Tag Archives: parenting

Now the second day…

Posted on August 16, 2011 | 12 comments

Good morning everyone!

Good morning!

I have to blow off  some steam today.  Anyone who has, or has had, a girl child between the ages of 9 and 16 will understand. 

The first day of school apparently went very well – no homework, except for spelling, no conduct numbers and people we like in our classroom made for a very good day. 

The second day has started out rougher.  She is now on her fifth or sixth outfit – each one has something wrong with it, with six minutes left before she has to leave the house.  Let’s just say if Mandy finishes eating her food before you’re dressed, you know your dressing process is taking way too long. 

No-no, having finished her food, now turns her attention to an envelope from the coffee table

I think she finally acquired an outfit, but is putting on her sneakers at a pace that would put molasses to shame.  I still have yet to see her emerge from her bedroom with a complete outfit on.

This delay means that Kayla will miss first breakfast here at the house, but not to worry – now that school has started, she also gets breakfast at the after-school center where she catches the bus and at school, so she won’t go hungry.  I, on the other hand, have felt three more grey hairs pop out on my head since I have been repeatedly exhorting her to get dressed. 

She finally emerged from her bedroom, fully dressed.  (Do I hear a sigh of relief from the galleries?)  In doing so, she tried to quietly slip out of the house with two book bags – the small one she insisted on buying with her own money when we went shopping for school supplies and the large one from last year which we told her was still in excellent condition and would work better anyhow.  I think she was hoping we would neither notice, nor comment.  Why she would think that given the two parents she has, I don’t know. 

Sunrise over the lake in the morning

While on the surface, it has been a rough morning, deep down everything is okay.  We are healthy, together and taking care of each other, so all will ultimately be good.  Still, tonight – THE CLOTHES GET LAID OUT FOR NEXT MORNING!

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

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Posted in Just stuff..., On the Home Front, When things don't go as expected, working mom

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First Day of School!

Posted on August 15, 2011 | 14 comments

Good morning Everyone!

As hard as it is to believe, our summer vacation is over, and school started today!  It really does seem like it was only last week that summer vacation was just starting.  See, The First day of Summer Vacation . 

Since it was the first day of school, of course pictures were called for.  Kayla is entering fourth grade this year, and was gracious enough to wear the outfit I bought for her for the first day of school without any fuss. Kayla started our picture-taking session by telling Darwin what to do.

Kayla telling Darwin what to do.

He wasn’t exactly listening.

Darwin wasn't exactly listening.

So we left Darwin out of the next few pictures.  I tried hard to get a good one of her smiling but I’m not sure how well I succeeded. 

What IS it with her and the camera?

This picture I though was a good close-up.

Just playing around

Almost time to go....

Then she realized she really was leaving in just a minute:

I really am going to leave in a minute, aren't I?

 Once Mark came out, Darwin decided to re-enter the picture-taking process.

Daddy and Darwin Make Me Smile!

 Then, a small miracle happened – Darwin stood still long enough for me to get a good shot of all three of them!

As I watched Kayla and Mark walk out the door, ghosts of memory walked out beside them –  each of the little girls that Kayla used to be that also went out that same door for a new school year.  My favorite memory is from kindergarten.  We took pictures that day too.

Mark and Kayla, first day of kindergarten

 

At the door, ready to go, with Tyra

We drove Kayla to school for the first day of Kindergarten, and walked into the school with her to take her to the classroom.  Although she insisted the whole time she wasn’t nervous, of course we knew she was.  Still, we got to the front doors of the school, she took each of our hands, and as we opened the door to go in together, she took a deep breath, and a solidly determined look came over her face – she was going to succeed in entering this new phase of her life, no matter what.  We knew she was going to be okay after that.

Here’s hoping you and yours, whatever grade they may be in, have or had a good first day of school this year!

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

14 Comments

Posted in On the Home Front, Reflection, working mom

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Out of Our Gourds for Gourds

Posted on August 11, 2011 | 4 comments

Good morning Everyone!

Mom and Kayla Working on Their Gourds

This weekend, my mom, who is visiting, Kayla and I had the chance to work on a craft project together.  My mom brought up two huge gourds, which she had allowed to dry for over a year, which she wanted to paint; one is to be a Christmas decoration, painted like a Santa, and the other is to be a Halloween decoration. 

The Picture They Knew I Was Taking

Well, I got a little curious, because it seemed odd to me that a plant would be developed solely for decorative purposes, and Mom couldn’t think of any food purposes behind the gourd, so I did what any reasonable 21st century individual would do – I googled “gourd.”  I found out several interesting things about them. 

