My seven year old son now has braces. Good heavens.
This morning was crazy. My four year old meandered and dawdled and wasted time and made us totally late. Late as in, when everyone else was ready to go she was naked, in the bathroom, and had eaten nothing. Argh! So I rushed her into her clothes and made her a sandwich (which I wrapped in a paper napkin and shoved in my pocket) and sped the girls to school. Then I left Razi in the car while I ran them in and didn't even bother to sign them in. I never leave the kids alone in the car like that! But I knew we were already late for his orthodontist appointment and I was freaking out.
So then we hurried over to the orthodontist, who is practically around the corner from the preschool thank heaven, and they started by cleaning his teeth. They said the whole appointment would take two to two and a half hours and I could run errands if I wanted; so when about twenty minutes had passed and they really didn't seem to need me, I went to the supermarket and bought some essentials. (How are we always out of chocolate milk and bananas?) And then I went to Target and bought him practically a whole new wardrobe. He's grown out of almost every pair of pants because he’s sort of tall and very skinny. He has my childhood body. I bought him four pairs of pants and two long sleeve shirts and a sweater. I only spent about $56 because I tried my hardest to buy only things that were on sale. Also we probably won't keep all of it. We'll decide what to keep and what to return tonight – with his father’s help. Joshua's gonna get roped in because buying the boy new clothes was his idea!
Then I went back to the orthodontist and Razi was almost done getting his braces on and wired and everything. The most relaxing part of my day so far has been sitting in the orthodontist's waiting room, reading People magazine!
When Razi was done we rushed through checking out because I had this stupid idea that I would get him all the way across town (a 15 minute drive) to his school, then drive 15 minutes back to pick his sisters up, then all the way back home another 15 minutes in the car to get the girls and myself home. But I realized, thank goodness, that I was being an idiot. So we picked his sisters up 15 minutes early instead of 20 minutes late. And I left him in the car again. There goes ‘mother of the year.’
Then I brought him to school and I had to go inside and sign him in and I just left both of the girls in the car while I went in and dropped him off. My goodness, what is the matter with me?! At least I could see the van from inside the school office. I couldn't see it at all from inside the synagogue/preschool. Then I brought the girls home, got them in the house, fed Lilah a lunchy sort of snacky thing while I ferried a ton of junk into the house, put Lilah down for her nap and closed the door on her while she screamed, and poked at the laundry with a pointy stick. Yowza, I need a nap!
Now I need to make Zora her pasta and peas, cycle through more and yet more laundry, and maybe catch a breather for a few minutes.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
the colts, miami, and zora
Zora and I went to Miami, Florida last weekend. My oldest cousin’s two oldest children had a joint bar/bat mitzvah ceremony, and Zora and I went and represented the whole Indiana branch of the clan. Zora had a really marvelous time, and I could not be more proud of her. She stayed up really late both Friday and Saturday nights and she was a perfect little delight the whole weekend anyway.
We flew in and out of Indianapolis the very weekend of the playoff game, and wow, the fever over the football thing was everywhere. Not my thing, but it seemed to put everyone in a good mood, and that was a very nice side effect.
The weather in Miami was fantastic. I actually took a nap outside on Saturday afternoon. Considering that when I checked the weather for Indianapolis on the internet the next morning I learned that at home it was 27 degrees and snowing, that was a nice break.
But I’m glad to be home, even if it is cold and snowy here.
We flew in and out of Indianapolis the very weekend of the playoff game, and wow, the fever over the football thing was everywhere. Not my thing, but it seemed to put everyone in a good mood, and that was a very nice side effect.
The weather in Miami was fantastic. I actually took a nap outside on Saturday afternoon. Considering that when I checked the weather for Indianapolis on the internet the next morning I learned that at home it was 27 degrees and snowing, that was a nice break.
But I’m glad to be home, even if it is cold and snowy here.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
my girl
My four year old daughter needs to learn that talking about something, like heading to the bathroom or cleaning up her toys, is not, oddly enough, the same as doing that thing.
music
If my high school buddy Stephanie still reads this blog she should put down her coffee so she doesn't spill it while she laughs at me. We always had really, really different taste in music.
For Hanukah I got a couple of itunes cards. Thirty dollars buys twenty-eight songs when sales tax is six cents on the dollar. So, I took a bit of time and thought and bought myself twenty-eight songs. Quite a few of them were very contemporary songs, released in 2006. I bought songs from Keane, Snow Patrol, Placebo, KT Tunsdall, etc.
But. I also bought some stuff that was much, much older. No Stephanie, no Lionel Ritchie. ;)
I bought some stuff from the early 00's and late 90's that I never really got out of my head, even after my favorite radio station had long stopped playing them, songs like Self Esteem by The Offspring and Roll to Me by Del Amitri.
I bought some amazing covers of great original songs, like Placebo covering Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill, or the powerful and astonishing cover Johnny Cash did of Trent Reznor/Nine Inch Nail's song, Hurt.
And I bought a song I had last heard when I was in high school. I’m lucky U2 even bothered to release it, frankly, but it might be the most memorable U2 song I’ve ever heard. It's called Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl, and I only knew it existed because of this radio show I used to stay up far too late listening to.
Stephanie, do you remember KEGL? Stephanie and I went to high school in Texas, where the radio stations use call letters that start with "K" and "Q" instead of "W." I can't remember the show's name, or the DJs name, but he played the most alternative of new wave stuff late on Sunday nights, and I adored that radio show. He introduced me to a lot of artists I still love, and some I will never, ever be able to find anywhere again but in my memories.
I am almost completely certain the show was local to the Dallas area, as he played tapes from local bands fairly often. I still remember loving an electronic-style song from a band in Denton, Texas. Hey, it was the mid-eighties.
