After receiving a vote of no confidence from Kendall in the spring I am happy to say that our first garden was mostly successful.
As I was planting strawberries in May this was our conversation:
Kendall: Oh no. We're....
Me: What's up? Is everything okay? (I could see the stress on her face)
Kendall: Nevermind.....Well....Well, we're going to have to get grandma over here. You're just not good at this kind of thing.
Me: What? You don't think I can grow a garden? You'll see. At the end of summer you are going to be so proud of me.
Okay, so the strawberries never grew. My Mother-in-Law said it best when she asked, while sqinting her eyes, "What did you plant, strawberry seeds?".
But the rest of the garden took off without a hitch. Well except for the corn that turned out not to be corn. Getting excited about the corn that popped up even though we didn't plant corn was a little hopeful. We watered and nurtured that stuff. It grew and grew. But when we got to Albuquerque for vacation and saw the corn they were growing there, we knew we did not have corn at all. When we got home I promptly googled 'weed that looks like corn'. What do you know?! We were growing millet and boy did we have a good crop!
Really though, we've had some luck. We have huge cucumber,carrots, peppers, onions, lettuce and a ton of pumpkins.
Kendall has more confidence in us now. We will definitely do vegetables again, we will try our luck at strawberries and even some market flowers. I'm looking forward to the next growing season.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Genius Parenting
Sometimes I can't believe I get paid for what I do, working with young children and teachers. I get to laugh out loud every day. Today it was this conversation:
Jane (name changed to protect the hilarious): I'm allergic to boys.
Teacher: (laughing) Who told you that?
Jane: My Daddy.
Teacher: I thought so (still laughing).
Jane: Well, I'm not allergic to these boys. I'm allergic to boys I don't know.
That dad is a genius I tell you. I promptly went home and told K & T that they are allergic to boys. They didn't buy it. Damn, I should have tried it when they were younger.
Jane (name changed to protect the hilarious): I'm allergic to boys.
Teacher: (laughing) Who told you that?
Jane: My Daddy.
Teacher: I thought so (still laughing).
Jane: Well, I'm not allergic to these boys. I'm allergic to boys I don't know.
That dad is a genius I tell you. I promptly went home and told K & T that they are allergic to boys. They didn't buy it. Damn, I should have tried it when they were younger.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Those cringe-worthy mom moments
I had one of those moments last night. The kind when you are playing with your two girls, giggling and rolling around on the bed. And then your one girl misjudges where she is and goes head first into the corner of the night stand. She holds her head and says over and over "I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay. I just need to cry a little bit". And then you hope that she's right and it's just a bonk but something tells you that's not the case. Your gut is telling you to pick her up off the pillow and when you do you see the blood, coming from the top of her head.
Yes, I had one of those cringe-worthy mom moments. Stay calm. Get dressed. Get her dressed. Get into the car and head to the hospital. All the while trying to not let your heart break as she is so scared about everything that is happening. She clings to every word you say. "Are you sure it's a little one?" "What do you think they will do for it?" "Will it hurt?" "How old were you when you got stitches?". And then when you pull up you can hear the panic in her voice and the tears start to flow again "We're going to the HOSPITAL? Why are we going to the HOSPITAL?". Because when her sister got stitches two years ago, her doctor's office was open and they did it very calmly and quietly there.
You hope the Emergency Department isn't packed and that you can get seen quickly. And you do. An angel of a nurse comes in and gets your little girl to smile and look forward to a popsicle at the end of her visit. Every once in a while, when the numbing medicine is sitting on her head, the shaking, nervous questions and tears come again. And when the doctor comes in and says that she is going to put a couple of staples in your child's head you don't panic on the outside but you are freaking out on the inside, trying to keep your child calm as you carefully question the doctor about the benefits of staples over stitches.
And in the end, an injection to numb the laceration and two staples later, your little girl is shaking like a leaf eating her grape popsicle and trying to process what just happened. The tears and shaky words come and go in spurts. But she falls asleep quickly once she's home and wakes up feeling great the next morning.
