Photo Shoot

Happy Memorial Day!

Just as I do for most major holidays, I dressed the kids in appropriate colors this morning and attempted to get a cute picture of the two of them. After the disaster of Easter (3 separate attempts which each yielded about 25 bad shots of at least one kid crying and not one good photo), I am not sure what makes me continue to try. But I did, and today went remarkably well.

I took the kids outside, which is still a bit of a risk as the Dandilion likes to take advantage of the freedom. But it worked out okay today. After two failed locations, we ended up on the steps to the deck where I was able to get the Dandilion to sit for several pictures. The Tumbleweed put on her best "cheesy grin", but still it worked. I only took 10 pictures to get one good one! After that I surprised them with fruit snacks --- happy mommy!

Among the failed sibling shots, I also got this beautiful one of the Tumbleweed.

I am at War

It is me against the Red Lily Beetle. And they are multiplying into an army.

I have to admit that without the internet, I would have not had a clue that I had a problem. But, I saw a little red beetle on my lily plants and decided to look it up. [I saw them last year and didn't pay them much attention]. Apparently these little buggers are a big problem. They can eat lilies all the way down to the ground. And they can last all summer and will overwinter and come back next year! I knew last year my plants had holey leaves, but I didn't realize that by not killing them then would help them takeover this year.

After a little research about how to get rid of them, I went out and knocked the beetles into a cup and then smushed them. I think I got about 10-12 beetles, several of them while mating. Phew - I was feeling pretty good about that. Some people reported killing them by the hundreds.

But, the window was still open on my computer later and I read another site that my google search had found. The larvae are the big eaters. I hadn't killed the larvae. Nor had I looked for eggs.

The eggs I found without much difficulty. They are bright orange and layed in rows on the underside of the leaves. I found 5-6 leaves with groups of eggs and crushed them. That just left the larvae.

Now the larvae are the hardest because they disguise themselves. As best I can tell, they look like little black specks all over the leaves. Holy cow - I had a lot of little black specs!!!! Oh-no! That can't be good.

The advice I found was to wipe down the leaves with a soapy cloth. This took a while (I have about 12 lily plants), and I am sure I didn't get them all. Maybe the soap will kill them? Well, here's to hoping. I am going to keep a close eye on them for the next few weeks.

The last thing left to try is sprinkling black pepper on the leaves & soil below. I only found this in one place, but I have pepper, so why not give it a try.

Hopefully, with all of this work I will end up with some nice lilies this year.

Garden Update

Here is an update one month after my "Plant or Weed?" post.

Plant or weed?
#1 - Plant: Gooseneck - I planted this, but it spreads! I think I am going to have to thin it so it doesn't take over the garden.
Then:
Now:
#2 - Not sure yet - It definitely spreads like a weed, but is still possibly something pretty.
Then:
Now:
#3 - Plant: Hollyhock, I think. Still looks relatively the same, with bigger leaves.
Then:
#4 - Plant: Foxglove Three plants almost ready to bloom :)
Then:
Now:
#5 - Weed - at least I think so. I keep pulling and it keeps growing back.
Then:
#6 - Plant: Daisies They are a lot bigger than before but not much different.
Then:

#7- Clover ... still letting it grow, but might pull it.
Then:
Now:
#8 - NEW - can't tell what this is. Any ideas? (Tiger lilies are growing behind)


....

A few other gardening notes...

The strawberries & tomatoes are looking good. As seen here:













My thumb may be turning slightly green after all. We'll know when the green fruits turn a nice ripe red.

I have bought & planted lots of new perennials throughout the yard, some will be flowering soon. The seeds I started inside and transferred to the garden a few weeks back didn't make it. Oh well. Two weeks ago I put down "Butterfly Garden" wildflower seeds along the remainder of the walk. I have yet to see any plants (other than grass) coming up. Today I am going to try using some some plant food and see if I can get something to grow!

Feel free to comment if you know what the unidentified plants are! Or even if you don't :)

"MANMC"

I am a fan of The Cosby Show. The plots are timeless and still relate to the comedy in our everyday lives. I was reminded of a particular episode this morning as we rode to school...

The Tumbleweed was drawing on her magna doodle, keeping fairly quiet. Soon I hear, "Mommy, look. Read this." I wait until we get to the traffic light and turn to see what she is talking about and I see "MANMC" written on her magna doodle. Puzzled, I pronounce it back to her as I would sound it out "man-m-k".

"NOOOO. It says "M an M s.," she tells me.

LOL - she really put some thought into it! Here I thought she was just picking random letters. Still I don't think I would have gotten it even if she had gotten the "S". I was excited to see her taking an interest in spelling/reading. She is starting to move past the "memorize the story so I can pretend to read a book" phase and actually trying to sound out the words on the the page.


