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March 31, 2010
March 30, 2010
Eighth Anniversary Post
03 30 20 02
Two palindromes. Those two palindromes, though, are etched into my memory, my life and, just as a reminder, my wedding ring. We did not select March 30th because of its pelindromicity, but because it was the Saturday of Easter weekend and we knew that it would be easier for folks that had to travel to be with us.
Yes, we are the jerks that scheduled a wedding for a holiday weekend. Sorry.
We got married at Camp Glenkirk, which no longer exists. When long-time campers or counselors talk about a part of them that was sold that day I can only think about the number of days and nights that Anny and I spent there together.
Anyway, not going to bore with the long story of our wedding day that began with my choosing to have a liquid breakfast, followed by Pepto Bismol for the next six hours and ending with watching ER that we had to tape because we had company over. Instead, I’ll just share three photos that I scanned in this morning:
This one is right after the “I now pronounce you” part of the ceremony, walking away arm in arm:
This one is sitting by a meditation pond/garden that we helped to build. It’s classic wedding-cheese:
And here is one that is pretty typical of our lives back then, and hopefully some day in the future. Here we are walking in the woods from the ceremony to the reception:
There are dozens of people that helped to make our day special, and I have thanked them over and over, and will continue to do so for years to come. I always tell friend who are engaged that it’s just ONE day of your life together, that even if things turn out to be quirky or don’t go exactly according to plan that it does not matter. It’s just a day.
But it’s a day that folks take a gagizillion pictures, so we celebrate it by sharing those pictures year after year. :o)
Two palindromes. Those two palindromes, though, are etched into my memory, my life and, just as a reminder, my wedding ring. We did not select March 30th because of its pelindromicity, but because it was the Saturday of Easter weekend and we knew that it would be easier for folks that had to travel to be with us.
Yes, we are the jerks that scheduled a wedding for a holiday weekend. Sorry.
We got married at Camp Glenkirk, which no longer exists. When long-time campers or counselors talk about a part of them that was sold that day I can only think about the number of days and nights that Anny and I spent there together.
Anyway, not going to bore with the long story of our wedding day that began with my choosing to have a liquid breakfast, followed by Pepto Bismol for the next six hours and ending with watching ER that we had to tape because we had company over. Instead, I’ll just share three photos that I scanned in this morning:
This one is right after the “I now pronounce you” part of the ceremony, walking away arm in arm:
This one is sitting by a meditation pond/garden that we helped to build. It’s classic wedding-cheese:
And here is one that is pretty typical of our lives back then, and hopefully some day in the future. Here we are walking in the woods from the ceremony to the reception:
There are dozens of people that helped to make our day special, and I have thanked them over and over, and will continue to do so for years to come. I always tell friend who are engaged that it’s just ONE day of your life together, that even if things turn out to be quirky or don’t go exactly according to plan that it does not matter. It’s just a day.
But it’s a day that folks take a gagizillion pictures, so we celebrate it by sharing those pictures year after year. :o)
March 29, 2010
Something New for Me: Menu Monday
Lots of things have happened over the last year in our household. Some are good, others are awesome. One of the sanity savers is planning our meals. Oh, the other big bonus is that we are saving money in addition to the sanity.
We got into a very bad rut when my sister was in town. She was eating Gluten Free, which meant we had to watch what we ate when she was home. (She's also picky, but I didn't say that...) It got to be that she was working evenings and we would treat ourselves to dinner out to celebrate that we didn't have the GF burden. This led to us having four or five dinners out each week. That adds up. Fast.
In September we were grasping at how to do better for ourselves both time wise and money wise. Oh yeah, and health wise. We talked around it for about two weeks before I just took a pad of post-its and wrote down everything that we cook on a regular basis. It amazed me how quickly that turned into five dinners a week for a seven weeks! Since we try a few new recipes every month, our project became not only essential, but really really easy.
We had always shopped with the best of intentions, but something would happen and we would default to ordering take out. Forgot to thaw the chicken? Let's order pizza. No onion for stir fry? Let's order Chinese for dinner and use the other stuff next week. Then things would go bad in the interim, too. This meant even more money we were wasting. By writing down exactly what we are having and when, there is no excuse to forget to take things out or to not have ingredients unless the one making the grocery list does not know the recipe and tries to wing it. (Another bonus - either of us can quickly come up with a grocery list because we both know what we'll be eating next week! We do build in flexibility in case there is a sale we can not pass up!)
The one thing missing in our plan is an intentionally vegetarian meal each week. Because of my diet restrictions it becomes really hard to do that, but it's something we are working on.
So, we have a Google Calendar that has our dinners each week. There is a fairly steady pattern:
Sunday - harder meal that takes more time
Monday - fish something (quickly becomes another chicken something when we don't have fish)
Tuesday - chicken something
Wednesday - easy something (hot dogs, burgers, kielbasa)
Thursday - Family Dinner (no meal plan needed!)
