First, This Christian preacher thinks married couples should be having hotter sex. No really!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13834042/
Second: Add your family's favorite recipie here:
https://beta.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=9504620&postID=6983259082969185570
Third: Breastfeeding could help break the cycle of diabetes(good news since it's on both sides of my kid's family!):
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060926/dctu002.html?.v=72
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Monday, September 25, 2006
An enjoyable day
So the big thing this weekend was Celtic Fest. I was really looking forward to going this year since I had to skip last year's. I was just too pregnant to walk around trying to contain Leanna and Justin. I wish it had been a little colder this time, both for comfort's sake and for atmosphere. I had fun nonetheless. The food is a little differnt than your average festival because of the Celtic theme. Unfortunately I did not have the budget this year to enjoy that part of it. Claire actually ate some Haggis. Sometimes I cannot believe we are related. If you don't know what that is check this link, but make sure you're not eating when you do: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis ) But I did get to enjoy looking at the Celtic jewlery and clothes, scarves, & weaponry. They have the band performances with bagpipes of course, and the Irish step-dancers. I was really hoping to let Leanna see that again, because two years ago she really loved them. It's fun to see the little girls with their curls bouncing all over the place and the pretty costumes and the ENERGY! Dancing like that would be quite a workout!
And then there's the crowd-that's another major difference from other fairs. See at Celtic fest people wander around in costumes and Kilts! Yes, men in kilts, all over the place! I'm not a leg-woman, but I appreciate the bravery it takes for a man in America to wear a skirt in public. And there seemed to be more of them this year than there were other years. Oh, and then my sister goes, look over there! And it's this big burly motorcycle dude, complete with the hair and bead and tatoos and leather jacket-and a kilt! So of course when I turn my head to look at what she's telling me to look at, the guy turns and sees me looking. And smiles-cause he thinks I'm checking him out! LOL!
We looked around Downtown Bethlehem a little also. I particularly like the Foo Foo Shoppe ( www.thefoofooshoppe.com ) and Donegal Square & Granny McCarthy's Tea Room ( http://www.donegal.com/ ) . Later in the evening after Laura left we got to see the band, Enter the Haggis, which I really enjoyed. As they say themselves, "The music is primarily a fusion of Celtic, bluegrass and rock, however, elements of Latin, blues and funk can be heard throughout." I love the music and it's always fun to see a band live. It' is also real high energy stuff-there was a crowd in front of the stage dancing away the whole time they played. The last two songs they played Leanna got up and really boogied down to it! It was so funny it brought tears to my eyes. Claire bought one of their cds and burned me a copy. She was lucky enough to go back again on Sunday and she got to see another show (which my Mom said was even better) and there was a step dancing performance that they were able to see-actually see-which wasn't fair! Leanna told me that she would like to learn to step-dance( but she said she was afraid we wouldn't be able to afford to buy the costumes they wear!). Along with gymnastics I would love to have her learn that. I think it could really benefit her to burn off some of her excess energy like that!! Saturday night we really couldn't see the step dancers and at that point we were just really really tired. As the kids get older this sort of thing will get easier.
I was realizing Saturday night that I think I'm finally at point where I've learned how to get all the enjoyment out of something like this despite all the demands of the kids. It's hard not to get pulled down when they're tired and struggling to behave and you keep having to stop to feed or change or discipline a child or two or three. And I didn't get to see all the stuff I would have liked to see because I had the stroller or even just Timothy in the sling. The booths were quite crowded and it gets hard to push a stroller around people and I don't like to take up too much room. I'm not saying it didn't drag me down a bit-it's not like being there alone. But I didn't let it take away from my enjoyment of things, and there was a time when I would have. So I am still growing-as a parent and as a person. Because I think that actually relates more to me personally than me as a parent. It's really an attitude change. And besides, if you look at it right you realize that there are certain things added to the experience by the kids too. I'm glad I get to expose them to something like this because it is part of their herritage too.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Yeah, that's why I picked him
New research says that women can figure out how much a man likes kids just by looking at his face.
Compliment
Not my favorite compliment ever, but it's up there: Justin told me in the sweetest little voice today, "I like your head."
For information's sake
An article that won't interest most of you, but I'm posting it for information's sake. So many people shook their heads at me and warned of foods I wouldn't be able to eat anymore when I said I was going to breastfeed. I was really surprised when the nurse in the hospital said there weren't any dietary restrictions unless I noticed the baby getting fussy.
Breastmilk is undoubtedly the best source of nutrition for infants. But what if mom doesn’t eat all the right things? Will her breastmilk not be good enough for her child?
For years it was thought that the foods in a mother’s diet would affect the quality of her breast milk. Mothers were often encouraged to increase their milk or dairy consumption in order to maintain an ample supply and to avoid eating certain foods like garlicky or spicy foods because they could cause the baby to become fussy or colicky.
There seemed to be quite a lot of restrictions on the mother’s actions in order to do something that was supposed to be natural.
However in recent years women have been told that there is not one specific diet for all breastfeeding mothers to follow because her diet will not affect the quality of her milk. More and more doctors are now urging mothers to continue the same well-balanced diet they followed during pregnancy throughout their breastfeeding relationship.
Breastfeeding can be stressful enough, and it seems far better for a mother to eat a well-balanced diet that satisfies her appetite than to obsess over each thing she eats.
Indeed, research now suggests that a mother’s diet affects the quantity of breastmilk that she produces rather than the quality of its composition. Therefore certain foods needn’t be avoided to preserve the milk’s quality unless there is a family history of food allergies. The quality of breastmilk is said to be fairly consistent amongst breastfeeding mothers that eat a healthy and varied diet.
It seems that only in very extreme cases will a mother’s diet adversely affect the quality of her breastmilk. La Leche League even goes as far to say that "anything you are happy eating is okay for you to eat while you are breastfeeding."
That's a relief!
This article was contributed by Elizabeth from Breast Pumps Direct. As a nursing mother to her 1 year old daughter and a breastfeeding counselor, she spends a great deal of time everyday thinking, talking and writing about breastfeeding basics and breastmilk.