So can you guess which Cosby Show episode it reminded me of? The one where Rudy (about 4 or 5) is trying to spell words as Vanessa studies for a spelling test.

Rudy: "What does ZRBTT spell?"
Cliff: "zuh-rrr-buh-tuh. zur-bit"
Rudy: "What's a zurbit?"
Cliff: [blows raspberries on her cheek]

We still call that a "zurbit" at our house. A totally made up word, but we use it all the time. Did I mention I love the Cosby Show?

What's that on the Horizon?

Is it the Terrible Twos I see? Yes, I think so.

For the past few weeks, I have been seeing signs of the things to come. On the upside, the Dandilion is talking more, and even listening a little more. He is able to help out with tasks like "Please take this wrapper to the trash" and "Go find your cup". He calls everyone for "Dinnertime". And sometimes he even says "Mommy, I wa mo milk peese." All wonderful developments.

However, with his new found ability to communicate has come the anger & tantrums from not getting what he wants. A couple of our biggest sticking points...

1. Walking holding hands in a parking lot - he REALLY wants to walk (I can tell this because when I take him out of the carseat he always says "walking? I wa to walk") yet even when it is firmly explained that he needs to hold hands to walk, as soon as I set him down and take his hand he goes into "death drop mode" and is hanging with all his weight on the hand I am holding. And then I pick him up to carry him with him screaming "walk, walk, walk" at the top of his lungs.

2. "Snacks", "Bars" and "Candy" (and other foods not being given at that time) - having a big sister means that the Dandilion knows about treats. He is aware of where they are kept in the house and shouts for them in the grocery store ("tracks" = character shaped fruit snacks, "bars" = granola or breakfast bars, and candy is pretty obvious). Unfortunately once he sets his mind on something he can't let it go. So we will be getting ready for lunch (he is plenty hungry) and all he can do is scream & yell that he wants snacks. He won't eat anything else and he'll throw all other suggestions on the floor while screaming "tracks".

So needless to say, he has been spending some time in "Time Out." I think he is starting to understand the concept of sitting in the chair. He does say "sorry", but I don't think he always remembers why he is sitting there by the time he gets up. I also think he is starting to know that he doesn't want to sit in "Time Out" because when I give him a warning he will say "No Time Out"... although it doesn't always seem to prevent him from repeating his offense and getting sent to "Time Out"

Fasten your seatbelts and hold on for a wild ride...

Parking Karma?

Apparently the universe wanted to reward me for my parallel parking efforts yesterday, because today I landed the first space in the parking lot in front of ALL THREE stores I was stopping at --- including Target!!! I never get a spot that close, and certainly not at three stores in the same day. Wild.

Parallel Parking

Despite my determination to never need to, I parallel parked today. I haven't since my driver's test. I got it on the first try too. I should have had someone take a picture of the momentous occasion.

Go me :)

Dinner Stand-off

The Scene: The dinner table
The Players: The Eagle & the Dandilion
The Conflict: Uneaten Grilled Chicken

Tonight the Eagle layed down the law at dinner. This was one of the nights that the Dandilion decided he didn't want to eat, even though he had been asking for "dinnertime" for a good half hour. We put him in his chair, he took one look at his plate (same food he had devoured a week ago) and pushed his plate away. In the time it took the rest of us to eat, he played with his fork, repeatedly asked to "go play" and said "no" every time he was asked to eat.

So there he sat.

Dinner came & went. He was not excused from the table. He complained. He cried. He asked for drinks. He watched the table get cleared and the dishes get washed. Eventually he was alone in the kitchen, as the rest of us passed in & out of the room.

And nearly 1 hour later - just before we were about to put him to bed - he ate his dinner. All but one bite of chicken. [Picture two completely stunned parents]. When I went to get him out I asked for a high five, which he gave me, and said "Now that you ate your dinner, you can go play" His answer: "Great!" And off he went.

...

To be honest, neither of us thought he would eat his dinner tonight. But we decided that we needed to put an end to these occasional power struggles before they get out of hand. He seems to do something like this at dinner about once or twice a week, and then eats very well the rest of the time. We hoped that not giving him extra milk or letting him get down without eating tonight would help us in the future. Not sure if it will, but we are hopeful that the fact that he did finally eat tonight is a sign of good things to come.

Best Inventions?

Today I am very thankful for tissues & washing machines.

I can't even imagine what it would have been like to live before these inventions. We are now in the midst of allergy season - and I am on week 3 of agony. Medicine helps, but I can't go far without my box of tissues. And when I forget the medicine like I did this weekend... forget it. It is going to take me a week to recover. It is a really good thing I don't have to wash handkerchiefs.

