Saturday, May 30, 2009

I heart local food.


{Hooray for my 500th post! Why do I feel obligated to mention that? I don't know.}


After reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I was sold on supporting local food. The best way I could think of to do that was to go to the farmers' market every Saturday and get my produce for the week. Today was my 3rd time going, I think.
The first week we (yes, WE, Andrew was home! Imagine that!) bought rhubarb (with which I made a delicious strawberry rhubarb pie), asparagus (used for an asparagus gruyere tart), kale (which unfortunately never got used and went bad...boo for me wasting food), and basil plant (pictured above, with me), and two potato plants. ((Wow, that sentence had a LOT of paretheses.))
Last week we bought some fresh artisan pasta (basil garlic fettucine, which was hands-down the best pasta I've ever eaten and totally worth the $7 a pound), and I think that's all. We stopped there on our way home from Anacortes, and the kids were pretty tired. I think after the meltdown waiting in line for local Greek food, we took ourselves to our local home and took a nap. We were all localled out.
Today I was excited as ever to go. Pulling up to the market makes my heart pound with excitement every time. I always manage to score an awesome parking spot right on the street. Today we skipped the sidewalk vendors selling wood carvings and candles and went straight to the road in back. Eva loves going because there are at least 758 dogs within view at any given moment. Most of our market conversations go like this.
Eva: Doggy! I wanna pet him?
No, we can't pet the doggy. But you can say hi to the doggy.
Repeat 200 times before market time is over.
But I don't mind.
My purchases for today included more rhubarb (I think I'll try a raspberry-rhubarb pie this time, found in this month's Cooking Light), a bag of spinach (to make a spinach quiche), and some things that I can't remember what they're called, but they look like green onions with a little bulb on the bottom and you use them just like green onions. Green onions are probably my favorite thing (especially on potato soup), so I had to try them.
I have a favorite booth that I always try to buy from, because she's so dang cute. She's nice to me and always says hi to the kids, her produce is awesome, and her prices are the same as everyone else's. I need to figure out the name of the farm. I'm a loyal customer.
I'm really hoping that next week some strawberries will start rolling in. I picked the first one of my plant the other day. It tasted a little weird...I'm not sure why. But if my plant is producing and all I do is water it, then I'm sure the professional strawbverry-growers are bound to be getting a crop soon. As much as I love rhubarb, I'm really looking forward to a more abundant selection at the farmers' market.
Although I haven't yet come close to getting all my produce for the week (I still buy non-local broccoli and bananas), I think I'll get there. I'm pretty sure I will shop at the farmer's market as long as I live.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Blog vandalism

Well, I had written a great blog post. One of my best ever, I'm sure. But Andrew deleted it. He didn't like it. So now you'll always have to wonder what was here in this space...

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Will I ever get used to this?


I ask myself this every time Andrew leaves. He is currently on his 11th (I think) 10-day trip. The first few were certainly the hardest in terms of saying good-bye. We would hug for the last time, and then I would watch him walk out the door. Inevitably, I would have tears streaming down my face as I watched him get in the car and drive off. Immediately, I started the adventure with a prayer. I begged for strength to sustain me until my other half got home. And inevitably, I would get the strength I needed. Of course, there have been hard moments - or days - but I have felt undeniably strengthened during my single-mom sojourns.

Last trip just may have been the hardest for me. We were coming off a long period (almost 4 weeks) of Andrew being home, and I think I had gotten used to having him around again. The whole time he was gone, I just kept thinking about the upcoming deployment, and it loomed over my head like a thundercloud. I thought, "If I am having a hard time with a 10-day trip, how in the world am I ever going to survive 120 days?" The weather was gloomy and gray, and I found myself depressed. I cried multiple times every day. I felt weak and helpless.

When he finally got home, all was well again. It was to be his last trip for the deployment, and I had my heart set on having him home for the next month. We planned a trip to celebrate his birthday. Then, on Tuesday, he came home with bad news. He told me over the phone while driving home.

"Honey," he said, and then paused for an abnormally long time. Finally, "I'm going on a trip."

I laughed, certain he was joking. "Yeah, a trip with me. Of course you are."

More silence. "No, I'm serious. I'm going on a trip."

