6 months ago
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Off season packing is hard
I'm trying to pack our suitcases tonight for warmer weather. It's not going to be hot but it's definitely going to be warmer then it is here. The problem is that I don't know what fits on the kids anymore. They grow so damn fast and I haven't bought any summer clothes for them yet. And to top it all off almost all of Jake's long pants are fleece-lined for winter. He could get away with wearing pants this weekend but I think the fleece lining is too much. Ugh!
Hannah's Reader Response Notebook
Write about a time when you helped a friend.
A time when I helped a friend was when I helped my Dad fold laundry, clean the house, and with my bath. I wet my hair and he shampoos and rinses. I fold little towels, shirts, socks, and pants and when we clean the house my brother Jake cleans his toys, I clean my toys, and Dad helps.
Notice who is missing from that scenario.
But have no fear...I apparently have some purpose in the family structure:
Think about a time when someone helped you. What did the person do?
My mom helps me by taking me to school.
A time when I helped a friend was when I helped my Dad fold laundry, clean the house, and with my bath. I wet my hair and he shampoos and rinses. I fold little towels, shirts, socks, and pants and when we clean the house my brother Jake cleans his toys, I clean my toys, and Dad helps.
Notice who is missing from that scenario.
But have no fear...I apparently have some purpose in the family structure:
Think about a time when someone helped you. What did the person do?
My mom helps me by taking me to school.
It is obviously hereditary
My Mom informed me this morning that Dad takes off his pants the same way. Obviously Hannah and I are doomed to live this way for all eternity....it's clearly hereditary.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Poor poor put upon Lincoln
Despite my promising Lincoln when we lived in the 3rd floor condo that if he did the wash when we lived there that I would always do the wash once we moved into the house he is still the one that does about 85% of our laundry.
Tonight I wanted to make sure my jeans got into the wash before we packed for our trip so I went into the laundry room, took them off, and headed into the bedroom.
Lincoln: Those aren't going to get washed like that!
Me: What are you talking about?
Lincoln: Look at them. Does this mean that I should just give up on Hannah right now? Will she never learn to make sure her pants aren't inside out when she puts them in the wash?
Me: Probably. But to be fair, Hannah is growing up with someone who makes a big deal about it. I didn't. Really this is all your mother-in-law's fault. She never made me turn them right side out.
(a short while later Hannah takes off her clothes in the laundry room before her bath)
Me: Don't look at those.
Lincoln: At what?
Me: Hannah's pants.
(he picks them up off the floor)
Lincoln: They're always like that! One leg inside out and the other one not! How does that happen? How do you two do that?
Me: Because you take one leg out first and then the other one you tug on until it comes over your foot.
Lincoln (laughing): And then what? Cast thy pants into the breeze?......And yet they boomerang right back to you clean, right side out, and hanging up.
Me: Yep. Pretty much.
Tonight I wanted to make sure my jeans got into the wash before we packed for our trip so I went into the laundry room, took them off, and headed into the bedroom.
Lincoln: Those aren't going to get washed like that!
Me: What are you talking about?
Lincoln: Look at them. Does this mean that I should just give up on Hannah right now? Will she never learn to make sure her pants aren't inside out when she puts them in the wash?
Me: Probably. But to be fair, Hannah is growing up with someone who makes a big deal about it. I didn't. Really this is all your mother-in-law's fault. She never made me turn them right side out.
(a short while later Hannah takes off her clothes in the laundry room before her bath)
Me: Don't look at those.
Lincoln: At what?
Me: Hannah's pants.
(he picks them up off the floor)
Lincoln: They're always like that! One leg inside out and the other one not! How does that happen? How do you two do that?
Me: Because you take one leg out first and then the other one you tug on until it comes over your foot.
Lincoln (laughing): And then what? Cast thy pants into the breeze?......And yet they boomerang right back to you clean, right side out, and hanging up.
Me: Yep. Pretty much.
A very productive day
If tomorrow is as productive as today was I will be in great shape to go on vacation this weekend. I really need this vacation.
Why JetBlue is the greatest airline ever....
I love JetBlue. I really do. They always come through for me. JetBlue is awesome because they have TVs in the back of every seat and they fly a direct route to Seattle from Boston but that's not the only reason that I love them.
Let's start at the beginning....
A few years ago I decided that I was going to fly out to Seattle with Hannah in February. I believe she was four at the time and the plan was for me to fly out to Seattle with her and stay a few days and then I'd leave and fly home and Hannah would return the following weekend with Grandma Dena. We were taking an evening flight and I left work and met Lincoln at the airport. He handed off Hannah who had fallen asleep in the car and went back home with Jake who was just a baby at the time. Hannah and I went to get a bite to eat before going through security and she was a little lethargic but I thought it was because she had fallen asleep on the ride to the airport. While we were eating dinner she said her ear hurt. I told her we'd get some Tylenol for her before we got on the plane. After dinner we bought some Tylenol, went through security, and headed for our gate. I had our carry-on bag and her car seat so I couldn't carry her and she had to walk through the airport by herself. When we sat down I went to give her the Tylenol and discovered she was burning up. I gave her some Tylenol and at that moment they announced our flight had changed gates. She followed me through the airport to the new gate and when we got there our flight was boarding. Before I could make any decisions or think anything through we were on the plane and in our seats. Hannah has thrown up on planes before and since I was worried about her being sick I checked to see that she had an air sickness bag in her seat pocket. She didn't and I asked the flight attendant about it and she suggested that we get off the plane and fly another day if Hannah had an ear infection, which is what we suspected at that moment. The only reason I hadn't gotten off already was because I thought they would charge us an arm and a leg to change our flights and I was hoping that Hannah would fall asleep for the whole ride and not be that uncomfortable. I finally decided to get off the plane and even though they were about to close the doors they let me get off but she said our bags would continue onto Seattle. That was fine because I was hoping to get on a flight the next day. We got off the plane and they rebooked our tickets for the next evening without any fees or giving us any problems at all. The next day I took Hannah to the doctor, got her on antibiotics and got cleared by her doctor to fly that evening. I then called the JetBlue baggage office in Seattle and left them a voice mail asking them to make sure they didn't send our bags back to Boston because we'd be flying in that night. When Hannah and I got off the plane that night the crew from the previous night was waiting to board the plane and they recognized me and Hannah and they stopped her and asked how she was feeling and if she was excited to see Grandma (she had been crying on the plane the night before because she was afraid if we got off the plane she wouldn't get to go see Grandma). They were so great with her and after we finished talking with them we started to head towards baggage and I heard my name paged over the intercom. Since it was the middle of the night, and the airport was fairly empty, they paged me to an empty ticket counter where they had our bags waiting for us on a luggage cart and when we walked up they asked me how Hannah was feeling. I couldn't believe the level of customer service and since it was the first time I had ever flown with them I was very impressed.
They've gone above and beyond on a number of other things for me in the past few years as well and as always I was looking forward to flying them when we go out to California this weekend. For reasons that would take too long to explain here (I think I've rambled enough already) I had to split up our bookings for this flight into Lincoln/Jake and me and Hannah. Two tickets were booked directly through JetBlue and two through Expedia. Even though I booked them separately they were booked at the same time and I made sure to go into the JetBlue website with both confirmation numbers and book all 4 of our seats together. When I went in to print our flight info yesterday I noticed that the seats for Hannah and me had been taken out and there were only center seats left and we wouldn't be all together. I was pissed. I sent a very irate letter to JetBlue saying that apparently since I had booked those tickets through Expedia they were treating me like a third class citizen in favor of someone who had booked directly through JetBlue that wanted those seats. I really let them have it.
Anyway, to make a long story short (too late, I know), JetBlue wrote me back today and apologized for the inconvenience and put the four of us together. I am once again madly in love with JetBlue.
Please fly them so they don't go out of business.
Let's start at the beginning....
A few years ago I decided that I was going to fly out to Seattle with Hannah in February. I believe she was four at the time and the plan was for me to fly out to Seattle with her and stay a few days and then I'd leave and fly home and Hannah would return the following weekend with Grandma Dena. We were taking an evening flight and I left work and met Lincoln at the airport. He handed off Hannah who had fallen asleep in the car and went back home with Jake who was just a baby at the time. Hannah and I went to get a bite to eat before going through security and she was a little lethargic but I thought it was because she had fallen asleep on the ride to the airport. While we were eating dinner she said her ear hurt. I told her we'd get some Tylenol for her before we got on the plane. After dinner we bought some Tylenol, went through security, and headed for our gate. I had our carry-on bag and her car seat so I couldn't carry her and she had to walk through the airport by herself. When we sat down I went to give her the Tylenol and discovered she was burning up. I gave her some Tylenol and at that moment they announced our flight had changed gates. She followed me through the airport to the new gate and when we got there our flight was boarding. Before I could make any decisions or think anything through we were on the plane and in our seats. Hannah has thrown up on planes before and since I was worried about her being sick I checked to see that she had an air sickness bag in her seat pocket. She didn't and I asked the flight attendant about it and she suggested that we get off the plane and fly another day if Hannah had an ear infection, which is what we suspected at that moment. The only reason I hadn't gotten off already was because I thought they would charge us an arm and a leg to change our flights and I was hoping that Hannah would fall asleep for the whole ride and not be that uncomfortable. I finally decided to get off the plane and even though they were about to close the doors they let me get off but she said our bags would continue onto Seattle. That was fine because I was hoping to get on a flight the next day. We got off the plane and they rebooked our tickets for the next evening without any fees or giving us any problems at all. The next day I took Hannah to the doctor, got her on antibiotics and got cleared by her doctor to fly that evening. I then called the JetBlue baggage office in Seattle and left them a voice mail asking them to make sure they didn't send our bags back to Boston because we'd be flying in that night. When Hannah and I got off the plane that night the crew from the previous night was waiting to board the plane and they recognized me and Hannah and they stopped her and asked how she was feeling and if she was excited to see Grandma (she had been crying on the plane the night before because she was afraid if we got off the plane she wouldn't get to go see Grandma). They were so great with her and after we finished talking with them we started to head towards baggage and I heard my name paged over the intercom. Since it was the middle of the night, and the airport was fairly empty, they paged me to an empty ticket counter where they had our bags waiting for us on a luggage cart and when we walked up they asked me how Hannah was feeling. I couldn't believe the level of customer service and since it was the first time I had ever flown with them I was very impressed.
They've gone above and beyond on a number of other things for me in the past few years as well and as always I was looking forward to flying them when we go out to California this weekend. For reasons that would take too long to explain here (I think I've rambled enough already) I had to split up our bookings for this flight into Lincoln/Jake and me and Hannah. Two tickets were booked directly through JetBlue and two through Expedia. Even though I booked them separately they were booked at the same time and I made sure to go into the JetBlue website with both confirmation numbers and book all 4 of our seats together. When I went in to print our flight info yesterday I noticed that the seats for Hannah and me had been taken out and there were only center seats left and we wouldn't be all together. I was pissed. I sent a very irate letter to JetBlue saying that apparently since I had booked those tickets through Expedia they were treating me like a third class citizen in favor of someone who had booked directly through JetBlue that wanted those seats. I really let them have it.
Anyway, to make a long story short (too late, I know), JetBlue wrote me back today and apologized for the inconvenience and put the four of us together. I am once again madly in love with JetBlue.
Please fly them so they don't go out of business.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
A daredevil who hates blood
This morning I hit my ankle really hard and Jakey brought me an ice pack. He was telling me that he doesn't cry unless it really, really hurts when he get injured.
Me: You only cry when you get hurt if there is blood.
Hannah: Yeah, and if there is no blood you say "That was AWESOME!"
Me: You only cry when you get hurt if there is blood.
Hannah: Yeah, and if there is no blood you say "That was AWESOME!"
Just like Auntie Rachie
I'm pretty sure Rachel hates when we call her that but oh well....
This morning I came downstairs and Hannah was eating her cereal sitting on one of the heating vents in the living room. I have so many memories of Rachel doing the exact same thing when we were growing up. I suspect she still does it.
This morning I came downstairs and Hannah was eating her cereal sitting on one of the heating vents in the living room. I have so many memories of Rachel doing the exact same thing when we were growing up. I suspect she still does it.