Speaking of washing, I am soooooo glad we have a washing machine. And that it is in our house. In some of the past places we have lived we had to use public washers, and lots of quarters. In NJ, I remember getting two rolls of quarters every week when I deposited my paycheck; one for laundry & one for parking meters. (I have to write these things down now, before I forget)

Anyway. Not having a washing machine would have been quite a pain this weekend as the Dandilion was lucky enough to have the stomach flu. Once again - I can not imagine what I would have done if I had to go somewhere else to wash every towel we own and all of the crib sheets plus crib bedding and stuffed toys. And if I had to hand wash everything - oh my! How did they do it?!?

Thank you to everyone who has invented the things that make my life easier... especially when life is particularly difficult.

Baby Noah

When the Tumbleweed was little she watched several different Baby Einstein videos on a fairly regular basis. She learned shapes from Baby Newton, animals from Baby Noah, and body parts from Baby DaVinci. As she has gotten older, we have gotten away from the Baby Einstein movies a bit. We moved on to the Little Einsteins, the Backyardigans & Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Both kids enjoy these shows, so we hadn't really missed our Baby Einstein videos until we started remembering that the Tumbleweed was able to name more body parts, shapes, colors & animals at 18 months than the Dandilion could. So I started making a point to put "his movies" in more often.

Today the Dandilion and I had some quiet time to ourselves so we sat down & watched Baby Noah. He was totally into the movie, and the experience frequently adjusting the "banket" and leaning over & saying "I do kisses" and giving me a kiss.

Here are some of my favorite animals - "bago", "pahda", "zebrook", "elepant" and "peng-gin". In case you don't speak toddler, that's - flamingo, panda, zebra, elephant and penguin. He also is pretty good at identifying tigers, lions, hippos and fish. Actually, everything in the water was a "fish" --- dolphins, whales, hippos and of course, fish.

He was really cute this afternoon :)

Forksticks & Dinner

Tonight it was the Dandilion's first time using chopsticks (or 'forksticks' as the Tumbleweed named them years ago). Fortunately I bought two sets of "training" chopsticks, just in case. The Dandilion has seen the Tumbleweed using them in the past, but never asked for some until tonight... "tha, tha, thaaaaaa" (that's toddler speak for "I want that").

So here he is fascinated by his new utensil...


If it doesn't work, use your hands...

...or get Daddy's help...


And I realized when I looked back through my pictures to find this shot of the Tumbleweed's first time using chopsticks (before I found training chopsticks)...

We were eating almost the same dinner... Stir Fry Chicken with Iron Chef General Tso's sauce and rice.

Tonight we had mixed veggies in the stir fry. I recently found that Price Chopper makes up containers of "stir fry vegetables" which make for a nice variety without having to buy and cut up 6-7 kinds of vegetables. For under $3 you can get a mix of broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, peppers, onions, squash, zucchini, carrots & tomatoes, which is perfect for tossing into a stir fry. This is one of our "go to" dinners and it comes together really easily - and we all like it!

Out of the mouth of a 4-year-old...

Snip-its from daily life...

A few weeks ago while we were at the Y, we stopped to watch one of the Tumbleweed's friends in her swimming lesson. I wanted her to see the "cool things" older kids can do when they learn to put their faces in the water and jump off the side of the pool, two things that she was not a big fan of the last time she took lessons. Her comment afterward... "I really liked her bathing suit".

Fast forward two weeks. We are shopping at Target and go past the rack of bathing suits in the Girls section. I hear "Mommy wait! When can I get bathing suit underwear?" I turn to see her pointing at a bikini, like the one her friend had. "Not today" was all I could manage without laughing...

....

Tumblweed: "Mommy, I want to send this picture to Nana & Papa."
Me: "Okay, honey. Would you like an envelope?"
Tumbleweed: "Yes. And a special mail sticker too."

We have had to have discussions in the past that postage stamps are not for art projects. Apparently this is a difficult concept, because rubber stamps are for art projects and stickers are for art projects and a postage stamp looks a lot like a sticker but is too special for art projects.

We finally got it all clarified after "Post Office Week" at school. I let the school borrow my stamp collection and the kids used magnifying glasses to study the stamps, and the Tumbleweed came home talking about how stamps have funny edges. Now she knows how to tell which ones are "mail stickers".

....

The Tumbleweed approaches Mommy, who is sitting at the computer looking at pictures of the kids...

The Tumbleweed: "Mommy, when will I be 4 and a half?"
Mommy: "In September, honey. Why?"
The Tumbleweed: "How long is it 'til September?"
Mommy: "Several months. Why?"
The Tumbleweed: "But I want to use your computer now not in September.
Mommy: (puzzled) "Why will you use my computer in September?"
The Tumbleweed: "Because when you are 4 and a half you can use a computer and click pictures. I know 'cuz I saw it on TV"


And then it made sense. She saw the "I am 4 and a half and I'm a PC" commercial.

She has asked several times about when she can have a camera... and now it's a computer... next week she'll want an Ipod!