Of course, I broke down crying. Oh, the injustice! How could they do this to us? My life is horrible, it's so unfair. Etc., etc. I mentally cancelled our weekend trip with a heart full of anger. He had only been home 6 days. Would we ever live a normal life?

The night before he left, on Thursday, I decided to go on our weekend trip after all. I would - once again - celebrate his birthday without him. I had a place to stay and nothing holding me back at home, so off we went, just a few hours after Andrew left.

The trip was fun. It wasn't the awesomest thing I've ever done, as it was my first time travelling with both kids alone. But we had a good time, and we survived. But the turning point in my heart was when we got back home yesterday afternoon. I walked in the door and instantly felt overwhelmingly happy to be back home. Even without Andrew, this is my HOME. And I love it. I love everything about my home. I felt strong for having taken on a trip by myself. And I felt...normal.
Andrew being gone is getting more normal to me. And you know what? That's okay. Of course there is not an hour that goes by that I don't wish he was home. Crawling into bed, wishing he was there to talk to. Seeing the kids do hilarious things and feeling sad he is missing it. But it's normal. This is what we have chosen to do, and slowly but surely, I am getting used to it. I know there will still be hard days, and I know this deployment won't be easy by a long shot. But I can do it. I will never stop missing him. But I think I will get used to this after all.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Friend wanted

Okay, blog readers. I need one of you to do me a HUGE favor. Or more than one, if I get really lucky. I need a friend to go with me to Hawaii. For a scrapbook retreat. In October. I am going, but I really don't want to go alone. If any of you feel like spending some good quality time on the beach with yours truly and you have about $1200 to spare, please leave me a comment and tell me. The cost for the scrapbook retreat with hotel included is $995. A round-trip plane ticket will be about $380. I am booking it on June 1st.
Here is the link to the retreat, called Sun and Scissors. Here is the link to the hotel we will stay at: the Mariott on Waikoloa Beach. (Warning: if you look at the pictures of the resort, it will be really hard for you to say no.) October 15-19. I am not kidding about this. Someone, please go with me? Chelsey? Chanel? Katie Whitby? Any takers?
(Mind you, it's not like I am ultra rich and have extra money just floating around. And this is not something I would ever consider doing otherwise. But this is my special treat while Andrew is deployed from June to November. But hey, everyone deserves a special treat. Please, come with me.)

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

One thing that really stinks about being a military family

is all the missed holidays.

You have no choice but to celebrate them on a different day. Which is fine, but it significantly decreases the excitement, in my mind. So far we have had to do that with Christmas and Mothers' Day, which isn't terrible considering Andrew has been flying for 8 months now.

But now we include on the list Andrew's birthday. He is turning 27 today. Or perhaps he already did, since he is several hours ahead of me in some foreign time zone. But in America, the county in which he was born, his birthday is today. And I'm okay with celebrating every other holiday on a different day - except a birthday. Because it's THE DAY HE WAS BORN. He wasn't born next Monday. He was born TODAY, 27 years ago. And birthdays are meant to be celebrated on the exact and specific day of birth.

It bothers me thinking that nobody will celebrate him today. He probably won't even mention to his crew that it's his special day, and they will all go about their business. He won't get a special breakfast or get to eat his favorite dinner on the special red plate. He won't get sung to or get a cake and candles. He won't get any presents or phone calls from family - because he is nowhere near a phone. Birthdays are a big deal to me, and it's a big deal that he's gone for it.

So honey, wherever you are in this world, happy birthday. We will celebrate you today, even if you won't know it. And we'll do it again when you get home - cake and presents and all. We love you. Happy 27 years - I'm glad I get to spend the next million with you.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Spring cleaning lives on, and my new drug

It's not that I haven't been spring cleaning. It's just that my energy for it petered out just a little. So I have no pictures. But I did the bathrooms (halfheartedly) yesterday. They were organized, just not deep cleaned. But I'm not too worried, because I deep clean them every other week. Today was the kids bedrooms. I did Eva's closet, which took all of about 5 minutes. I had already sorted through all their clothes a couple months ago, so there wasn't much work to be done - just emptying the drawers and putting things back where they belong. I didn't get to Leighton's closet. But I have a really good excuse.

It's called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver.