Final Oscar Post
I didn't post anything yesterday because I was way too tired. Between our late night at House of Blues on Saturday and staying up until midnight on Sunday to watch the Oscars I was a wee bit exhausted yesterday.
None of my picks really won in the major categories although I was happy with the outcome. I was very happy to see Kate Winslet win and I know that Anne Hathaway will be nominated again some other day. By the way, her bit in the opening was brillant. I never knew she had such a great voice.
None of my picks really won in the major categories although I was happy with the outcome. I was very happy to see Kate Winslet win and I know that Anne Hathaway will be nominated again some other day. By the way, her bit in the opening was brillant. I never knew she had such a great voice.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Forget the Oscar nominees
One of the greatest movies of all time is on ABC Family right now......Grease 2.
I want a cooool rider....a cool, cool, cool, cool rider.....I want a C-O-O-L...R-I-D-E-R. I want a cooooolll rider.
Ahhh......what a classic.
I want a cooool rider....a cool, cool, cool, cool rider.....I want a C-O-O-L...R-I-D-E-R. I want a cooooolll rider.
Ahhh......what a classic.
My two cents on the Oscar nominees (for what it's worth)
This year, for the first time, I've actually seen all 5 of the Best Picture nominees and a majority of the best actor, best actress, best supporting actress, and best supporting actor nominees. Below are my thoughts on the top five categories. These are not the ones that I think will win....they're the ones I hope will win. It's who I would have voted for if I was an Academy member.
BEST ACTOR:
BEST ACTRESS:
BEST ACTOR:
- Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
- Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
- Sean Penn, Milk
- Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
BEST ACTRESS:
- Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
- Angelina Jolie, Changeling
- Melissa Leo, Frozen River
- Meryl Streep, Doubt
- Kate Winslet, The Reader
Of the five movies I've seen Rachel Getting Married, Doubt, and The Reader. The Reader was definitely my favorite movie out of those three but I would cast my vote for Anne Hathaway. Meryl Streep, at this point in her career, has set her own bar so high that even though she was fantastic in Doubt it just seemed like nothing less that you expect out of Meryl Streep at this point. Kate Winslet is becoming the Susan Lucci of the Oscars (nominated 6 times so far with no wins yet) and she did an absolutely incredible job in The Reader but I think Anne Hathaway was better in Rachel Getting Married. Best known for The Princess Diaries she really knocked it out the park in this movie about a recovering drug addict. Unfortunately Rachel Getting Married came out last fall and I think most people have forgotten about it. There is also a long dinner scene in the movie that turns some people off but once again, this is about acting and not the movie itself. Therefore, I vote for Anne Hathaway.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
- Josh Brolin, Milk
- Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
- Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
- Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
- Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
Of these five movies I've seen Milk, Tropic Thunder, Doubt, and Revolutionary Road. I wasn't terribly impressed with Josh Brolin's performance; I thought Robert Downey Jr. was great but there is little chance a comedic performance like that would win; and I thought Michael Shannon was fantastic even though he's only in a handful of scenes....they were pretty powerful scenes. I'm pretty sure Heath Ledger is going to win this one and even though I haven't seen The Dark Knight yet I've heard he's fantastic in it and I would vote for him because he got screwed out of an Oscar for Brokeback Mountain if nothing else. I realize that's not fair to the others but in this imaginary voting system I would vote for Heath Ledger. If you take Heath out of the running though I would definitely vote for Michael Shannon.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
- Amy Adams, Doubt
- Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
- Viola Davis, Doubt
- Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Of the four movies I've seen Doubt and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Amy Adams does a great job and she definitely has incredible potential as a great actress. Penelope Cruz is supposed to be really great in her role and that movie is one that I wish I had seen prior to the show tonight but it wasn't meant to be. The critics say she has a good chance of winning. So without having seen Vicky Cristina Barcelona I would have to say I would be voting for Viola Davis. She doesn't have a very big role at all but the power that she puts into her few scenes blew me away. And she's up against Meryl Streep in those scenes and she more than holds her own. I think she even overshadows Meryl Streep in those few scenes.
BEST PICTURE
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Frost/Nixon
- Milk
- The Reader
- Slumdog Millionaire
I'm pretty sure that Slumdog Millionaire is going to walk away with this grand prize but you can read my thoughts on the Best Picture contest here. I would definitely be voting for The Reader.
Our crazy Saturday
Yesterday was definitely a busy day with a lot of multi-tasking. Lincoln made breakfast for everyone while I started packing for our night in the city. After breakfast Lincoln headed to karate with Jake (he received his white belt and I will post those pictures later) while Hannah and I headed out to find me an outfit to wear to the big party last night. After karate Lincoln and Jake joined us so that we could pick out an outfit for Link too. I loved my outfit but I really like what we picked for Lincoln....I have to say he was looking very stylish. We got him some cool new jeans, a beautiful dress shirt and tie, and some awesome new shoes. He was stylin'....very rock 'n roll.
After shopping Lincoln and the kids headed out to lunch while I went to my hair appointment. I was scheduled to touch up my blond hair (my roots were terrible) and get a cut but instead I ended up dying it brown and cutting off 3 inches. It's a little "Rachel from Friends" circa 1995 but it looks pretty good. After their lunch Lincoln brought me a sandwich while the kids also got their hair cut. The kids and I actually finished up at the same time so we all headed home.
Once we got home we finished packing and hit the road for Boston. Originally our plan was to get to the venue at 7:30 (before I found out I had to work) but now our plan was to head over there at 6:30. On the way into the city I found out my boss would be arriving at 6:30 instead of 7:30 so I now had to push up my arrival time to about 5:30/6:00. Luckily I got in and did what needed to be done and then Lincoln and I headed across the street for a quick bite to eat. Unfortunately I didn't make it through the entire meal before my phone was ringing and I was running back over to the venue and leaving Lincoln to settle the tab. That was pretty much the last time I saw Lincoln for about 2 hours.
The club opening was the place to be. It was a VIP invitation-only event and the line was insane. I believe at one point someone told me it took them an hour and a half to get through the line. My job was to get the very, very VIPs through the line much more quickly. Unfortunately I had new high heels on that tortured my feet as I ran all over the place. Luckily I was so busy for the first part of the night that it didn't hit me until a little later. Even better, I remembered to pack a change of shoes so I actually switched them out when I was finally "off duty". I put that in quotes because I'm never really off duty at one of these things.
The night was a lot of fun and we got back to the hotel room about 2:15 a.m. We slept in until about 9:50 and then ordered breakfast. Lincoln is a little slow getting started this morning (he was hanging out with some of my colleagues and having a little too much fun last night.....LOL) so I figured I'd update the blog. We'll be heading home shortly and then I have to get ready for my Oscar night festivities. More about that later.
After shopping Lincoln and the kids headed out to lunch while I went to my hair appointment. I was scheduled to touch up my blond hair (my roots were terrible) and get a cut but instead I ended up dying it brown and cutting off 3 inches. It's a little "Rachel from Friends" circa 1995 but it looks pretty good. After their lunch Lincoln brought me a sandwich while the kids also got their hair cut. The kids and I actually finished up at the same time so we all headed home.
Once we got home we finished packing and hit the road for Boston. Originally our plan was to get to the venue at 7:30 (before I found out I had to work) but now our plan was to head over there at 6:30. On the way into the city I found out my boss would be arriving at 6:30 instead of 7:30 so I now had to push up my arrival time to about 5:30/6:00. Luckily I got in and did what needed to be done and then Lincoln and I headed across the street for a quick bite to eat. Unfortunately I didn't make it through the entire meal before my phone was ringing and I was running back over to the venue and leaving Lincoln to settle the tab. That was pretty much the last time I saw Lincoln for about 2 hours.
The club opening was the place to be. It was a VIP invitation-only event and the line was insane. I believe at one point someone told me it took them an hour and a half to get through the line. My job was to get the very, very VIPs through the line much more quickly. Unfortunately I had new high heels on that tortured my feet as I ran all over the place. Luckily I was so busy for the first part of the night that it didn't hit me until a little later. Even better, I remembered to pack a change of shoes so I actually switched them out when I was finally "off duty". I put that in quotes because I'm never really off duty at one of these things.
The night was a lot of fun and we got back to the hotel room about 2:15 a.m. We slept in until about 9:50 and then ordered breakfast. Lincoln is a little slow getting started this morning (he was hanging out with some of my colleagues and having a little too much fun last night.....LOL) so I figured I'd update the blog. We'll be heading home shortly and then I have to get ready for my Oscar night festivities. More about that later.
Friday, February 20, 2009
We interrupt this blog for the following obligations
My postings may be few and far between in the next few days.
Tomorrow night is the aforementioned shindig that my company is throwing. Originally I was VERY excited about this party because for once I have nothing to do with the planning or execution of the event. Lincoln and I were going to make a date out of it and we got a hotel room and everything so that we could both drink and not have to worry about driving home. We have someone watching the kids overnight and it was going to be a great night. Then in the last 48 hours I've realized that even though I'm not actually in charge of the party it is still my obligation to make sure that everything runs smoothly for my boss that night. Unfortunately I don't have the greatest faith that the people in charge of the event will handle everything to his standards (and neither does he). That means that I'll be tied to my cell phone, running all over the venue to make sure that all his VIPs are taken care of, and depressingly sober. Luckily Lincoln knows some of my co-workers and will have people to hang out with but it's definitely not going to be the night we were anticipating. That sucks.
The good news is that I shouldn't be hungover on Sunday and can therefore partake in all of my annual Oscar festivities which include starting to watch the Red Carpet coverage at 12 noon with a bottle of champagne and a plate of pigs in the blanket.
My having to work on Saturday night is obviously God's way of making sure I don't die of alcohol poisoning this weekend.
Tomorrow night is the aforementioned shindig that my company is throwing. Originally I was VERY excited about this party because for once I have nothing to do with the planning or execution of the event. Lincoln and I were going to make a date out of it and we got a hotel room and everything so that we could both drink and not have to worry about driving home. We have someone watching the kids overnight and it was going to be a great night. Then in the last 48 hours I've realized that even though I'm not actually in charge of the party it is still my obligation to make sure that everything runs smoothly for my boss that night. Unfortunately I don't have the greatest faith that the people in charge of the event will handle everything to his standards (and neither does he). That means that I'll be tied to my cell phone, running all over the venue to make sure that all his VIPs are taken care of, and depressingly sober. Luckily Lincoln knows some of my co-workers and will have people to hang out with but it's definitely not going to be the night we were anticipating. That sucks.
The good news is that I shouldn't be hungover on Sunday and can therefore partake in all of my annual Oscar festivities which include starting to watch the Red Carpet coverage at 12 noon with a bottle of champagne and a plate of pigs in the blanket.
My having to work on Saturday night is obviously God's way of making sure I don't die of alcohol poisoning this weekend.
Sorry Grandma
Tomorrow afternoon we are taking both kids to get their hair cut. Jake was complaining that he didn't want a haircut so I told him that Grandma Dena wanted me to cut his hair off until it was short like Daddy's. That didn't seem to faze him so I said that Grandma wanted Mommy to cut off ALL OF HIS HAIR.
Jake: Oh no, no, no.
Jake: Oh no, no, no.
If only it were that easy
Me: Hey Jakey, remember what Sensei Tim said about tomorrow's class.
Jake: What?
Me: If you go right into class without any fuss and you don't cling to Daddy you'll get your white [starting] belt tomorrow.
Jake: Oh man, I want the black one.
Jake: What?
Me: If you go right into class without any fuss and you don't cling to Daddy you'll get your white [starting] belt tomorrow.
Jake: Oh man, I want the black one.
Party like it's 1959
Me: Tomorrow I'll take Hannah with me to go shopping while you take Jake to karate.
Hannah: What are we going shopping for?
Me: I need an outfit for tomorrow night's shindig.
Hannah: What's a shindig?
Me: A party. An event.
Link: It's a party that took place in the 1950's. I don't know what Mommy's talking about.
Me: Hardy har har.
Link: It's a soiree.
(Hannah and I continue our conversation and ignore Lincoln)
Link (still talking): I hear there's a speakeasy down the street.
