Artsy Fartsy

As parents of an almost-three year old we are blessed to have a child that loves to both get dirty and clean up messes.  We were such proud parents on Wednesday when Abby cleaned up her doctor kit before asking to play with her tea set, all without prompting. 

Her at home painting routine involves picking out two colors and two brushes and getting on her smock in preparation.  Painting involves the brushes for a few minutes, and almost always devolves into painting each hand and doing finger or hand painting before calling it quits.  She always makes sure to grab her paint cups and brushes and brings them to the sink to spend almost as much time cleaning as she did painting.  She will even "clean" other dishes if they are in the sink at the time.  This has led to more than one instance of paint brushes being found later by turning on the garbage disposal, though.  Working on a plan for that.

All of that is completely unrelated to what I wanted to share with this post.  We get lots of artwork sent home from school and are never sure what to do with it.  We decided early on this year that we will keep some of it, maybe three pieces a month, but most go right into the recycle bin after we ask Abby about it.  I decided this morning to take some with me to work to hang up, and I thought I should go ahead and scan them to share since I had brought them. 

Without further useless build-up -

She clearly likes bold colors.  In one she was going for lines, and on the other it was more free form. 

My question for you other parents-of-little-ones is: What do you do with your child's art?  Do you keep all of it?  None of it?  Where do you keep it? 

I kind of want to come up with a regular way to display it in our next home.  I don't mean frames, but I want to get out of trashing each one right away.  Do you have a good idea for keeping them short term and deciding what to keep? 

Potty Breakthrough

So, lots has gone on this week and I have not blogged.  Those my not be mutually exclusive... I might get a post or two up this weekend.  Hopefully. 

*This is a post about poop.  And a shower.  If you are a visual person, this is probably not for you...

Last Sunday we had a breakthrough of sorts on the potty front.  Abby had been a week since pooping.  Again.

We had been pushing blueberries into her like water starting on Friday as soon as she got home from school.  I don't know if it is the same for every child, but blueberries are a go-to for us.  They work to move things along in her little system, and they taste great!  We are still using blueberries from last summers Farmer's Market that have been in the freezer, by the way.  The only downside of frozen blueberries is that it make her lips look like she has been making out with Cookie Monster and her fingers look like she voted in an Afghan election.

So anyway, we could tell that Abby was finally going to explode give in and poop, so we decided to take the opportunity to make sure it all ended up in the potty.  She is still pooping in her underwear of late - when she poops, that is.  She was doing a little dance and could not sit down any more.

I want to break in here and tell you that I am not an abusive father.  It pains me to know that she is not passing her poo,  and I am looking forward to your comments about things that help "move" your children along.  This has only been a problem since switching from diapers to the potty, which she has embraced.  Except the pooping part.  I read a post about a child who finally gave in when he heard the word "suppository" and it was explained what that meant.  I don't want to get that point.

Typically on Sunday morning either Anny or I will bring Abby into the shower with us to get a really good cleaning that does not happen in the tub and to wash her hair.  Again, great father, right?  Oh well.  I got her into the shower with me with a guarantee that we would spend some time playing before washing her hair.  This convinced her to come in, and then she got really uncomfortable on the poop front.  She was not playing in the water because she was focused on holding everything in.

And then something clicked in her head.  She asked for the potty.  She wanted to poop - in the potty!  This, my friends, is progress in a major way.  Part of it was setting her up, but sometimes that is all it takes.  She could not hide in her room if she can't get out of the shower. 


Anny brought the potty into the kid-potty into the bathroom, but Abby didn't want to get out of the shower because she was wet and knew she would be cold.  We did the only logical thing...  We brought her potty into the shower for her to take a dump.  Abby got special permission to poop IN the shower.  Lucky kid.

So we reminded her about her "friend" Prudence from Once Upon a Potty who had to sit.  And sit.  And sit and sit and sit and sit.... And sit Abby did.  For ten minutes. 

But it worked.  She pooped in the potty, and only in the potty.  VICTORY! 

As a reward she got to wear her new Sleeping Beauty Princess Dress, which is better than chocolate as a reward for my child.  She wore her dress to church and got to tell everyone why she got to wear such a special dress - because she had pooped on the potty.  She was fawned over, even more than usual, and got congrats and cheers and high fives for the whole day. 

Maybe that will have been enough to make the "click" of using the potty stick. 

Maybe she will think about all of the attention the next time she starts to poop in her pants and she will get our attention rather than get quiet and hide it.

