Thursday, August 31, 2006

ripe wine and black bananas

I finished my wine classes last night. I am now able to say something like...this wine has spicy finish with notes of plum and black cherry and a hint of pencil shavings. The "pencil shavings" is something that I actually read from a description in the aisles of Costco.
One thing I learned....expensive doesn't mean better. Last night we tasted a $30 wine that really gagged me, but a $9 wine was just delightful.

For some odd reason today, I felt like baking. Perhaps, it was the five black bananas that cried out to become bread. This baking thing goes against every part of me that complains about the heat and yet wants to turn on a device in our house that pumps temperatures to 350 degrees. You know me though, I have to do things in bulk. So since I had all my stuff out I made two different recipes.

I've been looking lately at what food does to me. I know this is not ground breaking, and I don't know why I can't get it through my little brain that white things make me a complete zombie....white flour, white rice, sugar, desserts, potatoes.....all things I hold so dear.
So after sampling my different attempts at banana bread, I crashed on the floor surrounding by three busy little bodies who occasionally had to step or crawl over me to get things done in the toy room.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Perspiration and inspiration

(I reedited with the right Html link, sorry if you couldn't link through before.)

Enough with the heat already. I'm over it. I've actually turned our AC down because of our outrageous bills. Which means I'm always a little sticky and oh how I hate to be hot.
I'm back at the Starbucks tonight after a long hiatus from my writing. I have to get back in the groove again. I usually start my night by reading a few of my favorite writers on line like
Anna Quindlen and some columnists from the Newsweek lineup. I started reading Anna's stuff in college when she was a columnist for the NY Times. At that time she was in her 30's and had cut back on her work to raise three little kids. Little did I know that my life would imitate her in a small way 20 years later....minus my weekly column for the Times, but never mind that.
I also enjoy
Catherine Newman. She's my age and a great writer. She writes the way I wish I could about my kids, stuff like, "but when she smiles at me, my heart soars out into the clear blue."
I say stuff like, "My head's about to explode. Where's my Zoloft?"

Monday, August 28, 2006

A Kappa Mom in an Alpha World

Q starts his first day of preschool today. Today he'll go for one hour. Tomorrow, he will go a full "day" which is three hours.
Here we go...the first of many long car pool lanes, waking a sleeping baby to go pick up the older one, packed lunches with forgotten spoons, and the Alpha moms oh the Alpha moms....
You know them. They are the vigilant moms (over) involved in the lives of their children. They run the PTA, the school board, the teachers... They volunteer at the school with the goal to delve and spy on the lives of their children at school. They are the watchdogs. The doers. They come up with the most elaborate gift baskets for the silent auctions and the most beautiful well-thought out and funded presents and sandwiches for the teacher appreciation luncheons.
Most have had careers before and now their children are their career.
Perhaps I am a Alpha wanna-be. I think I am more a Beta mom....maybe a Kappa mom.
On MY first day of kindergarten, I walked to school by myself, though my mom tried to convince me that all the moms walk their kids to school on the first day. I would have none of it. I was big now and was determined to go it alone. I think my mom stood on the sidewalk in front of the house and watched me walk the two block to school across two streets and one alleyway. That was it.
She told me after second grade I was on my own in the world of education. She would not help with homework or anything related to school or the various projects required. She said her lack of confidence in the English language really stunted what she could help me with and I would have to go it alone. It was perhaps one of the best things she did for me.
So here I am a Kappa mom with an Omega mom upbringing in a Alpha mom world.

Friday, August 25, 2006

A note about brothers

One thing I've noticed, it is hard to take a good picture of more than one kid. This one I like, but it was torture to take it. When I try to take the two of them together, the older is secretly trying to nudge his younger out of the picture with a face that is a cross between a smile and a grimace. I usually start making weird whirring quaking noises to get them both to look at me at the same time. When they don't, I get frustrated and threaten them. I know, Mother of the Year. Posted by Picasa

Thursday, August 24, 2006

 Posted by Picasa

birthday boy

Q turned four today.
It was quite a day. He got to be the boss all day and do whatever he wanted.