Hannah: What are we going shopping for?
Me: I need an outfit for tomorrow night's shindig.
Hannah: What's a shindig?
Me: A party. An event.
Link: It's a party that took place in the 1950's. I don't know what Mommy's talking about.
Me: Hardy har har.
Link: It's a soiree.
(Hannah and I continue our conversation and ignore Lincoln)
Link (still talking): I hear there's a speakeasy down the street.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The center of the storm
Pretty much nothing has gone right today and yet everything is managing to pull together. In the middle of the chaotic storm that is today I actually feel calm. God, I really hope it lasts.
Lincoln needed to get an early start down to a job in Connecticut this morning and I had to get into the office early as well. We managed to get the kids up and out the door by 7 a.m. and I took them to their respective daycare places. The kids were great and extremely helpful. Lincoln left a little earlier than I did and while I was packing everything up Hannah helped Jake finish his breakfast and brush his teeth. Lincoln bribed Jake with a "home lunch" instead of a school bought lunch so even Jake kept his usual "I hate school" whining to a minimum. Both of them are scheduled to be dropped off at 9 a.m. so showing up almost 2 hours early could have been a problem but both places were fantastic and I handed off the kids quickly and efficiently. I love great daycare.
My boss, who is on a plane all day today, sent me an email at 6:30 this morning that could have screwed up my entire day but luckily we've got such great employees here in the office (and due to our email addictions they were all answering emails at that time of day) I managed to get it taken care of before I even left with the kids at 7 a.m.
Traffic wasn't too terrible even though by the time I got on the road it was 7:30 a.m. which should be the peak of rush hour traffic. It's school vacation week so traffic is always substantially lighter during this week in February (likewise for April vacation). On my way in I spoke with my Receptionist and found out she'd be out today. She has been fighting off a terrible cold all week and finally lost the battle this morning. Once again this could have screwed up my entire day but luckily I was able to find coverage.
I got to the office and handled everything that was absolutely critical in a timely fashion so at least if something major came up I wouldn't be buried. We have a new mom working here (a longtime employee) who emailed me about a daycare issue this morning so I volunteered to babysit for an hour or two in my office but she ended up finding someone to watch her daughter. I was actually kind of bummed about that.
I also woke up with a completely random rash on my arms. Lincoln thinks it's hives from stress but I think it's the fact that I completely overdosed on fabric softener the other night when I washed my sweater. Yesterday when I wore it the smell of fabric softener was so strong it actually gave me a headache. Luckily my office is very isolated so no one called me out on the Fragrance Free Workplace rule. When I was in high school I used to break out in hives if Mom used scented dryer sheets so I'm really thinking that's all it is and it's even fading as the day goes on.
While I was dealing with an employee issue in my office I received a call from Hannah's babysitter that Hannah was fine but two other people in the house were throwing up. I didn't need to get Hannah but she thought I might want to. Luckily one quick call to Gail and that was all taken care of as well. I love having Lincoln's family close by.
In addition to all that I just have the usual last minute chaos having to do with two big work related events tonight and Saturday but even though some of the issues would normally send me through the roof I'm actually finding them easy to deal with today. I'm feeling very Zen right now.
Okay...lunch break is over....I hope this sense of calm continues.
Lincoln needed to get an early start down to a job in Connecticut this morning and I had to get into the office early as well. We managed to get the kids up and out the door by 7 a.m. and I took them to their respective daycare places. The kids were great and extremely helpful. Lincoln left a little earlier than I did and while I was packing everything up Hannah helped Jake finish his breakfast and brush his teeth. Lincoln bribed Jake with a "home lunch" instead of a school bought lunch so even Jake kept his usual "I hate school" whining to a minimum. Both of them are scheduled to be dropped off at 9 a.m. so showing up almost 2 hours early could have been a problem but both places were fantastic and I handed off the kids quickly and efficiently. I love great daycare.
My boss, who is on a plane all day today, sent me an email at 6:30 this morning that could have screwed up my entire day but luckily we've got such great employees here in the office (and due to our email addictions they were all answering emails at that time of day) I managed to get it taken care of before I even left with the kids at 7 a.m.
Traffic wasn't too terrible even though by the time I got on the road it was 7:30 a.m. which should be the peak of rush hour traffic. It's school vacation week so traffic is always substantially lighter during this week in February (likewise for April vacation). On my way in I spoke with my Receptionist and found out she'd be out today. She has been fighting off a terrible cold all week and finally lost the battle this morning. Once again this could have screwed up my entire day but luckily I was able to find coverage.
I got to the office and handled everything that was absolutely critical in a timely fashion so at least if something major came up I wouldn't be buried. We have a new mom working here (a longtime employee) who emailed me about a daycare issue this morning so I volunteered to babysit for an hour or two in my office but she ended up finding someone to watch her daughter. I was actually kind of bummed about that.
I also woke up with a completely random rash on my arms. Lincoln thinks it's hives from stress but I think it's the fact that I completely overdosed on fabric softener the other night when I washed my sweater. Yesterday when I wore it the smell of fabric softener was so strong it actually gave me a headache. Luckily my office is very isolated so no one called me out on the Fragrance Free Workplace rule. When I was in high school I used to break out in hives if Mom used scented dryer sheets so I'm really thinking that's all it is and it's even fading as the day goes on.
While I was dealing with an employee issue in my office I received a call from Hannah's babysitter that Hannah was fine but two other people in the house were throwing up. I didn't need to get Hannah but she thought I might want to. Luckily one quick call to Gail and that was all taken care of as well. I love having Lincoln's family close by.
In addition to all that I just have the usual last minute chaos having to do with two big work related events tonight and Saturday but even though some of the issues would normally send me through the roof I'm actually finding them easy to deal with today. I'm feeling very Zen right now.
Okay...lunch break is over....I hope this sense of calm continues.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Momversations
There is a website out there in Internet land called http://www.momversations.com/ and it's pretty interesting. It is full of these short (approx. 5 minute) videos done by "mommy bloggers" that discuss every possible topic you can think of (breastfeeding, keeping your marriage fresh, disciplining your child, etc.). I don't always agree with what some of the women say but it's pretty interesting to listen to the various points of view. There are three women per video and while many of them appear in a lot of videos it's never the same three women in every video.
Anyway, I was just watching one on the "Mommy Wars" which is basically the idea that women are constantly battling each other on topics such as stay-at-home moms vs. working moms or breastfeeding moms vs. formula feeding moms, etc. I definitely think that there are Mommy Wars out there to a degree. I definitely feel like I get some grief for being a working mom and while I respect stay-at-home moms tremendously I do sometimes catch myself wondering what they have to bitch about when they say they're so busy. I mean, I have two kids, a long commute, a full time job, and I still find time to do the PTO....what the heck do they do all day? But I think of myself as a rational human being and so after the initial defensiveness passes I admit to myself that they may not get paid to work but by staying home with their children they are essentially working a full-time job that I pay someone else to do but they're doing it for free. And God bless 'em....I could NOT be a stay-at-home mom. Been there...tried that for a few months....hated it.
Anyway, my point of this post is that I wanted to disagree with this comment (and the woman who made it is actually one of the bloggers that I usually like to listen to and often agree with):
"I think that our tendency as a culture to take what are essentially hecklers and label them as part of some movement is really damaging."
Heckling is defined as "somebody who insults, makes fun of, or teases". I may occasionally have the defensive reaction that I'm a better parent then someone who makes a different parenting choice than I do but I openly admit that I'm not perfect. I disagree with this woman dismissing parents who don't agree with her as hecklers who aren't part of a Mommy Movement (whatever that movement may be) because who is to say that she is the Mommy Movement instead of them. Or even on the correct side of the argument.
So in short, I have no point to this post other than the fact that yes, Mom's secretly (and sometimes openly) disagree with each other and yes, I think there are Mommy Wars to a certain extent and yes, I'm guilty of it too but no, I don't think any of us are wrong for it...it's just human nature...and therefore we're all on the right side of reason at least in our own minds and we're entitled to our opinions. Of course now I've just argued that she's wrong to think what she thinks and I'm therefore invalidating my whole argument. Or am I confirming my argument that I'm entitled to disagree with her without being labeled a heckler?
Okay....it is seriously time for bed now. And no, I'm not drunk. I actually write some of my most insightful posts when I'm under the influence but this is not one of them. I'm just way over tired.
Anyway, I was just watching one on the "Mommy Wars" which is basically the idea that women are constantly battling each other on topics such as stay-at-home moms vs. working moms or breastfeeding moms vs. formula feeding moms, etc. I definitely think that there are Mommy Wars out there to a degree. I definitely feel like I get some grief for being a working mom and while I respect stay-at-home moms tremendously I do sometimes catch myself wondering what they have to bitch about when they say they're so busy. I mean, I have two kids, a long commute, a full time job, and I still find time to do the PTO....what the heck do they do all day? But I think of myself as a rational human being and so after the initial defensiveness passes I admit to myself that they may not get paid to work but by staying home with their children they are essentially working a full-time job that I pay someone else to do but they're doing it for free. And God bless 'em....I could NOT be a stay-at-home mom. Been there...tried that for a few months....hated it.
Anyway, my point of this post is that I wanted to disagree with this comment (and the woman who made it is actually one of the bloggers that I usually like to listen to and often agree with):
"I think that our tendency as a culture to take what are essentially hecklers and label them as part of some movement is really damaging."
Heckling is defined as "somebody who insults, makes fun of, or teases". I may occasionally have the defensive reaction that I'm a better parent then someone who makes a different parenting choice than I do but I openly admit that I'm not perfect. I disagree with this woman dismissing parents who don't agree with her as hecklers who aren't part of a Mommy Movement (whatever that movement may be) because who is to say that she is the Mommy Movement instead of them. Or even on the correct side of the argument.
So in short, I have no point to this post other than the fact that yes, Mom's secretly (and sometimes openly) disagree with each other and yes, I think there are Mommy Wars to a certain extent and yes, I'm guilty of it too but no, I don't think any of us are wrong for it...it's just human nature...and therefore we're all on the right side of reason at least in our own minds and we're entitled to our opinions. Of course now I've just argued that she's wrong to think what she thinks and I'm therefore invalidating my whole argument. Or am I confirming my argument that I'm entitled to disagree with her without being labeled a heckler?
Okay....it is seriously time for bed now. And no, I'm not drunk. I actually write some of my most insightful posts when I'm under the influence but this is not one of them. I'm just way over tired.
Scary thought
Three days a week my in-laws watch Jake and Hannah. Hannah gets on and off the bus there and Jake, of course, is there all day. The kids absolutely love going over there. Jake told me he doesn't like going to school because there are rules and stuff. Obviously at Grandma's he gets away with a lot more mischief.
My in-laws live on a pretty busy road and Bob takes them outside to play quite a bit. They'll occasionally play in the backyard but more often then not they play out in the front and on the driveway. I've never really thought much about it because I know that Bob keeps a very close eye on them and never lets them get anywhere near the street so that has never really been an issue for me. But tonight I was talking to a woman that lives further down the street and she was asking me about the kids and what they were doing for vacation week. I told her that they were at Bob and Gail's as usual and she said "Oh, so that's your little boy that I always see outside with Bob." I have to say, that sort of freaked me out. Not only do they live on a fairly busy street but they are across from a T-intersection with another fairly well traveled road. I'm sure if people drive by there on a regular basis they probably see Jake out there with Bob all the time (Hannah too but she's there for much less time each week). Bob does a great job with the kids but he is 76 years old and broke his hip a number of years ago. He's not exactly spry if you know what I mean. Anyway, when this lady told me she notices Bob out there playing with Jake it occurred to me that anyone else who saw this 4-year old playing outside every day with this elderly man could very easily pull up, grab Jake (or Hannah), toss him in the car and take off. Bob wouldn't be able to do much about it except call 911.
Of course what he lacks in physical agility he more than makes up for in mental acuity. If someone did try to take one of the children he'd probably not only be able to describe everything about the person and their car he'd probably rig up some sort of MacGyver-like trap before the culprit got 100 yards down the road but like I said, it's still a scary thought.
