Milkweed Hill...And Beyond

Thankful

2008-11-24T09:57:00.002-05:00

My 6 year old son David has a school project that's due at the end of each month. It's something that he works on at home sometimes with help from us if he needs it. These usually have a theme and of course this month's theme was Thanksgiving. Every day in November David had to write two things he is thankful for in a journal. At first it was difficult for him to get in the habit of writing in it, and difficult for me to remember to remind him. At this age, any homework for him is also homework for me. But it only took about a week for him to consistently remember to write in it on his own and the more he did it, the more he seemed to enjoy the process of writing and bringing to mind all the things he's glad to have in his life. I got a kick out of what he's written so far, and so with his permission I've written them here, spelling errors and all:

I am thankful for my famuly and my home.
I am thankful for my Legos and my K'nex.
I am thankful for birthdays and food.
I am thankful for drinks and toys.
I am thankful for ise crem and I am also thankful for trees.
I am thankful for fish and grass.
I am thankful for watr and sand.
I am thankful for my friends and whole milk.
I am thankful for birds and lemonade.
I am thankful for darey prodx and pizza. (me too!)
I am thankful for ham and mashd potato.
I am thankful for land and sea.
I am thankful for clocks and muusic.
I am thankful for cats and dogs.
I am thankful for lemons and baskits.
I am thankful for Pokemon and peckoks.
I am thankful for pigs and paradis. (reminds me of a Jimmy Buffet song)
I am thankful for Miss Hazzalton and Misses Graval. (his teachers)
I am thankful for church and gym.
I am thankful for school and light.
I am thankful for rice and chicin.
I am thankful for juice and cake. (mmm...cake)
I am thankful for mackarony and chees and bred. (absolutely)
I'm thankful for chereos and cinamin tost crunch.
I'm thankful for soup and my cats.

All I can say is, that kid likes his food. You wouldn't know it by how much he fusses at dinnertime, but then you'll notice he did not say he was thankful for "mom's experimental chicken dishes with weird sauces and spices". What I also found interesting was that some of the things were obvious associations (land and sea), while others were less so (soup and cats). He's probably heard me making too many jokes about how I'd gladly cook up the cats if I had no other means of feeding the family.

Mostly I'm thankful for my family, my home and our health. There are many subcategories but those are the big ones. And of course I'm thankful for "mashd potato". How could you not be thankful for that?

What are you most thankful for this year?

My Top Ten Reasons to Run

2008-11-15T11:39:00.008-05:00

#10 It's good for the heart. You can lower your blood pressure quite a bit by running regularly and that ticker will last a hell of a lot longer if it gets the workout it needs.

#9 Makes your bones stronger. The impact from running increases bone density which is crucial as we age, especially for women. Recent findings support that lower impact exercises, while helping your heart, don't do much for those bones.

#8 Lowers stress. I can speak from personal experience on this one. If I don't get my regular runs in I get crabby and I don't sleep as well. And no matter how I feel prior to a run, I ALWAYS feel better after one. Always.

#7 You can eat more of what you want. I enjoy food and because I run I need to consume more calories than the average woman my age. That said, I have no idea how many calories I consume each day. I know I eat enough to feel good and I don't put on weight, so that's enough for me!

#6 It's good for the kids, too! Kids today are at high risk for obesity because of increasing sedentary lifestyles, but children who witness their parents taking part in physical sports are much more likely to follow suit and get the exercise their little bodies need.

#5 A good excuse for some alone time. Who couldn't use a little time out of the house alone? I know for myself that even a few minutes away from the demands of being a mom of little kids really refreshes me. It's not at all the same as being alone in the house or getting time to watch a show or something. This feels like good, quality time that's spent making me a better person.

#4 You can wear cool things like this. Well, not if you're a guy, I guess.

#3 It makes you feel like a kid again. Nothing brings you back faster to childhood than running around. You might not be as limber as a ten year old, but you'll find with some effort you can be a hell of a lot faster than one!

#2 Racing is fun. If you can run three miles, you can run a race. And the opportunities for races grows every year and it's a great way to meet new people and put yourself to the test. Also, free snacks afterward!!

#1 You will get to know yourself a lot better. Running strips you down and builds you back up. You learn a lot about your inner nature when you push yourself physically, and running is a sport that demands much of both your body and your mind.

Okay, so there's my two cents. So what are your reasons for (or against!) running?

