The Things We Do For Love

Finn has been going on and on for days about getting a box for Halloween. When I pick him up from school he talks about the box. At night before bedtime, he talks about the box. As Im running errands, he goes on and on and on about what he wants to do to it and how big it has to be and why he wants to use markers instead of colored pencils and where he's going to put it in his room. On Wednesday of this week he informed me that if I get the box from the post office, it might be cheaper than at a store because the rates are from the government. Did I know the US government is in charge of the post office? Why yes, Finner. I did know that. Thank you. :)

Anyone who knows Finn understands that the kid never lets up when he has something on his mind. Never. He will talk your ear off day and night, barely breathing in between his words. He doenst understand non verbal cues very well so ignoring him doesnt stop his behavior. You actually have to say to him "Finn, I dont want to talk about this anymore" to make him stop and even then, he wont stop for long.

Now you might be guessing that this box is part of his Halloween costume, right? A reasonable person would assume that, but no. Its not. Apparently he wants to hide in the box and pop out - scaring his friends James, Jeremy and Ryan when they open their front door on Halloween. The box is merely a prop and has absolutely nothing to do with his Jango Fett costume.

Yeah. That's my Finn.

Every day and all week long he has talked my head off about this box. Yesterday after school we finally went and bought it.

He is overjoyed.

Happy Friday.

Me Gusta! - VWs

This is a 1978 VW bus - the same car I drove when I first learned how to drive. Our VW bus was brown and my friends and I nicknamed it "the whale." I have so many great memories of that bus. I was the first of my friends to get a driver's license so I spent many days picking up friends and dropping them off. It was the first car I drove like it was my own. It wasnt mine of course, but it felt like it was when I was 16 years old.

Here is the only picture I have of our VW bus. Thats me and my youngest sister, Miranda. My dad is on the right.

As I said before, I learned to drive in the whale. It wasnt easy. Vista is a hilly place and the whale was a four gear stick shift that didnt go into reverse easily. I stalled out all the time - sometimes with a line of cars in back of me. The whale wasnt fast either. Im sure my parents were grateful for that fact. Im guessing the whale topped out at about 60 mph, but I cant be sure. Even though the speedometer read up to 80, the needle would bounce in place at 55 and go no further. Sometimes the light in the dashboard would go out for no reason and a several times the whale would pop out of fourth spinning idly out of gear while I was driving. But I loved that car. I dont think I ever really knew how much I loved it until my parents sold it.

I only drove the whale for about 9 months, but I have a lot of memories in it. I used to pick up my best friend Linnea each day and drive her to school with me. I will never forget driving to her house that very first morning. In my excitement, I misjudged a curve on Foothill Drive and fishtailed all over the street. It really freaked me out and I never drove fast in that car, on that curve again. Another random memory is the time the muffler fell off in my high school parkinglot. I was leaving softball practice with a friend and as I went over a speed bump it broke off completely. The whale had a very particular hum (all VWs do,) but when the muffler fell off it was replaced by a horrible, loud sound. I looked in the review mirror and although I didnt know what the metal item in the street was, I figured I needed to retrieve it. That muffler was so large that it took both my friend and me to pick it up and put it in the car.

This is random, but if you look at the picture of our bus, you can see that its missing the VW in the front. It fell off one day- no reason why. When my parents sold the car, I kept the VW and had it hanging with some curling ribbon on a mirror in my room. When I left for college, the VW emblem went with me and when I returned home after four years, it returned too. I still have it someplace. Its probably in a box in my garage. I will never get rid of it... not ever. That car was my first taste of VW love and everyone knows that first love is impossible to shake.

Happy Thursday.

Another One Bites the Dust

Thomas(ina) the Gecko Lizard died Monday, October 26, 2009.
He was six years old.
Thomas(ina) is survived by his owner Seamus McGarvey of Vista, CA and by relatives Matt, Finn and Lisa McGarvey.
He was purchased for Seamus by his father in 2003.
For years Thomas(ina) lived as a male in the male domniated McGarvey household.
In late 2006, he was discovered to be female.
Thomas(sina) enjoyed meal worms, nocturnal romps in his aquarium and hot temperatures.
He had recently been battling a fatal illness. His death was not sudden.
Services were held Monday in the McGarvey backyard.
May s/he rest in peace.

