Midlife Motherhood

2011 New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-02T07:23:00.000-08:00

It's a new year. 2010 was a tough year for a lot of people. I'm hoping that 2011 will turn things around in our country, more people get jobs, and there's more peace in the world.

I am very lucky that I have two wonderful, healthy, bright, funny, amazing children and that our family is financially sound in such a turbulent economy. That (hopefully) won't change in 2011, but I do know that 2011 will bring some major challenges to my family. We are undertaking a major (major!) renovation of our home. There is much to be done and decided and suffered through. I'm hoping that once we get to the other side of this reno, we will be stronger and happier in our new home.

Here's my resolutions. I hope that sticking to them will ease the challenges that are to come:

1) Spend more quality time with my husband.
2) Begin a real running routine and eat smaller quantities and healthier food.
3) Work hard to purge and organize my home so that the renovation goes smoothly and everything is cleaner and more organized when we come out on the other side.

Birthday cakes!

2010-11-22T15:22:00.000-08:00

Wow, I looked at my last post and realized it's been a whole year since I've posted! (Because my radio station just switched over the all Christmas music all the time last week.)

Anyway, we've just past the kids' birthdays. I now have a 7 year old and a 5 year old. Where does the time go?? Both kids wanted their parties at the Higgins Armory Museum this year. Bonus! That meant that I only had to plan one party. Unfortunately, it also meant that each kid's invite list had to be short so we didn't invite everyone we really, really wanted to, but it still worked out pretty well. So the theme was knights and princesses. I actually made two cakes, managed to stay sane, AND finished them both by 11pm the night before the party. (I think that's a record for me.) I tried to keep the designs simple. As a result, I was able to spend the time to make just the right details look great, but the cakes didn't take huge amounts of time overall.

Here's the results:

Owen's shield and sword cake

Sierra's Princess Tiana cake

Here are photos of them cutting the cakes with a sword.

And here they are being knighted. Sierra is all armor with tiny little arms and legs sticking out!

Christmas Music -- Nice Thought, Poorly Implemented

2009-12-27T11:03:00.000-08:00

The radio station I listen to the most plays all Christmas music at this time of year. It's kind of nice to have a station to go to to get in the mood, but I have two issues with how they implement this.

First, the music starts shortly after Halloween. Really. Before Thanksgiving, still fall, still thinking about colorful leaves and Thanksgiving bounty, and I'm bombarded with Christmas music. It's just too soon.

Second, what's today, December 27? The third of TWELVE days of Christmas? It's gone. The Christmas music is gone. We're all on vacation for a week, trying to enjoy the holidays, the tree, the new toys, and the music is gone -- back to the regularly scheduled music.

I really just don't get it. Are people really that eager for Christmas to start and then more eager for it to be over? Is Christmas music really just background noise for shopping?

Warning: Girly-Girl Event Posting

2009-11-12T13:04:00.000-08:00

Sierra had her birthday party last Sunday. It was an Angelina Ballerina themed party at her ballet studio. Allison, the owner of the studio went above and beyond to create a memorable and beautiful party for the girls. And the girls all came so excited to dance! Here's some photos:

The party room, decorated by the dance studio

The cake with Angelina Ballerina in fondant on top... yes, created by me!

Dancing in a line

Look at that form!

Dancing in a circle

What the boys were doing

Dancing with ribbons

Blowing out candles

Poor Angelina after Sierra and Owen ate her...

Where Did the Years Go?

2009-10-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Owen turned six! Six! This seems like a major milestone to me. Five seems still so little... a toddler almost. Six... that's like a boy. I mentioned this to my dad once and he told me his theory that the major milestone years (particularly for parents) are the sixes.

At six, they're getting on the bus and going to school. They're beginning to establish some independence from their parents. They're making friends at school and doing things you're not even aware of. (You know how hard it is to get a kid to tell you about his day at school?)

At twelve, they're about to become teenagers. They're really really trying to establish more independence. They're old enough to take care of other kids by babysitting. They're starting to think about *gasp* relationships and sex.

At eighteen, well, you know. They're adults. They're leaving home, hopefully, for college. 'Nuff said.

So after that, do the six-year milestones continue? Or do we switch over to the ten-year milestones? Is there anything particularly significant about 24? 30? (Well that one coincides....) 36? 42? (Perhaps 42 is when we become "old".... Yikes! I'm 42!) I would say that a lot of these ages were turning points for me in my life. What about you?

But I digress. Owen. Owen is six. Yesterday we had a fabulous party at the Higgins Armory Museum and ate a giant castle birthday cake that Owen and I got to cut with a sword! (Yes, I did make the cake... of course!)

And the rest of the party was fabulous too. The kids played in the hands-on Quest Gallery:

Owen got knighted:

(Look at that face -- pure happiness!)

And the kids made shields:

We all had a blast!

Intesticles!

2009-09-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

Owen was peeing tonight before bed and stalled. I went in and asked him if something was wrong or if he needed help. He turned and said, "I have a question. A question about bodies." Since he said this while standing in front of the toilet holding his penis, I asked if he wanted to talk to daddy, at which point Daddy came over, too. Owen asked, "Do girls have balls?" We explained, that, no, they don't. "Girls don't have intesticles?"

"What are testicles for?"

Wow. We weren't quite sure how to answer that, but it was certainly a good question. When we told him it was something he would understand when he's older, he said, "Just explain it to me, I'll understand!" Of course you will, sweetie, of course. We explained something about babies starting from two cells, one from a mommy and one from a daddy and testicles make the cells that come from the daddy for making a baby. He looked at us with a puzzled look and admitted that he didn't really understand. Don't worry, son, you will.

Summer Tacos

2009-08-24T06:27:00.001-07:00

The other day I decided to make tacos for dinner. I was sure that I had all the ingredients I needed, so I defrosted chicken (an nice variation to the ground turkey now and then).

I went to get the taco seasoning packet and discovered I didn't have any. Ok, no biggie, I'm resourceful. I looked up a recipe online for taco seasoning to replicate the seasoning packet and sure enough, the internet did not let me down! I didn't have all the ingredients exactly, but I had enough to wing it and come up with something surprisingly good!

Ok, so then, I had everything basically prepared (and by everything, I mean the few fixings my family will eat: cheese and grated carrots) and I discovered I only had three tortillas. Uh oh! Now here's where the new summer version of tacos recipe comes in! I did have some romaine lettuce. I prepared a plate of separated lettuce leaves and Steve and I used these instead of tortillas! I just put the fixings along the spine of the leaf and wrapped the leaf around lengthwise and voila, a yummy, healthy version of tacos.

(I wish I had taken a photo for you -- it looked very summery and delicious.)

Hedwig the Owl Cake

2009-08-20T17:59:00.000-07:00

This is quite a belated post because someone just asked me for advice on making an owl cake for her daughter and when I went to point her to my blog post about my Hedwig cake, I realized I didn't have a post about it!

So for my nephew's 6th birthday, he had a Harry Potter party. Having just recently used my new Williams-Sonoma stand-up bear cake pan to make a Dorothy Bear cake. I had this sudden inspiration where I could "see" the owl inside the bear by turning the bear around. The arms become wings, the legs and feet get shaved down to be a tail, and the ears, nose, and bear tail are removed. Now the back of the bear's head is the owl's face.

Can you "see" it?:

Maybe you can see it from this angle:

Anyway, here is how the cake turned out. I really love this particular cake because I was able to create something fairly unique, but I did it using a shaped pan that I already had, so the sculpting was minimized. (Unfortunately, I did have an engineering flaw where I propped up the owl part of the cake with cut off platic straws stuck in the bottom cake. The bottom cake was just from a mix, so not a particularly firm cake, and the straws holding the front of the owl failed in the car on the way over. Poor Hedwig was trying to take a nose-dive and poor hubby was trying to balance the whole cake tray to avoid complete catastrophe. Needless to say, Hedwig needed some repairs on arrival and her beautiful feet were never the same....)

The Dog Days of Summer

2009-07-24T18:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I just finished and delivered the cake I needed to do for the school's auction winner. The birthday girl decided on a dog theme, so not wanting to leave my bear pan idle, I talked her into a dog-sitting-in-a-bowl-of-dog-food cake. Here's the photos:

The Final Cake

Another View

At Home, Prior to Final Assembly

Cute, huh? Hopefully the two halves of the dog will stay together until the party tomorrow afternoon....

[Note: This cake was baked in the Williams-Sonoma Build-a-Bear cake pan. The bear ears and tail were removed and using gum-paste (homemade fondant with gum-tex added) I built up the snout, added dog ears and a dog tail. The bowl is just an 8" layer cake, tapered, with cocoa puffs added for dog kibble.]

Nikita

2009-07-23T18:31:00.000-07:00

I found this old photo of Nikita the other day and decided to scan it in. This is back when she was a young cat (maybe 2 or 3 years old?) and she used to play fetch (incessantly!) with little plastic rings. It is nice not having to worry about the cat any more, but I do miss her.

Bad Dreams

2009-07-21T06:21:00.001-07:00

The other night, in the middle of the night, Owen came into our bed. He was really, really upset and crying. He told us he had a bad dream, so we asked him to tell us about it. He said, "We were in an elevator and Sierra said she forgot her hat and ran off the elevator and I didn't make it off,..." and then he started bawling. "So you got left on an elevator by yourself?" we asked. "Yes," he said. So we comforted him and got him back to bed.

I found it very sweet that what was so scary to him was not monsters, or things chasing him, or stuff like that, but it was being alone without his parents. We did assure him that yes, getting left in an elevator would be a little scary, which is why we're always so careful to not let that happen, but that we would be able to find him again very quickly and he would be ok.

The Grand Canyon

2009-06-28T05:54:00.000-07:00

It's been a month since my trip and I still haven't posted any photos! I put together movie/slideshow with what I consider the best of the photos. Unfortunately, I think almost all the photos are good, so my first version was more than 20 minutes long and wouldn't upload! So I created a shorter version (<5min). I keep meaning to sort the photos (they're a bit out of order,) but I'll post this and update it if I ever make improvements.

And, in case you don't feel like watching the whole thing right now, here's just a couple of my absolute favorites:

MJ -- Just My Opinion

2009-06-27T10:00:00.001-07:00

Wow. Michael Jackson died. Shocker.

Do you hear the sarcasm?

It's not that I don't respect what he did for the music and entertainment industry, or that I don't think he was extraordinarily talented, or that I don't think it's profoundly sad that he died. (It's profoundly sad when anyone dies.) It's just that I really feel that what was sad was his life.

MJ was clearly emotionally disturbed. He exhibited bizarre behaviors, he had severe self-image problems that led to anorexia and severe self-mutilation (yes, all that disgusting plastic surgery was a form of self-mutilation,) and he was addicted to drugs. What did people think was going to happen? Why do we wait until something tragic happens to decide to mourn? Why didn't all the people that profess to love him try to save him?

I know, I know, it's really not that simple. When someone is alive, his life is private and not for us to intrude. Everything only becomes public and sad after their death.

But honestly, MJ's death was not a shock to me. I have been sad about his life for a long time. I certainly hope that he is at peace now.