I simply can't put it down. It's not an adventure novel with a dazzling plot, by any means. But it is TRUE. This book is true. It's not scripture or anything, but it's as close as secular literature gets, I'm convinced. More to come later...right now I'm going to read some more. But READ THIS BOOK. It most likely will change your life. It certainly has mine.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

A brief history of my own Mothers' Days

Sunday, May 13, 2007 - My first Mothers' Day. Also Andrew's birthday. Eva was 1-1/2 months old.















Sunday, May 11, 2008 - Not my best one. Remember, Eva hit poor Matthew Willis at church and made me all embarassed. I thought Melanie wouldn't be my friend anymore. Little did I know she would become one of my closest friends ever. Eva was 14 - 1/2 months old, and I was over 7 months pregnant with Leighton.








Sunday, May 10, 2009 - Eva is 2 years and almost 2 months. Leighton is 10 months. I am happy to report that this is my first Mothers' Day in my life where I am not pregnant or carrying around a newborn. Feels pretty good. :) (No picture yet - I'll take one after church.)

Events of my day so far: I kicked off the celebration with a bang at 3am when I went around to wake up the kids and tell them how awesome I was. Oh, wait. Actually, they woke me up, both screaming at the same time at 3am, telling me how awesome it is that I still have to wake up in the middle of the night for them. Maybe next year I'll get a full nights' sleep...

Eva came in my room around 6:30. I turned on The Testaments movie for her to allow myself another 15 minutes of half-sleep. I gave up, made the bed, and came downstairs to make cinnamon rolls (from a can) for myself. I got a sweet email from Andrew, in a faraway land, wishing he could be home with me for the day, and also telling me that my gift was to be a sewing machine! I have been wanting one of those for quite some time, and I'm very excited.

We ate cinnamon rolls - I used the red "You are Special" plate - and I got Leighton out of his crib. Now we are enjoying this beautiful Sunday morning and delaying getting ready for church.
Today is a day for celebrating being a mother. As I reflect on being a mom, I realize that I am simultaneously a far better and a far worse mother than I ever thought I would be. Things I never imagined I would care about - preparing good meals, keeping my house clean, wanting to have a garden - are incredibly important to me. I have grown in the last 2 years in ways I never dreamed of, and I honestly love who I am becoming. I make hundreds of mistakes every single day, but at the end of every day I feel good about my efforts. And that's exactly where I want to be.

Today is also a day for celebrating mothers I admire. First, my own mother. I used to think I would be so much better at this than she was. (Horrible, but true.) But now that I am in her shoes (minus 6 children), there are not enough words in this language to write an adequate tribute to her. She has sacrificed more and given more of herself than anyone I have ever met. I only hope that I can be as selfless as she has been. I love her with all my heart.

Second, my mother-in-law. She raised the most wonderful man in the world and prepared him to be a husband to me - someone who desperately needed someone like him. She taught him how to work and to love the Lord, and I will be forever grateful to her.

Third, my Aunt LaDawn. The older I get, the more I love Aunt LaDawn. She raised 11 children and taught them everything she knew. (And she knows a LOT.) Poetry, literature, history, respect for our great country and for the founding fathers, the value of hard work, and countless other things. In the relatively short amount of time I spent in their home, I also picked up on those important lessons. The things I learned from her are things I want to teach my children as well.
That's all I have time for right now. Perhaps more will come later, perhaps not. I regret not writing anything last year, except for a tirade about my embarassement. I love my kids with my whole heart and I'm so grateful to be their mother.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

The night before Mothers' Day: Things I Didn't Know I Would Become when I Became a Mother

When I entered into this career of motherhood, I knew certain things about it. I knew it would be hard. I knew I would do alot of cooking and cleaning and other such motherly things. But there are a few things that I have become that I never thought about before I became a mom. Oddly enough, the first few started with the letter "m." (How appropriate.) So I decided to just continue it until I couldn't think of any more M ones. :)

A mountain: Both in the sense that I am large (much larger than pre-mom days) and in the sense that people climb up and down me all day long. Fortunately, erosion does not apply. Or maybe, unfortunately. I sure wouldn't mind some erosion of my abdomen.

A maid: I knew being a mom would involve keeping the house clean. And I knew that my mom worked hard to keep our house clean. But until recently, I didn't have a foggiest idea of the incredible magnitude of that task. At the end of the day, I sometimes feel like all I have done is clean. Clean the kitchen, clean the dishes, clean up rooms, clean up poop, clean little bodies and teeth and ears...it never ends. I'm a cleaning machine. And yet, you wouldn't know that by looking at my house.