Friday - Breakfast for Dinner
Saturday - Out or Leftovers (or Fried Rice!)
We have had a great time sorting and fitting things in, and basically I just replicate a month at a time and toss in new things or take out weather-specific things (no soup in the summer!).
Well, as it turns out, there is a weekly meme devoted to Menu Planning over at I'm an Organizing Junkie, and today is my first entry!
This week our Menu Plan is:
Sunday - Frozen Pizza
Monday - Chicken Lasagna (twice the size so we can freeze one to have in two weeks!)
Tuesday - Turkey Stroganoff
Wednesday - Taco Salad
Thursday - Family Dinner
Friday - French Toast
What are you eating this week?
(and thanks to Amy over at Flexible Dreams for getting me wanting to do this meme with her!)
We got into a very bad rut when my sister was in town. She was eating Gluten Free, which meant we had to watch what we ate when she was home. (She's also picky, but I didn't say that...) It got to be that she was working evenings and we would treat ourselves to dinner out to celebrate that we didn't have the GF burden. This led to us having four or five dinners out each week. That adds up. Fast.
In September we were grasping at how to do better for ourselves both time wise and money wise. Oh yeah, and health wise. We talked around it for about two weeks before I just took a pad of post-its and wrote down everything that we cook on a regular basis. It amazed me how quickly that turned into five dinners a week for a seven weeks! Since we try a few new recipes every month, our project became not only essential, but really really easy.
We had always shopped with the best of intentions, but something would happen and we would default to ordering take out. Forgot to thaw the chicken? Let's order pizza. No onion for stir fry? Let's order Chinese for dinner and use the other stuff next week. Then things would go bad in the interim, too. This meant even more money we were wasting. By writing down exactly what we are having and when, there is no excuse to forget to take things out or to not have ingredients unless the one making the grocery list does not know the recipe and tries to wing it. (Another bonus - either of us can quickly come up with a grocery list because we both know what we'll be eating next week! We do build in flexibility in case there is a sale we can not pass up!)
The one thing missing in our plan is an intentionally vegetarian meal each week. Because of my diet restrictions it becomes really hard to do that, but it's something we are working on.
So, we have a Google Calendar that has our dinners each week. There is a fairly steady pattern:
Sunday - harder meal that takes more time
Monday - fish something (quickly becomes another chicken something when we don't have fish)
Tuesday - chicken something
Wednesday - easy something (hot dogs, burgers, kielbasa)
Thursday - Family Dinner (no meal plan needed!)
Friday - Breakfast for Dinner
Saturday - Out or Leftovers (or Fried Rice!)
We have had a great time sorting and fitting things in, and basically I just replicate a month at a time and toss in new things or take out weather-specific things (no soup in the summer!).
Well, as it turns out, there is a weekly meme devoted to Menu Planning over at I'm an Organizing Junkie, and today is my first entry!
This week our Menu Plan is:
Sunday - Frozen Pizza
Monday - Chicken Lasagna (twice the size so we can freeze one to have in two weeks!)
Tuesday - Turkey Stroganoff
Wednesday - Taco Salad
Thursday - Family Dinner
Friday - French Toast
What are you eating this week?
(and thanks to Amy over at Flexible Dreams for getting me wanting to do this meme with her!)
March 22, 2010
First Grilling of the Spring!
It's okay to be jealous - it tasted even better than it looks!
On the left is artichokes, the middle is zucchini and the right is teriyaki marinated chicken. We often have the latter two, but have never tried to grill artichokes. Anny tells me that there was only one time that we have even tried to COOK artichokes, and that it was quite the Fail. This time, though, it was a perfect add on to a great spring dinner.
Had I read in advance of my grocery store run how much work it takes to cook an artichoke, I probably would not have bought them. Heck, I never think to buy them because locally they are fairly expensive for a veggie, but these were marked down to $2 each instead of $5. Good deal and a new challenge? Sign me up!
I took a look, after getting home of course, at how to properly grill artichokes. As it turns out there are several steps that were common. These will serve as my "recipe" that I'm jotting down to use again in the future. (Please note that I honestly pulled a little bit from all over the place and mostly made it up - I suggest you do the same!)
Cut off the top third of the artichoke as well as the bottom of the stalk
Trim the tips off of the outer petals (I think this is flame protection...)
Cut the artichoke in half lengthwise
Use a spoon to remove all of the "hairs" that reside within.* This is more apparent once you cut it open and get a good look at it.
Boil the now-halves for 15 minutes
Drain and cool long enough that you can pick them up.
(Insert 4 hour marinade from one website. I did not have that much time, nor would I have spent that much time doing it anyway!)
