Friday, February 25, 2011
Day at the museum
We've been wanting to take Emily to the Natural History Museum in DC so she could "meet" the dinosaurs for quite awhile now. I wanted to go on a non-weekend day though so that we didn't have to fight crowds and Will wanted to come too, so it took us awhile to decide on a day when everyone was free and not sick and it wasn't snowing. So yesterday we set off! I tend to be kind of fatalistic about embarking on anything more impressive than a trip to the grocery store with the kids, but I decided to be calm and happy because I don't want my anticipation of annoyance to keep us from doing fun things. It turned out to be a great trip, the drive was easy, we found free (FREE!) parking a couple blocks from the museum, we had the perfect amount of time there and then we came home. We should do this more often!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Roses are Red Dye #40, Violets are Blue Dye #1
I have a problem with people feeding my kids junky food. I don't like giving them sugar or anything that isn't 100% whole grain, but I especially try to avoid nitrate, dye and chemical-laden processed yuck. I know that makes me a pain in the ass. But my kids haven't seen enough of the world yet to really realize that we eat differently than most other Americans, so why not give them healthy food, especially when they're young and don't even know what they're "missing"?
Preschool has been a challenge. On the first day of school the snack was Froot Loops, and ever since then, when I ask Emily what she had for snack at Preschool the answer is usually "cookies" or "colorful cereal". This is the point where it gets difficult. I can control the food she eats at home, but when it comes to the outside world how much should I interfere, if at all? I have never fooled myself that we'd be able to keep junk out of her diet forever, and there's a point where you just have to control what you can of your child's diet and be happy with the fact that MOST of what they eat is healthy because this is unfortunately the world we live in. I think it's very wrong that junk food is the norm out in the real world, but that's the truth. Once she's in kindergarten I'll be able to send her a packed lunch, but for now we're in the middle of 2 years of preschool where snack is provided by the school.
I don't want to send her a separate snack, I feel like that will only single her out and give her bad emotional associations with food. I am not a very confrontational person, so even talking to the director about the food they provide seems scary to me. I guess sooner or later I need to stop sitting here simmering about it and actually say something if it bothers me so much. I've thought about offering to donate snacks now and then, things like 100% whole wheat pretzels instead of the kind they usually buy, or the 100% whole wheat juice-sweetened fig newtons I get occasionally. But that would get expensive, and besides, I'm already paying for her snacks through tuition and it's not really fair for me to single-handedly fund ALL the kids' snacks. I could mount a campaign to try to get the parents to add a couple dollars more per month to their tuition payments so we can upgrade the kids' food, but they all seem pretty happy feeding their kids junk and again, the whole confrontational aspect of it frightens me and I don't want to be THAT mom.
So when it comes time for the classroom parties and I CAN have a little control over the food, I jump at the chance to give them healthy things. At the Thanksgiving party I made a melon turkey with fruit skewers for tailfeathers, thinking at least this way they will have some fruit and it will be presented in a fun way that will make them want to eat it. For the Valentine's Day party, I realized that I should be doing the opposite...there WILL be junk there, so I might as well volunteer to bring the junk so I can make it my way and let the other parents bring the fruit since that is inherently healthy. Luckily, at the planning meeting when the head mom suggested doing a buffet of sweets one of the other moms did the confrontation part for me and said that there should probably be SOME healthy food. That gave me a great opportunity to suggest having a selection of foods that are naturally red, and it seemed to go over well. So it seems all I need to do is enlist a like-minded confrontational person to be my sidekick, then I can really get things done!
We ended up with a menu of apples, strawberries, raspberries, red peppers, babybel cheese wheels (in the RED wax!), red juice boxes, and I made 100% whole wheat cutout cookies with juice-sweetened jam. The kids seemed to enjoy it but not many of them cleaned their plates. I was disappointed at first, until I remembered that not many of them cleaned their plates at the Thanksgiving party either, even though the menu was much more junky then. It amazes me how little kids will eat unless encouraged when there is interesting stuff going on around them. My own daughter ate the cheese, strawberries and raspberries eventually, hoovered the jelly out of her cookie (even though she will eat the whole thing at home), and thoughtfully returned her unwanted apple slices to the communal bowl. Eew.
It was nice however to know as they tore around like demons afterward that the insanity was being powered by 100% kid energy and not by piles of sugar and dye.
Musical Hearts
The music stopped!
Charlotte playing with the big kids (in the tutu SHE picked out to wear today!)
Hopefully, with practice, I will get less timid about trying to effect change. Maybe eventually I can be ok with being THAT mom. Because I like my sweet, preservative-free kids just as they are!
Preschool has been a challenge. On the first day of school the snack was Froot Loops, and ever since then, when I ask Emily what she had for snack at Preschool the answer is usually "cookies" or "colorful cereal". This is the point where it gets difficult. I can control the food she eats at home, but when it comes to the outside world how much should I interfere, if at all? I have never fooled myself that we'd be able to keep junk out of her diet forever, and there's a point where you just have to control what you can of your child's diet and be happy with the fact that MOST of what they eat is healthy because this is unfortunately the world we live in. I think it's very wrong that junk food is the norm out in the real world, but that's the truth. Once she's in kindergarten I'll be able to send her a packed lunch, but for now we're in the middle of 2 years of preschool where snack is provided by the school.
I don't want to send her a separate snack, I feel like that will only single her out and give her bad emotional associations with food. I am not a very confrontational person, so even talking to the director about the food they provide seems scary to me. I guess sooner or later I need to stop sitting here simmering about it and actually say something if it bothers me so much. I've thought about offering to donate snacks now and then, things like 100% whole wheat pretzels instead of the kind they usually buy, or the 100% whole wheat juice-sweetened fig newtons I get occasionally. But that would get expensive, and besides, I'm already paying for her snacks through tuition and it's not really fair for me to single-handedly fund ALL the kids' snacks. I could mount a campaign to try to get the parents to add a couple dollars more per month to their tuition payments so we can upgrade the kids' food, but they all seem pretty happy feeding their kids junk and again, the whole confrontational aspect of it frightens me and I don't want to be THAT mom.
