Kristen hit it right on the head - Christmas of '89. I had every reason to by happy except one. I was newly engaged, done with the first semester of my freshman year at college, and Jim was traveling, I believe.
Story of my Life.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Back in the Saddle
Back at home, back to bicycles and dirty diapers, Kraft Mac and Cheese, Hot dogs, and play parks. New York is a distant memory but there are good things to that, too. Gone are the taxi rides (Breathless), the taxi fares, the noise and commotion and the $100 meals. I am quite happy, in truth, to be eating salad and cheese with fruit. I seriously think I gained weight by eating our way through the city. It was great while it lasted, I admit, and laundry and vacuuming are a far cry from Broadway shows and Frescatelli Carbonara. So I guess I can boil it down to an old saying: It was a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. I am fabulously happy to be walking toddlers to the park or playing my piano while they dance in the living room. Today during their naps I intend to do laundry and watch the season finale of Desperate Housewives, which was TiVo'd while I was at Caroline's on Broadway. The break was intense and wonderful and I am looking forward to our next adventure in a year. We did talk about going to Disney World with all of the kids sometime in March, so we may do that before we trek out on our own next May or June. Meanwhile, the men need to make their equivalent trip plan, before Diane has another little body around to keep them from doing such a thing. I don't think they are going to choose New York, but I am sure it will be just as interesting.
Well, the natives are done with hot dogs and it is time to put them down for naps. Hooray!
Well, the natives are done with hot dogs and it is time to put them down for naps. Hooray!
Monday, May 22, 2006
Vacation's End
On the plane, waiting to be whisked back to my real life-what a glorious break it has been!
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Sunday, May 21, 2006
For those of you wondering, while Wifey is off having fun in NYC, I have been home with Bunny #1 and Grandma Saunders. Bunny #2 is off with Mum and Papa. I haven't heard how much fun she is having but I will pick her up today, so I'm sure she'll tell me.
Emma has been a little angel. Yesterday we went to the store and for a bike ride. Emma rode, we walked all the way to the big park. For those of you not used to walking alongside a toddler on a bike, it goes something like this:
E: Look, Daddy! I'm doing it!
D: Good job, Honey!
E: Oops, Daddy! I got stuck on your foot!
D: (grimmacing from the 5th time my foot has been run over in the last 50 feet). Its okay. Do you want me to push you?
E: No, Daddy! I'm a big girl like just you and Mumma! I ride my bike all by myself!
D: (rolling my eyes) Okay, Honey. Can you pedal a little faster?
Emma pedaled like mad and I think rarely exceeded 1 mph at any point except for the last stretch where I convinced her to race me. I think i walked at a normal pace.
It has also been windy here for the past two days. I told Emma we would fly her kite at the park. Dear readers, this was more work than it sounds. The kite needed a tail and the wind was too inconsistant to keep it aloft. It crashed on Emma twice (she wanted to stand right under the kite as I tried to get it in the air). Other than her gaining a healthy appreciation for gravity, she was unharmed. Unfortunately, Daddy was unsuccessful in getting the kite to stay in the air more than a few seconds. It usually required me to run across the park at full speed trying desperately to keep the wind to my back just to keep it in the air. Needless to say, I ran out of park and breath. Emma laid on the grass and told me she was tired. We went back to the house and played with her bouncy ball.
Today we went to the World Explorer Cafe ( or whatever it is called). Emma was the only kid there most of the time. This required Daddy to chase her through most of the playscape. After an hour, Emma told me she was tire and wanted to go. I guess I did my job! :)
Emma has been a little angel. Yesterday we went to the store and for a bike ride. Emma rode, we walked all the way to the big park. For those of you not used to walking alongside a toddler on a bike, it goes something like this:
E: Look, Daddy! I'm doing it!
D: Good job, Honey!
E: Oops, Daddy! I got stuck on your foot!
D: (grimmacing from the 5th time my foot has been run over in the last 50 feet). Its okay. Do you want me to push you?
E: No, Daddy! I'm a big girl like just you and Mumma! I ride my bike all by myself!
D: (rolling my eyes) Okay, Honey. Can you pedal a little faster?
Emma pedaled like mad and I think rarely exceeded 1 mph at any point except for the last stretch where I convinced her to race me. I think i walked at a normal pace.
