"Wherever you go, we go too."

Wow! I never meant for so much time to pass between blogs. I've been experiencing a lack of brain capacity ... I think of all these wonderful things to write about at times I could not possible sit down and write them. Later, when time presents itself, I'm mostly too tired to think - let alone type. It's really not so different now, either. I'm just feeling like this is better than nothing. (I could be wrong about that!!)

I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince for about the millionth time, and I am again struck by the incredible bond of love and friendship between Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Harry's ability and loyalty towards Dumbledore is also beauty itself. If you haven't read this, I strongly encourage you to. --I do wonder, though, if it would be as powerful if I hadn't read books 1-5 first. !?!? At any rate, J.K. Rowling is a complete genious. She knows how to pull you into a story and keep you there. She has a spectacular ability to make characters become real and dance the tune of a scene in your mind. I'm an avid reader and am not sure this has happened so clearly with any other book I have ever read. Of course, this could be well fueled by my immense obsession with good 'ole Harryand his wizarding world, right now.

That's about all I got, today. I'm sure I could keep typing many more paragraphs, but I'm also sure that they wouldn't be very ... ah ... fluid?

I did my hair today

I did my hair today. This entails using a blow dryer and mousse. I had a reason. I had to "play grownup" and go to a big-deal of meeting. There was a touch of makeup involved, too; although this is not quite as big a deal since it was nothing fancy or in depth.

While I was blow drying my hair my son brought me his shoes. While I was dressing, my son kept circling me asking where we were going. After I got dressed my daughter looked at my outfit and asked why I was wearing a nice skirt. Then, my son started carrying his Nemo backpack all over the apartment. (my Mom doesn't have to work tomorrow and was picking them up from a friends house so they could spend tonight and then all day tomorrow with her.) Isn't it interesting the nonverbal cues our children pick up on? I had yet to mention going anywhere to my son when he started behaving as though he knew. [My daughter had forgotten what I'd told her yesterday, and knew that my skirt was out of place. I sometimes forget that you don't have to be very old to pick up on life that's out of the ordinary.] We have 15 stairs to go down to get to the door of our building. Both kids had to take the backpacks out the door and to the stairs, at which point I had planned to take the bags to the bottom of the stairs for them. My son refused to allow me to touch his bag. With a bag that's as tall as he is (when the handle is extended) he went down all 15 stairs, unaided. I repeatedly asked if he needed help; if I could take his bag to the bottom for him. Each time I asked (and then some) he'd say "my bag. my nemo." or "my bag, mama" I think you get the idea. It was very very inportant to him to take care of his own stuff. I still can't decide if I should admire his tenacity or be frustrated with his lack of common sense...

Food/Activity: I love to make pizza with the kids. It fullfills many developmental areas (in my opinion). It's tactile, provides family building, artistic expression, and involvement in the kitchen. Besides, it's fun and good in our tummies.

Dinosaurs, Coffee, and PB&J

Dimetrodon

My Mom came over, last night. She took me to buy coffee, as my husband was working late and had the car. SO, this morning, thank you very much Mom, I had yummy coffee. I reccommend The Papua New Guinea blend (fair trade coffee). [If you buy it, you're helping out the folks on the left. ] It's only 11am, and I already made a second pot. Not good, as far as the day goes ... hopefully I won't need to drink it all at once, like I do first thing in the morning. Also, you should know that my coffeemaker is the teensy kind that only makes 4 cups (about 2 mugs, of average size).

I'm babysitting my best friend's little boy, today. Their regular babysitter is sick, today. He's two years old, and can tell me the name of almost any dinosaur, on sight. This includes dinosaurs that I've only heard of because he's told me about them. Smart kid, cute trick. I'm also thinking about making some PB&J and heading out to the basketball court and adjoining field for a little picnic. I'm just trying to decide if that violates any association rules. I don't recall reading or hearing anything about spreading out a blanket and setting food upon it, but you never know ... (reference "Ode to My Condo Association")

Activity: Counting. When my kids seem ready to learn numbers, I begin by counting stairs when we go up and down them. This happens alot, since we have a condo on the second floor, and you have to go up stairs to get to the entry of our library. I like this method. It not intrusive, they have to use listening skills, and number values get introduced at the same time.