Breastmilk is undoubtedly the best source of nutrition for infants. But what if mom doesn’t eat all the right things? Will her breastmilk not be good enough for her child?
For years it was thought that the foods in a mother’s diet would affect the quality of her breast milk. Mothers were often encouraged to increase their milk or dairy consumption in order to maintain an ample supply and to avoid eating certain foods like garlicky or spicy foods because they could cause the baby to become fussy or colicky.
There seemed to be quite a lot of restrictions on the mother’s actions in order to do something that was supposed to be natural.
However in recent years women have been told that there is not one specific diet for all breastfeeding mothers to follow because her diet will not affect the quality of her milk. More and more doctors are now urging mothers to continue the same well-balanced diet they followed during pregnancy throughout their breastfeeding relationship.
Breastfeeding can be stressful enough, and it seems far better for a mother to eat a well-balanced diet that satisfies her appetite than to obsess over each thing she eats.
Indeed, research now suggests that a mother’s diet affects the quantity of breastmilk that she produces rather than the quality of its composition. Therefore certain foods needn’t be avoided to preserve the milk’s quality unless there is a family history of food allergies. The quality of breastmilk is said to be fairly consistent amongst breastfeeding mothers that eat a healthy and varied diet.
It seems that only in very extreme cases will a mother’s diet adversely affect the quality of her breastmilk. La Leche League even goes as far to say that "anything you are happy eating is okay for you to eat while you are breastfeeding."
That's a relief!
This article was contributed by Elizabeth from Breast Pumps Direct. As a nursing mother to her 1 year old daughter and a breastfeeding counselor, she spends a great deal of time everyday thinking, talking and writing about breastfeeding basics and breastmilk.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Homework
Today Leanna brought home her first homework paper. (also a thing about school pictures. Already!) So we sat down together at the table and worked on it. I just can't believe I have a child in school. Sometimes she seems so grown up, already. Yesterday she got upset when there was nothing in her bookbag to take home. She had noticed that I liked to see what she brings home and was looking forward to showing her papers and drawings to me.
Now she's counting into the 40s and she comes home singing songs about the days of the week and such. There's one little boy who's been saying bye and hi to Leanna after/before school. She's been busy talking when he says it and when I point out to her that he said hi she refuses to say it back. This morning he said hi and she told me that inside the building they were in line and he told her that if she wouldn't say hi to him he was going to crush her whole body! I also know that Leanna WILL NOT sit next to anyone who would grab a book out of her hand! Oh yes, there's just a hotbed of kindergarten gossip waiting inside my little girl. If you ask her directly about school you may not get much of an answer. However, late at night when she's supposed to be going to sleep, she will go on and on about all sorts of things at school. : )
Adventure on a blustery day
It was time to get Leanna from school-but Justin was being a slow-poke on the porch. He was having fun climbing on the various supplies Tom has stored on our porch. As I strapped the baby in the stroller, already on the ground, I called, "Come on Justin! It's time to go!"
"I having an adventure!" he yelled back to me. Oh geez, that's a new one. "Well I am too and I'm leaving to get Leanna now!" and I started to go. "I comming!" he called, with a worried look on his face and thus ended Justin's adventure for the day.
"I having an adventure!" he yelled back to me. Oh geez, that's a new one. "Well I am too and I'm leaving to get Leanna now!" and I started to go. "I comming!" he called, with a worried look on his face and thus ended Justin's adventure for the day.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Book Update
Books I've recently read:
http://www.amazon.com/Prize-Winner-Defiance-Ohio-Mother/dp/0743273931/sr=8-3/qid=1158723080/ref=pd_bbs_3/104-2642749-5323910?ie=UTF8&s=books
http://www.amazon.com/Doomsday-Book-Connie-Willis/dp/0553562738/sr=8-1/qid=1158722608/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-2642749-5323910?ie=UTF8&s=books
http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Women-Writers-Raising-Daughters/dp/1580051472/sr=1-1/qid=1158722738/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-2642749-5323910?ie=UTF8&s=books
And I'm currently reading:
http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Dunwoody-Excellent-Instructions-Homekeeping/dp/0446530131/ref=cm_sylt_fullview_prod_1/104-2642749-5323910?ie=UTF8/104-2642749-5323910
Anyone else reading?
http://www.amazon.com/Prize-Winner-Defiance-Ohio-Mother/dp/0743273931/sr=8-3/qid=1158723080/ref=pd_bbs_3/104-2642749-5323910?ie=UTF8&s=books
http://www.amazon.com/Doomsday-Book-Connie-Willis/dp/0553562738/sr=8-1/qid=1158722608/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-2642749-5323910?ie=UTF8&s=books
http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Women-Writers-Raising-Daughters/dp/1580051472/sr=1-1/qid=1158722738/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-2642749-5323910?ie=UTF8&s=books
And I'm currently reading:
http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Dunwoody-Excellent-Instructions-Homekeeping/dp/0446530131/ref=cm_sylt_fullview_prod_1/104-2642749-5323910?ie=UTF8/104-2642749-5323910
Anyone else reading?
Awwww
Justin, demonstrating what those little tummies are good for (resting place for food). And sharing with his little brother.
Timothy, by the way, is walking all over the place now.
After baths
It is really difficult to get all three kids bathed. They bathe together, two or three at a time, usually. Occasionally there are solo baths, but generally it's easier to get them all out of the way at once. If one is in the tub there's a good chance another one will try to get in too. So I might as well wash them all at once. That's also my problem when they are bathing together though. You get one or two out and dry and dressed but then when you go back to finsh washing the last child the others decide it'd be fun to go back in again!
Monday, September 18, 2006
My "party"
I had a really tiny family party this weekend. It was just a tiny thing-very
informal. We didn't even know if it would happen until the day before. My Mom and Laura were generous, I received nice presents. But the real big deal of the night-THE MYSTERY BRA. A mysterious bra appeared and aparently belonged to no one! No one would claim it, and yet-there it was in the house! Now, my Dad said it really wasn't his, and I sincerely doubt it would have fit his frame, and I was definitely not the culprit since I've swollen to epic proportions, and I know it wasn't Tom's color. So that leaves only my Mom and sisters. I thought Claire protested an awful lot, but then she may have just been enjoying trying it on. She really liked that. Really. Well, I tell you it was never settled. We don't know how it got there or why. Who was lying? We may never know. It will go down in history.