I also bought some songs that can only be called “old” by rock and roll reckoning. My parents, who only like music by dead people, would laugh at calling something released in my lifetime “old,” but rock is a little different than Mozart.
Superstition by Stevie Wonder is a pretty old song. 20th Century Boy by Placebo is pretending to be an old song, though of course, it isn’t really. But the oldest songs I chose were released by a man who is now dead. I wonder if that would make the songs more appealing to my parents?
One of These Things First and Cello Song by Nick Drake are lovely, lovely things, written by a man who died the year my little brother was born. If you haven’t heard his music, I strongly suggest you look him up. If you like folk music, rock music, what is often called “singer-songwriter” music, and/or guitar music, then you should give him a listen. I used to have his entire catalog, as I bought the box set. I haven’t been able to find it since my last move, which is making me a little crazy. I don’t usually spend money on the same thing twice, but I had to hear Drake sing again.
Really though, I think the point I started with in my mind when I started this post, was that it makes me feel a bit old to still love songs that were written and released so long ago. It’s that U2 song that really does it to me. It’s one thing to love an artist you discovered a decade or two after his death, but to love a song when it was new, and still love it more than twenty years later, reminds one that those twenty years have, indeed, passed one by.
Shake it off, baby. Life is great and you’re still young.
And for those who are still curious, here's the entire list. :)
This Is Us by Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
Boom, Like That by Mark Knopfler
My Own Two Hands by Ben Harper & Jack Johnson
Loser by Beck
Girl by Beck
Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl by U2
Self Esteem by The Offspring
Steady As She Goes by The Raconteurs
One of These Things First by Nick Drake
Cello Song by Nick Drake
Is It Any Wonder? by Keane
Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
Superstition by Stevie Wonder
Chocolate by Snow Patrol
20th Century Boy by Placebo
Running Up That Hill by Placebo
Roll to Me by Del Amitri
Hands Open by Snow Patrol
Colorful by Rocco DeLuca & The Burden
Suddenly I See by KT Tunstall
Nothing In My Way by Keane
Everybody's Changing
Somewhere Only We Know by Keane
Crooked Teeth by Death Cab for Cutie
Soul Meets Body by Death Cab for Cutie
Think I'm In Love by Beck The Information (Bonus Video Version)
Other Side of the World by KT Tunstall
Hurt by Johnny Cash
For Hanukah I got a couple of itunes cards. Thirty dollars buys twenty-eight songs when sales tax is six cents on the dollar. So, I took a bit of time and thought and bought myself twenty-eight songs. Quite a few of them were very contemporary songs, released in 2006. I bought songs from Keane, Snow Patrol, Placebo, KT Tunsdall, etc.
But. I also bought some stuff that was much, much older. No Stephanie, no Lionel Ritchie. ;)
I bought some stuff from the early 00's and late 90's that I never really got out of my head, even after my favorite radio station had long stopped playing them, songs like Self Esteem by The Offspring and Roll to Me by Del Amitri.
I bought some amazing covers of great original songs, like Placebo covering Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill, or the powerful and astonishing cover Johnny Cash did of Trent Reznor/Nine Inch Nail's song, Hurt.
And I bought a song I had last heard when I was in high school. I’m lucky U2 even bothered to release it, frankly, but it might be the most memorable U2 song I’ve ever heard. It's called Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl, and I only knew it existed because of this radio show I used to stay up far too late listening to.
Stephanie, do you remember KEGL? Stephanie and I went to high school in Texas, where the radio stations use call letters that start with "K" and "Q" instead of "W." I can't remember the show's name, or the DJs name, but he played the most alternative of new wave stuff late on Sunday nights, and I adored that radio show. He introduced me to a lot of artists I still love, and some I will never, ever be able to find anywhere again but in my memories.
I am almost completely certain the show was local to the Dallas area, as he played tapes from local bands fairly often. I still remember loving an electronic-style song from a band in Denton, Texas. Hey, it was the mid-eighties.
I also bought some songs that can only be called “old” by rock and roll reckoning. My parents, who only like music by dead people, would laugh at calling something released in my lifetime “old,” but rock is a little different than Mozart.
Superstition by Stevie Wonder is a pretty old song. 20th Century Boy by Placebo is pretending to be an old song, though of course, it isn’t really. But the oldest songs I chose were released by a man who is now dead. I wonder if that would make the songs more appealing to my parents?
One of These Things First and Cello Song by Nick Drake are lovely, lovely things, written by a man who died the year my little brother was born. If you haven’t heard his music, I strongly suggest you look him up. If you like folk music, rock music, what is often called “singer-songwriter” music, and/or guitar music, then you should give him a listen. I used to have his entire catalog, as I bought the box set. I haven’t been able to find it since my last move, which is making me a little crazy. I don’t usually spend money on the same thing twice, but I had to hear Drake sing again.
Really though, I think the point I started with in my mind when I started this post, was that it makes me feel a bit old to still love songs that were written and released so long ago. It’s that U2 song that really does it to me. It’s one thing to love an artist you discovered a decade or two after his death, but to love a song when it was new, and still love it more than twenty years later, reminds one that those twenty years have, indeed, passed one by.
Shake it off, baby. Life is great and you’re still young.
