Yesterday was the first real day of summer vacay for us – all school classes are over, recitals are completed, graduations are finished. Yesterday brought us speech therapy (every Monday and Tuesday morning until the end of summer, when the schedule changes back to after school), yard work, the gas station, the bank, gifted testing, lunch, the library, visiting some friends, guitar class and dinner at 8!

Malachai was tested for gifted yesterday morning, and the school psychologist (who has observed him briefly but I guess never worked one on one with him) said she sees why he has/needs an aide in class. I am kind of relieved to tell the truth, because at his IEP we were having a hard time explaining that yes, he does great in class… because h has an aide! She also said that while he definitely passed the testing, he would have done much better if he could have stayed focused and on task. So, my all over the place son passed the gifted testing even without an aide to redirect him to stay on task. He continues to baffle me, but in a good way. Perhaps he will build that time machine when he grows up… right after he is done being a stuntman for the newest summer blockbuster action flick. Having a “special needs” child who doesn’t “show” or “present”  as being special needs is a challenge in and of itself. We had some friends over, one of who works with autistic kids every day and he said if we hadn’t told him, he never would have known about Mal. That makes me so happy on the one hand, but on the other hand, it does make it more difficult for us on his bad days when he absolutely presents with all of his symptoms, and usually all at once. So hearing how well he is doing, and how far he will go just makes me smile all over.

Dorian finished his first guitar book yesterday as well. Apparently he has quarter notes down (um, all he plays is “Turning Japanese” so duh he has his quarter notes down!) and played some new songs yesterday. Maybe we’ll get something besides Iron Man and Turning Japanese now. One can only hope. I think he said they did a Beach Boys song and a Beatles song.

Eshiva had her recital on Saturday. No pics, as they were supposed to be prohibited (which didn’t keep an ton of asshole parents from taking bright ass flash photos of their kids on stage, grrrr) but we’ll get a video sometime soon (it was rolled into the cost of the recital fee). E did a beautiful job. In fact, the entire recital was awesome. One of the groups did a shortened version of “Oh Industry” (I love this and have never seen a bad performance of it), and another did “Hard Knock Life”, really the entire thing was great. The babies were cute, the middle range of kids were trying their best and the older girls were all amazing. All but the littlest did the finale. They did “Thriller”! Very cute.

We all hit the library yesterday. Esh had a one hour book reading thing and made a couple of book marks. The boys picked out books to check out. Dor got WWII books and a couple of novels (Time Warp Trio and Lucy’s Ghost I Think), Mal got GooseBumps and one other, Esh got an awesome book about different phoenixes, a baby book about tickling a duck and one other. I’m pretty stoked about being at the library twice a week. The kids signed up for a summer reading program where they get prizes and I told them we’ll keep track of what books they read and we’ll get them a prize at the end of the summer too. The boys go today for a craft class. I think today is an aquarium.

Camp starts next week, Wed – Fri for them, so I’m hoping to pick up some work. I’ve got a logo in the works, and a site that I am waiting on some info for, but nothing else on the horizon right now. It might be the perfect time to start tattooing again. I have some ideas for my lower legs now, so it might work out well.

I was busy remembering stuff yesterday and I want to remember it here too, so bear with me please.

Oh, funny. My mom used to call me Jenniter. Don’t ask. So, the kids were playing janitor today (don’t ask) and I hear Eshiva in the background and I swear I heard Jenniter, not janitor, and it reminded me of mom. So I am telling Michael about this and I say she used to call me Jenniter in the drum, and I have no idea. …He says no! There was a liquid draino type product called janitor in a drum. So yah, my mom called me a cleaning product (which is funny in an ironic kind of way if you think about it) and I suspect I have a new (old) nickname lol Now that I think about it, when I call Gram she still calls me Jenniter too. Funny stuff.

One of moms friends sent me this:
When mom was in Israel she wrote profound poem that I often quote.
“be patient
Peace will come
And when it does
It will be like
A tidal wave upon humanity”

I want to do that One Step on my leg and I am thinking about incorporating this, but I see it as pictures not as words… like a traditional peace dove flying over a horizon with a big wave washing up on the shore, but the shore will be something to symbolize humanity, not an actual shore. I need to think about it for a while. I just see the two ideas tying together really well.