Tagged

I learned something today. You know that little square in new clothes that says "remove before washing or wearing" but is sewn in so you would actually have a pair of sharp scissors handy? Well, it will set the alarm off at CVS.

I know because I set their alarm off 6 times today.

The first time (we went in for water before walking group) the lady asked, "Are you wearing something from Old Navy?"... "Why, yes, I am."... "You probably still have the security tag on then". Sure enough, I set it off again when I left.

Unfortunately, I had to go back two more times before I could go home to cut the tag out! (I was printing pictures for a big weekend of scrapbooking.) Fortunately they didn't give me a hard time about it.

I guess I should cut the tag out now... but I am still wearing my pants. What are the chances that I will remember tonight?

Chocoholic?

Look who found something yummy...

Believe it or not, this one was Daddy's fault. He fell asleep last night before finishing his dessert. The Dandilion was the lucky one to find the leftovers. Okay, so maybe if I hadn't been blogging, I would have caught him before he got all over himself & the quilt.

Pumped Up

I am officially relieved of swing pushing duties. After a day at the park with a couple of friends, who were proficient at pumping their legs to swing, the Tumbleweed is now able to pump too.












Whoo-hoo! Now I don't have to hear "Mommy, push me!" from across the playground while I am chasing the Dandilion. That is a particularly good thing now that he wants to do this...

Comfort Book

Tonight's bedtime was a bit of a challenge. Things started off well - the Dandilion was in his jammies with a fresh diaper and teeth brushed when I put him in his crib. This is never popular, but it has to be done. It usually takes a few minutes before he finds a "sweet spot" to sit and listen to a story. Tonight he wouldn't sit down. He was looking for his "Moon Book" (Goodnight Moon). Usually we find it under a blanket, sometimes on the floor, and on rare occasion (when the afternoon nap has gone horribly wrong) between the crib & the wall. But we always find it, and we always read it. Tonight it was nowhere. So I read a different book. He cried the whole time. I recited Goodnight Moon from memory. I don't think he heard one word of it. With him still yelling, I turned on his white noise and hit the light switch and left the room. I figured he would eventually calm himself down.

I was wrong. Through the crying I could make sense of a few words --- "moon", "get it", "mommy down" --- so it was obvious that I had better find it, or I would be heading to Barnes & Noble to get a new copy if I wanted any sleep. About a half hour later, I found it in the Tumbleweed's room. Finally. He calmed down as soon as he saw it. I read his precious book and he settled right down, clutching it, and said "nite, Mommy. I yu yoo"

All was right in his world again.

.....

Here is another cute thing that I noticed him doing today...

For the past couple of months, if he falls down I say "Are you okay?" and he has replied "I okay". Today he changed his response. His new answer is "I fine". So cute.

.....

Since I am recording things, I should also add that the Dandilion still calls several kinds of animals "Cow". Donkey, sheep, goat, horse, zebra - all a "cow" to him. (though he will repeat their names if you say them first). And if you ask, "What does a cow say?"... the answer: "move"

He has a similar naming structure for people... all men are "Daddy", all women are "mommy", kids are "kid" and all kids his size or smaller are "baby". He does do pretty well with people he knows though... every night at dinner he goes around the table pointing..."Daddy, Mommy, Dawa, Camin".

Still Cute.

Sunshine Hooray!

The sun is up this morning and the temperature is rising, looks like a great day! Which "sun" song are you humming today?

"Sunny Days" - Sesame Street

"Zip-a-dee Do Dah" - Disney's 'Song of the South'

"Sunshine Day" - the Brady Bunch

"Walkin' on Sunshine" - Katrina & the Waves

"It's a Sunny Day" - The Backyardigans


I suppose if I had an iPod, this would be my playlist for spring. Enjoy the day!

The Warning Truck

Every Thursday morning around 7:30 I hear the rumble of the garbage truck coming up the street and panic because the trash is not out yet. Then I take a deep breath and remember that that is the other trash company and I still have at least 2 hours to gather the trash and recycling and put it out. Phew. Nothing like waiting until the last minute. I am glad we have a warning truck!

More Adventures in Cooking

It has been a while since I put some actual thought into dinner. A few nights ago, I was in search of a new pork chop recipe to use some of the pork chops from the freezer. I wasn't very successful (I made tacos instead), but I did find a couple of pork recipes that sounded good but required a pork roast (which I didn't have).

I committed to memory that I should by a pork roast the next time it went on sale... which just so happened to be this week. So after spotting it in the sale paper, I looked up the rest of the ingredients for one of the recipes and put them on the grocery list. So, tonight we had...


"Pork Spagettini" from Everyday with Rachael Ray, March 2008.

I suppose with my own modifications it should really be called "Pork Linguini" because that's what I used (I also didn't add the mushrooms). It was quite an economical dinner as well - here's a little cost analysis...

