Sorry for the absence. The computer has been a big drag these last few days and I only occasionally get to steal a glance at the email before Martin starts tinkering again. Can't wait 'til we can throw this beast out the 2nd story window.

Yesterday Isaac turned three. He had a great day. We stopped by Emily's old preschool to see how he liked it. He LOVED it. So I'm willing to make the trek to Burbank twice a week so the boy can have some guy friends. Poor kid. Almost all of our friends have two girls, no boys. So anyway, then to the bank where he always gets Lifesavers then home. Then to pick out a pinata for his mini-party then to pick up Em then to home for present opening and cake. There was much joy in the Diggs house yesterday. When his grandparents called to wish him a happy birthday, he even knew to tell them how much he enjoyed their gift. I've got a polite boy on my hands!

Today we had the mini-party (just enough guests to justify having a pinata -- the boy's only birthday request.) It was all good. It even rained, which is an extra special treat around here. I'm sure the firefighters are dancing naked tonight. It's a good rain. Again, I will smack someone if they complain.

Tomorrow should be a toy frenzy here. If the rain continues, we'll have indoor soccer, a putting range, the train set will be all around the dining room, hot wheels proudly carried about in a new case, a dumptruck carrying walkie-talkies, the tool set fixing all that could be broken, crafts and gluing and a whole lotta reading Harold and the Purple Crayon. Emily is enjoying the new toys and Isaac is a very good share-boy. And Audrey really really likes the tools. And I forgot the morning pinata candy mania, making breakfast obsolete. Yes, another very good day.

Woke yesterday to a smokey hazy ashy mess. The wildfire near San Dimas had doubled in size from 4000 acres destroyed at bedtime to 8000 by morning. The air was difficult to breathe and it smelled like an old campfire. I haven't tuned into the news today to see how much more damage it has done. It's still hazy but the wind has changed so it's not nearly so bad. If I hear anyone complain this winter when it rains I'm gonna smack 'em up side the head.

Insomnia bites. Been up for a couple of hours. Posted some of my old Mary Kay stuff on ebay, meandered around the web, picked up some legos, did a touch of laundry. I'm considering taking a shower so I can take Emily to school dressed as a human being today. Last year I was able to use the unspoken excuse of being pregnant as my out to be all haggered and whatnot. Now I can only blame sleep deprivation, which isn't quite as obvious. Only my yoga teacher, Anna, can look into my eyes and know how many hours of sleep I've had. The other moms at school politely guide their children away from me as they whisper something to the effect of, "don't worry honey, I won't leave until she does."

Had a nice day yesterday. After watching a couple of football games (do you really believe that I watched them?) the family headed to the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center for some family swim time. It's quite the facility. Two Olympic size pools. I don't know what else they had hidden. There's probably an indoor pool too. It's hard to be sneaky and nosy with three little ones. Maybe next time. For $3.50 the whole family got to swim. Nice weekend diversion. Headed to the Pusateri's after that. Kids were wiped, but managed to have even more fun. Thanks for the rocking tacos Michael.

The big bonus of the day was when Isaac decided that he couldn't sleep and didn't crash until 11:00 pm. Didn't get to watch the Sopranos. :(

Alright, I'm wasting precious shower time.

In case any of you were wondering, when I got home last night, the kids hadn't gone to bed. I'm sure you were all wondering.

So my love affair with caffeine is over. Audrey says so. She screamed about it for a couple of hours one night. Martin said, "Do you think it's the caffeine?" to which I sadly replied, "probably." So yesterday she & I began detox. Aside from a mild headache (how bad can withdrawal be from two cups of half-caf a day?) I came out alright. And Audrey slept much MUCH better last night. Hope the trend continues. I can make it without caffeine if I get a reasonable amount of sleep.

And the weekend is upon us. Tonight I have a Tupperware meeting. That puts Martin in charge of bedtime for the two big ones. Unless he lets them stay up until I get home. . .

