Festival O' Fun

Both of my sister-in-laws sing with bands, and this afternoon one of them was playing at a local festival. You know the type: blow up bouncers and slides for the kiddos, a couple of carts with hot dogs and hamburgers, fried dough and ice cream. Earlier in the day there were a lot of vendors selling crafts and other things. The evening was pretty much devoted to the music, and later some fireworks.

I was amazed. I think it was one of the first times that we have gotten Daniel in front of live music like that. We all know he loves his country music videos, but to see him get down and boogie to the live music was fun. He and his cousin Nicholas chased each other around in front of the band, squealing and laughing and joined by other random kids from time to time.

Daniel did have one casualty of the evening. I took my eyes off him for two seconds, and a bigger kid not watching where he was going pretty much flattened him/knocked him off his feet. The Mom swooped in right away, but instead of even offering up an, "I'm sorry" she just scooped up her kid and exited. It makes me a bit angry. I know it wasn't intentional, but my kid had the breath knocked out of him - it took him a minute to gather up enough air to even start screaming - and he now looks like he has a bit of road rash down one side of his face.

We got everything calmed down, and Daniel went back to the music. I would occasionally try to stop him and get him to drink some water... I even tried to steer him over toward the kiddie bouncers at one point thinking he might need a break. This just earned me a wail of, "Dancing!"

I finally made a decision to head for home, and was preparing for a fight to get to the car. When I paused because a song I liked had just started, Daniel looked at me and said, "Go Home!" He's nothing if not a kid who knows what he wants.

Laundry Misdeeds

Holy cow did today start with a misstep... We have a blankie in the house. I've been fortunate that Daniel doesn't seem to cart it everywhere - it's made thousands of miles of trips to Grandma and Grandpa's house, and even to the doctor's office a few times when I thought comfort might be exceptionally needed. But usually it is just a fixture in the house: a good cuddler on the couch, and a must at bedtime. Needless to say, blankie gets a tad, um, ripe at times. The best plan of attack is to launch it straight into the laundry as soon as he gets up. Then I am pretty much guaranteed to have the thing dry by nap time.

Little did I know. I executed Plan B: Wash Blankie when Daniel's second favorite morning show came on the air. Super Why is a new PBS show that is also very letters and reading oriented, and Daniel is fascinated with it at the moment. The show began, and durn it all he started hunting for the blankie. It was a slippery slope after that... nothing I could do was quite right. (I'll cry 'til you pick me up. No, wait, pick me up and I'll cry harder!)

I finally cut the tumble dry short, yanked blankie from the dryer, and handed it to him slightly damp. And lo, peace did reign on the house of Dirt Makes Fat. For the moment...

Personality Plus

Maybe it's because of the stay at home mom gig, but sometimes I am totally knocked sideways by the changes in my little guy. I am so close every day that they sort of sneak up on me. You take this tiny baby home from the hospital, and just love them to bits but let's face it. As one of my friends said to me: It's pretty much eat, sleep, diaper, repeat.

There is the first smile, first word, first steps... and somewhere along the line this whole personality pops out and this realization hits of a "real boy" in there. I had Daniel out and about in the car and running errands with me a few days ago. My head was down in the front seat as I rummaged around in my bag looking for something. I heard a giggle and looked in the back to discover Daniel wearing the Country Weekly music magazine he had been paging through previously as a hat. I could just tell by the sly grin that he must've been doing that for a little bit, and finally giggled to get my attention (and because he couldn't hold it in any longer.) The grin got even wider as I nearly fell over in my seat from laughter...

This is a kid who was so focused on seeing the tractor at the farm yesterday that I was literally running to keep up with him. And a kid who was so excited at the prospect of picking out a punkin' that I felt badly about steering him away from the super-humongous-ginormous pumpkins because we don't have the room.

I worry sometimes that in all the "dailiness" of "being a Mom" and being the caretaker that I lose sight of some of those "joy in the pumpkins" moments. And I pray that I never squash such impulses in him, and just enjoy my little boy with the plus-sized personality.

That's One Way to Stay Awake

It always amazes me to hear the various stories of kids and their "sleeping styles." Quantity, timing, location... all vary from kid to kid and even in the same kid from time to time. Just to keep us parents on our collective toes...

I was apparently one of those lovely children who didn't need much sleep. At all. Once my little brother came along my Mother had to enforce "quiet time" to try and get me to play or read quietly or something. My brother was on the opposite end of this spectrum and would sleep anytime, and almost anywhere. We have photos of him sleeping in the middle of someone's kitchen counter, and home movies of him ka-zonked in his highchair. A moving vehicle was the fastest way to put him out, and I think Mom worried a bit about putting him on the school bus.

Daniel's doing pretty well with the nighttime sleeping, but I am starting to suspect that we are phasing out the naps. He must still need them because he drops off pretty quickly, but one catnap of an hour or less and he's raring to go (usually... he blessed us with a 2.5 hour nap a few days ago).

Longer car trips can get a bit trickier: put a cozy car, with some of our windier back roads and the rhythm starts him nodding off. And that little bit of extra sleep can make bedtime a lot more interesting. H stumbled across a way to keep the little guy hopping recently. (Well it will work until the temperature drops dangerously...). Roll down the window on some curvy roads, and let the breeze blow through those blond curls! Daniel gets this elated look on his face, and we all laugh the last half of the trip home with the little voice from the backseat squealing: Do 'gen! Hair blo'!

It must be the full moon...

It's Jekyll and Hyde day so far here at the DmF house.

Yesterday H and I were having one of those conversations, just going over the day. I casually mentioned to him that I thought I might take Daniel to drop-in playgroup on Friday morning, and do a grocery run in the afternoon.

Daniel has started dawdling on the steps as we try to leave the house. We have two sets of stairs to get to the garage, all of which he usually wants to do himself. This involves lots of sitting and standing holding Mama's hand, as well as getting to touch every thing/texture within reach. I'm trying to remember to leave the house with plenty of lead time so that my patience doesn't wear too thin. Today as I was trying to coax him a bit: Don't you want to go to playgroup? He looked up at me all blond curls and big blue eyes and said: Groceries? Holy Cow I forget what little sponges a two year old can be! I wasn't even talking to him about this yesterday.

Baby Hyde came out to play at the playgroup just a bit later. I usually get complimented on my little angel-face, so it was a bit disconcerting to have him screeching at every turn and about nearly every thing. I'm hoping to nap the bad mood out of him, or the grocery trip this afternoon is going to get interesting.

Coincidence?

One of Daniel's newest favorite shows is "Word World." I like it too, as it is very letters and literacy-based. Letters make up the characters and pieces of "Word World". It is hard to see in this picture, but Ant is made up of the letters A N T. It's much easier to see the B A R N.