Coat both sides with olive oil - I dropped mine in a bowl and brushed both sides while on the grill
Place middle-side-down on the grill for 7 or 8 minutes, then flip and leave them on for another 5 minutes
We did not eat the outside petals - they were really tough. There was plenty of food inside that it was not an issue, though! I also made a quick "dip" (?) to go with it. (the recipe I stole from also included basil and lemon peel and would have had me use the food processor. Too much work for an afternoon grill out.) My final dip consisted of:
3 spoonfuls of (light) Mayonaise
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 squirts of lemon juice (could have bought a real lemon, but didn't. oh well)
stirred well with just a spoon
As I said, the whole dinner tasted really good - and everyone at the table agreed. We always try new things when company is coming over, I don't know why. (And Jason and Nadia are hardly "company" but they seem to enjoy trying new things too, so it works out well!)
*HERE is one of the recipes that I borrowed from. Emeril is good, just has more time to put into cooking!
*Something that I was completely unaware of is the nature of an artichoke - it's a perennial thistle plant. That is what all of the "hairs" become.
On the left is artichokes, the middle is zucchini and the right is teriyaki marinated chicken. We often have the latter two, but have never tried to grill artichokes. Anny tells me that there was only one time that we have even tried to COOK artichokes, and that it was quite the Fail. This time, though, it was a perfect add on to a great spring dinner.
Had I read in advance of my grocery store run how much work it takes to cook an artichoke, I probably would not have bought them. Heck, I never think to buy them because locally they are fairly expensive for a veggie, but these were marked down to $2 each instead of $5. Good deal and a new challenge? Sign me up!
I took a look, after getting home of course, at how to properly grill artichokes. As it turns out there are several steps that were common. These will serve as my "recipe" that I'm jotting down to use again in the future. (Please note that I honestly pulled a little bit from all over the place and mostly made it up - I suggest you do the same!)
Cut off the top third of the artichoke as well as the bottom of the stalk
Trim the tips off of the outer petals (I think this is flame protection...)
Cut the artichoke in half lengthwise
Use a spoon to remove all of the "hairs" that reside within.* This is more apparent once you cut it open and get a good look at it.
Boil the now-halves for 15 minutes
Drain and cool long enough that you can pick them up.
(Insert 4 hour marinade from one website. I did not have that much time, nor would I have spent that much time doing it anyway!)
Coat both sides with olive oil - I dropped mine in a bowl and brushed both sides while on the grill
Place middle-side-down on the grill for 7 or 8 minutes, then flip and leave them on for another 5 minutes
We did not eat the outside petals - they were really tough. There was plenty of food inside that it was not an issue, though! I also made a quick "dip" (?) to go with it. (the recipe I stole from also included basil and lemon peel and would have had me use the food processor. Too much work for an afternoon grill out.) My final dip consisted of:
3 spoonfuls of (light) Mayonaise
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 squirts of lemon juice (could have bought a real lemon, but didn't. oh well)
stirred well with just a spoon
As I said, the whole dinner tasted really good - and everyone at the table agreed. We always try new things when company is coming over, I don't know why. (And Jason and Nadia are hardly "company" but they seem to enjoy trying new things too, so it works out well!)
*HERE is one of the recipes that I borrowed from. Emeril is good, just has more time to put into cooking!
*Something that I was completely unaware of is the nature of an artichoke - it's a perennial thistle plant. That is what all of the "hairs" become.
March 17, 2010
Passing with Flying Colors!
Just out of one of Abby's three parent-teacher conferences for this school year. We both go because I believe it to be important that we both get into the routine of being at these types of things, though I freely acknowledge that at the age of two, it's not a huge deal. I refuse to be complacent now for fear that the habit will falter to the other side.
So anyway, today was the day for our conference with Abby's lead teacher, Ms. Linda. We got there a few minutes early and chatted with the folks in the infant room. They're always so much fun, especially when you bring them donuts in the morning and see them in the afternoon! (I'm sticking to the donuts for the foreseeable future. Major brownie points without having to actually bake brownies!) We met with Ms Linda at 2:20 ish, while all of the little ones are taking their naps so that we can have her attention, and she can have ours. I'm glad that Abby was not running around because she would inevitably have been bouncing off of the walls while we tried to talk, and that is not helpful for anyone involved!
You know, it is a bit strange to go into a parent teacher conference. I remember them when I was in middle and high school - lots of looks-of-disdain directed at me and profuse-how-the-hell-do-you-do-it looks cast at my teachers. (I never applied myself. Yup, didn't put it in quotes, I have learned that it was the truth.) I always walked out of those meetings with the sense that I was going to have a lot of work to make up, you know, since I had been skipping it up to that point, and lots of lectures on the way home. I swear I was a good kid, just not the schoolin' type.
I'm saying it now, I really hope that we don't have to have meetings like that for Abby. Period.
Back to today's meeting - we were presented with a folder with Abby's name on it. In the left pocket was a standard checklist of areas that they are looking at for Abby - language development, letter and number recognition, motor skills - you know, preschool stuff. Abby got good marks across the board with an asterisk that led to a note that she needs to listen a bit better, but then we expected that one. That note, though, gives us a heads up as to what they are working on with her at school, and what we should be working on at home with her.