And for those who are still curious, here's the entire list. :)
This Is Us by Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
Boom, Like That by Mark Knopfler
My Own Two Hands by Ben Harper & Jack Johnson
Loser by Beck
Girl by Beck
Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl by U2
Self Esteem by The Offspring
Steady As She Goes by The Raconteurs
One of These Things First by Nick Drake
Cello Song by Nick Drake
Is It Any Wonder? by Keane
Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
Superstition by Stevie Wonder
Chocolate by Snow Patrol
20th Century Boy by Placebo
Running Up That Hill by Placebo
Roll to Me by Del Amitri
Hands Open by Snow Patrol
Colorful by Rocco DeLuca & The Burden
Suddenly I See by KT Tunstall
Nothing In My Way by Keane
Everybody's Changing
Somewhere Only We Know by Keane
Crooked Teeth by Death Cab for Cutie
Soul Meets Body by Death Cab for Cutie
Think I'm In Love by Beck The Information (Bonus Video Version)
Other Side of the World by KT Tunstall
Hurt by Johnny Cash
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
socks
lilah loves socks and shoes. we often tell people that her favorite things in the world are shoes and phones. she will take almost any smallish rectangular or square thing, put it up to her ear and "talk" into it as though it were a phone. this part is cute.
she likes to put on her sister's shoes and walk around in them. she also has a pair of shiny red boots that i bought for her at goodwill that she utterly adores. she wears them often and has finally learned how to put them on (untied) all by herself. this part is also cute.
but she has a habit now of pulling her socks on, all the way up, and then getting angry when they won't go higher. and when i say angry, really what i mean is unmitigated screaming fury. when the sock is all the way up she starts screaming and throwing a huge tantrum. if she can manage it, she'll hurt other people. yes, intentionally. yes, over a sock.
it's funny and sad and ridiculous, all at the same time. and this part is not cute.
she likes to put on her sister's shoes and walk around in them. she also has a pair of shiny red boots that i bought for her at goodwill that she utterly adores. she wears them often and has finally learned how to put them on (untied) all by herself. this part is also cute.
but she has a habit now of pulling her socks on, all the way up, and then getting angry when they won't go higher. and when i say angry, really what i mean is unmitigated screaming fury. when the sock is all the way up she starts screaming and throwing a huge tantrum. if she can manage it, she'll hurt other people. yes, intentionally. yes, over a sock.
it's funny and sad and ridiculous, all at the same time. and this part is not cute.
Monday, January 08, 2007
food.
I just read a blogger post from a friend where she talks about her ten favorite foods, and I got inspired. I don't think I have ten favorite foods to eat, but I am sure I can think of ten favorite foods to talk about. ;)
1: Lamb chops. you ask what my favorite food is, it's easy. My mom used to make lamb chops all the time when I was a kid and I would get grease everywhere, fighting with the bone to get every last molecule in my mouth. I never eat them anymore because I don't really buy red meat (except in sandwich meat I guess) but I can still almost taste my mom's lamb chops. yummmm.....
2: Cholesterol cake. That's what I call it in my head, anyway. it's a recipe I modified. it's officially called "strawberry yogurt pound cake" but when I double the recipe I add two eggs, making a total of ten. it also has chocolate chips, twelve ounces of yogurt, and two full sticks of butter. my kids call it "breakfast cake" and love it. I make it fairly frequently. why? because my son is something of an unofficial vegan. by which I do not mean he is philosophically choosing not to eat animal products. what I mean is, he has a short, short list of foods he's willing to eat, and eggs isn't on it. actually, protein is barely on it. we're still dancing jigs that he starting being willing to eat peanut butter, because until I "invented" breakfast cake he wasn't eating protein. now he gets it from peanut butter and breakfast cake. I’m actually pretty proud of it. :)
3: Avers Pizza. That would be a small, local pizza chain. they're amazing. I don't bother buying pizza from anyone else anymore. we have Avers every single week now. it's tradition. :)
4: Broccoli. For a while there it seemed like scientists were declaring a new reason broccoli was healthy every month or two. which was nice, but pure gravy, really, because there is no finer vegetable. I ADORE broccoli. I could eat it every single day.
5: I love tea. I even have a very handsome, and profoundly dusty, teapot collection. but really, it's all about the tea. what kills me is that as I age I find that certain teas bother my stomach now, and I don't know why yet. it doesn't seem to be the caffeine, it doesn't seem to be the milk.... I have to figure out what it is because I drink tea all day, and I’d like to drink more flavours!
6: Brown rice. I read somewhere while the Atkins diet craze was making the news that we talk about people having a "sweet tooth" or a "fat tooth" but really, a lot of folks have a "carb tooth." oh, yeah. give me carbs. rice, pasta, potatoes... and then more rice. and for dessert? ice cream would be nice, but could I have fettuccini alfredo, instead?
7: Indian food. Don't know how to cook it myself, so I only eat it in restaurants. their breads are so cool, and those stews... I love Indian food.
8: Canned pears. My older daughter gets intermittently obsessed with them. she won't ask for them for ages and then suddenly she would happily eat two huge cans a day if I let her. this lasts for a week or three, and then snap! and she's done again. it's a little weird.
9: Salsa. I love salsa. its calorie free, it's spicy, it's nothing but vegetables. the virtuous snack food.
I think I’ll stop at nine, because really, who wants to be like everyone else and have a list of ten that actually has ten things? ;)
1: Lamb chops. you ask what my favorite food is, it's easy. My mom used to make lamb chops all the time when I was a kid and I would get grease everywhere, fighting with the bone to get every last molecule in my mouth. I never eat them anymore because I don't really buy red meat (except in sandwich meat I guess) but I can still almost taste my mom's lamb chops. yummmm.....
