little girl (though she drives us completely batty at times and is better than saltpeter at killing the mood).

Number two is number one: she's more or less potty-trained. It kind of happened overnight, although, we've been sitting her on the toilet morning, noon and night for the last year. It's sweet relief to me (even though in some ways it requires more work and patience). It also means we can save $10 a week on diapers (yay, more coffee! Kidding.). I think Richie's a little sad about the change because it's one of the final indications that our baby's growing into a little girl.

Number three is number nine: OUR BOY IS A FRESHMAN IN HIGH SCHOOL. Geez...it seems like just the other day he was starting kindergarten (maybe it's just the way he acts sometimes ;) ) Ok...I admit, I wasn't ready for this kind of change. I used to cry about him getting older sometimes, but regardless of his age, he remains my sweet, cuddly boy and our relationship is evolving in exciting new ways.

I admit, it's sweetbitter because it's more sweet than bitter. Sometimes I try to make up words or phrases hoping that they'll catch on with the general public and make me famous...this is NOT one of those words (although it's on par with the rest of my words).

I love you so much...So much, Richie.

Ebb and Flow

I know, I know...I'm a terrible blogger. There's just always so much to do around this place. I'm taking advantage of the fact that Sasa's here and Maddy will pretty much sit with him anywhere (even if the boy was sitting atop of a live volcano). This gives me a chance to do three things I need to get done this morning before it gets hot outside. Vancouver's looking good these days. BC, not WA.

So, our camping trip went off without a hitch. The only real problems we ran into were deciding on a campsite with the people we went with and then getting lost on a dune hike with two toddlers (my husband's rugged, but he's no Bear, YET.). Aside from that, it was fun watching the kids play on the giant dune that was behind our campsite. Even the sleep wasn't horrible (for the kids - Richie and I suffered silently, one more so than the other ;)). It's a totally different feeling, camping with another family. It was fun, but it's a little more chaotic because you're trying to synch everything up.

I think the best part of the trip was the last day when we took the kids to the beach. It was very brief, but it created more beautiful memories that look a little something like this:



You look so good in your new trunks. I love you so much.

Worship at the Church

So, Monday we embark on our annual family camping trip. Hopefully when Mabs get older, we can go a few times a year (once we get a decent mattress for my Richie). Sonoma County beaches are so amazingly beautiful. So beautiful that we got married at one named Schoolhouse beach. There is a rock that we call our altar at which we were married (officiated by my mother-in-law). This place is definitely the closest thing to a church we have. It really is a spiritual experience for us, to be surrounded by so much beauty.

This time, we're camping with another family (the Schwartzmans) and I know they'll love this almost as much as we do.

I can't wait for Monday!

I love you, Boots.

Sasa's New Favorite Word is...

Nub. I won't tell you what it means, but if you have a thirteen-year-old sensibility, I'm sure you can figure it out.

Tom Girl

Here is Maddy Princess Kitty Cat. Ever since Easter, she's been fascinated with wearing girly clothes. When she asked me to put her hair in a ponytail, I knew we were in trouble. Now she wants to wear a "princess dress" everyday!

Surprisingly, as much as I was against all the princess stuff before, I don't mind it so much, now that it's actually happening to us and seeing how much happiness wearing a stupid dress brings my daughter. She still wears pants or shorts underneath so she can play and to me, that's most important. I just don't want a dainty girl who's afraid of dirt and bugs. The best times of my childhood were spent up in a tree.

Talk about a BIG house!

Today, we were on our way to pick up Sasa Boo and the sun was to the east, as it should be in the morning. My Maddy Jayne looked over at the sun as it flashed between the houses as we drove past them and said, "The sun is coming out of his house." I've never personified the sun before. She not only personified it, but she genderized it, too. I guess it makes sense since mythology already has genderized our planets and stars. She's just ahead of her time. I just thought it was cute and smart and wonderful.

I love you, and you, and YOU the most!

The Desperately Hungry Caterpillar

The other morning I was sitting with my daughter engaged in the facade of toilet training and she asked me to read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," a well-known, modern classic by Eric Carle. I like the format of the book and the broad strokes in the paintings that allow such a range of color in each picture. I was anxiously looking forward to the very last painting in the book, the one where the caterpillar had turned into a beautiful butterfly of a million colors.

Well, a few pages before this transformation the caterpillar eats through a green leaf to settle his stomach before chrysalising. We then turn the page to where Carle depicted a large brown cocoon. To me, it's obvious what it is. I even told my daughter what it was about a hundred times, but that morning, she asked me something that I didn't expect, "Why is the caterpillar eating that poop?" as she pointed to the image on the right side, and laughed.



I seriously could not stop laughing. I had never thought of it as a poop before and I usually think of everything as poop or some other disgusting object. I was surprised at her odd little sense of humor. I was strangely proud of her.

It will never top hearing my son telling his uncle to "change his tampon," but it definitely is in the top ten.

Love to YOU.

My Babies...

Are having birthdays this weekend! Yay! My Richie's turning 37 (um, yikes) and my Maddy's turning 3. I already baked Richie's chocolate chip cheesecake and I have a double (or doobley) layer cake to make Saturday night. I'm not so great at baking boxed stuff. I think I do better just making it up as I go along.

Maddy's having an Aladdin party (yes, ALADDIN, not Jasmine). So I'm going to just plop her action figures on top of a huge pile of whipped cream and act like they're flying through the clouds on the carpet. I don't have the time to try and make a carpet, although I had some cool ideas for one. I also wanted to make a lamp shaped pinata, but we decided to keep it all low key this year. On the flip side, the girl's getting a trampoline for her birthday (she's going to share it with the rest of us, I'm telling you now). I can't wait to lie on top of the trampoline with my hubs and stare at the stars. We're thinking of installing citronella torches all around it so the kids can jump well beyond dusk. Good times...

I love you all, but most of all, YOU.

Time is like a roll of toilet paper...the kids are growing up so fast. My son's almost in high school and my daughter's almost out of diapers (hopefully?). I look forward to every age with my kids. I know there'll always be something unexpected, delightful and horrifying.

I like to live with blinders on, but when I happened upon a conversation my son was having with his cousin, I was blind-sided. I heard my son call my nephew "nutless." And in response, my nephew told my son that he had a small "d*ck." His retort was, "Well, at least I have one." I have to admit, once I caught my breath from being appalled, I was kind of proud of my son's comeback.

I know that every kid experiments with the peer vernacular, and my impressionable son's no exception. I know there are worse things he could be doing at the age of thirteen. I also remember my friend Chrissy teaching me how to flip someone off, demonstrating this skill on Candice Scoville at the age of 11. I also remember lacking the coordination to keep the index and ring finger in a prostrate position, so I pinned them down with my left hand, completely embarrassing Chrissy and obliterating what little street cred she had in her neighborhood. So, he could be doing worse.

Maddy's vocabulary, on the other hand, has been a little more lovely and lilting. She sprinkles "my mama" and "my daddy" on the end of her sentences. It's so darling the way her little voice peaks on the second syllable of mama. I really would like to think she does it out of love, but in all honesty, I think she figured out how to work the system. You catch more bees with honey. This bee's all about the honey...I fall for it everytime, a willing victim to her manipulation.

I love you all...

A Long Overdue Apology

Dear Blogger,

I'm sorry I've been ignoring you lately. It's not because you're not worthwhile. I just haven't had as much time. I've been busy on my vacation eating bon bons and watching TV. I'll get back to you soon and shower you with the love you so eagerly need.

Very Truly Yours

Buzz

p.s. I'm yours forever, with all my heart.