The Picture They Did Not Know I Was Taking!

First, they are related to cucumbers and melons.  I wouldn’t have guessed either relationship, although had I seen the scientific name for the gourd family first, Cucurbitaceae, I might have been able to guess at the cucumber relationship. 

Hmmmm - Doesn't look much like a cucumber to me!

Second, they were brought to the United States around 10,000 years ago with the peoples who crossed over the land bridge which then existed on the Bering Straits.  Genetic tests have shown that the American bottle gourd is most closely related to the Asian bottle gourd.  The Asian bottle gourd is descended from the African bottle gourd. 

The gourd is not quite as big as Kayla, but close!

Third, and I find this most interesting, the gourd was the first domesticated plant in the Americas.  It was not grown as a food crop, but as a container.  The gourd itself is the fruit of the plant; its shell is strong and buoyant, and has been used for thousands of years as containers, for musical instruments, and fishing floats.  FN. 

Gourd fronts with finished base coat

Fast forward about 10000 years to my dining room table, where our gourd painting experience had begun.  Mom had downloaded directions on how to paint the Santa Claus from the internet, and had a much smaller example of what she wanted the Halloween gourd painted like, so art class was officially in session. 

Gourd Backs

We spent about three hours on Sunday afternoon working on them, and didn’t get much further than the base coats, but we had a lot of fun doing it!  I can’t help but wonder, though, if the gourds feel that they have taken a step down, from valued container or musical instrument, to simple decoration, but perhaps they are just grateful to still be useful even after 10,000 years!

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

FN.  See, “An Asian Origin for a 10,000-year-old domesticated plant in the Americas, ” from the Dec. 20, 2005 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America for further information if you are interested.

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Kayla’s Conundrum

Posted on August 8, 2011 | 2 comments

Good morning everyone!

In case you haven’t noticed, it has gotten hot again.  That ugly two word phrase “heat index” which usually comes with the equally ugly “heat advisory” has slipped back into my weatherman’s vocabulary.  I think our heat index was somewhere between 106 and 108 the other day.   When that happens, our house gets a little warm; our poor air conditioner does the best that it can, but only manages about a 20 – 25 degree temperature differential during the day.  At night the house cools down, but when the heat index is over 100, it is still several hours after sundown before the air conditioner gets to rest. 

The other night, we put Kayla to bed at her usual bedtime.  An hour later Kayla started crying, so I went into her bedroom to see what the fuss was about.  She told me, “Mommy, I’m hot.”  I gently pointed out to her that the fact that she had her bedspread,  a thick blanket and a sheet tightly cocooned around her might have something to do with it.  She emphatically disagreed. 

Rather than teach her elementary thermodynamics at 9 p.m. on a Tuesday night, I decided to make another gentle suggestion.  Perhaps, I urged politely, the room might feel cooler if she used her ceiling fan?  As I did so, I turned the fan on for illustrative effect.  I was told that solution, too, was unacceptable because it meant that the fan would be rotating while she was asleep.  A little less gently and politely, I mentioned that the fan rotating was the whole point of the exercise.  She remained unimpressed.

At that point, the tired parent part of me kicked in.  I told her that I was sorry she was hot, but she had to stay in bed.  As she crawled back under her comforter, the blanket and the sheet, I had one last idea.  I told her that I would bump the air down another two degrees, but that it would take a while for her to feel any effect because the air conditioner hadn’t even gotten below 76 yet.  A little teary-eyed, she sniffled her way to sleep as I closed the door. 

Kayla managed to find her way to sleep and out of her conundrum.  When she got up the next morning, she showed me that she had turned on her fan.  She also conceded that having it on did make her feel better.  Whether this was sans bedspread and blanket, she failed to share. 

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

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Posted in On the Home Front, Out of the mouths of babes...., working mom

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Shadow’s Spread

Posted on August 4, 2011 | 2 comments

Good morning everyone!

This Summer's Bedspread

Usually, Mark and I keep the same bedspread on our bed year round, only changing it out periodically to get it cleaned, but this summer, we decided to switch the regular comforter out for a lighter bedspread.  The bedspread  is  lighter and more comfortable than the regular comforter for summer, but there is another reason I like the bedspread, aged though it is.

 
 

Quilting that remains on bedspread

Shadow loved this bedspread.  It was originally quilted.  Stitch by careful stitch, night after night, without messing up one single square of fabric or alerting us to what she was doing, over the course of her 16 years, Shadow managed to pull out every one of the quilting threads in the bedspread, leaving only a few on the side.