On the right hand side was a set of pictures and edu-specific descriptions -
Behind that there were several edu-oriented projects that are designed to assess where she is so that we can assess when she is picking up new things. One of them was "This is Me: Age 2" and it featured several blobs, but all of them had eyes, noses and mouths, and a few of them even had (more than two) legs! Considering at Thanksgiving we were just working on making circles that were not all eggs, this is really cool. I will scan that later and put it online, but I want to get this up now. :o)
We did talk a bit about potty training - it's still going really well with the exception of the pooping issue. She still hates to do it in the potty and will not do it at school. It is fine with us if she only does it at home, but right now it's not going anywhere. Again. This is something that we need to be aware of because we don't want her to get sick. Seems a silly thing to be thinking of after my day Monday, but it's reality. Oh well.
At the end we had time to ask questions about the assessment or Abby in general. We asked about her babbling*, which she has started recently, and told Ms Linda about our upcoming move to Saint Louis. It does not matter a whole lot to her teachers in the long run, but we wanted to be sure they were aware so that if Abby begins to show signs of being overstressed they both have a reason and can alert us to her mood change so that we can address it at home. (i.e. spend more intentional time together rather than focus on packing boxes.)
All in all she's a bright, happy little girl. We did not need an assessment to tell us that, but it is always nice when someone else says it, right?!
*About the babbling: it's really funny, actually. Abby will call everyone to attention saying "It is my turn to talk, please listen!" When she has everyone's ears and eyes she will start a story with real words, then launch into babbling. She says it with a serious face most of the time. Some of the time she also is just making rhyming sounds - not words mind you, but sounds that would rhyme if they were words. Like I said, it's funny and she only does it in fun times, never if we're having a conversation about things that matter. That's ma' girl!
So anyway, today was the day for our conference with Abby's lead teacher, Ms. Linda. We got there a few minutes early and chatted with the folks in the infant room. They're always so much fun, especially when you bring them donuts in the morning and see them in the afternoon! (I'm sticking to the donuts for the foreseeable future. Major brownie points without having to actually bake brownies!) We met with Ms Linda at 2:20 ish, while all of the little ones are taking their naps so that we can have her attention, and she can have ours. I'm glad that Abby was not running around because she would inevitably have been bouncing off of the walls while we tried to talk, and that is not helpful for anyone involved!
You know, it is a bit strange to go into a parent teacher conference. I remember them when I was in middle and high school - lots of looks-of-disdain directed at me and profuse-how-the-hell-do-you-do-it looks cast at my teachers. (I never applied myself. Yup, didn't put it in quotes, I have learned that it was the truth.) I always walked out of those meetings with the sense that I was going to have a lot of work to make up, you know, since I had been skipping it up to that point, and lots of lectures on the way home. I swear I was a good kid, just not the schoolin' type.
I'm saying it now, I really hope that we don't have to have meetings like that for Abby. Period.
Back to today's meeting - we were presented with a folder with Abby's name on it. In the left pocket was a standard checklist of areas that they are looking at for Abby - language development, letter and number recognition, motor skills - you know, preschool stuff. Abby got good marks across the board with an asterisk that led to a note that she needs to listen a bit better, but then we expected that one. That note, though, gives us a heads up as to what they are working on with her at school, and what we should be working on at home with her.
On the right hand side was a set of pictures and edu-specific descriptions -
"in this picture Abby is demonstrating development in math - she really likes to sort. On this day she pulled out all of the cows, and only the cows, to play with." (and the picture was of her with an army of cows that had to have numbered 18!)Pretty fun to see pictures of her, but even more fun to see that the things she is doing is actually developmental and not just silliness of toddlerhood. We told her that Abby has an affection for cows - whenever she finds one of her LittlePeople cows at home, she has to find the other two because they are a family. They can not be separated for fear of... who knows what?!
Behind that there were several edu-oriented projects that are designed to assess where she is so that we can assess when she is picking up new things. One of them was "This is Me: Age 2" and it featured several blobs, but all of them had eyes, noses and mouths, and a few of them even had (more than two) legs! Considering at Thanksgiving we were just working on making circles that were not all eggs, this is really cool. I will scan that later and put it online, but I want to get this up now. :o)
We did talk a bit about potty training - it's still going really well with the exception of the pooping issue. She still hates to do it in the potty and will not do it at school. It is fine with us if she only does it at home, but right now it's not going anywhere. Again. This is something that we need to be aware of because we don't want her to get sick. Seems a silly thing to be thinking of after my day Monday, but it's reality. Oh well.
At the end we had time to ask questions about the assessment or Abby in general. We asked about her babbling*, which she has started recently, and told Ms Linda about our upcoming move to Saint Louis. It does not matter a whole lot to her teachers in the long run, but we wanted to be sure they were aware so that if Abby begins to show signs of being overstressed they both have a reason and can alert us to her mood change so that we can address it at home. (i.e. spend more intentional time together rather than focus on packing boxes.)