It has also been windy here for the past two days. I told Emma we would fly her kite at the park. Dear readers, this was more work than it sounds. The kite needed a tail and the wind was too inconsistant to keep it aloft. It crashed on Emma twice (she wanted to stand right under the kite as I tried to get it in the air). Other than her gaining a healthy appreciation for gravity, she was unharmed. Unfortunately, Daddy was unsuccessful in getting the kite to stay in the air more than a few seconds. It usually required me to run across the park at full speed trying desperately to keep the wind to my back just to keep it in the air. Needless to say, I ran out of park and breath. Emma laid on the grass and told me she was tired. We went back to the house and played with her bouncy ball.
Today we went to the World Explorer Cafe ( or whatever it is called). Emma was the only kid there most of the time. This required Daddy to chase her through most of the playscape. After an hour, Emma told me she was tire and wanted to go. I guess I did my job! :)
New York Update
As you can see from the fun and varied pictures below, I am in New York having a fabulous time with my best friend. Yesterday we WALKED to every corner of the City, from the Upper West Side to the financial district to see Ground Zero. We also visited China Town, Little Italy, the subway, Times Square, SoHo, NoHo, Tribeca, Central Park and pretty much everything in between. With a lot of eating. YUM. We mostly ate, walked and shopped. Today we are a bit tired (read: DEAD) and haven't yet left the hotel (it's 11 AM). We have some rough plans but not sure exactly what the day will bring. Oh, and we ran into Larry King in the restaurant of our hotel Friday night on our way to a show. FABOO!
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Friday, May 19, 2006
Waiting
Still at La Guardia, waiting for Diane. Bad storms have shut down the runways and delayed flights for hours. 4:10 fri
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On The Plane
11:42 and waiting for takeoff to New York!
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Thursday, May 18, 2006
Vintage Ann
I know I don't look the happy princess, but my brother was fond of catching candid shots and I was apparently letting my mind wander or bored to death. Since I was sitting by myself, I am sure that did not lead to happiness, either. It was taken at my parent's house during a Christmas Eve party. I'll be taking guesses on the year this was photographed (family is obviously not allowed to vote).
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Happy Mother's Day
It was a sensible but wet Mother's Day here in our household. I did not get breakfast in bed, but I have never really wanted that. So I got up and stayed in my pajamas, which is something I seldom do. Emma helped Jim make pancakes for breakfast while Mary and I read some books. It would have been too hectic for him to work with both girls while trying to use a griddle. We all ate breakfast and wonderful gifts followed. Jim had taken Emma out last night to find a gift for me. She picked out a pretty costume jewelry necklace and earring with rhinestone flowers. Not too sparkly, but nice enough to wear to an event. They were quite tasteful. Both the girls had made cards, under Jim's supervision last night in the craft area. I was required to stay in the room, just in case (of what, I am not sure), but everything went fine. I think he was surprised at how difficult it was to have them use craft materials. HEE! So the cards had little statements on them from the girls, which Jim wrote down exactly as each girl had said, which means Emma's read "I love you sooooooo, I do, YES I DO!" and Mary's read "This Mama's right there, no Daddy that miiiiiiiiinnnnnne!". Very touching, I think Hallmark should hire them both.
There was many minutes of calling Grandmas and recounting every minute of the last 2 days on the phone, and various other mundane activities that fill up a day with toddlers. Jim changed stinky diapers and I spent a lot of the day playing dollhouse and hide and seek. Not by myself, mind you. Emma is a whiz at it. During naptime I went out for a walk for no reason except that I could do it all by myself and even though it was a bit soggy out, it was a wonderful time for walking. After dinner, we tried to get a Mother's day picture of me and my happy girls, but it didn't really work too well. The one on this page is the closest it got to a good picture. And that is a raincoat that Mary's wearing. I had the bright idea we would go for a walk after dinner, but it began pouring right as we got ready to go out, which was way too much rain for some little raincoat, but Mary had gotten all excited about putting on her coat that the dear thing would just not take it off again. So she wore it until I changed her into PJ's, which was much like trying to invade a small country since she is very attached to said raincoat.