I Know I'll Go Crazy If I Dont Go Crazy Tonight

Im dead tired today because I stayed up way past my bedtime watching a U2 concert last night. Did I drive to Pasadena's Rose Bowl to see them? No, I didnt. I wanted to. I wanted to get tickets badly, but they sold out in like 2 minutes! I mentioned more than once this weekend that Matt and I needed to drive up to Pasadena and buy some tickets from a scalper, but thankfully we didnt have to. U2 decided last week to stream their final California concert live on youtube and the four McGarveys were ready. Matt got everything ready so we could watch it on the tv and we allowed the kids stay up past their bedtime to watch the beginning of the concert. They saw the first 7 songs; Matt saw the first two hours; I saw the entire concert. It was awesome! U2 is probably my favorite music group so watching U2 together - live but in the privacy of our living room - is a memory I will not soon forget. A couple highlights were when Magnificent came on and Finn danced all over the living room. Seamus was mortified by his crazy dancing, but I secretly loved it. Another time, all four of us sat on the couch singing the lyrics to "I Still Havent Found What Im Looking For." At the time I thought to myself "Im going to remember this moment." It was very special for me hearing all four of us singing the same lyrics, by heart, together.

A friend just told me that U2 is going to be coming back to Cali in 2010. Im going to make the vow now: I will be there. I may be there with Matt. I may be there with the boys. It would AWESOME to see them live together. But with or without my boys, I will be there.

Im leaving you with a picture I took last night while we were waiting for the concert to start. I took it with the timer.



Goodnight, sweet prince. :)

Can You Read My Mind?

There are so many little things buzzing around in my head this morning. Lists of things to be done. Lists of things I need to buy. Lists of things that need to be fixed, etc. Ideas flutter into my head in the strangest places too - while Im in the car; while Im in the shower; as Im filing papers at the school. Its hard sometimes for me to prioritize what is necessary stuff (dishes being loaded; grocery shopping; making lunch; planning dinner) and what can be put off for another day ( making latest playlist; sending cards; writing minutes for MMM; writing blog posts.) Here' a glimpse of what Ive been thinking of today:

- I really want to buy that huge map print at Ikea. Ive had my eye on it for a while and I think it will look perfect on the wall behind the computer. Alas.... its $200. I know its canvas and its really large, but Im going to have a hard time convincing Matt to buy it when its that much. Maybe if I go down to the grocery store and unload a bunch of the change from our change container I'll have 1/4 of what is needed to buy it. Its a start right?

-Ive been drinking a lot of iced tea lately. Feels good to be off diet coke for going on 9 months. While drinking iced tea is good, buying it from Carls Jr. daily isnt. $2.17 x 7 days a week = too much money for me to be spending.

-I have no idea what Im going to make for dinner tonight. Im going to take my cookbooks to school and pick up groceries on the way home. Planning dinner is the one daily chore I consistently dread. Ironically, I think planning/making dinner was the one daily chore that my mom enjoyed when I was growing up. Strange.

-I hate my cat. I had to pick up so much damn hair off the couch today. Its so gross. Makes me grumpy to even think of that cat.

-Im contemplating putting an entry in for our school's chili cookoff in November. I most likely wont, but the idea of entering is tantalizing. I cant quite figure out why. I dont even like chili, but I got a recipe recently and its got the wheels in my head turning.

- My sister Jennifer came over last night to pick me up for our MMM meeting. We had just finished eating dinner and she expressed shock (and doubt??) that we eat at the table for dinner. The kids were doing homework on the floor because there were still dishes on the table and upon seeing the mess she said "Do you guys eat at the table? I thought you ate at the counter." Nope. We at the dinner table. See picture below.

Usually Im sitting where Dama Shan is sitting, but I think I was going to WW the night I took these pictures so I was eating later.

- I gotta figure out what lucky family member gets to take to and from my dentist appt tomorrow. Any takers?

Ok... thats it from me.
Happy Thursday. :)

Me Gusta! - Monsters of Folk

Monsters of Folk were in town last night. I heard them doing some live stuff on the radio yesterday and ran home to pick up a few songs. The band is being heralded as an indie super group because of the participants: Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes; Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket; and M. Ward of She and HIm. Thats a pretty cool line up if you ask me. I snagged a bunch of songs from their album but one of my favorite songs is called "The Sandman the Brakeman and Me." It sounds like fall - the days becoming shorter; leaves floating down from the trees; cooler days and crisp nights in flannel sheets. Its acoustic and very atmospheric sounding. Check it out.