Visiting Nanny J.
We paid a birthday visit to Nanny J. our first trip there in quite a while. I was so happy that Leanna gave her hugs this time, and eventually Justin too. That used to bother her so much that the kids were afraid of her. Frankly, I think it is the home as much as it is the fact that they rarely see her. I can really see how that would be a scary place for a kid. Heck, it's a scary place for me! Lucky for us, I don't think she's aware of how long it's been since we visited. She actually spent about as much time talking to some of the other ladies there as she did with us. That's a first for our visits. Usually she seems thrilled the whole time. But she couldn't get around what was going on there. She wanted to help the people in the office and kept talking directions with the lady next to her. Though they were talking about different towns. Neither one had a clue though, so it was ok. Alzheimer's is a horrible horrible disease. I really hope they find a cure for it before I get old enough to have it.
Talk like a pirate day
From my word-a-day email:
Every September 19 people around the world celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day. It's been marked on all continents -- even Antarctica. Why?Because it's fun, it's anarchic. Its very whimsy -- trying to get everyoneon the planet to talk like a stereotypical Caribbean buccaneer on the sameday each year -- sets it apart from other holidays.The holiday had its genesis during a racquetball game between John Baur and Mark Summers, two friends in Albany, Oregon. It was a private joke thatwent around the world. The rest is, if not history, at least a good story, which you can read at their Web site http://www.talklikeapirate.com
.To help you celebrate the day this year, we offer a sampling of words basedon pirate lingo.A note -- I've often heard people talk about pirates' "cockney accents."Wrong! The stereotypical pirate has a Cornish accent, based on theperformance of Long John Silver by actor Robert Newton in the 1950 Disneyversion of "Treasure Island". He was from Cornwall, and his over-the-topperformance and native accent are the reason people think that's what a pirate sounded like. Of course, pirates came from all nationalities. But the pop culture image is firmly embedded, and Robert Newton is the reason why.(John Baur worked 23 years in the newspaper business and two years as auniversity science writer before casting his lot as a pirate author and performer. He and Summers are co-authors of the book "Pirattitude!")
Every September 19 people around the world celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day. It's been marked on all continents -- even Antarctica. Why?Because it's fun, it's anarchic. Its very whimsy -- trying to get everyoneon the planet to talk like a stereotypical Caribbean buccaneer on the sameday each year -- sets it apart from other holidays.The holiday had its genesis during a racquetball game between John Baur and Mark Summers, two friends in Albany, Oregon. It was a private joke thatwent around the world. The rest is, if not history, at least a good story, which you can read at their Web site http://www.talklikeapirate.com
.To help you celebrate the day this year, we offer a sampling of words basedon pirate lingo.A note -- I've often heard people talk about pirates' "cockney accents."Wrong! The stereotypical pirate has a Cornish accent, based on theperformance of Long John Silver by actor Robert Newton in the 1950 Disneyversion of "Treasure Island". He was from Cornwall, and his over-the-topperformance and native accent are the reason people think that's what a pirate sounded like. Of course, pirates came from all nationalities. But the pop culture image is firmly embedded, and Robert Newton is the reason why.(John Baur worked 23 years in the newspaper business and two years as auniversity science writer before casting his lot as a pirate author and performer. He and Summers are co-authors of the book "Pirattitude!")
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Close, but no cigar
Today Leanna asked for one of Daddy's watersprouts. HUH?
Then we figured it out. She mean Starbursts!
Then we figured it out. She mean Starbursts!
Friday, September 15, 2006
Proud
Today we gave hugs right away when we went to school. Then we waited around until it was time to go in. When she saw kids going in the school, for the first time, Leanna ran in yelling Bye Mommy! without even looking back. I think that's really great that she's getting that excited.
Today she came home and wanted to practice writting. She was writting the word "The." Except she was actually writting"teh." I thought that was pretty good. Especially since it's only the second week of school. She also saw a book called Modern love on a website and said, "Look! It says love Mom!" I was really impressed that she remembered the word love and I see where she got Mom out of modern. She's remembering it from that plaque that said I Love Mom(from the fair). So today we were practicing writting a few words like cat, hat, and love. I had her sounding them out. She's just starting to remember the sounds letters make. She screamed and jumped around when she sounded out a word. She was so excited to be reading! It's really great to see her so excited about learning.
Today she came home and wanted to practice writting. She was writting the word "The." Except she was actually writting"teh." I thought that was pretty good. Especially since it's only the second week of school. She also saw a book called Modern love on a website and said, "Look! It says love Mom!" I was really impressed that she remembered the word love and I see where she got Mom out of modern. She's remembering it from that plaque that said I Love Mom(from the fair). So today we were practicing writting a few words like cat, hat, and love. I had her sounding them out. She's just starting to remember the sounds letters make. She screamed and jumped around when she sounded out a word. She was so excited to be reading! It's really great to see her so excited about learning.
As requested
Ahem,
Last night we went out for a birthday dinner and took Claire along too. The boys were sleeping so I actually got to eat a warm meal for a change. It was really nice. Both Tom and Claire ordered the tremendous 12(it's 4 pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, hashbrowns & toast.) Claire would like it to be known that she, a 17 year old girl, finished her meal while Tom could not. She won, Tom lost.
Last night we went out for a birthday dinner and took Claire along too. The boys were sleeping so I actually got to eat a warm meal for a change. It was really nice. Both Tom and Claire ordered the tremendous 12(it's 4 pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, hashbrowns & toast.) Claire would like it to be known that she, a 17 year old girl, finished her meal while Tom could not. She won, Tom lost.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
So far, so good......