Tonight at dinner as we bowed our heads over a Chuck E Cheese pizza, Q said, "Thank you God for balloons. Thank you God for cake. Thank you God for candles. Amen"

Q saw a guy singing some really hip song called "Meltdown" on the "Today" show. He quickly became obsessed with this Justin Roberts and his Music. We checked out his website and ordered a CD. We did have half of the "Meltdown" song recorded on the DVR, and I bet that we have listened to that half of a song close to 50 times in two days. Today since it was his birthday he got to listen to it as much as he wanted. He even had two friends come over to play and was thrilled to be able to share his new musical find. His friends however do not share his appreciation for this hip artist.

I'm not truly capturing the thrill of the day here, mostly because I am so tired. Because Q was happy today so was I.

I have to admit....I even enjoyed Chuck E Cheese. A place I've been know to avoid at all cost. I think I may have even used the phrase...."feels like sticking sharp piercing needles in my eyes."

All three boys are asleep for now, sleeping hard after pizza, chocolate rainbow cake, numerous frantic dances, tickets and tokens....I'm on my way too.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Things that are gross I hold so dear

Okay.....this is about to become gross for some. So if you have a squeamish stomach, time to turn away and scrub the kitchen sink.

Yesterday morning during the usual chow fest that is breakfast around here, the baby shoveled fistfuls of small pieces of canned peaches and flaked cereal into his mouth. Suddenly, the baby raised his arms, his face flashed with red patches, and his wide panicked eyes begged me for help. I realized that he wasn't breathing, so I pulled him out, flipped him over and whacked him on the back several times. When I tilted him back up, he still had the same horrifying face and frightening silence coming from him. I flipped him upside down again and whacked him more. He threw up. And I can say for the first time in my life, I have never been so happy to see vomit.

Later Q started screaming from the potty. He was having so much trouble pooping. We rubbed his stomach. We took him from the potty, bent his legs in all positions, and rubbed his belly more. He even convinced us that watching an episode of "HigglyTown Heroes" would help his pain. But after several hours of screaming and crying and shouts of "this is the worst day EVER!" I made the trip to the Fleet aisle. I came home and positioned the child like the diagram showed. The directions said to make the child bear down....So while I attempting to administer my first enema, I got squirted in the face, hair, you name it. I looked at Hunka and said, "If this isn't LOVE I don't know what is."
Finally, I held him as he squatted on the seat of the pot and the desired results came to pass. His sweaty body hugged me and he lay his head on my shoulder and said with with a tired sigh, "Thanks Mom."

He wasn't the only one relieved.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Baptism

The family before the service. KC's baptism. His brothers giggled when the pastor put the water on his head. We were surrounded by a large group of friends who were there to offer their support and love.  Posted by Picasa

Saturday, August 19, 2006

bloggity blog

#1 Son has been in class less than five days when he came home with his first cold. Interestingly, his girlfriend who is an occasional topic of coversation here was absent on Friday. K said she was most likely sick. Most likely.

I'm playing with the look of blog, can you tell? I really prefer the bulk of the text to be on the right hand side. It just seems easier on the eye, but Google doesn't offer that many choices in that template.

Tomorrow we will be getting KC baptized....I asked the pastor to do the whole Kunta Kinte pose...you know like when they raise little Simba up to the sky in Lion King. I don't think he's diggin it.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Of heroes and the like

We are all about heroes these days namely, Higglytown Heroes and Resue Heroes. I just finished playing Rescue Heroes....usuallyI get to be the lone girl "Ariel Flyer," but she must be on a solitary rescue in the dark lonely land of lost toys. Today I had to settle for "Seymour Wild." Seen above as the green guy in the middle.
I can rescue for a very limited time before I get a little bored.
The Higglytown Heroes just bug me. I usually have a very high tolerance for kids' TV shows, after all they are the electronic babysitters of my day. But this show is just annoying....picture Weebles or Russian nesting dolls that bounce around singing in a bizarro world of ordinary heroes in our lives. Let's celebrate....the street sweeper, the 100 year old aunt that talks about town history...you get the picture.
There is the show's "pizza guy" too. He has been turned into a super cool Higglywiggly in our house and we are often quoting his lines...."Cheese ya later..." We ordered pizza earlier this week and Q stood at the door taking the real pizza guy's picture while I paid him. Q even followed him outside to get a picture of him getting into his truck. Posted by Picasa

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Wine and more

Last night, my wine teacher talked about he got into a career in wine and he said something I found interesting....He said he wanted to do something where the line between his work and regular life were blurred. So he really couldn't tell the difference between when he was at work or just enjoying himself. He had started and sold 3 or 4 of his own businesses so he was in a position to travel the world and study everything he could about wine.
This is something to aspire to although I have to say that I am living my dream in many ways.
The class was fasinating though there were many esoteric terms like tannin, body, fruit....etc. But at one point I found myself shouting out...."it smells like a new Coach bag!" There was also one wine which I smelled that I could only relate to cleaning out the cat box.....smelled just like cat pee to me. It kinda looked like it too.