Take Her Advice!

2009-05-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

Steve overheard the kids talking this afternoon. Owen was telling Sierra that his friends were going to be going to Kindergarten next week (we think he meant next year at a different school) and he wouldn't have any friends at school anymore. Sierra said, "If you just say 'hi' to people, then you'll make new friends!"

She's a genius!

Mother's Day

2009-05-12T10:52:00.000-07:00

I had a good Mother's Day. We took the kids to the Natick Collection Mall to have pictures taken with their cousins and Grammy. Then we had dinner with all of them. The kids were well behaved the whole time and they both ate their dinner. You can't ask for more than that.

But wait... there is more. Here are photos of the gifts they gave me. Every year at their pre-school, every kids paints a silk scarf. They each pick three colors and the scarf gets pinned down to a long piece of rice paper, which becomes the card/wrapping paper. Here's what I got: (Click on the one with the rice paper scrolls so you can read what Owen answered to "What is a mother?")

Levitating Charm

2009-04-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to my nephew's birthday party, which was a Harry Potter party. The activities were extraordinary -- buying wands and capes on Diagon Alley, attending a sorting ceremony complete with talking sorting hat, taking a potions class, practicing Quiddich, reading tea leaves in devinations class, and having a feast. While buying a wand they got to try out the levitating charm, "Wingardium Leviosa," and a lighting charm, "Lumos." (My brother-in-law rigged up a candle light to a remote and a coke can on a string so the kids could make the charms "work" with the right wand. Cool, huh?)

Later on, after dinner, Sierra went to the bathroom on her own. My sister-in-law went in there a couple of times asking if she needed help, but she said "no." She was standing on the potty stool with her pants down in a puddle of her own pee, repeating over and over, "In gardium mariosa!"

I believe she may have been trying to levitate her pee into the toilet....

The Tenth Good Thing About Nikita

2009-04-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

1. Nikita picked me at the animal shelter.
2. She always used the litter box.
3. She played fetch.
4. The tip of her tail had an inch of orange and white stripes with the cutest white tuft at the end.
5. She was so soft and loved to be scratched in the downy fur behind her ears.
6. She was affectionate and snuggley (but not annoyingly so.)
7. She helped me through a very hard time in my life.
8. When I had kids, I thought she would be jealous and spiteful, but instead she was fiercely protective.
9. She was my friend.
10. Nikita is in the ground and she’s helping grow flowers. You know, that’s a pretty nice job for a cat.*

*Taken from “The Tenth Good Thing About Barney” by Judith Viorst.

RIP Nikita. You were loved. I will remember you fondly. You are now at peace.

Permission to Think About the Unthinkable

2009-03-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

I took the cat to the vet today. I took her about a month ago because the vomiting and loose stools seemed to be getting out of control. At that point she was sneezing a bunch, but the vet didn't seem to make much of that. Since then, her sneezing has seemed to turn into some sort of upper respiratory infection, she sneezes all the time, she's lost a tooth, her mouth is irritated, and now suddenly there's a whole bunch of mucus coming out of her mouth and nose. Plus she's not eating (probably because of the mouth irritations) and she lost a pound in a month. The vet says she has a heart murmur.

It's hard to know what this all really means without a lot of expensive testing. But I don't really want to spend a lot of money prolonging the life of a cat that's really lived a good, long, mostly happy life and whose life is really not very high quality any more. I told the vet that I really just want to make sure she's comfortable. At that point he gave me the option of putting her down. (And, of course, waterworks that I am, I started crying.) So anyway, we decided today to give her shot of antibiotic for whatever infection she my have, give her intravenous rehydration, and switch her diet to wet food to see if she'll eat and gain any weight back.

So now, after the vet opened up the discussion of putting her down, I feel like I have permission to think about it and really examine the cat's quality of life and comfort to evaluate when is the right time. The thought of it makes me feel horribly sad, guilty, and, at the same time, a bit relieved.

There's a lot to think about, including how to discuss this with the kids. Steve thinks that we shouldn't let them know that we're ever choosing to end the cat's life, in case they think we might do that to them. Perhaps we might tell them that we're bringing the cat to a place where they care for very old animals until they die. (Kind of a stretch of the truth -- a very long stretch.) It's not that we want to completely avoid the topic of death, just anything that might scare them into thinking they might die in their sleep or that we might choose to get rid of them. Has anyone had experience with explaining such things to their kids?

I have to say, writing this down just now has felt very therapeutic. I hope there's no one reading this that takes offense at how I am caring for my cat. I really just want to do the most humane thing. She has been a dear friend to me for almost 17 years.

One More Tutu

2009-03-25T14:33:00.001-07:00

I know, I know, this is getting old. But this one turned out really cute! I made my niece a Lavender Flower Fairy Tutu for her 3rd birthday. I wish I could have been there to see if she liked it! (She was the one that got the Snow White cake.)

Here's Sierra modeling it for me:

Missing the Best Part

2009-03-19T07:26:00.001-07:00

I have to say, my favorite part of making a cake is seeing the reaction of the recipient. Last night (late!) I finished making a Snow White cake for my niece. Her party is this weekend, but we will be away. :-(

So, here's my first attempt at a princess doll cake. (I'm sure they'll be more!)

(I'm a little disappointed that the pearl luster dust on the skirt didn't show up very well, but otherwise, I think she turned out well.)

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

2009-03-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I made cupcakes to go with the Dorothy Bear cake at the school's fundraising auction. I wasn't sure if anyone would cut the bear cake, or if it would be too dense to eat, so I wanted to also make something yummy to go with it. Here's how I displayed it:

Everyone seemed to love the cupcakes, so I'm posting the recipe here. I'll start with the recipe as I found it (online somewhere) and then I'll tell you my variations.

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1 box dark chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 medium size zucchini (2 cups grated)
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup white raisins (sultanas)

In a large mixing bowl, add cake mix, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Beat until well blended. Stir in the chopped nuts, grated zucchini, chocolate chips, and raisins.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13x9inch cake pan.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

Cool the cake, then frost with cream cheese frosting of your choice.

My variations:

I always make this as mini cupcakes. Bake them for a much shorter period of time. I don't remember exactly how long -- just keep checking after about 10 or 15 minutes. (You know, until the toothpick comes out....) (Someday maybe I'll try it as a cake!)

The second time I made these with regular raisins rather than white raisins. I like this much better. The dark raisins you can't see, and they just add a hint of something juicy and sweet in the cupcake.

Next time I might add a little bit more zucchini -- it was not noticeable, and I think you could push the health factor.

Leave out the nuts if you need to, although I like them. I might even add a few more nuts and raisins.

She's Off To See the Wizard!

2009-03-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

Without further ado, here's my latest cake:

She's So Old, She's Falling Apart

2009-03-13T07:16:00.000-07:00

You know how we like to joke sometimes that we're so old that things are falling apart or falling off? Well last night, I came home, and the cat greeted me with some slightly labored breathing. Then she sneezed (or whatever that is that she keeps doing lately that I can't explain) and a tooth fell out of her mouth. I heard it and thought, "Is that a piece of food?" But when I picked it up, it was an actual tooth.

I guess she's getting pretty old. We've got her on pro-biotics now to help with her digestion because of the loose stools and vomiting. But now (I think as a side effect of the pro-biotics, but I'm not sure) she has hideous breath. And then she comes and does these cough-sneezes in my face. Yuck. I think I got her in about 1991, so she's about 18 years old. My fear is that she's going to hang on in this throwing-up-stinky-poo-bad-breath state for five more years!

Pre-school Board Nomination Update

2009-03-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

Remember when I told you that I volunteered to be nominated for the Fall Show Fundraising committee for the pre-school? Well, it turns out that there was some more movement in the open positions and I was offered the nomination for Vice Chair! I am very excited and honored to have been chosen for this position. (I'm also glad that my work for the school won't be concentrated during those first fall months.) (Note: The nominating committee puts together a slate to be recommended by the board and then made official by a vote at the general membership meeting, so it's not actually final until then.)

Busy Makin' Stuff

2009-03-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

I've been busy making stuff and planning stuff to make. My latest finished project is another tutu. This one is going to the church auction. (Yes, church. For those of you that know me as not very religious, I am now a UU -- spiritual, intellectual, and open to all ideas and beliefs.) Anyway, I'm calling this one Princess Pink. I'm not sure the combo of colors and patterns turned out as well as the others, but I think any girly-girl will love it.

My model

The doll tutu

Oh, and I don't think I ever posted about the one I did for Sierra. She picked the colors. I think it's my favorite!

And next I'm working on a lavender flower fairy tutu for my niece and a couple of cool cakes.

One Year

2009-02-25T06:55:00.001-08:00

Today is the one year anniversary of my starting a blog! Happy blogaversary to me! I have not been very disciplined about posting on a regular basis, but I do like having an outlet for my thoughts -- kind of a public journal.

Thanks to everyone who has read my blog. You make me feel like I have something worth saying occasionally.

For my second year of blogging, I'll try to post more often. But no promises.

Am I Crazy or What?

2009-02-23T20:26:00.000-08:00

So, it still has to go through the nominating committee and then official board approval and then official vote at the yearly pre-school membership meeting, but I just volunteered to be a fundraising chair next year -- the one who runs the fall show. I really want to continue to be on the board and I even want a big job. I know that I can run the fall show -- I'm fairly familiar with what it involves because I've been on the committee a couple of times. It's just that fall is birthday time in my house and every year I get sick overdoing the party planning and preparations. I've already vowed to myself that there will be no parties at the house this year. I will make the cakes -- that's a given. But the kids will get to pick a place to have a party that someone else plans: ballet studio, build-a-bear, aquarium, science museum, ... they'll get to choose and we'll invite a couple of kids. So if I can just plan ahead on the show and schedule my time well (hah!) I won't get sick this year???

Doombas!

2009-02-13T12:24:00.000-08:00

For those of you that read this and know my past, this is particularly funny! (That "beard" is especially funny!) For those of you that don't know some of my ancient history, this is still funny.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Future Shock - Roombas of Doom

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Funny Political News
Joke of the Day

"Soldiers can throw one of these in a building." "And then it vacuums!" "Well... uh...."

"You don't shoot stupid children, either."

ROTFL

Tutu #2

2009-02-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

Here's the second tutu I made. This one is "Ice Blue."

Enjoy!

Ice Blue Tutu

Matching doll tutu

Putting on the Happy Music

2009-02-02T16:07:00.000-08:00

When I need a little mood adjustment there's always one CD that I play. It never fails to lift my mood, even if just a little bit. My mom had this album (yes, a vinyl album) when I was in high school. Then when I was in college, one of my roommates owned it and would play it for me (Thanks, ooolia!) when I was feeling depressed (about a guy, of course!) No matter what kind of music you're into, this music will not fail to make you feel good.

So if you don't already have it, get your hands on a copy of Bolling Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio, Jean-Pierre Rampal and Claude Bolling.

She's crafty!