1 lb boneless pork loin roast - $2.99/lb (I divided a 2lb roast in two and froze the other half)
1 can chicken broth - $.50 (from the pantry - bought on sale at 2 for $1)
2/3 box of linguini (box was $1)
1 bunch of scallions - $.66
1/3 lb snow peas - $.93

plus a little soy sauce, vegetable oil & garlic that we already had

...for a total of about $6 for the four of us, and there is enough left over for a lunch (it serves 4, but combined the Tumbleweed & the Dandilion eat about 1 serving).

It was well liked, not to hard to make and cost effective... I guess I should plan ahead for dinner more often. Well, it is great when it works out, but tomorrow I will probably be back to normal... that is, thinking about what to make for dinner when I need to already be cooking it. At least my "inner chef" comes out once in a while, right?

Assistant Mom

Today was "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" at our house. You are probably thinking... "But you are a 'Stay-at-home Mom', isn't that just like any other day?" Well, the answer is no, not quite. Today the Tumbleweed got to be my assistant, and helped me while I did "Mommy things". When I first asked if she wanted to do this (7:00 this morning) she said "Sure. Let's do Scrapbooking" Unfortunately for her, that was not the first thing on my list for today. I wish it could have been.

She did a little more thinking and decided that Mommy does laundry. So that's where we started --- she sorted the kids laundry into lights & darks. She did that quite well - she might get to keep that job.


While she was sorting laundry, I was trying to think of other things she could help with. Since I knew we needed to get to the grocery store today, I decided to let her cut coupons. I was a little nervous that she would cut off the expiration dates or bar codes, but she didn't. She even did really well at picking which items we usually use and only missed 2 restaurant coupons.


After the coupons were all clipped, she got to make a grocery list. She took this very seriously, and at first I though it was going to take me 8 sheets of paper and the rest of the day to accomplish this task. Fortunately she was also excited about going to the store, so I was able to convince her to go get dressed & make her bed after 6 items.


Her next task was to get the Dandilion ready to go. This was a bit of a challenge (as it always is) but she did manage to get one of his socks on before he ran away. Then we switched the laundry before heading out to do errands.


We headed to CVS first, and then to the grocery store. She proudly carried her list through the store and made sure we got all of the things on her list. She is very good at identifying what is on sale, so she was very excited when I helped her read the sale sign on the bread "Buy One, Get Two Free!" (insert math lesson here). Later she had her usual conversation with the "payer" (what she calls the check-out person) as we unloaded the groceries and watched them get rung up.


When we got home, she switched the laundry one more time, but was a little reluctant to help put the groceries away. She did a few of her favorite things...


and then declared that she "just wants to be a kid for a while"... and that's OK with me. While I enjoyed the help, it will probably be a lot faster to fold laundry by myself.

It's a Surprise

This weekend we tackled some of our many yard work projects. The main focus of the weekend was raking the yard to remove leaves, dead grass, moss and about a million ice storm sticks so we could put down grass seed in yet another attempt to have a pretty & even lawn this summer. Mother Nature gave us a nice deadline with some rain arriving around dinnertime yesterday, so we frantically worked during the Dandilions' naptime and managed to get it done. Now it is a waiting game to see if the grass grows.

Today I finished cleaning out my garden bed around the deck. This proved to be quite a challenge, as it had gotten quite overgrown by the end of the summer. Under the layer of leaves, I found some of the plants that returned from last year - 2 Strawberry plants, tiger lilies, columbine, and lilies. I also found some other new growth, but I can't tell what it is and if I planted it - or is it a weed I should be pulling?

So here is a little quiz. If you know what any of the these things are please comment - it would really help me out!

Plant or weed?
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7

Growing Strong

As I harvested some lettuce from our window sill for dinner, I realized that I haven't updated the progress of our indoor garden since January.

It is pretty neat to have our own little vegetable garden in the house and through some amazing miracle (ie - the technology that is the AeroGarden) I haven't killed the plants! I really like being able to take just what we need for taco toppings one night and make a salad for the main course at dinner another night. We haven't had to buy lettuce in 3 months!

Here it is right before the dinner harvest...

Absent-minded Mom

Do you have things you always forget? Since you always forget, do you have a plan in place to deal with it?

I was just thinking about that today as I drove down the street... I forgot to put deodorant on. And I was on my way to the gym. But, you see, this is something I forget frequently, so I have extra deodorant in the glove box of my car and in my purse. They come in handy at least once a week. Sometimes I wonder why I keep it in the bathroom!

It is for similar reasons that I wear my keys on a lanyard. In college, I wore a lanyard because most people did. After college I got away from it, but after forgetting my keys and locking myself out of the apartment while doing laundry a few times I went back to it. I find it quite handy to have my keys accessible with minimal juggling these days, since I usually have a squirmy toddler in my arms. I practically panic when I don't see my keys around my neck, even if I just put them in my purse.