Name that picture

2008-10-01T16:51:00.002-04:00

I am a lazy blogger. So lazy, I can't even come up with a caption for this photo. So you do it for me. Best caption gets my utmost respect and a copy of my unfinished short story.

These are tough economic times. We do what we can.

The DMV lives up to its reputation

2008-09-04T15:41:00.005-04:00

I got a notice in the mail that I needed to renew my driver's license. Just another opportunity to stand and line and hand over $50, and I get grumpy thinking about it but then a faint, low voice echoes in my head, "Driving is a privilege, not a right!" Whoever said that did not have to drive around in my dirty minivan with my three kids.

Anyhoo.

So I got to the DMV early yesterday morning with Sofia and Isobel in tow and it seems quiet enough at the registration desk, but then I round the corner for the licensing and OH! There it is! The long line of sullen faces reaching back to the far wall, the herd corralled within the line dividers so they can't escape, their hands all clutching their little renewal notices. They all look at me, their eyes pleading, it's not too late for you...run while you still can! But I'm here. I could come back tomorrow but I'm here now so I'll just get it over with.

The first 20 minutes go smoothly. The girls have snacks, then some water. Then Isobel gets restless. She keeps grabbing at the skirt of the woman in front of us. It looks silky, so I guess she likes the way it feels. Then she tries to go under it. The woman tries and laughs it off, but I apologize and hoist 'Bel unto my shoulders. Then she messes up my hair, which didn't look so hot to begin with, but now it's totally craptacular. Now Sofia is getting restless. "I'm so bored," she moans. "Me too, hon. Nobody likes to wait in line. Let's just try and make the best of it." I try doing finger plays with the girls, like "thumbkin" and "open, shut them" and they are only mildly amused. The line shuffles along, slightly. Now we're 40 minutes in. Still about 8 people in front of me. Isobel begins to lose her cool, so I throw her in the air repeatedly, but then after about 10 tosses my arms begin to fatigue and I have to put her down. She wants nothing to do with the stroller. Then "Desperado" starts playing over the speaker. Now, you're probably wondering what I've got against that song. I used to really like it a lot, but years ago when I worked for a dinner theater I was in a play in which my character had to sing it 5 nights a week for 4 months. Sometimes we had matinees and I would sing it twice a day. So now I just really hate it. That's all.

So if that's not bad enough now Isobel is really starting to lose it and nothing I do is helping and then in walks some man with a little boy of about 2 years old in tow and he starts yelling, "REPENT all ye sinners! REPENT!" Now, I've nothing against repentance- it's good for the soul, for sure, but this guy is nutty and I am scared because I am certain any minute he is going to pull out a gun and start shooting everyone. I'm already planning my exit route with the kids and I'm glad I'm wearing my sneakers in case I have to haul ass out of here and I think, "no, I can't die at the DMV...anywhere but here, please!"And then, suddenly...it's my turn.

So I take my eye test, pay my fifty bucks, get my hideous picture taken and leave with my life intact.

Thanks DMV for such a stellar birthday gift. Really, you shouldn't have!

Into the Unknown

2008-08-28T09:13:00.002-04:00

So close

2008-07-25T17:15:00.002-04:00

Before I die I WILL capture a photo of my kids without one of them doing the "thumbs up" and/or sticking one of their tongues out. But probably only during the sullen "emo" years of puberty and then I'm pretty sure they won't let me take their picture at all.

I guess I'll just have to be happy with this.

A couple more and we'll have a proper band

2008-07-15T16:58:00.003-04:00

You should hear us cover "London Bridge", man. We totally rocked the house.

Beachy keen

2008-07-11T11:21:00.004-04:00

Here am I playing in the sand at our first trip to the ocean this summer. We had a ball, of course and as you can see here I forgot to bring something to hold my hair up. Silly me! Do you like my new bathing suit? It's a Ralph Lauren. I think it brings out the blue in my eyes and accentuates my light, golden tan. I know what you're thinking..."She really gave birth three times??" Oh yes, I get that a lot. But you know what they say- Pictures don't lie!

We are royalty and will be treated as such!