2: Cholesterol cake. That's what I call it in my head, anyway. it's a recipe I modified. it's officially called "strawberry yogurt pound cake" but when I double the recipe I add two eggs, making a total of ten. it also has chocolate chips, twelve ounces of yogurt, and two full sticks of butter. my kids call it "breakfast cake" and love it. I make it fairly frequently. why? because my son is something of an unofficial vegan. by which I do not mean he is philosophically choosing not to eat animal products. what I mean is, he has a short, short list of foods he's willing to eat, and eggs isn't on it. actually, protein is barely on it. we're still dancing jigs that he starting being willing to eat peanut butter, because until I "invented" breakfast cake he wasn't eating protein. now he gets it from peanut butter and breakfast cake. I’m actually pretty proud of it. :)
3: Avers Pizza. That would be a small, local pizza chain. they're amazing. I don't bother buying pizza from anyone else anymore. we have Avers every single week now. it's tradition. :)
4: Broccoli. For a while there it seemed like scientists were declaring a new reason broccoli was healthy every month or two. which was nice, but pure gravy, really, because there is no finer vegetable. I ADORE broccoli. I could eat it every single day.
5: I love tea. I even have a very handsome, and profoundly dusty, teapot collection. but really, it's all about the tea. what kills me is that as I age I find that certain teas bother my stomach now, and I don't know why yet. it doesn't seem to be the caffeine, it doesn't seem to be the milk.... I have to figure out what it is because I drink tea all day, and I’d like to drink more flavours!
6: Brown rice. I read somewhere while the Atkins diet craze was making the news that we talk about people having a "sweet tooth" or a "fat tooth" but really, a lot of folks have a "carb tooth." oh, yeah. give me carbs. rice, pasta, potatoes... and then more rice. and for dessert? ice cream would be nice, but could I have fettuccini alfredo, instead?
7: Indian food. Don't know how to cook it myself, so I only eat it in restaurants. their breads are so cool, and those stews... I love Indian food.
8: Canned pears. My older daughter gets intermittently obsessed with them. she won't ask for them for ages and then suddenly she would happily eat two huge cans a day if I let her. this lasts for a week or three, and then snap! and she's done again. it's a little weird.
9: Salsa. I love salsa. its calorie free, it's spicy, it's nothing but vegetables. the virtuous snack food.
I think I’ll stop at nine, because really, who wants to be like everyone else and have a list of ten that actually has ten things? ;)
Friday, January 05, 2007
Teeth
I took my seven year old son to the Orthodontist today. They do these things differently these days. I got braces at ten, and, at the time, that was remarkably young. But my dentist recommended orthodonture for Razi when he was four, if I recall correctly. That sounded insane to me, but as time passed it was clear that he had an underbite and perhaps some crowding.
Long story short, he needs braces. He had a lot of baby teeth pulled a few months ago, but he still needs braces. And, of course, it is going to cost a few thousand dollars.
Today alone was $330.
Luckily the girls seem to have good teeth. Which, considering that I was a metal-mouth for seven years, and his paternal grandfather never wore them but really should have, well, one out of three (if that is how it turns out) is awfully lucky.
The women at the Orthodontist's office are very nice. He needed two X-rays today, plus impressions of both the top and the bottom teeth. I was nearby while two of them worked to keep him still for the X-ray (panoramic X-rays are a real challenge for a little kid) and then I sort of watched while this nice woman worked her tail off to get Razi to cooperate for the impressions. Poor kid. He had no idea what was going on, but they managed to get both impressions. Yay! Hopefully he'll not have to do that again. But if he does, I am confident that those nice women will be just as patient and helpful the next time, too.
Long story short, he needs braces. He had a lot of baby teeth pulled a few months ago, but he still needs braces. And, of course, it is going to cost a few thousand dollars.
Today alone was $330.
Luckily the girls seem to have good teeth. Which, considering that I was a metal-mouth for seven years, and his paternal grandfather never wore them but really should have, well, one out of three (if that is how it turns out) is awfully lucky.
The women at the Orthodontist's office are very nice. He needed two X-rays today, plus impressions of both the top and the bottom teeth. I was nearby while two of them worked to keep him still for the X-ray (panoramic X-rays are a real challenge for a little kid) and then I sort of watched while this nice woman worked her tail off to get Razi to cooperate for the impressions. Poor kid. He had no idea what was going on, but they managed to get both impressions. Yay! Hopefully he'll not have to do that again. But if he does, I am confident that those nice women will be just as patient and helpful the next time, too.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
can we get back to you?
So Zora and Razi were putting together a "show" which I, of course, was waiting eagerly to watch.
Finally they called me to come sit on the couch and watch it. Zora held a stuffed toy in front of her face and mumbled something incomprehensible while Razi danced around with a box on his head.
When I said to Zora that I could not hear her, she told me "Ima, we forgot to practice how the show goes."
ROFL!!
Finally they called me to come sit on the couch and watch it. Zora held a stuffed toy in front of her face and mumbled something incomprehensible while Razi danced around with a box on his head.
When I said to Zora that I could not hear her, she told me "Ima, we forgot to practice how the show goes."
ROFL!!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Something to say?
My mom has asked me to blog more often. Hi mom! ;)
We just had a lovely visit with my mother and father. They should come more often. the kids love to see them, and that makes me so happy.
Winter break starts really soon. The girls have school tomorrow but not on friday, and Razi has school on friday but then they all get two weeks off. I'm already panicking. I hate winter break. The kids get really bored and it's so cold I hate to plan outings. Play dates. I need to schedule a zillion play dates.
I did enough surveys to get another free CD. This time I chose "on and on" by jack johnson. I like it and so does Lilah. She and I danced to some of it yesterday. I love watching her dance. She's so incredibly cute.
Supposedly, I am writing a novel. I obviously need a deadline, because I've written a paragraph. About a week ago. And that's it. Yikes!
And this is why I don't blog very often. My life is dull, I have nothing to say. ;)
We just had a lovely visit with my mother and father. They should come more often. the kids love to see them, and that makes me so happy.