2009-01-28T18:55:00.000-08:00

Every year, the kids' preschool has a goods and services auction to raise money. While every year I donate a custom cake, I'm always trying to think of something I could make that I've never done before. Doing various network searches, I got the idea that this year I want to make a set of tutus for a little girl. I've finished one and I think it came out really cute! I'm planning to do a second one in blue and white and silver. And perhaps, if I have the extra supplies for it, make matching doll tutus.

I'm calling this one Chocolate Pink Tutu. It's pink with chocolate swirling through and just a hint of sparkle.

Sierra modeling.

The odd thing is that when Sierra was born I was really routing for her to be more of a tom-boy. I resisted too much pink baby clothes. But I secretly really like the girly-girl and princess stuff, too. (Well, I guess it's not such a secret anymore.) After I'm done with the ones I'm making for the auction, I'll take Sierra to the craft store and let her help me pick out colors and embellishments for her own tutu.

Toot and Puddles?

2009-01-26T11:57:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of Toot and Puddle, two cute little pigs created by Holly Hobbie? Well, lately Sierra's been rebelling against using the potty at home, and therefore has a new habit of leaving puddles in various places. The other night, Owen had the toots as he was getting ready for bed. My husband and I were both laughing as they just kept coming out of him as he walked around getting ready for bed. At that point we decided their new nicknames are now "Toot" and "Puddles"!! Let's hope these nicknames don't last!

Newsworthy Dogs?

2009-01-16T11:04:00.000-08:00

Like most towns, our town has a little weekly local paper. The writing is not always consistent, as journalists come and go, but that's to be expected in such a small paper. What really shocks me about the paper, though, is their inability to find subject matter that the residents of the town want and need to hear about. There is one story that I always use to illustrate this point. One week the front page top story was a dog wedding. Yes. You read that right. Go back and read it again, if you need to. There was nothing that happened that week that was more important than a dog wedding. It happened to take place in my neighborhood. There were about 200 people invited (not me, though) and it was a real wedding ceremony and reception that took place in the family's yard. People dressed up and everything. Nothing was more important than that. Nothing. They even sent a photographer. (I later learned that there were some Special Olympics events for which there was no coverage, or at least they sent no photographer....)

That was about two years ago. Today's top story, along with adorable full-color photo (see photo) is about another dog in my neighborhood (what is it about my neighborhood?!?) that was attacked and injured by a coyote. I'm sure people want to know about this because they want to protect their pets and small children, but really... top story?? Sheesh.

When It Rains, It Pours Freezing Rain

2009-01-07T09:35:00.000-08:00

I recently blogged about how When It Rains It Pours, but now I need to add some more. (To recap, the dishwasher failed, but needs a new shut-off valve before it can be installed. The hot water heater started to leak just a little and we've been treating it tenderly until we can get a new one installed. Steve's away this week, until tonight, and the plumber came Monday to see if he can install the one Steve wants.) Ok, so it turns out, even though the plumber can install the heater we want, we'd have to wait 3 weeks to get it.

On Monday the heater started making a slightly bigger puddle. So I turned it off for the day and turned it back on before bed so I could take a shower. After my shower, the puddle was actively getting bigger. That scared me, so I decided to turn off the heater and try to drain it. Easier said than done. This, of course, was at 2:00 in the morning and I called Steve in DC and woke him up to help me figure out the best plan. I think I drained some of it and the water seems to have stopped flowing. Steve, in the meantime was working on getting an appointment with the plumber. The plumber is coming tomorrow (when Steve's home) to install the not-really-as-good-as-the-one-Steve-wants water heater. So now we're figuring out how to live without a hot water tank. Other than not being able to take a shower or give the kids a bath, it's not too bad. I boil a pot of water on the Stove and use it to help the kids wash their hands and wash dishes that can't wait.

At least we have electricity and heat. Well... that is... until I came home yesterday evening and discovered we had no heat! I was starting to contemplate putting the kids on air mattresses in the family room where we have a gas fireplace, but Steve helped me troubleshoot over the phone and we discovered that the thermostat wasn't working, probably due to a dead battery. After fiddling with it for a while, the heat kicked on. Phew!

And today the kids are home because of this awful "wintery mix!" I did shovel just enough to get out of the driveway for a neighborhood playgroup, but I almost didn't make it back up. We were supposed to do a gymnastics make-up today, but I don't want to venture out again....

I am so looking forward to having a new hot water heater and dishwasher tomorrow!

Visit from Santa

2009-01-01T20:47:00.000-08:00

I know this is overdue, but I wanted to post photos of the kids meeting Santa. One of the parents from their school arranged to have Santa (the real one!) come visit her house, so she invited 10 families (to split the cost) to a cookie decorating party and then Santa showed up to surprise the kids. The bonus for me was that I didn't have to take the kids to the mall and wait in a line to get my Santa pictures this year. Now I just need to get one printed. (That's one thing that the mall does for me....)

Santa appears to be warning Sierra to be good

Sierra telling Santa she wants a toy tiger

Owen telling Santa he wants something Indiana Jones, or, as he says, "Innyanner Jones"

Aren't they cute??

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T08:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to a kid friendly New Year's party that celebrated the new year at midnight GMT time (that's 7pm Boston time.) It was a fun time, especially for the kids who were all running wild around the house and eating marshmallows dipped in chocolate fondue. Just before "midnight" they handed out paper hats and horns and whatnot and then did the whole countdown. So why is it, when it was time to go, the kids are upset about whether or not they get to bring home the stupid paper hat? Sigh... life is rough for a 3-year-old!

The other thing that happened yesterday was that we hosted a neighborhood playgroup in the morning. It also was snowing hard in the morning. I was up really late cleaning and getting things ready to have a bunch of neighbors in my house. I also baked cookies and made frosting to "paint" on them with new, washed paint brushes. The kids and I had fun with this. We were the only ones. No one else showed up.... Well, at least I get credit for hosting and my house is a bit cleaner. And I have snacks to offer an impromptu play date with some school friends.

So I'm just now starting to think about what I should resolve for the new year. Here's a start:

(1) Go on a backpacking trip.

(2) Participate in at least one triathlon.

(3) Get in shape to do (1) and (2).

(4) Eat with more moderation and stop when full.

(5) Finish some projects around the house:
- plan and start the home expansion project
- buy furniture for Sierra's room
- clean and organize my "office"
- organize and purge toys, and set up the basement as a play area for the kids

I'm sure there's more I should resolve, but I'll stop there so I'm less likely to fail.

Happy, healthy, properous New Year, everyone!

When It Rains, It Pours

2008-12-30T13:12:00.001-08:00

Recently, we discovered that our 15 year old dishwasher is beginning to leak. We put a towel under it, continue to run it once a day, and purchased a new dishwasher that is sitting in the dining room in the box waiting to be installed. Why is it waiting to be installed? Because the shut-off valve to the dishwasher hasn't been used in 15 years and is frozen shut and needs to be replaced first. Of course, Steve wants to do this himself -- it's not that hard a job and a plumber will charge a fortune. He needs a new tool for the job, though....

In the meantime... I was out to dinner with some friends a couple of weeks ago and mentioned how we were thinking about a new type of water heater because ours is 15 years old and it's rated for about 10 years. I was promptly chastised by my friends for living with the old water heater on borrowed time. This is a disaster waiting to happen! Well, a couple of days before Christmas we discovered that there's a small leak in our water heater. So now Steve is scrambling to figure out what new water heater we will and can get before this one completely blows. (We'd like to get a super-efficient one -- even if the cost doesn't justify the payback, we feel that someone needs to start creating demand for environmentally friendly products or they'll never become commonplace!) But getting plumbers to call back, give quotes, and find non-standard water heaters during the holidays is frustrating, to say the least.

So, every night before we go to bed and any time we go out of the house for an extended period of time, we shut off the water supply to the water heater. (If it does fail, the most that would get on the floor is what's in the tank.) Oh, and we used to run the dishwasher every night when we went to bed because the old one is so noisy. But I don't want to run it without hot water... so I'm constantly looking for a time when I can run it and it's thrown off our dish usage habits!

I sure hope that the water heater doesn't fail next week when Steve's away! There's a plumber coming Monday, just to see if it's possible to install a direct-vent water heater. Then it could be 3 more weeks before we could get our hands on one of these models. Cross your fingers, everyone!

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-22T06:48:00.000-08:00

In Friday's storm we got about 8 inches. I had to run the snowblower at midnight to clear out enough of the driveway for Steve to get in. (He had to drive home from JFK because US Airways diverted his flight home there and then cancelled it. Now there saying that they successfully completed his flight! Nothing like a good fight with an airline. And then Steve rented car with 2 guys in his row and drove back to Logan. Think, "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.") In yesterday's storm we got another 12 inches. It stopped snowing around 9pm, so Steve was able to completely clear the driveway before we went to bed. Bummer there still wasn't any school today!

Christmas Survey

2008-12-20T10:13:00.000-08:00

I got this from a friend's blog and thought I'd post my answers here:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both... whatever works best. I usually buy wrapping paper and reuse gift bags that have been given to me.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually a week or 2 after Thanksgiving, but if we're too busy, it might go up right before Christmas.
4. When do you take the tree down? Jan 6, or as close to it as the tree pick-up schedule will allow. (12 days of Christmas, remember?)
5. Do you like eggnog? Yum! But these days I only drink Silk Nog when I can find it.
6. Favorite gift received ever? I can't remember... brain cells gone...
7. Hardest person to buy for? Mostly Steve. He's always so particular about what he likes, usually he just has to tell me what he wants. This year he even shopped for the best price and said, "Buy it today because the sale is over at midnight." It's a really nice gift, though!
8. Easiest person to buy for? Kids.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? No. Someday I might like to get one because it's a really cool piece of art, though.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? The year Santa brought my sister a baton in her stocking and my "comparable" gift was a toy broom. I was convinced that Santa mixed up my sister's and my stockings, but there wasn't anything I could do about it.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Christmas Story with Jean Shepherd. "You'll shoot your eye out, kid."
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? varies, usually around Thanksgiving
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies.
16. Lights on the tree? I've always prefered white (lots), not blinking, at most, twinkling. These days I'm more sold on colored lights. But I really do hate when they blink in patterns.
17. Favorite Christmas song? The "putting up the lights" version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas"
18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? Travelling to local relatives (then I don't have to clean, but I don't have to sleep away from home.)
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star, but I have an angel that I made a long time ago that I hope to re-use someday.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? morning
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Crowds at the stores
23. What theme or color are you using? Theme... I'm supposed to have a theme? It's whatever minimal decorations are in the boxes from the attic.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Whatever, I'm easy.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Happy, excited children on Christmas morning.

Wordless Wednesday: Flower Girl & Ring Bearer

2008-12-17T09:30:00.000-08:00

How Bad Could a Little Frozen Rain Be?