So when it comes time for the classroom parties and I CAN have a little control over the food, I jump at the chance to give them healthy things. At the Thanksgiving party I made a melon turkey with fruit skewers for tailfeathers, thinking at least this way they will have some fruit and it will be presented in a fun way that will make them want to eat it. For the Valentine's Day party, I realized that I should be doing the opposite...there WILL be junk there, so I might as well volunteer to bring the junk so I can make it my way and let the other parents bring the fruit since that is inherently healthy. Luckily, at the planning meeting when the head mom suggested doing a buffet of sweets one of the other moms did the confrontation part for me and said that there should probably be SOME healthy food. That gave me a great opportunity to suggest having a selection of foods that are naturally red, and it seemed to go over well. So it seems all I need to do is enlist a like-minded confrontational person to be my sidekick, then I can really get things done!
We ended up with a menu of apples, strawberries, raspberries, red peppers, babybel cheese wheels (in the RED wax!), red juice boxes, and I made 100% whole wheat cutout cookies with juice-sweetened jam. The kids seemed to enjoy it but not many of them cleaned their plates. I was disappointed at first, until I remembered that not many of them cleaned their plates at the Thanksgiving party either, even though the menu was much more junky then. It amazes me how little kids will eat unless encouraged when there is interesting stuff going on around them. My own daughter ate the cheese, strawberries and raspberries eventually, hoovered the jelly out of her cookie (even though she will eat the whole thing at home), and thoughtfully returned her unwanted apple slices to the communal bowl. Eew.
It was nice however to know as they tore around like demons afterward that the insanity was being powered by 100% kid energy and not by piles of sugar and dye.
Musical Hearts
The music stopped!
Charlotte playing with the big kids (in the tutu SHE picked out to wear today!)
Hopefully, with practice, I will get less timid about trying to effect change. Maybe eventually I can be ok with being THAT mom. Because I like my sweet, preservative-free kids just as they are!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Grandpa Deyle
On the morning of Charlotte's birthday party, right after Remy obsconded with the caterpillar cake's head, we got a call from Will's mom saying his grandpa had died. It was a bit of a shock, as much as the news an 87 year old man who has been in and out of the hospital for the last couple years CAN be. But he and grandma had just moved from their home to a retirement facility a month ago. He had been doing relatively well recently when it came to health issues. He had called us on Tuesday, Charlotte's birthday, to sing to her as is the custom in their family. The call had bad reception, but we managed to talk for a bit, telling him what she'd been up to and how we were going to have her party on Saturday. A day that it turned out he would not be alive to see.
He apparently went to a dentist appointment, fell on the way out of the office, and was taken to the hospital as a precaution since he was so old and frail and riddled with the associated health problems. He died in his sleep at the hospital that night.
He never got to meet Charlotte. For that I am very sorry. We made a special trip up to Rochester almost exactly 3 years ago to introduce Emily to the grandparents, but we didn't manage to work out anything like that with Charlotte. Maybe that's why I felt so strongly that we should all go up to the funeral instead of just sending Will up. If we all went then at least Grandma would get a chance to meet Charlotte. I know that not many people ever do get to meet all of their great grandchildren, but he COULD have met Charlotte. I guess that's why I feel so guilty.
I didn't know the man very well...I had spent time with him probably less than 10 times over the past 13 years. By the time I met him he was old enough that he looked nothing like his younger self, and in dealing with his limitations his personality seemed to be defined mostly as "old". I didn't really get a chance to hear about much of his life at the funeral either, as we only made it 5 minutes before I had to take my disruptive girls out to the church's daycare room. But I do know he was sweet and kind, and cared very much about his family. Although Will and I roll our eyes at some of that side of his family's stories and traditions, I know we'll both miss Grandpa's voice singing to our girls over the phone.
The trip itself went ok. It entailed a 6 hour drive up on Friday, and a 6 hour drive back on Sunday, with lots of snow forecasted for each of our travel days. Strangely enough, we didn't get any snow while we were driving, and the drives up and back were probably the most relaxing part of the weekend. I spent more time than I care to remember dragging wailing girls out of various restaurants, houses, churches and Wegmanses, and a total of 4 hours (also more time than I care to remember, but I DO, oh I do) listening to Charlotte scream at me from her hotel crib while I feigned sleep and snapped (in a whisper) at anyone else who dared move or make a noise in the room. It will be quite awhile before we share a hotel room with Charlotte again if I can help it.
All said though, I'm glad we made the trip. I didn't exactly get to say goodbye, but I don't know that I'm the kind of person who needs that type of closure. Hopefully the people to whom that kind of thing matters more and who knew him better did.
We'll miss you Grandpa.
He apparently went to a dentist appointment, fell on the way out of the office, and was taken to the hospital as a precaution since he was so old and frail and riddled with the associated health problems. He died in his sleep at the hospital that night.
He never got to meet Charlotte. For that I am very sorry. We made a special trip up to Rochester almost exactly 3 years ago to introduce Emily to the grandparents, but we didn't manage to work out anything like that with Charlotte. Maybe that's why I felt so strongly that we should all go up to the funeral instead of just sending Will up. If we all went then at least Grandma would get a chance to meet Charlotte. I know that not many people ever do get to meet all of their great grandchildren, but he COULD have met Charlotte. I guess that's why I feel so guilty.
I didn't know the man very well...I had spent time with him probably less than 10 times over the past 13 years. By the time I met him he was old enough that he looked nothing like his younger self, and in dealing with his limitations his personality seemed to be defined mostly as "old". I didn't really get a chance to hear about much of his life at the funeral either, as we only made it 5 minutes before I had to take my disruptive girls out to the church's daycare room. But I do know he was sweet and kind, and cared very much about his family. Although Will and I roll our eyes at some of that side of his family's stories and traditions, I know we'll both miss Grandpa's voice singing to our girls over the phone.
