Show & Tell #66

This week's S&T is courtesy of Lynn, who not only runs the Monthly Secret Pals, but was my March Secret Pal. (If you do not know what Secret Pals is, please click on my button to your right there---> )

Mainly, Secret Pals is about offering support via email and posts, as well as sending a little "something special" to your secret pal. Its very funny how spot on Lynn was with her special something she sent to me.

I received this in the mail a couple days ago:

(Sorry, took the pics sideways)


Its a Gungan Warrior (from Star Wars)! And its made out of motorcycle parts!


No, I prefer not to call it Jar Jar, thank you...

Now, the interesting thing is that Lynn got me something that fits in perfectly--with this Darth Vadar figure I got my son a couple years ago...





So, I have decided. My daughter is going to get the Gungun Warrior. My son has Darth Vadar. It is so major cool!!

Thank you, Lynn!

Click to see who else is Showing and Telling.

Perfect Moment Monday

Solitude is sometimes the perfect moment...

Perfect Moment #1: He is outside playing with his friends; she is downstairs napping with daddy. No one is around. Could do something. But. Put the water hot-hot-hot; put in the lavender bubble bath; put on a mud mask; step in and sink. Ahhhh....

And sometimes being all together is...

Perfect Moment #2: Its a rainy Sunday and we are being lazy after going out for errands. We all sit down on the couch after lunch and watch some MST3K. She even dances to the music playing. We all laugh and cuddle up under some blankets.

More Perfect Moments Here.

Ode to Sponge Robert

Oh, you silly little Sponge

You have amused for so long

You have become a fixture, yet again, in our lives

I thought you were a goner a few years ago

All of my son’s room décor was going, going gone

To be replaced by things in Space

But then I had a daughter.

You are enjoying a renaissance in our house

The good news—we have all your DVDs

And our son knows how to DVR

And whenever our daughter asks for you—

There you are!

Twenty Three Months

Almost two years old. In fact, I often describe you as a two year old...it is only when I approach the 24th of each month that I realize that despite feeling like you have always been there--it has only been 23 months. The last month of counting months.

You have grown so much in so little time. You use words and phrases. Just this week you have shown your independent streak, as you go down the stairs--"I wanna do it" meaning that you want to do it on your own, without any help.

You have are a daredevil--you jump off stairs, climb up on tables, love to go down huge slides. You are curious and, a word we use often to describe you--RELENTLESS.

You are affectionate. You love your baby dolls and stuffed animals. You cuddle them and kiss them and wipe their noses and bottoms (often with the same tissue). You like cars and trucks and things that GO.

You love to have us "sit!", as you pat the ground or the couch to have us play with you. You love playing with your brother and watching "Spo Bob!" with him.

Books are a bit too passive for you, although once you get down for some reading, you need many many books read to you and you enjoy it. You have favorites, especially ones with babies in them. Recently I have been reading Green Eggs and Ham and you like it--the first Loong book that can keep your attention.

New routines have now started being established--like, how we all are getting used to S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G everything out. How we know that we need change in our pockets, so that you can have "MONEY" to put into your bank. How we know that our cell phones are so much more fun than the play phones you have.

Each day you are learning and growing. And each day I marvel at your wonderousness.

Perfect Moment Monday

Several perfect moments this weekend, even though it was a strange, stressful and annoying weekend. (My husband was in and out of the ER/hospital because of an infection caused by a toothache--intravenous antibiotics and a night in the hospital seems to have done the trick)

Moment #1: My son was still up when I came home from taking his father to the hospital. He wanted to be up for me. We said good bye to our friend who had stayed to watch the children--and then my son and I watched an episode of the Simpsons on a DVD together until midnight. And then he came up with me to my bed and snuggled close to me, helping me drift off to sleep. My comfort when I needed it.

Moment #2: She wakes up right away the next morning. Asks for daddy--I distract her by having her look outside at how nice it is looking and what fun we will have today. And she notices the squirrels on the fence. We watch and giggle at the squirrels going up and down the fence, back up the trees and back down. She filled my heart with laughter even when I was tired and weary.