So another Mother's Day gone until next year. Really I can only think that next year Mary won't be so hard to get to smile in a picture. Maybe she will even sit still. And so goes another day in the journey.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Thursday, May 11, 2006
New Bikes
You saw the pictures of the girls on their new bikes, so here is the story. Emma picked out a Strawberry Shortcake bike, which is better than Dora but not as desirable as Princesses (for me, that is). The SS bike is a 14 inch bike, and a 12 inch one would have fit her better, but she saw it and the deal was done. She wouldn't even try the other bikes. Funny thing is that in the picture she is wearing her Cinderella helmet and knee pads (which have come in very useful, thank you very much) from her roller skates she got on her birthday, her Dora shoes and her SS bike. A wide appeal, I suppose. We got Mary her own little trike thing since you cannot give Emma a new bike without Mary wanting her own. Our neighbors have this one and she has really taken a liking to it, so we got it. She can, in fact, propel herself on this thing, but it is more a Flinstone movement than a pedaling thing. That does not keep her back, let me tell you. The first day we had it, Mary pushed herself around the neighborhood for *****2 HOURS***** without stopping. By the time we were done, MY feet hurt and I was crabby. But little Mary will not be disuaded. She just plugs away at it. Emma never could figure those things out. We had a tricycle for her that she has never used, but it remains too large for Mary. She was incapable of pedaling OR steering, which led to wild perabulations in ragged circles, pushing Emma along gamely with the hope that she would figure out how to turn the handle bars to the left, just this once. I gave up on the self propelled idea and usually pulled her and Mary in the wagon when we walked anywhere. But the girls next door have bikes and Emma was just crushed that she had nothing of the sort. Mary then claimed their big wheel thing for her own and the outside time we would have was beginning to get a bit dicey. So we caved to peer pressure and made a trip to Toys R Us. 2 bikes later, we were in business.
Unfortunately, this should be a non-Mommy intensive thing and yet IT IS NOT. I cannot get a free minute where Emma does not need a little push to get up a small hill or Mary is in the grass and thinks it is quicksand and I must get her out RIGHT THEN before she perishes. It is amazing to me that any activity somehow, inexpicably, must involved every second of my time. You might get from this little rant that it irks me, bothering me to a new level of distraction that is not natural. You might think that I am being a little unreasonable and should cherish this time with my toddler daughters instead of wishing them along on their normal development. You might think that being a stay at home mom makes these little things seem so much larger and I should really get a grip on myself. You might also think that it is a hard business, being a mom to two little kids who constantly need need need every spare minute and available breath that you have stored up and a small break in the daily routine of servicing somebody's need every minute of the day and night would be a welcome respite. Well, dear friend, you might be right.
Unfortunately, this should be a non-Mommy intensive thing and yet IT IS NOT. I cannot get a free minute where Emma does not need a little push to get up a small hill or Mary is in the grass and thinks it is quicksand and I must get her out RIGHT THEN before she perishes. It is amazing to me that any activity somehow, inexpicably, must involved every second of my time. You might get from this little rant that it irks me, bothering me to a new level of distraction that is not natural. You might think that I am being a little unreasonable and should cherish this time with my toddler daughters instead of wishing them along on their normal development. You might think that being a stay at home mom makes these little things seem so much larger and I should really get a grip on myself. You might also think that it is a hard business, being a mom to two little kids who constantly need need need every spare minute and available breath that you have stored up and a small break in the daily routine of servicing somebody's need every minute of the day and night would be a welcome respite. Well, dear friend, you might be right.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Monday, May 08, 2006
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
And the Tax Man Cometh
So I got my hair cut and I am relatively happy with it. I really need to get the highlights touched up, but I have to wait 2 weeks. Until then, I will just not look in a mirror. In other news I have not mentioned, I did another all day crop (that's scrapbook lingo for 12 HOURS OF SCRAPBOOK THINGS) this past weekend. My good friend and neighbor, Zoe's Mom, and my new scrapbook buddy, my MIL, were both there. The only problem with spending 12 hours making progress on backlogged photos is that right afterwards you are on some sort of scrapbook high and that is ALL you want to do every waking moment of your life. And then your spouse, who watched the children all day and half of the night, also wants to do solitary non-children type of things every waking moment and not a lot of anything gets done for a few days. Then we get to Thursday and laundry starts getting done again and meals get made and children get extra fun things to do to make up for all of the television they watched the rest of the week. Or maybe Friday.