A magician: I seem to have inherited magic powers with the title of mother. When I kiss Eva's owies better, they magically disappear.

A musician: I am almost constantly singing to my kids. Singing to calm them down, singing while we dance, singing the clean-up song, singing to distract them, singing to bring the Spirit in our home, singing in the car, singing along to movies.

A man: Not in the physical sense. Obviously. But when Andrew is gone, as he so often is, I have to step in and play both roles. I can't say I'm very good at being a Dad, though. Come home, honey. Also, I have really short hair like a man. Or, as Andrew says, like a 14-year-old boy. And I look dang good with it.

A manicurist: No matter how often I cut those little nails, they still manage to scratch me at least once a day. I should just keep a pair of clippers around my neck at all times.

I have definitely expanded my resume. Don't you think?

Friday, May 8, 2009

Spring Cleaning Day 5: The Kitchen

No pictures today. I have to say I am pooped from a full week of hard work. Unfortunately, the kitchen still isn't completely finished. I still have to organize the junk drawer and mop the floor. But that shouldn't be too bad - I can finish tomorrow.

I threw out a bunch of stuff. An extra blender. Plastic baby spoons that have been caught in the disposal one too many times. Tea cups, which I have been saving for hot chocolate in the winter. But then when winter comes, I forget all about them, and they never get used. If only I was a coffee drinker, I would have ample use for all my mugs and teacups. But they will be going to a better home.

Actually, I didn't get rid of the things yet. I put them in my powder bath. Only because my dining room is too full for anything else, as it has about 100 cardboard boxes in there from my purging. And the recycling doesn't come till a week from today, and my bin is already brimming over. Where to put all this trash? I don't know. I'm seriously running out of dumping spaces.

After souring the sink until it sparkled this morning, it was time to make lunch. I tried to keep the mess to a minimum, but with two babies, a mess simply can't be helped. As I reluctantly poured the remains of our lunchtime soup down the drain, I felt surprisingly similar to another time in my life: right after I was baptized, at age 8. After I had been washed clean, I felt perfect. But, inevitably, I knew I wasn't going to stay perfect. The first time I yelled at my sister, just a few minutes after stepping out of the font, I felt like, "Dang it. I was only perfect for a few minutes." Same thing today. My sink was clean, but no sooner had I put down the scrub brush (actually, a toothbrush) than I was messing it up again. It was perfect only for a few minutes, until food tarnished its perfect surface yet again. Sigh. At least I know it will be clean again. Next May.

Thank heaven for the weekend.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Spring Cleaning Day 4: The Pantry

Sorry in advance about the horrible spacing on this post. I can't fix it no matter what I do. GRR.















I started working on the panrty at 8:35 this morning. Here is what it looked like this morning. I'm actually really embarassed of these pics - it's pathetically messy. Especially for having just been organized a few months ago.













Who just tosses cereal on top of an already messy pile of food? Apparently I do. Sorry to reveal so much about myself. :)









More formula cans than you can shake a stick at. Still unsure what to do with those...





















9:09am - the pantry was totally emptied, swept, and mopped.





9:12am - I wanted to crawl in a hole and die. I had no idea how to even start going through ALL that food. Decided to take a break for my mental health and take a shower and take care of my neglected children.




10:15am - started working again. Found several expired things (Crisco that expired in Sept. 2007 and I used it last month), threw away those and some other things.

3:35pm - The dining room table is empty. The pantry is all put back together. But somehow, in the process, my kitchen ended up looking like a tornado struck. (Has struck? Has stricken? My brain is out of batteries.) And now I'm slightly discouraged. I decided to walk away for a few minutes - after over 5 straight hours of organizing and rearranging, I am completely mentally exhausted.


Case in point: I am totally stressing out about what to do with this stupid impluse buy of a seasoning packet for buffalo wings. Like we ever even eat those. Should I throw it away? Should I save it? If I save it, where should I put it? It doesn't fit in any of my pantry categories...I need to go lie down. Or is it lay down? Oh my.
P.S. Please note that I started this post at 3:45pm. Blogger is throwing a fit and won't cooperate with all my pictures. It is now 45 minutes later, and I'm more annoyed than ever. My kitchen is still a mess. (I have a picture of it, but I'm too frustrated with Blogger to mess with it any longer.) Leighton is crying to get out of his crib. Oh my, squared.

