Do you remember that super nervous feeling you used to get when you took exams? That weird feeling in the pit of your stomach plus the heightened awareness? (Or, was that just me??) When was the last time you felt those jitters? It had been quite a while for me, but in keeping with the A-type personality that I am, I got completely and overly nervous for my lacrosse written exam that I took yesterday. Fortunately, I didn't get so nervous that I lost my head. You know, like the time that I accidentally threw away my college ID right before the chemistry final which led to the temporary course failure and temporary loss of college scholarship (ha-ha, that was a fun one, right Dad??).
Among other lacrosse umpiring requirements, you have to take an annual written examination. Normally, the stakes for this exam are pretty low. If you're a "Local" rated official (i.e., high school umpire) you only have to get an 80% or something in order to maintain your good standing. And, if you don't pass the test you can try again. The exam is open book so you can check the rules as you take the test. And, you get to take the exam in the comforts of your own home via the Internet. (As an aside, it seems a little ridiculous to me to allow a person that only understands 4 out of 5 rules with rulebook in hand to be in charge of a game. Maybe some of the coach and spectator angst is a wee bit justified??).
BUT, this year I am going to be going to try to earn my "District" rating, which means that I could officiate Division III College games. Cool, right? Well, among other requirements you have to get a 90% on the written test which includes PIAA rules and NCAA rules since there are some college and high school rule differences. A 90% on the first try.
Fortunately the exam is still open book, which turned out to be a good thing because there are always a few finer rule points that I haven't noticed before. Some of the points are procedural, for example it's illegal to change the color of the ball during the game (good to know). Other points are about penalty administration, which could affect the outcome of the game.
So, what was the result??? PASS! 94% on PIAA test and 100% on NCAA test. Onto the field rating next....definitely more jitters to come......lock up my purse before that one!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Clean House
Ben completely cracked me up today. We had been reading books in his room for a while after lunch. I was hoping that he would start getting sleepy and take a nap. Unfortuantely, I was the one only getting sleepy. So, I thought maybe if I sat with my eyes shut for a few minutes, Ben would shut his eyes too and we could nap together on the rocking chair.
Instead Ben blurted out in his best Niecy Nash impression, "Mom, take off your blindfold and open your eyes!" I laughed out loud. (Then we repeated the joke 17 more times.)
Of course, this is only funny if you watch the show Clean House on Style channel.
I'm a little embarrassed to admit that our Friday evening family tradition is to sit down as a family and watch a pre-recorded episode of Clean House. On this show, they take a family with a hopelessly cluttered home, sell most of the junk at a yard sale, and then use the yard sale proceeds to fix up the house. Along the way, the designer gifts some furniture, the host has a little therapy session with the home occupants, and there is some campy humor by the Go-To Guy Carpenter and Yard Sale Diva.
I don't know why but all three kids love watching this show with us. I didn't realize that Ben was actually paying attention until his comment today. (I have been secretly hoping that watching the cleaning show on TV will motivate the kids to clean up their toys. No luck with that yet.)
**Please note that the photo of Niecy Nash was copied from the mystyle.com website's bio page for the show.
Of course, this is only funny if you watch the show Clean House on Style channel.
I'm a little embarrassed to admit that our Friday evening family tradition is to sit down as a family and watch a pre-recorded episode of Clean House. On this show, they take a family with a hopelessly cluttered home, sell most of the junk at a yard sale, and then use the yard sale proceeds to fix up the house. Along the way, the designer gifts some furniture, the host has a little therapy session with the home occupants, and there is some campy humor by the Go-To Guy Carpenter and Yard Sale Diva.
I don't know why but all three kids love watching this show with us. I didn't realize that Ben was actually paying attention until his comment today. (I have been secretly hoping that watching the cleaning show on TV will motivate the kids to clean up their toys. No luck with that yet.)
**Please note that the photo of Niecy Nash was copied from the mystyle.com website's bio page for the show.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Hamster Wheels for Kids?
Do you know what I think would be a great invention? Kid-Sized Hamster Wheels. Seriously.