Beautiful Day, NO?

It's probably about 80 degrees, at the most, right now. I can hear a few locusts, the sun is out and there's a light breeze. How nice; How picturesque. This is the kind of day that typically puts me in the best of moods.

I am all out of regular coffee. I've tried to supplement the lack of regular coffee with caffeinated tea -- caffeine, duh -- and decaf coffee --to trick myself with taste (no ... not at the same time, yuck!). It's only worked a little. My head is bothering me. I'm tired and ready to implode. The internet isn't working. (I'm typing this on notepad and hoping to upload it later.) AND, my son refused to sleep at nap time. I made him, "try" for 3 hours. 3 hours of yelling, cajoling, taking dolls away, removing books, threatening, and finally capitulation. He won. What am I supposed to do!?!? --Make him stay in naptime until bedtime!? I hate that he won, though ... Both kids are tired. Since letting them out of naptime, I've taken away a hobby horse, a pillowcase, a (very tiny) bat, and I don't know what else, all because they were implements of destruction and hitting. I've issued simultaneous time-outs and listened to multiple complaints and been hounded like crazy about doing a craft. They've only been out of naptime for an hour.

What a beautiful day I am having.

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I just changed another poopy diaper (that kid is a machine, the last two days), and gave in to the powers of tv. Dora is my best friend, right now, as I am no longer in danger of implosion.
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This is all just the tip of the iceberg...There are other, bigger things happening in our family. Some good, much not so good. None that I feel free to discuss, though. I wish I did. I wish I could. I think it would help me to just "get it all out." I only mention it so that you get an idea of my current state of mind. Somehow I don't think "aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhrgh!" quite covers it. I want a do-over, starting at about Friday evening. If anyone can make that happen for me, please don't hesitate. You have my gratitude.

Do you ever have a day like this?

Food: cantaloup. I cut a small cantaloup in half, and use my trust [pampered chef] scooper to hollow it out. It's quick, it's easy, the kids like-y. Good snack.

You sank my Battleship!

We are such total nerds. Right now, my husband and I are sitting, facing each other, and the dining room table. We are both at our laptops, feet touching under the table. I feel like we should be playing Battleship, or something ... it's probably a pretty funny picture. What's even nerdier was when we were in Iowa, for a Conference, and we both had our laptops in the hotel room. My mom laughed and laughed when she realized we had brought both of them. (In our defense ... he needs his for work, and I needed mine because I was there 4 days before him!!)

He just asked me if I was blogging ... upon hearing my affirmative answer he told me he thought I was cute. He thinks it's cute. I definitely married the right man. If there were ever any doubts (there weren't), I can now say ... he's the one!

Truthfully, though ... I'm really not that nerdy. I may like some sci fi shows, I may love me little laptop, I may be obsessed with Harry Potter and the whole wizarding world ... but, that's where it all stops. Once you get past that ... I'm a little strange, but not even a little bit nerdy. My husband on the other hand ... well ...


Games: Today my son enjoyed jumping on top of me like a frog. As the jumpee (not the jumper) I don't reccomend it.

I can only wish it was leapfrog ...

A Star is Born

My daughter is destined for a life in the theater. She's good, too. The other day she was giving a performance, for me, in her room. She did a scene from Harry Potter that had me visualizing the scene from the movie, it was that good. I was impressed until I realized it was from the beginning of "Goblet of Fire." She's not allowed to watch Goblet of Fire, and it had me asking her when it is she saw that scene. Answer: I fell asleep watching it, and the DVD loops. She was in my room (as usual for the middle of the night) when it started playing. "All by itself, mama! I didn't touch it!" (Fortunately, she says I woke up and turned it off shortly after the scene where Hermione wakes up Harry and Ron, at The Burrow.) I digress ... I think I was talking about my daughter's future in the theater...I stress theater, not TV. TV doesn't get the immediate applause and love that she seems to crave, after a performance. She sings and dances, too. I should probably be more specific and say Music Theater. Just yesterday she was jumping up and down on the couch, singing about going down to the river to pray. Too bad I'm not the type to start auditioning her now. I'm sure I'm somehow ruining a good start to a promising child star career. That rarely ends well - or so I've heard ... I'd rather she wait until after college.

