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.

Show & Tell #63

We had a blast at Total Con this year. So much fun that even a bout of stomach flu did not spoil it!

We arrived on Friday afternoon and while my husband got the kids and the stuff situated in our hotel room, I went to a role playing game called Final Flight (husband played the other game, The Burning Stars).

That evening, Michael played in his first adult role playing game, where he played Scooby Doo in a horror mystery game based on the cartoon show (yes, this was more for Teens and up).

More role playing games, more board and strategy games were played on Saturday. I enjoyed playing this game so much, I bought it...

Michael played his annual run of Clay Wars , and we had fun looking at all the goodies to buy from the vendors.

Husband won "best gamer" ticket during a game, and Michael used the ticket to get this Star Wars attack game.





Who knew that 4 hours later, he would be sick as a dog...


Willow...she was a little monkey. She and her brother got to play in the pool, she ran around everywhere and was fascinated by everything. She got her hand painted...






And she tried her first red onion at the hotel restaurant...






Wow. Another year over. It was definitely a fun time.

Click to see who else is Showing and Telling.

Perfect Moment Monday (on Tuesday)

Sometimes perfect moments are messy and gross and yucky.

We were away this weekend in a hotel. We had a wonderful time, to be capped off with my son's birthday on Sunday (a dinner out before going home was planned).

Being in a hotel room, our configuration on sleeping is this: she is in a portable crib; husband is in one double bed; my son and I share the other double bed. I thought it was so nice to be this close to my son on his birthday eve.

Going to sleep that night we talked and my son mentioned how he wanted to stay up till his "actual" birthday (which is a little after 1 a.m.). But at midnight we went to sleep.

Around 1 a.m. I felt something warm and not right on my back. And then I realized--my son had vomited and was still vomiting--I took him into the shower, pajamas and all...and I realized an hour later that both of us had a stomach bug that would make us cut short our day--his day. But, as I laid there worrying about my son and feeling quite ill and dizzy--I could not help but think of being in the hospital sick and ill and happy to have my son--11 years ago that morning.

(We are both feeling better now--one sick day later and we are back to our routines)


More Perfect Moments Here.

Happy Birthday

2/8/10

He found them. My stash of Mad Magazines--ones that I have saved and saved from when I had a subscription. He is excited and tells me some of the jokes, and I remember them well. He likes Don Martin. His father shows him the CD versions that he bought me one holiday...I prefer the feel of the magazines myself, but I do appreciate that we have all of them (up to 1999) on CD... Sometimes I can see myself in my son. This is one of those times. For his upcoming birthday, I am getting him a subscription to Mad.


1/24/10

It is getting time to go to bed and its time to read to her. He has been at a Babysitter's Introduction Class most of the day. So, he volunteers to read to her. And then he proceeds to multi-task...he needs to finish his Einstein biography (so that they can do the report this week). So, we all cuddle up to my almost eleven year old reading about Albert Einstein going to school. She listens intently for a while. Then she starts poking him in the face. And then she hugs him and kisses him. I have no idea how she realized this--but she showed her brother such affection at such the right moment...


It is a half an hour later. We are sitting down to some adult time television viewing. We hear some rustling up stairs, but figure they are settling down. We think he is going to the bathroom; we think she is talking to herself in her crib. And then, they are at the top of the stairs. He says that she was so cute, that they just wanted to cuddle in his bed for a while. And then he promised her they could come down and visit...we acknowledge them reluctantly, but with full hearts--Bed Time Take 2...

1/11/10

I don't do as much socializing outside my comfort zone--usually my husband, a few mutual friends. Sometimes that can be isolating. So, one part of my Plan this year--try to reach out to others and find my social life again. Yesterday, I was going to a Meet Up for Ruby Feathers (see sidebar badge). As I was leaving, my husband and she were sleeping on the couch. My son--he was acting dejected. He knew he needed to do some homework, but did not want to...and suddenly--he was clingy. I told him if he wanted me to, I would stay. I told him that nothing is more important to me than him. But, he said I could go. I left him my cell phone number, I told him to call if he wanted me to come home. LATER, when I got home, my husband and I were expecting company--and I expressly ignored them (with their permission) to go watch "Monsters, Inc." with my son next to me in my arms.

12/20/09

The ADHD medication messes with his sleep patterns. Sometimes, he just can't sleep. We tell him to try to read in bed or at least rest. Tonight I hear him move around in his room. I can tell he is up. I go upstairs and he is sitting in his chair playing with Star Wars figurines--he is almost 11 years old...how much longer do I get to see him do this? I say "You can't sleep?" "nah"; I ask him if he wants to make our annual holiday peanut butter fudge recipe (my Grammie's recipe). He perks up--and we go down and make fudge. He spills vanilla extract all over the floor; he eats more peanut butter than he puts into the skillet; he almost burns himself stirring the hot sugar mixture. And I wouldn't have missed a second of it. Afterwards he goes to bed, hopefully for the night.

11/09/09

Just getting up this morning. I see a child in green or is it blue? Is that my daughter at the hall window, looking out? She has not learned how to get out of her crib yet, but...is that her? Blurriness leaves me and I realize that no--that is my son, kneeling down at the window in the hall. Looking out at the sun. And then I notice, yes, he is wearing his blue pj top. And his new green iguana (just acquired yesterday) on his shoulder. He is showing Pepi II his new world.

