Today Marlowe and I went with Ellis's class on a fieldtrip to visit a farm.

We had a hayride.
Got to visit chickens and turkeys and horses.
And eat apple cider dougnuts.

the end

We're enjoying getting settled into our new house. It's amazing how quickly we can fill an entire house. And, no, I'm not gifted with the gift of organization, so making places for things to go is not fun for me. And it takes a long time for me to figure out the space. And then there's the whole Marlowe undoing everything I do thing. So, the house is going slowly, but it'll happen.

The past couple of days the weather has been just right to tackle the backyard.The weeds were several feet tall and COVERED the entire yard, which granted is only about 10'x10'. But it's a backyard, and you can't take that for granted in city rowhouse.

The first day I tackled it, I got all of us decked out in boots and rakes. The kids wouldn't leave the stairs. It was pretty scary. I finished clearing the weeds today, and they had so much fun running around in circles. And, surprise!, the backyard feels tons bigger. I have great plans of flowers, a few veggies, a sandbox, and grilling/eating outside. There's a big maple tree at the back so it's mostly shaded, but gets a lot of morning sun. So I'm going to have to think what will grow well out there, especially veggie-wise. I'm thinking not tomatoes, but they might grow on the porch roof outside of the bedroom window.....

So November is supposed to be National Blog Writing Month, because you know we all have extra time to blog with the holidays coming up. But I've been wanting to blog more. And since the baby is napping and I'm waiting for the Advil to kick the headache, I don't feel like cleaning at the moment, so you get a blog entry. I get amnesty for Sundays, because it's hard to blog then. So I start National Blog Writing Month on Nov 2 and hope for the majority of days in Nov. Besides it'll be good practice for the December Photo Project (ahem, Rebecca *grin*).

This November I'm super excited about unpacking more boxes (yeaaaa, um),
and Sew, Mama Sew's Handmade Holidays 3. This year I'm planning on starting just a tad earlier with my own Handmade Holidays. I'd also like to resurrect my poor Etsy shop, so if you have something that you've seen me make that you'd like to put under the tree for a certain little person, let me know, and I'll see what I can do. Or just keep your eyes peeled for announcements.

Well, November is off to a good start. I've got a good budget in place for the month, which I was a little anxious about since moving totally rearranged our finances. I signed up for a yoga class. I walk Ellis to school everyday. And hopefully, I will get my very own washer and dryer for the first time ever. That will be a post in and of itself. I also plan to go to an academic conference for the first time since 2007. Woohoo!

K M's awake, better scoot.

Well, I can't believe it! I did it all this week.

I made a pumpkin pie from scratch. I really do make the best pumpkin pie in the world. Sorry, mom, I like mine a tad better. And I guess I can say that in public, since you just dissed your mom's pie on Facebook. ha! kidding! (not about liking mine better, though.)

We got M&Ms and candy corn/pumpkins for munching.
And cider for sipping.

Then I made pretty much the awesomest costumes ever for Ellis and Marlowe. I mean, seriously, how can I ever face Halloween again? Our favorite PBS kids offering is Curious George. Pretty much the best kids show ever. In my opinion, waaaay better than the books. If there's a new George on, we're ALL excited. Mom and Dad included. So what better way to celebrate than Halloween costumes. Ellis was the Man with the Yellow Hat and Marlowe was Curious George.

For Ellis's costume, I got some key pieces at the thrift store. The boots were the best find. (they're technically girls boots, but for a costume, who's counting.) I got the pants and belt and hat there, too. I couldn't believe that I couldn't find a boys white shirt at all at the thrift store, so we got a cheap one from Target. I bleached the khaki pants and then I dyed the shirt and pants bright yellow! That was pretty fun.

The hat was actually a sombrero that i grabbed from the costume bin. I trimmed the brim a bit and then I hot glued yellow felt to it. I got a glue gun for the project and now I feel truly crafty. I made the tie out of the same felt and glued the polka dots to it. I was pretty happy with how well the yellows turned out. I also made a coordinating bucket for trick-or-treating out of the same felt sprayed with fabric stiffener. Yea, the awesomeness is killing me.

Marlowe's costume I sewed together. It was actually pretty easy. I used one of his sleeper jammies as a guideline. I got the fleece at my trusty fabric store (which is now within walking distance!) for less than $5/yd. For the front I cut on the fold and for the back I cut on the selvedge so I'd have two pieces. I sewed velcro up the back, so it was really easy to put on and off. I used one of his hats as a guideline for the hat and attached ears. M doesn't like hats at all. But on Friday morning, when he saw Ellis put on that splendid yellow hat, he REALLY wanted a hat, and he wore his monkey hat for hours. I was amazed and thrilled, since it's really key to costume. I also made monkey feet at the bottom of the legs to flap over his shoes, though in retrospect I think it would've been better to attach some elastic to them that could go around the shoes more securely.

On Friday morning, they particpated in the preschool parade at Ellis's school, and Marlowe got to tag along, especially since he's kind of an accessory to Ellis's costume. Ha! Somehow M ended up with a tootsie pop, and was obsessed with it. *MINE!* Thankfully I was able to bribe him away from it with cheese balls.

On Friday afternoon we carved pumpkins.
AND roasted pumpkin seeds.

THEN we went to the Reformation Celebration at our church and the kids had a blast. I took the kids through the original tune to "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" (the "Geneva jig" version). And then the kids played edifying games like "Pin the Theses to the Door." Hey, it's all about preserving our heritage, telling the story, and carrying on the torch.

Then this afternoon they got haircuts. That has nothing to do with Halloween, but they really needed them. Marlowe cried and cried. He got another lollipop. *sigh* But, my, they look handsome now.

And when they got their hair rinsed off, they put on their super cute pumpkin shirts that I made them this morning.