Maybe, just maybe, my daughter will have to go to a local college so that she can come home once a week to take a poop in the shower.

I'm hoping for one of the first two choices above - you can guess which two.

*As an "update" to a not-yet-posted-post, it is Friday morning and Abby has not yet pooped since the victory I just wrote about.  Two nights this week we have even given her medicinal help in the form of "Little Phillips" for toddler tummies.  This child has a stubborn stomach I tell you.  We will begin the blueberry regimen tonight, I guess. 

Moving Update

Anny and I are decent actors.  I have heard her tell someone the same things that I have been saying to other people, but we don't say it to each other.

"Yeah, I am getting nervous about not having a contract on the house and no job lined up yet..."

On the House Front
We have had one open house and at least a half a dozen showings at this point.  Our house is sloped inside so it is a harder sell, but I am getting frustrated with the process, and it has nothing to do with our Realtor, believe it or not.  I do not play games with real life very well.  Want to play a board game or a sport, I'm in.  Want me to keep my house in tip-top shape because some people can not envision the house without a toy Princess Castle on the floor?  Tell them to figure it out, I have better things to do with my life than move that stupid castle twice a day!

The other thing driving me crazy is the "game" of real-estate-showing windows.  We get a call saying that somoene wants to show the house in a one hour window - let's say 6-7 pm.  We get out of the house to grab some dinner, spending money we do not really have to spend on food and disrupting Abby's schedule beyond belief and come home at 7:30 to give the Realtor a half hour cushion.  Why, oh why, did they show up at 8:00?  I know that you're out seeing several houses in one trip, but you can't tell all of them that you will be there in a one hour frame, it's not fair to those of us who are trying to live a life.  One Realtor actually snapped back at me "you know how it is when you're looking at five houses."  I may have suggested that she be more considerate in the future.  I bet we don't hear from her again.  Oh well.

On the Job Front
Anny has entered her information into a big database for Missouri schools and has already had one interview!  It turns out that she did not get that job, but she has since gotten a little more attention from one of the school districts.  They asked her to do an online questionnaire, which she did on Wednesday.  Then she got a call yesterday that they want her to come in for an interview.  It seems that they can not do it over the phone, so we looked at our calendar and have been in contact with Paul and Sarahlynn about arranging a quick trip for Anny.  Once she sets up with that particular district she is going to call one or two others to see if she can set up interviews on the same day and do it in one trip.  So - Anny has progress made, but no job yet.

I on the other hand have nothing.  Nada.  I have applied for one job which turned out to be part time and thus I was disqualified.  I have been pretty calculated in not applying for jobs until we have Anny figured out.  It would be really nice if we can both work in the same area so that we can look for a house that would be close, too.  The "good" part of not having a bachelors (or higher) degree is that I am not going to be tied into a particular field, and that is cool with me.  I am completely open to anything! I have working in all sorts of places - my first job was driving a golf cart at a driving range, and since then I have worked retail, worked in a warehouse, worked in an office with three people and had my own office.  I won't work construction (I'll admit it, I'm weak) but outside of that I'm open to absolutely anything.  With that being said, I have made no progress and have no job yet. 

If Anny has nothing lined up by June 1 I will be freaked out pick up a job hunt and deal with a commute if I have to, but since we have some flexibility we are alright with how things are right now. 

The Current Plan
People ask us when we are actually planning to move and we kind of duck and weave.  We are not sure, but we do have a window available to us.  As a teacher, Anny will complete her contract here and will be ready to roll at her new school in August.  That is the bottom line.  That leaves us about a seven or eight week window to get to Saint Louis.  The best bet that I can give folks is that it will probably be between June 25 and the Fourth of July.  If someone swept in today and offered us a contract on the house and says they want to close on May 31, we will figure out temporary housing to finish out Anny's school year and take off shortly after that.  If we do not have the house sold by the end of June - well, that's where things get tricky.  We are hopeful.  We are prayerful.  We ask that you are hopeful and prayerful for us as well. 

The Listing
It seems silly to put up a blog post about our move and not include a link to the official listing for our home.  If you know someone who is looking for a house inside the DC Beltway, please send them here:

OUR LISTING

It lists four bedrooms, but there is a fifth that we can't include because it does not have a window.  New A/C, huge kitchen (big enough to be jealous of!) and a house-sized addition, too!