2008-07-08T12:00:00.002-04:00

You know they are of royal blood because they hang out in a purple room. Every castle needs a purple room, right? Pictured here are mighty King David, Princess Sofia Marie and Little "Bel" the royal kitty cat. Treat the kitty lovingly or she will bite and/or scratch. Feed the King and Princess chicken that isn't too spicy or they will freak out. Hire a really good jester to entertain them because they become bored very easily. And be certain to never give them sugary foods before bed or you will have a royal mess on your hands.

Mutha Runna

2008-07-06T20:53:00.006-04:00

Running is sometimes like being in labor. It's uncomfortable, hot and sweaty work. There's some pain, sometimes lots of pain, and a great deal of heavy breathing. I try to control the rhythm of my breathing (in through the nose, out through the mouth and repeat) and keep focused on the goal of getting to the end. Of course at the end of labor you have a new baby and you can't walk comfortably for several days. With running you just have the latter. Well, that's not true now, of course. When I first got into running it was like that. I would run (ok, jog) and be thinking, "why am I doing this? Oh, this sucks so much. I should just stop now. No, I can't stop now. If someone sees me they'll think I'm some kind of wuss. Got... to... keep... going. Oh, someone kill me." And all this just before reaching the end of my street.

That was the old days. Now I go out, feel good for the most part, get tired through the middle and usually finish up strong. I still get stitches, especially if I've eaten too much right before a run, and I get the occasional tweak in my foot or ankle that makes me have to take it easy for a few days here and there. I still breathe heavy up the hills, but I can smile sailing down them. Once in a while, not very often, I'll get heckled by guys driving by, but it doesn't bother me. I've usually got U2 blasting in my ears and I can't hear a damn thing they're saying, but I imagine it's something like, "Oh, you are so gorgeous and mighty, running lady, and I am so lowly and insecure, for I feel compelled to yell at you while driving my truck! Why am I such a bastard?"

I both love and loathe running. And sometimes, still, the best part of running is the stopping running. Getting to the corner of my street, seeing my house and knowing it's finished and I can rest, get a drink of water and take off my stinky shoes. The kids all come rally around me and David always smiles and asks, "How far did you go this time, mommy?" Some runs are farther than others, but always I run just far enough to get out of my own head for a little while, or deeper into it, I'm not sure. Far enough to get my heart thudding in my ears. Far enough to get me to think about death and to feel every once in a while that God has got my back. Far enough to get just enough crazy out of me so I can do everything that I need to do every day...every day. That is what I love most about running- How far I can get without every leaving my city.

I've been meaning to write more about running, but reading this funny post by Backpacking Dad is what inspired me. It's a slightly different kind of running story.

Thumbs up for ducks (because I couldn't think of a better title)

2008-07-03T15:59:00.002-04:00

The picture from my last post mysteriously disappeared (Peg-what gives?) so I had to delete it but now I have the opportunity to promote...myself.

I have an archived post featured on the ezine Blog Nosh this week and you should go over there and check it out. It's funny to think about the kinds of things that concerned me when I first became a stay at home mom. I remember right before I left work, a couple weeks before my due date with David, a fellow employee said, "so, you're just going to be a housewife then?" I wanted to cry. And punch him in the face. It's fortunate for him that I've forgiven far greater trespasses to my soul, but then I was heavily pregnant so he's still pretty lucky I didn't take him down. Today if someone were to call me a housewife I would just laugh and say, "no, if I were married to my house I wouldn't let the kids trash it up nearly as much."

And as long as I'm self promoting, let me give another nod over to ChapterBytes which should have a thrilling new chapter up any day now. This one has the potential to be very steamy so you will not want to miss it. And no, I'm not up next to write this one but I wish I were!

So I leave you with the thumbs up girl and ducks, because who doesn't love ducks?

Dad's day

2008-06-17T08:14:00.002-04:00

Thanks to my husband for being such a terrific father. Thanks to my mom for this photo. And thanks to photo editing which allowed me to crop myself right out of the picture.

Hope all the dads out there had a Happy Father's Day!

Duet

2008-06-06T20:06:00.004-04:00

I posted this picture from late last summer for two reasons: One, I don't have a camera anymore and until dollar bills start growing in my garden, I won't be getting a new one any time soon, but I wanted to post some kind of picture of the kids. Two, this served a good reminder that sometimes my kids get along really well. Sometimes.

