Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic What's everyone up to these days?

Me?

Oh just two days away from my due date and both wishing she was here and wary of her coming. War'N Peace is excited and really ready to meet his baby sister while my Little Wise Lion is just freaked out by everything (last night he fell asleep at the normal time but then refused to sleep afterwards...we finally had to just let him fuss it out). I had a close call on the contractions yesterday morning, prompting a visit to the hospital to see if it was really time (given my first started having contractions ON his due date that both sent me to the hospital for a check and the second was two days before, can you blame me?). Unfortunately the contractions slowed and I wasn't far enough along to let the baby out. They actually gave me the option to walk around the floor with the idea that I might move it along (given the day before I had gone to a mom's workout group that did a stroller walk around a nice-sized lake it's no surprise my body tried to decide it was time). They've faded out since so we'll see when she comes!

Good luck on the birth of your new baby. If she doesn't come by Saturday, be sure to tune in to the Kerth awards ... they're known to start labor.

Congrats again, Christina. Those last few days are the worse. I hope you're getting at least a few hours of sleep in. I wish you the best of luck with your delivery.

I've been busy working at a local bridal shop this year. It's only part-time, but my schedule is set mid-day, so that I return just in time to greet my kids at the door when they return home from school. I love my job, but it's a bit frustrating how much writing time I've lost. The last few weeks have been very busy at work. We've ordering prom dresses and tuxedos for Prom (2 nearby schools have prom this weekend). Today, tomorrow, and Saturday are busy with last minute fittings, hems, alterations, and tux pick-ups. During this time, everyone in my family has also been sick (or passing colds around). I'm finally feeling better and both kids were back at school today! Now, I've got to get back to work and see if I can get some writing in, before my muse is distracted by that new Netflix Daredevil show, which I hear from friends is worth watching.

Congrats and best of luck when you deliver, Christina!

Nothing much going on here. The Wonder Twins are almost 20 months old now and keeping me on my toes. Ashley is my little envelope-pusher and Kayla picks up words without even really trying (I'm biased, but I think she speaks pretty clearly for a kid her age). No sentences yet, but she's got a decent amount of words (I crack up every time she falls and says "whoa!")

Hubby has been doing massive amounts of overtime, but at least he can telecommute to work now - he's home 4 out of 5 work days, which is great. He can pop upstairs (he's commandeered the basement) to visit or give me a hand getting the kids up to their room for naptime if needed.

I've been getting some writing done lately. Aside from getting Seed of Doubt finished and partly posted, I've got two more in the works - one with my beta and another which I just started to write, plus a WIP saved on my computer.

I hope you're able to make it to the Kerths!

Here's a pic of my little superheros - Ashley's in the Batman PJs, Kayla's in the Superman ones.

Adorable as always, DC.

Thanks! They want Christina's baby to come out and play!

Christina, I hope the delivery goes smoothly and that both you and your child remain healthy.

Virginia, speaking as one of the first generation of "latch-key kids," I hope your children grow to appreciate just how fortunate they are to be greeted at the door each day by a loving mother. I regret that my personal circumstances only let me do the same for my son when I am on summer vacation and he has summer school.

DC, I agree with Virginia; your daughters are adorable.

There's not much new with me, but as a dear friend of mine is wont to say, "It's amazing how busy 'not much new' can keep one."

A blessing and a curse of my job is that there is always something new to learn. Right now, I'm trying to absorb what I can about Linux server administration while I develop materials for a new fall course. On the home front, I'm learning to get used to having a son who is now taller than myself and who has entered the teen years. (Fortunately, he is still sweet and well behaved; I realize that those days are probably severely numbered, and I am savoring them while they last.) I'm also starting to learn about different options for him as an adult. Although it sounds crazy-early, the time when parents of children with severe special needs to start thinking about the transition into adulthood and what the adult child's life will be like (where they will live, what service providers they will use, how their days should be spent, etc.) is when the child is about to turn 14.

Joy,
Lynn

Thanks for all the well-wishes! Still not here. I'm half-hoping she's not showing signs of popping out tomorrow either, because that's the big day at my Comic-Con this weekend. I never figured out a way to wear my Ultra-Woman costume pregnant sadly, so I can't participate in the costume contest like I had been hoping, though.

I had forgotten how close the twins are in age to my Wise Lion, Deadly Chakram! They're only about a month older.