All in all she's a bright, happy little girl. We did not need an assessment to tell us that, but it is always nice when someone else says it, right?!
*About the babbling: it's really funny, actually. Abby will call everyone to attention saying "It is my turn to talk, please listen!" When she has everyone's ears and eyes she will start a story with real words, then launch into babbling. She says it with a serious face most of the time. Some of the time she also is just making rhyming sounds - not words mind you, but sounds that would rhyme if they were words. Like I said, it's funny and she only does it in fun times, never if we're having a conversation about things that matter. That's ma' girl!
March 16, 2010
Discipline Question: Out in Public
We are Time-Out people. It genuinely works in our family - it aggravates Abby to be still for two minutes and it brings a quick resolution to a questionable situation. I know that some people believe it to be malarkey, but we tend to go with what works.
While I'm at it, we're also a count-to-three family. This side of things is a bit more relaxed than I would like sometimes, but different situations call for different methods. Counting to three gets Abby motivated to move in the morning, and honestly I do not get to three very often. Maybe ever. I think she is so intimidated by the idea of getting to three that she strives to move at 2. Again, if it works, we use it.
With that in mind - how do you do discipline when you are in public?
I can easily pull out the count-to-three method for something that I can anticipate, but Saturday I was just in shock and clueless as to how to proceed.
To set the scene, we had to be out of the house on Saturday and the weather was crummy, so we left the house at 7 to head to my grandfathers house in Delaware. We stopped at a Panera Bread for breakfast, which went wonderfully aside from the rain getting in. Wow, that stuff was hard and heavy. Anyway, after breakfast I knew that we would be on the road for another hour and a half, so I took Abby to the Men's room with me to use the potty. Since it is a little tall for such a short girl, I was holding onto her legs to be sure that she did not fall into the toilet. That's happened once, and while funny it's a bit gross - especially the though of it in public!
While she was sitting she reared her hand back and I assumed she was going to play with her hair. If I'm holding her legs, she does not have to keep herself sturdy, hair play is not out of the question, right? As it turns out, she reared her hand back in order to slap me. Absolutely no reason except to get a reaction - our morning had been perfect up until that point. She slapped me silly in a public toilet in a situation that I had nothing to take away from her, nothing to use as punishment.
I talked with her about why we do not hit people, whether it is just playing or because she is angry. The totally got it and understood it, but I was not sure how to have handled that one better. I hate missing opportunities to teach her with more meaning, but I could not figure out what else to do! Any advice for the next time it happens?
While I'm at it, we're also a count-to-three family. This side of things is a bit more relaxed than I would like sometimes, but different situations call for different methods. Counting to three gets Abby motivated to move in the morning, and honestly I do not get to three very often. Maybe ever. I think she is so intimidated by the idea of getting to three that she strives to move at 2. Again, if it works, we use it.
With that in mind - how do you do discipline when you are in public?
I can easily pull out the count-to-three method for something that I can anticipate, but Saturday I was just in shock and clueless as to how to proceed.
To set the scene, we had to be out of the house on Saturday and the weather was crummy, so we left the house at 7 to head to my grandfathers house in Delaware. We stopped at a Panera Bread for breakfast, which went wonderfully aside from the rain getting in. Wow, that stuff was hard and heavy. Anyway, after breakfast I knew that we would be on the road for another hour and a half, so I took Abby to the Men's room with me to use the potty. Since it is a little tall for such a short girl, I was holding onto her legs to be sure that she did not fall into the toilet. That's happened once, and while funny it's a bit gross - especially the though of it in public!
While she was sitting she reared her hand back and I assumed she was going to play with her hair. If I'm holding her legs, she does not have to keep herself sturdy, hair play is not out of the question, right? As it turns out, she reared her hand back in order to slap me. Absolutely no reason except to get a reaction - our morning had been perfect up until that point. She slapped me silly in a public toilet in a situation that I had nothing to take away from her, nothing to use as punishment.
I talked with her about why we do not hit people, whether it is just playing or because she is angry. The totally got it and understood it, but I was not sure how to have handled that one better. I hate missing opportunities to teach her with more meaning, but I could not figure out what else to do! Any advice for the next time it happens?
March 15, 2010
She's Sick Today
I had already planned a late arrival to work this morning to meet with a structural engineer about the slope in our house. We are not in the market to fix the silly slope, but just want a professional to assure us that there is no big issue that has gone unnoticed. All about assuring a buyer that things are on the up and up.
(Okay, I could either go a story route or be graphic. I'm going graphic. One word to let you know whether or not you should keep reading or go play somewhere more fun: vomit.)