So that is where I am right now. I had to search online for some album hardware to make my albums large enough to accommodate the copious amounts of pages waiting to be put in them. And I found what I needed and ordered it RIGHT AWAY before any of this pining gets out of hand.
We are getting a railing put around our patio tomorrow which was supposed to be done yesterday when it was raining. Then today they couldn't start because it was too wet and something something blah blah blah. But they did indeed start and dug post holes and put posts in the ground where the rails will come down the steps. I am quite excited about quaint little white rails lining my patio and find myself a bit impatient about the whole ordeal. I will, of course, post some pictures. Right now there is nothing to post except some random 4 by 4 posts sticking up from the ground. Also, the sprinkler man John is sending one of his crew over to finish up the fixing of the sprinkler system. See, after we had our entire yard overhauled and planted on top of the original sprinkler system, some of the sprinkler heads fell in places that were not very helpful. One was on the outside of the solid fence. Another one was not anywhere at all, but merely waving around 2 feet in the air since a 7 foot pine tree had taken up residence where that head used to live. This created a problem for using said sprinkler system. So we had to have John the Sprinkler Man (who is really nice in person but quite accusatory on the phone) come out and re-plan the whole watering system. Tomorrow he will be done (hopefully) and I will pay him a large sum of money. Then the guy who is doing the railing on the patio will put the finishing touches on the railing and I will hand him another sum of money and they will all go home happy with bulging wallets and I will sob in the corner of my beautifully landscaped yard with working sprinklers and quaint rails because my home equity loan has given so much for my yard and it will never be so full again. Not even I pay it and all of the millions of dollars of interest off when I am 80. But the sound of the waterfall and the fish, along with the prospect of planting herbs behind the flagstone patio will soon make me happy again and I will forget all about the gobs of money until billing time at the end of the month.
Speaking of this month, I have not yet made the Mother's Day gifts I wanted to make this year and I am not sure if they are going to get done. Can you believe that? So I may have to go shopping at my local gift store which has WONDERFUL things in it and is the only open store in our "downtown" at the moment and spend some money on some very meaningful and cute things that do not require photos or little pieces of paper at all. Also, I am going to New York later this month to spend some time with my dearest friend in the whole world. We are going to catch a Broadway Musical and eat at some New York-ish type restaurants and so some touristy New York type of things. If you have any suggestions, let me know.
So that is where I am right now. I had to search online for some album hardware to make my albums large enough to accommodate the copious amounts of pages waiting to be put in them. And I found what I needed and ordered it RIGHT AWAY before any of this pining gets out of hand.
We are getting a railing put around our patio tomorrow which was supposed to be done yesterday when it was raining. Then today they couldn't start because it was too wet and something something blah blah blah. But they did indeed start and dug post holes and put posts in the ground where the rails will come down the steps. I am quite excited about quaint little white rails lining my patio and find myself a bit impatient about the whole ordeal. I will, of course, post some pictures. Right now there is nothing to post except some random 4 by 4 posts sticking up from the ground. Also, the sprinkler man John is sending one of his crew over to finish up the fixing of the sprinkler system. See, after we had our entire yard overhauled and planted on top of the original sprinkler system, some of the sprinkler heads fell in places that were not very helpful. One was on the outside of the solid fence. Another one was not anywhere at all, but merely waving around 2 feet in the air since a 7 foot pine tree had taken up residence where that head used to live. This created a problem for using said sprinkler system. So we had to have John the Sprinkler Man (who is really nice in person but quite accusatory on the phone) come out and re-plan the whole watering system. Tomorrow he will be done (hopefully) and I will pay him a large sum of money. Then the guy who is doing the railing on the patio will put the finishing touches on the railing and I will hand him another sum of money and they will all go home happy with bulging wallets and I will sob in the corner of my beautifully landscaped yard with working sprinklers and quaint rails because my home equity loan has given so much for my yard and it will never be so full again. Not even I pay it and all of the millions of dollars of interest off when I am 80. But the sound of the waterfall and the fish, along with the prospect of planting herbs behind the flagstone patio will soon make me happy again and I will forget all about the gobs of money until billing time at the end of the month.
