What's Monday morning like for you???

Mine started at 5:45 am. Hubby was preparing to leave for work and I reminded him that he had to pay his driver's license restoration fee. What's that? Well if you live in the New York City metropolitan area, you are used to taxes - double digit real estate taxes, income taxes (yes plural), sales tax (7%), school fees (activities tax), and my favorite the indubitable driving privileges tax. What's that? Well they are overtime meter tickets, seat belt tickets, and irritated trooper tickets (see Back to Reality). Anyways, my hubby got an overtime meter ticket ($8) and somehow it fell into the ticket black hole and his license was suspended. This strange quirk in the New Jersey motor vehicle laws has provided me the privilege of adding him to my already overburdened chauffeur duties.

I found out last week that if I just paid the $100 bucks online his license would be restored and he'll be able to drive again. So, this morning at 5:45, I'm on the computer and plugging in the already over burdened credit card.

At 6 am starts the really hard stuff - waking up the children on Monday morning for school. Let me tell you, this is not for the squeamish. There's the drama around who gets to use the bathroom first (there are 2 other bathrooms located on the first floor but I guess that's too far to walk early in the morning...)

Then there's the - did you wash my uniform questions and did you remember to fill out this form and that form and can you write a check for this activity and of course lunch money.

Finally, everyone is dressed and now starts the eating drama. I make scrambled cheese eggs, ham and biscuits. Not a big deal - the biscuits are easy with just a couple of cups of flour, butter, baking powder, salt and milk. They are brown in under 15 minutes in a 450 oven.

The drama -

"Did you put ham on my eggs." Says the 17 year old, 4 year veteran vegetarian.

"Why would I put ham on your eggs?" Says the 47 year old, too tired for this crap at 6:45 in the morning Mom.

"Well I have to ask, you always put ham on Andrew's sandwich." Says same teenager.

"I am fully aware that you are a vegetarian, and I always, never, put meat on your sandwiches - 4 years now." Says I.

"I have to ask, because maybe you'll forget one day." Says the same extremist vegetarian.

"Trust me, before I forget to put ham on your eggs, I'll first forget to wake up at 5:45 to get YOU up for school and make YOU a hot breakfast before you go to school." Says I, growing more tired.

"Why is everyone so irritated? It's Christmas, why does everyone have a bad attitude?"

I'm thinking that I should write Chomsky and ask him if he'll ever do a book entitled, Manufacturing Teenager Dissent.

On the Knitting Front

My holiday knitting is coming along. I've made 5 sets of Fetching mittens, here's the last two that I finished this weekend.


The thing about these that are special is that I knitted them with some yarn from my stash that has got to be at least 10 years old! Yes I have vintage stash stuff, sad right? It is a Tahki yarn named Sable, an angora and merino blend. They are heavenly soft. On one pair I did a Noro trim just for variety.

The other item I finished was a Manos scarf done in mistake rib stitch. Oh and that's my brand new mug from my Knitter's Coffee Swap buddy, LaVerna.


The final thing I want to show you is this beret I have to finish for the hubby. He picked out this kit himself so I guess that means he'll wear it.