Our old house was laid out in a line, all the rooms connected in a straight line. Although the kids would sometimes run back and forth, the doors weren't lined up and the stairwell jutted out into the track, so in-house running wasn't that popular. Even if I had said, "Sure kids, please feel free to run around the house as fast as you can. Enjoy yourselves!" The kids couldn't really have come up to speed and there was just too much zig-zagging. Not good.
Our new house, however, has an apparently marvelous loop track (entryway to living room to hallway to entryway). The most popular exercise time is after dinner when Scott and I are still chatting at the table and the kids have been excused. They just start going and going, round and round and round. I didn't have an indoor loop track growing up, so I'm not sure what exactly the attraction is, but clearly all 3 of the kids can't get enough. Generally, the running is coupled with scaring the wits out of each other, numerous costume changes, and/or Star Wars sound effects.
While I guess I'm ok with this activity, provided no doors or tackling is involved (it is exercise after all), I think it's a shame we can't put them on a Kids Hamster Wheel or something. The kid's wheel could even be wired into the power grid, like a solar panel. Then, the kids could power a few light bulbs on their after dinner zips. Just a thought....
Our old house was laid out in a line, all the rooms connected in a straight line. Although the kids would sometimes run back and forth, the doors weren't lined up and the stairwell jutted out into the track, so in-house running wasn't that popular. Even if I had said, "Sure kids, please feel free to run around the house as fast as you can. Enjoy yourselves!" The kids couldn't really have come up to speed and there was just too much zig-zagging. Not good.
Our new house, however, has an apparently marvelous loop track (entryway to living room to hallway to entryway). The most popular exercise time is after dinner when Scott and I are still chatting at the table and the kids have been excused. They just start going and going, round and round and round. I didn't have an indoor loop track growing up, so I'm not sure what exactly the attraction is, but clearly all 3 of the kids can't get enough. Generally, the running is coupled with scaring the wits out of each other, numerous costume changes, and/or Star Wars sound effects.
While I guess I'm ok with this activity, provided no doors or tackling is involved (it is exercise after all), I think it's a shame we can't put them on a Kids Hamster Wheel or something. The kid's wheel could even be wired into the power grid, like a solar panel. Then, the kids could power a few light bulbs on their after dinner zips. Just a thought....
Monday, February 22, 2010
Dust Off Your Whistles...
....because lacrosse season is just around the corner. Tonight is the annual PIAA lacrosse interpretation meeting where all the high school lacrosse officials find out about this year's rule changes. I'm not going to lie, this annual meeting is Tedious. BUT -- it's worth it because this means in just a few weeks (mid-March), lacrosse season will be starting! It's really, really (really!) hard to imagine that the snow covered fields will ever give way to grass or turf covered fields that will be dry enough to play on, but surely it will happen. Right?? Spring must be coming, at some point.
I love lacrosse officiating for many reasons. One of my very favorites, though, is that first time when I blow my whistle and all 24 players on the field have to come to a dead stop. Or else. It's really quite a thrill that first whistle blow. After a winter couped up inside with my children bouncing off the walls, sometimes literally, all those girls actually do my bidding each and every time I blow my whistle. What power! What spectacle! After typing those last two sentences, I think I now understand why we are required to officiate a few scrimages prior to the start of the season. Those games give all the moms a chance to knock the winter crazys out of their system.
I did see my very first official (ha-ha!) sign of spring yesterday at Grandma and Grandad's house. Believe it or not, there were tiny bulbs starting to poke out of the ground where the snow was melting away from the side of their house. And yet there was still sufficient snow yesterday to spent a very pleasant part of the day sledding (great touch snowblowing the path out to the hill yesterday Grandad!). No bulbs here yet. Actually not too much grass yet here eitther. But soon, I think. Meanwhile, I'm going to go dust off my whistle. Maybe I'll even yellow card the kids during dinner for any manners violation. Just for practice.