Kids are amazing!
Yes, I had one of those cringe-worthy mom moments. Stay calm. Get dressed. Get her dressed. Get into the car and head to the hospital. All the while trying to not let your heart break as she is so scared about everything that is happening. She clings to every word you say. "Are you sure it's a little one?" "What do you think they will do for it?" "Will it hurt?" "How old were you when you got stitches?". And then when you pull up you can hear the panic in her voice and the tears start to flow again "We're going to the HOSPITAL? Why are we going to the HOSPITAL?". Because when her sister got stitches two years ago, her doctor's office was open and they did it very calmly and quietly there.
You hope the Emergency Department isn't packed and that you can get seen quickly. And you do. An angel of a nurse comes in and gets your little girl to smile and look forward to a popsicle at the end of her visit. Every once in a while, when the numbing medicine is sitting on her head, the shaking, nervous questions and tears come again. And when the doctor comes in and says that she is going to put a couple of staples in your child's head you don't panic on the outside but you are freaking out on the inside, trying to keep your child calm as you carefully question the doctor about the benefits of staples over stitches.
And in the end, an injection to numb the laceration and two staples later, your little girl is shaking like a leaf eating her grape popsicle and trying to process what just happened. The tears and shaky words come and go in spurts. But she falls asleep quickly once she's home and wakes up feeling great the next morning.
Kids are amazing!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The funny things they say
The girls are both at such funny stages right now. Yesterday I picked K up from first grade. I noticed a coffee stand that had gone out of business and made a comment about it. K said "I wish schools would go out of business". I said "That wouldn't be good. Who would educate our young?". She quickly responded "I know everything I need to know. And I have a calculator".
So there you have it. All you need is a first grade education and a calculator and you're set.
This morning T was miss grumpy pants. I was trying to cheer her up by playing I Spy on the way to school. She was pretty quick and got most of them right. Until I got to "I spy something that can be very stinky". She blurted "Butt". "Um I was thinking garbage can". "Well butts and shoes are stinky". "Yes thank you for that little lesson T".
So there you have it. All you need is a first grade education and a calculator and you're set.
This morning T was miss grumpy pants. I was trying to cheer her up by playing I Spy on the way to school. She was pretty quick and got most of them right. Until I got to "I spy something that can be very stinky". She blurted "Butt". "Um I was thinking garbage can". "Well butts and shoes are stinky". "Yes thank you for that little lesson T".
Monday, February 22, 2010
I refuse to be a muffin
I admit it. I've rode the "I just had a baby......(4 years ago)" train long enough. I kept waiting for my body to bounce back like it did after my first pregnancy. But I guess when you are 37, that just doesn't happen. The muffin top is here to stay unless I get my butt moving.
Luckily it looks like Spring has come a little early. It's been beautiful. I started running around the park by my work. I can't wait for the crumbs to start falling off my body. This had better work!
Luckily it looks like Spring has come a little early. It's been beautiful. I started running around the park by my work. I can't wait for the crumbs to start falling off my body. This had better work!
What did you say?!
T is four years old and she's a genius when it comes to anatomy. This weekend she looked in the mirror with a flashlight and said "Look Mom. I have a nipple on my face". Is it bad that I made her repeat herself seven times before telling her that I think she meant pimple?
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Domestication
I have been reading a lot about how Americans are living differently because of the economy. Our family started making changes three years ago when money got tighter and our cost of living in Seattle skyrocketed. I call it my domestication period.
I had left my job because I couldn't deal with a husband who worked 16+ hours, working 10-12 hour days myself and commuting 45 minutes each way, usually with the baby screaming the entire way. One night my daughter who was 3 at the time asked me "Where are we picking dinner up tonight?". She thought dinner came out of a drive-thru window. I had had enough. My marriage was on the rocks. My husband was running a fledgling business and I was at my breaking point.