So far, it's been a good day. I managed to get a shower last night, so I feel clean! That always helps make the day better. I got Justin to eat an apple-straight! (As opposed to me having to peel and cut one up). So not only did I get some food in him, but it was healthy too! I had to pretend I was mad about him eating my apple, lol, he enjoyed that. I won two auctions today on Ebay-some clothes for Justin for Christmas. And the holidays. I think $7.36 for 4 long sleeved shirts is a pretty good deal! That was one auction. And it's even better when you consider that it may do double duty about a year later for Timothy to wear them!
I received really cute organic pjs from my mother-in-law, and a purse that I actually like. I am really really picky about things like clothes and purses, so that is no small feat! It's quite amazing, actually. And I've been starting to get a little cleaning done, which really helps me mentally. When you don't work in a paid position there really isn't a big sense of acomplishment. You start to miss that. And Leanna came home from school with a sticker on her name tag. That means good behavior.
I figured I should try to mention good things too, because I often post about the difficult stuff. We have good times too. It's just not always as interesting to say, yeah, nothing bad happened today.
Another visit with Aunt Cindy
We had tea and popcorn and cookies. Since my Mom's gone raw it can be difficult to find something to eat in her house. I'm just not at a point where veggies or fruit lend themselves to late night snacking.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Also posting late......
I'm behind on my posting!
We also got our new camera finally on Friday!!! So far so good......here's some examples:
New dishwasher-yay!
I'm a bit late posting this, but I got a new dishwasher Friday night. Sadly, Tom couldn't fix the old one. We went with the 300 dollar range, because I felt it was worth it to get one with the lock feature. I can lock the buttons so that Justin-and likely Timothy-can't destroy the machine. I figure with my family, it's well worth the 100 dollar difference in price! Tom wasn't paying attention and accidentally hooked it up to the cold water instead of the hot.....I'm still waiting for him to fix that. It means it takes about 2-3 hours for it to run right now. Plus he's going to try to take the top off the old dishwasher to put on top of this one.
PS. the color is white, I'm just leaving the protective sheet on for as long as I can. Seems wise.
School notes
Thus far, Leanna thinks that school is great. And it's really consenative(her words, not mine. I don't know what she means either), and fun. She says to write that she loves school and thinks it's really great. Monday morning she was a little scared to go in after having the weekend off. She had me kiss both hands instead of just one and kept coming back to kiss and hug me goodbye. I kiss her hand everyday before she goes in so that if she misses me she can look at her hand and see the kiss there and remember that it won't be long til she sees me again. I'm sure she doesn't think of me at all, but it comforts her before going in.
She will have homework every Wednesday. I got excited to see that they will send Scholastic book forms home with them every so often. Dorky, but true, that excites me.
It's really cute to see other kids wave at Leanna when we're walking to or from school. Usually the first thing she reports to me when I pick her up is whether or not anyone got in trouble. So far, it's not been her. She's constantly practicing letters at home now-writting them, finding them in places, and talking about the sounds they make. She likes wearing dresses to school. And headbands. Last night she fell asleep in my arms, and when I went to take her upstairs she asked me, half asleep, to pick up her nametag from the floor, it fell there. Except that it didn't, she must have been dreaming about school. Isn't that cute?
Monday, September 11, 2006
pun
Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him. (Oh, man, this is so bad, it's good)..... A super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.
Remembrance, for my kids
Five years ago I had recently gone back to work after having Leanna. My day off was always a Tuesday and I had plans to go out to breakfast and shopping with my Mom to celebrate my birthday. My mother-in-law decided to come also. We were sitting inside the dinner, Leanna sitting in her car seat sleeping, when I heard the news. People in the dinner were talking about planes crashing. What!? My Mom said that she'd heard something about that-the first one-on the radio. The seriousness of it just hadn't hit yet. We listened to the talk there and finished up and headed over to the mall. I remember that we had Aunt Karen's old light blue stroller in my Mom's trunk instead of my big blue one. Leanna laid in that as we pushed her through the mall. She was so quiet back then. Just a happy little 3 month old baby.......I remember that Sue hadn't had her weight loss surgery yet and was having trouble walking in the mall. It turned out to be ok though because the stores were closing around us. Because of the plane crashes no one knew what was going on-could the entire country be under attack? They didn't know how far it would go and what would be the intended targets. So at first just individual shops were closing, then an announcement was made that the entire mall would be closing. One day my kids may read this and find it strange that they closed a mall in PA-why would you target that?? But I think the country was scared, at the moment it was just a different mindset. What had just happened was just so unbelievable that anything seemed possible. It was so hard to wrap your mind around the fact that the twin towers were gone........so many people were gone, vanished so quickly.......it could so easily have been you or someone you loved, just going to work......a feeling of safety and superiority that America had enjoyed was gone.
I grew up at the end of the cold war, with the general feeling that our country really was the greatest in the world. There was always talk of nuclear war, but that always seemed so remote a possibility. If there was anywhere you could feel safe, America was it. We had the best weapons, the best intelligence, you name it. That feeling of security was forever destroyed that morning.
Then there was the horrifying realization that someone could purposely do something like this. That's a simple statement, but to think that someone planned to take the lives of all the people on the planes and all the people inside those two towers and the pentagon and the capital or wherever the other intended target was.........people who had nothing to do with America's policies, defenseless people who were just going about their lives. That's awful. Those terrorists decided to die, but took that choice away from those around them, looking at the faces of the others on the plane and knowing it was their last day on earth. How do you justify that? It's not like it was a plane full of politicians who could be held responsible in the terrorist's minds. Someone despised us enough to do such a horrible thing, and that's quite a realization.
America was not as safe a place as we had thought. A dangerous man like Osama had been allowed to slip through the cracks and had masterminded such a plan......the terrorists were trained to fly, here, and allowed to get on the airplanes, and we just weren't prepared to respond to a situation like that.
Well, to get back to my story, that day we quickly went to Walmart and looked around there for a while. The mood was killed, obviously. We cut the trip short. At work that week people were handing out little pins of the American flag, and soon there were people selling them in front of the store. America was both terrified and defiant. Pride in our country ran very very high.