Just a small digression here: I have been doing the single-parent thing since Saturday, and so I'm a bit bleary. I love my kid to pieces, but sunup to sundown for this many days without a break is a wee bit taxing.

Anyhow, I stumbled into the kitchen this evening to start dinner, and found on the refrigerator in magnets: A N T. I suppose I'm going to have to reserve judgement, as Daniel wouldn't replicate it... he's a very focused kid, and this afternoon the focus has been on how to get Mama to knock her head against the wall (and for how many times and how hard). But... coincidence? Sheesh! Do I start saving for MIT now??

Aacck!

There is very little that seems to scare Daniel, for which I am grateful. A few days ago we went to visit my mother-in-law and found this guy on the living room coffee table, courtesy of Uncle B. Daniel was nervous enough that we wound up putting him behind the couch and throwing a blanket over him. I thought we were home free, but last night just after midnight I heard a wail from the baby's room. When I went in he shakily said to me, "The Man!" This is the only thing I can think of, and I feel so awful about it! Hopefully it is a one-time incident and we can put it behind us. I may have to be more careful about the Halloween stuff coming up though.

In scare-Mama news I woke up this morning, and when I turned to go back into the bedroom there was another one of those heebie-jeebie spiders dangling from the doorway poised to land on my head. I managed to refrain from screaming and swept it down with a broom and out the back door.

Seasonal

A big thank you to the guys who started mowing the lawn around our complex yesterday at 7:45 ayem thereby ensuring that the toddler won't sleep in.

I poked my head in the door and he popped up like a jackrabbit saying, "Noise! Cut grass!"
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I love Fall in New England. There is a crispness to the air, pumpkins, apple picking, Fall colors. H and I even married in October. While it was tempting to try a costume wedding, we went for Fall splendor in an old church complete with pew boxes and a reception at an old New England home in the area.

I'm facing the coming winter with a bit of trepidation, however. Daniel is a bit of a bear if I don't get him out somewhere each day to burn off a bit of the toddler energy. H is of the "just bundle 'em up and get 'em out" strategy. Personally I find that harder to do the colder it gets, but then I'm a bit wimpy when it comes to the wind chill. Any ideas what to do in the wintertime other than replacing the living room furniture with a jungle gym and climbing wall? I'm trying to get prepared here.

Sick, Sick, Sick

Best not get too close! Some enterprising little bug has not only waylaid the little guy, but me as well. Perhaps a little present from our trips to playgroup last week?

It certainly could be worse, but it's enough to give everyone the crankies and not sleep well. Even though he got up sort of miserable last night, Daniel did me a favor and slept a bit more this morning. Which was a good thing because my head was pounding so hard in the early am that I thought my eyeballs were going to roll out of their sockets and across the floor.

H is ducking and running for cover as the only well member of the family. Even sick, I wish I had Daniel's energy. And I still haven't figured out this whole Mom/sick thing... taking care of business when all I want to do is pull the covers over my head. I hope to return you to our regularly scheduled blogging very soon.

Kick-Butt Mama

One of my favorite shows has always been Alias. I don't own the DVDs, but I can imagine myself watching and re-watching Jennifer Garner as kick-ass agent Sydney Bristow.

Out of the celeb Moms that are out there/in the news, Jennifer has always seemed the most down-to-earth. Married to Ben Affleck and Mom to Violet, the main paparazzi shots that I've seen are of them out in the park, at the grocery store... just being a family. I find that refreshing.

It looks like she is returning to the action scene in a new movie opening September 28th and starring with Chris Cooper and Jamie Foxx. The Kingdom: A team of U.S. investigators set out to find the perpetrators behind a deadly attack in a Middle Eastern country.

And it appears Alias co-star / hottie Michael Vartan also has a new show premiering this fall.

Playgroup a Go-Go

Sigh. I don't know what it is. Sometimes I think I must have lost my Mom's Club ID. I mean, I've got the kid and everything, but I was sent home from the hospital without the secret handshake or something. Why is it so hard to meet other Moms?

I've gone from a job I had for nearly 10 years of my life, to the life of a SAHM in The Kingdom of the Toddler. It's a life that has its joys, don't get me wrong. But I KNOW there are other people living here, and I'll be darned if I can find them some days.

We've been bouncing between two playgroups. Playgroup A: smaller, great leaders, am finally starting to feel recognized, like I belong and likewise for Daniel. We are recognizing in turn other Moms and kids, conversations are starting to feel more natural... things are just sort of progressing nicely where I can feel some relationships starting to widen and expand a little. It feels good. Since they have been between sessions, they are operating on "drop-in" time - which means plenty of opportunities to visit. We are about to swing into a regular session, which will limit available time outside of your "scheduled" playgroup.

We keep trying Playgroup B: larger space, more kids of a wider age range, loads of stuff to do. The most I can seem to bring myself to say is: The leader is nice. Daniel had fun. And I always leave there mildly discouraged. For such a larger group, you'd think there would be at least a Mom or two a bit more welcoming. Instead I feel in sort of a clique-y junior high, where Moms are in various states of watching and not watching their kids. This includes the charmer who was taking big mouthfuls of the rice that was in the sensory table for the kids to play in, while Mom was busy chatting about her shopping elsewhere.

H thinks I need to cut my losses and start looking elsewhere. I think I agree, but this is hard.

Mom Escape #137

Anyone who knows me knows by now that I LOVE all things science fiction and fantasy: movies, TV, books, you name it. (And just check out some of the selections in my sidebar...) I've even been known to watch some pretty awful stuff just to get that fix. Of course this sometimes results in my wishing for that hour/two hours/other random segment of my life back once I'm through. (Or looking back at some of the stuff I watched in the 70s and 80s and wondering What was I thinking?) But that can't deter me... All this was true pre-Daniel and continues even now.

The BBC has gotten on the bandwagon, and the newest entry at BBC America is Torchwood. A spin-off from Dr. Who, this series follows a team of people in Cardiff, Wales investigating alien and human crime sometimes using borrowed alien technology. I caught the first episode this past week. There is a bit of an X-Files-ish air to it, and I think it has possibilities. Stay tuned...

I highly recommend an escape into some mind-bending/worlds colliding/otherworldly stuff if your days are filled with diapers and wipes and (shudder) Barney.

(And in other geek moments: Did you hear the title of the new Indiana Jones movie? It's Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.)

Excuse Me?

Yet again, a call from my gastroenterologist's office regarding the liver bumps. The good doctor finally had a chance to go over my CT scan over the weekend. The message said that yes, it appears to be a hemangioma, they have blood vessel(s), can resemble a bruise, are benign, etc. (Yay, me!)

