Here is a favorite-
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Uncle Jon is back!
Uncle Jon is back from the Congo. We were able to catch up with him for a bit this past weekend. And Jon, of course, managed to take some priceless pictures (with his iPhone no less).
Here is a favorite-
Here is a favorite-
Friday, June 17, 2011
Never say never
Never say never. I believe this is a phrase that parents should have tattooed on them the day their little bundle of joy arrives. Seriously, how often have I said I would never do something and then bang, seconds later I am the number one fan of said "I will never do that" activity.
I'd like to introduce you to Peter-Donald and Peter-Donald ("Yes mom I want them to have the same name"). The Peter-Donalds are the two newest members of our household.
Oliver carrying one Peter-Donald
I used to see these big green/yellow plastic guys and think - who buys those?! I will never in a million years do that. Dinosaurs would have to roam the earth, Oliver would have to sleep through the night, it would have to rain $100 bills before I purchased said guys. So who was it scouring the internet the other night, and plopping down an extra $20 so the Peter-Donalds could arrive at our house in 5-7 business days? It couldn't be me. Ah, but it was. Our little street is 0.13 miles and is home to 19 kids under the age of 14. At about 3:30 most everyday kids and parents pour out of their houses and the street is abuzz with bikes, running races, matchbox car playing, water guns...I love it.
What I don't like is those crazy kids (and adults) who zoom down the street at crazy speeds, not seeming to acknowledge the throngs of children playing. So I went and ordered the Peter-Donalds and contacted our city councillor (oh yes I did). While there doesn't seem to be much the city councillor can do (other than the three Children at Play signs he had the town put up for us), he was very responsive and came and met with me and the other parents on the street. Hopefully we can get people to slow down so the kids can continue to be just that - kids.
Speaking of kids - Oliver. Where he came up with Peter-Donald, I have no idea. I have previously mentioned Oliver's knack for names (Serena, Peter, Charlie, Bulldozer, Jordan). Well, in addition to Peter-Donald Oliver has also introduced the name Fabio. The other night I went to put Oliver to sleep and he asked me to tell him a story about a snake named Fabio, it took all I could to not burst out in laughter. He followed this up by asking me to adapt Zippity-Do-Da to include a snake - "Zippity do da, zippity a, my oh my what a wonderful day, plenty of snakes heading Oliver's way...". (Oliver is not a fan of bedtime and so a lullaby really makes him mad. Zippty do da has tended to go over okay because it is, well, not at all a nighttime song. But this new version, hmmm. Sweet dreams.)
I'd like to introduce you to Peter-Donald and Peter-Donald ("Yes mom I want them to have the same name"). The Peter-Donalds are the two newest members of our household.
Oliver carrying one Peter-DonaldWhat I don't like is those crazy kids (and adults) who zoom down the street at crazy speeds, not seeming to acknowledge the throngs of children playing. So I went and ordered the Peter-Donalds and contacted our city councillor (oh yes I did). While there doesn't seem to be much the city councillor can do (other than the three Children at Play signs he had the town put up for us), he was very responsive and came and met with me and the other parents on the street. Hopefully we can get people to slow down so the kids can continue to be just that - kids.
Speaking of kids - Oliver. Where he came up with Peter-Donald, I have no idea. I have previously mentioned Oliver's knack for names (Serena, Peter, Charlie, Bulldozer, Jordan). Well, in addition to Peter-Donald Oliver has also introduced the name Fabio. The other night I went to put Oliver to sleep and he asked me to tell him a story about a snake named Fabio, it took all I could to not burst out in laughter. He followed this up by asking me to adapt Zippity-Do-Da to include a snake - "Zippity do da, zippity a, my oh my what a wonderful day, plenty of snakes heading Oliver's way...". (Oliver is not a fan of bedtime and so a lullaby really makes him mad. Zippty do da has tended to go over okay because it is, well, not at all a nighttime song. But this new version, hmmm. Sweet dreams.)
Thursday, June 16, 2011
The Judy Blue Eyes
For as long as I can remember my dad has wanted to name a boat the Judy Blue Eyes. For as long as I can remember my mom has been against this. Well, the other weekend something monumental happened - the boat got named the Judy Blue Eyes! My dad, of course, had nothing to do with this. The letters just happened to fall into his bag at the hardware store and then the bag happened to fall into Davis' hands and Davis took it upon himself to figure out what words he could make with said letters...
Oliver loves to work. He was therefore very excited to be a part of getting the boat ready to be put into the water. Given the amount of time and effort Oliver spent on cleaning the motor I am guessing it is the cleanest in Penobscot Bay - if not the world.