I love lacrosse officiating for many reasons. One of my very favorites, though, is that first time when I blow my whistle and all 24 players on the field have to come to a dead stop. Or else. It's really quite a thrill that first whistle blow. After a winter couped up inside with my children bouncing off the walls, sometimes literally, all those girls actually do my bidding each and every time I blow my whistle. What power! What spectacle! After typing those last two sentences, I think I now understand why we are required to officiate a few scrimages prior to the start of the season. Those games give all the moms a chance to knock the winter crazys out of their system.
I did see my very first official (ha-ha!) sign of spring yesterday at Grandma and Grandad's house. Believe it or not, there were tiny bulbs starting to poke out of the ground where the snow was melting away from the side of their house. And yet there was still sufficient snow yesterday to spent a very pleasant part of the day sledding (great touch snowblowing the path out to the hill yesterday Grandad!). No bulbs here yet. Actually not too much grass yet here eitther. But soon, I think. Meanwhile, I'm going to go dust off my whistle. Maybe I'll even yellow card the kids during dinner for any manners violation. Just for practice.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Snow Bears
We made some snow bears this weekend (reportedly more lovable than a typical snowman). The snow is still pretty deep for Ben, so he mostly watched the process. His main contribution was to walk up to the middle snowbear and take a giant bite out of the carrot nose. Snow bears can also be tasty!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Book Review: The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
I just finished reading The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. Wow. This was definitely not light reading, but it was excellent. (In the interest of full disclosure, Mrs. Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors, perhaps even my very favorite author, so I'm probably a little biased here.)
(Stock photo)
Rather than typical prose, the novel is written in the form of diaries, news clippings, and letters of a fellow named Harrison Shepherd, who is born in the US, grew up in Mexico, and then returns to the US as an adult. Harrison Shepherd's life starts quite modestly and yet he ends up working for the painter Diego Rivera, the painter Frida Kahlo, and then later for the exiled revolutionist Lev Trotsky. His life is shaped by the people he meets, history, and public opinion.
The characters and imagery in this book are amazing. The language is elevated and thoughtful. I was even reaching for my dictionary in a few instances (e.g., amanuensis). This book intertwines the fiction of HS's life with American history (30s and 40s) and Mexican archaeology. Along the way, Kingsolver asks some profound questions, such as which civilization is greater, the one who lives in a forest for 1000 years without a trace or the one who is able to erect a monument that outlasts the civilization itself. Also, there is a lot of American history in here, particularly the post WWII anticommunism era, that should not be forgotten.
I probably wouldn't have selected this book if it weren't written by Kingsolver and I was basing my decision solely on the description on the book jacket. I should also note that it was a bit of a slow start. But, once Harrison discovered the Lacuna (no hints about that from me!), I was hooked. Overall, very good!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Follow-Up Observations
1) Robins - The 100+ robins are still happily gorging on the holly berries at my house. The holly tree is almost completely stripped of berries. Consequently, the robins are very, very plump now. Plump and complacent. The robins used to scatter when we'd open a door or Ben would scream at them from the window. Now, they're so plump they just sit on the ground and continue to eat berries, nary a glance in our direction. I'm not sure if they are too full to move or intoxicated. I did a little research on roosts of robins, and it's been reported that robins can actually get a little tipsy on fermented berries. Perhaps they aren't full, but drunk? I haven't seen any flying crooked or tipping over or anything yet....
2) Robins Part 2 - Unfortunately, what goes in must come out. The unpleasant reality of having 100s of robins at the house is that our driveway, cars, sidewalks, and front yard are covered in droppings. I don't mean a splash here or there, but literally covered. I've gotten hit myself once (ew!), and Scott now runs for the car. It's just plain gross, and I have a pretty high tolerance for gross. The top of the car looks like it has brown, seedy icing on it. Quite disgusting, and I will spare you a photo. I have tremendously enjoyed the robins' visit, but at this point I'm ready for them to find another tree and the minivan needs to hit the carwash.
3) Food Dye - Lastly, and most importantly, my food dye experiment results. You might remember a previous post I wrote about my experiment of removing food dyes, especially Red 40, from Caroline's diet to see if there was a behavioral/emotional improvement. I was very skeptical about this experiment. Skeptical, but hopeful.