But... (you knew this was coming, right?)

The doctor wants to schedule an MRI in November to get another look at them. Is it just me, or is this starting to seem like testing just for testings sake?

Excuse me while I go shake down my doctor and find out just what is going on here.

Snips and Snails

There is a debate going on here at the DmF household. And I am firmly on either side of the fence depending on which day you talk to me...

Daniel turned two years old last month, and except for a mini bang-snip here and there so that he could see, he has yet to have a haircut. I get more and more (especially from the grandmas at the grocery store): Oh, what a pretty little girl. Or parents on the playground watch their kids interact with Daniel and I hear them use the pronoun "she." I was all set to charge right over to the local kid-cuts place when today no less than three people complimented me on his blond curls.

Anyone have any experiences/war stories they'd like to share about their kid's first haircut? We still have rolling/screaming/wrestling matches over the daily tooth-brushing and occasional fingernail/toenail clipping. So the idea of getting anywhere near him with a pair of scissors is somewhat intimidating.

Of course, I may also be just holding onto this last little bit of his official "babyhood."

Too Cute

Mommy: "AAh CHOO!!"

Baby (from the kitchen table): "Bess You!"

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From the Is It a Universal Kid Thing? Files:

Daniel has drunk from a cup with a straw ever since he gave up the boob au naturale and the very short-lived bottle. He has suddenly discovered blowing bubbles with his straws.

A new wrinkle: If you blow bubbles in one of those drink pouches like Capri Sun, and then stop, there is a fun fountain that results.

Dirt Makes Fat Maxim

Be careful the amount of smugness you exhibit when you remember the stroller for the two year old, whose legs you are certain will conk out while you are visiting down on the farm. This is in direct proportion to the number of times and speed with which the two year old will run away from you while you juggle the stroller and diaper bag - which is much faster than you anticipated.

Peeved

As long as I am on a roll:

I was blog-surfing recently and read a funny post about Dunkin' Donuts having it out for the author... I'll be darned if I can remember where I saw it, and I'll be back to link to it if I can figure it out. If it's you, drop me a note and/or just know that you tickled my funny bone. We've been visiting DD on a regular basis this summer as the two year old has developed a real yen for their smoothies or "hobies" (?) as he calls them. Our order is nearly always the same, only the price constantly changes. Can't figure that one out... But with an antsy kid in the backseat I'm not gonna argue too loudly, particularly when it's in our favor. What I find particularly irritating however is the fact that I place my order over the "squawk box" only to reach the window and have the person ringing me up say: Now what did you have? Why do I bother? And there is always at least one thing not right. Today's order was: a small tropical smoothie, small iced tea with sugar and lemon, a glazed donut and six munchkins (2 plain, 2 glazed, 2 sugar). What I got was the smoothie, the tea minus the sugar, a powdered sugar donut and 4 munchkins. Go figure.

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I am, shall we say, a bit lax on the issue of the two year old and TV. The whole "No TV Before Two Years Old" movement is great in theory, but it just didn't work out that way around our house. And part of my whole "Dirt Makes Fat" philosophy is all about ditching the Mommy guilt, because goodness knows I certainly don't need any more.

I do, however, try to keep an eye on what is on TV. Nothing too violent or racy, and our lack of stereo equipment sometimes means that we have the country videos on in the background for a little music around the house. Daniel and Trace Adkins, Gretchen Wilson, Rodney Atkins and others are really becoming best buds.

There should be the same restrictions on commercials as there are on TV shows, though. We will have something pretty innocuous on the tube and suddenly there is a commercial for Halloween or The Ring II or some such movie on... and the commercials are just as bad as the flicks. They have their place, but I shouldn't have to go diving for the remote to keep these images away from my kid.

That's all I'm saying.

All the King's Men

In many ways I feel as though I shouldn't be complaining. There are so many who have far more serious issues surrounding bridges and construction in this country. That being said...

Our complex has exactly one entrance/exit. I've lost track of exactly when it started, but crews have been repairing the bridge that crosses the (fairly small) river that sits right next to us. It's a mammoth job and while all the heavy equipment and noise has created no small amount of amusement for a two year old who loves anything on wheels, Mommy is really ready for this to be over. Thanks to the newspaper I now know that this millions-of-dollars project will not be completed until next summer. Not this summer - next summer.

Our entrance/exit sits at a bend in the road that cars tend to travel too fast. Trying to leave on a good day often results in taking a deep breath and simply ramming your car out into the traffic flow. I'm actually happy to see the local cop when he decides to park in the drive across the way because traffic actually slows down, and maybe some of the speed-demons might actually get a ticket for their troubles. When they cut down some of the trees to make way for this project it actually increased the visibility which was great. The visibility promptly decreased again when the trees were replaced with various cranes, bulldozers and heavy trucks - not to mention the personal cars of all the construction workers that have decided to park lining our entrance/exit.

I've been trying to hold on, thinking: Hey. Town improvement and all that. But next summer? I'd like to be agreeable and feel that progress is being made, but there are whole stretches of time where no work at all is being done.

All this promises to be even more fun when the New England snow finally descends and the snowplows are looking for somewhere to pile everything that has just been shoveled off the roadways. Yes, my idea of fun is to take your life into your hands every time you try to leave your house. Just one of many reasons that it may be time to move.

The Saga Continues

I seem to be a bumpy person.

Besides the obvious reference to having had a baby bump, there has been:

A nice sized lump on the back of my right elbow. You know that spot on your elbow that seems to be termed a "funny bone?" I was in college, and had a nice-sized bruise back there to go with the lump. Said bruise and lump also used to earn me zaps from that nerve, you know the type, where your hand goes tingly and then painfully numb and useless? A visit to the student health center found me a doctor who pretty much advised me to not lean on that elbow when I went to the bar. Um, right. Moving on eventually found me at the University of Michigan Medical Center for my third surgery to try and get everything out... It was eventually termed a histiocytoma, and determined not to be cancerous.

A potential breast lump. And a mammogram and ultrasound to go with, which turned out to be nothing, thank goodness.

A potential thyroid lump. Multiple ultrasounds had subsequent doctors going: Huh? Well, I don't see anything. This thankfully stopped short of the needle biopsy (of the neck! I still get the shivers!).

Gallstones. I ate (or actually didn't eat) my way through the year and a half after having Daniel not knowing about this and not knowing what I could put in my system that wouldn't cause me abdominal pain and/or intestinal distress. Not how I would recommend losing the baby weight. And why it took so long to get this diagnosed I think I will never know.

Liver bumps? So I had gallbladder surgery and recovered and was doing much better thank you when my gastroenterologist's office called. I figured it for a How are you doing after that surgery? type of follow-up call, but no... You know that ultrasound that (finally) showed up your gallstones? There were some spots on your liver that we believe are hemangiomas. You need to get a CT scan to confirm this.