Today was a mixed bag. They only had one little incident, but it was after a long day of other assorted headaches and it did not help things much. I have to give them credit, though, because earlier today when we were at the grocery store their baby sister would not let me put her in the grocery cart seat without screaming bloody murder (turns out she had a diaper rash which she has never had before and I wouldn't have even suspected it in a million years- explains of course why she did not want to sit down) and so I had to carry her, slung on my hip through the entire shopping trip. I am just now getting the feeling back in my arm. Anyway, I was ready to walk out of the store, but David really wanted to get groceries (he is a snack-a-holic and we were running desperately low on anything remotely appealing to snack on) so he said, "No, we can do this. I will push the cart while you hold Isobel. You just tell me what you need and I will put it in the cart, ok?" and Sofia chimes in with, "Yeah, I'll help push the cart!" And so David picked out some nice steak for dinner, selected some juice and they both worked together to maneuver the cart around the store. They did everything they said they would. For about 10 minutes or so.

But hey, that 10 minutes made all the difference in the world. Isobel calmed down a bit and we got most of what we needed pretty quickly. Of course by the end of the trip they were nearly running down poor old ladies in the canned goods aisles, but God bless 'em. It's just nice to know that they can come through in a pinch.

My kid the carnivore

2008-06-05T09:56:00.003-04:00

Little kids are weird. And sometimes they say creepy, weird little things.

Kids have a tough job. There is so much information for them to process, so many mysteries to unravel (or let remain mysteries) and all the while trying to communicate their thoughts and feelings to others in a manner that grooves with societal expectations. And sometimes it's good to use your parents as a sounding board before you go sharing all your reflections with the rest of the world.

Me to Sofia, as I put her down for her nap, trying to explain why she cannot hit her brother after an earlier altercation: It's ok to feel angry and frustrated sometimes. Everyone gets mad and sometimes we want to just hit, but we can't. It's not ok to hurt other people and it doesn't help anything. You didn't really hurt him this time, but you could have.

Sofia: Well, it's not the worst thing I could have done.

Me: No, it's not the worst thing you could have done, but it's still not alright.

Sofia: Like, I could have bit him really hard and taken a big bite out of him. That would have been bad.

Me: Yes, that would have been very bad. I'm glad you didn't do that.

Sofia: Yeah, because I don't think I could have even bit through him. It would have been too tough to eat it.

Me: Right. Skin is very tough.

Sofia: And then I would have to eat his blood and I don't think I would like to eat his blood. She pauses for a moment and scrunches up her face. Is blood red?

Me, trying to back out of the bedroom: Uh, yes, blood is red.

Sofia, making an disgusted face: I would be like, "Blech, Bleaaahhh!!! Urugh!" She makes a spitting sound.

Me: Right. That would be really gross. Don't ever try to eat another person.

Sofia: I'm a kitty! MREEEOOOWWW! She licks her kitty paws.

Me: Have a good nap, kitty. I'm just going to shut this door, then.

Something to nosh on

2008-06-02T20:48:00.002-04:00

Like to do a little creative writing but don't have the time to complete a novel? Or even a whole short story? Heck, just want to put together a short chapter and still get to call yourself an author? Well look no further than ChapterBytes. A good friend and fellow blogger got a great idea for this collaborative writing project that should be a blast. Get in on it now while you can!

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got an assignment to complete...

What not to wear

2008-05-18T09:41:00.003-04:00

This morning I pull from my dresser drawer a summery sort of shirt that's all wrinkly from being balled up in there for about a year. Really, I do fold clothes when they come out of the dryer, but they never seem to remain that way for long. I'm not sure what happens to them, but I assure you it's not my fault.

Anyway, it's one of the shirts I'm not sure if I really like or not. Seems like the trends nowadays are toward clothing that's so hideous it's fashionable. I'm not keen enough to tell the difference. I've got no time for this foolishness, anyway, but you know, I still want to look "good". So I put on the shirt and walk into the kitchen where the kids are and hold out my arms and say, "Waddya think? I'm not sure about this shirt. Does it look ok?"

The kids are staring at me.

David: "What do you mean? You don't like it?"
Me: "Well, I can't decide if I do or not."
David: "Well I think I would think it's cool if I was you."
Me: "Yeah? You think it looks good?"
David: "Yeah! It would make a really good undershirt."
Me: "Oh. I guess I'll go change."

David is a very kind and gentle critic, but sometimes I just want the plain, non-sugar coated truth. It would at least save me some time.

Will you be stimulated?