We, of course, took the Judy Blue Eyes out for a quick spin after it was put into the water.
On our return to shore we took a walk and looked at the boats that had yet to be put in the water. Oliver amazed us by being able to identify the following boat parts: bow, stern, keel, mast, sail, propeller, and rudder. He is also an expert on identifying if a boat has an inboard or outboard motor. In both the boat yard and while we were out on the water he identified what type of motor each boat had.
Oliver loves to work. He was therefore very excited to be a part of getting the boat ready to be put into the water. Given the amount of time and effort Oliver spent on cleaning the motor I am guessing it is the cleanest in Penobscot Bay - if not the world.
We, of course, took the Judy Blue Eyes out for a quick spin after it was put into the water.
On our return to shore we took a walk and looked at the boats that had yet to be put in the water. Oliver amazed us by being able to identify the following boat parts: bow, stern, keel, mast, sail, propeller, and rudder. He is also an expert on identifying if a boat has an inboard or outboard motor. In both the boat yard and while we were out on the water he identified what type of motor each boat had.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Connections
Whenever Henni gets put in the booster seat Oliver starts counting down and then yells "Blast off!". For awhile we thought it was just plain funny. Then we got to thinking, and after a short conversation with Oliver realized that he knew the word booster from the boosters on rockets - therefore, when we were saying Henni was getting in the booster seat he was thinking - booster, rocket, blast off... I now want to manufacture a booster seat that does in fact look like a little rocket, so that all kids can blast off while eating - wouldn't that be fun?
Another fun connection...
Oliver has been saying that Davis lives down the street with the UPS man. For awhile now we have desperately been trying to figure out how this connection was made (and I've questioned both Davis and the UPS man quite a bit...). Well, the other day we figured it out - there is a house down the road from us that Davis is in love with. Every time we go by the house Davis talks about it as his house and is constantly dreaming of what he would do with it if he acquired it (and is dreaming up scemes about how he can move our troupe down the street). Davis has talked about the house so much that Oliver thinks it is Davis' house and that Davis just graces us with his presence here in the pink house. As for the UPS man - Oliver saw the UPS coming out of the house one day and asked if the UPS lived in the house. I know our UPS lives down the street from us so I replied - maybe, I know he lives around here -Oliver took this as a solid yes. So that is how Davis and the UPS came to live a happy life together in a big beautiful house around the corner.
As for this, I am not exactly sure what connections can be drawn from this. And yes, Oliver is playing the guitar while riding a dolphin.
Another fun connection...
Oliver has been saying that Davis lives down the street with the UPS man. For awhile now we have desperately been trying to figure out how this connection was made (and I've questioned both Davis and the UPS man quite a bit...). Well, the other day we figured it out - there is a house down the road from us that Davis is in love with. Every time we go by the house Davis talks about it as his house and is constantly dreaming of what he would do with it if he acquired it (and is dreaming up scemes about how he can move our troupe down the street). Davis has talked about the house so much that Oliver thinks it is Davis' house and that Davis just graces us with his presence here in the pink house. As for the UPS man - Oliver saw the UPS coming out of the house one day and asked if the UPS lived in the house. I know our UPS lives down the street from us so I replied - maybe, I know he lives around here -Oliver took this as a solid yes. So that is how Davis and the UPS came to live a happy life together in a big beautiful house around the corner.
As for this, I am not exactly sure what connections can be drawn from this. And yes, Oliver is playing the guitar while riding a dolphin.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Quantifying motherhood
Is it possible to quantify what a mother does? I have read many articles which provide lengthy descriptions of what tasks a mother performs and therefore what a mother would earn if she were to be paid a salary for her "job." For example, Salary.com states that if a stay-at-home mom were to be given a salary she would earn about $115,432 and a working moms 'at-home' salary would be $63,472 (this is in addition to the salary the working mom would earn in the workplace. MSN, on the other hand reports a stay-at-home mom should earn $138,095 a year. A theoretical six figure salary to be a stay-at-home mom sounds great, and a salary in the $60,000's, in addition to a part-time workforce salary, sounds wonderful as well- the big issue is, well, these salaries are theoretical.
In just a couple weeks my current job contract is coming to an end. While there were many times I lamented the challenges of working part-time and being a mom, when it comes down to it, I truly have loved being able to challenge myself, use my brain, and be something other than a mother for some portion of the week. I also like getting a paycheck. When bills need to be paid, or I want to purchase something, I like knowing money I have earned will be used to make the purchase or to pay the bill. Although I am frugal (Davis would argue I am often too frugal (recall a previous post where I mentioned much of our stuff comes from Craigslist or the side of the road)) I do feel guilty about spending money given I don't contribute as much, financially, to the household as Davis. Davis repeatedly tells me that what I do for the household far exceeds my salary and I should not feel guilty.