Everyone was in shock for quite a while. This wasn't the sort of thing that wears off after a day or two. News coverage was constant, and we watched quite a bit of news. Especially as a new parent I had to wonder, what kind of a world was I bringing children into? How do I keep them safe? People die early as a result of accidents and sickness, but something like this-so deliberate and evil-just isn't part of the natural order. The world had become such a scary place. And times goes on, and the shock and all the feelings fade.........and here we are five years after that day. There are all kinds of specials and tributes, though I think it's too soon for that. After the holocaust author Eli Weisel took a personal vow of silence for 10 years to fully process what had happened. What poured out afterwards was beautiful. I think we would have been wise as a country to do the same. So I sit here, putting my version of that day here as a record for my children. Do I trust that we are safer? No, just more aware. 9/11 and hurricane Katrina have eroded any trust that our country will take care of us. I think America is in it's decline. So all I can do is just try to raise my children as best I know how and hope that they are able to live happy lives in spite of it all.
I grew up at the end of the cold war, with the general feeling that our country really was the greatest in the world. There was always talk of nuclear war, but that always seemed so remote a possibility. If there was anywhere you could feel safe, America was it. We had the best weapons, the best intelligence, you name it. That feeling of security was forever destroyed that morning.
Then there was the horrifying realization that someone could purposely do something like this. That's a simple statement, but to think that someone planned to take the lives of all the people on the planes and all the people inside those two towers and the pentagon and the capital or wherever the other intended target was.........people who had nothing to do with America's policies, defenseless people who were just going about their lives. That's awful. Those terrorists decided to die, but took that choice away from those around them, looking at the faces of the others on the plane and knowing it was their last day on earth. How do you justify that? It's not like it was a plane full of politicians who could be held responsible in the terrorist's minds. Someone despised us enough to do such a horrible thing, and that's quite a realization.
America was not as safe a place as we had thought. A dangerous man like Osama had been allowed to slip through the cracks and had masterminded such a plan......the terrorists were trained to fly, here, and allowed to get on the airplanes, and we just weren't prepared to respond to a situation like that.
Well, to get back to my story, that day we quickly went to Walmart and looked around there for a while. The mood was killed, obviously. We cut the trip short. At work that week people were handing out little pins of the American flag, and soon there were people selling them in front of the store. America was both terrified and defiant. Pride in our country ran very very high.
Everyone was in shock for quite a while. This wasn't the sort of thing that wears off after a day or two. News coverage was constant, and we watched quite a bit of news. Especially as a new parent I had to wonder, what kind of a world was I bringing children into? How do I keep them safe? People die early as a result of accidents and sickness, but something like this-so deliberate and evil-just isn't part of the natural order. The world had become such a scary place. And times goes on, and the shock and all the feelings fade.........and here we are five years after that day. There are all kinds of specials and tributes, though I think it's too soon for that. After the holocaust author Eli Weisel took a personal vow of silence for 10 years to fully process what had happened. What poured out afterwards was beautiful. I think we would have been wise as a country to do the same. So I sit here, putting my version of that day here as a record for my children. Do I trust that we are safer? No, just more aware. 9/11 and hurricane Katrina have eroded any trust that our country will take care of us. I think America is in it's decline. So all I can do is just try to raise my children as best I know how and hope that they are able to live happy lives in spite of it all.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Action shot
She comes home full of energy so far. Those are the new sneakers from Nanny Sue by the way.
Rewards
Here's Leanna showing off her stickers she earned at school for good behavior of some sort. Yes, she was just eating(dirty face).
Too bad that bump still looks so nasty.
New favorite song
Justin's new favorite song: We Are The Dinosaurs by Laurie Berkner(however you spell it). It's a marching song with roaring, what more can you ask for?
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
LOL
Justin just yelled at me. Leanna was asked to put something upstairs and got upset at me because she wanted to do something else instead. Upon hearing the commotion Justin assumed that she was upset for the same reason he usually is-someone's not sharing! He yelled, "You hafta share Mommy! Do you want a spankin?" After a pause he added, "From Daddy?" When I started laughing he asked again, "From Leanna?" Then he gave up.
The dress
The dress, by the way, was also worn by my sister Claire for her first day of school. Claire just graduated in June.
Not many kids were really dressed up either. The clothes looked new, but not nice, if you know what I mean. There were some dressed up, but not many. I'm guessing if we lived out in the suburbs somewhere, that would be different. I don't mean that it's a financial issue so much as a values one. I think dressing special helps to make it feel special. And it's a big deal, so it should. Just my thoughts.
After school snack
After school she ate a peanut butter & Jelly sandwhich and a half, plus a tiny piece of Daddy's cake. And was still hungry but we had to save room for supper.
Here's her picure of her in the school.
Finally, the kindergarten post!
So, yesterday was the big day! My baby, my first-born baby started school! I sent around a bunch of pictures, since I couldn't post all of them here, for safety reasons (some pictures showed her last name and our address, etc.). Well, I got up early and made her stinky eggs. I don't like eggs or even the smell of them. And they smelled just like how Grammy makes them-cause that's the best-but she told me that her belly hurt for eggs. So my efforts were for nothing! She said she'd eat rice krispies, but a few spoons into it she threw up a little. I think it was nerves. I got her to eat a single piece of toast. And she drank a little milk and that was it. She was somewhat excited-not as exuberant as the day before, but still excited. Especially to wear the backpack. I'm not sure why, it was empty. Maybe just cause it was pink and princess. Both favorites right now. I ended up having to make Tom eggs too, he stayed home to take her to school also. We walked there and it was starting to lightly rain. There weren't all that many other walkers, most kids are bussed there because all kindergartners in the city are sent to that school(then in first grade they go to the school that's closest). We were the only parents with a camera and the only ones with both parents there. No one looked like they were feeling proud or sad or anything. It's such a milestone-I was surprised by that. The kids were heavily minority. When they started getting off the buses, a few kids were crying. I felt bad for them! Leanna was just observant at the school. Not excited but not crying either. When some of the kids started lining up and going in and I told her she had to get in line to go in, that's when it hit her. Her pretty blue eyes teared up a bit and she asked me if I would stay until she went in (of course!) and when I would be back. She didn't cry, she just looked a little worried.