When my sister got sick, and I found myself with a house to help run, I took it one step at a time. When she died, and we had a funeral to plan, and a family to keep from falling apart, I took it one step at a time.

When my mom got sick, and I found myself with two extra children and a sick mom and a dad who did all right but wasn’t 100%, I took it one step at a time and I got us through today. Then I got us through tomorrow. When she got really sick and she died, I was still stepping.

A thousand other little things happened, and a thousand more will go wrong in the future, but the best you can do it put one foot in front of the other, take one step, and it’s one step closer to your next goal.

“The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.” Lao Tzu

So, we’re all a part of the One Step tribe. We all know how hard life can be. We all continue to take that one extra step, and when we find we can’t, someone is there to help us go just a little further forward.

I have a friend who is on a massive One Step journey right now, and she has a lot of help staying her path. Thinking about her got me thinking about this. It might be time to ink my foot onto my body somewhere.

He did basically my entire lower arm (the actual alley part of the piece), a bit on the inside mid-arm and the pins up on the outside under my elbow. Photos will come later after I unbandage and wash up. It took… two hours? I dunno. I wasn’t paying attention. We had to clean up a little before 11, so less than 2 hours really. Maybe 1.5 lol He is headed to Miami to take his yearly cross-contam class and will hopefully be home before I have to take Dor to the ortho.

I am sooooo happy. You have no idea.

My ear is still irritated. I got some tea tree to put on it last night. I need to keep it up. Wish I could wear contacts – I think it’s an easy fix if I could.

Windshield replaced. We need to test the SunPass. Maybe this weekend.

Huge(ish) bank deposit – must put it on the card. Payday is Friday. Yay! Just need to eek out the gas till then.

Spent some money @ Michael’s today on a calligraphy pen & ink, some crafty love for the kids (we missed craft day today) and I think that’s it. I need to bust out the pen. I have some plans. Made dolphin bowling with Eshiva today, and made a treasure chest with Dorian this evening. Malachai did not want to make his tonight. I have some hats to make too, maybe over the weekend.

Around 11 we made it out the door and to Best Buy. Michael got his phone this morning (he bought the 8gig that dropped down to 100$ – more on that later) and is in heaven. He’ll be fiddling with it all night I’m sure He opted to get the “old” one instead of the new one as I told him if he did, he could spend the rest of what he saved on a tattoo book he wants to update. The author has a deal that he’ll send a check back if you return the old version to him, kind of a rebate for having purchased the original version. Yep, I bribed my man.

Then we dropped him off at work and went to therapy. Then on the way out the kids were horsing around and Dorian slammed Malachai’s arm (around the elbow) in the sliding door of the van. Poor kid. I spent five minutes trying to pop an instant cold pack which wouldn’t pack, so I spent ten minutes driving home with a wailing child. Called ahead and had an ice pack waiting on us. He seems OK now – gave him some ibuprofen for the swelling and he flipped through the new bento book that came. He’s on the computer now. Guess he’s all right Dorian felt awful.

I have to go make dinner. I have garlic-ginger lo mein on the menu (it was a hit last week) but I didn’t defrost the chicken and I have two pot roasts that need to be made in the fridge. I think I waited too long though (which I did yesterday too) as they should have gone in the crock this morning. I forgot I wouldn’t be home at 1 to put it in. Tomorrow maybe… that leaves something for tonight though.

Tattooed a little yesterday. I like shading with the rotary better than the coil machine. Eshiva has the skully I did on her arm – silly girl. I love that the stencils make her so happy.

I cleaned the kids room today, it’s like 80% done. Maybe more. I need to clean under Eshivas bed, between her bed and the desk, and the foot of her bed and the door. Otherwise it’s done. Then I need to put their clean clothes away (keeping out stuff that doesn’t fit anymore) and wash the four loads I found all over their floor.