Listen to Davis you say. I know I should. I look at stay at home parents with respect and awe. When a friend expresses guilt or concern about not working I go on and on about the value of their work, about the salary.com mumbo jumbo... BUT, when I am faced with the reality of being a stay-at-home mom - of not getting up for work, not using my non-mom part of my brain, being with the kids for 24/7, and not bringing home even a portion of the bacon - rational thinking goes by the wayside.
There is another piece of this puzzle - in addition to feeling guilty and worried about the above mentioned, I feel guilty about not wanting to be a stay-at-home mom. Shouldn't I be jumping up and down, shouting to the tree tops, ecstatic I will be able to spend every minute with my children?
Urgh, being a mom is tough stuff.
Change and the unknown is scary. I am looking for a job - something part-time that will enable me to, once again, spout the challenges and impossibilities of "having the best of both worlds." That being said, once I try on this stay-at-home business for size, I might actually find that it fits.
All the rambling aside, I have a ton of pictures and a huge list of stories and hilarities (and drama) I want to share. Here are the first of the pictures -
Henni is much more fun to take pictures of right now than Oliver. She laughs and smiles and savors ever minute of the attention. Oliver prefers not to be in the spotlight - I should rephrase that - he loves the spotlight, but not the camera.
Oliver loves getting underdogs on the swings. Oliver is enjoying that Henni can partake in some activities now and so he suggested that she get an "undercat" - it is like an underdog, but smaller, since she is little.
My wonderful friend Erin has let Henni borrow the most amazing clothes. Most of the time it is actually Davis who finds the most girly, pink, ruffly clothes in the bunch and dresses Henni up, but this bathing suit...when I saw the tutu, I knew, given my daughter's lovely ballerina-esque thighs, that she needed to wear it to the beach.
In just a couple weeks my current job contract is coming to an end. While there were many times I lamented the challenges of working part-time and being a mom, when it comes down to it, I truly have loved being able to challenge myself, use my brain, and be something other than a mother for some portion of the week. I also like getting a paycheck. When bills need to be paid, or I want to purchase something, I like knowing money I have earned will be used to make the purchase or to pay the bill. Although I am frugal (Davis would argue I am often too frugal (recall a previous post where I mentioned much of our stuff comes from Craigslist or the side of the road)) I do feel guilty about spending money given I don't contribute as much, financially, to the household as Davis. Davis repeatedly tells me that what I do for the household far exceeds my salary and I should not feel guilty.
Listen to Davis you say. I know I should. I look at stay at home parents with respect and awe. When a friend expresses guilt or concern about not working I go on and on about the value of their work, about the salary.com mumbo jumbo... BUT, when I am faced with the reality of being a stay-at-home mom - of not getting up for work, not using my non-mom part of my brain, being with the kids for 24/7, and not bringing home even a portion of the bacon - rational thinking goes by the wayside.
There is another piece of this puzzle - in addition to feeling guilty and worried about the above mentioned, I feel guilty about not wanting to be a stay-at-home mom. Shouldn't I be jumping up and down, shouting to the tree tops, ecstatic I will be able to spend every minute with my children?
Urgh, being a mom is tough stuff.
Change and the unknown is scary. I am looking for a job - something part-time that will enable me to, once again, spout the challenges and impossibilities of "having the best of both worlds." That being said, once I try on this stay-at-home business for size, I might actually find that it fits.
All the rambling aside, I have a ton of pictures and a huge list of stories and hilarities (and drama) I want to share. Here are the first of the pictures -
Henni is much more fun to take pictures of right now than Oliver. She laughs and smiles and savors ever minute of the attention. Oliver prefers not to be in the spotlight - I should rephrase that - he loves the spotlight, but not the camera.
Oliver loves getting underdogs on the swings. Oliver is enjoying that Henni can partake in some activities now and so he suggested that she get an "undercat" - it is like an underdog, but smaller, since she is little.
My wonderful friend Erin has let Henni borrow the most amazing clothes. Most of the time it is actually Davis who finds the most girly, pink, ruffly clothes in the bunch and dresses Henni up, but this bathing suit...when I saw the tutu, I knew, given my daughter's lovely ballerina-esque thighs, that she needed to wear it to the beach.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
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