FizzyLizzy

It started before the insomnia thing, but maybe it's somehow related. For the past month I have inexplicably been losing about a pound a week. Why, this past summer--when I was exercising an hour a day four or five days a week, could I shed nary a pound? I've been on the Nordic Track maybe twice since Halloween. It boggles the mind. Nevertheless, I expect this trend to reverse itself over the next couple of weeks.

As is often the case when I've got a lot going on (e.g. December), I have been suffering from insomnia. For the past two weeks I have been waking up at 4 a.m. and am almost never able to get back to sleep. I'm worried that my body has developed a new circadian rhythm. 4 a.m. is not cool. I've never done so before, but medication may be needed.

(First seven notes of the Star Wars theme)



















The boys seemed to have fun at the Star Wars party. The balloon swords/light sabers I made didn't look so phallic in real life.

Happy birthday, W!



















William's birthday is on the day the U.S. entered WWII (Pearl Harbor) and Mr. FizzyLizzy's is on the day we exited it (Hiroshima).

I bet you didn't know that my great-uncle is a Pearl Harbor survivor.

Hope, and lots of it, springs eternal for William who expected St. Nicholas to leave something in his shoe(s).




















In Europe, St. Nicholas Day is a bigger deal. The first couple of Playmobil advent calendars had St. Nicholas/Santa Claus coming out on December 6. Later versions have him coming out on the 24th or thereabouts.

Live girl not included.
























As Katherine said, "Her eyes look freaky." Katherine also thought it was "weird" that the doll is wearing a cross necklace in every photo and that there were God books for sale in the back of the catalog. But I think I understand the marketing behind this American Girl knockoff. The company's slogan is "Books and dolls with a purpose." There are four Christian charities that "a portion of every product sale is directed to." I'm guessing that this is a counter attack against American Girl for donating to Girls, Inc.--an organization that conservative groups believe promotes abortion rights and (gasp!) acceptance of homosexual orientation. But really, the freakiest part is the eyes.

We spent way too much time last night on some meaningless homework for Katherine. It was a brain teaser worksheet. If the teacher needs to give them some busywork during the week, fine (kind of). But making them complete it at home seems pointless.

One side of the worksheet was making words with dollar values. A is $1, B is $2, up to Z ($26). There were $10, $20, $50, $100, $101-150, and $151-$200 categories. Since the lower categories were single dollar amounts instead of ranges, we decided to take it literally and only find words with those exact dollar amounts. It was difficult enough that Mr. FizzyLizzy created a little Excel spreadsheet that would automatically calculate the total for a word typed in. I challenge you to find a word worth exactly $100. "Prevent" was the only one I could come up with. And that came to me lying awake at 5:15 a.m. I also challenge you to find words worth more than $150--"transistor" is one.

I mean that in terms of finding old Star Wars toys in my parents' attic to use as decorations for William's Star Wars birthday party next Saturday. (There are upsides to having a mom who saves everything.) But I could have meant monetarily. The Star Wars Give-a-show Projector pictured below is going for about $100. Who knows what we could fetch for the Star Wars lunchbox, dozens of action figures, Millennium Falcon, or Empire Strikes Back Twin-Pod Cloud Car. And who know what else is up there that we couldn't find. For sure complete sets of Star Wars blue, red, and yellow trading cards.


















Having a child with a birthday in early December put a cramp in my style. I used to decorate my house for Christmas on the first weekend of Advent or December 1st--whichever came first. Now it just doesn't seem right to put on a birthday party with the house all decked out in holiday decor. So it's just the advent calendars. Though with 10+ (I miscounted yesterday) it's no small display.