I need a comprehensive list of “ToDo” for them as well. What do your kids do? Bear in mind my kids are 4, almost 7 and almost 9. I need things as basic as “brush your teeth” and “take a bath” to things more complicated like “clear the table” and “feed the dogs.” Thinking out loud – put your backpack up, do your homework, dirty clothes in the hamper, hamper downstairs when full, shoes on the shoe rack

I have a machine I got on the cheap specifically to disassemble and reassemble. I need to get on that. Monday I think, so Michael can do it with me the first time (I’d rather do it right once than do it wrong and have to re-learn). I think I want another rotary machine too, I prefer it. I’ve been working on a piece based on my baby blanket for my leg. It’s linework & solid fill, so I’m confidant to do that. I just need to dig through the inks upstairs and make sure we have the colours I want or can make them out of what we have. Of course, that could be months from now. I’m not going to go to work tattooing. I’m not even going to be working on people other than Michael. This entire thing was an effort to learn how, and learn how well (not just the mechanics). Since I am not working towards an income, I have all the time in the world. That said, I was looking through flickr today and I stand by my rant from the other day. Some people should have their machines taken away until they learn how to draw.

My ear is a little better. My lobe is leaking lymph (my lobes always tell me how my body is doing before the rest of my body does) and my conch is still a bit swollen and crusty, but there is no blood so it didn’t tear. I just *really* pissed it off. I wish I could see better without my glasses, it would heal faster. I can see well enough, but I invade people’s space less when I have them on

My cousin had her baby. My grandparents are headed north to go see the family and their newest great-grandchild. I forget, sometimes, that I had my kids relatively young, and I forget that all of my cousins are “growing up” (so to speak). It makes me happy.

practiced whip shading (um, I need more practice )

And now Michael is playing D&D with Dor, Mal & Michael and I am watching Harry Potter (#1) with Eshiva. We went to see Night at the Museum last night, and it rocked. It’s definitely on the “to get” list. I think we’ll do some sand art tomorrow before Michael goes to work. I can’t believe it’s almost Tuesday already. Time flies.

I have some actual drawing to do for work – I want to get down to Pearls and replace my pencil though… I wonder if MIchael’s has one. It’s much closer. I wont spend as much too – Pearl’s is like an artists porn store lol Thank god we don’t have a brick & mortar Blicks near by!

So far today we have cleaned the front room and 3/4 of the kitchen (I did not really mop because we’re having a new dishwasher delivered and installed today and I plan to mop *after* – um, and I suck at mopping anyway).

Michael has had a massage, which cost me an arm and a leg but hopefully made him feel a good bit better. I may have to budget them in more often than once every five years.

Eshiva had dance class and Michael came down from the salon to watch her this week (usually I take her) so I could get home and finish cleaning. Yes, I am one of those people who can’t have people just “drop in” because my home is lived in. Not dirty, don’t get me wrong, but we have stuff. A lot of stuff.

I made a personal sized pot of coffee in my french press. I used a kona blend and lots of cream and it’s delicious. I feel decadent.

I panicked over the state of our money. I invited my aunt & uncle out to dinner tomorrow night at a not so cheap place, and offered to pay for it. I had the money before a trip to Target and a few smaller things that ate it up. I am returning an item to Target and I had some money in savings to cover my ass (I was all excited to be a grown up and pay for a *nice* dinner for us for once) but I am really hoping I get some paychecks in the mail today. I am not really banking on it (ha ha) but it sure would be nice. I did the responsible thing and paid off a credit card last week and shredded it so we wouldn’t use it. Had I not done one of those things, I wouldn’t be in this crunch. Being responsible sucks big fat monkey balls sometimes.