Then after dinner, we went trick-or-treating in the warm, drizzly night. Marlowe had no trouble with the concept. He walked down the sidewalk saying "Thank you! Thank you!" (which sounded more like "day-doo! day-doo!"). And somehow ended up with another lollipop *groan* which ended up lost in the grass somewhere *whew*. I think when Ellis was that age, we managed one house and he didn't really know what candy was yet.

So we had a complete holiday weekend. I can't believe I did it all. And now we're off to the races. Major handmade holiday action engaged. Christmas is just around the corner and there are still WAY too many boxes around here!

Tonight we went to an open house at Ellis's school. We got to hang out in his classroom with the other families and see what he's been up to. On the way out, we got some of his artwork, including a picture that was clearly four people. I said, "oh, I think Ellis grabbed the wrong picture." But no, it WAS his. He even told us, "this is mommy, daddy, Marlowe, and Ellis." This is a major proud parenting moment for me. This is Ellis's first family portrait!!!! Like I didn't even really know he was doing people like this. Last I knew, his drawing was tight little blobs that he did over and over again. I guess he was flexing for this big developmental milestone. I'm so floored!!! um WOW!!! I need to get a frame for this!!

And here we are, for the sake of comparison, you know.

Well, my phone is dead. (Marlowe dropped it in the toilet.) My iPod is dead. (Chris sent it through the wash.) My internet isn't up to par. (I had to give up the Fios.) I feel like I'm in a technology void. I miss you all, sweet internetses.

We are slowly getting moved in. We all had bad colds last week, which really slowed up things. Now we're working on getting dressers in the right place and shelves hung, so that we can get over the next major unpacking hurdle.

I had a great respite from it all last Friday, A major treat of a trip to NYC WITHOUT KIDS!!! Chris has just gotten over a major work deadline, so he was a little flexible on Friday and willinngly took on both kids, so that I could go visit friends. My friend from Scranton met me in Trenton and we took the train in together from there to meet our mutual friend visiting NY from Australia. I know these women from our mothering forum, and it was so wonderful getting to visit in real, actual life, since I feel like we know each other so well already.

And it was so wonderful to walk along the sidewalk without carrying anyone, pushing anyone in a stroller, or keeping track of wandering feet! So free! We went to teh Morgan Library Museum where I seriously geeked out at the manuscripts. They had on special display some Puccini mss, original sketches from Where teh Wild Things Are, and a huge William Blake display. Way cool!

And we ate in a little cafe and talked and talked and talked. SO wonderful.

So now I'm starting a new week that will hopefully end with far fewer boxes.

This is Marlowe's world: If he has it, he doesn't want it. If you have it, he wants it. But if you give it to him, then it's his, and he doesn't want it. Makes eating a little tricky. But that's okay, because food is really fun to tear apart and throw around. Manners?, he says. Schmanners!

Can I just tell you that I am so happy that it's Fall now? Thank you, vernal equinox, and your lovely evenness of day and night. This is my favorite season. I think partly because I'm a school nerd, and I love it. I miss school especially at this time of year. May? not so much. But September? yes. I drive through the urban campuses of two major universities to get to Ellis's speech therapy on Thursdays. Kills me every time. Someday I'll get to sit in libraries again.... Anyway, moving on.

This summer I was so glad that there were no major life changes. Then fall comes, and we up and get ready to move. Next week. Into a rowhouse in the city. I am so excited. We're still renting, but it will be such an improvement in our quality of life. We'll be able to walk to Ellis's school. Have enough space to live sanely. Maybe even have people over, since there will be enough room to put them around a table. Not to mention that we just love living in the city. And a rowhouse is just so Philadelphia. So we're surrounded by boxes. To-do lists swarm my brain, but I actually don't feel stressed that much.

I have high hopes for fall. Color is befalling the trees. A new start with new creativity. A fresh look at my boys. Pumpkin pie. Can't wait. Philly is so beautiful in the fall. I really think it's this city's best season.

Last Saturday we went to the beach. Because we only go to the beach in April or September. It would be too obvious otherwise. We went with Grammy and Poppy. It was Grammy's idea, and it was a good one! It's been so crazy and intense here that it was just what we needed. And, of course, it was not crowded, because Memorial Day switches the shore on, and Labor Day switches it off. I found a state park on one of the barrier islands of New Jersey, and it took us just under two hours to get there. It was such a perfect day. Cool breeze, warm sun. The dunes were beautiful. We took a little bike ride and played in the sand until the shadows were long.

1. If I run out of Hyland's Teething Tablets should I wait several days before getting more or should I run with all haste to the nearest teething tablets distributor to replenish my supply?
You should run with all haste. No, nursing won't "do" in a pinch. Unless, of course, you want to stay up all night long with the baby. Upon taking the teething tablets, you will notice a demonstrable calm settle over baby who, like, all of a sudden is going to sleep of all things!

2. I have a hard time at the end of the day, say from about 4 pm on. It is a very chaotic time and my patience is thin. Any ideas to help me relax?
Well, I have found that well-timed glass of wine, preferably shared with ones spouse over dinner does wonders to relax and rejuvenate the parenting soul to soldier on through bedtime. Yes, relaxing and rejuvenating are kind of opposites. Um. I'm too tired to sort this one out. And then when the kids are in bed, you can either a) have another glass or b) have coffee ice cream with chocolate syrup on it.

3. The DVD player is not hooked up, what should i do with my sick kid?
Let him watch a DVD on your laptop.

4. We're moving in two weeks. I stink at packing. What should I do?
Weep, sort papers, weep, watch hubby mow through boxes like a freaky packing machine. Focus on how you'll have three times the space and can walk to school. Eyes on the prize!