Off I go... this is scheduled for tomorrow, and I will keep you posted. But please, no more bumps for awhile, OK?

I want to potty all the time...

C'mon, you knew it was inevitable. This blog got started due to the kid, after all. Here 'tis: The post on pee and poop. Our recent visit to the pediatrician also included the question if Daniel was "aware" of needing to go. I'd been putting this out of my mind since umpteen books, online sources and heck, just people in general have all talked about boys training later than girls. So... this has just been something for "later."

There is occasional discussion of "pee" when I ask why he's patting his diaper, and poop time usually results in Daniel running into the other room for some alone time... So, when I thought about it, it turned out that the answer was, Um. Yeah.

I elected to go with one of the potties that fits on the real toilet, 'cuz hey if I can eliminate the step of having to clean the baby potty so much the better. What this also, amazingly, takes into account is Daniel's yen to do things just like Mom and Dad. When I explained what the new potty was, and showed him how it fit on the seat, I also asked him if he wanted to try it out. He nodded yes, and I gave him a boost with his shorts on and all figuring this would just last a second and he would be on to the next thing on his toddler agenda.

He proceeded to start tugging, saying: pants off. The diaper went too, and I'm sure it was entirely coincidental but we had a little pee and lots of praise. I don't plan on pushing any sort of agenda with the training... maybe plunking him on it once a day and seeing what happens and how things progress.

But holy cow is my baby growing up!

Along Came a Spider

I'm not sure that Daniel knew quite what to do when Mama started doing the "heebie-jeebie" dance as we left the house today to go to the grocery store. The dance was the result of the big black thing dangling from the light fixture right in front of my face. Just like the nursery rhyme...

Have I mentioned that I hate bugs?

I can take lots of things. I used to go fishing with my Dad and Grandpa and brother which involved all kinds of bait. Usually worms, but occasionally other stuff. They taught me how to get the fish off the hook too... I can remember having turtles in the old goldfish bowl we had as a kid. And my little brother and I used to grab flashlights and go frog/toad hunting, which usually involved the things peeing down your arm once you got hold of them. As long as I knew they weren't poisonous even the snakes didn't bother me. But give me a many-legged anything and just watch my skin crawl. We seem to have a nice selection of critters in our area, much to H's amusement as he escorts them outside when I find one or another tucked into the corner of my shower in the morning. Things could get interesting around here once Daniel is old enough to really realize just what bugs are and what they do to Mama...

Boys, Boys

Daniel has sort of connected with a little boy named Edgar at our playgroup. Edgar's Mom and I were talking, when we started hearing some crashing noises from the next room. We investigated, only to see two little figures peering into the dollhouse, with the two of them taking turns sending each wooden piece of furniture crashing down the dollhouse stairs.

And all I could think was Aww, how cute! He's learning how to play with the other boys!

Just a Girl and her Allen Wrench

This was my project of the day... 115+ pieces. Nicely challenged / complicated by the two-year-old who wants to PLAY TRAIN!

We had a hectic weekend the past few days with the last bit of Daniel's "progressive birthday party" at my Mother-in-Law's house with Aunts and Uncles and at least one of the cousins. Daniel did extremely well what with his schedule being turned upside down yet again... He's really pretty adaptable. Tantrum Kid seems to come out nearly exclusively for Mama and Dada and Angel Kid is reserved for everyone else. As a result I've really been holding onto my patience today.

I am thinking of renaming this birthday: Trains, planes, and automobiles (and bikes and trucks and...) as Daniel's focus on anything with wheels has remained firmly in place. One of his birthday trucks actually came with a DVD showing trash trucks and explaining where all the trash and recycling goes. I found it surprisingly interesting!

A Poke in the Arm

Yesterday was Daniel's 2-year appointment. The 18-month appointment was a bit of a scream-fest, so I was uncertain how things would go... The actual visit with the pediatrician went well. We did the usual getting the stats, brief look-see in the ears, questions about how things are going with the eating, sleeping, etc. Then came the Hepatitis B shot. Traumatic, but quick. The topper was realizing that we needed to go upstairs to get blood drawn for a lead test.

I know it's important... especially given the scavenger hunt all us Moms and Dads have been doing recently due to The Great Toy Recall of 2007. But, um, yeah... the last time? It took my husband to hold him down. I decided to brave it out if I could, otherwise it would mean maneuvering another appointment around H's work schedule and so forth. I'm happy to say that we got through it OK. I was a little bit amazed when the doctors office called this morning to say that his blood workup was normal. I don't think I have ever seen such a fast turnaround.

My heart breaks a little bit every time my little guy looks at me and says in a small voice, "Doctor hurt." But I think all has been forgiven. Now if we can just work on the nightly scream-fests that come with the brushing of the teeth.

It was the strangest thing...

So, what is the strangest thing you ever saw while you were "on the road?" My brother was crossing the Mackinac Bridge on his way home from the visit to our parents' house when he caught this picture. Just like a scene out of Cops!

We had just crossed the border into Ohio, and had taken our first toll ticket when I saw 10-15 emergency vehicles on the other side of the road. As we started speeding up I noticed the FedEx truck that had "reared up" and was crumpled under the overpass like someone had used a can opener on it. H also noted that the cab looked burned. Also noted by us both was the 8-10 mile backup of cars we proceeded to pass. People had actually gotten out of their cars and were walking around talking to each other. As the traffic started to thin out, I wanted to wave a big sign at approaching cars and shout, "Turn Back!!!"

We were driving to playgroup yesterday when I rounded a corner and had to drive around what looked like a door flat on the road in the intersection with what looked like an industrial saw horse on top of it. This was reminiscent of the time I was driving to my summer job years ago and rounded a corner to find a desk and chair in my lane. They were perfectly set up, as though they were just waiting for a computer and office worker. A little way up the road was a pickup that had pulled over to get their errant desk.

What about you?

Tag Team Restauraunt-Going

Sigh. OK, so I know, I know, he's two... but any recommendations about how to get the kid to sit still in a restaurant?

We thought we would have a brief dinner out yesterday. Daniel is sort of getting a "birthday month" this year. We spent the 10 days leading up to his birthday with my family in Wisconsin (thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the bike!). And the actual day fell hard on the heels of the 1,200 mile trek home. Knowing we were all kinda tired and messed up schedule-wise we thought of a dinner out as a celebration, with getting together with H's family for another time. Dinner, unfortunately, became a tag-team event in controlling the toddler with one of us getting up from the table and even taking him outside if things were getting too unbearable. Any toys I brought were a distraction for about .2 seconds. Drinks were only good if he got to drink one of ours ("sip! SIP!"), and he was not content to just take a drink through the straw ("HOLD!").