Wow, though, what a difference! Caroline's behavior has improved. Really improved. No more 20 minute tantrums. None. I can reason with her and keep her from getting upset when she is on the brink of going over the edge. She is better able to deal with daily schedule disruptions, etc. Sure, she gets mad/sad/jealous (insert emotion here), but the emotions are at a more reasonable level. I thought perhaps this was just wishful thinking from me, but the grandparents corroborated my feelings this weekend.
I was worried about how the classroom Valentine's Day party would go, since all Valentine's candy is red. She came home from school with a whole bag full of things I'd rather her not eat since they all contain Red 40: red lollipops, conversation hearts, red fruit chewies, candy bracelets, etc. I explained to her that she could not eat them, but suggested that we walk to Wawa and we could pick out 2 chocolate bars to trade for the red candy and she could have small pieces of the chocolates after dinner. Caroline's reaction? She cried for a little while, not angry crying but sad crying. Then, said, "OK mom let's go to Wawa." What? That's ok? She likes being a "good girl Caroline now" (her words).
There's no way to really know if the food dye is the problem without putting it back into her diet and seeing how she behaves. Maybe we just started treating her differently. Regardless, we're on such a good roll now, I don't think I'm going to change anything. At some point I'm sure she'll get some food dye outside the house and we'll see what happens then.
2) Robins Part 2 - Unfortunately, what goes in must come out. The unpleasant reality of having 100s of robins at the house is that our driveway, cars, sidewalks, and front yard are covered in droppings. I don't mean a splash here or there, but literally covered. I've gotten hit myself once (ew!), and Scott now runs for the car. It's just plain gross, and I have a pretty high tolerance for gross. The top of the car looks like it has brown, seedy icing on it. Quite disgusting, and I will spare you a photo. I have tremendously enjoyed the robins' visit, but at this point I'm ready for them to find another tree and the minivan needs to hit the carwash.
3) Food Dye - Lastly, and most importantly, my food dye experiment results. You might remember a previous post I wrote about my experiment of removing food dyes, especially Red 40, from Caroline's diet to see if there was a behavioral/emotional improvement. I was very skeptical about this experiment. Skeptical, but hopeful.
Wow, though, what a difference! Caroline's behavior has improved. Really improved. No more 20 minute tantrums. None. I can reason with her and keep her from getting upset when she is on the brink of going over the edge. She is better able to deal with daily schedule disruptions, etc. Sure, she gets mad/sad/jealous (insert emotion here), but the emotions are at a more reasonable level. I thought perhaps this was just wishful thinking from me, but the grandparents corroborated my feelings this weekend.
I was worried about how the classroom Valentine's Day party would go, since all Valentine's candy is red. She came home from school with a whole bag full of things I'd rather her not eat since they all contain Red 40: red lollipops, conversation hearts, red fruit chewies, candy bracelets, etc. I explained to her that she could not eat them, but suggested that we walk to Wawa and we could pick out 2 chocolate bars to trade for the red candy and she could have small pieces of the chocolates after dinner. Caroline's reaction? She cried for a little while, not angry crying but sad crying. Then, said, "OK mom let's go to Wawa." What? That's ok? She likes being a "good girl Caroline now" (her words).
There's no way to really know if the food dye is the problem without putting it back into her diet and seeing how she behaves. Maybe we just started treating her differently. Regardless, we're on such a good roll now, I don't think I'm going to change anything. At some point I'm sure she'll get some food dye outside the house and we'll see what happens then.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Está Aquí!
It's finally here! Level 2!!
I've been listening to Learn Spanish CDs in my car for the past year or so, most notably during the eternal wait that is the preschool carpool line. My goal is to be close to fluent (fluent-ish?) in Spanish by the time I am able to travel abroad again. I studied four years of Spanish in high school, so the CDs are a nice way to revive those neural pathways that were devoted to the language. Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised what is left of Sr. Smith's clases. Other times, not so much.