My in-laws live on a pretty busy road and Bob takes them outside to play quite a bit. They'll occasionally play in the backyard but more often then not they play out in the front and on the driveway. I've never really thought much about it because I know that Bob keeps a very close eye on them and never lets them get anywhere near the street so that has never really been an issue for me. But tonight I was talking to a woman that lives further down the street and she was asking me about the kids and what they were doing for vacation week. I told her that they were at Bob and Gail's as usual and she said "Oh, so that's your little boy that I always see outside with Bob." I have to say, that sort of freaked me out. Not only do they live on a fairly busy street but they are across from a T-intersection with another fairly well traveled road. I'm sure if people drive by there on a regular basis they probably see Jake out there with Bob all the time (Hannah too but she's there for much less time each week). Bob does a great job with the kids but he is 76 years old and broke his hip a number of years ago. He's not exactly spry if you know what I mean. Anyway, when this lady told me she notices Bob out there playing with Jake it occurred to me that anyone else who saw this 4-year old playing outside every day with this elderly man could very easily pull up, grab Jake (or Hannah), toss him in the car and take off. Bob wouldn't be able to do much about it except call 911.
Of course what he lacks in physical agility he more than makes up for in mental acuity. If someone did try to take one of the children he'd probably not only be able to describe everything about the person and their car he'd probably rig up some sort of MacGyver-like trap before the culprit got 100 yards down the road but like I said, it's still a scary thought.
Craziness at the office
I apologize for not posting yesterday but it has been a wee bit crazy around here. I love long weekends because when you go back to work on Tuesday it's already Tuesday. Meaning you're that much close to the weekend. But it also means that you have to do 5 days worth of work in 4 days. Now I have to admit that I didn't get as much done at work yesterday as I could have but I have to say, my boss is on vacation and it was nice to not have a hectic day. I took advantage of that. I did what needed to be done but not as much as I could have. Today I went in and was going to plow through a bunch of stuff and get everything done that I don't normally have time for. I had the best of intentions. Of course, as they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. That's how my day turned out....hellish.
I won't go into the details because I don't actually blog too much about my job. I just don't feel comfortable about it because I don't know who actually reads this blog and in this day and age the last thing I need is to have any reason for them to fire me. Anyway, I will just say that I ended my day yelling at a lady who annoys the hell out of me. She doesn't work with me but I have to deal with her for purposes of my job. She drives me up the wall and I hate her so much that 1) I decorated the binder that holds all of her account information in it with a picture of the devil and 2) I often have to put her on hold when we're on the phone together so that I can scream and yell and curse at the telephone without her hearing me. She is that bad. Anyway, the worst part is that she is as dumb as dirt. Actually, that's an insult to dirt. Dirt is much, much, MUCH smarter. After the 10th time that she asked me the same (very easy) question I finally said to her, "Seriously? My 7-year old could understand this."
She then asked me to explain it to her again. Needless to say I put her on hold before I did.
I won't go into the details because I don't actually blog too much about my job. I just don't feel comfortable about it because I don't know who actually reads this blog and in this day and age the last thing I need is to have any reason for them to fire me. Anyway, I will just say that I ended my day yelling at a lady who annoys the hell out of me. She doesn't work with me but I have to deal with her for purposes of my job. She drives me up the wall and I hate her so much that 1) I decorated the binder that holds all of her account information in it with a picture of the devil and 2) I often have to put her on hold when we're on the phone together so that I can scream and yell and curse at the telephone without her hearing me. She is that bad. Anyway, the worst part is that she is as dumb as dirt. Actually, that's an insult to dirt. Dirt is much, much, MUCH smarter. After the 10th time that she asked me the same (very easy) question I finally said to her, "Seriously? My 7-year old could understand this."
She then asked me to explain it to her again. Needless to say I put her on hold before I did.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Best Picture Nominees
I have now seen all five nominees for Best Picture at next weekend's Academy Awards. For those of you not following the Awards here are the nominees for Best Picture:
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Frost/Nixon
- Milk
- The Reader
- Slumdog Millionaire
I have to say they were all very good and all of them definitely deserve to be nominated. They all cover very different topics and each one moved me in a different way. I would have to say, if I was voting, I would definitely vote for The Reader. I know it's not likely to win....Slumdog Millionaire and Milk definitely have the most press and Slumdog has been cleaning up on the award circuit lately, but The Reader was phenomenal. It was the only one of the five movies that I wanted to start over and watch again immediately. The nuances of the film are terrific and the film doesn't tell you what to think or feel....it tells you what the characters are thinking and feeling and you just feel privileged to get to witness such amazing emotions. It's not a cheery topic....it is a holocaust film after all....but it is well worth a few hours of your time. I highly recommend it.
So young...so naive
Yesterday before heading to the hotel we stopped at a few stores looking for some fake plants to go in the master bathroom. That room doesn't get enough light to support real ones so I'm having to resort to fake ones. Jake calls them "thick" ones for some reason and hated that I was only looking at greenery and not flowers.
Jake: I don't like Mommy's thick plants. I like the pretty ones.
Me: But that's not what we're looking for. Mommy needs just green ones.
Jake: I don't care. I like the pretty ones.
Link: But it's Mommy's choice. When you get older you can choose your own fake flowers.
Me: Unless his wife doesn't agree with what he chooses.
Jake: (emphatically) No! When I get bigger I get to be the chooser!
Me: Sorry, it doesn't work that way.
Jake: Yes it does!
Link: (to me) Where are we going next?
Me: Bed, Bath & Beyond
Link: See Jake. That's how it works. Mommy commands and Daddy obeys.
Jake: I don't like Mommy's thick plants. I like the pretty ones.
Me: But that's not what we're looking for. Mommy needs just green ones.
Jake: I don't care. I like the pretty ones.
Link: But it's Mommy's choice. When you get older you can choose your own fake flowers.
Me: Unless his wife doesn't agree with what he chooses.
Jake: (emphatically) No! When I get bigger I get to be the chooser!
Me: Sorry, it doesn't work that way.
Jake: Yes it does!
Link: (to me) Where are we going next?
Me: Bed, Bath & Beyond
Link: See Jake. That's how it works. Mommy commands and Daddy obeys.
Our mini-vacation
Last night we had a little mini-vacation at a local hotel. The Courtyard Marriott in Milford is running a deal called the Family Escape Plan during the schools' February break. For $109 we got a room at the hotel, movie and popcorn, a pizza, breakfast, and of course the swimming pool. Heck, breakfast alone at this hotel would have cost $41.00!
Anyway...the hotel is not far from both the place we ate lunch and Target and Bed, Bath & Beyond where we stopped to run some errands on the way. When we pulled into the parking lot we said "We're here!" and Jake was in awe.
Jake: How did we get here? Was that magic?
Obviously our usual trips are much longer than that. The last time the children flew was when we came home from Seattle this past August. We had to fly through Detroit and had a 3+ hour layover in the early morning hours. It was a LONG day but the kids did awesome. This really boggled Jakey's mind....how could we get somewhere so quickly? And how badly is this going to throw him in two weeks when we fly out to Las Vegas?
When we got into the room, Jake (who sees his Grandma and Grandpa Lentz in hotels more often then their own house) asked "Where are Grandma and Grandpa?" He was very sad to realize we wouldn't be seeing them for another couple of weeks.
Anyway, our little mini-vacation was great. The kids went swimming for a couple of hours last night and a few hours this morning. The pool was pretty empty and there were only a few other kids in there but both times we outlasted the other families. It was very nice and now tomorrow it's back to the grind. Hannah has the week off so she'll be hanging with Grandma and Grandpa Snow for a few days and then at Miss Lori's. It's nice having a week where we don't have to worry about homework.
Anyway...the hotel is not far from both the place we ate lunch and Target and Bed, Bath & Beyond where we stopped to run some errands on the way. When we pulled into the parking lot we said "We're here!" and Jake was in awe.
Jake: How did we get here? Was that magic?
Obviously our usual trips are much longer than that. The last time the children flew was when we came home from Seattle this past August. We had to fly through Detroit and had a 3+ hour layover in the early morning hours. It was a LONG day but the kids did awesome. This really boggled Jakey's mind....how could we get somewhere so quickly? And how badly is this going to throw him in two weeks when we fly out to Las Vegas?
When we got into the room, Jake (who sees his Grandma and Grandpa Lentz in hotels more often then their own house) asked "Where are Grandma and Grandpa?" He was very sad to realize we wouldn't be seeing them for another couple of weeks.
Anyway, our little mini-vacation was great. The kids went swimming for a couple of hours last night and a few hours this morning. The pool was pretty empty and there were only a few other kids in there but both times we outlasted the other families. It was very nice and now tomorrow it's back to the grind. Hannah has the week off so she'll be hanging with Grandma and Grandpa Snow for a few days and then at Miss Lori's. It's nice having a week where we don't have to worry about homework.
Obviously it's time for a haircut
Waitress: Can I get you guys anything to drink?
Lincoln and I place our order.
Waitress: And for the girls?
Poor Jakey.
Lincoln and I place our order.
Waitress: And for the girls?
Poor Jakey.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Vacation week
This week most of the schools in Massachusetts are having February vacation. A local hotel offers a great deal and for $109 a family of 4 can stay the night, go swimming, get a free pizza, free movie and popcorn, and breakfast the next day. We're heading down there tonight. We did this last year too and the kids loved it. It's a nice little get away for everyone without actually having to leave the area. The kids are very excited and I have to say even I'm a little excited even though I prefer to sleep in my own bed.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
What makes an Oscar worth film? Or performance?
I love watching the Academy Awards. Most of it is because of the "pre-show" and watching the Red Carpet arrivals but also because the movies that make the list usually are the best of the best. This year I am on a quest to watch all of the major nominees for Best Film, Best Actress, and Best Actor before the awards next Sunday.
But what makes an Academy Award winning film? I remember back in high school watching Sean Penn in Dead Man Walking and thinking he deserved an award but he didn't win that year. The other one, and this one I'm still terribly bitter over, was Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth. I walked out of that movie (seen in a theater in Mankato, MN) in utter awe of her performance. She took a young, carefree Princess Elizabeth and ended the film with the great queen. In light of the fact that most movies are shot out of sequence it was truly a work of art that she made such a seamless movie showing how Queen Elizabeth came to power. If you haven't seen it yet I highly suggest you do. (Side note: I haven't seen the sequel to the movie yet because I'm afraid it won't live up to the true wonder that was the original.) The fact that she lost to Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare in Love was a huge blow. Shakespeare in Love wasn't a bad movie but it certainly wasn't a great one - and to add insult to shallow insult, Gwyneth's dress that year was atrocious. My final "how the hell could this have happened" comment is the fact that Heath Ledger lost for Brokeback Mountain. His performance in that was nothing less than astounding. If I'm not mistaken he lost to Phillip Seymour Hoffman for Capote. That was a great movie but I don't remember leaving that movie and thinking "Wow. He deserves an award."
So that brings me to what makes a great movie. Is it the ability to make someone cry? Is it the ability to make someone think? Is it the ability to take someone out of the world they are living in and move them into the one on the screen? Who knows. So far this year I've seen 2 of the 5 nominees for best picture. I will have seen the other three by the time the awards are presented next Sunday. I will let you know what I think by then. I have seen Slumdog Millionaire and Milk so far. They were both fantastic but I'm definitely keeping an open mind because while I very much enjoyed both of them neither have blown me out of the water. I guess that's what I'm waiting for. That feeling...that sense of "oh my God, that was brilliant"....that utter awe I got watching Cate Blanchett, Sean Penn, and Heath Ledger. So far I haven't had that moment.