11/2/09

Walking around outside yesterday in an historical park. We were talking about walking the same path as the Revolutionaries. And my son presented me with his theory on reincarnation and how he thinks it could transcend time and space. Of course, as soon as I said that is what he said—he was onto another topic. But, for a brief moment, I saw his inner mind struggling with one of life’s mysteries. And then it was onto the latest video game he is tackling.

9/21/09

Around 9:30 p.m. that night, my son climbs into bed with me. He is having trouble falling asleep. At this point, so am I. We play shadow figures on the ceiling and I am happy to spend this quiet time with just him.

9/14/09

After picking him up from his first day of school, I knew I wanted to do something special for him—perhaps his favorite ice cream stand near our house? Unclear whether that will be a treat he would want, I start to suggest doing something special. He says “Can we go to [the ice cream place]?” We go and he gets his favorite, Mint Oreo, in the warm autumn air.



9/08/09

He always gets to pick out which bed is his when we get to a hotel room. And since he is small and we are large, the double beds are not big enough for the both my husband and I in one bed. So, I get the luxury to sleep in the same bed as my ten year old. Having an excuse to cuddle him is one of those moments I will miss as he gets older. During the second night away, I woke up with a start, not knowing where I was. The thick furry legs of my partner were not there. Instead they were the lanky, stick like legs of my son poking into my stomach. And all was right with the world again.

5/18/09

Michael is in the "SpotLight" this month at school. I guess each month they pick a child in his class who brings in some photos and they post it on a bulletin board in his classroom. So, last night, Michael and I looked through the many scrapbook pages I have of him. I haven't scrapbooked in about a year (I have done a little of Willow's book, but hardly anything since she has been born). I had forgotten how many books I had done of Michael. And all those books are his when he grows up. And it was wonderful to go through those books with him, remembering him at various ages. The first time on a beach, his various obsessions over dinosaurs and superheroes. And he enjoyed looking at them. I think, I hope, that he sees the love and tenderness that went into them. It also reminded me why I love scrapbooking.

2/9/09

Just me and my son. Getting our hair cut. Finished, getting ready to go home. “Do you want to pick up something for lunch, or just…” “Well, mom…there is the Wendy’s right over there…” I am thinking of just going through the drive-thru. I want to get home, I want to see my husband and daughter. My son wants to go inside to eat (where my temptation to have some very fattening food awaits). I relent. We go inside, I eat my good-but-not-good-for-me food. And we play the games suggested by the kids meal bag…a matching game, an eye spy game. I enjoy this small moment between me and my son.




Son, thank you for these precious moments and so many more I have not put down here. You are a gift that keeps on giving to the world. To my world.

You are witty and funny and kind. You can be frustrating, bossy and spoiled sometimes. You are smart, energetic and inquisitive. You are an enigma sometimes to me. And sometimes you are as clear to me as my reflection. You are my first born, my one and only for so long. You hold a place in my heart no other can.

You are becoming a wonderful big brother to your sister. It impresses me to see what tenderness and care you have for her. I hope that in the coming years, your bond with her will only get stronger and that you will find her to be one of your staunchest friends and ally (she already adores you).

You are on the edge of one of the hardest stages of your life and I hope to be there when you need me. But I know I cannot always break your fall. I have seen glimpses lately of the young man you will become and I know that everything will be alright.

So, for your birthday this year, I just wanted to say that I totally, unconditionally love you with all my being. And that as much as I love you now, I will love you even more throughout this coming year and the many years to come.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Show & Tell #62 - My Show & Tell Runneth Over!

I have not just one, but TWO subjects for my Show & Tell this week---

This Sunday we saw a cool display of Legos--several trains going around several scenes (a carnival, a haunted house, a village, etc.) all made of Legos. This was done by the New England Lego Users Group (click to read the article about the display). Michael, who is a big Lego user himself, was suitably impressed, as was Willow.

Here are some pictures:







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Second part of Show & Tell concerns this previous post. Twenty years ago today I met my future husband. This morning, he came by my office and dropped off these roses (20 of them for 20 years).




When I got home today, he had hastily put up this banner:



(My son then pointed out that I hadn't gotten my husband anything--I pointed out that I had poured my guts out on my blog post--but, yeah, hubby gets extra points on this)

Unfortunately, our plans to have a nice kid-free romantic dinner fell through when our designated babysitter fell sick, so....kids came with us for SUSHI and some traditional Japanese food...


Wish I had taken a picture before half the sushi was gone--it was a very impressive sushi platter for two...

Michael tried some tempura that he had not tried before and he even ordered fish (and ate a little bit of it). Willow liked Miso soup and both children liked their rice.

Willow, of course, was "done!" first---as demonstrated by her trying to climb out of her high chair.



It was really kind of interesting to realize that we never would have expected that this would be what we were doing 20 years from when we first met.

And now...I am exhausted....

Click to see who else is Showing and Telling.

20 Years

Has it really been twenty years? Almost half my life and so much more...

20 years ago today I "met" you. Well, officially, I met you a few months before. You often joke that I rejected you three times before we "really" dated.