Wordless Wednesday - Trapped in a Bubble

More wordless fun at www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/

Brookside Gardens Trip

Last Friday in the DC area the weather was incredible, but a someone who has a real job, I was at my desk, in my office.  The advantage of my particular office is that I do not have any windows, and that makes it easier to not fret about leaving work because the weather is nice, because I just plain don't know!  (The same is true of worry over snow - I never see it so I don't have reason to be concerned about the traffic.)

As it turns out, though, we were told to pack up early and head home.  At one. I immediately began making plans to take my water bottle, camera and extra batteries and head someplace quiet and pretty to take some pictures.  I have actually never done that.  Back when I used to have quiet in nature (thanks Glenkirk!) I did not have a camera.  Now I have a camera, but no easy place to get completely lost in the woods.

Then I realized that I had someone in the hospital that would love a visitor, and that in reality my brain is more attuned to being with someone who wants to chat than it is sitting with a creek or a flower.  I went for a quick visit that turned into an hour and a half of talking about all sorts of things.  I know that the hospital is the place that I should have been, both for the person in the bed and for myself.

But when I left I was still feeling a need to get out and play.  I popped by the house for some cold water, then realized just how late it had gotten.  Knowing that I would genuinely have a better time if I had Anny and Abby with me, I put a call in to Anny and we decided to meet up at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton.  Why on earth did I invite my loud daughter and never-sitting-still wife...


That's why.

The thing that I value more in the world than peace and quiet (because really, those are low priority to me) is watching Abby discover something new.  I did not pose the picture above.  We walked up to the pool and she ran ahead.  She wanted to learn what was in the water and on the water.  I love watching Abby's amazement that "she found a treehouse" when we could see it a hundred feet away.  It is like she was the only person to have ever seen the pond above and she took it all in.  Freaking awesome.

I am considering telling Anny that this will become a weekly Friday outing, so long as I'm let go of work early to do it!  (And no more hospital visits - PLEASE!)

Other great pics from our time out there are below:

 Abby was loving the butterfly benches, too!

We had a blast, and I knew we would if we went together. I might not ever go out by myself, but that's okay with me.

If you are local, even on the "other side" of the river - this park is worth a morning or afternoon of your time.  We were there for more than an hour and didn't even get to see half of the things they have.  We are also sure that this place looks different with every trip because of when things bloom fade.  Just a great place to spend time.

Menu Monday

Anny and I are glad to have begun planning our meals last fall.  Last night we were talking with a friend about where it came about and I realized that in my first Menu Monday post I had neglected some stuff, so I'll fill in the blanks that I had neglected.

One of the biggest reasons that we came up with our Meal Planning Calendar* was that Anny felt that she had to be creative about what we would eat, come up with a grocery list and cook dinner.  By herself.  I can not figure out why this is, except that we fell into a routine in which we both know that Anny loves to cook and hates to ask for help.  Catch 22 on that one, right?

I would ask, often too late, about what we were doing and how I could help.  I take the fault on that one, and intentionally changed the way that I approached meals, too.  Now we have a plan that we can both access, can both add, remove or rearrange and we both are still on the same page. 

With all of that being said - this weeks meal plan is...

Sunday - Grilled Feta Burgers (pushed off from last week - more on that later)
Monday - Cheeburger Cheeburger fundraiser for Abby's preschool
Tuesday - Lo Mein - not sure what we're doing with them, but wanted something "different"
Wednesday - Homemade Pizza
Thursday - Chicken Pot Pie for the family (pushed off from last week, too.)
Friday - Omlettes

Wanted to point you all to my friend Stephanie who is joining in on the Menu Planning.  She's a much better chef than I could ever be.  Pop over to her blog to see what she's got going this week!  http://neurosesgalore.com/



*Our calendar is actually called "Operation Dinner In" because of the movie Spy Game.  Great movie.  Anyway, the final rescue mission is called "Operation Dinner Out" which is how Brad Pitt knows that the whole thing was done off-the-books by Robert Redford.  Okay, their characters, not them directly.  We have used "Operation Dinner Out" for years since having seen that movie, so it seemed appropriate for our eating in plan!

Wordless Wednesday - Tightrope Walker

From our trip to the Circus last weekend!

More wordless fun at http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/

Menu Monday

This is going to be a strange week for us as one of my aunts is having surgery, we have a "dinner for charity" and my sister-in-law has her annual Games Party.

