Now technically the moon is at its fullest early Thursday morning but in the nighttime sky be sure to check it out tonight. That fourth rock from the sun, Mars, will be at its brightest in several years so look for the reddish star to the left of the full moon tonight.
One of the names given to the moon in March by the first inhabitants of this continent is the "Worm Moon" because this month the worms are active under the soil, getting the earth ready for spring planting. I am always amazed when I dig into my vegetable beds how many worms I see. So worms, please continue to do your thing with your diet of dirt. I'll be seeing you next month!
Speaking of eating (I know, what a segue) my 10th grade son is really into eating healthy these days. I should emulate him as he no longer eats any desserts and has become a huge fan of smoothies. He is also very interested in what I plan for dinner. I make dinner just about every night and over the years I've noticed he enjoys it when I put a menu on the refrigerator. After being at school for 11 hours due to baseball practice or home after 14 hours due to a weeknight baseball game, dinner-- at no matter what time and salad are a highlight. Way different than when he was a little boy. Here was last week's menu:
I used to make the spinach shells a lot pre-kids and they would have gagged on them as young kids and I have re-introduced them recently and they love them. Also, I buy a bag of frozen shrimp every week and this year the jambalaya is a new dinner I make and you should see their eyes light up when they know it's on the menu.
And for breakfast there is still this pantry scene:
A couple weeks ago Hubs did the Target shopping and came home with a slim supply of non-fave cereal and they were not thrilled.
Speaking of Hubs, he leads the line of this feeding frenzy that occurs when after work/school everyone comes into the kitchen ravenous. He comes home after having a well-rounded lunch made by yours truly every single day...and goes crazy. He essentially consumes an entire meal before dinner, if dinner is not ready at 5:30 or even 5:00. On Monday there were two large pancakes on a plate in the fridge--a leftover from Sunday a.m. He comes home and I'm in the kitchen finishing dinner and the next thing I know this is on the plate:
In between the pancakes is deli ham and each pancake is slathered with Miracle Whip. The rest of us were grossed out. On the other hand I love a Monte Cristo sandwich so I guess this is a pancake re-make instead of French Toast version and minus the jam for dipping. (And the counters are clean every day but get trashed with spills within 60 seconds of their arrival home). And now for past two days he is complaining that his stomach is "off".
February's full moon falls on Sunday. It is named the Snow Moon by the Native Americans because of the heaviest snow falling this time of year. Seems especially true this year, doesn't it?
A couple of weeks ago my kids told me that all 50 states had snow on some part of the ground. I had never thought of that before. I just Googled it and learned that this month even the mountaintops in Hawaii had some snow. So it is the Snow Month indeed. And I love learning new facts from my kids.
I started this blog one year ago today.I picked my Middle Son’s birthday as motivation for me to put myself out there and talk about him.My blog and you have added a lot to my life.Every hour of my week day is jam-packed with my life (and sometimes I get mad at my life for not having more time to write or spruce up the place), but there was definitely room in my head and in my heart for this blog and for you.I am so thankful and happy for having “met” you.Commenters from day one are still around on day 366.It is all so special to me.
I chose a full moon theme because I have loved looking at the moon all these years.My first son was born during at night during a full moon in June.He loved to cry and fuss all night long for three months and I swear his first word was moon.For real.I also feel connected to the moon because of its female-ness and how my cycle’s claim to fame is a regular monthly cycle (always 27 or 28 days).OK, so that is changing a lot these days, throwing a kink in how I successfully “planned things” but it is all part of the craziness that is part of life.I named my blog “It must be a full moon” because many times when my Hubs and I talk about a crazy work day or a crazy kid, or crazy family member, we often say, “It must be a full moon because today this happened, and this happened, and then THIS happened”.
The full moon for January is tonight (the 29th but some sites state it is the 30th) and is known as the Wolf Moon (hungry wolves would howl at the full moon on a cold winter night) and is listed as either the 30th or the 29th.Tonight's full moon will be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. The moon’s orbit around Earth is not shaped like a circle—more like an ellipse.In each orbit the moon reaches its closest point to us called a perigee. When the perigee coincides with a full moon, as it will tonight, the moon looks bigger and brighter than any other full moons during the year.
Unfortunately where I live it will be rainy so I will probably miss seeing the full moon at all even it its shining glory and I'll miss Mars (it’ll look like a star) just to the left of the moon.
So my Middle Son has had a birthday again and I still love all the same qualities of which I described last year.Don’t look for any posts about my other two sons’ birthdays—they only exist in my mind, but I hope to make that up this year.Just like I made sure I have the biggest baby book for Youngest so he won’t be left out, (and by biggest I mean I scrapbooked a bunch of things up till his 2nd birthday and then stopped), I try to give extra attention to my Middle son.He has to put up with the Oldest making sure he knows he may be the same size but he’ll always be 20 months younger.He's easy going and sensitive and doesn't have attention zoned his way due to the 13.5 yr old brother and the youngest.