You must forgive me. You met me at a weird time in my life, my sophomore year in college. My freshman year had been tough. I had went through horrible homesickness and awful roommates, culture shock (I was not into PARTY ALL DAY-ism) and fatigue. I imagine my freshman year was a mixture of the normal freshman stuff, but added into the mixture was my own lack of involvement. Thing is, I am very introverted. My idea of a good time often involves listening to music (at that time on my Walkman) and reading a good book. Not exactly the best ways to meet people.

But...I did meet people eventually. And by my sophomore year, I was feeling pretty good. I had friends, a potential long-term boyfriend back home, and I was doing well. I even went out to clubs--um, social, geeky clubs...like the MSU Star Trek club...um, you might remember the first time we met, we were playing Star Fleet Battles?

By the time I met you the second time, my boyfriend had fizzled and I was sick to death with men/boys. I was fine with my girlfriends and just "hanging out". So, yes, I did not think of you as a "potential boyfriend" then...I just merely heard you across the room talking about the JFK assassination (yes, how romantic, but that is what perked my ears). You were talking about it in relation to the story presented in the Graphic Novel "The Watchmen". (BTW, thanks for helping to revive my love of comic books)

Okay. The third time, well. That was a mistake. Really. Star Trek club, again. We were playing laser tag in one of the abandoned (for the night) halls (can't tell y'all which one--we were not officially supposed to be there--one of our members worked there and had the keys). Speaking of which. When you say "Sure, I would like to get a pop (soda to you guys not from Midwest) too." with this guy who is vaguely familiar...remember that he is NOT the guy with the keys to the building. Cuz we got locked out. Because we wanted soda from a machine OUTSIDE the correct hallway. Luckily (or maybe unluckily, who knows if we had spent some extra time there what might have happened?), some one found us and let us back in.

Okay, so 20 years ago today...it was another Star Trek club event. We were doing a movie night over at one of our member's houses. We car pooled there (most of us did not have cars). When I arrived, I vaguely remember that I sat down and made sure to have the seat next to me empty. Not sure why I did that. I might have got vibes off of you. Or it just could have been that fact that my best friend was not there that evening. Either way, watching "Excalibur" with you next to me was thrillingly, nerve-wreaking fun. And we stayed there until 3 a.m., watching more movies, and then simply talking. We stayed so long that the member, whose house it was, finally asked us if we needed rides HOME...we talked in the car.

And then the next day, I kinda just went about my normal day. I am sorry, but I could not have known. How could I know that that evening you would come up behind me and ask me to go out for a walk with you. And I am so bad at names--I am sorry that the first thing I thought when I saw you behind me was--"Okay, its THIS guy--what's his name again?!?"

Thank you, my love, for being persistant. Thank you for walking in the snow, 20 minutes across campus (with a hole in your shoe), then walking 20 minutes with me towards your dorm, then walking me back afterwards (oh, and you had to walk back to your dorm, again!!!).

Thank you for being my husband and being the father of my children. Love you.

Perfect Moment Monday

This time I am going to share a moment about me being proud of myself:

Coming up to his 11th Birthday has been interesting as this is the first year we are not doing a big party, a theme, a place, etc. I had told him that this year we would do something more intimate--a couple of friends of his choosing, an activity of his choice, some cake, some ice cream, etc. When I asked him about a month ago what he wanted to do, he said a sleep-over that would include his best friend (since kindergarten) who has recently moved to a neighboring state.

Problem. The best friend, I had only one way to contact his mother. And it took weeks to try to find out whether and when I could have him come. And I never told my son that these plans were in motion. Mainly because I was uncertain of the outcome.

Friday, I finally got confirmation from the mother that he would be able to come THE NEXT night. I called the other child's mother to make sure he could come. Then, on Friday night, I went out and bought some small Star Wars figurines and a small gift (he will get his other birthday gifts on his actual birthday). On Saturday, while my husband took the kids to his karate class, I went out and bought a cake, party plates and cups, snacks, and put the Star Wars figures on the cake. And hid all in the oven.

Late afternoon, door rings, and my son answers the door to see his best friend. And later was further surprised with the cake, ice cream, etc. They had a great time and enjoyed themselves. They were well behaved and the house is only a small mess.

It was one of those Perfect Moments I have had as a mother, one of those times when all your planning actually works to perfection. To feel like I had made my son so very happy. How much I love him.


More Perfect Moments Here.

Friday Five: Warmth

Took this from Suzy's blog:

it's friday and time for friday five! want to play along? you can either leave your answers in the comments or leave a comment that you've posted it onto your own blog.

today's topic is things that keep you warm. so, here goes!

What is your favorite blanket like?
Its a down comforter within a blue cover. It is sooo snuggly and warm. I also love to pile on the blankets, especially during winter!

What was the last thing you baked?
Baked chicken and vegetables on Tuesday night.

What television personality gets you most hot and bothered?

That would be DB (from Angel and Bones) or DT (from Dr. Who)

When did you last burn yourself?
Its been so long I have forgotten, but I do remember it was pan handle related...

What are your feelings about hot sauce?
Not really into hot sauce, although I like mildly spicy foods (Indian, etc)

so what are your answers this week?