Winter break starts really soon. The girls have school tomorrow but not on friday, and Razi has school on friday but then they all get two weeks off. I'm already panicking. I hate winter break. The kids get really bored and it's so cold I hate to plan outings. Play dates. I need to schedule a zillion play dates.
I did enough surveys to get another free CD. This time I chose "on and on" by jack johnson. I like it and so does Lilah. She and I danced to some of it yesterday. I love watching her dance. She's so incredibly cute.
Supposedly, I am writing a novel. I obviously need a deadline, because I've written a paragraph. About a week ago. And that's it. Yikes!
And this is why I don't blog very often. My life is dull, I have nothing to say. ;)
Friday, November 17, 2006
random stuff
after searching unsuccessfully for lapsang souchong at, what, three different kroger stores? i finally made the time to check the fancy-pants supermarket. yay! my favorite tea. mmmmmmmmmm. i've had some every day since i bought it. i have to be careful though, because it still makes me feel a bit... off, if i drink a great deal of it. it might be the caffeine. apparently it's a highly caffienated tea, for tea anyway.
lilah is doing GREAT with preschool. nowadays i bring her, i put her down, she walks in and doesn't look back or need a hug or even to wave goodbye. to quote my mother's favorite story about my childhood: "i don't need you any more, mommy."
on the other hand, i think she's begun to transition out of her nap. she's a touch under the weather today, and went to sleep easily, but this is the first time she's fallen asleep without difficulty in something like a week.
i hate nap transitions.
but by this age her sister zora was completely done with napping, so at least she postponed it, in comparison.
i still don't know where zora is going to go to kindergarten. or how i am going to pay for it. oh, she can go for free, but only half-day. full-day public school kindergarten will cost me $1800/year. full-day private school, which i would loveLoveLOVE to send her to, would be $4000/yr, before scholarships. but that is only if the private school gets enough children to HAVE kindergarten next year.
last i checked, the private jewish school was as likely to have enough kids for a class as i was to have $4000 sitting around doing nothing. now, paying for public school makes me angry enough to spit nails. but i still feel half-day would be a waste of her time. yuck-o. i want a fairy godmother to come fix this for me.
yesterday was razi's seventh birthday. wow. i've been a mother for seven years and a day. and he got a 100% on his spelling test today, just like last week. he's such a great kid. also, a massive goofball, but he's seven. it's part of the territory.
in addition to all that, he needs braces. my, how times have changed. apparently putting braces on six and seven year olds is all the rage in orthodonture these days. but i can't deny that his teeth are messed up. even if i hadn't seen the panoramic x-rays (and i have. yikes!), he's already got a tooth coming in very, very crooked. looks like he inherited his grandpa john's mouth, and if you've looked into john's mouth, you'll know why that thought makes me willing to get braces for my seven year old. for those of you who've never seen my father-in-law smile, i will allow you to imagine.
lilah is doing GREAT with preschool. nowadays i bring her, i put her down, she walks in and doesn't look back or need a hug or even to wave goodbye. to quote my mother's favorite story about my childhood: "i don't need you any more, mommy."
on the other hand, i think she's begun to transition out of her nap. she's a touch under the weather today, and went to sleep easily, but this is the first time she's fallen asleep without difficulty in something like a week.
i hate nap transitions.
but by this age her sister zora was completely done with napping, so at least she postponed it, in comparison.
i still don't know where zora is going to go to kindergarten. or how i am going to pay for it. oh, she can go for free, but only half-day. full-day public school kindergarten will cost me $1800/year. full-day private school, which i would loveLoveLOVE to send her to, would be $4000/yr, before scholarships. but that is only if the private school gets enough children to HAVE kindergarten next year.
last i checked, the private jewish school was as likely to have enough kids for a class as i was to have $4000 sitting around doing nothing. now, paying for public school makes me angry enough to spit nails. but i still feel half-day would be a waste of her time. yuck-o. i want a fairy godmother to come fix this for me.
yesterday was razi's seventh birthday. wow. i've been a mother for seven years and a day. and he got a 100% on his spelling test today, just like last week. he's such a great kid. also, a massive goofball, but he's seven. it's part of the territory.
in addition to all that, he needs braces. my, how times have changed. apparently putting braces on six and seven year olds is all the rage in orthodonture these days. but i can't deny that his teeth are messed up. even if i hadn't seen the panoramic x-rays (and i have. yikes!), he's already got a tooth coming in very, very crooked. looks like he inherited his grandpa john's mouth, and if you've looked into john's mouth, you'll know why that thought makes me willing to get braces for my seven year old. for those of you who've never seen my father-in-law smile, i will allow you to imagine.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
a damn good day.
one of the worst things about living in a university town is that i make friends with graduate students and then later they move away. feh. especially because, being a very ordinary person (but only in certain very small and overlapping subcultures) it isn't easy for me to make friends in the first place.
i prefer, when possible, to have jewish friends. barring that, people who understand the ironies and demands of modern faithfulness.
i prefer, when possible, to have friends who parent their kids rather like i try to parent mine. barring that, well, it's probably easier if they don't have any kids.
i prefer, when possible, to have friends who are a bit geeky and computer nerdy and science fictiony and such. barring that, i cope.
i prefer, when possible, to have friends who are feminist. barring that, well, actually, there is no barring that. they have to have at least some feminist consciousness.
i prefer, when possible, to have friends who are cool with queer culture and queer people. barring that, i don't want to know, or they aren't my friend anymore.
and i prefer, when possible, to have friends with an ironic and sarcastic sense of humor. barring that, i cry into my tea and bewail my fate.