Moment #3: She is raring to go and a phone call from daddy has prompted her to pull me along to the door to go see him... She wants to go visit him. She already has her coat on, her shoes and is looking for her sunglasses. (The rest of us are still in pjs)

Moment #4: He and his friend take up the sidewalk chalk and tell me to distract her while they work on a surprise for her. Finally they are done, with chalk all over their hands and pants--a HUGE Heart with "Willow" written in the middle of it.

Pictures I took on my cell to send to their dad who was waiting to be discharged...

More Perfect Moments Here.

MONEY

Had a deep post brewing, but then couldn’t get it from my brain to the page. So, no post on life and weird photos and missing people and how social-ness is awkward but needed. I will keep that mangled mess in there a bit more….

So, today, I guess I will talk about MONEY…although its not really about that…

Before Willow was born, we were setting up her nursery. I picked out some of Michael’s books that he had outgrown, a little Peter Rabbit thermometer and a few other things from his nursery. He contributed on his own a few things. Including, his Elmo Piggy Bank.

He had gotten the Elmo Piggy Bank at an Ice Cream Social. Actually, a PBS sponsored Ice Cream Social—we were members then, and we took him to special events like that social. Where he met Clifford and Arthur and we got lots of trinkets for him to play with. For $1.00 we got the Elmo bank. He loved that bank. He was three years old and loved Elmo with all his heart.

Daddy has a problem with his change. He puts it into his pockets and then throws his pants all over the bedroom floor (or maybe daddy has a problem PICKING UP his clothes, but I digress). The change—goes everywhere.

But, now Michael had his Elmo bank—and thus, a job was born. Since he was three years old, Michael would diligently pick up loose change around the house, and it would go into his Elmo bank. Obviously, as time went on, and Michael got other banks and other ways to make money (he now gets an allowance for doing some chores around the house) the Elmo bank just sat on his bookshelf.

As it sat on Willow’s…until last night. Last night, Willow found a quarter on the floor. I told her it was “money” and I went and got the Elmo bank. And we put it in. And then we got more money—pennies and more pennies from our Rainy Day Jar, from mommy’s purse. And Willow—loved MONEY…and shook the Elmo bank to hear it jangle. And cuddled the Elmo bank. (She wanted to have it in her crib that night—we put our foot down on that one)

So, I guess the Elmo Bank has been passed.

Show & Tell #65

My friend Ana took a cute St. Patty's day picture of her dogs, and the picture got on her local television station's picture link:

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

(Aren't they cute?!?)

Rykka is Ana's first dog, Jack is her newest dog, Jule is the grandma of both of them. They are always nice doggies, and we all love 'em!

Click to see who else is Showing and Telling.

Perfect Moment Monday

Moment #1: We are at a restaurant having lunch and our discussion goes towards a video game husband is playing. It is based in a medieval society. My husband is playing a woman character and it is at a critical stage where his character meets the queen and manipulates things to be behind the power of the throne. At one point he discusses how he had a member of his team (a man) marry the queen. And a discussion on why his character could not marry the queen ensued. And we explained one of the more obvious reasons why it was a hetro bias -- that in medieval times and especially for a royal family, one needed offspring and heirs. And, without skipping a beat, my son said “Oh, cuz they couldn’t do sperm donations back then.”

My son—an enlightened child because of infertility treatments…

Moment #2: I am starting to plan her 2nd birthday party. And while I will write tons and tons about the progress she is making and how wonderful she is (cuz it is all about her), tonight as I sit printing out the invites, I remember and feel a sense of pride. WE did this. We made it happen. We went against the odds (2% to have a child the “normal” way) and the odds of treatments (40%) and we have her. I am proud of that.

More Perfect Moments Here.

Reflections and Echoes

Lately I have been watching and remembering more than normal. I have been trying to slow it down, been trying to keep the daily needs at bay so I can appreciate the memories.

Sometimes I find myself just staring. Wishing that my eyes were cameras to my brain, my soul. Sometimes I am watching Willow and I see the echoes of my son as a toddler.

Sometimes I have a hard time remembering him as a toddler. Its been so long ago and the boy that he is now overshadows the boy that he was then and the toddler that he was before then and the baby that he was before then. The only way I had been able to remember was to watch old videos or look at pictures or scrapbooks. But now. Now I see someone who is a reflection of him. Or, rather, an echo. Because, while she does remind me of him, she is so very different too.