2008-12-16T22:00:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday night and early Friday morning we had an ice storm here. I had no idea what we were in for, but before I went to bed, I kept hearing "CRACK, crash, crash, crash!" in the back yard. (It was really freaky to hear so much going on in woods and not being able to see it!) This went on all night long. In the morning we were treated to this:

We were also treated to a 7 am phone automated phone call from the town declaring a state of emergency and closed schools. We were planning on leaving for my cousin's wedding in NJ that morning at 10, but delayed until noon, mostly just to give some time for roads to be cleared of tree limbs and such. (Well, and to finish packing, too....) We had no trouble getting out and were gone until 11:30 pm Sunday night. That's when I found out that our town was essentially entirely without power on Friday (except for small areas, including where we are) and many areas are still without power now (Tuesday night) and one of the schools is still acting as a shelter.

I find it so amazing that a bunch of rain at the wrong temperature can cause so much damage and chaos. So many perfectly healthy trees in our back yard suffered the loss of so many limbs. Most of the limbs fell, but many of them are just hanging with no clear indication of when they may fall. I imagine that everyone around here needs to be careful in any wooded area for a while, because there may be unintentional booby traps!

Thankfully, the weather warmed up the past couple of days, so people were able to get out and clean up without freezing, but tonight we have snow forecast, and they cancelled school again tomorrow....

Favorite Holiday Recipes

2008-11-29T12:59:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite holiday recipes that I made for Thanksgiving this year. They are equally good for other holiday meals. The Cranberry Apple Relish comes from my mother-in-law and has been an Atkins family tradition for a long time. The Cheesy Olive recipe is from my mother. She used to make them as an appetizer at the holidays and I would eat the cheesy part and leave the olive. Now I appreciate the amazing combination of flavors!

Cranberry Apple Relish

(I'm including the amounts here for a small or large batch.)
This recipe is simple if you own a grinder that can easily grind up the cranberries and raisins. Without a good grinder, it becomes very challenging. I own a grinder attachment for my KitchenAid mixer and it works great!

Cranberries: 3 c. for small or 7 c. (2 12 oz bags) for large batch
Raisins: 3/8 c. or 7/8 c.
Apple: 3/4 c. or 1 3/4 c.
Sugar: 1 c. or 2.5 c.
Lemon Juice: 3/4 t. or 1 3/4 t.

Wash & pick over the cranberries, then grind or chop. Grind or chop raisins and add to cranberries. Chop apples by hand and add. Add & stir in sugar and lemon juice.
After everything has been mixed in, let it stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved and some juice has been formed. Then keep in refrigerator or freeze. (Make a big batch at Thanksgiving and freeze half for Christmas.)

Cheesy Olives

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (do not use pre-shredded as it will not mush into the dough properly.)
1/2 cup butter soft / melted
1/2 tsp. paprika
Dash hot sauce
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
~72 olives (green with pimentos)

Mix cheese, butter, paprika, and hot sauce.
Stir in flour and salt to make dough.
Let stand 10-15 minutes.
Roll 1/2 - 1 tsp. dough around each olive.
(Can be prepared ahead and refrigerated before baking.)
Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Cranberries are a Diuretic

2008-11-28T12:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I was thankful that I was able to spend Thanksgiving with family (my brother-in-law's family and his in-laws, who are all very nice.) Everyone brought something so that Jane, my sister-in-law, wouldn't have to cook everything (although she did an awful lot of it!) Most everything was a special recipe from scratch, so it was a particularly yummy Thanksgiving dinner. So, what do my kids eat at Thanksgiving? Aside from the desserts and snacks, which they're going to love in any setting, they each had a very unique, but not very varied plateful of food.

Owen ate rolls with butter. He had seconds. And thirds. He may also have had some crackers with a bite or two of cheese.

Sierra ate cranberry relish (my mother-in-law's phenomenal recipe that I make every year because I have the grinder attachment for my kitchenaid mixer.) And to mix it up a little, she also ate cranberry sauce (the kind from a can.) In fact, it's likely that she ate a whole can's worth. (Certainly more than half a can!) As a result, she had to pee a lot! So, despite the fact that she was doing well using the potty and went a bunch of times successfully, she still had a couple of accidents. In fact, 5 minutes after she successfully used the potty, she she had an accident which left a significant puddle on the floor. That's when I started to think, "hmmm... I think cranberries are a diuretic!"

Let's try them all!

2008-11-23T20:01:00.000-08:00

My first child has always been a slave to routine and familiarity. He's much more willing to try new things than he used to be, but with something like, say, peeing on the potty, I would worry that he might have to go outside the house and just not be willing to use a strange toilet. It took a long time before he would even use the toilet at school.
My daughter, however, once she likes doing something, wants to try all the different variations. She would love to try every toilet. Last week she told me she had to pee while we were in the car. I had told her when we were getting in that I had a little portable potty in the car, so she should always tell me when she has to go, even if we're in the car. We stopped at a rest stop and I offered to take her in. No, she wanted to use the portable potty. But nothing came out. So we tried the potty inside the rest stop. Still nothing. (She just wanted to try them out.) Once at the mall, she tried at least two toilets (successfully.) She loves to go at school and will even request that her teacher help her with wiping rather than me, even if I'm there. And best of all, the other day we were coming home from the Boston Aquarium with friends in the car, stuck in traffic on Rt. 2, and she said she had to pee. "Can you hold it for a little while, or do you have to go now?" I asked. "I have to go now." So I pulled over at a gas station just off Rt. 2. Ooof! The smell hit hard from the one bathroom (no separate women's.) The nasty looking bar of soap sat on a sponge on the sink. "Ok, Sierra, don't touch anything. You're going to go quickly, and we'll wash our hands with wipes at the car." She was so proud of herself, using the gas station bathroom and staying dry!

I'm Due For a Sinus Infection...

2008-11-22T18:06:00.000-08:00

Once a year, for the past I don't know how many years, I get a cold that develops into a sinus infection. I think this might be the one. On Oct. 26 I got some kind of chest infection which developed into pneumonia. I got better with antibiotics, but the cough hung on while my body continued to try to clear all the mucus out of my lungs. The cough was getting better, but I think the sickness weakened me, because now I've caught a head cold. It includes an extremely annoying tickle in my throat that's now developed into an unrelenting cough. The coughing is exhausting. But I can't sleep. Too much coughing. I can feel my sinuses filling up. The face pain is coming, I just know it. I think I'm in for another doctor visit....

Dry All Day!

2008-11-13T15:49:00.001-08:00

I'm in complete disbelief. Sierra was out of the house with me all day and managed to tell me every time she had to pee. We're 5 minutes before bedtime, and she's still wearing the same underwear she put on this morning. It's a miracle! Child 1: 2 years. Child 2: 4 days. I know, I know, there's bound to be setbacks, and she hasn't dealt with a poop well yet, but I really think this is huge!

A First Success!

2008-11-12T15:17:00.000-08:00

Well, Sierra's been really struggling to figure out the mechanics of peeing during the four days she's been wearing the underwear. But just a minute ago she was standing in the kitchen and whispered to herself, "pee on the potty," and then said out loud to me, "I think I have to pee on the potty!" We rushed her into the bathroom where we found her dry and she proceeded to pee!! This is so very exciting!!!! (Keep in mind that earlier today, she peed in her pants just about a minute or two after having sat on the potty, unable to pee.)

I'm so happy I peed on the potty and got a reward!

I'm so happy, I get a little reward every time Sierra has a success!

Potty Training Pain

2008-11-10T10:58:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong. I'm really glad that Sierra has decided to give up pull-ups and start wearing underwear. But she doesn't know how to tell when she needs to go. Twice at school today (I was parent-helping) she had accidents right before I was planning to have her sit on the potty. Then she had another accident at home. It's only 2 o'clock! I'm hoping she figures it out quickly because I find all the cleaning up exhausting.

Oh, and I need to buy more underwear!

[Update: By the time she went to bed, she had had 6 (at least) accidents. While she sat on the potty once, she didn't actually pee there. On the plus side, she still wants to wear underwear -- at least she's not giving up!]

Going on Safari!

2008-11-09T19:07:00.001-08:00

Today's safari birthday party was a success. Steve set up a scavenger hunt "safari" with photos of animals all over the yard. The kids took their safari hats and binoculars and had to find and check all the animals off their list. Combined with a bounce house (a castle because they didn't have any animal ones,) a zebra pinata, and a hippo cake, it made for a fun day for the kids. (Sorry, I don't have photos of the safari yet. I took them on my brother's camera an I don't have them on my computer yet.)

Bouncin'

Pinata goodies! (no candy)

The cake -- not bad, eh?

The photogenic birthday girl!

Underwear!

2008-11-09T06:21:00.000-08:00

Sierra has decided that when you're 3, you wear underwear. She has been unsuccessful using the potty while wearing pulll-ups, but I'm hopeful that this "big girl" attitude will do the trick! I've heard of it happening with other kids. Her daddy is not very hopeful. He remembers Owen saying the same thing when he was 3... and when he was 4....

So, she's wearing underwear right now! And she's peed on the potty once today. Everyone keep your fingers crossed!

Dinosaur Dig Party

2008-11-08T11:56:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting around to posting something about Owen's 5th birthday party. We played up the whole dinosaur theme with the Triceratops cake (seen here), dinosaur decorations, and dinosaur activities. Steve made giant dinosaur footprint cutouts for the floor and walls, he made chalk footprints up the driveway, we had green streamers (I should have had more) and blow-up dinosaurs, and really great dinosaur tablecloths.

For activities, we did the following:
- The kids came in and decorated their own gift bags with fabric markers and puffy dinosaur stickers (which turned out to be a mistake because then I had to stuff the bags during the party.)
-The kids then went outside and dug through the sandbox for a dinosaur skeleton.
- Steve hid photographs of dinosaurs all over the yard and the kids went on a scavenger hunt to find them all and fill in the letters on their sheets to spell C-R-E-T-A-C-E-O-U-S.

-Steve then told the kids a whole story about protecting dinosaur eggs and they did a relay race with eggs (balloons) and putting them in nests.

-We had a triceratops pinata (filled with mini plastic dinos and other little toys, not candy.

- The kids played pin the pteranodon in the dino picture. (Most of them figured out how to cheat. Not the kid in this picture, though....)

- We were going to play a dinosaur version of musical chairs where you try to hide in the dinosaur footprint, but we ran out of time.

The activities really kept the kids busy and active for the whole 2 1/2 hours. Before the pinata, we stopped for a snack that included homemade cheddar dinosaur crackers. At the end, we ate the cake!

Tomorrow we're doing a Safari Party! Stay tuned for an update and cake photos!

Halloween!

2008-11-02T12:24:00.000-08:00

I love halloween! I just wish that I hadn't been sick this year. Maybe the kids won't remember that I never took them out to get pumpkins or spent much effort to decorate the house. Thankfully, I made the bulk of their costumes for our trip to Disney in September. But I never did finish painting the brown bits onto the sweatsuit for Owen's costume.... He didn't seem to mind.

Owen was a triceratops:

And Sierra was a hippo:

Very cute, if I do say so myself!

(Note: I bought Sierra's costume and added some details like the hands, toes on the feet, and the tail. My MIL made the hood with the horns for Owen's triceratops head. I added the frill and the paint to the hood and made the tail and the clawed hands and feet. Just in case you thought I was more crafty than I am....)

Pneumonia!