I had put off buying those raffle tickets for Michael and Sara. I reminded myself last night talking to Leila, so I totally bought their tickets on Friday the 13th. I hope they win. Had I not bought the tickets I’d have the money too lol

I told Michael to bring the tattoo equipment back in the house – he needs to bring tubes home from work. I have had three people in the past two weeks buy “guns” and start right out working on people. I did the apprentice thing and worked on fruit (not the human kind) and said fuck it because I got bored and irritated and stagnant. The green monster pushed me out of my rut and while I am not down with attacking my own legs (I am a snob. I have one godawful piece not done by an apprentice, I do not need godawful pieces done by people who don’t know what the fuck they are doing, and that includes me. I am a hypocrite and I don’t know what I am going to work on that isn’t fruit, but I’ll figure something out.) I do have a couple of simple pieces I had planned to be my first pieces on myself. While truly I believe I can do anything, this makes me nervous and Michael didn’t stroke my ego enough to make me think I was ready for people. Maybe I’m not. We’ll see I guess.

I used my not-so-fancy and not-so-new lights from my uncle to take some photos the other night. I was super happy with some, not thrilled with others, but I was in a hurry and was distracted by children, so all in all it was a great learning experience.

I am putting together a box of stuff for the craft swap. It’ll be fun!

I want this but I cannot justify 40$ for an electric paper punch, plus the extra for supplies to make cute little books. Too many people already sell them on etsy to try and fool myself into selling them and recouping my money. I love little books though and I will be making some with my manual paper punch, paper, ribbon and the kids later today.

Hows that for stream of consciousness?

We had dinner with my Aunt, Uncle, Gram, Zaide, and the eight of us. My Aunt & Uncle got the kids gifts. Mal got visibly upset because he got a smaller bag than the other two. He is quiet enough and was talking into my neck enough that we passed it off as him being tired. Poor guy. He got over it quick enough (he got a very cool card game, as did Eshiva, but hers was packaged in a bigger box, and Dor got a ball that was not inflated, but it was packaged bigger too) but we felt bad for him. I remember how I felt getting a gift that I thought sucked when everyone else got cool stuff.

We bought boxes today. I am packing up our breakfront full of crap so I can get rid of the breakfront and sub out something much smaller. All the “crap” in there were my folks wedding fits, my moms owl collection, our “Jew” stuff and some misc. tchotchkes. Dad is asking why I am keeping it. I can’t bear to tell him it’s because I’m a girl and I am emotionally attached to anything that I feel still reminds me of mom. It’s getting better, I’m not saving *everything* some of it really is crap.

I told Michael to box up the tattoo stuff and take what he can to work – I haven’t drawn in over six months, and I haven’t set up the machines in almost as long. I went as far as looking through the stencils today and I just wasn’t feeling it.

My uncle is trying to find a cheap way to send me his studio lights, and we’re going to build a backdrop stand from PVC sometime soon after they arrive. I’m pretty excited about that. I also hinted that I’d be happy to take any other old equipment he isn’t using off his hands and give it a good home (he said he’d like to see his lights get some use in a good home) so maybe I’ll get some other surprise goodies too

I think I might branch out into printing some general greeting cards and stuff. Nothing in big batches, little micro batches I can list at my leisure to sell.

Cliff Bar brand put out organic twisted fruit leather things – I picked up a box on impulse today. They worked out to about fifty cents a package and the kids love them. One full fruit serving in there! Score!

I am back on my “mostly raw” raw diet. I put on a pair of size 10s this morning. I got them on, and had disgusting muffin top BUT I got them on and buttoned. I could not do that even last week. I took them off and put on a comfy pair of size 16s that fall off unless I belt them down. A few more weeks, I think, and I can dig out at least six pair of pants that I haven’t been able to wear for longer than I care to admit.

I’ve been food shopping at the WalMart food store. This should go in confess I guess, but I spent 200$ where I’d normally have spent over 300$ so I don’t care that bad. It’s not like they are putting Publix out of business or anything.

I <3 my dreads. I feel bad putting wax and crap in them, but I need them to look good and not like I am wearing a rabid mop on my head. All in all, it’s working and I am pleased with them and have not threatened to brush them out or cut them off. Yay!

I think that’s it. I am feeling restless and I want to be doing all these things and I just can’t pick one to focus on, so I am kind of doing like, 5 – 10 minutes of a lot of things. It sucks.