so why is today such a good day? well, first i brought razi and zora to religious school, and someone i met during the high holy days was running the bagel cafe. and we got a lot of time (over two hours) to talk and get to know each other better. and she's cool. muy cool. no kids yet, but she and her spouse are working on changing that. and i think she fits all my other "prefers" up there. and she's a writer. so i read some of her blog when i got home. she's even cooler than i thought. as in, she has a nerd harem on her blog. she is SO getting invited over soon.
and when i got home, the "lunch date" was here. by that i mean a couple who go to our synagogue that spouse and i have been working on getting over here since, well, the high holy days, actually. and we had a blast. we talked work, SCA, politics, personal history, what it's like raising kids in this town (because like the chick above, they don't have kids yet but are thinking about changing that).... i like them both. a bunch. the wife and i have some career things in common, the husband and my spouse talked and talked about all sorts of stuff... they were here for hours. i think they genuinely liked us, too.
and best of all, not a one of these people is a graduate student!
so! a good day. yeah.
i prefer, when possible, to have jewish friends. barring that, people who understand the ironies and demands of modern faithfulness.
i prefer, when possible, to have friends who parent their kids rather like i try to parent mine. barring that, well, it's probably easier if they don't have any kids.
i prefer, when possible, to have friends who are a bit geeky and computer nerdy and science fictiony and such. barring that, i cope.
i prefer, when possible, to have friends who are feminist. barring that, well, actually, there is no barring that. they have to have at least some feminist consciousness.
i prefer, when possible, to have friends who are cool with queer culture and queer people. barring that, i don't want to know, or they aren't my friend anymore.
and i prefer, when possible, to have friends with an ironic and sarcastic sense of humor. barring that, i cry into my tea and bewail my fate.
so why is today such a good day? well, first i brought razi and zora to religious school, and someone i met during the high holy days was running the bagel cafe. and we got a lot of time (over two hours) to talk and get to know each other better. and she's cool. muy cool. no kids yet, but she and her spouse are working on changing that. and i think she fits all my other "prefers" up there. and she's a writer. so i read some of her blog when i got home. she's even cooler than i thought. as in, she has a nerd harem on her blog. she is SO getting invited over soon.
and when i got home, the "lunch date" was here. by that i mean a couple who go to our synagogue that spouse and i have been working on getting over here since, well, the high holy days, actually. and we had a blast. we talked work, SCA, politics, personal history, what it's like raising kids in this town (because like the chick above, they don't have kids yet but are thinking about changing that).... i like them both. a bunch. the wife and i have some career things in common, the husband and my spouse talked and talked about all sorts of stuff... they were here for hours. i think they genuinely liked us, too.
and best of all, not a one of these people is a graduate student!
so! a good day. yeah.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Snippets
Lilah has completely adjusted to preschool. She does scream in anger when she realizes I'm leaving her there, but she stops in a minute or two -- before I finish signing her and her sister Zora in, actually.
I've spent a few hours in Razi's classroom now, and I'm glad to be there. I go on Friday mornings from about 10:15 to about 11:15. Last week the teacher actually allowed me to grade the spelling tests. I felt so unworthy. ;)
A little girl named Autumn kept wanting to come talk with me. I told her she'd spelled every single word on her test correctly (hardly anyone managed the word "orange") and taught her how to spell totem. She'd spelled it todum. Spending time with first graders who are learning to spell reminds me all over again how evil English spelling is. Why isn't it "oranj," for goodness sake?!
I was in charge of set up and clean up for the Rosh Hashana reception and the Yom Kippur Break-the-Fast this year. And I came closer to fasting for Yom Kippur than I ever have in my life. I'm pretty sure I'm hypoglycemic, plus I've spent most of my adulthood pregnant, nursing or both, so I don't fast. But this time, I decided to drastically limit calories. So before the Break-the-Fast I'd eaten some milky tea, one hard-boiled egg, and some watery soup. I felt awful. I'm so glad the High Holy Days are over. I didn't feel spiritual at all. On the other hand, I feel like I did a lot of good work for the congregation and I was a good Jew. So, you win some you lose some, it seems, even with things like this.
I've spent a few hours in Razi's classroom now, and I'm glad to be there. I go on Friday mornings from about 10:15 to about 11:15. Last week the teacher actually allowed me to grade the spelling tests. I felt so unworthy. ;)
A little girl named Autumn kept wanting to come talk with me. I told her she'd spelled every single word on her test correctly (hardly anyone managed the word "orange") and taught her how to spell totem. She'd spelled it todum. Spending time with first graders who are learning to spell reminds me all over again how evil English spelling is. Why isn't it "oranj," for goodness sake?!
I was in charge of set up and clean up for the Rosh Hashana reception and the Yom Kippur Break-the-Fast this year. And I came closer to fasting for Yom Kippur than I ever have in my life. I'm pretty sure I'm hypoglycemic, plus I've spent most of my adulthood pregnant, nursing or both, so I don't fast. But this time, I decided to drastically limit calories. So before the Break-the-Fast I'd eaten some milky tea, one hard-boiled egg, and some watery soup. I felt awful. I'm so glad the High Holy Days are over. I didn't feel spiritual at all. On the other hand, I feel like I did a lot of good work for the congregation and I was a good Jew. So, you win some you lose some, it seems, even with things like this.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Fulcrum Power! aka The Strongest 2 Year Old in the Universe!
Yesterday was Lilah's second birthday party. The day before that we had finally cleared out Zora's walk-in closet. Until then Joshua and I had been storing a lot of our old boxes of unexamined old papers in there. We quickly realized that Lilah had a fascination for the inside of the closet, and since her new "hobby" is closing doors, we put a protector on the top of the closet door so she wouldn't lock herself in.