We probably need to start enforcing more dinnertime rules at home, but it's hard. H and I are on wildly different schedules during the (6-day) work week, which makes sitting down all together at the table for meals difficult. Can someone please tell me that this is a phase? And when does it end? I don't want to not take him out places, but sheesh! Yesterday had me contemplating food delivery rather than eating out for the next few years.

Eeep!

There are some very nice friends of my parents in their neighborhood. We visited many of them recently, just to say "hi" (And who am I kidding, to show off Daniel a little...) One of these friends, Burt, collects and sometimes even races cars. Daniel took a shine to a yellow car in the garage that Burt and Teddi referred to as "the Dino." Come to find out from talking to my father later that car is a Dino Ferrari, much like the one pictured, and is quite expensive. Just the thing I want my two-year-old's hands all over!

We are home. Three sore behinds from 1,200 plus miles in the car with a toddler. A toddler who is now wildly off his schedule for little things like sleeping and eating. But hearts are all the richer for getting to spend relaxing and fun time with far away family.

Seventy Years Ago

My Mom likes to venture out to estate sales and auctions, and she seems to have the best luck: from small items on up to getting a kitchen table, an old steamer trunk that makes a great coffee table and a wonderful antique flip-top desk. Maybe I need to look further, but the antique shops I've found in New England were of the variety that bought the pieces, did the restoration for you and then charged far too much for you to acquire an item. Fun to look around, but goodness knows I wouldn't be buying anything.

I was nosing around my parents house and found an old Diary from 1937 that my Mother had picked up at an estate sale. It is strangely compelling... the writer is a woman whose husband Arthur owned a tavern in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. She doesn't have an entry every day - there are many blank pages. But what is here is an interesting snapshot of life 70 years ago. The daughter, Joan, gets sick several times. "I started to worry about her," laughed my Mom. They go to the theater many times, and the author notes received bowl, or received salt and pepper shakers: a common practice (I am told) in the thirties. It is noted who is on duty at the tavern on specific nights, and Joan's dancing lessons and purchases of dresses and sittings for photographs. Progress on the construction of a new tavern is noted, as well as the day that the Mayor visited to look around. The author's name is never mentioned, although she does note the deaths of various folks around town.

Blogging has some interesting parallels. Some of my favorite blogs are just that - snapshots into the author's life. While I love this new medium and its ability to connect people across the country and across the globe... there is a certain excitement to holding this old volume in my hand and wondering at the author's life. There is something tangible in being able to press into the spine and turn the pages and peer at the faded ink... There are many reasons that people blog. Getting a chance to look at this old book makes me wonder: If I am writing this as a means to keep a record... Should I be making some provisions for what happens to "my little corner of cyberspace" when I am not around? It's hard to imagine someone 70 years from now stumbling across these words. The unknown author I have been reading would probably have said the same thing, I imagine. But it makes me sort of sad.

On Golden Pond...

There is something about these trips to Wisconsin to see family and friends... I have been very nostalgic about it recently. The passing of Grandma B, and sale of her house pretty much marked the last of the "houses of my childhood." It's a different perspective from H's family who still lives in the same house he grew up in.

Driving through town there are so many little tidbits that are familiar, liberally mixed with things that are new. Elkhart Lake is a resort town, familiar to many as the home of Road America. My parents have a great condo, and practically around the corner is the street where Grandma and Grandpa T used to live. The old house has been being renovated for quite some time. It's a refreshing change from the original purchasers who had been letting the place fall down around their ears... but it's hard not to feel a tad possessive even now about the place where I spent so many summers as a kid. At least these folks are taking care of it. On that same street's corner is the Gritzmacher place. You used to have to go up this long narrow set of stairs to their house. Beneath it (once upon a time) was a blacksmith shop. The whole shebang has now been turned into a bar/restaurant.

We had an early dinner this evening at Schulz's Restaurant in Sheboygan: charcoal grilled steak sandwiches with pickles and onions and real butter on the hard rolls that starts to drip down your hands. Yum! Daniel loved the french fries... It's a favorite stop when we journey into Wisconsin. Tomorrow we will have an Aunt and a few cousins and their assorted kids over for bratwurst and hamburgers and lots of chatter and we will work on making new memories.

Holy Cow

Um, yeah - the trip.

Item 1: The car. Remember the Seinfeld episode where Jerry has a confrontation with the car rental agent who has held his reservation, but not actually held him a car? When they finally find him a car, he requests the insurance because,"I'm gonna beat the hell out of that thing." This was the scenario that kept running through my mind as we argued with the car rental agency... First they found us a vehicle, only for us to discover that it was reeking of smoke. By the time everything was straightened around we weren't on the road until nearly noon.

Item2: The toddler, day one. I will say this. All in all, for spending so much time pent up in a car Daniel did pretty well. There were tantrums, but we tried to keep up with the snacks and the toy cars to play with.

Item 3: The hotel. Or lack thereof. One of the first times I have had to check approximately 8 places before finding a room. Complicated by the cranky toddler who wailed every time Dada stepped out of the car.

Item 4: Yeah, the toddler? The one who spent most of his day strapped into a car seat when he usually spends most of his day on the move? He was the one running laps of the hotel room while his exhausted parents tried to get him to sleep.

Press repeat on the toddler, the time spent on snacks and cars and playing... at the end of all this was Grandma and Grandpa and Sophie the dog (Soapie!!!). Daniel was so excited to see everyone that he was grinning and practically vibrating in place. I'm looking forward to spending some time seeing relatives, sleeping in, getting some good "Mom-cooking" and just generally relaxing. And trying hard not to think about doing a repeat of this on the way home.

A Two-Fer

One two-year-old in the car for two days. I remember being in the airport to and from Chicago for BlogHer and seeing all the kids and thinking, "Wouldn't it be nice? It's only a two-hour trip by plane..." We tried it last time, and that was the LONGEST two hours I have spent in quite awhile. Serious contemplation was made of renting a car for the return trip home. Maybe in a year or two we can try that again.

Grandma and Grandpa and many assorted relatives and friends are tickled that we are coming. Truthfully, so are we. I don't get to see everyone as much as I would like.

Also truthfully: Send good wishes for the sanity of the two parents.

On My Mind

A dear friend contacted me recently... the day I left for Chicago in fact. She and I don't live near each other any longer, and as sometimes happens when people move we hadn't spoken in awhile. My friend has dealt with losing her mother to a recurrence of breast cancer, and has struggled with the idea of having genetic testing to determine her own risk of developing cancer.


The test results came back positive.