Happy Wednesday.

Say Nope to Dope and Ugg to Drugs

This week is Red Ribbon Week at the boys' school. They make a pledge to not do drugs and do activities throughout the week to reinforce their vow to a drug free life. Each day of the week the kids are able to stray away from their rigid uniform policy and celebrate the no drugs agenda in a fun, outward way. Monday was "Shade out Drugs" and the kids were encouraged to wear sunglasses to school. Thursday is "Put a Cap On Drugs" and the kids can wear crazy hats to school. Today's theme was "Team Up Against Drugs" and the kids were told they could wear jeans and a team jersey to school.

You know what our boys wore right?

That's right - Steeler jerseys. Finn was all for it. He was all excited to get his Polamalu jersey on. Seamus was different. At first he wanted to wear his soccer jersey from last year. This struck both Matt and me as odd, but we knew he was serious when he tore through his wardrobe looking for the jersey. He couldn't find it. Next he decided he would wear his Arizona Diamondback jersey from his last year's little league team. This was definitely strange to me so I asked "Whats going on, Shea? We have your Steeler jersey right here. Is there some reason you dont want to wear it?" He told me "no" and put on the Steeler jersey without complaint or resistance.

On the way to school we talked about the days events. I told the boys I was sure they would get some grief about their Steeler jerseys (they did last year during Red Ribbon Week) but I reminded them to be respectful and not gloat. Our record and history stands for itself; there was no reason to talk smack. The Chargers lost last night and I figured that their Charger loving classmates might be vocal at them for wearing Steeler jerseys. I told them it was ok - that it was understandable, but to keep their heads up high. There was absolutely nothing to be ashamed about. And that's when Seamus piped in:

"But we like the Chargers too, right Mama? Its not like we arent Charger fans. Its not like Im happy if they lose. I want them to win too."

I agreed with him. The three of us have been and are being raised in San Diego. Of course we like the Chargers, but the Steelers are our team. That apparently wasnt what Seamus wanted to hear so he continued:

"I mean, the only time that I dont root for the Chargers is when they play the Steelers. Thats the only time. Otherwise, I want the Chargers to win too. I watched the game last night; I like the Chargers."

Wow. This was an illuminating conversation for me. I never knew Seamus thought this way about the Chargers. I mean, we are Steeler people. Not just regular fans either- we are super fans. Seamus watches every game with us. He knows the players. He knows the coach. He knows the Rooneys. He gets it. But after a few minutes it dawned on me that what he was feeling and talking about is totally characteristic of a typical middle schooler. In middle school, most kids dont want to stand out - they want to blend in. They want to feel included in their social group. They want to feel homogeneous. Seamus showing up at school today in his Steeler jersey stands out big time and its possible that he doesnt like how that feels. He's different from the many Charger jersey wearing kids in his class and given his strong personality, it never occurred to me that he might not like how that feels. It never occurred to me that my confident little boy might not know how to deal with those conflicting feelings - of wanting to feel included, but also loving something that is different.

Im going to have to revisit this topic with him later. Id love to talk to him more about it, without him getting all uncomfortable. Poor Seamus. Sometimes I get the impression that he would rather talk to ANYONE but me about "heavy stuff", but "me" is what he's got.

Happy Tuesday.

Monday, Monday, Cant Trust that Day

We had a great weekend in Joshua Tree but it went super fast. I didnt take many pictures this trip. Thats ok. Sometimes it feels good to be involved in whats going on vs. observing everything through a lens. I was involved this trip. We packed in alot of good stuff given the small amount of time we were gone. Hiking and geo caching and climbing. We had a good time.

But now its Monday and its been a busy one. My to-do list is a mile long and I havent accomplished much of it.

I better get going. More later.

Happy Monday.

And I Wanna Sleep With You In The Desert Tonight

Ive been packing for the past 24 hours. Pretty soon, we'll be off to Joshua Tree! Almost everything is ready. Water - check. Food - check. Music -check. Matt and our friend Jonathan went "advance party" yesterday. Everything is ready for our arrival. Tents - check. Sleeping bags - check. Misc. camping gear - check. Although I love camping at J Tree, Im more excited then usual. First off, its gonna be hot. Ive never camped in Jtree when it was hot. We always bring jeans and hoodies and long sleeve shirts, but this weekend its all about shorts and sunblock. This is totally a first. Primarily, though, I think Im excited because family and friends are joining us this time. Barb flew out from Texas specifically to go camping. Im so happy she's here. My brother in law Barry and my nephew Eli are joining us. Barry is a total desert guy, but Im pretty sure this is Eli's first overnighter in J Tree. And our friends, the Cuynos, are doing their first Joshua Tree camping trip with us too. Even though we've been camping out there for years, the idea of going with other people is really exciting.