2008-05-10T10:34:00.007-04:00

Ernesto and I have had this back and forth on the whole "stimulus package" the government has set up and I am thinking it will have little, if any effect on the economy. I am predicting a brief rise in consumer spending and then back to the dreary status quo. Obviously I am no expert, and not even seasoned economists can say for sure what will happen and believe me, I would certainly like to see a positive outcome from this, but I don't think it bodes well.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still happily accepting this money, even though it is borrowed from ourselves and/or China, who we already owe about a trillion dollars to. Who cares, right? I'm guessing there are people who will make some purchases and lots of other people who will use the money to pay off debts, like all the oil bills incurred over the brutal winter, or some will stock it away to pay for gas for their cars. It ought to last a couple weeks, anyway. Ours is going to help pay for private school for our eldest. If we were good Americans, we'd use it for a vacation or a big TV or I could buy twenty pairs of really good shoes. I wish we could spend it on something really fun or lavish, but we've got a mortgage and three kids, so there you go.

How will you be stimulated this summer?

So good I took the time to write about it

2008-05-02T14:44:00.003-04:00

If you really appreciate good coffee like I do, then I know you aren't drinkin' Maxwell House. I'm always looking for a good deal on grounds and I saw this Ugly Mug on special at the local Shaw's and was suckered in by the good packaging and fair trade angle.

Can I just say- it's very, very good. I am enjoying some right now. No one paid me to say this. But anyone can feel free to do so. I gladly accept small and large bills. Or you can just send me some more of this coffee.

Girls' night out

2008-04-12T09:59:00.006-04:00

Sofia and I enjoyed a little time out Friday night, just the two of us. We got some tickets for Smucker's "Stars on Ice" in Manchester and originally I was going to bring David as well but he bowed out at the last minute. Actually, he didn't want to take a nap in the afternoon which I required that he do if he was going to stay up past his bedtime for the show. So I gave him the choice of watching men and women skating around to 80's music or skipping his nap, and of course, he chose the latter.

"I wasn't really that up for going, anyway," he confided. Like father, like son.

So it was just me and Sof. I was kind of excited because we don't do much alone together and being that she's the middle child, I think she really does need a little extra attention once in a while. She's not the oldest so she's not ever the first to do anything and she doesn't get fussed over the way the baby does. I was looking forward to spending some time just with her.

We both got all dressed up and drove over to the arena and we chatted happily the whole way (Sofia is a talker) and she was so excited and beside herself to be going out at night together. We crossed the street to the arena with all the other throngs of people and she exclaimed, "It's like all these people are our friends! Come on, gang!"and she waves the crowd onward.

We don't have to go too far to get to our seats once we're inside. I note that we are seated very close to both a bathroom and a concession stand. Excellent. No one is seated right near us and we have easy access to the aisles, just in case. We get there shortly before the show is about to begin and Sofia is pointing out all the interesting details of the arena as we wait, such as the ice, the lights, security guards and so on. She wriggles around in her seat excitedly and keeps clasping her hands together with anticipation and leans over to give me a hug. After the show begins and some of the stars come out for the opening number (skating fans- please do not be appalled that I don't know the names of these people. I recognized Sasha Cohen who seemed to be the lead "star" of the show since she was in a red sparkly dress unlike the other women who were all in white) Sofia is even more thrilled. With every leap and jump the skaters complete, she points and squeals with a "Did you see that?!" or a "Wow!! This is the best show ever!!" We get some snacks at the snack bar but we hurry back to our seats for she's afraid she'll miss something terrific. At one point she even leans over, sipping her lemonade and squeezes my arm whispering, "I'm so glad we came!" and of course I am swelling with joy and pride and thinking that this will be one of the memories she'll carry into adulthood- the time she and her mom went to the spectacular ice skating show together.

And then minutes later, as a skater is gliding across the ice to a sentimental number, Sofia turns to me and declares, "I'm bored of this."

I think I misheard her. "What did you say?"
Sofia, louder: "I'M BORED!"
"Well the next one might be more exciting. This song is kind of slow. Wait for one of the fast ones and I'll bet they'll do some great tricks."
"I want to see inside my Skittles. It's too dark in here to see inside my Skittles!" She's bitten into one of the candies and wants to see what color it is inside.
"It's just white, hon. That's all. Whoa! Did you see that move?"
"I'm tired. I want to go home now."

Oh man. And I was just getting into it.