The trip itself went ok. It entailed a 6 hour drive up on Friday, and a 6 hour drive back on Sunday, with lots of snow forecasted for each of our travel days. Strangely enough, we didn't get any snow while we were driving, and the drives up and back were probably the most relaxing part of the weekend. I spent more time than I care to remember dragging wailing girls out of various restaurants, houses, churches and Wegmanses, and a total of 4 hours (also more time than I care to remember, but I DO, oh I do) listening to Charlotte scream at me from her hotel crib while I feigned sleep and snapped (in a whisper) at anyone else who dared move or make a noise in the room. It will be quite awhile before we share a hotel room with Charlotte again if I can help it.
All said though, I'm glad we made the trip. I didn't exactly get to say goodbye, but I don't know that I'm the kind of person who needs that type of closure. Hopefully the people to whom that kind of thing matters more and who knew him better did.
We'll miss you Grandpa.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Caterpillar Party
On Friday night, I stayed up late working on Charlotte's cake and cupcakes, plus various other food props for the Very Hungry Caterpillar party on Saturday. That Caterpillar ate through quite a few different kinds of baked goods. I got everything done, and went to sleep exhausted but happy that all I had to do the next day to get ready was to make fruit salad and straighten up the house. On Saturday morning I took Emily out onto the back porch (which is now functioning as an extension of our refrigerator) and showed her the cake.
She got very excited, and asked if she could have the caterpillar's head. I explained that the head was a special smash cake for Charlotte, and that on Emily's first birthday she had gotten the special ducky off the top of her cake all to herself. I brought her in to show her pictures of her first birthday party.
I was hoping that doing so would remind her that she had had a turn, and now it was Charlotte's turn. Then we heard Charlotte yelling good morning, so we went up to get her out of the crib. When I brought her back downstairs, Emily wanted to show her the cake. As I opened the back door, I heard Emily say "Where's the head?". Sure enough, this is what was now sitting out on the back porch:
Apparently Remy had slipped outside in all the excitement and had taken advantage of an unsupervised moment to help himself to the cake.
The culprit:
(This is how I imagine he looked as he plotted his crime)
SO, instead of cleaning all morning, I spent the better part of 2 hours making the caterpillar's face again. Since the face was for Charlotte I had made it a bit healthier than the rest of the cake, so I had to go back and make the cake and frosting from scratch again. This resulted in an extremely stressful morning, but thanks to wonderful husband, sister, and mom the party was ready to go on time at noon, and the cake had a new head:
I'm very lucky he went for the head and not any other part. Since the head was a seperate piece, he didn't have to touch the rest of the cake. If he had tried to sample the caterpillar's butt we would've had a major problem.
Emily had been begging for a lollipop for weeks, so the minute the party started we finally allowed her to have one.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a party theme that writes its own menu.
I realize now I should've taken 20 seconds to put the cork squares back on the wall because it looks pretty gross with just the tape sitting there.
Very few people know this, but in Eric Carle's first draft of the book the caterpillar finished eating through 1 slice of watermelon and then plowed through 36 martinis.
That's the REAL reason why he had a stomachache.
More party fun
Charlotte enjoyed playing with the frosting, that's about it.
Fruit! Much better.
Presents!
So now I get a little break from buying presents and planning get-togethers until Emily's party in May. She initially told me that she wants a yogurt-themed birthday party, then a donkey-themed birthday party, but luckily she seems to have changed her mind and now wants a unicorn birthday party. I think that's much more doable.
She got very excited, and asked if she could have the caterpillar's head. I explained that the head was a special smash cake for Charlotte, and that on Emily's first birthday she had gotten the special ducky off the top of her cake all to herself. I brought her in to show her pictures of her first birthday party.
I was hoping that doing so would remind her that she had had a turn, and now it was Charlotte's turn. Then we heard Charlotte yelling good morning, so we went up to get her out of the crib. When I brought her back downstairs, Emily wanted to show her the cake. As I opened the back door, I heard Emily say "Where's the head?". Sure enough, this is what was now sitting out on the back porch:
Apparently Remy had slipped outside in all the excitement and had taken advantage of an unsupervised moment to help himself to the cake.
The culprit:
(This is how I imagine he looked as he plotted his crime)
SO, instead of cleaning all morning, I spent the better part of 2 hours making the caterpillar's face again. Since the face was for Charlotte I had made it a bit healthier than the rest of the cake, so I had to go back and make the cake and frosting from scratch again. This resulted in an extremely stressful morning, but thanks to wonderful husband, sister, and mom the party was ready to go on time at noon, and the cake had a new head:
I'm very lucky he went for the head and not any other part. Since the head was a seperate piece, he didn't have to touch the rest of the cake. If he had tried to sample the caterpillar's butt we would've had a major problem.
Emily had been begging for a lollipop for weeks, so the minute the party started we finally allowed her to have one.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a party theme that writes its own menu.
I realize now I should've taken 20 seconds to put the cork squares back on the wall because it looks pretty gross with just the tape sitting there.
Very few people know this, but in Eric Carle's first draft of the book the caterpillar finished eating through 1 slice of watermelon and then plowed through 36 martinis.
That's the REAL reason why he had a stomachache.
More party fun
Charlotte enjoyed playing with the frosting, that's about it.
Fruit! Much better.
Presents!