In the spirit of Joshua Tree, I thought I would share some random J Tree pics of our family camping in years past. Note the third picture down - that is my baby Finn in the foreground. When I saw that picture I squealed. He looks so tiny!
Anyhoo, happy Friday.

They Call Me Yuck Mouth...

Can you see in there? My mouth was pretty messed up yesterday, but today its much better thanks to Dr. Englert at Sycamore Dental Associates. Thank you, Dr. E! Up on the top right side of my mouth are two teeth prepped and ready for their brand new crowns. Dr. E drilled and drilled and drilled. Thank God for the Xanax. When I am "under the influence" I can hear the drills and even feel the different vibrations of them in my mouth, but it doesnt freak me out. Its the most bizarre experience cause normally Im a nightmare at the dentist office. What is the name for an irrational fear of the dentist? Whatever it is, I have it. With Xanax I typically fall asleep during the procedure. Isnt that amazing? I just love that. Yesterday I fell asleep for a chunk of the procedure but I dreamt that I was drowning in a swimming pool. When I woke up, I was gasping for air and Dr. E had to calm me down a bit. A few minutes later, I was asleep again. Ahhhhhhhhhh!

Barb drove me to and from the office. I cant drive when Im on Xanax. I was at the dentist from 9am -12:30 then came home and napped until it was time to get the boys. As the day wore on, I began to feel really miserable. I was experiencing a lot of pain in my mouth - bad pain. Normally I feel sore, but in previous root canals I hadnt felt sharp pain. Yesterday afternoon and evening, I was feeling really bad, sharp pain. I could feel my mouth throbbing and that pain would come intermittently. It was really horrible and was making me super cranky. Thankfully, Barb and Matt took over and I went to bed early with a vicodin.

This morning Im feeling 100% better. Wooo hooooo! My jaw/mouth/gums are sore, but its not a painful feeling at all. It feels like I had my mouth open for a long time. I'll probably have to watch what I eat on that side, but Im so thankful things seem to have gone fine.

I never thought Id be thankful for a dentist, but today Im feeling very grateful. Dr. Englert is one cool guy.

Happy Wednesday.

Are You Ready for some Football?

Seamus had his second flag football game yesterday with the St. Francis JV team. Since it was Columbus Day, Matt had the day off and was able to see the game along with me and Dama Shan. That was pretty cool. Our team didnt score and Im pretty sure the other team got three touchdowns against us, but our team is very young. They are learning and improving with each game.

Seamus had an interception yesterday and I was soooooo stoked to get some shots of it. Lucky me.



That's my boy! I was wildly excited for him. It is his first interception ever.

In other news, Im getting ready to go in and have more of my root canal work this morning. I just took some Xanax a few minutes ago and Im already feeling the effects. I better go and make myself some breakfast before Im too incoherent to do it.
Wish me luck. I fell asleep while they were doing it last week so Im really hoping for a repeat.

Happy Tuesday (except for me who is gonna be out of it for the next several hours.)

Thank You For Being A Friend

For the past two days, Finn has been in hog heaven because he's been spending lots of time with his best friends: James, Jeremy and Ryan. On Saturday we went biking at Walnut Grove Park. Finn is still in training wheels but Ryan and James were so sweet to him during our ride. When Finn wanted to stop, they stopped. When he needed a break, they'd break. It was really touching to see how encouraging and sensitive they were to Finn's ability and needs.

Now these two (Jeremy and Seamus and Jackson, who isnt pictured) were gone within minutes of us getting to the park. This is pretty much the only picture I got of them. They have the same style of playing: competitive, fast paced, accelerated, active.

But Finn, Ryan and James were all on the same page yesterday. I loved watching them play. Boys play in such a different way than girls and I really never got to see that before I had my sons. Boys explore. They roam. They collect sticks and rocks and keep them like treasures. They find little alcoves in bushes and make them into forts. Boys take each adventure as it comes and ramble into the next. They are oblivious to time or space. Its honest to God a joy to watch.