2008-10-31T10:06:00.000-07:00

Steve came home last night instead of this afternoon. Good thing, too. I took the opportunity to see the doctor before the weekend because I really felt that my symptoms warranted a visit. She heard crackling -- pneumonia! Antibiotics and cough syrup with codine for me. I hope that Owen fights this off!

I feel crummy!

2008-10-30T15:17:00.000-07:00

My body decided that after Owen's party was over it was ok to get sick. I've got this awful chest cold with aching, fever, and constant coughing. Steve's away this week (of course) but he's coming home a little bit early for me. I know there is no good time to be sick, but Halloween and then Sierra's birthday party to plan for? And Owen is sick now, too. Not coughing much yet, but I'm worried. I hope he can go trick-or-treating.

What is it?

2008-10-28T18:37:00.001-07:00

I had mixed feelings about the cake I made for Owen's birthday. Take a look and tell me what you think it looks like:

It's good luck!

2008-10-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

I was parent-helping at preschool today when the teacher brought Sierra in to me because a bird pooped on her head. Now I wish I had a photo. It was a really big meconium-like poop right on top of her head. It didn't want to come out! The teacher said that in her 21 years teaching preschool, that had never happened to one of her students before. I had to wash her hair four times to get it all out -- once with Dawn dishwashing liquid. What was that bird eating??

Five!

2008-10-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

Owen is 5 years old! I'm really proud of him and how far he's come socially. We had a very successful dinosaur party at our house today. We had a whole schedule of dinosaur-related activities planned and a triceratops birthday cake. It was exhausting for Steve and I to set up and plan, but seeing how much fun the kids had made it very rewarding. I hope to post some pictures tomorrow. I'm too exhausted right now.

Seriously Funny

2008-10-24T22:17:00.000-07:00

Oh my! I stole this from another blog and couldn't resist posting it here. If your kids ever wonder why it's important to learn how to spell... now you know.

I Love Fall in NE

2008-10-17T19:36:00.001-07:00

May used to be my favorite month. Spring: the flowers all bloom, the weather warms up, my birthday rolls around.... But lately I think October is replacing May as my favorite. Certainly my birthday is losing its magic as I get older.... I really think that nothing compares to seeing the leaves change in New England. The weather turns crisp and cool. Putting on a fleece jacket and going for a walk with the kids just before sunset is like heaven! I really wish I had remembered to carry my camera around with me about three days ago -- that's when the color was really peaking here. But here's a few photos that were taken last weekend at a party on a lake:

And here's a few I took today around my yard and neighborhood:

Bad to the Bone!

2008-10-17T19:25:00.000-07:00

I babysit for one of Owen's friends every Wednesday. A couple of times she has given him an "earring". Have a look:

The friend educated him on earrings: boys only wear one, girls wear two. She put it on his right ear, whatever that means these days! (BTW, it's a sticker.)

Sierra got a pair one day, too:

Only steps from the toilet...

2008-10-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

This morning, Sierra didn't seem herself. She told me that her mouth hurt (teething) so I gave her some motrin. Then I hung out with her in her bed until she said her teeth felt better. But she still seemed off. I kept asking if something else was wrong -- no answer. I finally got her dressed, but she was still pretty lethargic. I went into the hallway holding her and she proceeded to vomit on herself, me, and her stuffed hippo.

Oh.

There was something else wrong. Why didn't you tell me? I think she just doesn't yet have the vocabulary for "I feel like I'm going to vomit." After all, I don't think she's ever done that before....

Thankfully, she was better after that -- no fever, no more vomiting.

We worried a bit about the hippo (her favorite), but after making sure we could order another one, I put him through the washer and dryer. We were imagining him floating up for air periodically in the washer.... He did come out fresh and clean and all in one piece.

Now let's just hope that both kids are healthy tomorrow when they both have school and I really don't want to have to cancel any of the many obligations or activities of the day.

I guess this about sums me up!

2008-10-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

You Are Oregano

You have are charming, funny, witty, and smart.

You love to party - and people love to party with you.

You are always friendly and warm. You are able to help people get along.

What Spice Are You?

The Benefits of Being a Pack Rat

2008-10-03T13:31:00.001-07:00

Most of the time, my pack rat tendencies are detrimental. My house is a disorganized mess, I have trouble finding things (but I usually do, because I know they're here somewhere!), and I drive my husband crazy. But every once in a while, I find that something I've been meaning to get rid of, but allowed to sit around the house anyway, does become useful again.

Lately, my almost-three-year-old has been chewing on her fingers incessantly because her 2-year molars are coming in. Today, she was putting a super ball in her mouth, I believe to chew on it. I had to take it away because she kept doing it, even when I told her it was dangerous. So I went and dug through the bin of toys that I'd planned to get rid of and found three teethers to wash off and give to her. She's having a blast right now trying them all. She's especially intrigued by the one that vibrates when you bite it. Ironically, she never used teethers when she was a baby.

Thanks, we needed that!

2008-09-30T06:58:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, Steve and I dropped the kids off at my parents' house on Saturday afternoon and then went in to Boston for an overnight date. How awesome is that? We checked in to the Hilton Back Bay, ate dinner at P.F.Changs, and then drove over to the Bay Side Expo to see Cirque du Soleil - Kooza. After that, we went out for dessert a the Cheesecake Factory (I know, we should have gone to some Boston original restaurants instead of the chains, but it was raining and we stuck with places in the Prudential Center so we wouldn't have to walk outside for more than a block.) Dessert was overkill -- I couldn't even finish half of mine -- but it was nice to have such a decadent evening. On Sunday we slept in until 10:00!!! And then after having brunch and browsing around the mall for a while, we took a nap! Oh my, the decadence has no end!! And oddly enough, the rain was a blessing in some ways because Steve didn't spend the weekend thinking about all the work he could be doing on the house!

I highly recommend a weekend away from your house with your significant other as a wonderful gift to yourselves. Happy 7th anniversary to us!!

I Inspired Someone??

2008-09-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

I discovered the other day that a friend of a friend commented on my blog about the Danskin Triathlon. Apparently, her and a friend did the Danskin in the NY area, and read my blog for tips and inspiration. They both did phenomenally well (especially compared to me) so it's hard to comprehend how I could be an inspiration to them, but it feels good that I was!

Coincidentally, the race took place in NJ really close to where I grew up. And the friend of a friend, who did the race, lives across the street from the other house in NJ where I grew up. Small world. It would be fun to try to do that one next year. Maybe by then I can train well enough to as do well as they did.

Growing Up!

2008-09-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

Today was Sierra's first day of school. She was a natural! The first day, parents are required to stay. Tomorrow, I can leave her on her own, if she's ready. She tells me that she's ready! (I stayed at school with Owen his first year until April. Yes, April. He had a hard time adjusting.)

Recovering

2008-09-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

We spent 8 days at Disney World.

Sheesh... that was exhausting, but fun! We got back late on Monday night (5 days ago) and I'm finally feeling recovered. Why do we need a vacation after our vacations? School starts this week for the kids. Sierra has her first day of pre-school on Monday (sniff, sniff... when did my baby girl grow up?) I'm finally getting all the fall activities scheduled. It's gymnastics and soccer so far. Maybe swimming and ballet later this fall.

When my brain turns back on, perhaps I'll come up with some more interesting blog posts.

My big boy!

2008-08-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

I went with my kids, and a bunch of my moms' group friends and their kids, to Great Brook State Farm in Carlisle today. Basically, we had a picnic, the kids played in a big field, and then we went for ice cream and to look at the cows and other animals. After everyone else had gone, I took Owen over to building with the bathrooms. He examined the signs:

and then refused to enter the women's room with me. "I want to go in the boys room!" There seemed to be no one around, so I let him. I let him know that I couldn't go in there, and he didn't have a problem with that. (I did, however, have to go in to help him turn on the water, but I made sure there was no one in there first.)

Every day, my little boy shows me how he's growing up!

Haircut!

2008-08-24T07:31:00.000-07:00

I finally convinced my stylist that when I say "short," I mean short! Have a look!

I know the photo is weird because of the shadow from the flash. I'll get a better photo when I post one of it spiked up -- this is a photo of the haircut with no product.

4-H Fair

2008-08-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

I don't think I realized this until last year, but my town hosts the 4-H fair for Middlesex County. So for the first time, I took the kids to a 4-H Fair. We went with their friends, Jonathan and Ethan, and had lots of fun checking out all the animals. Both kids surprised me by going for pony rides. It's not so much that they did it that surprised me, it was that it took no coaxing at all and both were lifted onto the pony and off before I even had my money or camera out, or even knew that they had decided to do it. Owen was not clingy and demanding that I go along with him, he just went. Very cool.

Anyway, here's photos:

Hang ups?

2008-08-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

I've got a job on the board of the kids' preschool. It isn't one of the 10 or so I said I was willing to do -- it's the one the director called me up and talked me into. I'm Assistant Treasurer. Basically the job entails collecting any money coming in to the school, depositing it in the bank, and reporting the deposits to the Treasurer. Sounds simple, right? Except, I hate asking people for money. And I have to collect tuition... and remind people that they're late... and remind them again (and don't forget the late fee,) and remind them some more if I have to.

So I have a couple of families that are now 5 weeks late on their 1st tuition payment. I decided that it's time to make a phone call because emails aren't working. One of my calls, despite my hopes for an answering machine, was answered.

So if someone called you up from the school where your child is going to go to school, whose child will be in your child's class, and told you that you are late with your tuition, what would you do? I don't know, I suppose that people have different ways of reacting to sudden pressure, which is probably how this phone call was perceived -- pressure. I guess fight or flight are two options. This woman chose flight -- she hung up. I suppose it's better than getting yelled at. But if it was me, I think I would have been embarrassed and apologized profusely and offered up some explanation: "I totally forgot!" or "I've been wanting to pay, but it's been a difficult summer financially" or something, anything, a lie even!

Anyway, I'm not planning to hold it against this person, because I suspect she's embarrassed not only by being late and receiving my call, but by panicking and hanging up. I didn't call back because I got my message across and there was no need to embarrass her further (although I wish I could have gotten a, "I will send you a check on such and such date.") I just hope that it doesn't cause any tension at school, because I would hate that. I will go to the school without my Assistant Treasurer hat on, but will others imagine me wearing it?

So, just curious, what would you do if someone called and told you that you are 5 weeks late with a payment due?

Apparently I'm an Idealist

2008-08-17T11:32:00.001-07:00

Your result for The Perception Personality Image Test...

NBPS - The Idealist

Nature, Background, Big Picture, and Shape

You perceive the world with particular attention to nature. You focus on the hidden treasures of life (the background) and how that fits into the larger picture. You are also particularly drawn towards the shapes around you. Because of the value you place on nature, you tend to find comfort in more subdued settings and find energy in solitude. You like to ponder ideas and imagine the many possibilities of your life without worrying about the details or specifics. You are in tune with all that is around you and understand your life as part of a larger whole. You prefer a structured environment within which to live and you like things to be predictable.