But what makes an Academy Award winning film? I remember back in high school watching Sean Penn in Dead Man Walking and thinking he deserved an award but he didn't win that year. The other one, and this one I'm still terribly bitter over, was Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth. I walked out of that movie (seen in a theater in Mankato, MN) in utter awe of her performance. She took a young, carefree Princess Elizabeth and ended the film with the great queen. In light of the fact that most movies are shot out of sequence it was truly a work of art that she made such a seamless movie showing how Queen Elizabeth came to power. If you haven't seen it yet I highly suggest you do. (Side note: I haven't seen the sequel to the movie yet because I'm afraid it won't live up to the true wonder that was the original.) The fact that she lost to Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare in Love was a huge blow. Shakespeare in Love wasn't a bad movie but it certainly wasn't a great one - and to add insult to shallow insult, Gwyneth's dress that year was atrocious. My final "how the hell could this have happened" comment is the fact that Heath Ledger lost for Brokeback Mountain. His performance in that was nothing less than astounding. If I'm not mistaken he lost to Phillip Seymour Hoffman for Capote. That was a great movie but I don't remember leaving that movie and thinking "Wow. He deserves an award."
So that brings me to what makes a great movie. Is it the ability to make someone cry? Is it the ability to make someone think? Is it the ability to take someone out of the world they are living in and move them into the one on the screen? Who knows. So far this year I've seen 2 of the 5 nominees for best picture. I will have seen the other three by the time the awards are presented next Sunday. I will let you know what I think by then. I have seen Slumdog Millionaire and Milk so far. They were both fantastic but I'm definitely keeping an open mind because while I very much enjoyed both of them neither have blown me out of the water. I guess that's what I'm waiting for. That feeling...that sense of "oh my God, that was brilliant"....that utter awe I got watching Cate Blanchett, Sean Penn, and Heath Ledger. So far I haven't had that moment.
How well do I know my husband?
I wrote this part of my valentine to Lincoln prior to his gift of a remote-controlled bathroom light last night:
I love that we haven’t built the garage yet but he’ll let me redecorate my bathroom in the most luxurious way possible. I love that he wants to wire our house with every possible technological perk so that everything is done through a remote including opening the window blinds.
Do I know him or what?
I love that we haven’t built the garage yet but he’ll let me redecorate my bathroom in the most luxurious way possible. I love that he wants to wire our house with every possible technological perk so that everything is done through a remote including opening the window blinds.
Do I know him or what?
Friday, February 13, 2009
This could be a long one.....Happy Valentine's Day Baby
Earlier this week I wrote a long post detailing what I love about my children. As soon as I finished I decided that I wanted to do something similar for Lincoln for Valentine’s Day. Here it is:
What I love about Lincoln
By Diane Snow
I love the fact that I knew the moment I met him that I would marry him. I love the fact that he gave me his phone number instead of asking for mine the day we met. I love that our first official date was the Blue Man Group and that he admitted to getting lost on his way to dinner that night. I love the fact that he loves Rent and hates The Phantom of the Opera. I love the fact that no matter how dirty my car gets his is always dirtier. I love the fact that he works his ass off on his company and never once had a moment of pity when he found himself in a position of not being the main breadwinner anymore. I love the fact that he takes great pride in the fact that I make more than him (at least for now). I love the fact that most of his customers are ones from his old company who have followed him because they know how wonderful he is. I love that he loves my hometown in Iowa and would seriously have considered moving there with me. I love that he doesn’t mind eating every meal at Mabe’s when we’re in Decorah and at La Palmera when we’re in Seattle. I love that the first time I took him tubing down the river he thought we’d need a boat. I love that when we get a rare night out to the movies he doesn’t mind if we sometimes split up and watch different movies and then meet up afterwards to discuss them. I love that he tolerates my obsessive TV watching and thinks my spreadsheet of Tivo scheduling is funny. I love the fact that he always got up with the kids during the night more than I did and has changed more dirty diapers than I have but never complained about either one. I love that he is willing to travel with me anywhere I want to go and I love making sure that the places we go are places that we’ll both enjoy. I love planning trips for us that cover both my desires for luxury and his for adventure. I love that when I call him and say I want to go to some crazy travel destination he says “Sure. When?” I love the fact that he cooks dinner every night and wanted to go to culinary school when he was younger. I love that he slyly takes over “my” recipes and masters them better than I ever could. I love that he sides with me against his parents when necessary and that he enjoys having my parents come for a visit. I love the fact that he thinks projects through like a man and I think them through like a woman but that he tolerates me when I tell him we’re going to do it my way. I love that he’s willing to listen to my suggestions even if it’s a “guy’s job” that he’s doing. I love that he says I don’t nag him enough. I love that he is my complete partner in everything. I love that we haven’t built the garage yet but he’ll let me redecorate my bathroom in the most luxurious way possible. I love that he wants to wire our house with every possible technological perk so that everything is done through a remote including opening the window blinds. I love the fact that he once surprised me with black satin sheets and that we broke the kitchen table having sex. I love that he’ll be horribly embarrassed that I just admitted to both of those things in such a public forum. I love the fact that he sets out a vitamin on the counter for me every morning and then makes sure I take it. I love the fact that he puts up with my insanity and supports me in all of my decisions but isn’t afraid to tell me when he disagrees. I love the fact that he often leans toward the Republican side of things but doesn’t get upset when I rail against them incessantly around election time. I love that he is a better parent then I could ever hope to be and that he tells me that I’m crazy for thinking that. I love the fact that he serves me dinner in the bathtub when I don’t want to get out and come downstairs. I love the fact that he treats me like a princess. I love the fact that he encourages me to “go bold” when I paint the rooms of our house. I love the fact that we can laugh and joke about things that make most married couples start screaming at each other. I love the fact that we’ve been together for 10 years but it feels like forever in the best possible way. I love that he truly is a part of who I am and I hate the thought of him ever not being here on this earth with me. I love that my co-workers think he is imaginary because no one could be as perfect as he is. I love the fact that he lets me spend money on myself but doesn’t get upset when I then tell him we’re broke. I love picking out the most perfect presents for him for Christmas and his birthday. I love that he fills my stocking up every Christmas with dozens and dozens of sticks of Chapstick. I love that he wears Blistex and then won’t kiss me after he puts it on because he knows I hate it. I love that he won’t kiss me when I’m wearing lipstick. I love that it bothers him that I pinch his butt every time I pass him in the kitchen. I love the fact that he realizes I was only 23 when we got married and that he lets me still enjoy my youth while he stays home with the kids. I love that he has never tried to clip my wings and encourages me to always do what makes me happy. I love the fact that we don’t have to have the same interests in order to be compatible. I love that he listens to “angry” rock and talk radio. I love that the first time he met my parents he took them to the Gay Capital of Massachusetts during Women’s Week. I love the fact that he won’t drink Bass Ale in a restaurant if they don’t serve it in a pint glass and that he buys beer for the house that he has to hold upside down and slowly agitate the sediment before pouring into a glass. I love the fact that he was proud to marry a “beer girl” but doesn’t mind that I’ve become more of a wine lover. I love that if I order a bottle of wine with dinner he’ll pretend to drink it. I love the fact that when he hands me a bottle of water he’ll unscrew the top for me first and I love that he knows how to pour the perfect glass of champagne. I love that he refers to my dad as “Sarge”. I love the fact that he bakes for the PTO and signed up for the school sign committee. I love the fact that when I get in over my head with a project that he didn’t sign on for he’s there to help me anyway. I love watching him roll around on the floor with the kids and laugh harder than you’d think humanly possible because he is so completely in the moment. I love the fact that he thinks the kids don’t respect him because he’s the “nice” parent. I love the fact that when I look him in the eyes I can see how much he truly loves me for me. I love the fact that he is the greatest father I’ve ever seen and most importantly I love that he loves me with all his heart and soul.
I love him for all of this and so, so much more.
What I love about Lincoln
By Diane Snow
I love the fact that I knew the moment I met him that I would marry him. I love the fact that he gave me his phone number instead of asking for mine the day we met. I love that our first official date was the Blue Man Group and that he admitted to getting lost on his way to dinner that night. I love the fact that he loves Rent and hates The Phantom of the Opera. I love the fact that no matter how dirty my car gets his is always dirtier. I love the fact that he works his ass off on his company and never once had a moment of pity when he found himself in a position of not being the main breadwinner anymore. I love the fact that he takes great pride in the fact that I make more than him (at least for now). I love the fact that most of his customers are ones from his old company who have followed him because they know how wonderful he is. I love that he loves my hometown in Iowa and would seriously have considered moving there with me. I love that he doesn’t mind eating every meal at Mabe’s when we’re in Decorah and at La Palmera when we’re in Seattle. I love that the first time I took him tubing down the river he thought we’d need a boat. I love that when we get a rare night out to the movies he doesn’t mind if we sometimes split up and watch different movies and then meet up afterwards to discuss them. I love that he tolerates my obsessive TV watching and thinks my spreadsheet of Tivo scheduling is funny. I love the fact that he always got up with the kids during the night more than I did and has changed more dirty diapers than I have but never complained about either one. I love that he is willing to travel with me anywhere I want to go and I love making sure that the places we go are places that we’ll both enjoy. I love planning trips for us that cover both my desires for luxury and his for adventure. I love that when I call him and say I want to go to some crazy travel destination he says “Sure. When?” I love the fact that he cooks dinner every night and wanted to go to culinary school when he was younger. I love that he slyly takes over “my” recipes and masters them better than I ever could. I love that he sides with me against his parents when necessary and that he enjoys having my parents come for a visit. I love the fact that he thinks projects through like a man and I think them through like a woman but that he tolerates me when I tell him we’re going to do it my way. I love that he’s willing to listen to my suggestions even if it’s a “guy’s job” that he’s doing. I love that he says I don’t nag him enough. I love that he is my complete partner in everything. I love that we haven’t built the garage yet but he’ll let me redecorate my bathroom in the most luxurious way possible. I love that he wants to wire our house with every possible technological perk so that everything is done through a remote including opening the window blinds. I love the fact that he once surprised me with black satin sheets and that we broke the kitchen table having sex. I love that he’ll be horribly embarrassed that I just admitted to both of those things in such a public forum. I love the fact that he sets out a vitamin on the counter for me every morning and then makes sure I take it. I love the fact that he puts up with my insanity and supports me in all of my decisions but isn’t afraid to tell me when he disagrees. I love the fact that he often leans toward the Republican side of things but doesn’t get upset when I rail against them incessantly around election time. I love that he is a better parent then I could ever hope to be and that he tells me that I’m crazy for thinking that. I love the fact that he serves me dinner in the bathtub when I don’t want to get out and come downstairs. I love the fact that he treats me like a princess. I love the fact that he encourages me to “go bold” when I paint the rooms of our house. I love the fact that we can laugh and joke about things that make most married couples start screaming at each other. I love the fact that we’ve been together for 10 years but it feels like forever in the best possible way. I love that he truly is a part of who I am and I hate the thought of him ever not being here on this earth with me. I love that my co-workers think he is imaginary because no one could be as perfect as he is. I love the fact that he lets me spend money on myself but doesn’t get upset when I then tell him we’re broke. I love picking out the most perfect presents for him for Christmas and his birthday. I love that he fills my stocking up every Christmas with dozens and dozens of sticks of Chapstick. I love that he wears Blistex and then won’t kiss me after he puts it on because he knows I hate it. I love that he won’t kiss me when I’m wearing lipstick. I love that it bothers him that I pinch his butt every time I pass him in the kitchen. I love the fact that he realizes I was only 23 when we got married and that he lets me still enjoy my youth while he stays home with the kids. I love that he has never tried to clip my wings and encourages me to always do what makes me happy. I love the fact that we don’t have to have the same interests in order to be compatible. I love that he listens to “angry” rock and talk radio. I love that the first time he met my parents he took them to the Gay Capital of Massachusetts during Women’s Week. I love the fact that he won’t drink Bass Ale in a restaurant if they don’t serve it in a pint glass and that he buys beer for the house that he has to hold upside down and slowly agitate the sediment before pouring into a glass. I love the fact that he was proud to marry a “beer girl” but doesn’t mind that I’ve become more of a wine lover. I love that if I order a bottle of wine with dinner he’ll pretend to drink it. I love the fact that when he hands me a bottle of water he’ll unscrew the top for me first and I love that he knows how to pour the perfect glass of champagne. I love that he refers to my dad as “Sarge”. I love the fact that he bakes for the PTO and signed up for the school sign committee. I love the fact that when I get in over my head with a project that he didn’t sign on for he’s there to help me anyway. I love watching him roll around on the floor with the kids and laugh harder than you’d think humanly possible because he is so completely in the moment. I love the fact that he thinks the kids don’t respect him because he’s the “nice” parent. I love the fact that when I look him in the eyes I can see how much he truly loves me for me. I love the fact that he is the greatest father I’ve ever seen and most importantly I love that he loves me with all his heart and soul.