Show & Tell # 61 - Of Sock Puppets and Men...

Already posted this yesterday, but it really is the epitome of Show and Tell...

Michael had to do a biography project for school. He had to do a book report and an oral report--with a PUPPET. Yep. A puppet of the person. Since he is interested in being a scientist, he picked Albert Einstein.

And this weekend, we made not one, but TWO sock puppets of Albert Einstein.

We used an old pair of dad's socks, and these materials:





One of the things they were graded on was if the puppet looked like the famous person. We lucked out, because Einstein is basically the hair and the mustache.




The reason for two Einsteins, to explain his theory of relativity which tells us that the faster you travel through space, the slower you travel through time.

(His twin paradox says: "Consider a pair of brothers, identical twins. One gets a job as an astronaut and rockets into deep space. The other stays on Earth. When the traveling twin returns home, he discovers he's younger than his brother.")

So, the two puppets helped to represent this theory during the oral report. These are the puppets drying.






I was going to take pictures today of Michael with the puppets, but he had to hand them in. Grade on the whole project: 96%

Good job, Michael!

Click to see who else is Showing and Telling.

Perfect Moment Monday

Moment # 1: He found them. My stash of Mad Magazines--ones that I have saved and saved from when I had a subscription. He is excited and tells me some of the jokes, and I remember them well. He likes Don Martin. His father shows him the CD versions that he bought me one holiday...I prefer the feel of the magazines myself, but I do appreciate that we have all of them (up to 1999) on CD... Sometimes I can see myself in my son. This is one of those times. For his upcoming birthday, I am getting him a subscription to Mad.

Moment #2: She is getting a bit bossey in that cute way. She will grab your hand and pull you towards something. She will ask you to "sit" or "come". She is also learning to say "pees" and "tank you", but those are not as demanding she has learned. She is insistent. That you take the world at her pace. That you take the time out of the routine and play blocks with her or kiss her dolls or play ball. She makes me stop and enjoy the moment. Dishes, laundry, cooking...the house is a mess sometimes. But. I am playing with my daughter right now at her insistence and I don't mind being bossed around to do that.


More Perfect Moments Here.

Please, Oh, Please Go to Bed...

Mostly my children are very good when its time to go to bed. Generally, bedtime is around 8:00 - 8:30 p.m. My husband is usually the Sleep Master. No kidding. The man can get an infant/toddler down in 15 mins. flat. (sometimes quicker!!) The man has super powers. So our routine lately has been for him to put both kids to bed (since Willow tends to want to lay in Michael's bed for a bit to say "good night").

However. Michael's medications sometimes play havoc with his sleep patterns. And Willow. She has never been the regular routine sleeper that Michael was at her age. So, we usually have, on average, one night a week where the kids give us bedtime heck.

This week, it was Thursday night. After trying twice, my husband gave me the reigns to the runaway train...and here is some video!!






Note my son says "9 p.m." then says the real time--9:40 (!)
You can note the irritation in my voice...yeah, I got them to bed finally...and still worked out on the Wii (!)

Show & Tell #60

It's Willow time!

Tried to get some video of Willow tonight, these are the two attempts. As soon as she sees the camera, she wants to play with it. So, here she is.

I call this Baby Hospital. She took a WHOLE bunch of wet wipes and I am not sure what is going on, but it looked like a scene from Gone with the Wind...

Click to see who else is Showing and Telling.

Obsessions

Here's everyone's latest...

Michael's: Star Wars; Spongebob Squarepants "Lights, Camera, Pants" videogame; Mad Magazine; Wierd Al (as in every time we are in the car--"Mom, can we play your iPod? Start at "Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota")

Willow's: Shoes, hats, things she can put on. Snow, as in eating it. Wipes, washclothes, sponges...as in washing/wiping things off (the dishwasher lid where you put the soap in--she likes to wash off the water and clean it before I can start the dishwasher); baby dolls, putting them in strollers and wandering the house; making the cat "Get DOWN!" off of places the cat has every possible reason to be at.

Husband's: Dragon Age; sleep; working all hours of the day and night; Cok.e a Col.a; sleep.

Mine: Re-watching the New Dr. Who DVDs in the morning during my work out--I am done with the first season with delicious CE onto yummy DT; Wii Golds Gym Cardio workout and Wii Fit; sleep; Twitter; Facebook; Blogging; capturing perfect moments on camera since Willow now is starting to say "Cheese!"; This American Life Podcasts; Eddie Izzard



Now, if I could only get "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota" out of my flipping head!!!

Perfect Moments Monday

All together now:

We have all had a little bout of sickness this past week (seems just like a little nasty cold virus). My time finally came this weekend. She had been on/off again sick all week, I had stayed home with her on Friday--about the time I started feeling icky and she was obviously starting to feel better.

Saturday early morning. She started coughing herself awake. So, I brought her into our bed. I do not believe in family beds, but I do feel that if a child is sick or needs comforting...or the parent is just too damned tired to take the child into their bed for the umpteenth billionth time...its okay on occasion. My son sometimes comes into our bed within the last hour of the morning, just for that sleepy/awake-ish snuggle. So, she was in our bed around 5 a.m. Around 6 a.m.--my son comes into the bed to snuggle. And then the cat comes up to me, begging to lay on my hip and be petted.