This morning I went in there to grab a dress for her to wear, and I discovered that at some point yesterday -- probably during the noise and confusion of the party -- she'd used the protector as a fulcrum and pulled the door off of two of its three hinges. Six screws yanked right out of the door. Whoa.
I think we're just going to take the door right off the hinges and get rid of it. We'll replace it... someday.
Till then, I've learned another lesson in fulcrum power. Next time, the foam protector goes almost at the edge of the door, not right up near the hinges!
This morning I went in there to grab a dress for her to wear, and I discovered that at some point yesterday -- probably during the noise and confusion of the party -- she'd used the protector as a fulcrum and pulled the door off of two of its three hinges. Six screws yanked right out of the door. Whoa.
I think we're just going to take the door right off the hinges and get rid of it. We'll replace it... someday.
Till then, I've learned another lesson in fulcrum power. Next time, the foam protector goes almost at the edge of the door, not right up near the hinges!
Friday, September 08, 2006
She's growing up!
For a minute there it looked like I was going to have to pull Lilah out of preschool.
Her first day went excellently. She walked into the room and didn't look back at me once. I left, she had a great day, and when I came back three hours later, she turned around, saw me, and gave me an enormous smile and a hug. In retrospect, I think she was so happy to be there that she simply didn't notice my absence for those three hours.
On her second day, she cried as soon as I started to carry her into the room.
Her third day was the same. I was a little worried, but then I came to get her at noon and she was outside, playing and having fun. I thought this meant she was fine, but I later learned she'd been upset on and off all morning until she went outside and could be with her sister.
Then on her fourth day, she cried when we got there, she was crying when I left, and she was crying still, forty-five minutes later when they called and asked me to come get her. She was upsetting the other children.
But I didn't want to give up! She'd fussed and yelled and complained the whole previous year when we'd dropped off her sister and she'd been forced to leave! And it was only two days a week! I felt confident that if we could get her over this hump, she would love it there.
So for the third week we tried something new.
On Tuesday, we brought Zora and instead of leaving, we went into Lilah's classroom and she started to cry. But I sat down with her on my lap and just... stayed. For the whole three hours. After a while (forty-five minutes?) she'd gone off into the corner and ceased to notice me. She was doing great! The teacher said I could leave if I wanted, but I said no, I promised her I would stay all day and since I don't know how much language she understands I had better not break my promise.
On Wednesday, however, I did want to leave.
She wasn't willing to let me go, and I kept edging for the door every time she got interested in the room, toys, or other children, which was probably a mistake. Finally I realized I was going to be there a while, so I just sat down and relaxed. Later, when she went off to one corner of the room, I went to another, where she couldn't see me. She didn't come looking for me that time!
When the head teacher interrupted a story reading to take Lilah to the bathroom and change her, I escaped.
They didn't call!
On Thursday I stayed as long as I could before taking her big brother Razi to a dental appointment. (Which turned out to be a complete waste of time, but that is another story). She fussed and cried for a bit after we left, but then she was fine.
And today, again, she was angry and sad when I left, but then, she was fine.
YAY!!!
This means I can volunteer in Razi's first grade classroom. I can have some time to myself. I have a built in time for medical appointments for me or any of the kids. I can ride that bicycle I bought this summer.
I am really happy about this. :)
Her first day went excellently. She walked into the room and didn't look back at me once. I left, she had a great day, and when I came back three hours later, she turned around, saw me, and gave me an enormous smile and a hug. In retrospect, I think she was so happy to be there that she simply didn't notice my absence for those three hours.
On her second day, she cried as soon as I started to carry her into the room.
Her third day was the same. I was a little worried, but then I came to get her at noon and she was outside, playing and having fun. I thought this meant she was fine, but I later learned she'd been upset on and off all morning until she went outside and could be with her sister.
Then on her fourth day, she cried when we got there, she was crying when I left, and she was crying still, forty-five minutes later when they called and asked me to come get her. She was upsetting the other children.
But I didn't want to give up! She'd fussed and yelled and complained the whole previous year when we'd dropped off her sister and she'd been forced to leave! And it was only two days a week! I felt confident that if we could get her over this hump, she would love it there.
So for the third week we tried something new.
On Tuesday, we brought Zora and instead of leaving, we went into Lilah's classroom and she started to cry. But I sat down with her on my lap and just... stayed. For the whole three hours. After a while (forty-five minutes?) she'd gone off into the corner and ceased to notice me. She was doing great! The teacher said I could leave if I wanted, but I said no, I promised her I would stay all day and since I don't know how much language she understands I had better not break my promise.
On Wednesday, however, I did want to leave.
She wasn't willing to let me go, and I kept edging for the door every time she got interested in the room, toys, or other children, which was probably a mistake. Finally I realized I was going to be there a while, so I just sat down and relaxed. Later, when she went off to one corner of the room, I went to another, where she couldn't see me. She didn't come looking for me that time!
When the head teacher interrupted a story reading to take Lilah to the bathroom and change her, I escaped.
They didn't call!
On Thursday I stayed as long as I could before taking her big brother Razi to a dental appointment. (Which turned out to be a complete waste of time, but that is another story). She fussed and cried for a bit after we left, but then she was fine.
And today, again, she was angry and sad when I left, but then, she was fine.
YAY!!!
This means I can volunteer in Razi's first grade classroom. I can have some time to myself. I have a built in time for medical appointments for me or any of the kids. I can ride that bicycle I bought this summer.
I am really happy about this. :)
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Evolution
Zora was watching Fantasia, which has a dinosaur extinction scene. She asked me where the people were. I told her there were no people then. So she asked me where the people came from.
So I gave her a brief description of evolution. The shortest I could come up with.
She can be a real challenge, but I'm very proud of her.
