12:10 a.m. - 2002-10-22
Random Moments
Just random thoughts today.
I was surfing through the local listings of future concerts trying to find the Cher concert my Dad was wanting to see. Not there - at least not before mid-January. Might have to get him tickets for one of the local dinner theaters instead. He really enjoys those and they are very good entertainment. While surfing, I noticed that the majority of the musical offerings were either blues, folk, or jazz. Odd in a city that claims to be a cowboy town.
My youngest son popped up at one point tonight to let me know there are 50 sleeps until his birthday - he'll be 15 this year. He and his oldest brother were born 12 years and two days apart - December 9 and 11 - yet they couldn't be more different as personalities even though they share key astrological aspects and the same parents. Their birthdays always allowed me a graceful way to keep the pre-Christmas excitement to a reasonable level. No tree or anything else seasonal was allowed in the house until the birthday celebrations were completed - just to make certain the focus was on the boys of course.
With number 5 son's birthday being two thirds past January, it meant power shopping for about 4 months in order to make sure everyone felt they were special whether on their birthday or at Christmas. With six children, it was always a challenge to make sure they received the same number of parcels and that the same amount of money was spent on each. The power shopping part was because of a very tight budget; I never spent any more money than I had cash on hand. Shopping by flyer comparison and with the help of one friend who lived to find bargains meant significant "savings". Gifts always meant books, music, puzzles, and games first. If there was enough, then one gift toy unique to each child that reflected their personality, and one or two large shared gifts meant to teach the skills of sharing. Sometimes, I used the distribution of gifts as a means to balance power among the boys. For example, a younger or less aggressive son might get the gift asked for by more than one child so that the older or stronger child had to negotiate if they wanted playtime. I'm actually very fond of chaos - as in, out of chaos comes order and good manners - but anarchy was never part of my idea of good family dynamics.
Why thoughts of Christmas so soon? Well, I walked over to the grocery store today so I could stock up on Hallowe'en treats and pick up a pumpkin while there was still some selection plus stock up on the baking spices that ran out at Thanksgiving. Walked into the store and ran straight into a Christmas display. It was snowing today and very pretty outside, so the upside was I was in the mood to buy my annual new Christmas CD - Bing Crosby this year - on sale. Now I can play carols and sip hot chocolate, while watching the snow fall to my heart's content.
Number 4 son starts a new job tomorrow at a sports store. Suits him since he wrestled, participated in track, played football, and rugby through junior and senior high school. Now he has gym workouts instead; fitness is important to him. He'll be knowledgable about his work and it will help him move away from associations with his ex-girlfriend. He told me he was thinking of using one of those on-line dating services, but I pointed out that surveys show that 35% of the people using them are married and even more people than that lie about other things about themselves. You can go to a bar for that.
I've been trying to persuade him to go to a swing dance class with me instead at the high school down the street. Guess dancing with his Mom isn't all that appealing, but guys who can, and are willing to dance, are always popular with the young ladies. Maybe next year. In the meantime, I've already signed up for my belly dance class. I took it once in the spring because it was the only fitness class that didn't require you to disclose any recent medical problems or medications you were on. It was a hoot. Our teacher has been dancing/performing for over 20 years and she has a wicked sense of humour. Now, I competed in and judged gymnastics in high school. Our workouts included calisthenics, now marketed as pilates. The workout we get in her dance class is just as effective a workout as pilates for core stability, but a heck of a lot more fun. The other unique thing about belly dancing is that it requires one to release all regular tension in the muscles and then tighten other muscle groups up to shimmy - movements that are not the norm in Western society. Most other workouts keep you flexed up tight like a fist all the time. When I was taking physiotherapy, we learned that alternating flexion and extension of the muscle groups was actually more effective for building strength and endurance - reciprocity. Maybe the belly dancing has added benefits because of that. Besides that, it's a great parenting strategy for older teens "Behave or I'll shimmy while your friends are around!"
Anyway just random thoughts; excuse me while I go shimmy.
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