I forgot to list cheese under things I am grateful for...I truly do love cheese, and I have said many times that I could be a vegetarian if pressed--but the person who tries to keep me from cheese will have his head taken off!
Also, snowstorms. We are in the middle of one right now, and there is just nothing nicer than being inside the warm house, everybody together, watching the snow fall! Having the kids in and out playing and coming in and dripping water all over the floor and having wet boots, scarves, gloves, hats, snow pants and coats drying around every free surface is a drag, but it still doesn't obliterate the excitement of snow.
I'm sure I could come up with more for my list, but it's New Year's Eve and Matt is making bread, so I think I'll go talk to him while I enjoy my delicious Starbuck's coffee--which by the way, falls under the coffee heading. Except more so.
--Jen
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Gratitude
Many of my friends talked about gratitude on their blogs or on their Facebook pages for Thanksgiving. Well, as usual, I procrastinated on this subject! The reason was not because I have nothing to be grateful for, certainly, but rather because I was very busy getting ready for the holiday and our trip to Boston. And then when we got home I had to rev into Christmas mode (also because I procrastinated...I am sensing a New Year's resolution coming on here!) and do all the decorating and shopping and baking and mailing. However, now is also an appropriate time for gratitude, since the year is drawing to a close. Time to take stock and realize how good life is and all that....so I am going to make a VERY long list of all the things I am grateful for, and I warn you they will range from the obvious to the minute details, so you may want to bring a pillow in case you fall asleep!
* The first one is, obviously, Matt. He is my best friend and my husband, and without him life would be dull and dreary. He makes me laugh, he makes me think, and he makes me mad! Which really are three of the most important things in life, I think.
* Naturally my children rank a very close second. How could I be the person I am without them? Each one is unique, even though they have similar personalities and habits. Each one is a precious person--even when they make me want to scream. Because that is, after all, their reason for being--to make their parents unable to decide whether they should smother them with kisses or just smother them!
* The third would be my extended family. My parents, who are wonderful, supportive and really just the best parents I could ever imagine. My sisters, brothers, their spouses and all my nieces and nephews (plus my 2 nephews-in-law and my darling grand-niece-and nephew!) are just each and every one a joy to know. I am unbelievably lucky to love every member of my family and to enjoy spending time with them--it sounds very corny, but I know so many people who truly don't enjoy spending time with their extended families, who fight all the time with them and have these feuds and bicker and complain about them. I can honestly say that my family gets along (and we disagree strenously on many issues such as religion and politics--we still treat each other civilly and respect each others' beliefs) and really likes to spend time together, and I treasure that.
* Coffee. Do I really have to expound on that?
* Homeschooling. Yes, I have many days where I wonder what on earth I was thinking when I agreed to keep my children with me pretty much 24/7 till the age of eighteen! There are days when I feel burned out and overburdened and just want time to myself and look at the school bus with longing. But at the end of the day, I know that what we are doing for our kids is the best for them, that they are enjoying life so much more than they would stuck in a classroom all day, and that they are learning so much more too. And I also realize how quickly they will be grown and on their own, and it makes me want to treasure the time with them. Even when I feel like the biggest harpy on the planet!
* Friends, old and new. I have met many wonderful people since moving here to Long Island nine years ago. Many of them homeschoolers, some who are not. They are really just a bunch of supportive, terrific people that I am happy to surround myself with. And some of them I know I will be friends with for life, even if our lives pull us physically from each other. This ties into my next item:
* Facebook. I have taken SO much ribbing from Matt and certain brothers-in-law I know, and yet, joining Facebook this fall has really brought me joy. I have come back into contact with many old friends from grammar school, high school and college, and forgotten how much I loved them. Keeping in contact is difficult--visiting is hard because of distance and vacation time is limited. Phones are wonderful, but you have to find time where both parties are home and can chat (in peace!!!) Letters are nice, but who has the time? Email is great too--but it's hard to remember to keep in touch if the other person is not a great correspondent. Facebook, on the other hand---fantastic! I write emails, IM with friends, we send each other silly gifts, drinks, hugs and smiles, play games together and reconnect. We even plan reunions. These are people I have always kept in my mind, but never pursued, and I am overjoyed to see that they are all the same people I loved back then! If you are not on Facebook, you should join. And then you should find me there!
* My pets. They drive me batty, but they are sweet and loving.