At home Justin kept asking where Leanna was. About every five minutes in the beginning. One time when he asked if he could come with me to get her(after I explained that we would pick her up later) he quickly ran down the steps and started opening the door.
Then we left to get her and it seemed awful empty. I expected to see other people there. I left early because my paper the school sent only showed the times for the buses, so I figured ok, I guess they just put anyone on the buses that doesn't have a parent waiting for them(that would explain why they emphasized being there on time). So I purposely left extra early to make sure I would be there before the buses. But no, as if I didn't have enough drama in my life, that was not the case. I thought it seemed awful strange but I waited for a bit in case I was just earlier than I thought. Did I look at the clock wrong?? Was I really late?? Finally I had to go ring the buzzer and ask, (because you can't just walk into a school anymore they're locked), and it turned out that no kids were at the school anymore. I had to come inside to talk to the secretary. This meant just leaving the double stroller sitting in the hall because it's too heavy to drag up the stairs. So the very rude secretary determined that Leanna was indeed waiting at the school the bus let her off at. I explained about 20 times that no where on the paper I received did it give the exact time that school started and stopped, just bus pickup/dropoff times for the bus. And that I asked about walking her to school at both registration and orientation and was told just to come to the side door. Finally it got through to the lady that mixed up, that my daughter had been mistakenly signed up for the bus list and so I had been sent the wrong paper. It was very embarrassing for me even though I actually didn't do anything wrong. So I had to run over to the school Leanna was being held at. And I do mean run, because after hashing it out with the secretary the poor kid had been out of school for almost an hour! I felt like such a bad mom! Luckily as it was the first day she didn't know what to expect, so it wasn't scary for her that I wasn't there to pick her up. She was glad to see me though.
She also made a friend waiting in the school office for me. Another little girl's Mom wasn't there yet so they sat together and held hands. She actually told me she liked sitting in the office with the girl better than school itself!
At first she had little to say about what school was like. Little by little it came out as the night wore on. She had music class and learned a song about a squirrel with a squishy mushy tail! You have to see the choreography with that one! And they got to color a picture of the school, then draw themselves in it and paste it on a paper. She enjoyed using paste. She really liked the substitute teacher and raising her hand to ask questions. She continued raising her hand at home. She said some kids didn't know how to write their names. She told me they gave her an orange and would give her one everyday, but later she confessed that she didn't eat anything. I don't know why she said that in the first place but she said it again since it made me happy. I was just thrilled because she doesn't eat oranges. Oh well.
She stayed up to see Daddy, he came home late. And then I just went to bed with her, we snuggled in bed together and she just kept talking about school. She said she didn't like it much, but she couldn't stop talking about it. And she was all worked up all night long. In bed she couldn't stop wiggling around until she fell asleep. She told me that in line for the bus the boy in front of her was so close that his bookbag was in her chest. So she pushed him. He turned around and said in a funny voice, Hey! You pushed me! Now I'm going to watch you to make sure you don't do it again! And she said he stood there watching her. But he wasn't mad about it, luckily for her! Leanna kept asking me what else she would learn at school. She already did letters and sounds that day! Finally she dropped off. What a day.
At home Justin kept asking where Leanna was. About every five minutes in the beginning. One time when he asked if he could come with me to get her(after I explained that we would pick her up later) he quickly ran down the steps and started opening the door.
Then we left to get her and it seemed awful empty. I expected to see other people there. I left early because my paper the school sent only showed the times for the buses, so I figured ok, I guess they just put anyone on the buses that doesn't have a parent waiting for them(that would explain why they emphasized being there on time). So I purposely left extra early to make sure I would be there before the buses. But no, as if I didn't have enough drama in my life, that was not the case. I thought it seemed awful strange but I waited for a bit in case I was just earlier than I thought. Did I look at the clock wrong?? Was I really late?? Finally I had to go ring the buzzer and ask, (because you can't just walk into a school anymore they're locked), and it turned out that no kids were at the school anymore. I had to come inside to talk to the secretary. This meant just leaving the double stroller sitting in the hall because it's too heavy to drag up the stairs. So the very rude secretary determined that Leanna was indeed waiting at the school the bus let her off at. I explained about 20 times that no where on the paper I received did it give the exact time that school started and stopped, just bus pickup/dropoff times for the bus. And that I asked about walking her to school at both registration and orientation and was told just to come to the side door. Finally it got through to the lady that mixed up, that my daughter had been mistakenly signed up for the bus list and so I had been sent the wrong paper. It was very embarrassing for me even though I actually didn't do anything wrong. So I had to run over to the school Leanna was being held at. And I do mean run, because after hashing it out with the secretary the poor kid had been out of school for almost an hour! I felt like such a bad mom! Luckily as it was the first day she didn't know what to expect, so it wasn't scary for her that I wasn't there to pick her up. She was glad to see me though.
She also made a friend waiting in the school office for me. Another little girl's Mom wasn't there yet so they sat together and held hands. She actually told me she liked sitting in the office with the girl better than school itself!
At first she had little to say about what school was like. Little by little it came out as the night wore on. She had music class and learned a song about a squirrel with a squishy mushy tail! You have to see the choreography with that one! And they got to color a picture of the school, then draw themselves in it and paste it on a paper. She enjoyed using paste. She really liked the substitute teacher and raising her hand to ask questions. She continued raising her hand at home. She said some kids didn't know how to write their names. She told me they gave her an orange and would give her one everyday, but later she confessed that she didn't eat anything. I don't know why she said that in the first place but she said it again since it made me happy. I was just thrilled because she doesn't eat oranges. Oh well.
She stayed up to see Daddy, he came home late. And then I just went to bed with her, we snuggled in bed together and she just kept talking about school. She said she didn't like it much, but she couldn't stop talking about it. And she was all worked up all night long. In bed she couldn't stop wiggling around until she fell asleep. She told me that in line for the bus the boy in front of her was so close that his bookbag was in her chest. So she pushed him. He turned around and said in a funny voice, Hey! You pushed me! Now I'm going to watch you to make sure you don't do it again! And she said he stood there watching her. But he wasn't mad about it, luckily for her! Leanna kept asking me what else she would learn at school. She already did letters and sounds that day! Finally she dropped off. What a day.