Must make dinner. Since Michele thinks my blog smells like fresh bread, maybe dinner will too. Or maybe it'll smell like burning cardboard.

Audrey woke at 5:30 a.m. and I just realized that I'm out of both regular & decaf. Now what?

I used to riducule those who "needed" their morning coffee, Coke, etc. as being weak. I prided myself in being caffeine-free for several years, rarely imbibing even a regular Diet Coke. And then my friend Eleanor stayed with us for a week. You see, my dear friend Eleanor worked at Starbucks for several years. At least seven, I believe. And when she and her wonderful son Eli stayed with us for a week while her husband Jon was driving their personal belongings across the country, she made a pot of joe or two. And despite the shortcomings of our free-with-your-no-risk-membership coffee makers, she made a pretty good cup. So after she left town, I enjoyed the occasional cup of half-caf. Never as good as Eleanor's, but I began working out the right amounts of grounds vs. water. It's come along well. Now, I don't "need" my coffee each morning. But I really really enjoy it. It makes me happy. It gives me tingles in places no drink should. I have a vice. I'm admitting it.

Audrey is six months old tomorrow. Can't believe it. Then Isaac turns three in two weeks. Emily is seven in two months. Only 17 1/2 years left of being legally and financially responsible for these kids. Then comes college, or travelling through Europe, or "getting to know themselves." What exactly did I sign on for? Parenting is a really big deal.

I DIDN'T WRITE THAT!!! The man can't even spell HERE correctly. Every few months or so, Martin tries to be cool. Don't worry. It'll pass. His "mos' def' " pathetic 80s attempt at reinventing himself is not going to work. Soon he will realize that I'm right and he is wrong and everything will go back to normal.

Oh, wow, hears a wild one ladies. Today, excuse me, this afternoon rather. I was holding two out of three kids while, my husband was in the bathroom, as usual and I sat down to the computer in my husbands so-called office and was reading his totally incoherent weblog and read his little post about getting some sort of edge and here is the funny part... girl I pronounced it moss duff. (its really most definately, but those with an edge speak it, mos def.) MM

We've been watching the Glendale / La Canada fire from our bedroom window tonight. During the day I thought the smoke was pretty dramatic, but because it's dark, we can now see actual flames from our house. Our house in in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, so our elevation gives us the good shot at the fire. I haven't tuned into the news, but Martin & I are speculating that it's hit some houses by now. Lots of people live in lots of amazing houses around there. I sure hope they can control it soon.

Today was quite enjoyable. All children slept reasonably well last night. Didn't have to race any kids to school this morning. Martin even brought the two big ones downstairs this morning and got them started on their Recommended Daily Allowance of television while I hid under the blanket pretending I didn't hear them. Audrey woke soon thereafter, but was quite happy to hang in bed and chat with Martin & me. Eventually made my way downstairs and made breakfast (pumpkin spice bread -- I'm an extra-nice mom on the weekends) and we hung out a bit. Watched some Noggin, washed some dishes, etc. Our dear friend Michael came over to drop off a tv he had gotten fixed for us and brought by his dear children to play with my dear children. Fed the kids a bit of lunch and they were on their way. We headed to Lakeshore for a kids craft they sponsor every Saturday, then went to Zoe's soccer game. After a spectacular showing by the Black & Yellow Dolphins (the kids voted on a name) we headed back to Casa Pusateri, where Michele & I decided that the men could care for the oldest four kids and she & I would take Audrey out for a bit of shopping. We headed to Paseo Colorado and I tricked her into choosing her own birthday gift (not sure if I really tricked her, but it seems she really likes the purse she picked out). Grabbed some chicken wings for dinner and went back home. The husbands had watched a football game and then let the kids "swim" in the family hot tub. Had some dinner, sang "Happy Birthday" and had a bit of cake. Bathed the kids and returned to the big blue house. Kids went to bed quickly and now I'm going on and on because no one is demanding my energy. What a nice day. I think I'll have another :)

I made dinner tonight. Really. Chicken soup with lentils & barley AND homemade rolls. Yes, from scratch. And here's the most amazing thing of all. . .while they were baking, Emily came into the kitchen and exclaimed that the baking bread smelled even better than baking cookies! For those who don't know, Emily has a sweet tooth to rival even mine. So that statement was a pretty big step for her. Perhaps there will be more bread-baking in my future. It was fun and pretty easy. And it did smell quite good.