* A warm house and good food, and knowing that my husband's job is recession-proof.
* Knowing that Matt adores his job. This is important, because I really believe that you should love what you do, and I am glad that Matt always loves his work and that he spends his days happy.
* A beautiful place to live. I love my house, and I love this part of Long Island. We really have everything we could want on this tiny piece of land--gorgeous beaches, wildlife, farms, orchards, vineyards, a country type of life--but any sort of city amusements we want right at hand.
* Good neighbors. We live in a part of the country where this cannot go unappreciated! Many many northeasterners live in places where their neighbors want nothing to do with them--and that was the case in our last house, which was across town! We now live in a neighborhood where we talk to our neighbors, help each other, and if I need a cup of sugar or someone to feed the chickens while we're away, I have people to ask!
* Good health. This is something nobody should take for granted. I know a lot of people whose kids have chronic illnesses, people who have cancer or other diseases that just ruin their quality of life, and I am grateful that my family is not in that boat. In fact, we have the constitution of horses! (But I am making 2009 the year that I catch up on all my medical checkups, anyway...yet another procrastination issue with me.)
* Love of cooking. Both Matt and I love to cook and bake, and I have realized that not everyone does. I am happy that we do and that we have good meals and desserts because of it!
* Creativity, imagination and intelligence. I am happy that my family uses their minds and their talents, enjoys learning new things, and takes pride in their abilities.
* Good books. I just love good books!
* Music. There is not enough music in the world for me, and I just couldn't live without it.
* Photo albums. I was paging through the albums last night, looking at pictures of Matt and I when we first met, our wedding, our early days in Boston, Rachel and Julia as babies, toddlers and preschoolers....and then Ben joining the brood. Unfortunately after he was about 18 months we got a digital camera and now I have everything on disk and not in albums! (another resolution, I guess!) But it was wonderful to see my kids back when they were tiny, to relive those days and all the fun we had, and see how they have changed and yet not changed. I love photos!
* Summer fruits. Boy, I miss them! But we still have two peach pies in the freezer.
* Jon Stewart. He kept me in stitches all through the election process, and I think he is one of the most talented people on TV.
* Politics this year. I am not going to go into a diatribe here, but I am unbelievably happy that things worked out the way they have and that we will move forward with the first African American president--it makes me proud to be an American for the first time in YEARS!
* Hot showers. There just isn't much better than a shower when you need one, is there?
* Online shopping. I really love the fact that I can shop for anything I need at any time of day or night and have it arrive on my doorstep a day or two later--and that so many places offer free shipping that you don't even have to pay extra!
* Christmas trees. There is just something so wonderful about the tree every year. The piney smell, the familiar decorations with stories to tell, the ritual of choosing it and decorating it, the presents under it, the kids' excitement. I love it.
* Having a fireplace. I am so glad Matt and I thought of the fact that we really didn't want to live in a home without a fireplace. We get so much enjoyment out of it. And really, without a fireplace, the stockings are just no fun!
* The Beatles. I know I already did music, but I am a big Beatles fan and it makes me happy that their music is still so widely played and loved forty years after the fact.
* Purses and shoes. I just love new purses and shoes. More so than any other items of clothing, they are just fun to buy! Even though my husband complains about it.
* Movie quotes. Matt and I have known each other since we were 18 eyars old, so we have seen a lot of movies together, and there is just something nice and comforting about quoting movies to each other.
* Netflix. Speaking of movies, I am so happy we joined Netflix! It's great to have a no-hassle way to see movies that we would otherwise miss.
* Movie theaters. But even with Netflix, I love going to the theater and seing movies!
* A daughter old enough to babysit. Rachel is now comfortable staying with the kids in the evening. Which means Matt and I can go out occasionally, something we never got to do when the kids were younger, and something we really love to do.
* Fresh manicures. There is just something great about nails when they are pretty and polished--even if it never lasts long enough!
* A gym membership. That is my Christmas present this year, and I am so excited!
* Bagels. Real ones, warm from the oven. We had those over this past weekend when we were visiting my parents, and it is heaven.
* Kids' responses to questions. I asked Emma what she was grateful for, and she immediately, without any hesitation, said: "You! And Daddy and Rachel and Julia and Ben and Grandma and Poppy. My whole family!"