So now I get a little break from buying presents and planning get-togethers until Emily's party in May. She initially told me that she wants a yogurt-themed birthday party, then a donkey-themed birthday party, but luckily she seems to have changed her mind and now wants a unicorn birthday party. I think that's much more doable.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Toddler Charlotte
Tonight at 8:00 I will put my baby to bed. At 9:10 I will probably pause for a moment and remember how exactly 1 year ago at this time my water broke. At 1:20 AM tomorrow I HOPE I'll be asleep, but if I have the misfortune to be awake, I'll remember how exactly 1 year ago Charlotte said her first loud hello to the world. And when Charlotte wakes up tomorrow morning, she won't be my baby anymore, she'll officially be my toddler! We will have to remember to call her "Toddler Charlotte" instead of "Baby Charlotte", which we still often say. We'll just ignore the fact that she has been toddling for a couple weeks already.
Once again, I find myself in the odd position of facing my child's milestone with pride, anticipation and excitement, but barely any of the nostalgia that I feel like I SHOULD be feeling. I hear and see other moms moaning that their baby is growing up, wondering where their tiny newborn went each time their child starts doing something new. And here I am, with my VERY LAST BABY about to turn 1, and I say bring it on! I thought the fact that Charlotte is my last would make me treasure every minute of her babyhood, but really my thoughts have been more along the lines of "I am ALMOST finished with having to get up with a baby every night for the rest of my life! Yay!" or "Only another year or so of diapers! Fantastic!". I was much more freaked about Emily hitting all her milestones than I have been about Charlotte, which I find strange since with Emily I knew I would be doing it all at least one more time.
When my kids are babies, they are adorable and snuggly and I love them. But they also scream for hours without being able to tell me why. They wake up 4 times a night. They teethe. They ooze drool and spit-up. They suck all my energy out through my boobs. Did I mention they scream and cry a lot?
Once they hit the toddler years, they learn to walk, communicate, sleep reliably, use the toilet, tell you WHY they're crying, put on their own shoes, and they grow a personality. Eventually you can even reason with them! PLUS they're still adorable and snuggly and I still love them. I love getting to know who they are as they become their own person. There are tantrums and battles of will, but I will happily take those for a good night's sleep and enough independence to leave them watching a show while I take a shower. Or maybe I'm just saying that because Emily is in a good behavior phase.
It's funny to me that I'm not a baby person. Even before Will and I were married, I couldn't wait to have a sweet little baby to cuddle. It wasn't until shortly before we decided to have Emily that I gave much thought to the fact that my babies would grow into kids, and decided that yeah, kids would be kinda cool too. That's when I realized I was ready to have actual kids, and was not just dreaming about the idea of a baby. Now, after having had 2 babies, I realize that I'm just too selfish to really enjoy having a baby.
So I face Charlotte's impending birthday with nothing but happiness. To me it means we're mostly through the tough part. I've heard bad things about the teenage years, but so far with Emily things have only gotten better as she's gotten older so I am very much looking forward to Charlotte's second year and beyond.
Once again, I find myself in the odd position of facing my child's milestone with pride, anticipation and excitement, but barely any of the nostalgia that I feel like I SHOULD be feeling. I hear and see other moms moaning that their baby is growing up, wondering where their tiny newborn went each time their child starts doing something new. And here I am, with my VERY LAST BABY about to turn 1, and I say bring it on! I thought the fact that Charlotte is my last would make me treasure every minute of her babyhood, but really my thoughts have been more along the lines of "I am ALMOST finished with having to get up with a baby every night for the rest of my life! Yay!" or "Only another year or so of diapers! Fantastic!". I was much more freaked about Emily hitting all her milestones than I have been about Charlotte, which I find strange since with Emily I knew I would be doing it all at least one more time.
When my kids are babies, they are adorable and snuggly and I love them. But they also scream for hours without being able to tell me why. They wake up 4 times a night. They teethe. They ooze drool and spit-up. They suck all my energy out through my boobs. Did I mention they scream and cry a lot?
Once they hit the toddler years, they learn to walk, communicate, sleep reliably, use the toilet, tell you WHY they're crying, put on their own shoes, and they grow a personality. Eventually you can even reason with them! PLUS they're still adorable and snuggly and I still love them. I love getting to know who they are as they become their own person. There are tantrums and battles of will, but I will happily take those for a good night's sleep and enough independence to leave them watching a show while I take a shower. Or maybe I'm just saying that because Emily is in a good behavior phase.
It's funny to me that I'm not a baby person. Even before Will and I were married, I couldn't wait to have a sweet little baby to cuddle. It wasn't until shortly before we decided to have Emily that I gave much thought to the fact that my babies would grow into kids, and decided that yeah, kids would be kinda cool too. That's when I realized I was ready to have actual kids, and was not just dreaming about the idea of a baby. Now, after having had 2 babies, I realize that I'm just too selfish to really enjoy having a baby.
So I face Charlotte's impending birthday with nothing but happiness. To me it means we're mostly through the tough part. I've heard bad things about the teenage years, but so far with Emily things have only gotten better as she's gotten older so I am very much looking forward to Charlotte's second year and beyond.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Hallowhine
Well, Halloween happened! Things were pretty crazy...I blame the doughnut they gave Emily at Sunday School. When I picked her up and her face was completely smeared with chocolate, I knew we were in trouble. Who decided kids need to start out the most candy-filled day of the year with a big frosted doughnut? Add to that Emily's refusal to take a nap, and we had one miserable girl by the time trick or treating started. We had a false start where we headed out only to have Emily start screaming that her butt and tummy hurt (that doughnut!) so we had to all go back inside and deal with those issues before we could try again. At the first house we went to, Emily slammed the door in our neighbor's face because she had not rung the doorbell yet, and that is apparently a non-negotiable part of the trick or treating procedure. By the third house, Emily's poor friend Sam was afraid to even try to ring a doorbell. We spent the whole time scolding, lecturing, threatening and calming tantrums. By the time we got to the 6th or 7th house, everyone was done so we headed home where Emily proceeded to eat 2 small bags of M&M's and go berserk. The rest of her candy mysteriously disappeared.