Before and After

We have been without Shadow for over nine years now, but I still won’t get rid of her bedspread.  20 years from now, in whatever condition it is, I still will be carrying it around.  I can’t touch Shadow any more, but I can touch the bed spread she worked so hard on, and smile at the memory.

Shadow and I at Calloway Gardens

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

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Handkerchiefs

Posted on August 3, 2011 | 6 comments

Good morning everyone!

Regular followers of this blog will remember that Mandy and Darwin’s favorite pastime, after playing tug of war with one of my elastic headbands, is to snatch a handkerchief from wherever they can find one and chew it. 

 They are beginning to be quite gifted in this regard, and have now been caught snatching handkerchiefs from bedside tables, under pillows, bureau and sofa tops, and just about anywhere except the pocket of someone carrying one (and that’s only because they haven’t figured out how to be pickpockets yet.)

Not unexpectedly, this activity of theirs has taken a severe toll on the number of handkerchiefs available for Mark’s use.  We have decided, as a general rule, that if the washed handkerchief resembles a Rorschach blot more than a square, it should be thrown out.  This rule means that Mark is almost out of handkerchiefs, so we have been keeping an eye out for some but with no luck. 

From Print Shop Professional 2.0

On those rare occasions when he goes out of town overnight, Mark usually stops on his way home and buys something for Kayla and I.  On his last trip a few days ago, though, I knew he wouldn’t have time to stop, so I told Kayla that it was our turn to buy  him something, and we set out towards the nearest city to hunt for handkerchiefs. 

 I lucked out and found some at Target, so bought the store out of their entire five box stock.  Kayla asked if we should leave some for somebody else, and I told her no, they would have to do without for now since we had been looking so long! 

Payphone

When we got home with our treasure, Mark called.  He had just reached his hotel room.  I let him talk to Kayla first, and she told him that we had bought him something.  He apparently asked what, because she held the phone out from her head, without covering the receiver, and asked me, “Can I tell him about the handkerchiefs?”  I told her she already had.

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

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Posted in dogs, On the Home Front, Pets, working mom

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Of Kongs and Water Squirting Implements

Posted on July 26, 2011 | 2 comments

Good morning everyone! 

So far No-No is off to a rousing start this morning – I have had to rescue one sandal, one pillow cushion, one yellow plastic container of some kind of silly putty and one dustrag from his clutches so far.   It got bad enough that I spent a considerable amount of time searching the house for a chew toy of his called “Kong.”  Once I found it, I gave  it to him.  Now he is a crazed, but happy, camper, and our belongings are temporarily safe, since Bad Dog has restricted herself to chewing  on the blankets in No-no’s carrier. 

Darwin (No-No) With His Chew Toy

I also have new rules to add to the list of Rules I Never Thought I’d Need:

Do not sneak a medicine measuring syringe into the bathtub.

Do not squirt the dog, the ceiling or the floor with water using said syringe.

Kayla called out from the bathroom last night as she was taking her bath, “Mom, I need you!”  Mark called back, “What do you want?”  and she answered “Never mind.” 

After about 15 or 20 minutes though, once she was sure Mark was in our bedroom, she came out and told me she needed me.  I went in to the bathroom with her.  As soon as I opened the bathroom door, Mandy scooted out. Kayla crooned at Mandy, “It’s okay for you to go out, since you’ve already been squirted.”  (I’m sure Mandy appreciated that sentiment!)

Kayla then held up a plastic medicine measuring syringe and announced that she had been filling it with water and squirting Mandy and herself with it, but then she had tried to squirt the ceiling with it, and all that had accomplished was a track of water across the ceiling.  She wanted to know how to fix it. 

I told her a) let the ceiling dry; if it messed up as a result, she would just have to paint it later;  b) dry the floor, which was soaking wet, c) (between gritted teeth) get in the bathtub, take a bath with soap and the use of shampoo on her hair, along with a good rinse for everything and d) don’t squirt anybody or anything else with the medicine syringe, which is not meant to be used as a bathroom toy. 

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

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Posted in dogs, On the Home Front, When things don't go as expected, working mom

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The Beeping Fridge, The Momentary Absence of Clutter and Child’s Play

Posted on July 25, 2011 | 4 comments

Good morning Everyone!

It mattered not, after all, whether the Weather Channel gave us a 90% chance of rain, or a 30% chance of rain, because, at our house, we ended up with 0″ of rain.  So either way, I guess, it was right! 