Really, I could go on and on. But I promised to play Monopoly Jr. with Ben and Emma. And my hands are hurting! And I'm sure you have lost interest anyway......peace and joy in 2009!
--Jen
* The first one is, obviously, Matt. He is my best friend and my husband, and without him life would be dull and dreary. He makes me laugh, he makes me think, and he makes me mad! Which really are three of the most important things in life, I think.
* Naturally my children rank a very close second. How could I be the person I am without them? Each one is unique, even though they have similar personalities and habits. Each one is a precious person--even when they make me want to scream. Because that is, after all, their reason for being--to make their parents unable to decide whether they should smother them with kisses or just smother them!
* The third would be my extended family. My parents, who are wonderful, supportive and really just the best parents I could ever imagine. My sisters, brothers, their spouses and all my nieces and nephews (plus my 2 nephews-in-law and my darling grand-niece-and nephew!) are just each and every one a joy to know. I am unbelievably lucky to love every member of my family and to enjoy spending time with them--it sounds very corny, but I know so many people who truly don't enjoy spending time with their extended families, who fight all the time with them and have these feuds and bicker and complain about them. I can honestly say that my family gets along (and we disagree strenously on many issues such as religion and politics--we still treat each other civilly and respect each others' beliefs) and really likes to spend time together, and I treasure that.
* Coffee. Do I really have to expound on that?
* Homeschooling. Yes, I have many days where I wonder what on earth I was thinking when I agreed to keep my children with me pretty much 24/7 till the age of eighteen! There are days when I feel burned out and overburdened and just want time to myself and look at the school bus with longing. But at the end of the day, I know that what we are doing for our kids is the best for them, that they are enjoying life so much more than they would stuck in a classroom all day, and that they are learning so much more too. And I also realize how quickly they will be grown and on their own, and it makes me want to treasure the time with them. Even when I feel like the biggest harpy on the planet!
* Friends, old and new. I have met many wonderful people since moving here to Long Island nine years ago. Many of them homeschoolers, some who are not. They are really just a bunch of supportive, terrific people that I am happy to surround myself with. And some of them I know I will be friends with for life, even if our lives pull us physically from each other. This ties into my next item:
* Facebook. I have taken SO much ribbing from Matt and certain brothers-in-law I know, and yet, joining Facebook this fall has really brought me joy. I have come back into contact with many old friends from grammar school, high school and college, and forgotten how much I loved them. Keeping in contact is difficult--visiting is hard because of distance and vacation time is limited. Phones are wonderful, but you have to find time where both parties are home and can chat (in peace!!!) Letters are nice, but who has the time? Email is great too--but it's hard to remember to keep in touch if the other person is not a great correspondent. Facebook, on the other hand---fantastic! I write emails, IM with friends, we send each other silly gifts, drinks, hugs and smiles, play games together and reconnect. We even plan reunions. These are people I have always kept in my mind, but never pursued, and I am overjoyed to see that they are all the same people I loved back then! If you are not on Facebook, you should join. And then you should find me there!
* My pets. They drive me batty, but they are sweet and loving.
* A warm house and good food, and knowing that my husband's job is recession-proof.
* Knowing that Matt adores his job. This is important, because I really believe that you should love what you do, and I am glad that Matt always loves his work and that he spends his days happy.
* A beautiful place to live. I love my house, and I love this part of Long Island. We really have everything we could want on this tiny piece of land--gorgeous beaches, wildlife, farms, orchards, vineyards, a country type of life--but any sort of city amusements we want right at hand.
* Good neighbors. We live in a part of the country where this cannot go unappreciated! Many many northeasterners live in places where their neighbors want nothing to do with them--and that was the case in our last house, which was across town! We now live in a neighborhood where we talk to our neighbors, help each other, and if I need a cup of sugar or someone to feed the chickens while we're away, I have people to ask!
* Good health. This is something nobody should take for granted. I know a lot of people whose kids have chronic illnesses, people who have cancer or other diseases that just ruin their quality of life, and I am grateful that my family is not in that boat. In fact, we have the constitution of horses! (But I am making 2009 the year that I catch up on all my medical checkups, anyway...yet another procrastination issue with me.)
* Love of cooking. Both Matt and I love to cook and bake, and I have realized that not everyone does. I am happy that we do and that we have good meals and desserts because of it!