Charlotte, however, had the time of her life. Her green, furry arms and legs never stopped flailing as she was carried through the neighborhood, and her shrieks of excitement echoed through the streets.
So without further ado, here are some pictures!
Don't be fooled by the costumes, they were dressed as T-Rexes!
Charlotte, however, had the time of her life. Her green, furry arms and legs never stopped flailing as she was carried through the neighborhood, and her shrieks of excitement echoed through the streets.
So without further ado, here are some pictures!
Don't be fooled by the costumes, they were dressed as T-Rexes!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
A note on the table but no meal in the micro
Back in the fall of 2008...
Sara: Hi new microwave. I just bought the house that you are installed in. I want you to know that I have had bad experiences with Kitchenaid items in the past, but I am willing to give you a shot.
Microwave: I assure you, I will not disappoint! See how shiny I am? And how well I go with the other appliances? Have you noticed how many superfluous buttons I have?
Sara: Ok then, let's do this.
Jump forward to some morning in the Fall of 2010, 4:00AM...
Sara: Bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeergh...what was that, the 10th baby feeding of the night? I'm so tired I can't even see straight. Also I am hearing an annoying beeping in my head. Wait, that's real. What the hell?
Microwave: Beep! Beep! Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep!
Sara: (trudging downstairs) Dude, not cool. (Hits cancel button)
7:00AM
Sara: What is that buzzing noise?
Microwave: Ha ha! I have laid in wait for 2 years lulling you into a false sense of security but now look! I have become sentient and turned myself on! In a few short hours I will get hot enough to burn your house down! Hahahahahahahaha!
Sara: I knew you were trouble for the beginning! I am so not leaving you on anymore unless I need to use you, and I am SO telling Kitchenaid on you! (unplugs microwave)
Microwave: Awwwww....
1 week later
Microwave: I have been a good little microwave for a week now! And you've gotten a chance to experience how difficult life can be without a microwave or a light or vent fan over your stove. I am an integral part of your kitchen! How about if we just forget any of this ever happened and make peace?
Sara: Well, I really don't want to call Kitchenaid and wait on hold for hours just to have them tell me you're not under warranty anymore...I guess I could give you another...
Microwave: Chicken! Chickenchickenchickenchickenchickenchickenchicken!
Sara: Whaaaaa?
Microwave: Ha HA! Now I am going to pretend someone is holding down the chicken defrost button so that you can't press any other buttons! And I am going to make incessant beeping noises too! And just when you least expect it, I am going to turn myself on! And if you ever do get a button in edgewise I will work for 1 minute and then display -F2- and shut down! Just try to use me NOW!
Sara: (weeping) I just want my Lean Cuisine! I'm so very hungry and in need of a quick lunch! Not to mention the fact that all of my baby's food is frozen and needs to be microwaved! Would you really keep food from a hungry nursing mother and her baby?
Microwave: You bet I would! You brought this on yourself! Chickenchickenchickenchickenchickenchickenchicken -F2-
2 weeks later....
Sara: Well microwave, it's no secret that I hate you a lot, but you've at least been working intermittently and this new -F2- trend seems to be keeping you from turning on by yourself and burning down my house.
Microwave: You know you're too lazy to call Kitchenaid. And you know if you do they won't replace me, they'll just try to fix me. Then I'll just lay in wait for awhile longer until you're REALLY not expecting it, THEN I'll burn your house down!
Sara: I hate you so much.
1 week later still....
Sara: Alright microwave, I invited a friend over, and she needs to heat up a Healthy Choice entree. I just need you to behave for 4 minutes.
Microwave: Just look at me! Does it look like I am doing anything wrong? We 've been going through a rough patch these past few weeks, but I think we're past all of that now.
Sara: Then why won't you start?
Microwave: Ha HA! Now I'm going to pretend that my door isn't shut even though it is! I'd like to see you try to heat up your friend's food NOW!
Sara: (throwing her whole weight against the door of the microwave) Take that! As long as I stand here on a stool and lean on the door, you totally still work!
Microwave: Yes, yes I do.
4 minutes later....
Sara: (falling off her stool, exhausted) Thanks a lot microwave. You've awakened me in the middle of the night, you've tried to burn my house down. You've taken 20 minutes to heat up my Lean Cuisine and you've denied my baby food. Now you've made me look like an idiot in front of my friend! And what's this? Is there a chip missing from the inside seal of your door? You cried wolf so many times I didn't believe there was actually something wrong but YOU WERE TOTALLY JUST FRYING MY BRAINS WHILE I WAS HOLDING YOUR DOOR CLOSED FOR 4 MINUTES, WEREN'T YOU?
Microwave: Yes, yes I was.
Sara: (sputtering) You're such a big...stupid...jerk...microwave!
Microwave: I've done all of this to you and yet here I still hang in your kitchen. Now who do you think is really the stupid one?
Sara: (eyes downcast, scuffing toe on floor) Me.
Microwave: Call Kitchenaid.
Sara: Ok.
Sara: Hi new microwave. I just bought the house that you are installed in. I want you to know that I have had bad experiences with Kitchenaid items in the past, but I am willing to give you a shot.
Microwave: I assure you, I will not disappoint! See how shiny I am? And how well I go with the other appliances? Have you noticed how many superfluous buttons I have?
Sara: Ok then, let's do this.
Jump forward to some morning in the Fall of 2010, 4:00AM...
Sara: Bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeergh...what was that, the 10th baby feeding of the night? I'm so tired I can't even see straight. Also I am hearing an annoying beeping in my head. Wait, that's real. What the hell?
Microwave: Beep! Beep! Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep!
Sara: (trudging downstairs) Dude, not cool. (Hits cancel button)
7:00AM
Sara: What is that buzzing noise?
Microwave: Ha ha! I have laid in wait for 2 years lulling you into a false sense of security but now look! I have become sentient and turned myself on! In a few short hours I will get hot enough to burn your house down! Hahahahahahahaha!
