Scraps...

*Deuce cut a third tooth, and continues to work on four more on top. The less said about all this, the better. However, two nights this week he slept a seven-hour stretch, and seems to be transitioning to a once-a-night waking. He also learned to clap his hands, and is so pleased with himself over this that he does it nonstop. It is adorable.

*MRB and I began our first class in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, and enjoyed it very much. While we are fairly decent with money, budgeting has never been one of our habits, and this program actually motivates me to do so. I recommend it highly.

*Monday's face painting netted $9; a slower night. Next week I will move my table inside the building; I think parents are reluctant to send their kids out the door, even though I am sitting in front of the picture window in plain view. I got a new, smaller table, so will be able to sit inside without taking up too much room and inconveniencing the restaurant staff. Some weird grown man made gross passes at me ("Can I paint you?"), resulting in MRB's decision always to accompany me on this venture from now on. I need him just to learn to do it himself so I never have to hire an assistant.

*Last night we went to see the new Alice in Wonderland, and I loved it, in spite of the myriad faults outlined by its critics. The "magical alternate reality" theme rarely fails to speak to me in some way, and this film was like stepping into one of my better, more interesting dreams.

*My sister-in-law, who works in evaluation and therapy with children with special needs, noticed some of Peanut's quirks during her visit last weekend that prompted her to hook me up with our county school's early intervention program. I will be taking him in for a screening next Wednesday. And that's all I'll say about that, so as not to prematurely put a label on him for behaviors that may or may not be problematic, depending on his individual development.

The week in a nutshell...