* Creativity, imagination and intelligence. I am happy that my family uses their minds and their talents, enjoys learning new things, and takes pride in their abilities.
* Good books. I just love good books!
* Music. There is not enough music in the world for me, and I just couldn't live without it.
* Photo albums. I was paging through the albums last night, looking at pictures of Matt and I when we first met, our wedding, our early days in Boston, Rachel and Julia as babies, toddlers and preschoolers....and then Ben joining the brood. Unfortunately after he was about 18 months we got a digital camera and now I have everything on disk and not in albums! (another resolution, I guess!) But it was wonderful to see my kids back when they were tiny, to relive those days and all the fun we had, and see how they have changed and yet not changed. I love photos!
* Summer fruits. Boy, I miss them! But we still have two peach pies in the freezer.
* Jon Stewart. He kept me in stitches all through the election process, and I think he is one of the most talented people on TV.
* Politics this year. I am not going to go into a diatribe here, but I am unbelievably happy that things worked out the way they have and that we will move forward with the first African American president--it makes me proud to be an American for the first time in YEARS!
* Hot showers. There just isn't much better than a shower when you need one, is there?
* Online shopping. I really love the fact that I can shop for anything I need at any time of day or night and have it arrive on my doorstep a day or two later--and that so many places offer free shipping that you don't even have to pay extra!
* Christmas trees. There is just something so wonderful about the tree every year. The piney smell, the familiar decorations with stories to tell, the ritual of choosing it and decorating it, the presents under it, the kids' excitement. I love it.
* Having a fireplace. I am so glad Matt and I thought of the fact that we really didn't want to live in a home without a fireplace. We get so much enjoyment out of it. And really, without a fireplace, the stockings are just no fun!
* The Beatles. I know I already did music, but I am a big Beatles fan and it makes me happy that their music is still so widely played and loved forty years after the fact.
* Purses and shoes. I just love new purses and shoes. More so than any other items of clothing, they are just fun to buy! Even though my husband complains about it.
* Movie quotes. Matt and I have known each other since we were 18 eyars old, so we have seen a lot of movies together, and there is just something nice and comforting about quoting movies to each other.
* Netflix. Speaking of movies, I am so happy we joined Netflix! It's great to have a no-hassle way to see movies that we would otherwise miss.
* Movie theaters. But even with Netflix, I love going to the theater and seing movies!
* A daughter old enough to babysit. Rachel is now comfortable staying with the kids in the evening. Which means Matt and I can go out occasionally, something we never got to do when the kids were younger, and something we really love to do.
* Fresh manicures. There is just something great about nails when they are pretty and polished--even if it never lasts long enough!
* A gym membership. That is my Christmas present this year, and I am so excited!
* Bagels. Real ones, warm from the oven. We had those over this past weekend when we were visiting my parents, and it is heaven.
* Kids' responses to questions. I asked Emma what she was grateful for, and she immediately, without any hesitation, said: "You! And Daddy and Rachel and Julia and Ben and Grandma and Poppy. My whole family!"
Really, I could go on and on. But I promised to play Monopoly Jr. with Ben and Emma. And my hands are hurting! And I'm sure you have lost interest anyway......peace and joy in 2009!
--Jen
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Snowy Days
We have had something of a snowstorm the past two days, and we are loving it! What could be better, five days before Christmas, than to have the yard covered in snow, mittens drying on the radiators, kids with pink, pink cheeks, and to take frosty walks to see the geese on the pond? For those of you unfamiliar with the East End of Long Island, we don't see very much snow, even less than New York City, usually. The effect of being surrounded by all this water (especially here, where the island forks into the two arms; we have the bay as well as the Atlantic and the Sound within 20 miles of each other...) means that while the western part of the island often gets plenty of snowfall, it usually doesn't get cold enough for us to have snow, or it blows off onto the ocean or some such disappointing nonsense. So any time there's snow in the forecast, we wait breathlessly to see what we'll get, and we're often disappointed.
But yesterday, for our anniversary no less, it started snowing in the late morning and continued through the afternoon. We had perhaps four or five inches, and Matt and I talked of walking downtown to our anniversary dinner of Greek food-- we thought it would be fun to walk a mile together in the snow, holding hands and talking, like when we were in college again--but then, unfortunately, it changed to rain and we had no desire to walk in that, so we just took the car instead. I put on a brave face to the kids, but inside I was upset about the rain--I pictured all the beautiful snow melting away in the night and waking up to the bare trees and brown and gray landscape that is the worst part of winter to almost everyone.