We put our house on the market with the intention of scaling back. I sold my car. I started grocery shopping, riding the bus with the girls to the farmer's market on Wednesdays and began cooking like crazy. I started clipping coupons. No more shopping at the mall. I hit Goodwill, Value Village and second hand shops around Seattle for clothing and household items. I began babysitting for neighbors and family members to make extra money. We were beyond broke but for the first time in a long time I was WITH my girls, truly present. We took many walks around the neighborhood. Picked blackberries. Baked. Had playdates with the neighbors. The time was so good for my soul. The color started to come back to my skin.
Our house never sold. After over a year we were left with no option but to walk away. We tried working with the bank for over 9 months with no response. I had started a new job so that we would have medical and dental benefits. But I refused to make the commute and put my kids through long days again. My marriage got to the point of no return. We were at a crossroads and it was tenuous at best. We moved into a rental house where our housing costs were half of what they were and we were 3 miles from my work. We continued to scale back our lives. We missed our old neighbors but met some wonderful new neighbors! We were in the rental for 10 months. It was a wonderful time of rebuilding and refocusing on our family. Eventually we knew we wanted to make a big move to an area with a much lower cost of living bringing us to our current place.
For a while there was a great sense that we gave up the dream of having a house in the big city with a nice view. But once we moved, we never looked back. We learned and gained so much more. We are much more careful with our finances. I still feel domesticated and I love it! I love that my kids are 6 1/2 and 4 now and they don't remember those long days or getting food out of a drive-thru window. It is on the rare occasion that we do that. I love that I have a job with a non-commute that allows me to do the work that I love and then be home and be completely present with my family. I love that my husband and I weathered the storm and are even stronger now. We have re-prioritized everything and now things are more stable than they have ever been. Stability and domestication feel great!
I had left my job because I couldn't deal with a husband who worked 16+ hours, working 10-12 hour days myself and commuting 45 minutes each way, usually with the baby screaming the entire way. One night my daughter who was 3 at the time asked me "Where are we picking dinner up tonight?". She thought dinner came out of a drive-thru window. I had had enough. My marriage was on the rocks. My husband was running a fledgling business and I was at my breaking point.
We put our house on the market with the intention of scaling back. I sold my car. I started grocery shopping, riding the bus with the girls to the farmer's market on Wednesdays and began cooking like crazy. I started clipping coupons. No more shopping at the mall. I hit Goodwill, Value Village and second hand shops around Seattle for clothing and household items. I began babysitting for neighbors and family members to make extra money. We were beyond broke but for the first time in a long time I was WITH my girls, truly present. We took many walks around the neighborhood. Picked blackberries. Baked. Had playdates with the neighbors. The time was so good for my soul. The color started to come back to my skin.
Our house never sold. After over a year we were left with no option but to walk away. We tried working with the bank for over 9 months with no response. I had started a new job so that we would have medical and dental benefits. But I refused to make the commute and put my kids through long days again. My marriage got to the point of no return. We were at a crossroads and it was tenuous at best. We moved into a rental house where our housing costs were half of what they were and we were 3 miles from my work. We continued to scale back our lives. We missed our old neighbors but met some wonderful new neighbors! We were in the rental for 10 months. It was a wonderful time of rebuilding and refocusing on our family. Eventually we knew we wanted to make a big move to an area with a much lower cost of living bringing us to our current place.
For a while there was a great sense that we gave up the dream of having a house in the big city with a nice view. But once we moved, we never looked back. We learned and gained so much more. We are much more careful with our finances. I still feel domesticated and I love it! I love that my kids are 6 1/2 and 4 now and they don't remember those long days or getting food out of a drive-thru window. It is on the rare occasion that we do that. I love that I have a job with a non-commute that allows me to do the work that I love and then be home and be completely present with my family. I love that my husband and I weathered the storm and are even stronger now. We have re-prioritized everything and now things are more stable than they have ever been. Stability and domestication feel great!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)