Update. With Pictures!!!

Things have been strange for me lately as I cope with vacationing babysitters. First, my mother - who quite often watches The Baby Formally Known as Nutter Now Known Primarily as Goose - went on vacation for a little over a week. She is Goose's primary caregiver for two days a week, so that had to be covered. Then THE EXACT SAME DAY my mother came home, my grandmother left for her 5 week trip (that's right people, 5 weeks). She watches Goose the other three work days per week. My mother can't cover that because she has a full time job (she just gets her two days off during the week). Luckily I live in the middle of a whole bunch of family, so my mother-in-law and my aunt have taken over grandma's days.

You should see my calendar. I have to check it every morning to make sure I know where I'm dropping M off. And M is being quite the trooper as she is shuffled from one place to the next, one person to the next. Honestly, I think she likes it. Being with my mother-in-law means she gets to spend the day at the farm which is, of course, super exciting. And being with her aunt means she gets to trash the house, eat whatever she wants, play with make up, playdoh, markers, and a drum set (possibly simultaneously). So, yeah, I think she's in seventh heaven. I, however, am going a wee bit bonkers with the all-over-the-place schedule and limited work time.

But look at that beautiful face. I can't complain much. The weather here has been spontaneously rainy, but when the clouds clear up, I am very much enjoying the cool weather. And Goose doesn't care if it's -4 or 90, she just loves being outside. Last Sunday, we have a fun day of bike riding and raking, and she was absolutely thrilled. Note to Self: A two-year-old trying to brush leaves off a driveway is going to leave the driveway in a bigger mess than when she found it.

I am, once again, a college student as I signed up for a Graduate Studies in Literary Theory course. To be honest, I don't truly know what the hell I am thinking. Here I am raising a two-year-old, working a full-time job, growing a baby, but hey, why not take a graduate level course in literature for shits 'n' giggles.

Then again, I am super excited. It has been 10 years (exactly 10 years as of December) since I have been a student, and I can't wait for the semester to start. Now, if I fail horribly due to a serious lack of time, I may not be so excited, but I'm hopeful that I will not only manage, but thrive. And if this experiment works out, I may actually go for a second Masters degree.

While waiting to start reading my textbooks, I've picked up a book inspired by the prompts for Nonfiction November. I decided to become an expert in Freak Shows. Yep, that's the topic I chose. Freak Shows.

The book is called Freak Show: Presenting Human Oddities for Amusement and Profit by Robert Bogden, and it is fascinating. Focused on Freak Shows as an institutionalized culture rather than a collection of individuals, the book really elaborates on the social construction of the "freak" and how that role changed considerably during its 100 year run (1840-1940). I am about 3/4 of the way through, and the book has been seriously enjoyable.

I actually have one more book on freak shows waiting in the wings, and I hope to at least get it started before I make my Nonfiction November post.

So how are you guys doing?