Marital Mondays: Sick and Joyful
This daily blog hangs over my head like an antique chandelier — pretty, but heavy enough to fall and knock the words right out of me. I was sick as hell last week, so I rested for two days like a normal person and didn’t write at all. I actually didn’t miss it. It gave me time to focus on curriculum building for Fuss and other household administrative tasks.
Hannibal made many sacrifices last week, including coming home from work early Tuesday (like leaving right after he got there), because Fuss was throwing all brands of tantrum and I was too weak to deal with it. He did all of my normal driving that day, with the exception of driving Mooch to school. I have no idea how I got her there that morning, but we’re all still alive.
So, this week’s “Marital Mondays” blog is a simple shout out to the man who supports me even when it throws his whole day completely off the rails. I think he even tried to cook a little that day. He hustles so that I can customize my lifestyle, and I can’t thank him enough for the impact it is having on our girls to have me molding them all day everyday. Thanks, honey!
Thematic Thursdays: The FAQs Are These
So, I was supposed to write a blog about this whole Too Short drama last night, but instead of devoting my time to a self-serving nut job, I typed a long Facebook response message to a friend. She was interested in what I’m doing with Fuss in homeschool, so that she can implement those things with her son.
I spent my writing time detailing Fuss’ current daily rhythm, and answering a slew of questions about her son’s development. I won’t put all of her child’s business in the streets, because that is irrelevant. What I will note is that her message was one of MANY emails, chats, text messages, etc. regarding what’s happening with my kids.
WAHMs (Work at Home Moms) have to stick together, because where one of us has a lot of tools the other may be lacking and vice versa. It is through sharing that our kids really benefit, and shoot this woman has cute sons. My daughters may want husbands some day. 
I decided to add a FAQ (frequently asked questions) section to this blog, which you’ll now find in the navigation bar at the top. Does this mean you have to stop emailing me and messaging me? Absolutely not!! I enjoy our interactions immensely. This is just a place where you can go to obtain some of my tips, tricks, links, and trinkets for use with your little one.
Tuesdays With Mooch & Fuss: Itty Bitty Toyota Fabric
Whoa! There’s so much to catch you up on. Let’s see. Mooch and I participated in the Itty Bitty Art Sale at her school, where people submit tiny works of art on postcards to be sold anonymously at the Itty Bitty Art event. The artist’s name and message are on the back, but when purchasing, the buyer doesn’t know who the artist is. There are always celebrities, famous artists, and politicians who contribute pieces as well, so one never knows who they’ll get. Here are our submissions — now that the event is over.
Mooch’s Toyota commercials also aired. I didn’t have time to figure out copying/embedding from the site they’re on, but you may visit this link to watch them. Mooch has become well acquainted with her face paint set since her punishment began, so here are a few shots of that. She’s off punishment next week, but she says she’s gotten used to entertaining herself.
Fuss went on a field trip downtown last Friday, where she perused fabrics, and admired flowers. We went with a friend, who was searching for fabric for a couple of projects. It’s quite expensive, I noticed. Anyway, I think Fuss’ favorite fabric was satin. She also liked this fabric, but it was $20 per yard. Umm no.
Number recognition and letter recognition are out of the park, but colors — not so much. We’re working on it throughout the day and with activities on the shelf. She knows what purple is — that’s for sure. Fuss is selectively breaking out of her shy phase. It really just depends on the person now. Sometimes she screams bloody murder, and sometimes she’ll offer a hello or even willingly walk away with the person. She reads energy.
Her favorite thing to do lately is put random crap (and I mean random) in her little shopping cart and push it around the house like she’s going somewhere. Missing an earring? It may be in there. The remote control, socks, Elmo, and a few tortilla chips, yup, they’re in there, too.
Random: I’ve been co-washing her hair almost twice per week, and it is so much easier to manage! I just thought I’d share.
If you’d like to read more about homeschooling Fuss specifically, you can do that here.
As a family, we went to Lakeshore this past Saturday for their free arts and crafts session. It was pretty cool. Both girls made flowers and (paper) purses. On Black Love Day (Feb. 13th), we surprised them each with these little baskets.
There are strawberries to grow, African-American paper dolls, a Star Wars coloring book, and a card signed by each parent. Mooch also got a journal in hers, because she fills them really quickly! They got plate sets, because they’ve been needing those for a while. Hannibal wasn’t supposed to buy me anything, because of our art project, but he cheated and bought me the most awesome earrings from a Black-Owned business in Leimert Park.
Marital Mondays: Black Love Day Nostalgia
Today is Black Love Day. No, I’m not making that up. Another woman did. It is a day to focus on love and unity in the family and the community — not to buy Hallmark cards and candy (no offense if that’s your thing). Hannibal is off today. Don’t freak out, you didn’t miss a national holiday. Black Love Day is relatively young. He took a floating holiday, or personal time off, or whatever nine-to-fivers take when they stay home and aren’t sick.