  • The Beeping Refrigerator

    From Print Shop Professional 2.0

The refrigerator in the garage keeps beeping at us.  It has never done so before, so naturally we are a little curious as to why.  We have checked the temperature in the refrigerator and freezer, and they appear to be fine.  I have reset the water filter status, and that didn’t work.  I turned the compressor off for about 10 minutes, then turned it back on.  I have read the 23 page refrigerator manual cover-to-cover and in doing so have learned how to set up the refrigerator, install/hook up the ice maker and water supply if I so choose, how to fix various and sundry problems, none of which apply to our current situation, and even the proper way to dispose of a refrigerator (yes, they spent 2 out of 23 pages on that one), but nowhere does it even mention beeping.  Anywhere.  I even downloaded a version of the manual from the Frigidaire web site to electronically search it for “alarm” or “beep”, and didn’t get anything.  So, basically, I am back where I started, with a refrigerator beeping at me and no information to go on.   It is worse than arguing with the computer, because at least the computer, when it beeps, gives me a crumb of information (usually incomprehensible, but a crumb nonetheless) to go by.  Stay tuned; if I ever find out how to fix it, I will let you know.  At least the refrigerator is only six months old, so it is still under warranty. 

  • The Momentary Absence of Clutter

From Print Shop Professional 2.0

We had company for supper this weekend, an old friend we hadn’t seen in quite a while.  Not only did we have a fantastic visit, but as a side benefit, the clutter throughout the den/kitchen/study/dining room part of our house was completely swept away.  I may not be able to find any of the stuff again, but it is safely tucked away somewhere.  Kayla wasn’t as keen on the picking up part, although she did make a valiant effort on her bathroom and bedroom, but she always enjoys the company part.  We not only visited, but towards the end of the evening we played UNO, one of Kayla’s favorite card games.  The first two games went fairly quickly, but the third game lasted about an hour and a half and was a lot of fun.  To her great delight, and with an assist from Dad, Kayla ended up winning that last round.

The dogs enjoyed my friend being over, and my friend was able to enjoy them once we got the three of them to settle down and stop sniffing.  (Cindy has a bischon frise at her house, and my three were intent on gathering all the information about the bischon that they could.) 

      • Child’s Play

Kayla played Harry Potter Sunday afternoon.  She came out of her bedroom with her purple dance bag packed and a little cosmetics case (for just a minute, it looked like she was running away!)  and informed us that the bedroom was the Forbidden Forest, Harry wanted them to stay there (in this game, she is Harry Potter’s sister) but that she didn’t think that was a good idea, so she was moving on.  She set up camp in the middle of the great room, and was busily setting up file folders.  I guess if you are on the run, file folders are indispensable.  She and Harry must have finally agreed on where they were going , because she eventually broke camp and went back into her bedr…. I mean the Forbidden Forest.  I love my child’s imagination!

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

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Where are They? Inventions I Eagerly Await

Posted on July 22, 2011 | 6 comments

Good morning Everyone!

While I have my issues with technology (see, Please stop Improving my Life I and II), there are certain inventions I eagerly await. 

I already mentioned, in an earlier post, the riding vacuum cleaner (Differences Between Men and Women)but there are a few more I think the inventors of this world should be working on.

1)  A car that drives itself where I want it to go.  In the last two days, I have driven about five hours total.  How nice it would be to have a car that just took care of all the driving, and let me use that time productively for things like napping, cross-stitch or playing computer games.  However, this is merely a short-term solution to commuting problems, as I believe the second invention is the long-term answer.

Transporter

2) The transporter from Star Trek.  It is hard to believe that something envisioned in the 1960’s has yet to be invented.  Of course, I realize there are some fundamental rules of physics that have to be gotten around, re-explained, or discovered, but still!  Instant transportation from one place to another is worth it.  Just think how much more time we could spend doing important things like tail-gating at football games, standing in line at Disneyworld (rather than spending time driving to Disneyworld) or shopping for the latest gizmos instead of the time we spend commuting. 

Climate Control Device!

3)  A personal climate control machine no bigger than a pedometer.  At this time of the year, those of us in the Southeast spend a great deal of time calculating our routes so that we end up spending as little time as possible out-of-doors (unless the beach or lake is involved) to allow us to remain in air-conditioned comfort.  I don’t know this for certain, but I expect those of you who encounter extremely cold weather during the year do the same with heat.  Imagine if you could clip something about the size of the pedometer on your waist, set the temperature, and enjoy that temperature all day long, no matter where you are.  I think that would be really cool (no pun intended!)