My day went from "vacation" day to "sick" day right as the alarm went off. I woke up to the quiet radio, but shot out of bed when I heard what sounded like Abby choking. Yeah, that will wake you up faster than a bucket of ice water. I didn't even turn on the light - when I heard she was actually breathing (phew) I realized that she was throwing up. Ugh. Better at 5:30 than at 1:30 (am or pm, to be honest) but it's still something that we have not had to deal with in so long that I can't remember doing it, and I would be the one to have dealt with it.
I have learned a few things already, and it's only 8:15 as I'm typing this:
Lesson #1 - I am glad that Abby is small enough that a towel will suffice for a blanket. Laundry began at 7:15.
Lesson #2 - M&M's might be a reward for potty success, but they are not a reward ten minutes later in a sick child. Gross.
Lesson #3 - Great idea on my part to have Abby aim at a towel the first time around - now she thinks that is the only place to hurl. Victory is mine from cleaning the couch and floor!
Lesson #4 - Garfield The Movie is just plain bad. Even Abby could only deal with it for about 20 minutes. She will watch commercials for longer than that!
She is still her happy, perky self, until it's time for things to come up. Right now she's sitting on the exercise bike, upset that she can't reach the pedals. She's afraid to poop, which makes me nervous for how the rest of the day will play out. I'm leaving her in a pull up, potty training be damned.
(Okay, I could either go a story route or be graphic. I'm going graphic. One word to let you know whether or not you should keep reading or go play somewhere more fun: vomit.)
My day went from "vacation" day to "sick" day right as the alarm went off. I woke up to the quiet radio, but shot out of bed when I heard what sounded like Abby choking. Yeah, that will wake you up faster than a bucket of ice water. I didn't even turn on the light - when I heard she was actually breathing (phew) I realized that she was throwing up. Ugh. Better at 5:30 than at 1:30 (am or pm, to be honest) but it's still something that we have not had to deal with in so long that I can't remember doing it, and I would be the one to have dealt with it.
I have learned a few things already, and it's only 8:15 as I'm typing this:
Lesson #1 - I am glad that Abby is small enough that a towel will suffice for a blanket. Laundry began at 7:15.
Lesson #2 - M&M's might be a reward for potty success, but they are not a reward ten minutes later in a sick child. Gross.
Lesson #3 - Great idea on my part to have Abby aim at a towel the first time around - now she thinks that is the only place to hurl. Victory is mine from cleaning the couch and floor!
Lesson #4 - Garfield The Movie is just plain bad. Even Abby could only deal with it for about 20 minutes. She will watch commercials for longer than that!
She is still her happy, perky self, until it's time for things to come up. Right now she's sitting on the exercise bike, upset that she can't reach the pedals. She's afraid to poop, which makes me nervous for how the rest of the day will play out. I'm leaving her in a pull up, potty training be damned.
March 11, 2010
I Don't Even Get a Speaking Part!
First, I will come clean about one of the things that make me a horrible parent.
I don't want to tell you, but it's essential to the story. I know you will think less of me if you know the truth, but I am going to have to. It's time you know the truth.
Abby watches television.
Okay, so you can read it - Abby watches television. Daily.
We have a rotation that does not include Sesame Street, Yo Gabba Gabba or Wordgirl - you know, the educational stuff. Nope, we're not there right now. We have had our fair share of Signing Time, and watched Sesame Street for a few months, but we don't do that now. Now we have a healthy rotation that includes the fun part of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, (both versions of) The Parent Trap, Robots and princess movies. Lots and lots of princess movies.
I was at work when the princess movies began, so I can honestly say that it's not my fault. I might be inclined to go so far as to say that I was conspired against. It started with a little Shrek 2 on the DVR. Then it moved to Sleeping Beauty (minus the part deemed by Anny to be "too scary" at the end) and progressed to Snow White. All of these movies have a pretty set cast - prince, princess, fairy god mother, king, queen - we know them all so well.
I know the story of Princess Aurora (that's Sleeping Beauty) so well that I can tell you the order that her Fairy God Mother's put the kingdom to sleep. The advantage is that I know the song pretty well now, and when I whistle/sing/hum it, Abby goes all giddy and wants to twirl and dance. What dad does not love that?!
My beef really comes in when we're playing afterward, or just randomly talking. I have had at least a dozen conversations in the last two weeks that are pretty scripted at this point...
Abby: Daddy, I'm Princess Aurora!
Me: I know, sweetie - you dance beautifully.
Abby: Yes, because I'm a princess. Daddy, Mommy is Prince Phillip (or the Queen or a Fairy God Mother, depends on the day).
Me: Oh really? Does mommy know that?
Abby: Yes.
Me: Well if you're Prince Aurora and Mommy is a Queen/FGM who am I?
Abby: Daddy, you're the horse.
There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Abby is a princess. Anny is a queen.
And I am a horse.
At least I'm not a horses ass. (Which is to say, at least she doesn't call me that. Yet.)
I don't want to tell you, but it's essential to the story. I know you will think less of me if you know the truth, but I am going to have to. It's time you know the truth.
Abby watches television.
Okay, so you can read it - Abby watches television. Daily.