Our community commitment will likely be displayed by attending the Pan-African Film Festival, but our project today will bond the two of us in a unique way. Hannibal has a lot of toys and comic books. He generally keeps just about everything — receipts from 2001, stuffed animals from childhood, promotional CDs from random artists, business cards — all of it. He’s obsessed with keeping things. I, on the other hand, purge constantly. I organize. I fight to keep an environment free of clutter. I input the data from business cards and then toss the cards. CDs go into iTunes and then to the recycling bin. I’m obsessed with keeping stuff neat. We both have the same illness, though. I really have a stronger tendency towards keeping everything, so I fight that urge by throwing everything away. I vaguely remember trying to address this with a scrapbooking hobby, which I also never have time for any more.
This didn’t dawn on me, again, until I was on a website that featured toys from the eighties. I saw these plastic junk charm necklaces that my sister and I used to collect religiously. I had to scour the net for one, so I went straight to Ebay. The tacky small collections of radio and sunglasses charms and Coke bottles charms that I used to get out of bubble-gum machines for a quarter were going for a whopping sixty bucks! I couldn’t believe it. I totally still contemplated which of my kid’s shoes I could pawn to get one of those necklaces.
It was the nostalgia of it. The picture of it alone brought back so many feelings and memories. I remembered Baby Sitters Club books resting on my stuffed gremlin, Gizmo. “Baby Skates,” a doll that showed off less than stellar derby moves rolled through my mind. Then there were Ring Pops and Kissing Koolers and jellies shoes! Oh, and my Gameboy (I still have that, actually, but I never play it).
When my house burned down in the sixth grade, all of these memories went up in smoke with it. I was devastated, but didn’t really realize what I’d lost until right now — well a few weeks ago. I mean I cried at the time, but at eleven years old, I just didn’t understand the magnitude. Nothing would ever be the same. As a result, I didn’t form attachments to things very much. Throwing stuff away meant nothing. I’d lost it all before. Couple the house fire with the fact that my father was a hoarder (he’s actually recovering), and you have the prime set up for my OCD ass!
The problem is, I went to Hannibal, with that crazed look in my eyes, a few weeks ago and said, “I want to start collecting eighties toys!”
He didn’t have a problem with it. He actually dove into the conversation with, “Ooh! Which eighties toys?”
“All of them!” I responded in my best Brain voice from Pinky and the Brain. He laughed at the thought, but was excited that we shared a common interest. We sat and talked for two hours about how the toys made us feel and why. I think it was the first time I almost saw him cry (It didn’t happen, though, his eyes just water when he gets excited about a point). Eventually, we came back to reality and recognized that we can’t house the eighties in a three bedroom living situation. Moreover, we don’t play with, look at, or have time for the stuff we do have. We don’t even have anywhere to display it. We are saving for another piece of property now and spending on a childhood museum wouldn’t make sense.
Enter our idea: Since the pictures alone bring out such emotion, why not take pictures and/or print pictures of all the things we want to hold onto, and only keep physical versions of the most precious things (like the Transformers collection, The Transmetropolitan collection of comics [which even I love], my Gizmo plush, etc.).
We’re going to use a large canvas and Mod Podge to adhere the pictures. Then we can embellish with paint and actual tiny toys, CDs, glitter and anything eighties we can find that fits our aesthetic. Our eighties artwork masterpiece can hang in our hallway for us to drool at whenever we like. Hannibal LOVED the idea, and keeps reminding me about it (he even wants to sell large amounts of toys and comic books from his storage on Ebay) so we decided to do the art project today. We can talk and laugh and remember together.
If it gets finished today, then part two of this blog will post this evening with pictures of the piece. If not, I’ll post it next Monday.
P.S. Remember these?
Alright, peace, I’m about to go print my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 
Marital Mondays: Attention!
M: I think you stole my green headphones, and you’re using them in secret when I’m not here.
H: Myshell, that is a random accusation not based in any fact, and I don’t appreciate it.
M: So. I want my headphones. They’re cute, and they cover up my whole ears like Beats By Dre — except they’re not Beats By Dre.
H: I’m sorry that you can’t find your headphones, but I’m trying to work right now. I will gladly help you look for them at a later time.
M: I love you.
H: I love you, too.
(Pause)
M: Hannibal?
H: (Removing headphone from one ear) You’re talking to me again. Yes, honey?
M: What do you think of Mitt Romney?
H: You want to discuss politics now?
M: Yeah.
H: Myshell, I have six articles to write.
M: I know, but I thought you’d enjoy some useless chatter.
H: Why on earth (pause) You did all this for fun, because you thought I’d enjoy it? *confused face*
M: I need some attention.
H: You skipped cuddle time tonight, because you said I should get straight to work.
M: I know. I regret that now. Are there any things in life that you regret, Hannibal?
H: (Launching into conversation) Actually, back at ‘SC, I … Wait are you tricking me into pointless conversation again?
M: Kinda.
H: Myshell, do want me to just come over there and do like a belated cuddle time with you.
M: Yup. (under breath) I want you to find my damn headphones, too.
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