Seven Quick Takes, vol 18

 #1.  Hope you all had Happy July 4th celebrations.  We went to some friends' house for a cookout.

#2.   There was a moonbounce, so that was a big hit, of course! 

 #3.  Rosebud split her eyebrow open on Monday.  At first, it was gaping so much that it looked to me like it needed stitches.  Thankfully, however, I got some experienced mother-in-law advice about how to tape up a gash with butterfly bandages.  So, we avoided a trip to the doctor on July 4th.   I feel like I've passed another mothering milestone -- you know those unpleasant but unavoidable kinds of things that mothers have to deal with.  Or something. :)

And thankfully, this happened after the wedding!

 #4.  Coloring is a big pastime in our house right now.  Even Sunshine colors.  The two older each have new boxes of colored pencils that they are delighted with -- especially the part where they don't have to share any more.

*Continued on Saturday*

#5.   D. and I had a rather impromptu date last night.  I wanted to go to a talk called "The Montessori Method as an Aristotelian/Thomistic Philosophy of Education." He was so good to agree to go with me.  It meant alot to me that he was willing to try to be interested in something that is so influential to my life.   The talk was a good one, and then we went to some friends afterward for pizza and drinks.

#6.  Potty training time is here again.  Boy, do I dislike this task!  Sunshine is thrilled to sit on the little potty, but success is usually lacking and she definitely is not that disturbed by getting wet or messy.   However, I'm not currently that worried about the fact that this will take forever.  It's my third time around now and I have resigned myself to accept that this is just how this Montessori toilet learning goes.

#7.  I got pulled over the other day because our car's registration stickers had expired.  We haven't been able to renew it because of back taxes we owe from 2007 when we lived in the country.  Plus we need an emissions inspection, which we won't pass because there is some sort of problem with the exhaust manifold.  So, in order to renew a simple registration with the DMV, we have to a.) pay $2000 in taxes, b.) pay several hundred to get the exhaust manifold fixed  (even though it's been broken for 9 mos and it runs fine) c.) get an emissions inspection and THEN d.) renew the registration in time for the court date.   So, I tried to tell the police officer how much there was preventing us from renewing the registration, but while he was kind, he still wrote me a ticket.  If I go to court -- on a Monday morning with 3 children in tow -- bringing the new stickers I can avoid the $90 ticket . . . . but I really wish it could be the other way around: paying the ticket and leaving the registration expired.   Stupid system.

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