Potty Update
Nanny Sue asked, so I thought I'd mention it here. For the record. Justin's Potty Status:
When we're just home all day( which has now come to an end, because of Leanna's kindergarten) I would frequently just leave Justin in just a shirt. No bottoms at all. That way he would always tell me when he had to go. If he wears underwear sometimes he still tells me, but more frequently he'll let some come out first, then tell me he has to go! When wearing a diaper, it depends on his mood. Sometimes he'll take it off and yell, "I have to go potty!" until I take him. Most times he'll just go in the diaper and then take it off and roam the house naked. Occasionally he'll go potty without me there, but I try to always go with him because sometimes a hand or foot accidentally gets in the potty. He loves to flush the potty. He still prefers to sit backwards on it. And sometimes when we're out of the house shopping or visiting or whatever, he'll still tell me he has to go. Usually at the most inconvienient times! And unlike his sister, he does always wake up whether napping or sleeping during the night when he has to go. Well, usually he goes first, then cries. But at least he wakes up for it. Leanna sleeps right through it, which is why she still needs something overnight. So he doesn't have to wear diapers during the day, if we're at home. But I still use them when we leave the house, just so there aren't any accidents.
When we're just home all day( which has now come to an end, because of Leanna's kindergarten) I would frequently just leave Justin in just a shirt. No bottoms at all. That way he would always tell me when he had to go. If he wears underwear sometimes he still tells me, but more frequently he'll let some come out first, then tell me he has to go! When wearing a diaper, it depends on his mood. Sometimes he'll take it off and yell, "I have to go potty!" until I take him. Most times he'll just go in the diaper and then take it off and roam the house naked. Occasionally he'll go potty without me there, but I try to always go with him because sometimes a hand or foot accidentally gets in the potty. He loves to flush the potty. He still prefers to sit backwards on it. And sometimes when we're out of the house shopping or visiting or whatever, he'll still tell me he has to go. Usually at the most inconvienient times! And unlike his sister, he does always wake up whether napping or sleeping during the night when he has to go. Well, usually he goes first, then cries. But at least he wakes up for it. Leanna sleeps right through it, which is why she still needs something overnight. So he doesn't have to wear diapers during the day, if we're at home. But I still use them when we leave the house, just so there aren't any accidents.
What happened to play time??
What did you do in kindergarten and first grade. I remember lots of singing, coloring, learning things like right and left, naps, alphabet, learning to write small words, learning to write the date and reading Weekly Reader. Field trips too. In my case, at a Christian school we learned Bible verses also. My k. teacher would play the guitar and make up tunes to help us memorize them. It worked because I can still remember a few of them.
An excerpt:
"Thirty years ago first grade was for learning how to read. Now, reading lessons start in kindergarten and kids who don't crack the code by the middle of the first grade get extra help. Instead of story time, finger painting, tracing letters and snack, first graders are spending hours doing math work sheets and sounding out words in reading groups. In some places, recess, music, art and even social studies are being replaced by writing exercises and spelling quizzes. Kids as young as 6 are tested, and tested again—some every 10 days or so—to ensure they're making sufficient progress. After school, there's homework, and for some, educational videos, more workbooks and tutoring, to help give them an edge....."
An excerpt:
"Thirty years ago first grade was for learning how to read. Now, reading lessons start in kindergarten and kids who don't crack the code by the middle of the first grade get extra help. Instead of story time, finger painting, tracing letters and snack, first graders are spending hours doing math work sheets and sounding out words in reading groups. In some places, recess, music, art and even social studies are being replaced by writing exercises and spelling quizzes. Kids as young as 6 are tested, and tested again—some every 10 days or so—to ensure they're making sufficient progress. After school, there's homework, and for some, educational videos, more workbooks and tutoring, to help give them an edge....."
For the few of you who might be interested
I just found this interesting. I have never ever in my entire life been as thirsty as I was when in labor with Leanna. 8 hours with no food or water is a long time, especially while your body is performing "labor." And for those of you who don't know, it really is work. The doctor would allow nothing but ice chips(which don't do crap!). It was really really horrible. I had no desire to eat, but I could have leaped hurdles if it would have given me water! Though someone commenting on the post pointed out that even if the mother doesn't want food(light food) during a long labor it can be a long time for the fetus to have no nourishment also.
Blog: Navelgazing MidwifePost: Barfing in LaborLink: http://observantmidwife.blogspot.com/2006/09/barfing-in-labor.html
In my experience, women in the hospital barf a whole lot more than women in home births. It makes perfect sense! Women in the hospital are starved! Women in the hospital have hypoglycemia which causes nausea which brings on vomiting. Women at home are encouraged to eat to hunger, even if it is simply nibbling. Those women who aren't very hungry are nudged towards eating something because they start to complain of nausea. Once they have eaten something, miraculously, their nausea disappears.Do women who eat in labor throw up? Sure. Do women who don't eat not throw up? Sure.But, by far, I see it as a definite cause and effect of no food = nausea/vomiting. (I also know I would much rather throw something up than nothing. But that's just me.)That doctors continue saying digestion stops in labor is absurd. Oh, that's right, MIDWIVES say that, too! A local midwife just said that this week here! It might slow. But stop? C'mon. Why would it stop? Does elimination? No. Doctors have a vested interest in keeping women NPO (nothing by mouth) - they are easier/safer to anesthetize that way (supposedly). Why a midwife would want a woman to not eat is beyond me.I believe doctors who continue the old saw that women in labor shouldn't eat simply have no experience with women who have. Just like a lot of other things like women who walk or squat or not have IVs or moan or or or.Rise up and eat women! Barf no more.
