My Love Hate Relationship with Autumn.

I have all these blog posts started in my head. Some even half-finished here on Blogger. The ones in my head are blogs I feel like I can't just sit down and hammer out in twenty minutes. They're important blogs. To me. And, hopefully, to others. But, I'm frazzled, tired, and probably only have a short bit of time so, instead of meaningful commentary I am going to provide you with some rambly blog vomit.

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I have a love-hate relationship with Autumn. I love the leaves changing colors, the pumpkin patches, and the crisp sunny fall days. I love pretty much any baked good with pumpkin added in, cider, and drooling over thinking about Thanksgiving. I hate the days getting shorter and the nights getting longer. I hate the dark settling in earlier and earlier. It sucks.

I've suffered from depression in the past. Seasonal depression too. I live in just about the worst place ever for seasonal depression. When I was working I'd often go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. In the past I've used one of those lights (think prescription strength) to help with my depression. It hasn't been a problem in recent years, but I can feel it creeping up on me this year. It seems the darkness just snuck right up on us. Like one day I looked outside at 7pm and it was pitch black. What the heck??? At least it's not dark at four. Yet.

I'm trying to make the most of the things I enjoy about Fall and take the shorter days in stride. Time if flying by so quickly; before I know it Winter will be upon us and the days will slowly but surely be getting longer again.

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Beanie started art class again yesterday. The teacher was helping the students rinse out their bowls. She had the water running while she went back and forth from the table to the sink, grabbing each kid's bowl. Beanie cried out, "Hey!!! She's wasting water!"

Ah. My little environmentalist.

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Today we met with some new friends to talk about home-preschooling. We had met them once before, but it was fun. I think it'll light a fire under my lazy butt behind to collaborate with someone else. As I've stated before, we largely follow an unschooling philosophy, but I do want to dedicate some time to working on certain things.

We had a really good time with our friends. Until the end. Cue a baby and preschooler who both woke up too early and were much, much too tired. Beanie threw her half-naked self down on the ground in the bathroom and was inconsolable. It was just melt-down central. We even tried a little quiet time to calm down, but I think she was just beyond the point of no return. I know all moms have been-there-done-that (or I assure you that someday you will be), but it's sort of embarrassing. Especially the first time you go to someone's house.

Better luck next time!

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I'm going to make some apples for Bubby. I made sweet potatoes the other day. I forgot how much more work they are to make than the pears were. At least to get them to the right consistency. It probably didn't help that they only had very small organic sweet potatoes at the store so it seemed like a lot of effort for a small amount of cubes.

He does seem to be fairly interested in baby food. I wouldn't say he ever eats more than 1 cube. A lot of time probably not even that much. Sometimes he lunges forward reaching for the spoon with his mouth wide open -- it's so cute! We'll keep up with it. So far no reactions to anything. We're well versed in taking it slow with baby food since Beanie wasn't really interested at all until she was older.

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My bangs are finally grown out. They're about to my chin which is where I wanted them so I could chop my hair. I guess there's really no point in keeping it long for ponytails seeing as how Bubby either just sucks on my ponytail (eeeeew!) or grabs the tiny little hairs that aren't held back. It's been over a year that I've been growing my bangs out. Finally they're where I wanted them. And, you know what, now I have some wild idea that maybe I should cut bangs again.

Someone knock some sense into me.

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That's it. I promise a return to more meaningful blogging soon.