When she becomes amazingly successful, I promise to live with total and complete vicariousness. (is that a word??)

Activity: Glue, glue, glue. Especially glitter glue. I let my daughter use the tube of glue, for my son I put a small dab on a q-tip. They have fun coloring animal shapes that I've drawn and cut out with the glue.

Everything in it's place

My son is developing a decided "tick." Everything must be a particular way. At least, in as much as he's aware of or concerned with it.

Toys must be out of the bed before officially being tucked in for naptime. It's pretty funny having a 2 year old ask me to put away the "extra" dolls on his bed. My book must not be on the floor of the living room, but in my lap, at all times. Ditto for my cell phone. If Elizabeth does not take her plate to the sink quickly enough (because, oh, say ... she's still eating ...), he will take it to the sink himself. He found a toy in the wrong compartment in the toy organizer, took it out and brought it to me. (I thought I was the only one in this family that neurotic!) As I said, though, this only pertains to his own personal scope ... ie) he just dumped out all the puzzle pieces and is currently whipping them around the room and sitting in a pile of them playing. There seems to be no real rhyme or reason as to when this neurosis will pop up. He sings ... but mostly in private. I'm not sure my husband even believes me when I tell him how musical his son is. He is completely fearless is a pool, but take him to a lake, and he turns into a wimp. -You must hold him if you go into the water; he mostly ends up playing in the sand, at the shoreline.

I look forward to seeing how this all develops...

Song of the Day: "Pig on Her Head" -- Laurie Berkner

booooring??

Okay ... so I've been trying to give this blog some sort of definition, but I think I'm failing miserably. I've been thinking about adding a themed tip/idea of the day; mostly relating to kids/families. IE) craft corner, song of the day, food favorites, etc. Opinions? Ideas? I'm too tired to write much else, today ...

Food Favorites -- my kids loooove sweet potatoes. I often slice them like french fries, spray them with oil, then broil them. Healthy and yummy!

The Return to Navy Pier

Today S1 (sister-in-law #1) and the 2 kids she's been nannying for the summer, and me and the kids went to Navy Pier. We took the metra to the city and started walking. Walking. Walking. Walking more. Oh yeah, more walking. We saw Union Station, the Sears Tower, the Board of Trade, the Art Institute, Millenium Park, and oh so much more. (I'm not kidding, I think we walked for about an hour and half!) We hadn't planned on walking almost the entire way to Navy Pier. Seriously, that's just ludicrous. By the time we realized that only certain trolleys at certain (very few) stops went there, we were fairly well screwed. S1 and I had a fun time wandering around the streets of Chicago, but it was hot and humid and the kids weren't finding the walk as fun, once we were in the millionth minute. I was really impressed with how they all handled it, though. There really wasn't much complaining ... just slow walking and expressions of exasperation (sp? spell check seems to htink it's fine, but it looks funny to me!?). We finally found a trolley stop that went to the correct destination, but just missed the trolley. 20 minutes later, 2 hours and tweny minutes after we got off the metra, we were on our way! Navy Pier was fun. I wanted to see the tall ships, and the kids wanted to go to the funhouse, so we treated the kids to McDonalds, and started walking down the Pier. The fun house was alright, but so not worth $30. The ships were great, and so were the ducks! We named them (the ducks) Anita, Hugo and Lewis (babies); Estelle, and oh, darn .. I can't remember the names of the older ducks! Well, trust me when I say (again) fun!! We took the trolley to the train station, I held my son, S1 held my daughter, one of the other kids held the stroller and we dismebarked in an all out dead run to catch our train. Fortunately, we made it. We got home. Life is good. The day was great.