Not much writing on my end, "When Pheromones Attack is still in stasis, in part because my two characters have refused to listen to pragmatism to wait (again). It of course is also limited by near nada time to write (consistently falling asleep even before my 3yo is put to bed by daddy.)

Remind me again, how to watch/participate in the Kerths? Obviously, the window for voting is closed, but watching/listening would be fun.

Virginia, working at a bridal shop sounds like so much fun...and so tempting. I went to see "Cinderella" a few weeks back with a friend and watching Ella dance in the blue gown made me whimper and go "I wish I could wear my wedding dress again." If you looked at my dress and dyed it gold, it'd be a dead-ringer for Belle's Ballgown (it happened to be my mother's, but I knew it would be "mine" when I realized how close it looked to my favorite Disney movie's dress). It's the swishy-ness of the hoops that made me mourn my old dress.

Thanks, Lynn.

Christina - I knew your little guy had to be close in age to my girls, but I'd forgotten just *how* close they were!

For the Kerths - log into mIRC. Once the box pops up prompting you to join a chat, type in #kerthawards for the ceremony. Then open another chat window and type in #kerthchat for the place to hang out and cheer on the winners.

I can't seem to find the old thread with the full instructions though.

Sounds like some good rewards for studying and taking exams. Good luck and may you pass with flying (red, blue, & yellow - perhaps) colors.

I've been rehearsing for the Ramona Pageant, which I am taking part in for the 21st time. There's a new script this year, and the revised play looks really good, from what I've seen.

We performed the play for the 4th grade students of the local school districts today, and they seemed to like it. It was a shortened version, so they didn't get to see everything, and the buses showed up early, so a lot of them missed the ending. Hopefully, some of them will come see the full show with their families.

Because it's an outdoor show on a natural, 5-acre stage, there's a cast of over a hundred actors, mostly local. There are also horses. This year, it's very, very dusty because of California's ongoing drought (climbing the hill from the cast house to the stage is like climbing a sand dune in a long dress -- pretty challenging).

The outdoor location sometimes means that the wildlife that lives in the canyon is encountered -- the show can be stolen by a covey of quail looking for food or an alligator lizard doing pushups on the rock wall between the audience and the stage. Of course, nothing can distract the audience (and induce panic) like a snake, venomous or not (one year, there was a large rattlesnake behind a rock where a group of us wait for a scene; the guy who killed the snake took it home and made rattlesnake taquitos to share).

I encountered one of the wild creatures while walking backstage today. A lizard fell out of a vent and landed on me. I was startled, but I think the lizard was more surprised. It took off pretty fast. I didn't scream when it landed on my shoulder (lizards don't bother me; they're everywhere at home and they eat bugs). Now, if it had been a spider, I probably would have rivaled the cannon for noise with my screaming (I really don't like spiders, especially black widows).

Rebuilding and upgrading some old Macs with a view to selling them off.

The twins are absolutely adorable, DC .

Christina, I'm assuming your new arrival has arrived? Congratulations .


Lots of odds and ends have been going on over at our house...

Kind of on the same kid-front, we just found out that my little sister and her husband are expecting a baby . Unfortunately, they just moved out to the east coast (and we're land-locked here in the center of the US) so we won't be able to see each other near as much as I'd love to. Arrival is this November .

At our house, we just gained a new member. We had two cats, and sadly, one died last fall. Well...now we are up to two again (represents me and the kiddos, represents the husband--not a fan of kitties, but oddly, wholeheartedly, started the discussion to get another one. Woo-hoo! Good job, husband ). Lily, the adorably small, 6 lb, two year old tabby has been here about two week now. Scruffy--the resident, 13 year old kitty--is still in shock ).

But mostly, I've been pretty immersed in 3 and 5 year old things. Preschool, playing outside, anything and everything related to 'princesses'. Signing kiddos up for swimming lessons and summer stuff. And the fun craziness of children. (Example: Ran three hours of errands last week one morning while the children were at preschool. Went anywhere and everywhere--quickly. At the last stop--large, crowded big box store, no less--ran my hand through my hair, which runs to the middle of my back. Something was stuck in my hair?!? Toothpaste. Bright pink, fluorescent 'princess' type character on the front of the tube, glob of toothpaste. Dried. Sticky. Completely and utterly noticeable to everyone who would have seen it. But completely unnoticed by me. Apparently from that morning getting ready with the kids. Yikes, Eeek, and . Oh, how embarrassing . Oh well .

Enjoyed hearing what everyone was up to, great thread .
Laura