Luckily, when we woke this morning, and indeed, all day long, tiny flakes were flying through the air, a great many of them most of the time. I don't think we have six inches, but still, the kids were thrilled to play in it, and it has been lovely doing our Christmassy things like wrapping gifts and baking, baking, baking with the snow flying. When we shoveled we saw the evidence of last night's rain--about an inch of the snow had turned to ice--but what was on top was lovely and powdery, and under the ice layer is too. And the good thing is that the ice layer will probably make the snow stick around longer, so that makes me happy! Matt has been breaking his back in the kitchen today, making cookies and more cookies to bring to the office and to pack up to mail to family...and yes, we know they won't get them before Christmas, and we are very bad for procrastinating. Sorry about that. As I've posted already, we have had a hard time this year getting into the whole holiday rush, and we had several gifts to find and now we have another thing to do so the packages won't go out till Monday. These relatives will just have a nice treat after Christmas, and out gifts won't get lost in the shuffle. Put a positive spin on things. Anyway, here's hoping that the loveliness will last as long as possible, because I really do love snow!
--Jen
The kids built a tiny snowman--this was taken early in the afternoon when there wasn't really enough snow...Now he is mostly buried in the yard; you can see the hat and scarf sticking out at the top.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Busy, Busy
I realized last night that I haven't blogged in a while. I'm sure everyone understands that at this time of year! It seems that every day is speeding by, even though we have been staying home a fair amount. I foolishly left all my holiday shopping till after we got home from Boston this year, and with Rachel's birthday on the 8th I didn't have time to really even begin till after that! I began my shopping online, which made me feel better because I was able to spend a few hours and get a good chunk of shopping completed. Then we had Rachel's birthday party, which was a sleepover, so there was shopping, cleaning, baking and cooking to do for that, and in the aftermath there was rest!
I began shopping again this week, this time in person because I didn't trust ordering things anymore and didn't want to pay extra shipping fees. Matt and I went out together on Sunday evening, leaving Rachel in charge at "night" for the very first time (it was from 5-7:30 pm, so it was dark but not late!) That went very well; the kids had a good time and Rachel didn't worry about us dying en route to Target. Matt and I were able to shop in peace and we had fun being together. I spent some time wrapping gifts, too, so finally we have boxes under the tree. I went out alone last night to three stores, and got another group of gifts taken care of. One of those stores was Linens N Things, and I have to say that was a creepy experience! The chain is going out of business, so I went in hoping to scoop some good bargains....but unfortunately, everyone else has been there before now, because the store had maybe 4% of its inventory left--it was a barren wasteland and they are even trying to sell the shelving units they used to have their stock on! What they had left was mostly useless, damaged or too ugly to be believed, so I left empty-handed.
On Tuesday night Matt and I had the sublime treat of going out to dinner with our friends Dan and Trisha. Just the adults! Their daughter Chloe helped Rachel wrangle the younger kids for the evening, and we went to Tweed's, which is just a mile away on East Main Street, so we would have been home in 5 minutes had anything gone wrong. That went very well, too--I am proud of Rachel for overcoming her fears of babysitting at night. It's nice to know that we can go somewhere close by for a while and she's all right with the responsibility. We had a fantastic dinner, great conversation, and lingered over after dinner coffees. While I enjoy eating out with my children, it is very nice to be with adults and talk uninterrupted about anything that comes to mind without concern! Trisha and I spoke the next day and we want to make this a monthly event....sounds great to me!
Tomorrow will be a wonderful day. We are going to Trisha's to make gingerbread houses with friends, and then Matt and I will go out to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner to celebrate our anniversary. Sixteen years tomorrow--I can't believe it! Seems like a week ago we went to the city to spend a weekend for our fifteenth, and here we are with another year gone by. Rachel's babysitting skills are getting a workout this week! We will enjoy Greek food at Athens on East Main Street, which will be especially nice because we won't have to explain the menu to the kids, figure out what they will possibly eat, or listen to any remarks about the poor lambs that died to make this meal....we are planning to talk about only romantic, loving things and generally act like sixteen year olds in love instead of kind of middle aged parents for a change.