The approach used by this particular foreign language series is oral repition. The language teacher says something in english, then there's a pause for you to try to say it in Spanish, then the phrase is given correctly in Spanish, anohter PAUSE (for you to repeat), again by the instructor in Spanish, another PAUSE (for you). You repeat the lesson until you can correctly say all the phrases without prompting.
The teachers on the CDs alternate between a very nice-sounding lady and Antonio Banderas. Ok, it's probably not really Sr. Banderas, but it is definitely a guy who sounds a lot like him. Regardless, I like to pretend that he is rrrrolling his rrrrr's in my earrrrrs. I especially like the words with double rolled rr's like ferrocarril, reservación, and regaderra. Ah Señor! That is so personal -- how many camas I would like con mi cuarto. Queciera una cama, por favor!
After finally finishing the first 36 lessons in the Level 1 series, I was distraught when I found out that Level 2 and Level 3 are out of print! ¡Qué horror! How would I get my daily fix of mi hombre español? For one, Ebay and ALibris failed me! After considerable online searching, I finally found a copy of Level 2 for only 2x the original price on Borders Marketplace. Totally worth every penny during today's 30-minute carpool line!
I've been listening to Learn Spanish CDs in my car for the past year or so, most notably during the eternal wait that is the preschool carpool line. My goal is to be close to fluent (fluent-ish?) in Spanish by the time I am able to travel abroad again. I studied four years of Spanish in high school, so the CDs are a nice way to revive those neural pathways that were devoted to the language. Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised what is left of Sr. Smith's clases. Other times, not so much.
The approach used by this particular foreign language series is oral repition. The language teacher says something in english, then there's a pause for you to try to say it in Spanish, then the phrase is given correctly in Spanish, anohter PAUSE (for you to repeat), again by the instructor in Spanish, another PAUSE (for you). You repeat the lesson until you can correctly say all the phrases without prompting.
The teachers on the CDs alternate between a very nice-sounding lady and Antonio Banderas. Ok, it's probably not really Sr. Banderas, but it is definitely a guy who sounds a lot like him. Regardless, I like to pretend that he is rrrrolling his rrrrr's in my earrrrrs. I especially like the words with double rolled rr's like ferrocarril, reservación, and regaderra. Ah Señor! That is so personal -- how many camas I would like con mi cuarto. Queciera una cama, por favor!
After finally finishing the first 36 lessons in the Level 1 series, I was distraught when I found out that Level 2 and Level 3 are out of print! ¡Qué horror! How would I get my daily fix of mi hombre español? For one, Ebay and ALibris failed me! After considerable online searching, I finally found a copy of Level 2 for only 2x the original price on Borders Marketplace. Totally worth every penny during today's 30-minute carpool line!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Harbingers of Spring
In the midst of all the snow this past week, imagine my suprise when a roost of robins took up residence in our yard. They are feasting on the prolific berries in our holly tree. At first, I saw a just few robins flitting in and out of the holly tree. I was happy that something finally noticed all the holly berries since it seemed such a shame to have all the lovely berries go to waste.
Yesterday, I realized that it wasn't just a few robins. I have counted at least one hundred, and there are probably many more since they are constantly moving. It's quite an amazing sight, and it's very cheerful to listen to the birds sing happily outside. So very different from the muffled silence the blizzard brought last week.
Below: Berries knocked off the holly by the robins.
Can you find the 6 robins in the picture below?
Friday, February 12, 2010
Watch Out World
This morning I asked the kids what they wanted to do when they get older.
Abby reported that she either wants to be an astronaut or an astronomer. Caroline was undecided. Ben had some serious plans.
Ben: "First I want to mess up Abby's room."
Ben (more excited): "Then, I want to mess up 'Aroline's room."
Ben (standing, screaming, arms raised high): "Then, I WANT TO MESS UP THE UNIVERSE!!!!!"