She has known this was a possibility. But now she is dealing with increased testing and monitoring and the doctors proposing some pretty radical ideas and treatment. I am being purposely vague on details here, as this is really my friend's story to tell and not mine. I wish I lived closer to be able to offer the concrete support of being there... a shoulder to cry on or a hand to hold or a friend to provide a distraction by talking about music or movies or the craziness of life in general.


The older I get the more people I find who have been touched by this. I'm only heading out of my thirties and I have had a mammogram of my own (nothing, thank goodness!). Recently I've discovered Toddler Planet, and a young Mom who is going through inflammatory breast cancer, another aspect to this disease that I really knew nothing about. I've been spending some time trying to wrap my head and my feelings around all this. But my friend is on my mind and in my thoughts and prayers, and I felt a need to throw this "out into the Universe."

BlogHer in the City

Whoo! In many ways I am still processing my trip to BlogHer 07 in Chicago. There was: lack of sleep, plane delays, zippy shuttles to and from O'Hare, shuttle buses to and from the Chicago City Centre hotel and the Navy Pier (as well as absent shuttles for each). There was also an intense conference about blogging with everything from technical tracks to sessions about "The State of the Momosphere" and finding your passion and the art of storytelling. It was interesting to me to note that one of the sessions that resonated most for me was regarding "Small is Beautiful" - the art and craft of small, personal blogs. moderated by the beautiful artist Jen Lemen. I am wondering where that notion is going to take me and my writing.

There were also many vendors, and much "swag" - I think my suitcase was twice as full when I returned home. On the second day I sat down with a group for lunch with Jillian Michaels of The Biggest Loser fame - a lunch sponsored by AOL Body. There was a cocktail party each evening, the first on the Navy Pier rooftop with music by the fantastic Christine Kane... and the second at the Chicago Children's Museum. Oh, and the closing keynote speaker was none other than Elizabeth Edwards.

And there were many many bloggers. Estimated at 800 or so... I bumped into Valerie from Disorderly Conduct my first evening in Chicago. Roomed with the lovely Shawna... and giggled over pizza from Gino's East with Shawna, Kim and Marilyn the last evening before dragging off to bed as three of us had abominably early flights the next day.

All in all - a whirlwind of a trip for my first time away from Daniel. I missed both Daniel and H terribly... Phone pictures were enough to make me teary-eyed. But wow. What a ride.

Hiccup

Even before he was born, Daniel would get hiccups: a little popping sensation usually near my left hip that never failed to amaze me. I've lost the link, or I would include it here but there was recently a news story about a poor woman who had hiccups for months. Whoo - can you imagine?

I once had hiccups for an entire weekend. Let me tell you, after a few days I was clamoring at my doctor for something to Make it STOP! There are medications to try. The Iowa woman who went for months turned out to have some sort of allergy.

This blog will have a little hiccup soon as I run off to play at Blogher in Chicago. It's a wonderful chance to meet some of these fantastic bloggers I've been reading for awhile and learn tons of new things and just have fun.

Geeked

OK, so I know the major topic of conversation these days is Harry Potter. But for me - I am so jazzed to hear that they are making a new Indiana Jones movie! Star Wars had instilled in me a serious crush on Harrison Ford. When Raiders of the Lost Ark came out in 1981 I had somehow managed to hear nothing about the movie. Of course these were the pre-Internet days where I would simply show up at the local movie theater with family and/or friends and say: OK. What are we going to see tonight?

Raiders promptly blew me away. It still holds the record (8) for the number of times I have seen a single movie in the movie theater. Perhaps not surprising given today's ticket prices, but still...

In a previous post I commented on the series of books The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper. Given the fantasy movies that have been filmed of late, I had wondered if anyone had considered making movie versions of these. Turns out they are... These books were my Harry Potter as a kid, so I am pretty jazzed about this too. They are making some changes that are stirring up some of the fans: main character Will Stanton is now an American in Europe, as opposed to being a British boy. Perhaps they are trying to distance themselves from Mr. Potter? There are five books total in the series, so I am sure they are hoping for a franchise here. I'll reserve judgement. I'm just excited to see this on screen!

Eating Habits of the North American Toddler

I imagine that I gave my Mother similar palpitations as a child, but what do you feed kids? Previously good things like yogurt have dropped off Daniel's list as well as old favorites like grilled cheese that aren't being enjoyed so much. He does pretty well with fruits: bananas and apples and oranges he will eat pretty much nonstop. Nary a vegetable will get past his lips, however.

We rejoiced when he actually asked for a piece of broccoli from a dish that H had cooked up. He chewed and chewed and we suddenly realized about 20 minutes later that he really hadn't opened his mouth to respond to anything that we had said to him. Sure enough, green mush.

Just in case there is any doubt that this is my kid, he will eat pickles. "Pick-ow! Pick-ow!" He cried. "Har-har," thought I. "You sure aren't going to like this kid," and I cut him off a small piece. Little did I know... And these aren't just any pickles mind you. These are hearty garlic dill sandwich slices. He just puckers up his little mouth and waves his hands for more.

Sigh. Now that my own eating habits are somewhat back on track after the gallbladder incident I'd really like to know what to do with the kid. Any ideas?

Open Season

OK. You know the times they have changed, when the local farm stand not only has a website but emails me when they have started selling their corn. I love, love LOVE fresh corn on the cob. Growing up it used to crack me up to be in restaurants (or even eating over at someones house) and there was this demure little cob to accompany each dinner plate. My Mom, meanwhile was shopping and getting a dozen or fourteen for our family of four. There might be some other items to the meal, but the centerpiece was this huge platter of corn with each of us diving in for three or four apiece. And squabbling over any remainders...

There is a push in the media about getting everyone to return to the "family table." What sort of meals or food items are your favorite memories from childhood? Taco night? Make your own pizza? What mealtime traditions would you like to encourage in your family?

It was a treat because, well, we grew up in the Midwest... but my brother and I used to beg my parents for crab legs on trips to Florida. Something fun about having to work for your dinner. There were Fourth of July bonfires with toasted marshmallows and making s'mores. Or bananaboats - ever tried those? Peel off a strip of banana peel, and cut slightly into the banana. Fill the opening with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips. Wrap the whole thing in tinfoil and rest it in the bonfire coals. After a certain amount of time (usually however long you could wait) open and eat the whole mess with a spoon.

There was fondue too. Not the cheese or chocolate kind, but a vat of hot oil. We each got skewers and cubes of meat, onion, green pepper, etc. You popped them in and cooked to your desired doneness. And this time of year, don't forget the picnics. Hot dogs and hamburgers and if we were at the grandparents in Wisconsin there were beer brats on the grill along with every sort of side dish you can think of. And just to throw an outing into the mix, to this day we have to head for Schulz's in Sheboygan, WI when we visit Mom and Dad. Best steak sandwiches anywhere, with real butter on the hard rolls.