And I really want to write about Middle School.People, I have so many stories.Oldest will be in high school next year.Before that happens I really need to write about some crazy things we have observed.Stories that are Crazy. Like this email from one of his teachers yesterday:
“I am concerned about Middle Son. His span of attention in class is almost non existent. I spoke with him a few days ago, and asked if there was anything else going on in school or at home that he was worried on. He said no. Yet, he is many seconds behind all the other students when we change activities. He stares at the wall when I am at the front of the room.
He is confused by directions because he obviously didn't hear me explain them. Could it be blood sugar? Need for a snack? Lack of sleep?
He is not problem or disruption. He is always polite. I am concerned for him, and thought you could add some insight.”
So here I am reading this as I am trying to get finished at work so I can stop at Target, get home and make a cake shaped like a skateboard with little doughnuts for the wheels, and then go out for his birthday dinner.
Readers, my son is in all "gifted" classes. This one is not his favorite. He has a B (a B people!). He has As and Bs in the others. He was voted "Mr. Citizenship" in elem school for the way he treats others. He is in freakin band class. He has longish hair. He wears skinny jeans. He has his own entrepreneurial business (see fingerboard in his hand below). If he feels like he's been singled out like this teacher does (i.e. tells him to read only accelerated reader books and not a non-AR book despite the fact that he reads lots of books) he'll be quiet and not "perform" in class for you. We know this teacher. My 8th grader had this teacher. My Hubs is a teacher in another school. They have been at a conference together out of state for a weekend. The teacher just can't figure Middle Son out.
So after wanting to tell her I think she has too much time on her hands, I instead just replied that today was his birthday, perhaps he had that on his mind and we'd talk about it later that night. We had a good time at dinner, laughing as the hibachi chef threw fake eggs around and flung shrimp into our mouths (only Youngest succeeded) and Hubs asked Middle Son if this teacher had asked him if everything was OK at home. He told us the teacher asked this with other kids around. He told our son maybe he should make up a story and then we made up stories of Crazy things he could say. We two parents work so hard as partners to provide for our 3 boys and make a good home for them; we talk to each other each and every day about our sons and our concern for their education, concerns for what schools are like now, have taken the time to have met with teachers. Yes, there are kids who have problems at home and it may not be too funny that I sang at dinner about mom going back to rehab but said no, no, no.....but I feel this was absolutely Middle School Teacher crazy. Maybe she should just email me again like she did 4 weeks ago asking me to do a favor and help her out and make sure Middle Son has a red pen and yellow highlighter because she has asked him to bring it in.
About nine years ago I had heard that the September moon was the Harvest Moon. I was paying attention to the moon because I was due with my third baby on the 19th and I wondered if the baby would arrive sooner, closer to the full Harvest moon. It was a beauty, bigger than ever, low in the sky and glowed orange.
Ever since then I remembered about September being the Harvest Moon. And it is every 2 out of 3 years. But this year the Sept. full moon is on Sept. 4 and next month's full moon will be Oct. 4. The Harvest Moon is the one that falls closest to the equinox, which is 9/22. So that makes the October full moon the Harvest Moon.
So what is the name of tonight's full moon? The Full Corn Moon. That's all I got. Except that next month I will have to figure out what happens to the Hunter's Moon. Because when there is a Sept. Harvest Moon, there is an October Hunter's Moon.
Maybe on the way home tonight I will stop at the store for some dinner supplies and pick up some corn on the cobb. We have no other plans. Which is a great way to start out this long weekend.
(Photo taken from Google Images. Great idea for the yard next month!)
Last week I looked up what this month’s full moon name is and I read that it is called the Worm Moon. Ohhhhhh-K. What could I write about that? Then last week zipped by, we couldn’t believe there was snow and then this weekend the temp is in the 70’s. So I found myself working outside in my garden that I have had for two seasons. There were weeds everywhere and old tomato vines were still wrapped around a homemade wood trellis. After the weeds got pulled and everything raked away I used a shovel to dig up the dirt.
I got pretty excited to see many squirming worms under my garden that has not been touched in six months. I have always heard that worms are good for the garden but I have just done a little additional research. I now know that they are deaf, blind, and both male and female. And they reproduce. Not with themselves but with another worm. Greek philosopher Aristotle said that worms are the “intestines of the earth.”
And now I get it about March being the Worm Month. The sunlight is getting stronger and the ground begins to thaw. The worms are preparing the earth for new growth. Step aside, Groundhog--the earthworm says Spring is almost here!
· There’s a lunar eclipse tonight (only Western No. America can see it as well as other continents) and this only happens during a full moon.
I don’t remember much about an astronomy class I once took. But I can tell you I love the moon and especially a full moon. I love looking at it and getting everyone in the family in the driveway to look at it and I like to ask my friends in other states if they saw it. I may not pay attention to the scientific details, but throw in some juicy deets about astrology, menses, werewolves, historical stories, birth and lunacy and I’m all ears.
