Taking a break. Ignoring (um, maybe just not engaging with) the babies while they play happily. For 10 minutes if I'm lucky. I feel bad because I seem to be driving every day. It's the only way that I can get these monkeys to pack it in for a nap for any length of time. I think that Wednesday we will try to ride the bike with the duo in the trailer (which Olive hates after a multiple chin pinching incident). We went to the Eastside Family Place this morning because the sight of a used needle greeted us as we got out of the car & I just didn't have the energy to search the park for rigs. The thought of one of the girls getting pricked freaks me right out. Can you imagine giving AZT to a one year old. HORRIBLE. This city is getting me down. Between the crap everywhere, the pathologically angry drivers, being totally disrespected by my employer (the strike is in week 8) & not being able to afford our own home, I want out.

And I fell & twisted my ankle on Friday. Walking. On a flat sidewalk. Near where I saw the dirty needle today. Guess I'm lucky that I didn't get stuck.

Off to enjoy my gals this afternoon & try to forget about the filthy bathroom, piles of dishes & sheets that need changing.

Scenes from our lives

This is what our days look like. Olive dragging around her wad of yarn (once it was seperate balls - now it is her yarn wad. I don't care as long as she a) doesn't accidently throttle herself & b) doesn't unravel my current projects). Me stuck in my pjs for much of the morning. Showering is tough with 2. They like to eat the soap. (We're changing Baby DeeDee's diaper. Baby DeeDee is from Bamboletta - such a beautiful birthday present!). Olive's crazy awesome hair. Etta Mae, constantly looking at books (I love this picture so much). These girls are big into books - hmmm, does that make me feel good Ms. Children's Librarian? Olive sifting through her clean, folded laundry. Because what else are neatly folded piles for? And finally, lounging in the bedroom. Whenever I can't immediately find one of the girls, I know where they'll be - laying around on the beds, looking at books. And yes, that is a non-homemade stuffy. One. That she, of course, LOVES.

Wishin'

Fall Make-it List:
- mobile for our room (handsewn? felt? birds & trees & leaves & butterflies?)
- Olive & Etta cloth bags for taking their diapers etc. to each others houses
- leg warmers for Olive
- leg warmers for mama (black wool & grey kidsilk haze)
- finish Olive's fall cardigan
- matching bonnet?
- cashmere toque for O.
- yoda sweater & scrum helmet for a new wee babby coming soon to a friend near us
- mama sweaters x 3

chuckle heartily.

Knitting, striking, up to my neck in babies

I am she of the irregular posts. Somedays I feel inspired to share & sometimes it just feels like there are too many other things to do.

Caring for two babes has been a challenging shift, but luckily we've had the big daddy around to share in the caring. Unfortunately big daddy has to go back to work tomorrow & we are going to miss him like crazy. It sets us to dreaming about ways to not have to go to work. Then I start thinking about this insane strike. 7 weeks. No deal. No bargaining. We aren't asking for anything crazy, in fact we would accept the deal that all of the municipalities around us have received, but these f*&kers aren't offering. Are they trying to break the unions? Are they setting the stage for contracting out during the Olympics? Are they totally inhuman greedy robots who don't care about what this is doing to people both financially & emotionally? I know that we are in the right, that asking for the reasonable introduction of pay equity is a human right & that we are righteous. But it's getting harder & harder to pump up my sweet, lovely, brilliant brothers & sisters who are feeling crushed by this show of complete disrespect by our employers. I love my job. I can't wait to go back. But I won't give in.

So life is a blur of babies & striking & loving my co-workers. And knitting! These clever strikers are knitting up a storm, mostly toques for folks on the lower east side (acrylic - some insanely hideous, but you know, their hearts are in the right place - too bad acrylic going to stink in no time). Anyways, I'm working on a Scrum Helmet, as well as a cardigan & sweater vest for Miss O. Pictures to come.

Oy.