Today was Emily's first day of 2nd grade. It was a pretty big deal as it was her first experience in a public school. It's a brand-new almost-art-magnet school. She says she had a good day. I found it very interesting that Isaac took the opportunity to take a three hour nap while his sister was away. I guess he'd been waiting all summer for some quiet time.

It rained a bit here tonight. Quite a treat. I stood outside and tried to soak up all I could (it was really just barely sprinkling) when a group of women & children (had to be seven of them) were walking down the sidewalk. A guy pulls up in a car and whisks them all inside and they praise him as though he's their savior. This is a compact car. It was very circus like. Did they really think there was going to be a downpour?

Just spent an hour and a half watching a special on the History Channel about the WTC attacks. It's gonna be a rough week or so. 9/11 has affected our family directly, not so much in losing a loved one, but financially it wiped out the commercial industry for a good nine months. I'm having to face just how selfish I am in blaming 9/11 for my financial woes, when it tore families apart and left children with no one to rear them. Like I said, it's gonna be a rough week or so.

My regrout project is crumbling before my eyes. Literally. Remember I said I ran into problems? Well, they're resurfacing. And for good reason. The tile was poorly lain when we moved in. When we bought the house it had been quicky refurbished into what seemed to be pretty nice condition. But a lot of things were lacking in quality. The grout was crumbling before we even moved in, and tile began cracking the day we moved in. Seems they didn't put the right stuff under the tile. Therein lies my challenge. Create a stable kitchen floor without ripping the whole thing out. Give me a few more days. . .I'll work it out.

Made Clinkers today. What are Clinkers, you ask? Old family recipe containing crushed Oreos, butter & ice cream. Decided to take Grandma's version a step further and added some fudge sauce. Wasn't bad. I ate too much. Now my tummy hurts.

Another hot day in the fine city of Pasadena. Thank goodness for friends with air conditioning. And a kiddie pool to boot. Kids were happy, adults were happy. Beer, barbecued chicken, sausages, etc. And the Clinkers. All in all it was a pretty good Labor Day. My television promised cooler temperatures for the rest of the week. I hope my television wasn't lying.

He's becoming a problem, isn't he? Just posting things on MY page, when he has his very own. I know it was an accident, but he's gonna have to straighten up or he's outta here. And just in case you were wondering, i really don't like eggs. They're great for cookies, cakes, etc. Even the occasional quiche (that's a job for Mrs. Pusateri) but I don't eat eggs as eggs. I have issues with the texture.

MAN, it was hot today. It still is, truth be told. We're still hovering in the 80s and it's after 9 pm. Are you sure I'm not in Kansas anymore? We need more friends with swimming pools. This is what Martin & I decided today. You know where to find me if you've got a pool and a jones for some rockin' Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (known as "Grandma Cookies" in my circle). I know there won't be many more days of this heat, and we've had an amazingly mild summer, so I have little to complain about. But it was really quite hot today.

Bought school supplies for Emily today. It's very hard for me to come to terms with the end of summer. I'm glad Emily is looking forward to school though. Makes it a bit easier. And I'm looking at a co-operative preschool for Isaac this week. We're on a waiting list at another, but it looks like we're not gonna make it in. Hope I like the other one. They've got immediate space, although they are farther from home.

I've put it off long enough. I'll throw the kids into bed. I hope they don't bake upstairs. It was a hot day after all.