Over the weekend I plan to hopefully finish the shopping, do the rest of the wrapping, and bake up a storm. We usually make gift boxes for neighbors and many folks at Matt's office, but because the season has escaped me this year we are going to bake several dozen cookies and maybe some sugared nuts, candy and quick breads or cakes and send that in to the office with Matt so that people can have some treats and know we care....I feel sort of guilty but I'm letting it go! The neighbors I still want to make sure I give to because they are nice people, and several are elderly with not much family so I think it means a lot to have a treat sent over.
Then next week we will go to Mom and Dad's on Christmas Eve and spend the long weekend with them, ending in the big family Christmas at Susan's on Sunday. I am looking forward to that--when all the work is done and it's just time to enjoy ourselves....and the week after that we will have fun, plain and simple. Still vacation time, no more pressure. Matt may take some of that week off and we are looking to do some fun things--I am hoping to go ice skating in Greenport too.
I am wishing you all a healthy, peaceful and joyous holiday season as we close out this year, which has been wonderful and terrible and interesting at the very least. Enjoy your friends and families, enjoy the giving of gifts, enjoy the wonderful food and drinks, and try not to stress out too much! xoxo
--Jen
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Boston Photos
Now, I just want to say that Rachel took close to 300 photos on our trip--so I won't be posting them all! I am selecting a few of the best, which will give you an idea of how much fun we had. If you are on Facebook, Rachel and I posted albums there with more photos than I will put here! (Also, if you are our friend on Facebook, you have probably already seen these--sorry...)
--Jen
The kids at Quincy Market
love this one of Julia and Emma!
Ben and his brand new hat!
hand feeding squirrels at the Public Garden
my sweeties on the duck statues from "Make Way For Ducklings" at the Public Garden
Emma in a tree, same day
Emma blowing bubbles at the Children's Museum
Julia in the butterfly garden at the Museum of Science
--Jen
The kids at Quincy Market
love this one of Julia and Emma!
Ben and his brand new hat!
hand feeding squirrels at the Public Garden
my sweeties on the duck statues from "Make Way For Ducklings" at the Public Garden
Emma in a tree, same day
Emma blowing bubbles at the Children's Museum
Julia in the butterfly garden at the Museum of Science
Catching Up--A Very Busy Few Days!
Well, after last week where I was posting every day, I suddenly was tossed into a whirlwind of travel, arriving home and catching up on all there was after ten days of vacation. Piles of mail, loads of laundry, groceries to be bought, suitcases and bags to be unpacked and put away....and then came Sunday when we did our holiday decorating! Every year is tough because we like to have the tree up before Rachel's birthday, and of course the best time to do that is on the weekend. So that usually means we get home from Boston on Saturday and then we only have Sunday to go get a tree, put it up (which always involves some sort of hassle! This year it was that the trunk was too big for the stand so Matt had to trim the trunk, which took quite some time--and then we finally got the tree put up only to remember that our lights last year were mostly broken so we blithely said we'll get more NEXT year...so I had to run to Target to buy lights! Meanwhile the kids were itching to trim the tree...sigh.)
This year we made a hefty investment in LED lights, which are supposedly indestructible (this is my main reason for getting them, since regular lights drive me nuts with half the string constantly out) and use far less energy (Matt's main reason for wanting them)--however, they are much different from normal lights in that their light is much whiter and brighter than traditional white lights. It is hard for me to get used to them, because I think they look almost flourescent. But Matt pointed out that they look like stars, which made it easier to stand them....
Then yesterday was Rachel's thirteenth birthday. How strange to think of her as being a teenager! I still can't wrap my mind around it. We had a nice day--went to Port Jefferson to see "Barnaby Saves Christmas" at Theater 3, which has become tradition for us. In the afternoon we hung out on the computer and with movies, and Emma helped me make the birthday cake (chocolate with mint whipped cream and ganache on top) while Julia helped me make the sauce for spaghetti and meatballs (Rachel's choice). Gifts weren't much fun because she wanted cash....and today she gets a belated gift--her braces are coming off even as I write this! We have kind of a crazy day today because she will have an impression made of her mouth after the brackets come off, but will have to go back to the orthodontist later when her retainer is ready, plus she has a library program at 4:00, so she avoids school work for another day! (Ben is finished for the day and Julia did some in the morning and is going back to it after a shower.)
--Jen
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