Although I am quite impressed my 2.5 year old used the word "universe" correctly, I am a little concerned by his ambitions. Clearly, I'm going to need to look into hiring a discount cleaning service. Also, I think we're going to have to switch to a non-Superhero genre of books for a while.
As for me, I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do when I get older. Shouldn't I have figured it out by now?
Abby reported that she either wants to be an astronaut or an astronomer. Caroline was undecided. Ben had some serious plans.
Ben: "First I want to mess up Abby's room."
Ben (more excited): "Then, I want to mess up 'Aroline's room."
Ben (standing, screaming, arms raised high): "Then, I WANT TO MESS UP THE UNIVERSE!!!!!"
Although I am quite impressed my 2.5 year old used the word "universe" correctly, I am a little concerned by his ambitions. Clearly, I'm going to need to look into hiring a discount cleaning service. Also, I think we're going to have to switch to a non-Superhero genre of books for a while.
As for me, I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do when I get older. Shouldn't I have figured it out by now?
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Getting Punchy
I am completely in awe of the second blizzard we had within the same week. Twenty-four or so inches of snow on top of the other 24" we just got. It's really hard to believe. There's so much snow you can't appreciate how much snow there is. The shorter trees look like bushes now. Fortunately, we're nice and toasty inside, albeit with a little cabin fever. Scott had to work from yesterday and home today, so we don't have the vacation-type atmosphere of Saturday's blizzard, but I did cut the grilled cheese sandwiches on the diagonal to make things a little more festive at lunchtime. Crazy, I know.
I think, though, everyone is getting a little punchy.
Ben: "Mom, look I'm wearing my boots."
Mom: "Those are some nice snow boots, Ben." (Ben's wearing snow boots with pajamas)
Ben: "Mom, can you take off my pants now?"
Mom: "Why?"
Ben: "I just want to wear the boots."
(Note that after typing this excerpt, Ben played in the snow boots outside and managed to completely lose one boot in a snow drift. Anyone care to wager when we'll find it? I'm guessing early March.)
Scott: "CC, do you want to hear what I'm working on? It's my work."
CC: "Sure honey, you can read me any sentence without an acronym."
Scott: (long pause and skimming through long report)
CC: "I'm going to go back to my book now, ok?"
Scott: (a while later) "Ah-ha! Found one! Table 2 shows the project impacts!"
CC: "Anything else?"
Scott: "Uh....no"
Ok. Maybe these stories aren't that great. But, they were highly amusing at the time here. Like I said, we're getting a little punchy!
Here are some "snow-tographs" as the local new station likes to call them:
I think, though, everyone is getting a little punchy.
Ben: "Mom, look I'm wearing my boots."
Mom: "Those are some nice snow boots, Ben." (Ben's wearing snow boots with pajamas)
Ben: "Mom, can you take off my pants now?"
Mom: "Why?"
Ben: "I just want to wear the boots."
(Note that after typing this excerpt, Ben played in the snow boots outside and managed to completely lose one boot in a snow drift. Anyone care to wager when we'll find it? I'm guessing early March.)
Scott: "CC, do you want to hear what I'm working on? It's my work."
CC: "Sure honey, you can read me any sentence without an acronym."
Scott: (long pause and skimming through long report)
CC: "I'm going to go back to my book now, ok?"
Scott: (a while later) "Ah-ha! Found one! Table 2 shows the project impacts!"
CC: "Anything else?"
Scott: "Uh....no"
Ok. Maybe these stories aren't that great. But, they were highly amusing at the time here. Like I said, we're getting a little punchy!
Here are some "snow-tographs" as the local new station likes to call them:
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Coffee and Seasonal Shopping
It's lucky that Ben is cute or otherwise he'd still be in the Giant parking lot. Once a week I buy myself a coffee at the gym. It's nothing extravagent -- I buy a Wawa coffee and do not even splurge for the Starbucks. Just once a week. The rest of the time I brew my own cheap 8 O'clock Coffee at home. I really, really look forward my special coffee treat.