Must run now. I'm hungry... how about you?

Beach Blanket Babes

Well... not really... Sunday: Take one Mommy and one Daddy with ambitions to head for York Beach, Maine. Add one toddler who still needs a nap a day. Mix liberally with the stuff needed for said travels: sand toys, diapers, changes of clothes, towels, chairs, beach umbrella... add in one late start due to said nap, and the requisite stop for seafood to quell the rumbling tummies and what do you get?

A rainstorm on the beach, that's what. We got down to the beach before the deluge, and actually had a pretty good time for the amount of time we could spend down there. Daniel was hysterical as I think he had this astonished look on his face like: "What? You mean I can dig in all this dirt? And splash in all this water?? COOL!" I trailed along as he and H splashed in the tide pools and H carried him out to where the waves were starting to roll in and we took turns snapping pictures. We bailed as the heavens opened up... I think H would have stayed out with the kid, but he knows the "thing" I have about storms. This was followed by much wiggling and fussing about the car as we tried to get Daniel into a fresh diaper that wasn't puffed out like a snowball due to sea/rain water and a relatively dry pair of shorts and shirt.

Throw in a damp car ride home, and you pretty much have yesterday around our house! In keeping with my "Dirt Makes Fat" philosophy I would declare it a pretty fine day. I can't wait to sit on the beach in the sun with my family, however.

A flirty flirt of the most flirtatious order...

I think my son is developing some crushes. Not on some of the pigtailed little girls we've seen in playgroups, mind you... but the Moms. Multiple times (and at least twice now with one rather nice Mom) he has marched over to them smiling, and practically draping himself over their laps, proudly displaying his latest car or truck and putting his head on their shoulder. If they happen to be standing, he parks himself practically on their feet with arms held high in the air and all but demanding,"Pick me up!" All of them have been terrifically nice about it, but really. It's getting a little embarrassing. I mean they are there with their own kids to wrangle, not having to cart around mine!

In not-so-terrific-toddler-news... I'm sure many of you have heard by now of the Mom and toddler who were kicked off a plane after a flight attendant suggested medicating the boy when he wouldn't quiet down and stop saying, "Bye-bye plane."

Speaking as a Mom who has had to help deal with a crying baby on a two hour flight, stories like these just make me shudder. Children have just as much right to be there as any passenger, and I have certainly heard worse than this on many a flight. There can be such - dare I use the word - discrimination surrounding issues such as this. Breastfeeding is touted as the best thing for your child, but women who choose to breastfeed, and do so in public, are often made to feel embarrassed or even told to go use the public restroom (yuck!). And children on a plane should apparently be seen and not heard. It wasn't even a tantrum! Was it just the luck of the draw that the only reaction my crying child got was sympathetic looks? (OK, perhaps some weren't so sympathetic, but I think they at least recognized that we were trying everything we could...) That and the loan of a portable DVD player and a Baby Einstein DVD from the Dad traveling behind us.

Meme-ing my way to a new profession?

I was tagged today by the lovely Sara at My Happily Ever After with a "career meme." I surprised myself by needing to take some time to ponder my answers. The question is: if you had the opportunity to do a 1-year internship at a company or in a field different from your current company or field or specialty - what would be your top 5 choices? Here goes:

1. Director of the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. Here I could wildly indulge my love of all things fantastical.

2. Director of the Rodin Museum. I love Rodin's sculpture as well as that of Camille Claudel. I think it started when I saw the wonderful movie on Camille Claudel's life starring Isabelle Adjani. It only continued when I got to visit the museum during my time living in France. Breathtaking pieces... and one can only mourn the work that Camille is reported to have destroyed.

3. Ben & Jerry's ice cream taster. I am borrowing this one from Sara. Especially during this time of year, how can your thoughts not turn to ice cream? I am always tickled by their creative flavors... And that noise you hear is H stomping his feet in the background and screaming BRIGHAMS!

4. Beekeeper with my own line of honey and honey products. This one would probably surprise those who know my "ick" factor for bugs. My Grandpa T was a beekeeper for many years, and we always had gallons of honey around the house... so I have fond associations. We even used small pots of honey as our wedding favors in 2000.

5. Bakery Owner. I lived in a tiny studio apartment in the 20th in Paris, and the ground floor was a bakery. It was heavenly! Most people giggle at the thought of my making actual meals, although there have been some improvements since the birth of Daniel. But I am a baker from way back...

And there you have it! I believe the rule is that I should tag 5 people for continuing this meme... I am going to depart from this and just say that anyone out there reading who feels so inclined - join in! Have fun with it! You may discover some interesting things about yourself!

Clutter

Like many people, life has increasingly become an exercise in managing the clutter - Especially now that there is "baby clutter" to go with the "mommy and daddy clutter!" Receipts and bills of all kinds, entertainment mags, articles and recipes have morphed their piles to include baby scribbles and parenting mags... among other things. Enter the NeatReceipts Scanalizer... A handy little device that looks like it has a million uses: receipts, recipes, kids artwork... suddenly you can scan and store all these items, and have the ability to use the computer to search for something. This would be quite a boon for someone like me who is known for pulling magazine articles, only to have them swallowed whole by the amorphous mess that has become my bookcase.

Also: H's genealogy project on both the family and the G.A.R. could take an interesting turn if we suddenly had the portable ability to scan both old photos and documents. Much less labor intensive than all the writing in a library that has been going on. The website 5 Minutes for Mom is sponsoring a giveaway of ten NeatReceipts Scanalizers. Check them out!

Pregnant, huh?

The Parent Bloggers Network has posed the question: What's the most annoying preggo or new mom question you've ever been asked -- AND -- what's your best, snarky "wish-you-could-have-said-it" answer. I've been mulling this over the past few days, and - whew - it's a hard one. I've come to the conclusion that I must have had a pretty respectful pregnancy. Not even much of a run-in with those "touchy feely" types who just have to rub a pregnant belly when they spot one.

But... and I think I have a tie...

It used to drive me outta my head when I was in the late stages of pregnancy, and doing my best hippo imitation, and I would run across people who just didn't know what to say. Rather than a question, they were usually declarations in the vein of: Pregnant, huh? Poor thing, carrying that around... Must be almost time? Must be twins in there! And on, and on.... Usually as I puffed my way to the employee cafeteria, or out to my car. These would earn the commenter a small smile, and not much snark as I was usually trying to catch my breath. Honestly... I am not much known for snark, even in my private life. Just not in my nature. But... I used to fantasize a re-enactment of a scene straight out of Seinfeld where Kramer stops to talk to a woman on the street and says: "Oh! Congratulations!"