Monday - Leftover Chicken Lasagna (we froze 3 dinners worth last week!)
    *Going to be cooking Amish Market Brussel Sprouts. Soliciting recipes on Facebook now!)
Tuesday - Chick-Fil-A fundraising dinner for church
Wednesday - Chicken Stir Fry
Thursday - Family Dinner, but we're cooking, so Chicken Pot Pie
Friday - Feta Turkey Burgers
Saturday - Games Party Potluck

That's what we are doing this week, how about you?

(Be sure to check out other plans over at the Organization Junkie: HERE)

Nephrologist Update

I went last Wednesday morning to see my nephrologist.  I really like my nephrologist in Rockville, MD and if you would like his info, please contact me.

When I walked in I was immediately grateful to see that they did some remodeling and painted with nice autumns and put new carpet in. It's not that the old stuff was bad, but it was nice to see the change.  Sometimes a nice atmosphere puts you into a nice mood, at least for me.

I hopped up on the scale and cringed.  I only go there every six months or so and I use his professional readings to judge how I'm doing.  I have not gained any weight, but have not lost any.  I will freely admit that Easter candy did me in - or I should say realistically, my addiction to candy at Easter has not helped me.  I have been really good about riding my exercise bike in the evenings while watching hockey (playoffs next week!) and have been better about snacking than I have been in the past.  I am disappointed in myself, mostly.  (but while I'm on weight, please hop over to Pretty Babies and check out all of the weight that my friend Amy has lost!)


I was a little concerned about my blood pressure, but only because at our last visit I was taken off of my meds to help regulate it.  Okay, I was taken off of ONE of my meds that helps to regulate it.  My blood pressure was a really great 108/80.  Phew.

Everything is looking good for everything that he tested for except my protein levels - but those seem to be relatively suspect for my spot-urine-samples.  When I just do a quick test the numbers have fluctuated each time over the last four visits - from 900 to 1400 to 1000 to 2200 (parts per million).  This is not seeming to be very useful.  As such he has ordered a 24 hour urine sample, which means a day off of work for me.  I have a general rule that if you have pee in the fridge, it should be your own pee. 

The good news is that he thinks that it should be time for me to start weaning off of the Cyclosporine.  I've been taking it for about seven years now and have not tried to cut back in over four years.  With my labs generally in order it makes sense to see if my kidneys are making any progress.  With an immuno-suppressant being used it's only doing it's job - suppressing while giving my kidneys help with healing.  The thing is that if I stay on them too long, there is (of course) risk of kidney damage.  (Better than anal leakage, I think.) 

The bad news is that if I'm not going to be under his care he is not going to let me do it now.  (Okay, "let me do it" is not correct.  He's suggesting that I find a doctor in Saint Louis first, then begin to wean.)  I agree completely. When I moved from VA to MD I got caught up in Anny's diet and almost killed myself.  I have learned better now, thankyouverymuch.

So, there you have my nephrologist report for April 2010.  I'll be seeing him in June again before we leave, and am soliciting for names of a new nephrologist in Saint Louis, MO.  (Not in the city, necessarily, but any suggestions are welcomed!)

A Trip Downtown!

We went to see what is leftover of the National Cherry Blossoms yesterday.  I was disappointed that there were no blossoms to speak of remaining because of hard rain and high winds about a week ago.  The great news is that it is Washington, DC, so there is always something to do or something to see! 

We walked through the World War II Memorial, which was not open the last time I went to see monuments.  It's huge and ornate - pretty cool if you're into that stuff.  We then walked around the Reflecting Pool, and I had to grab the mandatory picture:

The sun was blazing, so we headed over to the Korean War Memorial.  There were lots of crowds, so my pictures of the memorial were pretty useless.  I think it's a hard one to capture, too.  I did get a really great shot of Abby resting on one of the benches.  Don't tell Anny, but I might actually print this one!  (GASP!)

From there we decided to grab lunch.  We went to the Cafeteria in the basement of the American History Museum.  It was very expensive, but really good food.  Other bonus: air conditioning.  On the way there I noticed that the winds were blowing just right to put the flags at the perfect position at the Washington Monument:

It was a perfectly blue sky, too. As an aside, Abby believed the monument to be her personal "castle, with two windows at the top for her to look out."  Her words, not mine.

We went with Anny's Aunt Jackie and Uncle Bill.  Always nice to catch up with them, always nice to get some exercise too.  All around it was a perfect DC morning. 

Easter

Yesterday I posted a picture from Sunday. It is a picture taken on Easter afternoon, post nap and pre-dinner time.  We went over to The Aunts house on the early side because the weather was too perfect to spend time sitting in the house watching another movie.  Easier to convince Abby of that if we go someplace that she does not associate with the television.