Today, like most of the rest of the greater Malvern area, I needed to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things before the impending snowfall tonight. Ben accompanied me to Giant and I left half a cup of coffee in the car in a lidded cup to enjoy at home later. Ben is usually a pretty good shopping buddy, provided we can get some free cheese in the deli section and I don't steer him too close to anything he can reach. Today, I thought he was extra good and even sat still while I picked out Valentine cards. So, after shopping I figured he could sit in the driver's seat and play with all the buttons while I unloaded the bags. Of course, I had forgotten about the coffee.
Big mistake. It took Ben less than five seconds to remove the lid and spill the whole cup. Not just anywhere mind you, but in a giant coffee puddle all over the driver's seat. You know, like where I need to sit down to drive home. I had visions of getting unsightly brown tush marks on the seat of my light blue pants. But, in a moment of pure mom ingenuity I grabbed some diapers and sat on top of those opened on the set. Not only were the diapers marvelously absorbent and sucked up the coffee, but the leak lock layer really held up. No pants stains! Great job diapers!!!!
Speaking of Valentine's Day, I guess I missed the memo that you had to buy all Valentine-related items just after New Year's Day. I needed to pick up some school Valentine's for Abby and only had the reject card themes left. Also, all the Easter candy was out and ready for purchase. No more chocolate Valentine hearts?! I also went to Toys R Us today to try to buy a sled, and I was told the sleds were long gone. Their seasonal display was swimming pools and squirt guns???? Have retail people lost their minds??? I guess I'd better go Easter shopping now for the best selection. I need to stock up on Cadbury creme eggs ASAP.
Today, like most of the rest of the greater Malvern area, I needed to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things before the impending snowfall tonight. Ben accompanied me to Giant and I left half a cup of coffee in the car in a lidded cup to enjoy at home later. Ben is usually a pretty good shopping buddy, provided we can get some free cheese in the deli section and I don't steer him too close to anything he can reach. Today, I thought he was extra good and even sat still while I picked out Valentine cards. So, after shopping I figured he could sit in the driver's seat and play with all the buttons while I unloaded the bags. Of course, I had forgotten about the coffee.
Big mistake. It took Ben less than five seconds to remove the lid and spill the whole cup. Not just anywhere mind you, but in a giant coffee puddle all over the driver's seat. You know, like where I need to sit down to drive home. I had visions of getting unsightly brown tush marks on the seat of my light blue pants. But, in a moment of pure mom ingenuity I grabbed some diapers and sat on top of those opened on the set. Not only were the diapers marvelously absorbent and sucked up the coffee, but the leak lock layer really held up. No pants stains! Great job diapers!!!!
Speaking of Valentine's Day, I guess I missed the memo that you had to buy all Valentine-related items just after New Year's Day. I needed to pick up some school Valentine's for Abby and only had the reject card themes left. Also, all the Easter candy was out and ready for purchase. No more chocolate Valentine hearts?! I also went to Toys R Us today to try to buy a sled, and I was told the sleds were long gone. Their seasonal display was swimming pools and squirt guns???? Have retail people lost their minds??? I guess I'd better go Easter shopping now for the best selection. I need to stock up on Cadbury creme eggs ASAP.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Snowbound Vacation
Believe it or not, this past weekend we went on vacation. At least it felt like it. While the rest of the Philadelphia region was in the grips of the second largest snowfall to hit the area ever, we ate an impromptu prime rib dinner, made chocolate cookies, drank hot chocolate, played with lots of friends, went sledding, and even relaxed a little.
I don't think I've ever gotten over that school-aged thrill of hearing the snow delays announced on the radio. I used to turn on WBAL and crossed my fingers to hear, "Baltimore County School: 2 hours late." Or the ultimate thrill, "Baltimore County Schools: Closed!!!" Of course, since this was Saturday, there was no school to worry about. But, I was hoping that all the snow would mean that we would have to postpone the regular weekend errands and give me a legitimate reason to lounge around in my pajamas. Wish granted! Although I never saw a final "official" total, I think we received about 24" to 26" of snow. As Scott dramatically declared, "We were on LOCKDOWN."