She has become Willow to me. I cannot imagine my life without her or imagine her being any other way than she is now. Sometimes I try to imagine what she will be like when she is three years old, or six years old. I think of Michael when he was those ages. I try to intermix what I know of her now and what I knew of him then...I smile and realize that yet again, I am getting ahead of myself. Wait. She is here now as she is. It will pass by so quickly. Wait.

Every day I see reflections and echos. And I am happy, but a little sad to realize the bittersweet truth of it.

Show & Tell #64

My first attempt at something from scratch with my new slow cooker:

This blurry cell phone picture doesn't really do it justice, but this was last night's dinner--beef stew (before I added the peas). It looked good, smelled good, and tasted--well, it tasted fine, but kinda bland. Good for a first attempt, especially since I did not use a recipe and just literally threw things together...and the house did not burn down (a fear that has made me shy away from slow cookers).

So what do you put in your beef stew to give it some Umpf?

Click to see who else is Showing and Telling.

Wordless Wednesday

Perfect Moments Monday

Moment #1: I am in a hurry, its Monday morning. I jump into the shower. And she is there, looking in. I help her get her pjs off, diaper off. And I hold her, our nakedness warm and perfect and reminding me not only of those first days in the hospital with her; but of those times I used to take her brother into the shower with me and call him my little fish. (I have soap left in my hair and I am running even more late--I don't care)

Moment #2: Yesterday. We are at the zoo and he runs ahead of us, so excited to go see the wolves. At the habitat, the zoo created a recreation of a little cave and den with a model of a mother wolf with her cubs. He excitedly shows her how to climb through the cave. She shys away from the wolf and her cubs. And he shows her and holds her hand and helps her understand that they are "just doggies". He is the big brother, showing her new experiences, and protecting her.


More Perfect Moments Here.

Beautiful Bloggers Meme

One of my favoritest bloggers, Serenity Now! Tagged me for this meme. Serenity was one of the first IF blogs I read and I was struck at how honest and thoughtful her blog is. I am honored to consider her a friend and flattered that she tagged me for this meme.

The point of this meme is to put down seven interesting things about yours truly without boring you to tears, so here goes....

1. I have a sense of humor that borders on the black and sarcastic and dry. But I cannot tell a joke, nor am I especially funny. Usually, I crack myself up. And then I try to tell the joke, and I make myself laugh and cannot finish it. Usually, I am the one who comes up with a small witticism during a conversation, people chuckle (realizing that I am just too damned shy to be outwardly funny)--and then we all move on. I actually find that I can be more funny when I am writing online--or maybe I am still just cracking myself up.

2. I have been doing this blog since August 2004. The practical reasons for starting a blog: I had just finished taking some classes on Web Programming and Design; I wanted to journal and could type fast; I could let family who were many miles away get a glimpse into our lives. The fanatical reasons: I also had been a part of a Angel/Cordelia fan forum and enjoyed the people I met online through it. Yes, Angel and Cordelia were a thing. Yes they were! Buffy and Angel was so over and done and Angel and Cordelia were much more interesting and mature....yes, there were fights over this in fandom. Yes, I read Angel and Cordelia fanfic (most of it very good, btw). Why, yes, I think Buffy Season 7 and Angel Season 5 should just be vaporized....

3. Not only do I add to our comic book collection regularly, I also read comics on a regular basis. I especially love my reprints of EC Classics - Tales From the Crypt; Vault of Horror; Weird Science--all of those have a special place in my heart. Currently, we are collecting Buffy The Vampire Slayer comics (written by Joss Whedon and proclaimed as the eighth season of BTVS); Wonder Woman; Spider man (well the JMS written ones are my favorite recent ones); anything by Alan Moore; Neil Gaiman. The most recent comic book I read (2 weeks ago)was a graphic novel of Neil Gaiman's Marvel 1602.