7 a.m. - we are all together now. The bed is: me on the edge, cat curled up on my hip, son and daughter in a mish mash/cross over each other type thing in the middle, husband on the other edge. I laid there and enjoyed the moment, if not the sleep.


More Perfect Moments Here.

The Plan: January

Here is my update on The Plan:

Physical Health

This is a work in progress, of course. I would say that I have gotten in the habit of taking my vitamins and brushing and flossing my teeth to the point that I would say that is a success. Of the things to try to lose weight, I think that I have maintained my morning exercise routine with a minimum of success--the past 2 weeks have been more chaotic than usual, so trying to get up early enough to do my full morning routine has been hard. At least I am getting up at doing at the minimum 20 - 30 mins on stationary bike...this would be on average 3-5 days a week. The WiiFit and Cardio Boxing--also been hard hit by the chaos, but I was able to work out 15 - 20 mins. an average of 3 nights a week. The more active bit--kinda been harder hit by the weather and people being sick in the household...

Where I have failed totally and utterly--eating better. Last week was Carb heavy AND then this week, hit with the time of the month of cravings, etc....and the chaotic week(s)...trying but failing on the whole eating better, cooking more, eating less....Guess there is next month to redeem myself (although being at a gaming convention at a hotel--kinda hard, but at least this time I got us a kitchen in the suite).

1. Lose and keep off the baby weight
2. Take vitamins
3. Become more active
4. Maintain my morning exercise routine; expand it to working out of WiiFit at night for at least 15 mins.
5. Brush and floss my teeth more often

Mental Well Being

Despite the past two weeks being fraught with things to throw us off, I am very proud of how I have worked on these goals. We have still not had a family meeting, per se, I would say that this weekend will be one. We have had several dinners in the kitchen table and have had meaningful discussions. I have used a huge helping load of patience and I feel that I have been much less prone to anger when it comes to the children and situations. I have taken times to just relax and breathe easy. Still working on some alone time with the husband and still working on some domestic issues related to that. I have tried to have more of a social life outside of the family, and I think I have made some in-roads on that.

1. Re-start our Family Meetings – try to make them bi-weekly
2. Simplify (Throw things AWAY)
3. Use alone time to relax, not just to get things done
4. Take a step back from situations that frustrate me, try to use patience.
5. Make more of an effort to connect with people

Self-Improvement

Our babysitter is AWOL. We cannot seem to connect with her through her cellphone or home phone number. SO, we are back to square one, trying to find a routine babysitter. We had a wonderful time at an Eddie Izzard concert, but had to have our neighbor watch our kids...so, we definately need to get that situation dealt with. I have some leads. Other things still need to be worked on....

1. Save more, waste less
2. Make an effort to spend more alone time with my husband
3. Use our babysitter once a month; try to utilize other people for babysitting
4. Complain less
5. Enjoy what I have; quit worrying about what I do not have
6. Scrapbook more

Family

Working on all of these with mixed results. The chaos of the last 2 weeks have screwed up some of these things, but I have been cutting back on computer, video games and television viewing in the household...

1. Re-start family gaming night/afternoon (?)
2. Cut back on the computer/video game ratio in the household
3. Involve the kids more in food preparation
   

I would say that I am off to good start, not a great start, on The Plan.

Life In General

Random stuff:

Bought a new DVD player. Its a combo DVD and VHS player like our old one, but also has dubbing function. Because of this, we have been watching some old VHS home movies and its been bittersweet to see people and places from our childhoods. I cannot even fathom how I am going to feel when we get to the VHS tapes I have of Michael when he was a baby...

Funny story about the old DVD player. I bought it without husband along. I bought it a few years back. And its never worked that great. And husband especially complained about it. And I said--if you don't like it, lets get a new one. And each time, not wanting to part with the money or whatever...he let it go. So, finally, we were out getting a humidifier (cuz that is what you do when your husband has been coughing for 2 weeks and the doc says its "just a cold going around") and while we were there--got the new DVD player. Husband wants to take the old DVD player out a la "Office Space" fax machine. And I think we will sometime soon....maybe we can borrow our neighbor's bat?

This week has been a bit rough. Husband working late, Willow being on and off again sick. She seems to be dealing with her first real illness, probably a cold, but will find out tomorrow at doctor's appt. Husband and Michael have been coughing and dealing with something for the past 2 weeks, so I think that is what she has. And she has no problems playing with me--kissing me directly, putting her hands on my mouth...yep, you guessed it...I think I am run down enough so that I might be getting sick too....

Michael had the blues the other night. He was saying time was going by so fast. And then he was complaining about the daily grind of school...I think he has been working so hard at school that he is burning out (kinda how I feel after the last 2 weeks of choas). I think he is feeling better now, but it was hard for me to hear him so sad. Luckily, Feburary vacation and his birthday are coming up...