The Perception Personality Types:

Take The Perception Personality Image Test at HelloQuizzy

A Camping He Will Go... Much to Our Surprise

2008-08-07T22:20:00.001-07:00

Owen has been going to camp all week. We signed him up ages ago, fully expecting to have wasted our money because our little boy does not like new people and new situations. He is very slow to warm up. However, we talked it up, toured it, toured it again, showed him videos, talked it up some more, set up a "playdate" with his councelor, and toured it with his councelor while other kids were there.

He's going, and he's having a blast! He's there for seven hours every day! (Even his extended day program at school was only five and a half hours.) He comes home and talks about all kinds of things he did. (It's a very traditional, outdoors in the woods, campy camp.) This is definitely not the same boy as we had last summer. He's growing up, he's maturing, and he's making great strides in his social development. I'm just so very, very proud.

I can't make this stuff up

2008-08-04T10:34:00.001-07:00

Some cute things Owen has said lately:

We were going in to the Science Museum in Boston the other day. Owen asked, "Are we going to drive by the Steak-umm bridge?" (For those of you that are unfamiliar with the new Boston skyline, he was referring to the Zakim bridge:
Perhaps they should put the logo up there....

Last night Steve was putting Owen to bed. They were reading "The Christmas Bear" about a polar bear who accidentally falls into Santa's workshop at the North Pole. At the end, Santa brings him home to his parents and the bear falls asleep next to "the best Christmas presents," meaning his parents. Owen then asked Steve if he might ask Santa for another mommy and daddy so that when daddy was away on business and mommy was on her computer, he would have a mommy and daddy to play with him. (Hmmm... perhaps I'm on the computer too much?)

If You're Looking for a Laugh...

2008-08-01T07:00:00.001-07:00

... and I mean rolling on the floor, peeing in your pants laughing, I found a new favorite blog, CAKE WRECKS.

My new second favorite blog, for a good laugh, is THE “BLOG” OF “UNNECESSARY” QUOTATION MARKS.

Not the Same Woman...

2008-07-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

Beware, this is a really long post. I broke it up with headings so you can just read the parts that you want. Results are at the bottom, so scroll down for that.

"The woman who starts the race is not the same woman who finishes the race." That's the motto of the Danskin Triathlon. It is an event that is so supportive of women being fit and healthy and confident in whatever stage of life or state of health they're in right now. It is very inspirational and everyone there supports everyone else and cheers them on. Sally Edwards, the spokeswoman for the race, is just an amazing speaker and woman. If you are a woman, any woman, I encourage you to do this race!! (In fact, most of the woman that participate are first-timers!)

So, in case you haven't already figured it out, I did this race. Yesterday. (I actually did a Danskin Tri in Sacremento, CA, seven years ago, but that seems a lifetime ago -- I'm a very different woman now.) Here's a recap:

Getting to the race
On Saturday morning, my friends Sara and Denise and I piled our bikes and gear in my minivan (minus all the child seats) and drove to Worcester, MA. We needed to eat lunch, so we went to St. Vincent's Hospital for sandwiches. (Sounds weird, I know! But Sara's mother-in-law recommended it, and it turns out there's a great little cafe in there with awesome sandwiches and a beautiful atrium to eat in!) While in there, we saw that the gift shop was a great place to buy balloons. We wanted some big unique balloons to attach to our transition areas so that we could easily find our spots during the race. (There were 3000 people registered in this race -- that's rows and rows of bicycles to search through!)

The Expo
Then we went to the race expo where we listened to the course review and race day overview. This is where my friends figured out about the whole "RA RA, you go, girlfriend" spirit of this event. Almost everyone at the presentations were first-time triathletes. And when Sally Edwards spoke, she had everyone standing, chanting, double-high-fiving, and promising to help one another during the race. Then we got our numbers, race chips, swim caps, and all the race schwag. When we left the expo, we went back over the the hospital gift shop and each bought the biggest, most crazy looking balloons that they had:

Seriously, we did. Three of them. 30" each. Really.

The Hotel
Then we tried to follow the directions over to the Marriott Courtyard we were staying. Even though it was only really a few blocks down the road, none of us seemed to know where we were going, and we toured the area around the DCU for a while. But we found it, and while we were checking in and being told by the desk staff that we should be sure to take any GPS units out of the car because there were a rash of thefts from cars, a woman, who was also there to do the race, came in and announced that someone had just smashed her car window and stolen her GPS unit. It was broad daylight and she was away from the car for 20 minutes! SO, given the sketchy parking lot, we removed pretty much everything from the car. The hotel itself was mediocre, but Sara got us an awesome rate and it was sufficient.

Pre-Race Dinner
What is there to say? We went to a nice Italian place and ate pasta! We also shared a bottle of wine and a piece of chocolate cake.

The Night Before the Race
The three of us must have unpacked, packed, sorted, and resorted all our race stuff for about 2 hours. We were thinking of watching a movie, but we couldn't stop obsessing about the race. So eventually, we went to bed, way too late, and tried to sleep. Denise slept about an hour and was awake the rest of the night. I tossed and turned, but slept some. Sara had to get up to pump milk at about 2:30. (Yes, amazing, she did this race when she's a nursing mom of a 7 month old!) At 4:30, I heard the rain and thunder and muttered, "Oh, crap." And Denise said, "Yeah, it's been raining for hours."

Race Morning
At 5am, when the alarm sounded, it was pouring and thundering and lightning. Oh, boy! We got up and got ready, hoping for the storm to let up. We watched a weather report, but it wasn't too helpful. We were running later than planned, but thinking about the weather slowed us down and we figured that the race would have to be postponed some, at least. In the lobby, we ran into one group that had decided the race was going to be cancelled, so they were going home. We weren't going home until we heard from race officials that the race would be cancelled. But we were worrying about lightning on the lake (not that they would allow us to swim if there was a chance of lightning) and slick roads. We didn't want to be going down the big hill in the rain, unable to stop! However, we loaded up the car and started driving to Webster, site of the race. Before we reached the exit, we got stopped in a long line of traffic also trying to get to the race. Well, turns out, lots and lots of people came late because of the thunderstorms. But we parked the car, and although it was still cloudy and we had seen lightning on the way over, it had stopped raining.

Pre-Race
Next we put the wheels on the bikes, grabbed all our gear, and rode over to the transition area. The parking was about a mile away from the transition area. We were quite a site with each of us holding those giant smiley face balloons! However, part way there, suddenly my balloon ribbon was hanging limp! I turned around and looked up to see a little spec that was my balloon rapidly flying away. So sad. :-( But we made it to the transition area (only 15 minutes before my scheduled start time!) and agreed on a place to meet at the end, if we didn't see each other before the end. (We were each in a different starting heat, and therefore, in a different row of the transition area.)

We were actually pretty late arriving, so it was hard to find a spot for my bike, but I did. By this point I was pretty nervous, and I tried to stay calm as I tried to set out all my stuff to make my transitions fast. Then I heard the announcement that because of the storm, they were delaying the start for 30 minutes. Ok, I had more time, but not a lot. I needed to make sure my things were set, get my body marked with my number, figure out the layout of the transition area (where to go for the start, where I'd be coming back up from the water, where was the bike start, where was the run start, etc.) The weather was starting to clear, and I could tell the sun was really trying to come out. I sprayed on my sunscreen -- even without the sun, I was likely to burn. By this point, I really, really had to pee, but, UGH, lines for the porta-potties! So I decided I didn't have time for that, I needed to go down to the water and figure out how the whole starting area worked.

This is what the transition area looked like:

I could see where my friends were because of their balloons. (They didn't know where I was because, of course, my balloon deserted me. :-(

This is me before the race:

I was almost to the lake when I realized everyone around me had their numbers marked on their bodies. BODY MARKING! I forgot! I was supposed to get my body marked. So I ran back toward the transition area and found someone writing numbers on arms and legs with permanent markers. The guy was having trouble because I had just sprayed Bull Frog sunscreen all over my body. It was just as well, because the guy wrote his 2 like a 9! You wouldn't think that was possible, but I swear, I asked someone later, what number do you think this is, and they said 9. I gave the guy a hard time about it, and his buddies laughed and said he wrote weird because he was Brazillian. This is kind of what it looked like -- what do you think?

Then I went back down to the water, checked its temp (balmy!) and chatted with some folks. I found some people who were in my heat (we were colored-coded by swim caps, so I just had to look for hot pink heads of people that looked about my age.) They made me feel confident that I wasn't running behind or in the wrong place. I got to watch the first couple of waves start while standing with my feet in the water. So this is when I realized that they were starting 1 hour late, not 30 minutes. I should have waited in line for the porta-potty. (Maybe I'd be able to go in the water, if I found myself without people around me in some portion of the swim...)

The Start
After 3 heats, I started to work my way over to to the start area. A crowd was formed and I tried to place myself in the crowd near other people in hot pink caps trying to make their way down to the water. I realized I was the only one still wearing flip flops, so I took them off and tossed them to the side. (I guess other people had placed theirs along the return route with the hopes of putting them back on after getting out of the water.) My heat, #10 finally was allowed down to the start area. I hung out at the back of the pack (knowing I'd be one of the slowest and not wanting people swimming over me.) Everyone waded into the water where Sally Edwards was giving the pep talk. She had everyone give double high fives (I think this may actually be my starting heat -- I got this photo from webshots -- I would be out of the photo on the left:

Then she told us the motivational word for our color group, "Super!" (Of course I didn't actually remember this during the swim when I was supposed to repeat the mantra in my head, one word per stroke, "I... am... a... SUPER... swimmer!" Then they counted down from 10, I hit the start button on my watch, and we were off!

The Swim
I was at the back of the pack, so I found that it was hard to really go my own pace because it was hard to get into a groove with lots of people around. (It would have been worse for me in the middle of the pack.) Early on I heard a woman calling for help. She actually looked ok, and told us she was ok, but we called over a lifeguard who rushed over immediately and pulled her arm onto the surfboard. I was pleased at the response time. I didn't do a crawl stroke the whole way, but I did alternate crawl stroke and side stroke. I didn't want to wear myself out before the bike ride. The next wave started passing me exactly at the first turn. But I just kept on moving and made decent time. I still had to pee (remember, I never went before the race started.) I thought about going in the water, because that certainly would save me a lot of time, but with all the people around, I just couldn't will my body to do it. Oh, well. As I was getting out of the water, my watch said it only took me 15 1/2 minutes! (It couldn't possibly have been a full 1/2 mile, because that took me 30 minutes in the pool!) My friend Sara spotted me from the shore -- she was about to start her wave -- and I yelled out my time to her.

Transition 1
Ouch, ooch, ouch, ooch, .... That was me running back to the transition area in bare feet. I threw my goggles and swim cap down at my spot and then headed over to the porta-potties. I hated to do it, but I really had to pee! The potties were gross, but I went as fast as I could and adjusted my wet shorts on the way back to my bike. This probably lost me about 3 minutes. I was slower at the transition than I should have been. I put on my helmet, then realized I needed to change my top. I probably should have practiced drying my feet and getting socks and shoes on. I stopped for a sip of water, paused for a moment to be sure I wasn't forgetting anything and was off.