One good reason to clean my house

LDS.org - Liahona Article - Mothers Who Know: "Mothers who know are nurturers. This is their special assignment and role under the plan of happiness.5 To nurture means to cultivate, care for, and make grow. Therefore, mothers who know create a climate for spiritual and temporal growth in their homes. Another word for nurturing is homemaking. Homemaking includes cooking, washing clothes and dishes, and keeping an orderly home. Home is where women have the most power and influence; therefore, Latter-day Saint women should be the best homemakers in the world. Working beside children in homemaking tasks creates opportunities to teach and model qualities children should emulate. Nurturing mothers are knowledgeable, but all the education women attain will avail them nothing if they do not have the skill to make a home that creates a climate for spiritual growth. Growth happens best in a “house of order,” and women should pattern their homes after the Lord’s house (see D&C 109). Nurturing requires organization, patience, love, and work. Helping growth occur through nurturing is truly a powerful and influential role bestowed on women."

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Spring Cleaning, Day 3: The Loft

My main task today was getting rid of toys and books. The upstairs is generally pretty clean - the kids don't eat up there, we have a shoes-off-in-the-house rule, so the carpet stays decent. I regularly dust, so that wasn't too big of a deal either.

The toys and books were another story. It's not that I buy my kids TONS of toys. I don't, because I don't believe they need that much stuff. But over the 2 years since we had offspring, we have somehow managed to collect a good amount of junk. Stuffed animals (almost against my religion, except for one or two per child) had piled up without my noticing. Hand-me-downs from friends and family and other random things had filled up our toy bins. And it was high time I get rid of it all. I have really taken to heart the quote in SimpleMoms ebook: "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." (William Morris)

I started by gathering every toy in the house and dumping them all into a pile. (And, of course, turning on a nursery rhyme show for Eva.)
My bins (from Target) were already sorted by toy, but they had gotten a little jumbled in the last couple months. So I went through everything, threw out the junk, put the decent-but-unwanted stuff in my "Donate" box, and sorted the rest.
I moved in the bookshelf from Eva's room and sorted most of the books on there. I did put a basket in each of the kids' rooms of books that are special to them. They each have a copy of "Love You Forever," Eva has her Pinkalicious and Purplicious and a few other favorites, and Leighton has some educational board books. I brought in a clock and picture frame from Leighton's room, and I love the way they look in there. I really like the full wall of kids' stuff. Across the room next to the couch, I'm going to get some extra throw pillows to make a little reading nook on the floor. But overall, I'm really happy with the new arrangement. Here's the finished product:
And here's the "Donate" bin with all the stuff I'm getting rid of. It really is cathartic to throw stuff away. Gosh, I think I'm turning into my mother.
As I looked back at this post, I realized I neglected to clean out the TV stand drawer and cabinet. Oops. I guess this isn't a true "after" picture after all. So here I go to finish the job.

Guess what we ate for lunch today?

Refried beans. Leighton's first time. Apparently, he likes them as much as his mama does. Although, I have learned that smearing them all over your face and clothing, and even giving yourself an extra eyebrow, is not socially acceptable. He, on the other hand, obviously has not. Who is this child's mother, anyway?












Dude, why are you crying? I'm the one who has to clean you up.
I won't even tell you how many paper towels that took. Normally I am quite conscious about the way I use (or waste) paper towels. But today, I was more concerned about my amount of laundry than saving the planet. Or saving money. Sometimes, it's just really worth it to be non-green.
I also won't tell you the havoc this spring cleaning is wreaking on my showering and personal attractiveness schedule. Although my house is clean, my hair is not. But hey - there's only 7 days left. All is well.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Spring Cleaning, Day 2: The Living Room (Part 2)

All the stuff I found when I moved the couch...

I vacuumed the ceiling, dusted every surface in sight, cleaned inside the coffee and end tables, cleaned the ceiling fan, and even vacuumed the piano keys.
Unfortunately, the sliding glass door only stayed sparkling clean for a few minutes. Then Eva put her little paws on there while watching the fence men in the backyard and left another handprint. It never ends...