Sara: I knew you were trouble for the beginning! I am so not leaving you on anymore unless I need to use you, and I am SO telling Kitchenaid on you! (unplugs microwave)
Microwave: Awwwww....
1 week later
Microwave: I have been a good little microwave for a week now! And you've gotten a chance to experience how difficult life can be without a microwave or a light or vent fan over your stove. I am an integral part of your kitchen! How about if we just forget any of this ever happened and make peace?
Sara: Well, I really don't want to call Kitchenaid and wait on hold for hours just to have them tell me you're not under warranty anymore...I guess I could give you another...
Microwave: Chicken! Chickenchickenchickenchickenchickenchickenchicken!
Sara: Whaaaaa?
Microwave: Ha HA! Now I am going to pretend someone is holding down the chicken defrost button so that you can't press any other buttons! And I am going to make incessant beeping noises too! And just when you least expect it, I am going to turn myself on! And if you ever do get a button in edgewise I will work for 1 minute and then display -F2- and shut down! Just try to use me NOW!
Sara: (weeping) I just want my Lean Cuisine! I'm so very hungry and in need of a quick lunch! Not to mention the fact that all of my baby's food is frozen and needs to be microwaved! Would you really keep food from a hungry nursing mother and her baby?
Microwave: You bet I would! You brought this on yourself! Chickenchickenchickenchickenchickenchickenchicken -F2-
2 weeks later....
Sara: Well microwave, it's no secret that I hate you a lot, but you've at least been working intermittently and this new -F2- trend seems to be keeping you from turning on by yourself and burning down my house.
Microwave: You know you're too lazy to call Kitchenaid. And you know if you do they won't replace me, they'll just try to fix me. Then I'll just lay in wait for awhile longer until you're REALLY not expecting it, THEN I'll burn your house down!
Sara: I hate you so much.
1 week later still....
Sara: Alright microwave, I invited a friend over, and she needs to heat up a Healthy Choice entree. I just need you to behave for 4 minutes.
Microwave: Just look at me! Does it look like I am doing anything wrong? We 've been going through a rough patch these past few weeks, but I think we're past all of that now.
Sara: Then why won't you start?
Microwave: Ha HA! Now I'm going to pretend that my door isn't shut even though it is! I'd like to see you try to heat up your friend's food NOW!
Sara: (throwing her whole weight against the door of the microwave) Take that! As long as I stand here on a stool and lean on the door, you totally still work!
Microwave: Yes, yes I do.
4 minutes later....
Sara: (falling off her stool, exhausted) Thanks a lot microwave. You've awakened me in the middle of the night, you've tried to burn my house down. You've taken 20 minutes to heat up my Lean Cuisine and you've denied my baby food. Now you've made me look like an idiot in front of my friend! And what's this? Is there a chip missing from the inside seal of your door? You cried wolf so many times I didn't believe there was actually something wrong but YOU WERE TOTALLY JUST FRYING MY BRAINS WHILE I WAS HOLDING YOUR DOOR CLOSED FOR 4 MINUTES, WEREN'T YOU?
Microwave: Yes, yes I was.
Sara: (sputtering) You're such a big...stupid...jerk...microwave!
Microwave: I've done all of this to you and yet here I still hang in your kitchen. Now who do you think is really the stupid one?
Sara: (eyes downcast, scuffing toe on floor) Me.
Microwave: Call Kitchenaid.
Sara: Ok.
I see the light
Last night, Will and I dressed up and went to his Rotary club's 90th birthday celebration. It was more fun than we had expected (i.e. any fun at all), although there was a cash bar, which is always lame, especially when you've paid money for tickets to an event that doesn't even have the excuse of being a fundraiser. To add insult to injury, my diet coke and rum from said cash bar was very weak. My goal was to get tipsy quickly and then sober up for the rest of the evening in case I returned home to find a still-awake and hungry baby waiting for me, so I quickly downed the light, refreshing beverage and in case the bartender had only listened to the first part of my initial order, I made sure the alcohol came first when I asked for a whiskey with a splash of ginger ale for my second round. The results were much more satisfactory.
Being back in the same ballroom where most big formal events are held in Frederick reminded me pretty forcefully of when I was 22 and newly married. Will and I went to events ALL THE TIME back then. I loved shopping for a dress, finding the right jewelry to go with it, getting my hair done and going out to show it all off. It let me pretend I was a wealthy socialite without all the annoying paparazzi. There was never anyone at any of these events who was actually our age, but I didn't mind being bored out of my skull and dancing to 20's music as long as I got to tell people I was going to a GALA, or a BENEFIT or a BALL (do you ever think back and just want to punch your younger self in the face?) I think it also made me feel like an adult at a time when I still felt like I was playing house and pretending to be a grown-up.
But now, with plenty of little ankle-biters crawling around making me feel not only like a grown-up but downright old, I just recycled the bridesmaid dress I wore in my sister's wedding last week and spent a grand total of 30 minutes getting ready. As I said, Will and I were not really looking forward to tonight (A Rotary event on a Wednesday evening? Well, if we have to...) but then we realized that we would be going somewhere together without any kids in tow which made it kinda sorta like a date, something that has been in short supply for us for awhile now. Even if the event itself was boring, we would get a chance to talk in complete sentences without being interrupted by a request for a show or another banana or the howl of a baby who has been knocked over for the 100th time by her big sister. And we did have good conversations, which did make it fun.
Going to this "event" kind of made us think about all the freedom we used to have that we took for granted, but it also showed us the light at the end of the tunnel. Charlotte has been willing to take a bottle and hang with my family for a couple months now, but with my parents and sister being gone most of September and then the wedding right afterward, things have been so busy I've felt bad requesting babysitting. As Will put it, we've been sitting in a "holding pattern" for awhile now, just waiting until our kids are old enough for us to be able to resume some of the adult activities that we have always enjoyed together like going out in the evenings and traveling. It's been a long time, but the isolation of having a nursing baby tied to me at all times is almost over. We love being parents no matter what, but it's a lot easier to love it if being parents isn't ALL you ever do!