It was well past her bed time and she picked a good time to want to leave, right at intermission. And of course there was the added benefit of not dealing with all the traffic leaving the parking garage at once. We held hands and walked back to the car together and I felt a little sad that we didn't make it the whole way but I asked her if she had a good time and she smiled up at me the way she does with her eyes squinted tight and said "Yes! Just us girls!".

I'm sure it won't be our last adventure out as just the girls. We'll have to see how it goes at the ballet. You know, like in another four years or so.

A very good year

2008-04-07T16:17:00.003-04:00

So I'm a week late in posting this (big surprise) and I don't even have any pictures to share because we *gasp* lost our camera a couple weeks back. How can that be, you ask? Because I must be the most organized person in the world, how could I have possibly misplaced an important item like that? Yes, well I've also been known to misplace a birth certificate or two so you can really only expect so much from me. I'm busy and very distracted most of the time. Speaking of being distracted...

...so what I wanted to mention is that my littlest screamer is now a one year old girl, as of the first of April. Like her older siblings, she wanted nothing to do with her birthday cake and acted as if we'd fed her dirt. Not clean sand or anything, because babies love to eat sand. No, just regular dirt. Dirt cake, if you will. Anyway, it was a happy celebration and I could not be more proud of my little girl. I give myself a little pat on the back, too, for helping her to get to this point. It's been a busy, but extremely good year.

And speaking of being busy, I haven't made much in the way of time for blogging. I have a new passion; running. I'm getting out whenever I can and logging more miles every week. I am easily in the best shape of my adult life and my stress levels are way down. I have stinky running shoes, but I think the benefits outweigh the negatives in this case.

So I've written several posts in my head, they just haven't made it all the way to the keyboard. Funny thing about running- it actually makes you go to bed at a reasonable hour. I seem to be following in my father's footsteps who also had difficulty making it through an evening tv show or movie without falling asleep. I actually spilled a glass of wine on myself in mid-doze a few weeks back. I guess Ernesto would have taken it out of my hand if he'd seen me nodding off...or would he? Hmm. I should go have a talk with him...

So all in all, it's been a good year. The kids are thriving, we all survived another New England winter and there are crocuses, daffodils and tulips coming up all over the yard. What more could I ask for? Maybe I will even find my camera somewhere in one of these melting "yard" bergs. Do I dare to dream?

Yes, this is Spring in New England

2008-03-19T12:28:00.002-04:00

I do not, nor have I ever understood the "one size fits all" mentality of chain stores when it comes to the timing of seasonal clothing displays. I get putting out the next season's items before the season actually arrives, but there is absolutely no good reason to stock a New Hampshire sales floor with sundresses in February. Exactly when is anyone around here supposed to wear these items? They are no good until June. And Easter dresses?? Well, they are absolutely adorable and I would love to put my 12 month old into a pink and purple sleeveless number with open-toed sandals to match but I would prefer she not get frostbite whilst we are searching for Easter eggs amongst the 5 foot high snowbanks. And sun hats. Yes, we will certainly be needing those and I'll make sure to get the ones with the grosgrain ribbons to tie them under the girls' chins so they don't blow away into the upper atmosphere when the 40 mph winds kick in.

I love the thought of a warm, dewy Easter morning, but when I have that vision it almost always takes place in the deep South where the mercury might be just a wee bit higher than here. You know, a scene like the one in "Steel Magnolias" with all the fair haired children running amok down a rolling TruChem green lawn in their summer whites and pale blues. Then there are my kids in their shabby, road-salt smeared winter coats and too tight snow boots. Just darling!

I am going to design a more suitable line of clothing for us Nor'eastern folks that seasonally appropriate, but still Spring-like. Perhaps for the girls a long sleeved fleece gown and for the boys a woolen suit coat. You know, kind of like what they wear at Christmas time but in Spring colors. Sounds terrific, doesn't it?

I don't really care about this at all, though, because come snow, rain, wind or sleet, (most likely all four) this Sunday I am going on an all out chocolate peanut butter delight fest and there is nothing to that can ruin it for me. I will just have to remember to remove my white lace gloves before I dip into the goods.

when muppets indulge in too much "craic"

2008-03-17T07:48:00.004-04:00

Thanks to my friend Jemi for sending this to me this morning. It's just the kind of thing that makes complete sense before I've downed my first cup of joe. And really, this is the only way this song should ever be performed, anyway.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Bella's Theme

2008-03-02T11:30:00.005-05:00

Kids sure do grow quickly. They smile, they learn to sit up, crawl and then before you know it they're walking.