We have a rotation that does not include Sesame Street, Yo Gabba Gabba or Wordgirl - you know, the educational stuff. Nope, we're not there right now. We have had our fair share of Signing Time, and watched Sesame Street for a few months, but we don't do that now. Now we have a healthy rotation that includes the fun part of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, (both versions of) The Parent Trap, Robots and princess movies. Lots and lots of princess movies.
I was at work when the princess movies began, so I can honestly say that it's not my fault. I might be inclined to go so far as to say that I was conspired against. It started with a little Shrek 2 on the DVR. Then it moved to Sleeping Beauty (minus the part deemed by Anny to be "too scary" at the end) and progressed to Snow White. All of these movies have a pretty set cast - prince, princess, fairy god mother, king, queen - we know them all so well.
I know the story of Princess Aurora (that's Sleeping Beauty) so well that I can tell you the order that her Fairy God Mother's put the kingdom to sleep. The advantage is that I know the song pretty well now, and when I whistle/sing/hum it, Abby goes all giddy and wants to twirl and dance. What dad does not love that?!
My beef really comes in when we're playing afterward, or just randomly talking. I have had at least a dozen conversations in the last two weeks that are pretty scripted at this point...
Abby: Daddy, I'm Princess Aurora!
Me: I know, sweetie - you dance beautifully.
Abby: Yes, because I'm a princess. Daddy, Mommy is Prince Phillip (or the Queen or a Fairy God Mother, depends on the day).
Me: Oh really? Does mommy know that?
Abby: Yes.
Me: Well if you're Prince Aurora and Mommy is a Queen/FGM who am I?
Abby: Daddy, you're the horse.
There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Abby is a princess. Anny is a queen.
And I am a horse.
At least I'm not a horses ass. (Which is to say, at least she doesn't call me that. Yet.)
March 10, 2010
March 09, 2010
For the Locals: Masonville Cove
This post is totally for the locals, though I hope to find someplace like this the next place that we live, too...
On Saturday we were in a unique position that we will be in again next weekend - staycationing without the option of returning to the homestead. Our house is being painted - by which I mean that the interior of our house is under siege of sanding, patching and painting with the exception of a few rooms! It's exciting times indeed, and because of the scope of the project it is going to mesh into next weekend as well.
We are always up for new adventures, especially if they are toddler/child friendly and offer something for us parents at the same time. We began the day with breakfast at Plato's Diner in College Park (and liked it so much we went back Sunday!) and wound up to The Mall in Columbia to play in the play area before the mall opened. Even though the Carousel (Merry-Go-Round, for Natalie) is on the other side of the mall, Abby heard the first buzz of their bell at 10:00 right on the dot. That girl can hear!
Anyway - the real fun part was making our way up to Baltimore to go to a place we had never heard of: The Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center. They were hosting an event called "Science Alive For Kids Under Five: How Does Your Garden Grow?" and I found by happenstance while looking for things to do outside of the house on Saturday. We had never heard of Masonville Cove, but with the weather being so nice and wanting to try something different from the regular Smithsonian stuff, we put the address in the GPS and headed up there.
And we're glad that we did.
We were a few minutes late, but were greeted warmly and Abby immediately meshed into the participatory story time led by one of the (I assume) staff members, Ms Jessica. After the fun story that walked us through how each creature benefited from the growth of just one carrot. The birds eat the seeds, the ants enjoy the leaves, the frogs get the bugs that fly. You know the deal. Even though Abby was late, it totally clicked for her and she got really into it!
Then we got to share pumpkin and sunflower seeds that you would get anywhere, but focused on the seed/shell difference. I can tell you that this stuck with Abby, because she brought it up at lunch on Sunday and we talked about seeds! Great stuff. Anyway, that was followed up with a snack tray of vegetables and fruits - all things that came from seeds!
Then all of the kids went outside (hooray for sun!) and made paper-plate-wreaths with birdseed glued to it. Ours is currently in our front yard and the birds are working their way through the seed as the glue goes away. Very cool trick. They also showed off their small composter, which would fit perfectly in almost any home. We have a large can outside as well as a pile that lives in our garden, but if not we would certainly look into one of those things. Pretty darned cool. Abby was most excited to touch the worms, as we have not seen any in our yard since last summer!
As things were wrapping up (they had a "how to start a garden" class for adults with kids welcome to stay and play as ours was ending) I picked up fliers to be sure that we're in the know for what is coming up. I mentioned that we were very grateful for such a great program and I asked how they get their funding, fully preparing to happily pull out a check and make a donation. Get this - they are funded for five years by the state! AWESOME! I got a little bit of their story, they opened last April (which is why I haven't heard of them) and offer programs year round. I pulled this from their website:
Needless to say, we will be taking advantage of their programs, and hope to make a trip after Spring has Sprung to walk the grounds and enjoy some of the woods/water that makes up the property! Their upcoming events calendar is online on their home page HERE.