Our sweet guy



 Posted by Picasa



 Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

the hamster

I don't know how suddenly it seems I have no time. Come to think of it I never really had an abundance of it. My writing has been on hold because my lack of sleep has really affected me.

Now that school has started I pretty much have to be in bed by 10p. The baby wakes up around the brutal hour of 5am. By the time I get him squared away with a diaper, a bottle and food the oldest is up. By the time he gets fed and ready, the next is up and needs some sort of management. I feel like I get absolutely nothing done.

I'm a little hamster on the wheel.


Tonight I break out of my cage and go to my first of three wine classes....

Monday, August 14, 2006

First day of the rest of his life

Today was the first day of school and this was his face as the bus approached..... Great huh? But you should have seen mine. I made it through the summer!
K obviously loves buses, wants to be a bus driver when he grows up. He will of course have to work that in with his mayoral duties.


K wore this shirt on the first day of school last year. He told everyone at the bus stop about it. One of the dads asked if he would wear it again next year...."maybe" he answered. It is a lucky shirt. Who knows in about 6 to 7 more years, he just may be wearing this as a belly shirt as he boards the bus to Jr high. Posted by Picasa

first day

oh if only I could find that dumb cord that plugs into the camera....I've got a bunch of pictures. Today was a special day....first day of school....
stay tuned....gotta find that cord

Friday, August 11, 2006

oh yes it's...

I am sitting on a friend's computer waiting for her to get ready. As she warms her curling iron for a DO that is sure to be delightful, I feel oddly like I'm in high school again. Friday night....oh yes it's ladies night.

Before I get too much of a reputation, I'm hanging with the chikas from my Sunday school class. We are going to dinner and maybe a movie who knows I may even drink a caffeinated beverage.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

day in the life...maybe not

Every year round about this time, I make a scrapbook titled "A Day In The Life." I take pictures and chronicle everything that happens in one day. I usually pick a day where nothing special is going on.
This year I don't know that I have the energy to do it. School starts on Monday so really I should do it over the next three days. But Hunka has been off this week on vacation, and we planned to get all the things done on the ever growing list.
Hunka had a little accident yesterday and got seven stitches in his finger. Today we went to Costco for the antibiotics. The Mayor made a hat out of paper which had a "M" circled with a rough drawing of the scales of justice. The hat looks like a cheap chef's hat.
The policeman has a new/old shirt he has deemed his policeman shirt mostly because it has a patch on the chest. The shirt is a hand me down from his cousin and he has worn it for two days straight. In the store, the policeman rides in the main part of the cart while the mayor pushes.
Baby has started to wave and make vague sounds that sound like the English language.
Tomorrow is a new day in our life....maybe I'll feel like it then.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Little bits of freedom

The baby is sleeping. I have to do a quick clean of the house, mostly the floors to keep baby from eating toxic chokables.
The two boys are at a friend's for a play date. The mom says she'll feed them lunch. I love her sooo very much.
From now on, I'm planning to ingest large amounts of food and drink that I have not been able to enjoy whilst I have been pregnant or nursing for the past 20 months (but who's counting?). I just may stop and get a real sushi lunch before picking up the two older boys.
Yesterday, we went to a Mexican restaurant with pals and the waiter was really generous with the Diet Coke. I just kept drinking the cool fountain beverage, and he kept pouring. Later that day, the right side of my face became numb. There have been a few times when that happened before (my hand would also feel tingly) and I wondered if it was from drinking too much diet pop. Now I think there may be something to it.
I've been trying to pay more attention to what I eat and how I eat afterwards. I do think I should limit the pop just like when I was prego, but ew I really love it so.
Off I go...