Speaking of birthdays, I am in quandry as to what to get him...there are a few things on Amazon that he says he wants, but I am not too sure. I was originally toying with the idea of another pet (maybe another cat?) but Husband shot down that idea (at least the cat/kitten/puppy idea). Last year we got him Pepi the Iguana, which promptly turned into, Pepi the Missing Iguana, Pepi the Returned Iguana and Pepi the Dead Iguana...followed by the short-lived Pepi II (the Petstore refunded the money--he was obviously not a well Iguana). SO, what do I get my soon to be 11 year old....he got enough video games this year for the holidays....he has plenty of books...he has LOTS of lego sets....uh...still working on that one....

Now, Willow's birthday isn't until April, but I have TONS of ideas for her...no baby dolls or strollers--she's got plenty of those. No, I think cars and trucks are the way to go...she really seems to like those too...
I have already bought some party supplies for her party--Spongebob Squarepants themed!! Its so funny to watch her sit down next to Michael to watch "Sp-bob!" as she calls it.

It is bittersweet too, planning for these events. I did a full out party for Michael last year for his 10th one...partially because I told myself that was the last one for a while. This year I am going for the "pick a couple friends and we will take them out to the movies/somewhere cool for your birthday" type party. Not really a party, per se, but still a way to celebrate. I just think 11 years olds don't need the whole gift bags, going to a party for 2-3 hours experience....especially since we host a Halloween Party at our house each year. So, while I am happy not to have the headaches involved with planning a birthday party this year---it is a bit hard for me to let that go. And its not like Willow's party is going to be big or anything, just friends/family and perhaps a couple kids from daycare....so, I get a break from the Birthday-Go-Round...and I am not sure what I think about that.

Okay, 5th night in a row that I have not been able to get my butt in gear to go to bed before midnight...no wonder I am tired and burned out!!

Night all.

Show & Tell #59

I sent in our pre-registration forms for Total Con today. Its a gaming convention in late February that we go to every year.

One of the things we signed up for is this special event:

"Special Event: G[uest]O[f]H[onor] Frank Mentzer will be
running the First D&D module ever printed
in 1976 "Palace of the Vampire Queen" as
run at Gary Con 1, the first convention to
commemorate the passing of Gary Gygax
and will be offering special signed souvenir
certificates for those who play this event."


And that got me thinking about one of my favorite combinations: Futurama and D&D:

Click Here to see a cool little clip I found (just now!) with the creators of Futurama talking about Gary Gygax.

I like the line "I"m a tenth level Vice President!"





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Perfect Moment Monday

Moments that are perfect can come when you are tired...

Moment #1:

It is getting time to go to bed and its time to read to her. He has been at a Babysitter's Introduction Class most of the day. So, he volunteers to read to her. And then he proceeds to multi-task...he needs to finish his Einstein biography (so that they can do the report this week). So, we all cuddle up to my almost eleven year old reading about Albert Einstein going to school. She listens intently for a while. Then she starts poking him in the face. And then she hugs him and kisses him. I have no idea how she realized this--but she showed her brother such affection at such the right moment...

Moment #2:

It is a half an hour later. We are sitting down to some adult time television viewing. We hear some rustling up stairs, but figure they are settling down. We think he is going to the bathroom; we think she is talking to herself in her crib. And then, they are at the top of the stairs. He says that she was so cute, that they just wanted to cuddle in his bed for a while. And then he promised her they could come down and visit...we acknowledge them reluctantly, but with full hearts--Bed Time Take 2...

(and 1/2 hour later, we did get to have some adult time again)


More Perfect Moments Here.

Show & Tell #58

What does this:



Have to do with this:



Well, I think this article sums up:

Willow put about Four of the above up her nose tonight...

I like that the article says this:

How can I prevent this from happening?

"...You'll also want to teach your child that it's a bad idea to put anything in his nose and ears."

Yeah. Reasoning with a toddler. I will mark that down.


* Note: No toddlers were harmed in this post...but, there was an "ewww" factor...




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Time Marching On

Its been taking some time for me to get back into my groove for the New Year. I think the last couple of months have been stressful and I think we are still dealing with changes in our routines/family. I have been pretty good about my exercise routines, its more about the other facets of my life--like eating right and getting enough sleep, getting things done around the house, etc. I am usually the person planning things to do on the weekends, etc. I like to be busy, I like to do fun things to enrich myself and my family. But, the last couple of months-- a lot of the weekends have been my time to collapse into exhaustion. A few Saturdays--I did not get out of the house--a few Saturdays, I did not get out of my pjs! I was just that exhausted. Unfortunately, I find that people in my family rely on me to set the standard--so, when I do not plan anything--then nothing gets done. Of course, with the holidays I did DO things--but not as many things as I usually do. And, it did not help that we had a few weekend snowstorms.

So. I am at an end to that. It does seem like late January I usually come out of my post-Holiday slump. I usually have Total Confusion to plan on, Michael's Birthday coming up, then, in April - Willow's 2nd Birthday...I love to be busy with these fun things!

Michael has been very observant of time lately. The other day, he pointed out how changed Willow is compared to our first family portrait when she was 3 months old. And he noticed how she is changing, and how time goes by so fast. Then today, he was being nostalgic about some computer games he used to have. It is so bittersweet to see my little boy grow up. It is hard to realize that time goes on, whether you are busy or slothful. Whether you will it to slow down; or wish it to hurry up. Time goes at its own pace. And all I can do, all we ever can do--is make the best of the time we have.