On Saturday we were in a unique position that we will be in again next weekend - staycationing without the option of returning to the homestead. Our house is being painted - by which I mean that the interior of our house is under siege of sanding, patching and painting with the exception of a few rooms! It's exciting times indeed, and because of the scope of the project it is going to mesh into next weekend as well.
We are always up for new adventures, especially if they are toddler/child friendly and offer something for us parents at the same time. We began the day with breakfast at Plato's Diner in College Park (and liked it so much we went back Sunday!) and wound up to The Mall in Columbia to play in the play area before the mall opened. Even though the Carousel (Merry-Go-Round, for Natalie) is on the other side of the mall, Abby heard the first buzz of their bell at 10:00 right on the dot. That girl can hear!
Anyway - the real fun part was making our way up to Baltimore to go to a place we had never heard of: The Masonville Cove Environmental Education Center. They were hosting an event called "Science Alive For Kids Under Five: How Does Your Garden Grow?" and I found by happenstance while looking for things to do outside of the house on Saturday. We had never heard of Masonville Cove, but with the weather being so nice and wanting to try something different from the regular Smithsonian stuff, we put the address in the GPS and headed up there.
And we're glad that we did.
We were a few minutes late, but were greeted warmly and Abby immediately meshed into the participatory story time led by one of the (I assume) staff members, Ms Jessica. After the fun story that walked us through how each creature benefited from the growth of just one carrot. The birds eat the seeds, the ants enjoy the leaves, the frogs get the bugs that fly. You know the deal. Even though Abby was late, it totally clicked for her and she got really into it!
Then we got to share pumpkin and sunflower seeds that you would get anywhere, but focused on the seed/shell difference. I can tell you that this stuck with Abby, because she brought it up at lunch on Sunday and we talked about seeds! Great stuff. Anyway, that was followed up with a snack tray of vegetables and fruits - all things that came from seeds!
Then all of the kids went outside (hooray for sun!) and made paper-plate-wreaths with birdseed glued to it. Ours is currently in our front yard and the birds are working their way through the seed as the glue goes away. Very cool trick. They also showed off their small composter, which would fit perfectly in almost any home. We have a large can outside as well as a pile that lives in our garden, but if not we would certainly look into one of those things. Pretty darned cool. Abby was most excited to touch the worms, as we have not seen any in our yard since last summer!
As things were wrapping up (they had a "how to start a garden" class for adults with kids welcome to stay and play as ours was ending) I picked up fliers to be sure that we're in the know for what is coming up. I mentioned that we were very grateful for such a great program and I asked how they get their funding, fully preparing to happily pull out a check and make a donation. Get this - they are funded for five years by the state! AWESOME! I got a little bit of their story, they opened last April (which is why I haven't heard of them) and offer programs year round. I pulled this from their website:
"Masonville Cove is 70 acres of water and 54 acres of cleaned-up wetlands, nature trails, and a protected bird sanctuary, all soon-to-be protected by a conservation easement and part of the Shores of Baltimore Land Trust. The Masonville project developed from mitigation tied to the creation of a Dredged Material Containment Facility (DMCF) by the Maryland Port Administration (MPA)."Program aside, Anny and I were really impressed with the facility - it appears that they are mostly if not completely off of the grid. Solar panels and rain barrels greeted us, and the bathrooms are state-of-the-art and include gray-water toilets (uses water from the sinks to fill and flush) and other green features. (Their site lists more - wow!)
Needless to say, we will be taking advantage of their programs, and hope to make a trip after Spring has Sprung to walk the grounds and enjoy some of the woods/water that makes up the property! Their upcoming events calendar is online on their home page HERE.
March 04, 2010
A Little Face Time for Abby!
I've mentioned before that I was once featured on the cover of a brochure for the local pool when I was a very young (and skinny) boy. I was not even ten. I never pursued a career in brochure-facedom mostly because I'm not all that attractive and nobody wants to see me without a shirt on at this stage in my life. Even ignoring the bug gut, the eight inch scar is not exactly appealing.
Somewhere there is still a copy or two of that brochure around, though I'm not sure where, and that's okay, because someone else has gotten into the brochure-cover business! Here is something that was picked up by one of Abby's daycare teachers:
The little girl in the green box is none other than our Abby! How cool is that?
The brochure is for the Infant Studies Program at the University of Maryland which we have always been proud to be a part of. It seems that Abby is too old for most of their studies these days, but we have always felt good about playing a part in studying all of the fun stuff about children and their development!
Somewhere there is still a copy or two of that brochure around, though I'm not sure where, and that's okay, because someone else has gotten into the brochure-cover business! Here is something that was picked up by one of Abby's daycare teachers:
The brochure is for the Infant Studies Program at the University of Maryland which we have always been proud to be a part of. It seems that Abby is too old for most of their studies these days, but we have always felt good about playing a part in studying all of the fun stuff about children and their development!
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