Although kids make almost everything more difficult, they are absolutely fabulous for bonding with the neighbors and total complete strangers. As a matter of fact, one of my friends met her best friend in the baby aisle at Kmart discussing the relative merits of various diaper brands (true story). So when the kids started bouncing off the walls a little, we bundled them up and sent them outside to play in the blizzard with all the other neighborhood kids bouncing off their respective walls. The kids bounced around from house to house to house, inside and out. We completely lucked into a delicious prime rib dinner at and couple of rounds of pool dinner at another neighbor's house. Lots of unexpected fun!
I don't think I've ever gotten over that school-aged thrill of hearing the snow delays announced on the radio. I used to turn on WBAL and crossed my fingers to hear, "Baltimore County School: 2 hours late." Or the ultimate thrill, "Baltimore County Schools: Closed!!!" Of course, since this was Saturday, there was no school to worry about. But, I was hoping that all the snow would mean that we would have to postpone the regular weekend errands and give me a legitimate reason to lounge around in my pajamas. Wish granted! Although I never saw a final "official" total, I think we received about 24" to 26" of snow. As Scott dramatically declared, "We were on LOCKDOWN."
Although kids make almost everything more difficult, they are absolutely fabulous for bonding with the neighbors and total complete strangers. As a matter of fact, one of my friends met her best friend in the baby aisle at Kmart discussing the relative merits of various diaper brands (true story). So when the kids started bouncing off the walls a little, we bundled them up and sent them outside to play in the blizzard with all the other neighborhood kids bouncing off their respective walls. The kids bounced around from house to house to house, inside and out. We completely lucked into a delicious prime rib dinner at and couple of rounds of pool dinner at another neighbor's house. Lots of unexpected fun!
I thought Sunday would bring us back to reality, and it did in a way since we got back to business with the chores (cooking, laundry, etc.) but the fun happily continued with more impromptu playdates and even a few hours of world-class sledding on the local hills. Ben even got into the sledding action. All in all a very pleasant weekend! It felt like a vacation without having to pack. Perhaps a lot of the spirit of vacation lies in breaking up the routine and in the mindset, and not so much about the locale.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Actual Soup
Ben's puzzle soup inspired me to make actual soup last night-- thick, warm, and delicious Potato Leek Soup. (The photo is at the very start of the recipe.)
I make soup once a week during fall, winter, and spring, and I think it's largely because I like watching mirepoix saute in my green Le Creuset dutch oven. I love how the green celery and leeks complement the green enamel, and I love the smell of sauteed onions. Very cozy on an overcast winter day.
Sadly, two of my three children were not interested in eating this week's soup. They said it was too spicy! (For the record, there are no spices in it at all except a little bit of sea salt and ground pepper.) And yet today, they raided the fridge for kalamata olives and dill pickles. Go figure.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Puzzle Soup
This is what happens when you leave a 2 1/2 year old alone for 90 seconds to go to the bathroom:
Puzzle soup from 12 (!!!) different puzzles. Sigh.
While I am impressed with Ben's ability to open that many boxes so quickly and mix things so thoroughly, this is going to take forever to clean up.....and people ask me what I do all day...
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Glamorous Home Project
Truth be told, I was surprised how nervous I was about selecting a roof color. It's tough basing an >$8000 purchase on a picture in a catalog that is exactly 3" x 3". I did drive around to a few local houses to see the roofs installed, which was helpful. But, since our home has gray siding I just didn't want the roof color to clash too badly because there is just no way to pay for this twice.
I must also say that roofers are a tough, tough lot. They worked outside all day on Friday starting at 7:15am when the temperature was 12F (wind chill 4F). I made a pot of coffee for the guys to warm their hands and put it outside with a cup of cream. The cream froze solid by the time I brought it back inside. Not an exaggeration. Completely solid.
1) I am grateful that I am not a roofer.
2) While I am definitely thankful to have a roof that no longer leaks, a roof purchase is just about the least exciting home improvement money I have ever spent -- even less exciting than white ceiling paint and significantly more expensive.
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