Luxury

How exciting to have the car two days in a row. It used to happen often, but, lately, my husband's schedule has not allowed for such luxury. Friday, I used my freedom to go on a major grocery shopping trip. I mean major. Since sister-in-law #2 (S2) spent the night, she went along with us, and helped out with the kids. --another luxury! All went well. I got home with no incidents, put the groceries away, and life was good. The third luxury of the day came in form of the library. S2 had decided to spend the weekend with us, so she was at the library helping, again. If you've ever taken two kids under the age of 5 to the library, you know how nice it is to not have to constantly freak out because they've run off, or won't stop piling videos into the basket, or throw a tantrum in the middle of the aisle, or ... With S2 along, they were angels.

Saturday was a full day, too. The best part was taking my daughter and #2 to Hobby Lobby, to purchase craft items (we didn't know what) to make something for my mom-in-law's birthday. We ended up buying a nice canvas purse and decorating it. How fun, and really nice looking it turned out! I really really wish I had thought to take a picture of it. -I'd love to show you all how turned out. At any rate, I highly recommend glitter glue and iron on's.

The kids have been angels. (mostly ... they are 2 and 4, after all!) I can hardly believe everything we've done the last several days, and how low my stress levels have been. I'm not sure who's children they are, but I've been enjoying it!! Now ... if only my daughter would sleep an entire night in her own bed. --I thought she would when S2 was visiting. (S2 slept on the floor in the kids' room.) But, no. I've been trying to avoid doing the chart system (it invloves days and weeks and stickers and a reward system), but I've just about exhausted all other options. My mother even tried blatent bribery. Ideas??

Four Stars

Have you ever been to the Chicago Children's Museum? If you are ever neat Navy Pier, I highly recommend you go! (of course, only if you have little ones) It's free on Thursday evenings from 5-8, and every first Monday of the month. It's worth the drive, and even worth the $22 parking. (well ... almost.) The kids get the thrill of "going into the city," they get to see Lake Michigan, and boats (if you're there in the summer, anyway), and it's all very exciting. While we were still driving on Lake Shore Drive, my daughter spied the ferris wheel and exclaimed that she could see Great America!! It was so cute, but I had a hard time convincing her that it was not Great America, and actually at the same place where the museum was. She was a little suspicious at first, but finally decided I must be telling the truth. lol.

Our whole day was very exciting. We had the car, for starters. (wooo! Living high, now!) SOOo, after we dropped my husband off at the train station we went home to prepare ... The day started with a matinee showing of Monster House. I was a little nervous it would be to scary for my daughter. [I discussed it with sister-in-law #1, who is a first grade teacher --meaning she has a good handle on alot of child psychology issues AND was going along with us. I discussed it with my husband. I read what Wikipedia had to say about it. Wikipedia gave me some hesitation, but we went anyway.] I wasn't worried about my son. He's still pretty young, and highly amused by animation in general. I also knew that the "big screen" would likely captivate him. I was right. It was a hit. I asked my daughter, later, if it was too scary. HA! She couldn't even figure out why I thought it might be scary, and asked if we could buy it for home. So much for all my worrying.

After the movie fun, I drove to the mom-in-law's house and picked up sister-in-law #2 and went into the city. My husband was working close to Navy Pier, that day, so he walked over and met us at the Museum, after work. We played. We ate. We drove home. Good times. Good Day. Four Stars.

Ode to My Condo Association

Condo, oh Complex, art thee condo buildings or retirement village?

I live in a second floor 2-bedroom condo. I pay an association fee. This fee gives garbage water; lawn care of common areas & winter snow removal. There is no clubhouse or pool; no playground (there's both, in the complex across the street). We are not allowed to play or talk loudly and be overly excited in the yard/fire lane that falls between my building and the next. The balcony's are too dangerous to allow the kids onto them, unsupervised (and even supervised, I don't trust my son). [The posts are so wide that a child could fall right through them. I'm sure they are in violation of city code, and the kicker is that they were re-done a year or so ago, and were no made any safer than before. Why bother, then!?] There are rules as to what furniture and furniture combinations are allowed on the balcony; when holiday decorations may go up and must come down; and all windows must be white (as in blinds or curtains ... no sheets, etc.). As a courtesy to others, we must be quiet in the hallways and no talk from balcony's or windows to people on the ground. All windows with cracks and screens with holes must be repaired post haste and only recently has the ban on satellite dishes been lifted. We may, however, play on the basketball court that always has a puddle in the middle of it, or in the field adjacent to it. --both of which are enough of a distance from my building that were we to have a potty emergency, there'd be trouble.