Woman: "For what?"

Kramer: "You're pregnant."

Woman: "I am not!"

And leaving the culprit to squirm...

In a close tie, I am getting more than irritated with the folks who stop on the street, in the grocery store or in a restaurant or elsewhere to talk to me/comment on Daniel and I come to realize they are using the pronoun "she." A haircut is certainly in the works for the little guy, but we currently have wrestling/screaming matches involving getting in his general vicinity with a toothbrush or cutting his fingernails. Until that calms down somewhat there ain't nobody getting near him with a pair of scissors. And - I confess - I get to enjoy the baby curls awhile longer. But honestly... the kid could be wearing his shirt with the digger emblazoned across the front, his Thomas the Tank Engine sunglasses, dirt encrusted under his fingernails from his own latest digging expedition and screaming at the top of his lungs about climbing up the slide at the playground and I hear how cute "she" is. Thank you, but the next time I will be sorely tempted to drop the kid's diaper and in the words of Austin Powers show off the "twig and berries" just to prove a point.

I am a reader. I always have been, as my overflowing bookshelves can attest. Don't you wish sometimes that you could just hand someone a book and say,"Quit bugging me. Read this." Or in cases like above don't you wish you could have just handed them this? I know I do.

Update

H called yesterday, frantically plugging change into a pay phone. Verizon cut off his international phone. (Uh, thanks guys.) He can't get out until Tuesday (tomorrow). The only other option was a $1,200 flight on Iceland Air which was earlier. (Yeah, right.) These complications are certainly not his fault... but all told I will have been "single parenting" for nearly two weeks.

I have this mental picture of each of us standing on separate continents yelling help.

There are no words...

On September 11th my former company lost two executives on one of the planes that crashed into the twin towers in NYC.

My husband has been vacationing with friends in Scotland. He was due to return today, but someone crashed a flaming SUV into the terminal building in Glasgow. I was just beginning my freakout when he called. He's OK, although his phone battery was low and he couldn't talk long. I'm betting that the first chance he will have to return home will be tomorrow. I'm still shaky, but.... thank God he's OK. As happens with these incidents, more news is breaking...

Nostalgia

This is a favorite photo of me. A great big pile of leaves just sort of speaks to the way childhood should be, don't you think? I need to ask my parents for a copy of another favorite... I'm Daniel's age, maybe even a bit younger, wearing nothing but a diaper and sitting on a red pedal car at Grandma and Grandpa T's place in Wisconsin. I wonder what ever happened to that pedal car? My brother would probably remember too of many adventures frantically pedaling that thing up and down the sidewalks. A quick internet search found me Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles so that you can see what I mean... Although many of these are too "glam" for what I am talking about. I remember our pedal car as being a frame, seat, four wheels, pedals and a steering wheel. It was red, and I think there was some white writing on it... perhaps it was even a Radio Flyer, but I would have to ask if someone remembers.

My sister in law and I were lamenting the "fear factor" (for lack of a better word) we have for our children these days. Pedaling a car up and down the sidewalks for hours. Slamming out the back door to go play in the yard, or with/over at the neighbors and not coming home until dinnertime, are just a few of the things that I remember... There was an attempted abduction of a nine year old in my sister in law's neighborhood. Even before this incident, she confessed that if she leaves her little guy in the backyard (fenced) even for a brief moment, say to go wash her hands, she gets nervous. I certainly can't imagine leaving Daniel. Starting school is going to be difficult, I think...

Hug

The HR department at my former job published a calendar one year that included all the oddball holidays that are out there. You know the kind: International Smile Day, National Pork Grilling Day, etc.

Who knew it was Screaming Toddler Week?

And how is it that Screaming Toddler Week has coincided with said screaming toddler deciding to start giving out real "honest to goodness" hugs? Don't get me wrong, Daniel has been affectionate and a cuddler - well, on his terms. He is a boy with lots of places to go and things to do after all. But after a screaming, hair pulling, howler-monkey kind of day this week Daniel looked up at me and said, "Hug?" and wrapped his little arms around my neck. Thereby melting me into my socks for the rest of the evening. Just for good measure one of these was bestowed upon Dada as well.

TVLand Purgatory

Tired of the reruns already? Visit 5 Minutes for Mom and leave a comment on this post for a chance to win free Netflix.

My New Merit Badge

(Deep breath). Hi! My name is Susan, and I am a worrier.

(Hi Susan!)

Yes, I admit it. A worrier. I've earned my merit badge in worry many times over. It seems to be hardwired, however as I can recall childhood worries as varied as:

Do those dark clouds on the horizon mean another tornado warning?

Is Mom lost? We've driven by this store before...

What do I wear to school tomorrow? And is there any possible way to get myself out of gym class again?

Flash forward into adulthood, and the worries are still there. From paying the bills to the war in Iraq to is my child still breathing once I put him to sleep at night... I try hard not to be consumed.

One of the blessings of children is their ability to be in the moment. Glee or tears are both ripe fruit for the picking... savoring a banana, dancing to Elmo, and screaming in frustration as Mom tries to brush your teeth all carry equal weight. I try to borrow these tidbits from my son's life. To be a more "in the moment Mom" and less "worry Mom". To enjoy the sticky fingers and squishy mud puddles because the laundry will always be there later... these are the memories I want for Daniel as he grows up.

Marching to my own beat

Otherwise known as: How did I get here again?

If you'd asked me growing up, I would have said that I was the type of person who would be living in the hometown she grew up in, having gone to the local university, married a classmate and be managing my 3.2 kids and life quite nicely.

I went instead to the humongus state university an hour and a half from my hometown in Michigan. A university where I knew no-one going in...

Upon graduation lived for 6 months in Paris, France. A stint that included selling muffins from a shop near the Pompidou Centre, and fond memories of my little studio sublet apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

A move to Sacramento, California for a few years. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but ultimately not for me.

New England beckoned. Rich in history, and someplace I had never been, I moved in with a friend from high school who had arrived a few years earlier for grad school. In what feels like the blink of an eye I fell for H and we are now chasing nearly 2 year old Daniel past the slate headstones and through the old New England Cemeteries we previously traveled as "just the two of us." Who woulda thought it?

(My Grandpa B was a sign painter and a glass blower (neon sign tubing) by trade. A superb craftsman, he made intricate models of ships and cars, a doll house and many other woodcrafts. I can recall a Nativity scene one Christmas season. A gruff ol' Grandpa, he was a fisherman and a golfer, and even when his eyesight was going he loved to play cards. It was only years later that I learned that while I knew he played the trumpet, he also did so in a clown band. Marching to his own beat on big floppy feet. He's on the far left in the above photo...)