And remember these small moments:

Show & Tell #57

Being creative with toys.




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Perfect Moment Monday

Moment #1: I don't do as much socializing outside my comfort zone--usually my husband, a few mutual friends. Sometimes that can be isolating. So, one part of my Plan this year--try to reach out to others and find my social life again. Yesterday, I was going to a Meet Up for Ruby Feathers (see sidebar badge). As I was leaving, my husband and she were sleeping on the couch. My son--he was acting dejected. He knew he needed to do some homework, but did not want to...and suddenly--he was clingy. I told him if he wanted me to, I would stay. I told him that nothing is more important to me than him. But, he said I could go. I left him my cell phone number, I told him to call if he wanted me to come home. LATER, when I got home, my husband and I were expecting company--and I expressly ignored them (with their permission) to go watch "Monsters, Inc." with my son next to me in my arms.

Moment #2: The men of the house went to get the garbage cans from the street. She was upset, did not understand where they went! I told her--"here, look out of the window...they will be coming up any minute..." and we wait. And we wait. (Seems they went to the convenience store down the street too). And we wait. At the window for daddy and brother. Who finally come up the driveway. Once she seems them, she bangs on the window and jumps up and down...they are here again!!

More Perfect Moments Here.

Saturday Laying Low

Except for Karate this morning, we did not leave the house today which is unusual for us.

Things did get done around the house. And the kids had some fun...


Michael Assembled his Star Wars Robotic Arm that we got him for Christmas:



And the hand MOVES:

(Looking at this video again, I see there is a diaper in the foreground--that is not a dirty diaper--Willow likes to take the real diapers and put them on her baby dolls--so that is just a disguarded "pretend" diaper diaper) (ahh, chaos)

Willow looked like she was going places:



Sometimes it is nice to just "hang out".

Show & Tell # 56

For the holidays, I received Gold's Gym Cardio Boxing for the Wii(we have had a Wii since they came out--LOVE it). As part of my Plan, I am playing this (or WiiFit) 15 mins a night...and here are some screen shots taken from tonight....


This is Nina--pretty nice lady, and often she encourages me (with the same phrases every time)


My Japanimation version of me. I wish.


I did hooks and jabs. Fun fun! (Notice the forest in front of me--I can also have a seaside or the gym)


To play, you kinda do like Dance, Dance or Rock band--with your fists! (and with either remote and nunchuck, or my preference, two remotes).






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The Plan 2010 - Log Entry: Stardate: 63478.8

(Yes, I went to this website to get the Stardate)

Last night/this morning was typical on how things can get off track. Just for the record, here is my plan again...with some updates on how I am doing so far:

Physical Health

Lose and keep off the baby weight - Have kept off the 7 lbs. I lost before holidays.

Take vitamins - been taking my Vitamin C; have resisted going out and buying new Multivitamins because I know Willow hid my new bottle I just bought at the store SOMEWHERE in the house... (hmmm...perhaps those left over Pre-Natals will do until I find them?)

Become more active - does shoveling snow count? Cuz done lots of that!

Maintain my morning exercise routine; expand it to working out of WiiFit at night for at least 15 mins. - pretty much--this will be expanded upon momentarily...

Brush and floss my teeth more often - doing good

Mental Well Being

Re-start our Family Meetings – try to make them bi-weekly - a lot of talk on that, but no meeting yet...

Simplify (Throw things AWAY)

Use alone time to relax, not just to get things done - forced to do this a bit because of snowstorm...

Take a step back from situations that frustrate me, try to use patience. - oh yeah, been working on that, prime moment--Willow throwing her food AT ME while Michael is interrupting our conversation yet again at the dinner table...

Make more of an effort to connect with people - trying but failing.

Self-Improvement

Save more, waste less

Make an effort to spend more alone time with my husband - more on that in moment...

Use our babysitter once a month; try to utilize other people for babysitting - have babysitter emergency at moment NEED someone to watch children next Tuesday...

Complain less

Enjoy what I have; quit worrying about what I do not have

Scrapbook more

Family

Re-start family gaming night/afternoon (?)

Cut back on the computer/video game ratio in the household - doing so.

Involve the kids more in food preparation - actually did some of this during the weekend...


Okay, so how can things go off-track? Well, it started yesterday at 2 p.m. When my husband texted me that he was going to work late--meaning he was not going to be home until 9 p.m. Which meant that I was not going to have the energy/time to make the dinner I had planned. So, got home--oh, wait, before getting home, had to stop at music store and get new reeds for my son's clarinet...then got home, had to take the dishes out of the dishwasher (husband's job, not done), then put dirty dishes in--while giving Willow a sippy of milk, the cat some food, Willow a bowl of SNOW--because now she likes to EAT it...Help Michael figure out what homework he is going to do...get mail....you get the idea.

However, going with the PLAN--I resisted (very strongly) just ordering food--and I made a reduced menu--fishsticks, fries, broccoli/cauliflower and butternut squash...unfortunately, not the most low carb meal--but, hey, I did make a meal and not spend money on Chinese.

AND, after getting the children to bed, WAY after I would normally do this--I went on my Wii Cardio Boxing for 15 mins.