Now if I could just stop forgetting things! Oh well, it is probably only going to get worse...

Seeing Green

With Earth Day approaching, "Going Green" seems to be on everyone's mind. There are eco-friendly options in every area of our lives, but breaking old habits in favor of new ones can sometimes be difficult especially if you don't know where to start!

I have been very fortunate to have met lots of people during my life, past & present, who have been able to give me tips in a variety of different areas of life. From composting to recycling to joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture or "crop sharing") we try to do our part for the earth.

Today the MOMS Club had a great speaker about "Green Cleaning". Leslie Reichert, “green” cleaning coach, gave us a lot of simple and inexpensive ways to clean around the house. All this time I had been debating about buying things like "Green Works" at the grocery store, and it is as simple as using things like vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and salt! She also showed us some great choths & sponges from Europe that do the jobs of hundreds of paper towels. And then pointed out that these mixtures & products are safe for the kids to use - so they can help with the cleaning! I highly recommend checking out her blog (she is having a Spring Cleaning Giveaway!) and her store, if you are local.

I have to say, I am excited to try some of the tips... hmmm... excited about cleaning? Is that possible?

Peter Cottontail

Here comes Peter Cottontail, hoppin' down the bunny trail...

This year there seems to be a little confusion regarding the Easter Bunny's duties. Today Grandma asked the Tumbleweed, via video chat, if the Easter Bunny was going to hide anything tonight. "No, Grandma" she answered "He doesn't hide anything, he puts stuff in our baskets, silly!" We went around in circles, and she is positive that the Easter Bunny doesn't hide anything. I am curious to see her reaction in the morning - I am guessing she will think the bunny stole her basket.

Anyway, last night I sent the Tumbleweed & the Eagle off to go swimming at the Y while the Dandilion and I went to Target & Michael's to do some last minute shopping. I never wait until two days before a holiday to shop! I have no idea where the time went, but somehow I got totally behind and now that the Tumbleweed is too old for me to shop while she is around, it has been practically impossible to make up the lost time. And, as I expected, going shopping on Good Friday is not the way to catch up. Instead it took much longer - crowded aisles, picked over selection, lots of indecision, and long check out lines. Oh well, next year I will be motivated not to put off my shopping!

So what will be in the eggs this year?

For the Dandilion: raisins, bunny snacks, Cars®, socks, Wow Wow Wubbsy toys, band-aids, stickers, crayons

For the Tumbleweed: ponytail holders, sidewalk chalk, socks, underwear, stickers, paper clips, Kelly Doll, Wow Wow Wubbsy toys, gummy bears, flower seeds

For the Eagle: a coach's whistle, Tylenol, individual sugar-free Propel packets


I better get hoppin! I still have some toys to pick up before the bunny gets here!

Mini Me

The Tumbleweed had her first soccer practice last night. This year she is playing on the Maroon team and the Eagle is one of her coaches. Overall, the kids did really well last night. The Tumbleweed still loves to play goalie best. She is pretty good at running with the ball, but is personally offended if someone kicks the ball away from her (though she will do that to someone else when she is playing defense). If we can convince her to run after the kids who "stole her ball" it will be a successful season!

When I first heard that we were the Maroon team this year, it reminded me of my childhood. Now I never played soccer, but my gymnastics team colors from 1982-1989 were maroon & white. And being the sentimental person ("packrat") that I am, I still have an old team jacket (OK maybe more than one).

Here is the Tumbleweed at soccer practice...


Here are my younger sister & I when we got our jackets (either '84 or '85)...

Leaf Pitcher

Well, for those of you who do not live in New England - baseball season has begun. Here in Red Sox Nation you can't miss it. Opening Day was rained out, the rescheduled game was an afternoon game, so tonight is the first night of many for watching baseball on TV.

Since I refuse to be engulfed in the off-season speculation, the Eagle was giving me the rundown of the 2009 team as we watched the beginning of the game.... Who is injured, who is returning, who isn't, who is new, etc.

Midway through the discussion we heard this...

Tumbleweed: "Excuse me, Daddy. What's a leaf pitcher?"

The quick-witted response...

Eagle: "He's the guy that comes in when your starter is done and picks up the leaves"

Her response to that...

Tumbleweed: "Silly Daddy. There are no leaves on the field"

Only comeback left...

Eagle: "That's because the leaf pitcher did his job"


How would you have answered?


Welcome back baseball...and for anyone who didn't get it, she was referring to the "relief pitcher", a position which apparently the Red Sox are deep at this season.

Dinner Notes

Tidbits from tonight's dinner...

~The Dandilion saw the vegetables on the table right away and asked for "veb-a-bles". Which of course he got.