And then they learn to rock.

Please don't listen to me

2008-02-16T20:38:00.007-05:00

Everyone knows you have to watch what you say around little kids. They can pick up words or phrases in an instant and then you spend the next few months locked inside your home, foregoing social visits, hoping they'll magically forget the new vocabulary.

We've been very fortunate in this regard. Not once have I ever heard one of my children use a curse word and about the meanest insult they can come up with is "stupid head", which of course is not very nice, but at least it's not profanity and I've only heard them call each other that once or twice at most.

Now of course I don't do much in the way of swearing. Anymore. I'm not proud to admit that I used to swear on a pretty much daily basis. Not like in a Jay and Silent Bob film, but still enough for it to be tricky to cut out using these words altogether. Well, mostly. On occasion if I am frightened (like someone is about to swerve into my lane while I'm driving) or I do something stupid (like drop several dishes on the floor at once) I will let one fly, then quickly cover my mouth as if that will help to keep young ears from hearing it. But generally I do pretty well, and I've got lots of new phrases that I use in place of the old ones that are nearly just as satisfying. Feel free to use any of these if you aren't already:

"Awww sugar snaps!!"
"Cheese and rice!"
"Son of a motherless goat!"
(and my personal favorite) "Mother pus-bucket!"

Now, that last one sounds bad, I know, but there really isn't anything profane in that expression. It's just kind of gross. But it's very satisfying to say.

A few days ago I was taking this kids out on some errand and I had forgotten I was listening to a mixed CD the last time I had been out by myself in the car. None of the music was racy, but I had completely forgotten that the singer lets rip one expletive, clear as day and just as I remembered the lyric that was about to come up, well, it was too late. I cringed, looked back at the kids who were looking out the windows and waited. I thought David might ask, "What did he say, mommy?" or something to that effect, but neither of them seemed to notice. Bullet dodged.

But even though that one got past them, most of what the kids hear does not go unnoticed. They are picking up other choice phrases, as was demonstrated the other day when Sofia was annoyed with her big brother and called out to the heavens an exasperated, "OH, for the love of GOD!"

I cannot imagine where she got that from.

And some things they seem to pick up by osmosis. Earlier in the week I was reading the kids some stories and they were making up funny names for characters in the book and after listing several cute ones, David blurts out, "Rudy Giuliani!"

I laugh and ask, "Do you know who that is?"
He shrugs and says, "Um...he wants to president?"
"Yes, but he won't."
"Oh, is he a candidate, then?" he inquires, all conversational like.
"Well, he was..."
and without missing a beat, Sofia chimes in with, "But Isobel voted for Mike Huckabee, ya know!"

We all pause and look down at Isobel who is drooling and chewing on Barbie's pointy foot. She smiles.

This is the sort of thing that results from living in NH. No child can escape from the political process.

Ya know.

A quick run through February

2008-02-12T10:57:00.000-05:00

It seemed like only a few days since my last post, but clearly time has gotten away from me yet again. This shortest month (which is longer than usual thanks to the leap year) is actually going by rather quickly. I mean, March is actually within sight! Let's not kid ourselves that spring will arrive next month because that has just never, ever happened. Not in this neck of the woods, anyway. Still, it's on its way, slowly but surely.

So to catch you all up to speed I've been busy with a 5 year old who has just discovered comic books (oh yay! Another thing to collect!), a 3 year old who has already mastered the art of shooting "dirty looks" at her mother when she is displeased and a 10 month old who is now a full-on walker, officially a "toddler", really, who also likes to collect socks and eat paper.

When I'm not busy with them, I'm escaping to the gym to run, but not quite as far as this guy. I guess I am officially married to an athlete. I don't know how anyone is able to smile after running that far. It would be all I could do not to puke on my shoes. Oh and yes, the kids and I are VERY proud of him!

And of course, since life isn't crazy enough, I have yet again given up chocolate for Lent. Those who know me, know this is indeed a sacrifice. But then come Easter I will gorge myself silly on peanut butter cups and will again return to my old, sweet self. And no doubt I will need to add an additional 12 miles a week to my routine to make up for all the chocolate. It will be soooo worth it.