In other news, its Sunday and you know what that means...

GO STEELERS!
Happy Sunday.

Spooky Nights

I was sitting outside with Matt and Barb tonight. Its chilly. Fall is definitely here. As we were sitting out there I was reminded of this picture I got last week.

This is no joke legit. Its a bit blurry because my camera was having a hard time focusing in the lower light.
Pretty creepy, eh? I can almost hear the headless horseman riding down the street when I look up into this sky.

Dama Shan Is Back In Town

My mother in law, Barb, is back in town for a couple weeks. We've planned a trip to Joshua Tree soon so she flew out to join us. I cant wait to go. The boys were thrilled to see her when we picked them up from school. Within minutes of being home, Seamus had Barb doing all sorts of things. She was out playing ball with him for a bit yesterday afternoon and even convinced her to go watch his soccer practice - all 2 hours worth. Arent grandma's the best. :)

While Seamus and Dama Shan were kicking around the ball, Finn busied himself with paper airplanes. Im going to have to write a post on that soon. Finn is so into them lately. You should see all the planes he makes.

Im off to walk with friends this morning. Exercise is a good thing, right? Im trying... I really am.

Happy Friday, Peeps.

Good Day, Sunshine!

Mornings are some of the hardest times of the day in Casa de McGarvey. Some reasons include:
-we wake up super early; before 6am
-feeding the boys breakfast is a problem. They have no appetite in the am.
-Simple things like brushing teeth and picking clothes off the floor still require constant reminders from me.
-Seamus is not a morning person. He's super grumpy most mornings.
-Finn is a morning person and his good mood usually clashes with Seamus' bad one.
-I am not a morning person and spend my time reacting to my sons' shenanigans instead of planning ahead.
Mornings have been like this for years: turbulent. When a morning goes by that is calm and without battles, Im always surprised and appreciative.

Last year, Matt got to participate in our perennial morning production of "Hell on Earth" (aka:morning routine.) For the very first time in our children's academic lives, Matt's job was local and because there was no commute he was able to get ready with us in the mornings and even take Seamus to school each day. As can be expected, our mornings proved very difficult for him. Matt often left our house in a bad mood and/or late - a bad start for me as a stay at home mom, but an even more precarious beginning for a working professional. I didnt think our mornings could get worse, but with Matt in the mix they seemed to. Instead of two people upset in the mornings, it was three people. Instead of one person in tears over something, there were two or three. That one extra person was enough to really mess up what was already a problematic situation. Thankfully, Matt switched jobs this summer and that change forced him out of our morning routine. He now has to leave 45 minutes before us in order to get to work on time. Although I was a bummed to lose "my comrade in arms," I was also secretly happy he was able to get out and start his morning fresh without our daily havoc.

Even though Matt is not part of our mornings anymore, I believe his time with us last year has made him more sensitive to what I go through each day. He knows how hard it can be and he tries to help me when he's not around. For example: this year, Matt began the new routine of setting out the kids' clothes before he leaves. I can not tell you how much time and drama this one little act has saved me. What started out as a thoughtful act on my husband's part has now turned into a necessary, daily ritual. I depend on it like I depend on breakfast. Matt sometimes leaves before the kids wake up, but even when he's in a rush he'll make sure the boys' uniform, underwear and socks are set out for the start of a new day. I love it and I love him.

I hope your morning was a good one today. Mine wasnt (shocker!,) but Im already getting over it. :)
Happy Tuesday!

Its A Miracle... A True Blue Spectacle

Finn and Matt are at a cub scouts campout this weekend. They left Friday afternoon. Seamus is not a scout and we arent going to allow him to be. I know that sounds bad, but Seamus is involved in many different sports year round. Currently he is playing both soccer and flag football at the same time. It can be a scheduling nightmare and especially hard on Finn who doesnt play any sports, but is dragged along to all his brother's games and practices. You see, my youngest son is not a coordinated and/or athletic person. He has little interest in sports; they're just not Finn's thing. However, we wanted Finn to be involved in something, preferably something semi active that doesn't raise comparisons to his athletic, older brother. Cub scouts is perfect and it also allows Matt and Finn some one on one time too.

Today on the way back from the store, Seamus said to me:

"You know, I kind of miss Finn. Its sort of boring without him around."

Put that one in the history books, people! Seamus actually misses his brother. Awwwwwww!

Happy Saturday.