The Bike Ride
I could not get moving on that bike. I felt tired! the whole ride was like a broken record, "On your left! On your left! On your left! ...." (If you don't know, that means someone's passing you.) At one point, a woman passed me saying, "On your left!" and then she said, "That's the first time I've said that!" To which I responded, "Thanks for making me feel good...!" Anyway, I was doing the best I could on my mountain bike. I kept thinking that it sounded like something was rubbing, but I ignored it for a while.

Then I hit the hill at mile 4. Ugh! I had to walk my bike up. This is the first time on the route that I passed anyone. I was walking faster than the other walkers. I got to the top of the first big hill. There were spectators yelling, "You just finished the worst hill of the race!" Woo, hoo! Then a tiny bit of downhill. Then... wait... another big hill to walk up! At the top of that hill, "You made it to the top of the worst hill!" Hey, that sounded familiar. Another little downhill, then ANOTHER big hill. (Ok, not quite as big as the others.) "You finished the big hills!" Then me to the spectators, "I've heard that at the top of every hill!" "Yes, but this really is the last big hill!" Sure enough, that was the last big hill and then there was a mile of downhill, at the bottom of which you had to slow down to make a turn.

(I was going to put a graph here showing the elevation of the bike ride, but the copyright on the graphic made me pause. Try looking HERE and click the Show Elevation check box in the upper right corner.)

At this point, I stopped ignoring the rubbing and realized that, indeed, my front brake had gotten out of adjustment and was rubbing. Should I keep going, or fix it? I decided it was worth stopping to see what I could do. This being the Danskin, everyone that passed asked if I was ok. I got really lucky and right after I stopped a roving repair truck came by and stopped. The guy brought my bike over to the back of his truck, took out a tool, made an adjustment (and a comment about my old brakes) and I was on my way. At that point I realized that the first half of my ride was a bit more difficult than it needed to be because after the fix, the bike felt much smoother. Live and learn.

I was almost to the end of the bike ride and I hear, "Hey, Jill!" My friend Sara was passing me. (Keep in mind she started like 30 minutes behind me!) I could see her in front of me going into the transition area.

Transition 2
Transition 2 was quick. Jog in with the bike, rack it, remove helmet and gloves, take off to the run start. It was under 2 minutes.

The Run
I grabbed a bag of Jelly Belly Sport Beans from the woman who was handing them out at the run start. I ripped it open, put a couple in my mouth, then realized that I really didn't want them. There I was running with a handful of jelly beans and feeling awkward about dropping them. But I did.

My legs were so tired from the bike ride, I really had a hard time getting going on the run. I walked a lot of the first part. I thought that Sara must have made it out of the transition area before me because after a couple of minutes, she still hadn't passed me. But then I heard, "Run, Jill!" Turns out she used the porta-potty on the 2nd transition, so she took quite a bit longer than me. She went flying by. (How annoying, she passed me twice!) I eventually got into a groove and did "run" most of it. It was an out and back run, so I high-fived Sara on her way back from the turn-around. Once I was past the turn-around, it was a good feeling to know that I was getting closer to the end, and once I got to the transition area I could stop!

The Finish
When I was almost there, I heard Sara and Denise cheering me on from the side. I took off my hat and sunglasses so you could see my face in the celebration pictures. Sally Edwards was there high-fiving the finishers. I made it! I'm a triathlete (again)! Once I stopped I wanted to collapse, but that didn't last too long. My friends met me at the finish, we got some food, stood in line to have our picture taken together, and then headed back to get our bikes. Here's a photo after the race. From left to right, it's Denise, me, and Sara.

Results
Here's my results with my own comments added:
ATKINS, JILL Bib #1211 F 40-44 WESTFORD , MA 01886
Overall Rank - 2319 of 2468 (I beat 149 people)
Class Rank - 437 of 451 (but I only beat 14 people my own age)
Swim -00:16:06 (No way it was 1/2 mi. -- I don't swim that fast!)
Swim Rank -2104 (Hey look, I beat 364 people on the swim!)
Trans1 - 00:09:10 (Ugh! That's what a bathroom break does for you!)
Bike - 01:11:31 (Pretty awful...)
Bike Rank -2359 (but still in ahead of over 100 people...)
MPH - 10.0 (A lot of people could have run it faster than this!)
Trans2 - 00:01:53 (The only time during the race I was actually fast!)
Run - 00:37:27 (I couldn't have expected to do better than this.)
Run Rank - 2144 (That' ahead of 324 people...).
Pace - 00:12:04 (Believe it or not, this is my usual pace.)
Final - 02:16:09 (Pretty darn close to my goal of 2:10!)

Sara's final time was 01:47:35.
Denise's final time was 01:27:16.
Pretty awesome, huh?

You can look up results for me and all the other competitors by going to the Danskin Race Results web site, click the link, and select 2008 NEW ENGLAND RESULTS at the bottom. (Race numbers: Me 1211, Sara 2099, Denise 1724)

Added 7/30:
You can now go to Brightroom.com and look up our race numbers to see photos. (Also look up photo # 36769-320-010 to see me coming out of the water. My number washed off because of the sunscreen so my photo was in the lost-and-found.)

Lightning and Thunder, Oh My!

2008-07-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

Today we had a reasonably serious thunderstorm, which reminded me about some photos I wanted to share. This summer in New England has been like living in Florida. There was a two week span where we had afternoon thunderstorms every day. And they were impressive! Serious downpours! 1/4 inch hail! Take a look:

Check out the big pile of ice that collected at the bottom of the slide:

The latest cake! Yum!

2008-07-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

I finished the cake for the second auction winner today. This was for a 10-year-old girl having a pool party. I wasn't as difficult as most, but it was really fun and I love how it turned out:

If you're going to do a castle cake, do a sand castle cake! I even wrote the birthday girl's name in the sand:

The kids didn't help, but this retro girl looks like she'd be great at baking cakes!

An Honest Effort

2008-07-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

If you've been reading my blog and some of my comments to other blogs, you know that my son has struggled a lot with potty training. Recently, after his summer program ended, he went through a week or 2 long phase where he "forgot" how to use the potty. Now he seems to be back on track with few accidents. Today he gave me a good laugh. I heard him calling to me from the bathroom, "Mommy, I forgot to pull my pants down!" I went in the bathroom to find him "in position," hips thrust out at the edge of the toilet bowl. His shorts and underwear were still on, and there was a big puddle at his feet. We laughed together and I applauded his effort. It was just an honest mistake!!

Proud Mamma!

2008-07-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

Things that may be ordinary or simple for other families are not always so easy for us. Things like... going to the dentist, or getting a haircut. At my son's first trip to the dentist when he was around 3, he refused to open his mouth. I wasn't there for that first visit, but I was told that they spent a half hour trying to come up with a way to convince him to open his mouth and count his teeth. No way. Not happening.

HOWEVER, today I took both kids to the dentist. They were both SUPER and cooperative and well-behaved and even had fun! Owen was laughing with the hygenist, that contagious and sweet belly laugh that he has! Both kids did everything asked of them and even had their teeth cleaned. I was so incredibly proud of them.

This really was a huge step for Owen and showed me how he may really be making major steps in his social development.

Yippee!

Ophthalmologist or comedienne?

2008-07-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

So, I went to the eye doctor last week for a regular eye exam and new contact lenses. I was told that I have meibomitis, which is a clogging of the glands that release the oily components of a person's tears along the eyelid margin. This can cause dry-eye, sore eyelids, and higher chance of styes, among other things. The doctor said to treat it with warm, moist compresses. Specifically, she gave me a piece of paper with more info and instructions for treating. As a busy mom, this gave me a good laugh. Hope you appreciate it as well:
"It is important to be diligent with performing warm compresses. I recommend patient perform them in this fashion: take a potato, heat it in the microwave then wrap it inside a warm moist washcloth. Hold the warm compress over the eyelid and massage the eyelids for about 5 minutes. Do this four times daily or more, then gradually taper as condition improves."

Squished boobs

2008-07-10T19:25:00.000-07:00

Today I got a mammogram. (My 2nd ever!) It's uncomfortable, but not as bad as other stuff we women have to go through! And I swear, the actual procedure only took like 5 minutes. Well worth the trip for the peace of mind! Here's some interesting things I learned today:
- Deodorant and powders can show up on the images (so don't wear them.)
- Most of what they look for is differences when compared to previous years' images (so the first one is mostly just a baseline.)
- The mammography lab actually runs on schedule -- I didn't even have a chance to take my book out of my bag!

Help!

2008-07-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

So something triggered Owen to start really thinking about death. He was asking me this morning if he's going to die and if Mommy and Daddy are going to die. And at bedtime, he was still thinking about it, teary-eyed telling me he doesn't want to die. Have any of you dealt with these questions? What kind of approach do you take? I think it may be talking about his Grampy (Steve's dad) who died when Owen was 2 months old that triggered, or fueled, a lot of these thoughts. He's realizing that it's his daddy's daddy and he's concerned about losing his own daddy. (He was even concerned about something happening to his daddy on the plane home tonight....)

Another related issue is that my grandmother, who's just shy of 90, is not going to last much longer. I was kind of planning to take the whole family to the funeral when the time comes, but is this a bad idea, given the current emotional development of my children?

I'd love some other parents' opinions about this stuff or some suggestions for reading material that might help me.

Bagel trees

2008-06-29T15:08:00.001-07:00

At dinner tonight, Owen was eating a hamburger bun with sesame seeds on it. He picked up one of the seeds and decided that we should plant it. Then we could grow a bagel tree. Bagels with sesame seeds. We all decided that was a cool idea (except Daddy worried about the ones that fall off the tree and get moldy and in the way of mowing the lawn.) Then we decided to have a whole bagel tree orchard and we could grow different kinds, including cinnamon raison, Daddy's favorite.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

The kids were loving and wonderful to their dad today... for about an hour. Then things went downhill.

Dinner might have been awesome. I bought some wild Alaskan Sockeye salmon and Steve grilled it perfectly after I prepped everything for him. We were all sitting down to eat and I was commenting how it was "like butta," when I noticed the puddle that Owen was perched over on his chair and on the floor. So I had to clean that up. Then I sat down to continue to enjoy my dinner. Owen, who decided that he actually liked the salmon, took too large of a bite of it, and rather than just spit it out, he proceeded to let it gag him. As I tried to get a napkin for him to spit it into, he actually started vomiting. I contained most of it and got to clean up another mess before finishing my dinner. Sigh. A little while later, he pooped in his pants. Keep in mind that earlier in the day, Owen pooped in his pants, didn't tell us (we had to smell it) because he was too busy playing, and then promised to stay clean and dry the rest of the day for Father's Day.

Oh, and Sierra was just completely awful. She was going to cry and whine no matter what we did. So while I was running errands, Steve got her to take a nap. A really long nap. Have I mentioned what happens when Sierra takes a nap? She can't sleep at night. I didn't even try to put her to bed at bedtime. It was like 9:40 when I put her in bed. At 10:30 she was still wide awake. I'm not sure if she's sleeping yet.

Happy Father's Day!

