Icky afternoon plans.

I don't usually like to write about my personal stuff. I mean, we all have day to day crap - blah blah blah - who doesn't. BUT today I have an appointment that I have been waiting for awhile now. I have to have a Sonohystogram. The idea of saline being injected into me so that they can perform an ultrasound and then do a biopsy - well, doesn't sound pleasant. I was told I would have a little bit of light cramping and to take a few tylenol before-hand. What I was NOT told was that it would be mild DURING the procedure but afterwards I would cramp painfully, and not be able to even stand up or walk let alone drive myself home. I heard THIS nugget of info from a few moms (THANK YOU!). Of course my husband took the afternoon off to watch our two boys at home. And the appointment is all of the way across town. In the midst of the biggest highway construction project of the summer (yes, we only have 1 actual "highway" type of road to get through the entire city). During naptime. And I have 2 spunky boys that won't exactly sit in the car for who knows how long (or nap there, for that matter) - and from my other "regular" doctor experience I guess my appointment will be significantly delayed for some reason or another. SO. Looks like a long day.

UPDATE: Well, I got there and they had changed my appointment (that I waited almost 8 weeks for) without notifying me and said that the appointment had been changed to yesterday. Oh, they said they did try to notify me ... they said someone left a voice mail at my number (checked all incoming/missed calls and voice mails for the last month, nope), and they said an auto reminder snail mail notice was sent (which was in the mail when I got home postmarked late last week - gee, thanks for the notice). I guess I can re-schedule for some time in July or maybe August. So my very first foray into traditional medicine other than childbirth (and even that was with CN Midwives) in something like a decade was a dud. Blech.

Chalk boards and sunny days.

I love the warmer days. Not too hot, not too buggy, just right. It was so great to spend hours on our deck last week (yeah, before the cold snap) digging, painting, drawing, playing. The boys pulled up their chair, sat together, and would draw/erase/draw/erase/draw/erase for the longest time - content and happy with each other.

Moon, bees, weight of the world.

We were going to be doing a bunch of crafts about the moon this month. A was who had initiated it all...wanting to pull out the telescopes and stay up late. When I went online I found out about the Blue Moon this month, so thought - fun - we can do a bunch of stuff. Well, for now, A decided that the idea is on hold. He changed his mind. Sooooo we wait until he is ready. Maybe later in the month!

When we were searching online for books on the moon, A had also found several books on beekeeping, honey, and bees. G is a honey freak. He doesn't really get much sugar, but he does love the raw, unfiltered propolis-crunchy local honey we buy (mix it up with unsweetened organic peanut butter and he is a happy camper). A loves insects, and wants to know every fact, detail and tidbit of information - so we now are on a new path this week.

Of course with talk of bees anymore, is talk of all of the other issues plaguing our honeybees in North America (and the world) right now. It is a hard balance lately - A like any other small child ask questions, loves facts, and wants to know so much. But with every tidbit of new information I don't want to spray a heavy dark coating of nihilistic doom. Be honest, always, but how detailed? How much is enough, how much is too much. He is, of course, only 4. Workin' on the positive side of things for now.

Sunsets & Sunny Days

We finally had a sunset - seems like the winter and cold means sunsets of battleship gray and hard horizontal streaks of clouds, unbending and cold. Last night we had a glorious sunset - full of violet, orange, magenta, and blue. The clouds were thick and radiated the color in all directions. I can almost feel summer coming!

Once in a blue moon...

This May 31st, we (in the Midwest) will experience a Blue Moon, the second of two full moons in a month. The average interval between Full Moons is about 29.5 days, while the length of an average month is about 30.5 days. This makes it unlikely that any given month will contain two full moons, though it does sometimes happen. So, on average, there are 41 months that have two full moons each century, so once in a blue moon means once every two and a half years. Hope you enjoy this one! (If you are this from anywhere east of London, your blue moon will occur in June, not May.)

There are many fun activities you can do in May:
-Stay up until dark and view the moon through binoculars or telescope and see if you can observe any landmarks
-Make a moon calendar
-View Space.com's Top 10 Cool Moon Facts
-Learn about the moon's phases
-Find out more about the blue moon

Good books to read:
Papa, please get the moon for me by Carle, Eric.
I took the moon for a walk by Curtis, Caroly.
Rise the moon by Spinelli, Eileen.
Owl moon by Yolen, Jane.
Phases of the moon 2007 by Olson, Gillia M.
Moonlore : myths and folklore from around the world by O'Hara, Gwydion.

I'm planning a few moon crafts and baking projects, and will post those as we go along this month!