Blog: Navelgazing MidwifePost: Barfing in LaborLink: http://observantmidwife.blogspot.com/2006/09/barfing-in-labor.html
In my experience, women in the hospital barf a whole lot more than women in home births. It makes perfect sense! Women in the hospital are starved! Women in the hospital have hypoglycemia which causes nausea which brings on vomiting. Women at home are encouraged to eat to hunger, even if it is simply nibbling. Those women who aren't very hungry are nudged towards eating something because they start to complain of nausea. Once they have eaten something, miraculously, their nausea disappears.Do women who eat in labor throw up? Sure. Do women who don't eat not throw up? Sure.But, by far, I see it as a definite cause and effect of no food = nausea/vomiting. (I also know I would much rather throw something up than nothing. But that's just me.)That doctors continue saying digestion stops in labor is absurd. Oh, that's right, MIDWIVES say that, too! A local midwife just said that this week here! It might slow. But stop? C'mon. Why would it stop? Does elimination? No. Doctors have a vested interest in keeping women NPO (nothing by mouth) - they are easier/safer to anesthetize that way (supposedly). Why a midwife would want a woman to not eat is beyond me.I believe doctors who continue the old saw that women in labor shouldn't eat simply have no experience with women who have. Just like a lot of other things like women who walk or squat or not have IVs or moan or or or.Rise up and eat women! Barf no more.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
At the fair
Neighbors gave us free tickets to the fair so we went tonight. Here's the kids showing off their winnings. Or most of them anyway. This is the first time we've been to a fair that Leanna's been old enough to really enjoy it. Which we enjoyed watching. From balloon darts came those lovely pictures they're holding, and then they did a little fishing thing to win a few tiny stuffed seals(not pictured). Tom won Leanna the porcelin panda baby. She picked it out herself. He was trying to get her to choose a doll in a pretty blue dress, but she wanted the panda. It's actually two dolls in one. The other panda was a christmas present, not from the fair. They went on two rides, one of them twice. The operator let them go on a second time free and so Justin went too. He was a little worried Justin wouldn't be able to climb to the top. Ha! Little does he know-we breed monkies! Justin scrambled right up.
Maree'
Look at the size of Maree's shoes. I don't mean the actual shoe size, I mean how big the shoe is. I think it makes her look like a life size Bratz doll!
My anniversary present
Thursday was 3 years married. (but another 3 dating before that, and friends for about 5 before that)
A bad day
Friday night a clock fell off the top of the refrigerator and hit Leanna's forehead. Then later on she was helping me make eggs for her Daddy and at the very end she managed to burn her finger. Poor kid!
Crocodile tears on the big yellow: Emotional impact of the first day of school
Thanks Jaime! This came from a link I followed from her link for 6 things every parent should know about food allergies: http://www2.townonline.com/parentsandkids/news/view.bg?articleid=563867
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Something nice
It was quite a relief today to discover that we had made an extra deposit in the bank this month! Tom forgot to tell me about some money he deposited and I thought we were coming up very short for the month. With his line of work you don't always know when the money will be coming in or even how much it will be. If he had a steady job where his paycheck was always the same something like that wouldn't happen. But when he cashed a check he deposited money and forgot to tell me- and it was after the statement period so it didn't show up there either. So I was all worried about where the money was coming from. Then today he actually had a day off and with him home I had the time to call the bank's hotline and figure out what was actually in the bank (making sure all the checks had been cashed and debits taken out) . So that's how I found out there was an extra deposit that didn't show on our statement. What a tremendous load off my mind!
Once in my late teens/early twenties I found some money I had put away to save and forgotten all about. Eighty dollars was a really nice find, especially back then! See,it really is true-neat and organized people never make the exciting discoveries that I do!
Once in my late teens/early twenties I found some money I had put away to save and forgotten all about. Eighty dollars was a really nice find, especially back then! See,it really is true-neat and organized people never make the exciting discoveries that I do!
just looking.......
We were pricing dishwashers (cause ours is dying) and also kitchen stuff. Not buying, just pricing. Tom really wants to re-do the kitchen after we buy the house. Now this is pure daydreaming at this point because who knows when we might have the money to do a remodel, but that is his dream. He would love to buy homes, improve them and then re-sell. Also he doesn't like where we live, but this is probably our only opportunity to buy a home with our current situation. It's interesting to look at stuff like that with him because I know NOTHING about it. I tend to say, ok, what's cheapest that I can live with. And then he points out that sometimes it pays to choose something a little nicer for resale value of the house. Which I hadn't even thought about. He actually gets to be pretty creative in his work. So we were looking at stuff and finding something that both of us liked. Our styles don't 100% mesh, he's spent years looking at house and fixing them up and he has a better idea of what you can do to make things look nice. In that way he's kind of more girly than I am. I never considered anything other than college type decor until a few years ago. My apartments were just places to crash when I wasn't working or out doing stuff. I didn'tspend a lot of time there. So from talking to Tom and watching some of those HGTV shows, I realized that you can really get creative with what you do to make a home appealing. Not that that is surprising, I just never bothered to think about it before. I do find it a bit amusing though that Tom cares way more about that stuff than I do. : )
labor day
For anyone who's interested, I think we'll cook on the grill for labor day. Nothing big, because we're really broke. But we have hotdogs and sausage and a few hamburgers(my Mom just promised to bring a few more). Feel free to come and bring food, lol!
PS. My house looks crappy and I don't plan to spend the next two days frantically cleaning. Just a warning.
PS. My house looks crappy and I don't plan to spend the next two days frantically cleaning. Just a warning.
Just a few things........
Timothy's becoming much more independant, playing by himself on the floor for periods of time now. He's also putting anything and everything in his mouth-meaning a close eye still has to be kept on him at all times! He takes a single step every now and then. He likes to play a game with both siblings where he hands something to them and they hand it back. The other night he said "Nuk" a few times in a row when Tom was holding it in front of him. Sometimes he said an approximation of Leanna's name. Never Justin's though. One day this week he woke up and was crying. Justin yelled, "Baby's up!" and ran over to him and began singing rock-a-bye-baby to Timothy. Didn't comfort Timothy any, but it was really cute. Timothy gets jealous if I'm holding Justin, but Justin is actually very tolerant of me holding Timothy.
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