I love him for all of this and so, so much more.
Happy Early Valentine's Day
My favorite room in the house is the master bathroom. I've got a deep jacuzzi tub and I can get in there and read for hours. Lincoln has also installed a tv, dvd player, and tivo in there for me. As those of you who read this blog know, I've been working on redecorating that room for a few weeks now. I am redecorating it around the theme of our travels to Istanbul. If you've ever been to Istanbul you'll know that it's a place that is very rich in color and culture. I painted the bathroom a dark blue and then sponge painted an even darker blue over it. We bought a beautiful shower curtain with a lot of rich colors and a great texture to it. We changed out all the bathroom fixtures so they're oil-rubbed bronze instead of silver and put down dark brown floor mats. I enlarged four beautiful pictures that I took in Istanbul and framed them before hanging them on the walls. The recessed area where my jacuzzi tub sits is now framed by beautiful gold curtains held back with tasseled tie-backs. Last weekend we installed a bronze heated towel bar in that area as well. I still need to install the six hand-painted tiles that I purchased at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul that depict a Turkish Bath. Those tiles were the inspiration for the entire bathroom.
Anyway, all of that description is leading up to my Valentine's Day gift from Lincoln. Last weekend when we hung the curtains over the tub he commented on how it's not very well lit in there anymore and I would need a reading light of some sort. Tonight when I came home from work there was a gift on the kitchen counter. I jokingly asked who it was for. Lincoln said that it was actually for me and that I needed to open it right away. I opened the box and the only thing in there was a small white remote with three unlabeled buttons on it. I knew exactly what it was! I looked at Lincoln and said "Is it what I think it is?" and he said yes. I tore off running upstairs and lo and behold he had installed the most beautiful lamps above the back of my tub. The remote control is to turn them on and off and also acts as a dimmer switch! When this room is done it is going to be the most luxurious room in the house! I actually think it already is. As soon as it's completely done I will attempt to take some pictures but I doubt they'll do the room justice.
Lincoln is so incredibly sweet and wonderful and perfect and tomorrow you'll get to see what I did for him for Valentine's Day. I hope he likes it.
Anyway, all of that description is leading up to my Valentine's Day gift from Lincoln. Last weekend when we hung the curtains over the tub he commented on how it's not very well lit in there anymore and I would need a reading light of some sort. Tonight when I came home from work there was a gift on the kitchen counter. I jokingly asked who it was for. Lincoln said that it was actually for me and that I needed to open it right away. I opened the box and the only thing in there was a small white remote with three unlabeled buttons on it. I knew exactly what it was! I looked at Lincoln and said "Is it what I think it is?" and he said yes. I tore off running upstairs and lo and behold he had installed the most beautiful lamps above the back of my tub. The remote control is to turn them on and off and also acts as a dimmer switch! When this room is done it is going to be the most luxurious room in the house! I actually think it already is. As soon as it's completely done I will attempt to take some pictures but I doubt they'll do the room justice.
Lincoln is so incredibly sweet and wonderful and perfect and tomorrow you'll get to see what I did for him for Valentine's Day. I hope he likes it.
Dinnertime with Hannah
Hannah has always been a picky eater. For the first 5 years of her life we sort of catered to what she was willing to eat which was usually hot dogs and chicken fingers. About 9 months before her 5th birthday we warned her that as soon as she turned 5 she had to start eating whatever was served for dinner or she'd go hungry. We (and by "we" I obviously mean Lincoln because he does all the cooking) would no longer make a special meal for her. Lately she has been making her own dinner though. Lincoln's philosophy is that as long as he's not making the second meal he's fine with it and I suppose I agree with that. I find it entertaining to watch her puttering around in the kitchen just like her Daddy. Her current specialty is bagel pizzas....a take off from the English Muffin pizzas that we were making for awhile.
Star Wars Obsession
I came downstairs this morning and Jake was playing Star Wars in the playroom on the PlayStation and had Star Wars: The Clone Wars playing on the TV in the living room on the other side of the wall.
Me: We do not need two rooms of Star Wars.
Lincoln: We need five rooms!
Me: Ha! No, we need no rooms.
Hannah: Well, we need at least one room.
My whole family have become Star Wars junkies and I still haven't even seen the original trilogy....or the prequels for that matter.
Me: We do not need two rooms of Star Wars.
Lincoln: We need five rooms!
Me: Ha! No, we need no rooms.
Hannah: Well, we need at least one room.
My whole family have become Star Wars junkies and I still haven't even seen the original trilogy....or the prequels for that matter.
Should we be concerned?
If he hadn't just written out 25 Valentine's cards with his name on them correctly I think I would be a little more worried about the fact that he wrote his name (and the letter J) backwards on his Valentine's Day mailbox at school. And yes, we're aware he needs to work on his "k"s.
What does concern me is that when I asked him about it he insisted that writing from right to left is correct. Lincoln tried to comfort me by saying that Hannah writes her name backwards all the time. Even Hannah rolled her eyes at that.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Sewing Lessons
Here is a picture of Hannah's first official completed project from sewing class. Two weeks ago they started on a pillow case (which she hasn't finished yet because she was sick last week). Tonight's project was to make a fleece hat and scarf. Doesn't she look adorable? The next class is a "catch-up" one so she'll be finishing her pillow case then.
Jump Rope for Heart
Every year Hannah's school does a Jump Rope for Heart event. The kids are asked to set a fundraising goal and raise money for the American Heart Association. Last year Hannah raised more than $300 and was one of the highest individual fundraisers in the school. This year, given the state of the economy, we've set her goal at $200. You can donate online using a credit card and the money goes straight to the American Heart Association so it should be completely tax deductible (double check with your tax person). If you want to donate under Hannah's name please click here. Every little bit helps. Like I said, her goal is $200 for this year but she can certainly go over that. Please donate to this very worthy cause.
UPDATE: Apparently the minimum online donation is $25.00 but if you'd like to give less than that you can mail a check to Hannah made out to the American Heart Association. Most of you that read this blog have our home address and you can mail the checks there. The deadline is March 23rd.
Thanks everyone!
UPDATE: Apparently the minimum online donation is $25.00 but if you'd like to give less than that you can mail a check to Hannah made out to the American Heart Association. Most of you that read this blog have our home address and you can mail the checks there. The deadline is March 23rd.
Thanks everyone!
31 1/2
Today is my 1/2 birthday. I am 31 1/2 years old today. Yes, I celebrate my 1/2 birthday. I have ever since I was a kid and see no reason to give it up now.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
This whole "PC" thing is out of control
When I was a kid I got a yearbook each year. I don't remember anyone asking my parents permission to print my picture and no one had to sign photography waivers. A yearbook was just a yearbook. I know that when I was on the yearbook staff in high school we never had to do any of that.
This year I'm doing the yearbook for my daughter's elementary school. This is the first year that they'll ever have one. At the beginning of the year I had to send out waivers for the parents to sign giving permission to publish both portraits and candids of their child(ren). They could approve or opt out. Or they could do a little of both (like approve the portrait but not candids). Tonight I was showing the pages of the individual portraits to the principal and she pointed out that we had not received permission to publish the childrens' names along with their pictures. I now have to send out 600+ waivers (and try and get them all back) granting permission to print the name of each child with their picture.
Is it just me or is this world getting out of control?
This year I'm doing the yearbook for my daughter's elementary school. This is the first year that they'll ever have one. At the beginning of the year I had to send out waivers for the parents to sign giving permission to publish both portraits and candids of their child(ren). They could approve or opt out. Or they could do a little of both (like approve the portrait but not candids). Tonight I was showing the pages of the individual portraits to the principal and she pointed out that we had not received permission to publish the childrens' names along with their pictures. I now have to send out 600+ waivers (and try and get them all back) granting permission to print the name of each child with their picture.
Is it just me or is this world getting out of control?
Is that the sun?
Holy crap! It's actually sunny and somewhat warm today. Since it's in the 50's today I actually hosted our monthly office lunch on the roof deck today. It was fantastic. Usually I don't open the roof deck until roughly May but I made an exception today. It was so nice to feel the sun on my face.
How I love my children.....let me count the ways
People always say that you never really know what love is until you have children. Or that there is nothing in the world like having a child to love and to love you back. They talk about the emotions of giving birth and that overwhelming feeling of having someone love you unconditionally. All of those things are true but you know that any child, other than an only child, secretly wonders to themselves on at least one occasion, "I wonder who Mom and Dad like best".
I love my children. I love them equally but I also love them for different reasons. I don't just love them because they are my children. I love them for their individual qualities...even the ones that drive me up the wall on a daily basis. These thoughts have been floating around in my mind lately and hopefully I can do it justice in this posting.
Hannah
I love the fact that she is kind and caring. I love the way she cares about the environment and wants to start an Earth Club at school. I love the fact that she wants to be a scientist so that she can make soaps and shampoos and lotions that are more "green". I love the fact that she explores so many different areas of academics and that at the age of 7 she and I were having a fairly advanced discussion on Sociology last weekend. I love the fact that she wants to snuggle with Mommy all the time and swears to me that she'll always want to have sleepovers with me. I love the fact that she criticizes my driving. I love the fact that she is hard to fluster but that I can make it happen. I love that she has a fantastic sense of humor and is usually fairly mellow like her father. I love the fact that she loves to plan and organize and do charity work like me. I love the fact that she is so incredibly artistic and loves to make things for people. I love the fact that people say she looks like me. I love the fact that she wears clothes that don't match and couldn't care less what people think of that. I love her ambition and desire to travel. I love the fact that she's already thinking about college and that she may attend college in another country. I love the fact that once she was potty trained she only ever had two accidents and has never wet the bed. I love the fact that she is so incredibly intelligent and watching her grow is not a matter of if she'll succeed but more a matter of what she'll settle on as her life's work. I love the fact that at school she is the one that helps out the kids who are being picked on or not played with. I love that she gets insecure when Jake does something better than her. I love that she is so insanely intelligent about some things but can't remember to do the most routine things on a daily basis. I love that she can carry on an intellectual conversation with an adult but that she'll dig in her heels over something trivial and act like a kid because whatever she believes is something she decided on her own. I love that she hates the New Kids on the Block and loves the Jonas Brothers. I love the fact that she doesn't get excited to see Santa at Christmas time but loves to come up with things she can do for him like make him a Christmas ornament and bake him cookies and that he's just another reason for her to tap into her creativity. I love the fact the she sometimes acts like Jake's 3rd parent and that she tries to help him be a better person. I love all of these things about her and so much more.
Jake
I love the fact that he is the complete opposite of his sister. I love the fact that he goes through life full steam ahead and doesn't stop for anything. I love the fact that he is passionate about everything he loves. I love the fact that he is full of questions and that he seems to have an unquenchable thirst for more, more, more - no matter what that "more" is. I love the fact that he is untamed and full of such incredible potential. I love his shaggy hair and the incredibly unique eye color he has which changes with what he is wearing but hate the fact that his baby curls are gone. I love the fact that he surprises me every day and that I don't know what he's going to be when he grows up but I can't wait to watch it happen because whatever he does is going to be huge. I love the fact that he's stubborn, can hold a grudge, and has a temper like me. I love the fact that people say he looks like his father. I love the fact that he can be so bold and in your face but will hide behind you and claim he's shy when you want him to try something new. I love the fact that in the spring he will scream and cry and refuse to put on sandals but that in the fall he'll scream and cry and refuse to put on regular shoes. I love the fact that he is obsessed with Star Wars and that he "can't stop thinking about it". I love that he doesn't get too upset when he gets hurt but that he completely freaks out at the sight of blood. I love that he's a complete Daddy's boy even if that means he doesn't want me around sometimes. I love that he loves to rub people's ears when he's tired or scared and that he prefers Daddy's or Grandpa Snow's but that if he's tired or scared enough he'll ask for mine. I love that he is hilariously funny but that he never seems to figure out when other people are joking. I love that he comes up with crazy concoctions to make in the kitchen and that they usually turn out pretty good. I love the fact that he has his birds he listens to in bed at night and his favorite stuffed animals that have been with him since he was a baby. I love the fact that he talks in his sleep like me. I love his requests for "a lotta chocolate milk". I love the fact that Christmas is the most magical time of the year for him and that he lights up with the excitement of it all when he sees Santa. I love the fact that he wets his pants like I used to do even though I know it drives his Daddy crazy. I love the fact that he hates being younger than Hannah and that he always wants to do whatever she gets to do. I love that he thinks that everything in the world isn't fair because I know someday he'll go out and try to change it. I love the fact that he hates art projects. I love all these things about him and so much more.