Going to bed WAY later than wanted to, we were awoken @ 2 a.m. with dirty diaper Willow, who then did not want to sleep...so we were taking shifts a four a.m....which meant this mornings exercise routine--not so much. ALTHOUGH, I did work out for 15 mins (while hubby AND son slept in my bed next to me!!)

So yeah. Plans/goals--pretty much ontrack considering my life!!

Perfect Moments Monday

Sometimes a little chaos can bring perfect moments.

Moment #1: He has a friend sleeping over. They generally end up falling asleep around 10 p.m., so it really is no hassle. Until they both come down the stairs. At 10:30 p.m.—just as my husband and I were going to play Beatles Rock Band. They have scared each other silly with ghost stories and stories of the supernatural. We talk to them, making sure there is no real issue here. There is none, they just want to be up for a bit. So. My husband and I play Beatles music (pretty well, too) while the boys play on my laptop. It was chaos controlled--and I got to spend time with my husband before we all went up to bed...

Moment #2: I hear "It's a level 10!" and I know what that means. I jump up from what I was doing (cleaning peas and carrots off the kitchen floor) and I go upstairs to start the bath. Husband deals with the icky diaper and clothes, I deal with icky toddler. She plays in a bubble bath while I finish cleaning her up. Then, she grabs washcloth. And dumps a whole bunch of water in my hair. And I let her continue to do this. Because it is fun and perfect.

More Perfect Moments Here.

Spinning round

My Plan - 2010

This past year was a mess. Clear and simple. It was the year that Willow grew into a wonderfully curious but high-maintenance toddler. It was the year I got laid off, my husband had a stressful time at his work, we both ended up getting new jobs in the middle of this year, my son started his last year in grade school. We are still trying to get used to being a family of four. We are still working on methods and medications to help Michael with his ADHD. I am still trying to re-gain my exercise routines while also trying to eat/live better and healthier. (Unfortunately, the stresses of this past year has made that latter goal very slow in obtaining.)

So, Miss K had a good idea and now there is even a blog for it. And, while I am not at all into New Year's Resolutions, these are not resolutions, per say, but a Plan of Goals for 2010.

So, here is my plan. I tried to leave it vague enough to follow, open enough to add to. My goals are not to just do one or two of these items--but to try to create a more healthy (and hopefully less stressful) lifestyle.

To a new Decade!

Physical Health

1. Lose and keep off the baby weight
2. Take vitamins
3. Become more active
4. Maintain my morning exercise routine; expand it to working out of WiiFit at night for at least 15 mins.
5. Brush and floss my teeth more often

Mental Well Being

1. Re-start our Family Meetings – try to make them bi-weekly
2. Simplify (Throw things AWAY)
3. Use alone time to relax, not just to get things done
4. Take a step back from situations that frustrate me, try to use patience.
5. Make more of an effort to connect with people

Self-Improvement

1. Save more, waste less
2. Make an effort to spend more alone time with my husband
3. Use our babysitter once a month; try to utilize other people for babysitting
4. Complain less
5. Enjoy what I have; quit worrying about what I do not have
6. Scrapbook more

Family

1. Re-start family gaming night/afternoon (?)
2. Cut back on the computer/video game ratio in the household
3. Involve the kids more in food preparation
   

Movies, Movies, Movies

Usually try to go to at least one movie during the holiday season, this year we were able to see all three of the top box office...

The weakest by far, was The Squeakquel; or the movie that I was so glad to take a toddler to, because I could make friends with the lobby people and not have to watch this horrible dreech. Er, um, I mean it was a great movie for children my son's age, er, um...okay, I cannot even say that with a straight face---it was annoying, cloying and the only good part was David Cross (but he is always good). My son was amused, so I guess that gives it a break from me totally blasting it....

Avatar suffered from an all too familar plot (think "Dances with Wolves" in space) but it was visually stunning. It was so amazingly well done that I could have just sat there and watched that world--like a National Geographic explorer. I liked the movie a lot, and like any good movie, it stayed with me for quite a while after I saw it. It was a bit too long (say in the way that your son is squirming in his chair saying, "when is this going to be over?"--and in the next breath, he is enjoying the explosions, but still is squirming and fidgeting....)

Of the three movies, I think I found Sherlock Holmes the most entertaining...Avatar was absorbing and an experience--but Holmes was a harken back to the reason why I like going to the movie theater. Iron Man, er, I mean Robert Downey, Jr., did his normal spectacular job and I loved Jude Law as Dr. Watson. As one who has read all of Holmes' adventures, and as a purist, I think Jeremy Brett was the best Sherlock Holmes EVER, I knew I was going to be seeing a reimagining of Holmes--and I had no problems with that. They kept the spirit of Holmes and Robert Downey, Jr. was an inspired choice for him. I enjoyed it--especially since my son's squirm-ness was down to a minimal...

And now--I am done for a bit--time to cuddle up on a cold night and read some Sherlock Holmes....

My first Video Post...

Christmas Day Pictures

Some random pictures from Christmas Eve...


Our tree.


MST3K gift...watched Santa Claus MSTied movie...


Willow and Michael checking out a Seseame Street Remote.


Michael wants to look at it...


Michael gave dad a watch...


Willow liking this whole present thing...