A really good laugh

2008-06-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

The Because I Said So blog always makes me laugh, but this particular posting with recipes for sandwiches from a 1930's cookbook is particularly funny. (Ooolia, take note for your next menu!)

Fun weekend for the kids

2008-06-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, Sierra had her gymnastics "show" where she got to show off what she can do and got a medal. Here's my very strong girl on the uneven bars:

And here she is with her friend Ethan ("boyee friend!") showing off their medals:

From there we drove up to North Conway, NH, where we went to Storyland. Daddy got to go on lots and lots of small spinning rides:

We also spent a lot of time on the water slide in our hotel. The kids had a great time and really progressed with their comfort in the water:

I'm not sure what they would say if you asked them, but it sure seemed like the Happy Meal toy was the highlight of the trip. Sigh.

What kind of sports car are you?

2008-06-02T07:50:00.001-07:00

Another silly quiz!!

I'm a Mazda RX-8!

You're sporty, yet practical, and you have a style of your own. You like to have fun, and you like to bring friends along for the ride, but when it comes time for everyday chores, you're willing to do your part.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

The difference between boys and girls...

2008-05-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

This is a recurring topic of conversation these days. For both kids. Boys have penises. Girls don't. What do girls have? Where does the pee come out?

Sierra's intrigued by penises. Imagine this: She's sitting at gymnastics class next to her dad with all the other kids and their parents waiting on instructions. She asks, "Daddy, do you have a penis?" "Yes." "Can I see it?"

Owen is confused that girls do not have penises. I'm in the mall public restroom in the handicapped stall with both kids. Owen asks, "Why do you sit down to pee?" "Well I don't have a penis to aim with, so I have to sit down to pee." "Were does the pee come out? The same hole as your poop?" "No, there's a different hole for the pee to come out." "Where is it?" "It's in about the same place as where your penis is, but there's no penis." "Can I see it?" "Owen, we're in a public bathroom, can we talk about this at home later...?"

Bathtub conversations between the two kids is becoming interesting sometimes, too. When is it time to make the kids take separate baths? I'm trying to be as nonchalant about it all as I can. I don't want the kids to be uptight about sex and sexuality, and I'm sure that attitudes I pass along now will be hard to change later. In the meantime, their curiosity is quite amusing.

I got in over my head, a bit...

2008-05-17T17:49:00.000-07:00

Another cake! This time, I planned something not only fairly complicated and detailed, but big. I kind of got in over my head and had to spend most of the last week working on it, neglecting my kids and my exercising in the process, and staying up really late too many nights in a row. Since I promised a cool cake for the preschool's party celebrating the purchase of the building, I thought how cool to make the cake look like the building. But the building is itself is pretty boring, so how about the building and the grounds, too?? I wanted to include key elements of the playground -- the tire swing, the play house, the climber, the swings, the trees, the sandbox.... I used six boxes of cake mix, eight lbs. of confectioner's sugar, a dozen and a half eggs, ... well, you get the idea. Just all the baking and mixing frosting took a lot of time. Then I had a lot of pieces to try to prepare for final assembly, without really knowing how they would work out. Anyway, here are some photos:

Aerial view:

The swing sets and tire swing turned out very fragile, and though I got the tire swing to work (thank goodness because that's Owen's favorite) I only got one of the two sets of swings on there and part of it was replaced with a toothpick. I wanted two trees (because there are two on the playground) but really only one fit. The climber, which I made out of royal icing, had to be created in two-dimensional pieces and assembled at the last minute. I didn't know if it would fit together and work at all, but it turned out to be one of the best parts:

The climber:

Here's the real climber:

Also, the mailbox, one of the simplest pieces on the cake, which I created on a whim, added a charming detail that everyone loved.

And the number one question that people asked me about the cake: "How long did that take you?" And the answer: I don't want to think about that!!

It was a huge hit, to say the least. I'm pretty proud of it, but I don't think I'll do a cake that big and complicated again until I hone more of my skills AND have a much bigger kitchen to stage all the pieces, if ever.

Bathroom humor

2008-05-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

Well, it's interesting to know how early kids develop bathroom humor. Yesterday, Owen was sitting and drawing nicely and Sierra was watching. They were being very well behaved while I was working on something else (in the same room.) Then they started giggling more and more -- you know, the way they giggle when they're doing something they're not supposed to. But I was watching them and they were very sweetly sitting at their table and drawing. So I went over to look and this is the work that was in progress:

I tried not to laugh too hard or make a big deal out of it. But I had him draw another "bear" for me as he explained all the parts as he drew them. Sure enough, the last thing he drew was the penis. Then he drew the "Daddy bear" with a really big penis... and then the "Mommy" and then the "Grandpa." (We tried to explain that mommies don't have penises.) Then he wanted us to date it and he wrote the title because he was very proud and wants to save it.

I'm looking forward to pulling it out one day when he's in high school to really embarrass him!

He's growing!

2008-05-11T18:40:00.000-07:00

Today my son was going to the bathroom and my husband and I were standing just outside the bathroom waiting. All of the sudden, the boy, looking down at himself, declares, "My penis is getting bigger, like yours, Daddy!" He turns toward us and said, "and it's still growing -- in 2 weeks, it's going to be this big!" holding his arms out as far as they would go.

He was just so proud that he noticed himself growing bigger... in all respects! (Please note that he was noting general growth, not an erection.)

I was in hysterics.

Movin' and Groovin'

2008-05-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to me! My kids (read: husband) bought me an iPod shuffle! It's so tiny. And engraved with "OWEN, SIERRA, LOVE". Sweet. Remember when the Sony Walkman was the coolest and smallest thing and you had to have one? (Perhaps this dates me, but it doesn't seem that long ago.) I didn't even realize that I wanted one -- I thought I was happy listening to just kids' music. But really, how cool is it that I can now put all my music on this tiny little thing and no one else can hear it? I don't have to think about whether or not the lyrics are questionable for children. And I can put together workout mixes and go running. (The other week my neighbor saw me running and exclaimed, "How can you run without music?")

Hope you're all having a happy Mother's Day, too.

My take-charge girl

2008-05-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

Last week when I was picking up my son from pre-school, I had just pulled into the parking lot with my 2 1/2 year old girl. I turned off the car and she said, "I'll go find Owen on the playground, Mommy. You can wait in the car." Sweet.

More cake!

2008-05-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I completed a cake that was for one of the preschool auction winners. This is for a 4-year-old boy who loves Pablo the penguin of the Backyardigans. Pablo, to my delight, has a perfectly round head and I recently purchased a ball cake pan...! After I first assembled this cake and left it overnight, the head started to roll off. I repaired it and added a better dowel, but I was petrified driving over to deliver it that it would fall apart! I hope it made it through the whole party! Note that the body, arms, hat, and beak are make of molded rice crispy treat.

And in case you thought that I only ever make elaborately decorated cakes:

Yes, this cake is for me. (Who else was going to make one??) It's chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting! Yum! I can't wait to eat it!

May the Force be with you

2008-04-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

We went to my nephew's birthday party on Saturday. They had a Jedi Master come and train the younglings to be Padawans. He put them through a few "tests" and then passed out rings to each child. (They were a ring of sheet metal with a smiley face cut out of them -- cute, but I worry about the lead thing....) The kids loved the rings (of course -- they always do when you're hesitant about its safety) and Sierra kept telling us how it was given to her by the "Zedi guy!"

And now, I'm sure you're all anxiously awaiting the cake photo. And here it is:

If I had more patience with the details, it could be better, but I think it turned out pretty ok. The kids loved it and they all wanted a piece of the "head."

Out of the mouths of babes...

2008-04-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

The other night Owen was trying to tell his dad about his new dinosaur pajamas. Or pajamas with dinosaurs. Or should I say bajamas (that's how Owen pronounces it.) He said "Bajinasaur."

Say it out loud.

Funny email

2008-04-18T15:35:00.001-07:00

My husband's been travelling a bit lately. Here's some email he sent to the kids:

"Dear Owen,
Thank you for the heart. Go use the potty. It reminds me of how sweat and special you are. Go use the potty! I’m very proud of how smart and kind you are. I wish you would try harder to communicate with mommy and me. Go use the potty!
Love,
Daddy
P.S. Go use the potty."

"Dear Sierra,
I love you very much. Eat your lunch. You are fun to play with. Eat your dinner. I miss your giggle. Eat your lunch. Please try not to instigate too much trouble while I am away. Eat your dinner. You generally can’t get in trouble reading books. Mittens.
Love,
Daddy"

They get big so fast!

2008-04-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

10 signs that my kids are getting big too fast:

10. The next size clothes that I just bought for the summer really don't look as big on them as they should.
9. The youngest won't let me do anything for her anymore... and she's successful doing it all herself.
8. The youngest empties the sand out of her own shoes! (I just watched her do this!)
7. They fight over who's biggest: "I'm bigger!" "No, I'm bigger!"
6. The 4 1/2 year old is finally wearing underwear all day, every day. (I know, this isn't too fast, and he's not always successful, but I've got to celebrate that he's doing it anyway.)
5. We can go to a museum without a stroller (and find that it's easier without one!)
4. I let them play on the climber without having to really pay close attention anymore.
3. We can go out to eat as a family and actually have a pleasant dinner.
2. They play happily by themselves while I blog or do yard work. (woo hoo!)
1. The sandbox isn't big enough for both of them at the same time anymore!

I hate that my babies are growing up, but I love that we're going to be able to do more interesting things with them as time goes on!

Don't ask for it if you don't want it!

2008-04-14T22:16:00.001-07:00

I generally make my kids whatever they want for lunch. At dinnertime, they get what I make for the family, but at lunch time, I do the short order cook thing (to a degree) just to, I don't know, make sure they eat something reasonable that they like each day. So today, one of the things we offered to Owen was a hot dog. He said he didn't want a hot dog, but he did want a hot dog bun. We told him he had to have something more substantial, i.e. with protein, than just a bun! (I don't know why, but he loves hot dog buns better than any other bread.) So then, after some deliberation, he requested peanut butter, jelly, and banana on a hot dog bun. Not something we've done before, but ok, that sounds good! He proceeded to eat the top part of the bun by picking bits off of it. Turns out, requesting his complicated sandwich was his way of getting the bun we had previously refused. I'm often a sucker for giving in to the kids on food issues, but today, I stood my ground. I told him no snacks until he ate the sandwich that he requested. At snack time, he begged and begged for a snack. I pointed to massacred sandwich on the table. This went on for a while, until he started misbehaving in other ways as retribution. So I sent him to his room until he was willing to eat his sandwich without complaint. He proceeded to fall asleep until dinner. Ok, so once dinner time, he already missed his snack, spent the afternoon in his room, punishment over. I made the kids "Kid Cuisines" for dinner, which they love. He picked at his and then requested something else, perhaps snack-like? No way, if you're hungry, eat the dinner I made. Initially, he decided he was done and went off to play, but slowly, he kept coming back for more and eventually ate all the whole dinner! Who knew, if I held my ground, he would eventually eat?

So, at bedtime, as I was tucking him in, in a fun way, I told him tomorrow he should ask for something he really wants to eat for lunch (and smiled.) He laughed!