Like I said above, so many of these things are traits that drive me crazy on a daily basis but I wouldn't change one single thing about my kids. I love them because they are NOT perfect. They are a little bit of me and a little bit of Lincoln and they are entirely ours. They are who they are and I love watching them develop the potential that I see in both of them. They are both going to take us on a wild ride and I can't wait to see where we end up at the end of the road.
I love my children. I love them equally but I also love them for different reasons. I don't just love them because they are my children. I love them for their individual qualities...even the ones that drive me up the wall on a daily basis. These thoughts have been floating around in my mind lately and hopefully I can do it justice in this posting.
Hannah
I love the fact that she is kind and caring. I love the way she cares about the environment and wants to start an Earth Club at school. I love the fact that she wants to be a scientist so that she can make soaps and shampoos and lotions that are more "green". I love the fact that she explores so many different areas of academics and that at the age of 7 she and I were having a fairly advanced discussion on Sociology last weekend. I love the fact that she wants to snuggle with Mommy all the time and swears to me that she'll always want to have sleepovers with me. I love the fact that she criticizes my driving. I love the fact that she is hard to fluster but that I can make it happen. I love that she has a fantastic sense of humor and is usually fairly mellow like her father. I love the fact that she loves to plan and organize and do charity work like me. I love the fact that she is so incredibly artistic and loves to make things for people. I love the fact that people say she looks like me. I love the fact that she wears clothes that don't match and couldn't care less what people think of that. I love her ambition and desire to travel. I love the fact that she's already thinking about college and that she may attend college in another country. I love the fact that once she was potty trained she only ever had two accidents and has never wet the bed. I love the fact that she is so incredibly intelligent and watching her grow is not a matter of if she'll succeed but more a matter of what she'll settle on as her life's work. I love the fact that at school she is the one that helps out the kids who are being picked on or not played with. I love that she gets insecure when Jake does something better than her. I love that she is so insanely intelligent about some things but can't remember to do the most routine things on a daily basis. I love that she can carry on an intellectual conversation with an adult but that she'll dig in her heels over something trivial and act like a kid because whatever she believes is something she decided on her own. I love that she hates the New Kids on the Block and loves the Jonas Brothers. I love the fact that she doesn't get excited to see Santa at Christmas time but loves to come up with things she can do for him like make him a Christmas ornament and bake him cookies and that he's just another reason for her to tap into her creativity. I love the fact the she sometimes acts like Jake's 3rd parent and that she tries to help him be a better person. I love all of these things about her and so much more.
Jake
I love the fact that he is the complete opposite of his sister. I love the fact that he goes through life full steam ahead and doesn't stop for anything. I love the fact that he is passionate about everything he loves. I love the fact that he is full of questions and that he seems to have an unquenchable thirst for more, more, more - no matter what that "more" is. I love the fact that he is untamed and full of such incredible potential. I love his shaggy hair and the incredibly unique eye color he has which changes with what he is wearing but hate the fact that his baby curls are gone. I love the fact that he surprises me every day and that I don't know what he's going to be when he grows up but I can't wait to watch it happen because whatever he does is going to be huge. I love the fact that he's stubborn, can hold a grudge, and has a temper like me. I love the fact that people say he looks like his father. I love the fact that he can be so bold and in your face but will hide behind you and claim he's shy when you want him to try something new. I love the fact that in the spring he will scream and cry and refuse to put on sandals but that in the fall he'll scream and cry and refuse to put on regular shoes. I love the fact that he is obsessed with Star Wars and that he "can't stop thinking about it". I love that he doesn't get too upset when he gets hurt but that he completely freaks out at the sight of blood. I love that he's a complete Daddy's boy even if that means he doesn't want me around sometimes. I love that he loves to rub people's ears when he's tired or scared and that he prefers Daddy's or Grandpa Snow's but that if he's tired or scared enough he'll ask for mine. I love that he is hilariously funny but that he never seems to figure out when other people are joking. I love that he comes up with crazy concoctions to make in the kitchen and that they usually turn out pretty good. I love the fact that he has his birds he listens to in bed at night and his favorite stuffed animals that have been with him since he was a baby. I love the fact that he talks in his sleep like me. I love his requests for "a lotta chocolate milk". I love the fact that Christmas is the most magical time of the year for him and that he lights up with the excitement of it all when he sees Santa. I love the fact that he wets his pants like I used to do even though I know it drives his Daddy crazy. I love the fact that he hates being younger than Hannah and that he always wants to do whatever she gets to do. I love that he thinks that everything in the world isn't fair because I know someday he'll go out and try to change it. I love the fact that he hates art projects. I love all these things about him and so much more.
Like I said above, so many of these things are traits that drive me crazy on a daily basis but I wouldn't change one single thing about my kids. I love them because they are NOT perfect. They are a little bit of me and a little bit of Lincoln and they are entirely ours. They are who they are and I love watching them develop the potential that I see in both of them. They are both going to take us on a wild ride and I can't wait to see where we end up at the end of the road.
A deal with the devil
Back in September Hannah and I made a deal that I got to choose her outfit and do her hair for the first day of school and school pictures and she got to choose the other 178 days of the year. Today she left the house wearing cream tights, a light pink skirt with blue, white, and green flowers on it, a t-shirt with fat diagonal stripes in white, dark blue, and black, and a hot pink hoodie sweatshirt with black writing and musical notes on it.
I'll just let that visual sink in for you because unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it.
Me: Is that what you're wearing today?
Hannah: Yes.
Me: You know it doesn't match, right?
Hannah: Yes.
Me: Okay, as long as you're aware that nothing you're wearing today matches any other item you're wearing today.
Hannah: I know. I don't care!!! (Yes, three exclamation points were needed there - she was very emphatic about it.)
I'll just let that visual sink in for you because unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it.
Me: Is that what you're wearing today?
Hannah: Yes.
Me: You know it doesn't match, right?
Hannah: Yes.
Me: Okay, as long as you're aware that nothing you're wearing today matches any other item you're wearing today.
Hannah: I know. I don't care!!! (Yes, three exclamation points were needed there - she was very emphatic about it.)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Pre-school
We tried to enroll Jake in the pre-school program at the local elementary school for next year but he has been placed on the wait list. It's done as a lottery program and his name wasn't drawn.
I'm torn on this. On one hand I really wanted him to get into the program because I think it would be good for him before starting kindergarten in 2010 but on the other hand it's a lot of money and it would be a logistical nightmare getting him there each week.
I guess we'll have to wait and see how it plays out. Right now it's out of our hands.
I'm torn on this. On one hand I really wanted him to get into the program because I think it would be good for him before starting kindergarten in 2010 but on the other hand it's a lot of money and it would be a logistical nightmare getting him there each week.
I guess we'll have to wait and see how it plays out. Right now it's out of our hands.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Hannah's entire dress
Here is the only full-length photo I have of Hannah with her entire dress in the picture. Notice how her wrist corsage is now pinned to her dress.
Official Dance Photo
Obviously the background was a little crooked. That's what you get when the "official" photo from the dance is a $5 polaroid. The bear she is holding is a mini-beanie baby that they received at the door.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
My first grade teacher was a nun
Here is a video of Hannah's first grade teacher:
He is the lead singer of a band called Character Rising. Joel has always been a musician who sings character building songs and all the kids love him. He has taken a leave of absence from teaching this year to work on his music. I am SO glad that Hannah had him last year. He is a fantastic teacher who really puts everything he has into these kids and teaches them to be the best people they can be - both academically and socially.
You can also check him out at www.joelwarrenrocks.com
He is the lead singer of a band called Character Rising. Joel has always been a musician who sings character building songs and all the kids love him. He has taken a leave of absence from teaching this year to work on his music. I am SO glad that Hannah had him last year. He is a fantastic teacher who really puts everything he has into these kids and teaches them to be the best people they can be - both academically and socially.
You can also check him out at www.joelwarrenrocks.com
Invisible Mommy
Jake has always been a Daddy's boy. There were periods when he was younger where he wanted nothing to do with me. He and Daddy would be downstairs and if I walked into the room he would yell at me to go back upstairs. I wasn't even allowed to be in the same room as him and Daddy.
We're currently back in a "Daddy only" cycle. In the morning when he wakes up Jake will climb up into bed with us and say "Good morning Daddy". That's it. When I say "Good morning Jake" I am met with silence.
The other day Lincoln came home with the kids and I was working in the office just off the area by the side door where they entered. Hannah came all the way in the house and went to play in the living room. Jake was standing there asking Daddy for chocolate milk. Link told him he couldn't get him milk right away because he had to finish unloading stuff from the car.
Me: Hey Jakey, come here.
Jake: What?
Me: What do you need?
Jake: I want lotta chocolate milk and Daddy said he can't get it. (That's his thing, he always wants "lotta chocolate milk", never a little)
Me: You know, there are other people in this house that could get you what you want.
Jake: But Hannah doesn't know how to make chocolate milk.
Me: What about me? I'll make you chocolate milk if you ask me using your manners.
Jake: I'll wait for Daddy.
And it's not that Daddy will do it without him using his manners. Daddy always makes him use manners too. It's just that I'm Mommy and therefore not Daddy and therefore not the center of his universe.
We're currently back in a "Daddy only" cycle. In the morning when he wakes up Jake will climb up into bed with us and say "Good morning Daddy". That's it. When I say "Good morning Jake" I am met with silence.
The other day Lincoln came home with the kids and I was working in the office just off the area by the side door where they entered. Hannah came all the way in the house and went to play in the living room. Jake was standing there asking Daddy for chocolate milk. Link told him he couldn't get him milk right away because he had to finish unloading stuff from the car.
Me: Hey Jakey, come here.
Jake: What?
Me: What do you need?
Jake: I want lotta chocolate milk and Daddy said he can't get it. (That's his thing, he always wants "lotta chocolate milk", never a little)
Me: You know, there are other people in this house that could get you what you want.
Jake: But Hannah doesn't know how to make chocolate milk.
Me: What about me? I'll make you chocolate milk if you ask me using your manners.
Jake: I'll wait for Daddy.
And it's not that Daddy will do it without him using his manners. Daddy always makes him use manners too. It's just that I'm Mommy and therefore not Daddy and therefore not the center of his universe.
Ain't that the truth
Jake: Daddy got bills.
Me: Bills?
Jake: Yeah, Daddy got bills in the mail so he has to give all of his money away.
Me: Bills?
Jake: Yeah, Daddy got bills in the mail so he has to give all of his money away.
He is no son of mine
When I eat out I'm very adament that I like people to bring me my food. In other words, I like sit down restaurants and not fast food. I told Jake that when Daddy and Hannah are done at the Valentine's Day dance they're going to pick us up and we'll all go out to dinner together. Jake wants to go to McDonald's but I told him we'd likely go to Chili's or Acapulco's or something like that.
Jake: I don't want to buy dinner.
Me: What?
Jake: I want to get our dinner. Not buy it at the table.
Like the title says, he is obviously no son of mine.
Jake: I don't want to buy dinner.
Me: What?
Jake: I want to get our dinner. Not buy it at the table.
Like the title says, he is obviously no son of mine.
Father/Daughter Valentine's Day Dance
Lincoln and Hannah just left for the Father/Daughter Valentine's Day Dance. They looked so cute. We had gotten a wrist corsage for Hannah but unfortunately the band on it was broken. We used rubber bands for the pictures but those were too tight on her wrist so she ended up leaving the house with it pinned to her dress. I don't have pictures of that yet but Lincoln took the camera with him to the dance. I also didn't get a full-length shot of her either so I told him to make sure and get one of those.