And having a strong drink now and then doesn't hurt either.
Being back in the same ballroom where most big formal events are held in Frederick reminded me pretty forcefully of when I was 22 and newly married. Will and I went to events ALL THE TIME back then. I loved shopping for a dress, finding the right jewelry to go with it, getting my hair done and going out to show it all off. It let me pretend I was a wealthy socialite without all the annoying paparazzi. There was never anyone at any of these events who was actually our age, but I didn't mind being bored out of my skull and dancing to 20's music as long as I got to tell people I was going to a GALA, or a BENEFIT or a BALL (do you ever think back and just want to punch your younger self in the face?) I think it also made me feel like an adult at a time when I still felt like I was playing house and pretending to be a grown-up.
But now, with plenty of little ankle-biters crawling around making me feel not only like a grown-up but downright old, I just recycled the bridesmaid dress I wore in my sister's wedding last week and spent a grand total of 30 minutes getting ready. As I said, Will and I were not really looking forward to tonight (A Rotary event on a Wednesday evening? Well, if we have to...) but then we realized that we would be going somewhere together without any kids in tow which made it kinda sorta like a date, something that has been in short supply for us for awhile now. Even if the event itself was boring, we would get a chance to talk in complete sentences without being interrupted by a request for a show or another banana or the howl of a baby who has been knocked over for the 100th time by her big sister. And we did have good conversations, which did make it fun.
Going to this "event" kind of made us think about all the freedom we used to have that we took for granted, but it also showed us the light at the end of the tunnel. Charlotte has been willing to take a bottle and hang with my family for a couple months now, but with my parents and sister being gone most of September and then the wedding right afterward, things have been so busy I've felt bad requesting babysitting. As Will put it, we've been sitting in a "holding pattern" for awhile now, just waiting until our kids are old enough for us to be able to resume some of the adult activities that we have always enjoyed together like going out in the evenings and traveling. It's been a long time, but the isolation of having a nursing baby tied to me at all times is almost over. We love being parents no matter what, but it's a lot easier to love it if being parents isn't ALL you ever do!
And having a strong drink now and then doesn't hurt either.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Booooo to Boo-ing
I came home on Friday afternoon after dropping Will off at the airport (a little late, due to the fact that we made it halfway to the wrong airport before either of us bothered to check if we were going to the right place) and as usual, Emily ran up onto the porch while I unloaded the car. She came running back a couple seconds later, with her hands full of lollipops, pencils and glow sticks. I wondered if she had taken out an early trick-or-treater while I wasn't looking, but when I got to the porch I saw a bag filled with goodies and a note informing me (in verse) that I had been "Booed". I was to make two copies of the note, boo two other people within 1 day, and post the note on my front door so that I didn't get re-booed.
I managed to hide most of the candy from Emily before she delved too deeply into the bag (she was pleased just to have the pencils, glowsticks, and a lollipop) but then I started worrying. First of all, Will had taken the laptop with him to Chicago, and the laptop is the computer that I always print from. Our printer is a crotchety old jerk, but it seems to get along well with my laptop and I didn't think it would take too kindly to being asked to work with a whole new computer. Will informs me now that our scanner/printer is actually also a copy machine, but I was not aware of this fact so I didn't know how I was going to make copies of the note to tuck into the two bags I was now charged with assembling. Second, I had only stopped by my house to pick up our dog and head up to my parents' house, where I was planning on spending the next 3 days. I could take the note with me to copy at their house, but that would leave my door note-free and I might accidentally get boo-ed again, which is strictly against the rules (according to the happy little ghost on my note). Also, I had planned on this weekend being a vacation of sorts for me, and I didn't want to drive the hour roundtrip back to Frederick on one of my days "off" to go shopping for the two boo bags I now needed to fill and deliver within 24 hours.
I quickly decided that I just wouldn't worry about the time constraint, I could just boo people when I came back home on Monday. And because I'm lazy, I didn't ACTUALLY get around to assembling boo-bags until today.
What to put in them was another problem. I am not really into giving kids tons of candy...I am willing to relent on Halloween, but the last thing kids need a week BEFORE Halloween is a bunch of pre-holiday candy. So then I had to assemble totally awesome bags to make up for the fact that I didn't plan to put candy in them. Oh the pressure!
But now, almost everyone I know has a note on their window. I didn't want to give a boo-bag to someone without kids because they'd probably just chuck the thing, and most of the fun of it (at least for me) was how excited Emily got when she discovered it. I could pick out a random house where I have seen young kids hanging out, but then how do I know how MANY kids live there, and therefore how many of each item to put into the bag? And I know for a fact that one family with kids has a daughter who's severely allergic to pretty much anything, and giving them a bucket of stuff her brothers can have but she can't would be super-mean.
So I have them now, I have a plan, I'm ready to boo some people, but today it's kind of pouring rain. I put the buckets in plastic bags, but I am still not sure they'll fare all that well sitting in the rain for a long time. If I wait until this evening when people are home I'll have to ring the doorbell and run (like it says I'm supposed to on the note) and I don't think I can make it out of sight fast enough. Plus hiding in someone's bushes is creepy. And not the good kind of Halloween creepy, more like the "I'm taking out a restraining order you stalker" kind of creepy.
So that's how being an antisocial procrastinator has turned this fun little Halloween game meant to foster neighborliness into a stressful project that has me darting glances out the window at the people across the street and shaking my fist because dammit, what are they doing home in the middle of the day? And why is it still raining? And no one else better boo them in the meantime or I might have to go out there and make some enemies.
Fun.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Snapshots
Here's what else has been going on (at least the things I've managed to take pictures of):
The fair!