I never got around to taking an "after" picture, as I was unavoidably detained by some obnoxious, weaseling (did I spell that right?) Kirby vacuum salesmen, a.k.a. Satan's sidekicks. (Learn from my mistake: DO NOT ANSWER THE DOOR.) At least I got my living room carpets shampooed for free...how convenient. Three hours later, they were gone...but by that point, it was dinner, YW visits, and bedtime. Now the lighting is too dark for a decent picture. But tomorrow I'll post one. I LOVE being in my living room - I don't even think it was this clean when we moved in. Every corner, every square inch of that room, is perfectly clean. (Well, except that handprint on the window, of course.) I can't wait until every room in my house looks and feels this amazing. I just might be addicted to this spring cleaning business.
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Spring Cleaning, Day 2: The Living Room (Part 1)

All stripped down bare (except for that one bookcase - we just rearranged those books there 2 weeks ago) and ready to be DEEP cleaned.

I spent over an hour going through our massive music collection and trying to pare it down a little. I am pretty sentimentally attached to all my classical books from my piano years, but I managed to get rid of a few. And, of course, organize it all alphabetically.
The dining room was where I piled all the stuff from the living room. It looked pretty awesome in there. Those are curtains hanging over the chairs. I didn't wash those ones because they are pretty new, but I did wash the blue ones - delicate cycle in the washer using vinegar instead of soap, and hung them on the banister to dry. Worked like a charm. But now I like my living room so much without curtains, I just might not put them back up.
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Monday, May 4, 2009

Spring Cleaning Day 1: Clean Sweep (Part 2)

My bathroom sink, before and after.


The loft, before and after. It's right outside the laundry room, and I generally fold laundry while watching TV in there, so there is usually a basket of folded clothes in there. Also, toys are always tossed on top of the toy shelf. I left some up there (a basket of books and the lego box) but organized them a little better.





Feels good to have that done. Now I'm ready to tackle deep cleaning the living room tomorrow! I did end up purchasing the eBook, Spring Cleaning for Normal People. Originally I thought it would be a waste of money and I could just get the info from her blog, but it was $7 WELL SPENT. I am so glad I bought it, and I recommend it if you are participating in this Spring Cleaning Party. One day down, 9 to go!
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Spring Cleaning Day 1: Clean Sweep (Part 1)


Forgot to take before shots of the scrapbook room, but I probably spent the longest on that room. The desk is HUGE, so it's generally where we stack things we don't want to deal with. I threw away LOTS in that room.

Living room, before and after. The coffee table is another "hot spot" where we stack things. Obviously. I didn't do any dusting or deep cleaning like I normally do on Mondays; I just cleared the surfaces. Got a little sidetracked and decluttered and organized the inside of the table...oops.
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Are you spring cleaning?

It's spring cleaning week. I am joining in the community of cleaners at Simple Mom, where she is directing a week of beautifying your home. I will be tracking my progress here on my blog. Today is day 1, "clean sweep." I've spent the last couple hours cleaning off surfaces and, in the process, throwing lots of unwanted things out. It feels great. So get cleaning!

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Attack of the killer duck

Kim is married! The wedding was great. Despite a few intensely stressful moments, we pulled it off with no serious hiccups. Kim was happier than I've ever seen her.

After it was all over yesterday afternoon, we had one incident that made me so angry, my blood boiled. Eva was out playing with the ducks with Andrew and her little cousin Tyler. They were feeding them grass (is anyone else surprised that ducks are grass-eaters? I never knew...), and the duck went INSANE. He reached out his puny little neck through the fence and grabbed onto Eva's lip. He was latched on, pinching hard, and Andrew finally thumped him hard on the head and he let go.

Andrew brought Eva in the house, screaming and bleeding from her little mouth. Unfortunately, this only fueled my non-love of animals. I went into a rage and had every intention of going to kick the duck to death or snap its neck. (I did neither, so PETA, relax. Although I'm thinking of starting PETCD - People for the Ethical Treatment of Children by Ducks.)

She stopped bleeding, my anger subsided, and all was well. Although a few hours later, Eva was still talking about the "mean duck" who gave her an owie and we should kick it. (She kicked Grandpa as a demonstration of what she wanted to do to the duck. Where did she get that idea?)

This morning, she was talking about how the duck gave her kisses and she wanted to go feed it grass again. So forgiving - maybe I should learn from her. Because next time a duck attacks my daughter, it is ON.