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

baby

Can it be that this baby is giving up a nap already?! As I write, he is hollering for me to come get him out of his baby cage......Oh wait, what is that silence?....is it possible that just two sentences of my writing can put him to sleep?
As long as it seemed to take him to get used to the crawling thing, he has wasted no time in standing and cruising around now. Our days are spent trying to keep him safe and out of trouble, luckily I have a Jr. Policeman and Captain Safety to help.

Monday, August 07, 2006

thinking of food

Summer...I love the tastes of summer.
Recently I sent my Hunka outside to grill a bag of sliced marinated vegetables: yellow squash, zucchini, onions, eggplant, red and yellow peppers.
I saw a recipe that said to take ciabatta bread, spread on goat cheese, and top with the grilled veggies, salt, pepper and a little lemon. The recipe didn't require the veggies to be marinated, just covered with oil.

I'm not really great at following recipes, but I did get the idea of this veggie open sandwich. I bought some really great whole wheat organic bread, toasted it, spread on brie (cream cheese for the boys), added some black beans and topped with the veggies.

The left over veggies can be used on other sandwiches or in a sauce. Yum.

Tonight we are grilling marinated chicken and I may add some vegetables, because I've been thinking of them and the cheese. Something about grilling outside makes men want to cook. Though Hunka has never been one to say a certain job is "women's" work. There is something about cooking on an open flame that intrigues men. Considering the heat, I'm happy to hand over chores.....I'm also thinking of all the other meals that can be prepared on the grill.......grilled cheese? soup? dessert?

Friday, August 04, 2006

bouncy bits of joy

Took the boys today to a mom's worst nightmare or dream come true.....a bouncy palace. This is the latest trend in the world of suburban moms. Large inflatable bouncy castles, slides and obstacle courses all in one large building.
While the two older boys bounced their way to an early exhausted night's sleep, the baby would peacefully snooze under the loud hum of the fans pumping up the bouncy paradise. I would tap away on the laptop using the free wireless and thesaurus.com writing well-thought out words while sipping a Diet Coke.
And like most ideas gone wrong, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Well let's just start by saying the baby never slept, ok, which wasn't that bad because he is not a fussy baby so he just sat there looking around. We had the whole place to ourselves for about the first 45 minutes, which allowed ME to bounce and slide with the boys without too much embarrassment.
Then THEY arrived. If you are frequent visitor to my blog you are aware of an earlier archived post where I chronical the princess birthday party my oldest boy attended. Well THE girlfriend arrived by pure coincidence; I swear no moms planned an accidental date. Along with THE girlfriend was her twin, her other 4 year old sister and at least two more girlfriends.... all wearing cheerleading outfits.
Something happened in the jumping mayhem, I'm not sure.
The girlfriend's mom and I just took it as someone must have bounced into the other. But I think K must believe in the true meaning of the term "EVIL TWIN."
I did hear the girls whispering to the girlfriend, "Just how much do you know about this boy?"
"We are going to have the wedding in 'The Incredibles' castle."
When we left, the boys were glad to be going. The sweet girlfriend followed us to the door, hugged her boyfriend (from behind...he was afterall trying to get away), and said "Good-bye...Oh I love you so."

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

bagels and boys

You may have figured out by now that I've picked up writing. At least twice a week, I go to Starbucks after dinner and write and write and write. It is an outlet for me, I hope someday to get paid for it again, but for now I just write.
We call it "work" because it ensures that I can have to get out of the house to do it. I could write at home. (afterall that is what I am doing now) But calling it "work" puts a priority on it so nothing slips, most notably my sanity.

Anyway next to Starbucks is a bagel joint. The bagel place keeps me connected to the internet with free wireless. (Starbucks charges) I keep promising myself that I will drag my boys there one day for a treat, plus a little paypack for providing the free wireless. Today was the day. I met a friend there with her two boys and we ate hot fresh bagels of various flavors with yummy whipped cream cheese. We were in carb blissed out heaven. Plus they have six different kinds of coffee....one I have to go back on a Friday for....something like chocolate macademia nut. OH and they have caffeine free Diet Coke which I think is just the icing on the bagel.

On a side note, our little inchworm/baby seal crawling boy has started to crawl like all the other babies. It is a little bittersweet. While I'm glad he is moving on; I'm sad to see his unique mode of transport fade away.