Doesn't she look all grown up? And check out her curly hair:
Putting on the wrist corsage:
Daddy and Hannah ready for the dance:
Jake wanted in on the picture!:
Showing off her flowers:
Working Weekend
This weekend has been all about getting stuff finished up in the master bathroom. Lincoln is installing the heated towel bar right now (I can't wait for that) and is hammering away upstairs. Jake, who usually talks his way through everything and nothing is EVER quiet around him, just said "I wish Daddy would stop hammering so that I can eat my breakfast in quiet". HA!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Update on Hannah
Hannah is doing much better today. She's perkier and she keeps telling me she feels fine but she's going through tissues like crazy. She's also pretty pale and gets worn out easily but at least I feel like she's getting better. The birthday party she was supposed to attend tomorrow has been postponed due to the illness of the birthday girl so she'll get to have another day of rest. Sunday is the big Daddy/Daughter Valentine's Day dance. Don't worry, I'll be posting pictures!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
An unwanted heating source
I absolutely hate when either of my children are sick. Hannah has a terrible bug right now and is fighting a croupy cough and a fever. She was curled up in my lap a minutes ago waiting for the medicine to kick in and I absolutely hate that feeling of heat radiating of her little body. I would do anything if I could be the one that could be sick for them instead. I don't like the look in their eyes when they're sick. It's so sad. So "Mommy, why can't you make me better" that it breaks my heart.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
He's still such a little boy
Jake is at that "in-between" stage where he doesn't really need to take a nap during the day but then if he doesn't he's really tired at night. He doesn't like to take naps. He thinks they're for babies. He didn't take a nap at Grandma & Grandpa's today so this is what happened while he watched a movie with Hannah tonight:
Such a cutie.
I love it!
Pledging to take "the air out of golden parachutes," President Obama announced Wednesday that executives of companies receiving federal bailout money will have their pay capped at $500,000 under a revised financial compensation plan.
Under Obama's plan, companies that want to pay their executives more than $500,000 will have to do so through stocks that cannot be sold until the companies pay back the money they borrow from the government.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/04/obama.executive.pay/index.html
Under Obama's plan, companies that want to pay their executives more than $500,000 will have to do so through stocks that cannot be sold until the companies pay back the money they borrow from the government.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/04/obama.executive.pay/index.html
Way too many Dunkin' Donuts
Maybe it's because I don't drink coffee but it seems there is a ridiculous amount of Dunkin' Donuts around here and today I confirmed that. I was reviewing the Boston Business Journal's Book of Lists and came across the list for Area's Largest Franchises. Dunkin' Donuts took the lead with 1,335 stores. There are only 351 towns in the entire state of Massachusetts! That's an average of what, almost 4 Dunkin' Donuts per town? Holy crap.
The next closest was Subway with 313. Interestingly enough Subway leads worldwide with 25,988 stores while Dunkin' Donuts has only 7,440 stores worldwide.
And those are my random thoughts for today....
The next closest was Subway with 313. Interestingly enough Subway leads worldwide with 25,988 stores while Dunkin' Donuts has only 7,440 stores worldwide.
And those are my random thoughts for today....
The longest 1 1/2 miles of my life
Yesterday we got a bunch of snow again. We didn't get too much accumulation but it was steady throughout the day. Our office closed at 4 p.m. so that people could head home before dark for fear that the roads would be pretty bad. My drive home on the Mass Pike was pretty good but you could tell that side roads weren't in the greatest condition. When I get off the interstate it's only about 3 miles of side roads until I'm home. The first mile and a half is a fairly busy road (especially at rush hour) and therefore was in pretty good condition. The last mile and a half was horrible. The roads hadn't really been plowed or sanded. It was slushy and slick and even worse than the day I had my near accident on that very same stretch of road.
That last mile and a half, with my hands clenching the steering wheel and tears streaming down my face, all I could think of was "Did Linus know he was going to die?" and "Did it hurt?"
God I really hope the answer was "no" to both. Whenever I think of how quickly Linus was taken from this Earth my heart is gripped in fear. I hate sending Lincoln out to work and I hate having the kids with me (or out with Lincoln) on even remotely icy days. I hate this fear but I appreciate how much it makes me value every moment I have with my family even more than I did before.
That last mile and a half, with my hands clenching the steering wheel and tears streaming down my face, all I could think of was "Did Linus know he was going to die?" and "Did it hurt?"
God I really hope the answer was "no" to both. Whenever I think of how quickly Linus was taken from this Earth my heart is gripped in fear. I hate sending Lincoln out to work and I hate having the kids with me (or out with Lincoln) on even remotely icy days. I hate this fear but I appreciate how much it makes me value every moment I have with my family even more than I did before.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Obviously pay back for last night
Last night at dinner I made a crack about Hannah's parentage. Lincoln got a good laugh out of it but with his usual dry wit, and perfect patience for retaliation, he delivered this little nugget at dinner tonight.
Hannah: Daddy, these are good.
Me: Yeah Honey, these paninis are delicious.
Lincoln: Such high praises for my sandwiches...I'm sorry I put poison in them.
Hannah: Daddy, these are good.
Me: Yeah Honey, these paninis are delicious.
Lincoln: Such high praises for my sandwiches...I'm sorry I put poison in them.
Lost in Translation
Jake: I like Dr. Two Brains.
Me (looking at Lincoln): Huh? Who is that?
He shrugs "I don't know".
Hannah: It's from Word Girl.
Me (to Lincoln): Aren't you glad we have her to translate?
Jake: And Captain Huggy Face.
Hannah: He's a monkey.
Jake: Captain Huggy Face flew into a light post.
Hannah: A tall pole with lights on it.
Me: Thanks. I got that one.
Me (looking at Lincoln): Huh? Who is that?
He shrugs "I don't know".
Hannah: It's from Word Girl.
Me (to Lincoln): Aren't you glad we have her to translate?
Jake: And Captain Huggy Face.
Hannah: He's a monkey.
Jake: Captain Huggy Face flew into a light post.
Hannah: A tall pole with lights on it.
Me: Thanks. I got that one.
Obviously my hearing is going
Lincoln is using his new Christmas present, a panini grill, for the first time tonight and it's sizzling away. To set the situation: Hannah was sitting at the table (halfway between the kitchen and the living room), Lincoln was at the counter (facing the back of the house) and I was at the other side of the kitchen (by the side door / opposite side of the kitchen from Hannah).
Lincoln: My pants!
Me: You have no pants?
Lincoln: My pants!
Me: We have live ants? What?
Hannah: MY PANTS! He said MY PANTS! M-Y-P-A-N-T-S! MY PANTS! MY PANTS! Can't you hear him?
Lincoln: My pants!
Me: You have no pants?
Lincoln: My pants!
Me: We have live ants? What?
Hannah: MY PANTS! He said MY PANTS! M-Y-P-A-N-T-S! MY PANTS! MY PANTS! Can't you hear him?
I really don't understand math anymore
Hannah just got a very high score on her math "end-of-unit assessment". As I've explained before, Massachusetts teaches a very interesting version of math. You can no longer just say 2+2=4. You now have to explain why 2+2=4.
So here is how Hannah scored a 4 on her assessment (A 4 is the highest you can get and is very rarely given out):
QUESTION: On Monday there was a bicycle race in the park. There were 25 children and 18 adults in the race. How many people were in the race? Solve the problem. Show your work.
HANNAH'S ANSWER:
25-5=20
18-8=10
20+10=30
8+5=13
13+30=43
(therefore)
25+18=43
The rest of the answer I couldn't even follow at all so I can't even write it here for you but needless to say it received a "Very Organized!", "Great!", and a "Wow!" from her teacher.
So here is how Hannah scored a 4 on her assessment (A 4 is the highest you can get and is very rarely given out):
QUESTION: On Monday there was a bicycle race in the park. There were 25 children and 18 adults in the race. How many people were in the race? Solve the problem. Show your work.
HANNAH'S ANSWER:
25-5=20
18-8=10
20+10=30
8+5=13
13+30=43
(therefore)
25+18=43
The rest of the answer I couldn't even follow at all so I can't even write it here for you but needless to say it received a "Very Organized!", "Great!", and a "Wow!" from her teacher.
Is it time for the sex talk already?
Lincoln: Jake, it's time to start taking responsibility for what is in your pants.
Huh?
That's what I just overheard coming from the bathroom. Jake has been doing a great job with his potty training but he usually leaks a few drops of pee into his underwear before making it to the toilet. It can be pretty frustrating so apparently Lincoln was giving him a little lecture. I have to say though, only overhearing the comment from Lincoln to Jake made me laugh.
Huh?
That's what I just overheard coming from the bathroom. Jake has been doing a great job with his potty training but he usually leaks a few drops of pee into his underwear before making it to the toilet. It can be pretty frustrating so apparently Lincoln was giving him a little lecture. I have to say though, only overhearing the comment from Lincoln to Jake made me laugh.
How is this possible?
Despite my numerous tivos I still managed not to tivo The Bachelor last night. What the heck?
I'll tell you what is wasteful.....the fact that some of these people are in office. Shameful is more like it.
House Republicans are declaring that proposed money to be spent on the following items are "wasteful":
- Flood Reduction Projects along the Mississippi River
- State and Local Fire Stations
- Public Computer Centers at Community Colleges
- Screening and Prevention of STDs
- Wildland Fire Management on Forest Service Lands
- Youth Summer Job Programs
Just to name a few....
Heck, the money spent on just the flood prevention and fire management would probably pay itself back when we don't then have to provide FEMA money for recovery from those things. Not to mention, oh, you know, people not having to deal with the loss of their homes, crops, and land in the first place.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Cheers! A dinner time toast.
Lincoln had a pretty bad day at work today and since he got out late I headed home early to get the kids. We actually ended up getting home about the same time and we decided to eat out at Applebee's since it's right next door to JoAnn's Fabric and Hannah needed to get some fleece for Thursday's sewing lesson.
Jake: Why is Curious George a monkey?
Me: Why are you a human?
Hannah (giving me a hug): Because my wonderful, wonderful Mommy made me.
Me: Well, I didn't do it alone.
Hannah: And because of my wonderful, wonderful Daddy.
Me: Whomever he may be.
I have to say it got a huge, genuine smile and a good laugh out of Lincoln. It was good to see him smile after his crappy day.
Jake: Why is Curious George a monkey?
Me: Why are you a human?
Hannah (giving me a hug): Because my wonderful, wonderful Mommy made me.
Me: Well, I didn't do it alone.
Hannah: And because of my wonderful, wonderful Daddy.
Me: Whomever he may be.
I have to say it got a huge, genuine smile and a good laugh out of Lincoln. It was good to see him smile after his crappy day.
When the New England Patriots aren't playing we don't pay much attention to football
Obviously this conversation actually took place last night.
Me: Isn't there the big game on tonight?
Jake: That's just Star Wars. I left it on [in the other room].
Me: Isn't there the big game on tonight?
Jake: That's just Star Wars. I left it on [in the other room].
A writer in the making
Each week Hannah has to write sentences using her spelling words. This was one of last week's sentences using the words "glistened" and "flash".
The snow glistened like a camera flash because of the sun.
I think that's pretty darn poetic for a 7-year old.
The snow glistened like a camera flash because of the sun.
I think that's pretty darn poetic for a 7-year old.
Too far away
Jake: Why does Grandma Dena have to live in Seattle?
Me: Because that is where she and Grandpa chose to live.
Jake: I don't want them to choose to live in Seattle anymore.
Me: I know buddy.
Jake: I don't want to fly far, far away to see them. 'Cause the seat belt makes me want to have a drink.
Me: Okay, you lost me on that one buddy.
Me: Because that is where she and Grandpa chose to live.
Jake: I don't want them to choose to live in Seattle anymore.
Me: I know buddy.
Jake: I don't want to fly far, far away to see them. 'Cause the seat belt makes me want to have a drink.
Me: Okay, you lost me on that one buddy.
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