4. Eclectic would be a great word to describe me. I love various types of music, theater and movies, I love fiction and non-fiction books, I love museums and hiking and the outdoors. I love intellectual pursuits, but I can also just veg out in front of the television and watch Ace of Cakes. I love board games and role playing games and video games. Mainly, I like to try new experiences. I have seen a Zulu production of Macbeth; Chinese Opera (which is not what you would think); Shoalin Warriors and silent movie musicians. And I love experiencing things with my children. We are members of the Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science and the Zoo.

5. I have a fascination with the macabre. I have books on death and dying, homicide photos, death photography, serial killers and true crime, historical calamities (Pompeii, Civil War, Holocaust, Titanic, etc.). Obviously, these books are kept in places that the children cannot find them. I am not totally sure why this stuff interests me, but it does and has since I was a teenager.

6. I love swimming and being on the water. Which is amazing, since I did not learn how to swim until I was 12 years old (an embarassing summer class at the Y)

7. Since Michael was born, I have gotten into scrapbooking. I am not the most creative scrapbooker, but I do enjoy it. Recently, I was able to go to an all day crop, and here are some pictures of some of the pages I did:


Some random pictures of Willow...



A wonderful photo of Michael (I did not take it, but it is my favorite)


Some pages about when we were at Cape Cod this past summer...

So, those are my seven. Now, as part of this meme, I am to tag seven other Beautiful Bloggers. Rules, thank the person who tagged you, 7 interesting things, tag seven others. I tag these incredible people:

1. Jess
2. Kimbo Sue

3. Katie

4. Amy

5. Kate @ Circus Acts

6. Suzy

7. Courtney

And there are so many more Beautiful Bloggers I have not mentioned (some have already been tagged), but I hold many of them in my heart.

The Plan 2010 - February Update - Stardate 63632.6

Okay, so, this Plan thing—I am glad that I was so damn vague. Because my life just doesn’t seem to go according to “Plans”. (See, there is life in the corner, with a cheesy Hollywood Mexican accent saying, “We don’t need no stinkn’ Plans!”) (which reminds me that Caprica had a great homage to Sydney Greenstreet last Friday). (Catch Caprica--its good!)

Okay, so the Plan, how did it play out in February?

Well, health goals wise, I did lose a few pounds, however, 2 of those was because I had stomach flu--and I seem to have gained those 2 back...

My biggest issue with keeping with my goals are my lack of sleep. The fact that when I DO go to bed early (or when I SHOULD), something happens (either Willow wakes up or husband is working late so I can't sleep properly, or Michael can't sleep). And the other times (most of the time) I don't go to bed when I should. So getting up early enough to do a full exercise routine like I want--not happening. I am still getting 30 mins. (generally) in the morning, so its not all bad. Depending on the kids bedtimes and other interruptions, I have been able to exercise on the Wii at least 3 times a week in the evening, so that is good too.

Food goals--still working on them, but I did buy a Slow Cooker and I am cutting back on the carbs. Going away for the weekend and having stomach flu screwed up last week and I did not make a home cooked meal until Thursday(!)

As for other goals on my Plan...all are being met with the same uneven success. I interviewed a Babysitter last week, but we have not used her yet; my patience has been tested and I have kept it most of the time. I am feeling burned out sometimes, but I am also on top of most things...Life just seems to get in my way, but some how, we still keep chugging away.

I guess I have learned that while a Plan is good, going with the flow is most important in my life right now. I am looking forward to Spring and to more goals met...

Perfect Moments Monday

Moment #1: She rarely sleeps on me. My husband—he is the Sleep Master. Often on the weekends he and she nap on the couch. But today, after exhausting herself on finger painting, I cleaned her up and she wanted to have snuggles and rocking. And then I found that she had fallen asleep. And even though a large part of me wanted to just put her down so that I could get some things accomplished, I went over to the couch and put a blanket on us. I did not sleep, I just let go of those other thoughts (“ugh, laundry has to get done, the dishes are still needing clearing, what about the other things I could do”) and I laid there listening to her breathe, realizing how warm she was against my shoulder.

Moment #2:

This gets a photo. My son, whenever he is going to play a video game, he makes sure to take out the extra Wii Remote that we have that has no battery in it. And he actually says: “I am putting out the Wii Remote for Willow!” as he goes about setting up for the game.



More Perfect Moments Here.