~The Tumbleweed dropped her fork on the floor, but didn't care and just went on using her hands as if that was acceptable. She didn't appreciate being corrected, and pointed out that the Dandilion was using his hands for the same food. Miss Smarty Pants did not earn points for this argument.

~The Dandilion didn't drop his fork at all. Usually he drops at least one, and unless he intentionally throws it, he gets another one to practice with (he actually does pretty well with a fork - not so good at spoons though)

~The Dandilion ate four helpings of vegetables. He is very cute when he says "veb-a-bles, peeeez". We had his favorite mix - carrots, edamame, sugar snap peas & black beans. He likes all of them. The Tumbleweed will only eat the sugar snap peas & carrots.

~The Tumbleweed washed her hands after dinner and then decided to wash the bathroom sink for me. She was so proud to show me the "sparkling" (wet) counters. It was the thought that counts :)

Lady in Pink

As one of my mom-friends found out recently, I have the Backyardigans "Born to Play" CD in my car. We listen to it every day. We start it over when it gets to the end. And I listen to it when I carpool on Mom's Night Out.

The Backyardigans have been quite popular around here for a while. When the Tumbleweed was 2 1/2, she loved to watch her "Backyard Friends" and there was a week when her favorite thing to say was "Great Caesar's Ghost!" Now that she is 4, she asks for "Chichen-itza Pizza" for dinner. And everyday when we get in the car the Dandilion says "digans. Go, go, go!" (That is - "Mommy, put it on track #5")

So... the Backyardigans it is. I have to applaud them for creating a show that encourages imaginative play and incorporates a different style of music in each episode. Lady in Pink....Racing Day.... Nobody's Bigger than a Giant....W-I-O-WA....To the Top of Dragon Mountain....Everything is Boinga.... I know them all!

Playground Time

Ahhh... the playground. To be perfectly honest, it is one of my least favorite places. I know, it is supposed to be fun. Well, I know it is fun for the kids, but it isn't much fun for me. Since I am only one person, and have two kids, the playground is the ultimate test of trust, patience, endurance, boundary setting, and letting go.

We took our first trip of the year today. It was gorgeous out. Both kids were very excited, although I imagine that in the beginning the Dandilion was excited because the Tumbleweed was, since he wasn't really big enough for the playground last year.

The Tumbleweed immediately dashed for the highest slide. The Dandilion just moved his little legs as fast as he could to the first thing he saw. It was then that I realized how hard this was going to be. Already I could not see both kids at the same time. What was I thinking?!? Why don't mothers really have eyes in the back of their heads?

I did manage to last nearly 30 minutes before we called it a day. Everyone survived. I am sure we'll go back. By the end of the summer it'll be a piece of cake. After today, I want a piece of cake as a reward.

I'm Shedding!

My latest read is "When Organizing Isn't Enough, SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life" by Julie Morgenstern. It had been cluttering my bookshelf for more than a year, but finally I have gotten down to the business of reading it and putting it to the test. Now I have a new personal theme and I am looking at all of the areas of my life and analyzing how they fit into it before deciding to keep something or get rid of it.

The first objective is obvious - clean out your stuff! While this is a difficult and time consuming process, it is very rewarding. I am by no means finished "shedding" the physical clutter, but I have tackled the kids clothes, books, craft supplies, and made some major improvements in the basement/storage. The next major hurdle - all things paper (mail, filing, kids art, etc).

The second area I am tackling is my "Schedule Clutter". Now, if you know me, you know that I like a full schedule of activities. I suppose that this is because I thrive on schedule, and without one, I am the queen of wasting time. I spent a lot of time looking at the "time wasters" in my schedule, and think that I have really come up with some great changes.

The final area to tackle is "Habit Clutter". The idea here is to shed the habits that are weighing you down or holding you back. For me this has been difficult. It is very easy to fall back into old habits. I have found the best way to get rid of bad habits is to replace them with new habits. Let's hope they stick!

I still have lots more to tackle, but I am pleased with the progress so far. I highly recommend reading this book!

New Wheels

Today was the big day --- The Tumbleweed got her first bike. The Eagle took her out to the local bike shop & she picked a pretty purple bike. At first she was a little puzzled - as she had been told that once she was good on her tricycle she could get a bike with 2 wheels... so why did this one have 4? Daddy told her that once she learns how the petals & breaks work, she could then learn to balance on 2 wheels. After a test ride in the parking lot, they were sold.

It was a beautiful spring day so on their way home they stopped at a local park and she got to ride around the basketball courts. The Eagle said she really enjoyed it and got the hang of breaking pretty quick. She came and was very excited to show me how well she could ride. Our driveway was a little tougher - with a hill and a few depressions that don't combine well with training wheels - but after a few times around she was pretty comfortable.

Watch out world - she's getting faster!