We gathered everything up and headed over right after my cousins did.  Abby immediately wanted to play soccer, and since I had extra feet hands to enjoy the game with, I didn't hesitate!  We played for a while, then went inside and back out several times.  I think Abby just likes going up the stairs in the split level. 

Here is the picture again:

I am in love with this picture, I think.  First off, it's pretty decent quality wise.  I haven't gotten any recently that I am proud of, but this one I am.  I love that it captures SO much about Abby.  She loves to be in a dress.  She loves flowers, especially dandelions.  She loves to be active and really enjoys soccer.  I really want her to be well rounded, and work really hard to be sure that she's exposed to all types of things from music to sports to clothes to people.  Glad to see it's working so far!


She came out at one point with one of her stuffed sheep.  She could only play sparingly because the sheep needed some time for a nap.  Here is a shot of that:

Abby cares greatly for all animals big and small, real or stuffed.  She cuddled with the sheep for quite a long time before laying it down, then again to make sure it woke up gently.  She's fun and funny about that stuff.

So, this is our Easter post four days in the making.

Wordless Wednesday - Easter Fun

More fun at www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/

Somebody Likes Me!

I have received blog awards from my blogging friends a few times over  the last few years, and while I haven’t always managed to blog about  them and share the love with others, I have always responded to the  giver with a heart-felt thank you.  I always appreciate the  gesture and the thought, as well as the opportunity to gain some new  readers and make some new friends. 

Rebecca at The Bates Motel recently  nominated me as one of the recipients of this lovely award!  But with  great power comes great responsibility (or something like that). 

Here  are the rules of acceptance:

Here are the rules for the award:
1.  Copy and paste the award on your blog.
2. Name the person who gave  the award to you and link to their blog (or hyperlink).
3. List 10  things that make you happy.
4. Pass the award on to other bloggers  and visit their blogs to let them know.

In no particular order, except the most important being first, here are 10 things that make me happy:

1. Abby.  It's no secret that she is the light of my life.  Every day she wakes up with a smile on her face and believes that she is a princess.  And she is, to me.

2. Anny.  We've just celebrated eight years of marriage.  I even got her flowers.  And made her dinner.

3. Thursday Dinner. Every Thursday we gather with my three aunts, my brother and sister in law and we have dinner and family time.  Every week.  It's awesome.  (Even though I'm going to miss tonight to go to a hockey game!)

4.Facebook.  It's an addiction, but it also serves as an easy outlet for my extroversion, which is helpful when I realize that Anny is an introvert and just wants me to shut up.

5. Spring weather!  I've gotten a lot of housework done in anticipation of our move, but we've also been able to spend some lazy afternoons outside kicking a soccer ball or having a picnic on the lawn.  Spring is awesome.

6. My camera.  I don't use it enough some weeks, but I really enjoy getting out place with Abby and firing away.  She's a ham and is usually willing to do just about whatever I challenge her to do, all in the name of silliness!

7. Extended family.  Anny and I are blessed with large and largely supportive families.  It's always helpful to have a great support system!

8. Our nieces.  Ellie and Ada are SO much fun. They have recently been joining us in Skype conversations.  Ellie is just so excited to see Abby and Ada is excited to see herself on the computer.  Ada and I make funny faces at each other for ten minutes straight.  Too funny.

9. My ability to put the camera down.  We have done a couple of events/activities that I have either forgotten my camera or decided to put it away after ten minutes.  I was able to just take in the wonder that Abby exuded from things like watching the dolphin show at the Aquarium. 

10. Food.  Though it is at the bottom of the list, remember that the list is not in order.  I love cooking food.  I love eating food.  I love trying new foods.  I love eating old food... wait, that's gross.  :o)  I have even recently re-found the peace and quiet that comes along with washing dishes after dinner.  Food is awesome.

So, that being said, here are my own nominees for this blog  award:

Amy at PrettyBabies - She's awesome as a parent (and her hubby is, too!) and recently she's been sharing some thoughts on weight loss, and kicking butt at that too!  Amy and I have actually met in real life!  (Strange for most of my web-friends, but mostly because I don't do BlogHer because I have boy parts.)

Beth over at The Angel Forever - She's parenting two boys - OY!   She is currently fighting to keep her son's school open as the School Board is in the midst of budget woes.  On a brighter note, she and her family made a trip to Disney earlier this year and she and her hubby, TechyDad, have been sharing some of the fun experiences from that trip.