Trust me, they mean it.

Is it any wonder why I've lived here for five years, and barely now any of my neighbors? Is it any wonder that, until recently, I had no idea that so many families lived in this complex? Is it any wonder that the kids and I end up spending most of our days (even in beautiful weather) inside!? If we don't have a car, we don't typically go anywhere. I wouldn't want to be discourteous to my neighbors...

Dear Condo Association: You may feel that many of your rules promote community and are made in the spirit of kindness to one another, but in doing so, you have completely ignored a wonderful chance to build community and promote health and happiness amongst your residents. It's painfully obvious that you do not with to promote a healthy family environment. I further put out there that, in the creation of some of these rules, you are actually being discourteous and somewhat prejudicial. You are practicing descrimination.

You may ask why I, the assoication member, say nothing and do nothing to enact change. Good question, and one that I ask myself from time to time. The truth is that I'm afraid of making things worse. If I complain, if I call the city and "tell on" our illegal balconies, if I call the local courthouse and let them know of the discrimination (and, yes, I'm fairly certain there is a case, of some sort), what happens to my home life if it gets back to the Association Board that I was the one that blew the whistle? I can't afford to move, and I certainly don't wish for things to become even worse. I'd like to stay on the good side of the Association Representative who lives on the premises. Can you blame me? At the same time, however, I have problems with myself for not blowing the whistle. Who am I to complain but then do nothing? How can change ever occur if the ball never gets rolling? Don't these sorts of things always start with one person ...?

If you know anything about living area discrimination cases; if you know anything about city balcony ordinances; if you know anything about the rights of condo owners ... HELP! OR, if you simply wish to commiserate, that's great, too ... it would be nice to know that I'm not alone in the situation I find myself to be in .


My brother, who writes Everyday Life had this to say, about my lovely association:
sociology of my nephew's birthday party

who's children??!!

As I mentioned, yesterday, my husband and I went out on an actual no-kids-allowed date. My Mother was kind of to babysit, at the last minute! I called her, from the car, and this is the story I heard ...The second we were out the door (at Mom's), my son turned to my Mom and said, "movie?" (what, no crying?) Nemo was, of course, top of the list. My daughter is getting tired of Nemo, so Mom negotiated, and Harry Potter was put into the DVD player. (They're allowed to watch movies 1-3. If that makes me a bad Mom, so be it.) They watched half of good 'ole Harry and then went out to dinner, and a local family restaurant. My daughter ordered PB&J and water (weird), my son had a hot dog and ignored his fries (were they drugged?). After dinner, my Mom had to go up front to pay. My son got down from the table, grabbed my daughter's hand, and they proceeded to the front like this. They saw suckers, and used 'please' when asking for one. They went to the car, with no complaint, and ate their suckers, handing the sticks to my Mom when they were done. (maybe they were possesed.) Mom took them to our house, next. They played, nicely (No suprise; they do this often.) At bedtime my daughter was asked to get her jammies. She got them, and gave to my Mom for help. My son disappeared, and came back with my daughter's superman jammies. (getting own jammies ... rare.) Mom laughed, but put them on him (they were huge). They brushed teeth and my daughter handed Mom a book. (each child gets to have a book read before bed.) My son wouldn't get a story, so Mom put them to bed and said prayers, sans his storytime. She turned on the night-night music, and left the room. Half an hour later, my son came out holding a book. Mom took pity on him, took him back to bed and talked to him for awhile. That was it. End Story. HUH!? Who are these children?? Not mine.