After pretending to be a horsey for weeks, Emily got to meet one up close and personal
Charlotte is already helping Daddy with work...
...and also starting to share his love of weightlifting!
She's THIS close to walking, and is great at pulling herself up. She spends most of her time standing these days
And she especially loves hanging out with her big sister
She also enjoys spending time with the dishwasher (which is probably why the door broke this morning)
Just like another 9-month old baby who used to crawl around my house
Also, last weekend, my littlest sister got married!
She had one excited (and adorable if you ask me) flower girl
Sorry I don't have any GOOD pictures of the wedding, a bag was placed on top of my camera while we were getting ready so I couldn't find it and therefore didn't take pictures for the rest of the day.
I haven't blogged much since Charlotte was born, and I feel bad about that, like her first year has slipped by mostly undocumented. Unless you count the thousands of pictures and videos we have. But still. So to go along with the pictures I've finally posted, here are the girls' stats.
EMILY
Age: 3.5 years
Height: 37.5 inches
Weight: 33 pounds
Likes: Preschool, pretending to be a doggie, pretending to be a horsey, Flogging Molly, swinging, pb&j sandwiches, He-Man, dinosaurs, halloween decorations, making loud and usually inappropriate observations about people in public, juiceboxes, knocking her sister over, roughhousing, baths and reading books.
Dislikes: Getting shots (although she is SO brave about it), going to the dentist (our first trip was NOT successful), wearing clothes (especially while sleeping), walking up hills, having her hair brushed and having her teeth brushed.
Emily-isms:
-Last Morgan (translation...last morning, which basically means "an undetermined amount of time ago")
-Boo-mehm-uh - remember
-Unhand me monster! (said at random times...I think it's from Shrek 3)
-(insert item or experience here) is my favorite I've ever seen in town!
-My heart wants a banana with peanut butter (said with hand laying over heart pledge of allegiance-style)
-I want FREE! (translation: I want three, always said while holding up 2 fingers)
-We need to eat hell-fully food and exercise so our skeletons don't jump out of our bodies (NO idea where this came from)
CHARLOTTE
Age: 9.5 months
Height: 27 inches
Weight: 19 pounds
Likes: Mommy, crawling, pulling up on things, digging in houseplant dirt, eating leaves and grass and paper, Mommy, cuckoo clocks, big sister's toys, peek-a-boo, fans, lights, Mommy, pointing, shaking her head "no", dancing, clapping, doing "so big", being upside-down, bananas, tofu, cheese, dishwashers, making a mess, wind, ibuprofen, shopping, being in the Bjorn, baths and Mommy.
Dislikes: TEETHING (8 teeth so far), wearing more than 1 shoe at a time, visiting the doctor, not being able to keep up with big sister, being in a carseat, having her nose wiped, sleeping, being tired, and anything that involves not being held by Mommy.
Words she has said: Da Da, a sort of tongue-clicking noise that means "clock" and as of this morning, "woof".
The fair!
After pretending to be a horsey for weeks, Emily got to meet one up close and personal
Charlotte is already helping Daddy with work...
...and also starting to share his love of weightlifting!
She's THIS close to walking, and is great at pulling herself up. She spends most of her time standing these days
And she especially loves hanging out with her big sister
She also enjoys spending time with the dishwasher (which is probably why the door broke this morning)
Just like another 9-month old baby who used to crawl around my house
Also, last weekend, my littlest sister got married!
She had one excited (and adorable if you ask me) flower girl
Sorry I don't have any GOOD pictures of the wedding, a bag was placed on top of my camera while we were getting ready so I couldn't find it and therefore didn't take pictures for the rest of the day.
I haven't blogged much since Charlotte was born, and I feel bad about that, like her first year has slipped by mostly undocumented. Unless you count the thousands of pictures and videos we have. But still. So to go along with the pictures I've finally posted, here are the girls' stats.
EMILY
Age: 3.5 years
Height: 37.5 inches
Weight: 33 pounds
Likes: Preschool, pretending to be a doggie, pretending to be a horsey, Flogging Molly, swinging, pb&j sandwiches, He-Man, dinosaurs, halloween decorations, making loud and usually inappropriate observations about people in public, juiceboxes, knocking her sister over, roughhousing, baths and reading books.
Dislikes: Getting shots (although she is SO brave about it), going to the dentist (our first trip was NOT successful), wearing clothes (especially while sleeping), walking up hills, having her hair brushed and having her teeth brushed.
Emily-isms:
-Last Morgan (translation...last morning, which basically means "an undetermined amount of time ago")
-Boo-mehm-uh - remember
-Unhand me monster! (said at random times...I think it's from Shrek 3)
-(insert item or experience here) is my favorite I've ever seen in town!
-My heart wants a banana with peanut butter (said with hand laying over heart pledge of allegiance-style)
-I want FREE! (translation: I want three, always said while holding up 2 fingers)
-We need to eat hell-fully food and exercise so our skeletons don't jump out of our bodies (NO idea where this came from)
CHARLOTTE
Age: 9.5 months
Height: 27 inches
Weight: 19 pounds
Likes: Mommy, crawling, pulling up on things, digging in houseplant dirt, eating leaves and grass and paper, Mommy, cuckoo clocks, big sister's toys, peek-a-boo, fans, lights, Mommy, pointing, shaking her head "no", dancing, clapping, doing "so big", being upside-down, bananas, tofu, cheese, dishwashers, making a mess, wind, ibuprofen, shopping, being in the Bjorn, baths and Mommy.
Dislikes: TEETHING (8 teeth so far), wearing more than 1 shoe at a time, visiting the doctor, not being able to keep up with big sister, being in a carseat, having her nose wiped, sleeping, being tired, and anything that involves not being held by Mommy.
Words she has said: Da Da, a sort of tongue-clicking noise that means "clock" and as of this morning, "woof".
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