Paper Gowns

At 4, the Tumbleweed has moved into the next phase of life, even at the doctor. She got to wear a gown at her check-up today. It was a cute paper gown with Dr Suess characters on it. At first she thought it was pretty cool, but then found it to be itchy. But while she was waiting for her shots, it did make a good place to hide from the nurse. Although she didn't actually avoid the shots.

The Tumbleweed has jumped up on the charts this year, moving to the 75 percentile for height and 50th for weight. I am pretty sure she crammed for her physical, because she has been eating us out of house & home for the past couple of weeks.

Since both kids survived their shots, and it was 60 degrees & sunny, we went for ice cream. Daniela chose "Strawberry Shortcake" (strawberry ice cream with cake mix-ins) and ate her cone with no problem catching the drips. She seems so big!

[On a side note - Cameron refused his ice cream... what's up with that?!?]

Attack of the Birds - Year 2

Thwack, thud.

What was that? I start looking out the window to see if someone was in the driveway & attempting to leave something in the door. No. Must have been the wind.

(a few minutes pass)

Thwack, thud.

Definitely something at the front door... I open the gate and go down to look. "Aha moment." There was a ruffled looking robin on the steps. Yup, the confused bird is back, and we have thrown him an extra curve ball this year by putting the storm window in the front door. My walking down the stairs spooked him enough to fly away and stop banging into our front door.

Hopefully the weather will stay warm & we will put the screen in soon... although, he will probably just choose a new window to scare me at.

Veggie Boy

The Dandilion has definitely developed some unusual eating habits lately. Here are some examples...

1. Tonight at dinner, we had mixed vegetables & chicken nuggets. I know not too creative. Anyway, midway through dinner he had eaten all of his veggies and not one bite of meat and was begging for "that, that, THAT!" (pointing to the veggie dish on the table). What 1 1/2 year old kid begs for more veggies? All told he had more than one adult serving of green beans & carrots. When the veggies were finally gone, he ate his chicken.

2. Last night at dinner, the kids had pasta with butter & parmesan cheese. I made two different types of pasta because there wasn't enough of either one. Wouldn't you know the Dandilion would only eat one kind - he had three servings of "wheels" but wouldn't touch the "farfalle".

He is a strange kid sometimes.

Ski School

The Tumbleweed was so excited that she is finally old enough to go to "ski school". Over the weekend she went for the first time while we were at Attitash. She had a little meltdown before hitting the slopes, but once she was on skis she had a blast. By the end of the lesson, the instructor decided she was ready for the chair lift & took her up the mountain for the first time. After class she and Daddy & Papa got to make several more runs down the mountain. She "went super fast!" (and she fell asleep before dinner!)

The Magic Chairs, Again

About 1 year ago, I started posting about our "Magic Chairs" --- the Green Kid-sized chairs that usually sit around our craft table. First there were posts about how the Tumbleweed used them (April 2008), then about how how the Dandilion was using them to learn to walk (May 2008), and then how I had to take them away because the Dandilion was trying to stand on them (September 2008). Well, I didn't mention it in the January Clean Sweep post, but I had decided they could return to the playroom. Since then they have been mostly used appropriately. That is, until last night.


He did this by himself! No help from his big sis.

Say goodbye to the chairs again....

Four

Finally? Well, I guess I have really been looking forward to the Tumbleweed turning 4. It seemed like 3 lasted forever. I know I am going to look back on this post and think how crazy I was to wish that she would grow up faster, but 3 has been a wild rollercoaster.

For the past couple months I had been counting the days until her birthday, partially because she was excited and partially for myself. I am optimistic that she will finally outgrow some of the difficult phases that have been with us for much of the past year --- temper tantrums, demands, and "holding it" until she has an accident. But the biggest thing that I hope comes from turning 4 is her confidence in a group of kids.

In the past couple of weeks she has come home from school saying "I wish I was 8. Then I would be bigger than everyone else". I still haven't gotten to the bottom of it, but basically she feels that the kids at school are calling her "little" and she doesn't like it. She had always been good friends with the other kids in her class, so it makes me sad to hear that she isn't happy. I hope that she will soon feel more comfortable with her classmates again.

A New Hope

aka: Socks without Partners, Part 2

After a long weekend (thanks to a snow day), there is new hope for the socks without partners. I searched under the couch, in the car, behind the crib and just about everywhere else and have come up with several of the missing socks. Once they are washed there is a good chance that the Socks Without Partners Club will be getting significantly smaller.

I was also reminded by a friend that putting socks in mesh bags when washing is helpful for maintaining order. This reminded me that when the Tumbleweed was a newborn, and we did our laundry in a public laundry facility, I used to use mesh bags religiously. I had one for her "light" socks and one for "darks". It worked pretty well, but now that we do laundry in our own home I had tossed them aside. Maybe it is time to go looking for them.