Speaking of this month, I have not yet made the Mother's Day gifts I wanted to make this year and I am not sure if they are going to get done. Can you believe that? So I may have to go shopping at my local gift store which has WONDERFUL things in it and is the only open store in our "downtown" at the moment and spend some money on some very meaningful and cute things that do not require photos or little pieces of paper at all. Also, I am going to New York later this month to spend some time with my dearest friend in the whole world. We are going to catch a Broadway Musical and eat at some New York-ish type restaurants and so some touristy New York type of things. If you have any suggestions, let me know.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Monday, May 01, 2006
Pictures at Kodak Gallery
Since I can't get Blogger to upload ANY photos today, click here to see the pictures of my girls and the blossoming yard.
Spring is Here!
Well, I have been asked and then nicely asked again so I am trying to carve out some time to sit down and post something. It's not that I don't have things to chat about, it is that I got busy and ignored the computer for a little while. But Thank You to my regular readers for giving me grief while I lazed about. First I want to say that with spring here all of our new landscaping that was put in last November is starting to bloom and it is GLORIOUS. So I've included a picture for you to enjoy. This week we will be getting a railing put on the patio, so the view will actually be different next week. In other news...
Check out this funny song here. I found it when I was looking for a title for a scrapbook page about noodles and I found that silly song. My kids love it and I love it until it will not stop playing in my head at all hours of the night. I swear if you play it 3 times in a row it will get stuck on a loop in your mind.
Recently, a close friend of mine mentioned that all she ever wanted in her role as a mother was for her children to think she was the best mother ever, and to BE that mother. This got me to thinking. In reality, wouldn't we all like to have that? But truthfully, is that even possible? The criteria for this changes depending on what side of the issue you are on. Now, her kids are a little older than mine and they are at the stage where they think everything she did up until now was, well, wrong. I realize that this is a normal part of development, but it pains me to think so. And there are some situations where her children are wrong and even THEY know it, but they won't drop the pretense. This whole thing really bothered me to a point where it keeps rattling around in my head and won't leave me alone. You would think when they grew up and have their own kids they would see the difference, yet I also have an example where that is not the case.
And on the other side of the coin I read an article in the Sunday Detroit News how parents are now contributing to the middle class lifestyle of their children into their 30's! I am talking about 20 somethings that have jobs making $30,000 a year and Mom and Dad are still sending reimbursements on a MONTHLY basis. Now I don't mean to gripe and moan, but I don't recall any stipends coming to me after I was on my own. So do I get to collect that? Some examples were $300 a month or a purchased apartment in Manhattan. Man, that would be nice to cash in on now! Are these children grateful for their situation or are they still rolling their eyes at Mom or Dad when they complain no one calls or writes anymore? That's just wrong, unlees, OF COURSE, I am also getting the benefits!
Well, I plan on blogging more later, but right now I can't figure out why picture is not loading.
Check out this funny song here. I found it when I was looking for a title for a scrapbook page about noodles and I found that silly song. My kids love it and I love it until it will not stop playing in my head at all hours of the night. I swear if you play it 3 times in a row it will get stuck on a loop in your mind.
Recently, a close friend of mine mentioned that all she ever wanted in her role as a mother was for her children to think she was the best mother ever, and to BE that mother. This got me to thinking. In reality, wouldn't we all like to have that? But truthfully, is that even possible? The criteria for this changes depending on what side of the issue you are on. Now, her kids are a little older than mine and they are at the stage where they think everything she did up until now was, well, wrong. I realize that this is a normal part of development, but it pains me to think so. And there are some situations where her children are wrong and even THEY know it, but they won't drop the pretense. This whole thing really bothered me to a point where it keeps rattling around in my head and won't leave me alone. You would think when they grew up and have their own kids they would see the difference, yet I also have an example where that is not the case.
And on the other side of the coin I read an article in the Sunday Detroit News how parents are now contributing to the middle class lifestyle of their children into their 30's! I am talking about 20 somethings that have jobs making $30,000 a year and Mom and Dad are still sending reimbursements on a MONTHLY basis. Now I don't mean to gripe and moan, but I don't recall any stipends coming to me after I was on my own. So do I get to collect that? Some examples were $300 a month or a purchased apartment in Manhattan. Man, that would be nice to cash in on now! Are these children grateful for their situation or are they still rolling their eyes at Mom or Dad when they complain no one calls or writes anymore? That's just wrong, unlees, OF COURSE, I am also getting the benefits!
Well, I plan on blogging more later, but right now I can't figure out why picture is not loading.
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