Country Cooler Drive Thru Convenience Store, Hollister Florida

4)   The drive-through grocery store window.  (Apparently, this concept is in the testing phase; an internet search revealed that an increasing number of convenience stores, especially in Florida, are trying this out.)  Every parent who has ever traveled to or through the grocery store with young (or even not so young) children can understand the appeal of being able to call the grocery store in advance, tell the clerk exactly what you want, pull up to a window, receive your items and pay for them, all without having to do the “No” song through the aisles.  No, you can’t have Oreos; No, you can’t have Cocoa Puffs; No, you can’t have rutabagas (you don’t even know what they are); No, you can’t have that cheap $5 toy that will fall apart as soon as we get it home; No, you can’t have your fifth package of mints this week (that’s for my daughter).

It also is helpful for those who, like me, enter the grocery store for milk and lettuce, fall into a strange trance, and emerge on the other side with two carts full of groceries and no idea what they are or how they got there!

5) An integrated clothes cleaning system that will sort the clothes, wash the clothes, dry the clothes  and fold the clothes or iron them as needed.   My current system, my 9 year old, leaves something to be desired.  (Just kidding – we don’t let her iron – yet.)  I am willing to continue to put them away however.  

6)  A computer that will allow me to win an argument with it.  Currently, once it starts beeping and sending me error messages, the computer wins. 

7)   Failing that, a computer that will do what I want it to do, not necessarily what I tell it do. 

8)   A money tree.  If it was prolific enough, I would be willing to share! 

Any inventions you might like to see?  Future inventors of America, take note!

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

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Posted in Just stuff..., On the Home Front, working mom

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Closets, Rain and Underwear (An Unlikely Combination!)

Posted on July 18, 2011 | 2 comments

Good morning everyone! 

No-no and Bad Dog are off to a flying start this morning.  I just retrieved a red-ink pen from No-No (fortunately before he had pierced through to the ink) and a handkerchief from Bad Dog, both of which they could only have taken directly off my bedside table. 

Bad Dog (Mandy) and No-No (Darwin) Confer on Tactics

I hope you had a great weekend!  We did.  Our big activity for this weekend was going to see the last Harry Potter movie.  Yes, it is as good as the collective “they” say.  For purists, there are differences from the book, but over all, the movie does a fantastic job of conveying the important points.

  • Inmate’s Underwear

    From Print Shop Professional 2.0

Kayla is of an age now where she can (sort of) understand what’s going on when she listens to the news.   Yesterday afternoon late, we had to head into Montgomery to buy a few things, and on the way there, we heard a news report about how the sheriff of Polk County, Arizona has decreed that male inmates must buy their prison underwear or do without.

Kayla thought for a minute, then said reflectively, “You know, I think everyone should have at least one pair of underwear.”  Then she thought some more, and announced that “If I ever go to prison, I will be sure and pack my own underwear.”  We explained that you don’t normally get to take your own stuff to prison.  She said, “Well, then, the underwear they give you might not fit right or be very comfortable; I guess I just won’t ever to go to jail.” 

We told her we thought that was a wise decision. 

  •   Gentle Rain

    Happy to Get Rain (from Print Shop Professional 2.0)

We have had an unexpected break in our summer weather, for just a few days, and it has been nice.  Overcast clouds and summer thunderstorms gave us rain for about four days straight.  The crowning glory was a slow soaking rain on Saturday, followed by a cloud show that was absolutely breathtaking!  The rain clouds broke into huge blankets of dark gray pillowed skies bordered by luminous white clouds, with just one or two patches where the clouds broke completely and the rays came shining though.  How I wished my fellow bloggers over at The Simple Life of a Country Man’s Wife, and Just Rambling Pier  had been here to take pictures.  They both are super photographers.  I, of course, in spite of my three cameras plus one cell phone that takes pictures, had nothing available to capture the moment with.

Our Cloud Show Was Even Better Than This! (From Print Shop Professional 2.0)

Mark volunteered Saturday morning to help Kayla clean her closet, due to a pressing need to find out how many pairs of shoes she had that fit, and so they spent about two hours working on it together.  It now looks really good and they were still speaking to each other when they finished!  I have given him carte blanche on my half of our clothes closet whenever he wants, Kayla’s looked so good when they finished.  The craft closet I have not offered up for cleaning.  🙂 

A Closet That Was Cleaned (from Print Shop Professional 2.0)

Have a great day everyone!

Nancy

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