So I gave her a brief description of evolution. The shortest I could come up with.
She can be a real challenge, but I'm very proud of her.
Friday, July 07, 2006
the cats
I know it's fun to look at pictures, and since I won't post pics of my children here, I figure I can do the next best thing and post pictures of the cats. :)
This is Sozo. Her name is, according to what we googled up, greek for "to heal, to cure, to prevent destruction" a good omen but not necessarily an accurate description of her. We saw the name on a coffee shop on the way home from the cattery.
You can't tell from the photos, but she has blue eyes. Also, she's very small. She probably weighs about six pounds. She's four years old this month. She is very... aloof. She loves me, she loves to have her head scratched like this.
She spends most of her time sleeping on my bed, and she and Tiamat still don't like each other. They have learned how to live in the same house without (usually) drawing blood, however.
And this is Tiamat. She is a little over a year old. Her name is from a Babylonian/Assyrian creation Goddess who often took a dragon form. If I recall correctly her children chopped her up and built the world out of her parts. Yikes.
Anyway, Tiamat is pretty much our perfect cat. She puts up with more nonsense from the children than any cat should have to suffer through, and she seems to love them nonetheless.
Tiamat is also very small. She weighs a bit more than Sozo, perhaps 7 pounds. Between the two of them they weigh what one ordinary cat weighs.
People tell me often that she is very pretty, but I confess I don't see it. It really doesn't matter though, sicne she is so good with all three of the kids.
And here, because I could not resist, is a picture of my silly Fourth of July fingernails.
This is Sozo. Her name is, according to what we googled up, greek for "to heal, to cure, to prevent destruction" a good omen but not necessarily an accurate description of her. We saw the name on a coffee shop on the way home from the cattery.
You can't tell from the photos, but she has blue eyes. Also, she's very small. She probably weighs about six pounds. She's four years old this month. She is very... aloof. She loves me, she loves to have her head scratched like this.
She spends most of her time sleeping on my bed, and she and Tiamat still don't like each other. They have learned how to live in the same house without (usually) drawing blood, however.
And this is Tiamat. She is a little over a year old. Her name is from a Babylonian/Assyrian creation Goddess who often took a dragon form. If I recall correctly her children chopped her up and built the world out of her parts. Yikes.
Anyway, Tiamat is pretty much our perfect cat. She puts up with more nonsense from the children than any cat should have to suffer through, and she seems to love them nonetheless.
Tiamat is also very small. She weighs a bit more than Sozo, perhaps 7 pounds. Between the two of them they weigh what one ordinary cat weighs.
People tell me often that she is very pretty, but I confess I don't see it. It really doesn't matter though, sicne she is so good with all three of the kids.
And here, because I could not resist, is a picture of my silly Fourth of July fingernails.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Friday, June 16, 2006
Wow!
other local parents have been telling me about this great new playground in town. i kept thinking yeah, i should go there with the kids. we finally made it a few days ago.
i wasn't sure where it was, so i drove slowly through the park it is in, looking for it. it's a large park, with a golf course and then a long winding road with more than one playground. it must be an old park as well, because the trees are thick and huge.
anyway, i'd heard it was "completely redone". so when i saw a totally fancy new parking lot i thought okay, that must be it. the playground, however, looked quite ordinary and there were no children on it. but there was a large stone shelter with indoor bathrooms, and the stream was nice and the trees were nice and i figured well, i guess the playground that was here before was awful. we stayed a while and then i saw something through the trees. what was that? it was bright red... wait a minute... was that the REAL new playground, across the street and behind some trees?
we walked across the street to find what has got to be the best playground i've ever seen in my whole life. i took some pictures just to show it off. i love my town.
the playground has this thing children can climb up and two of the slides that come down are about three stories tall. look for the adults in the photos for perspective.
it has a little play house, a section just for kids under five, a rope climbing structure i've never seen the likes of in the US (though i saw two in scotland years ago). it has lots of swings. one is almost like a huge plastic throne. two are these large saucers that can fit four kids at once. it has a huge long bridge/walkway that the kids love to run up and down. it has places to eat with tent-like covers to create shade.
it's fabulous. we've been there three times in three days.
i wasn't sure where it was, so i drove slowly through the park it is in, looking for it. it's a large park, with a golf course and then a long winding road with more than one playground. it must be an old park as well, because the trees are thick and huge.
anyway, i'd heard it was "completely redone". so when i saw a totally fancy new parking lot i thought okay, that must be it. the playground, however, looked quite ordinary and there were no children on it. but there was a large stone shelter with indoor bathrooms, and the stream was nice and the trees were nice and i figured well, i guess the playground that was here before was awful. we stayed a while and then i saw something through the trees. what was that? it was bright red... wait a minute... was that the REAL new playground, across the street and behind some trees?
we walked across the street to find what has got to be the best playground i've ever seen in my whole life. i took some pictures just to show it off. i love my town.
the playground has this thing children can climb up and two of the slides that come down are about three stories tall. look for the adults in the photos for perspective.
it has a little play house, a section just for kids under five, a rope climbing structure i've never seen the likes of in the US (though i saw two in scotland years ago). it has lots of swings. one is almost like a huge plastic throne. two are these large saucers that can fit four kids at once. it has a huge long bridge/walkway that the kids love to run up and down. it has places to eat with tent-like covers to create shade.
it's fabulous. we've been there three times in three days.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
clever kid!
"You can only be shrunk if you're in a book. You can only be shrunk if you're pretending. And if you are real, and you are shrunk, then you're pretending."
Zora, June 8, 2006
Zora, June 8, 2006
Friday, May 19, 2006
A little snarky, I know.
I was driving home a few minutes ago and I saw an older man driving one of those cute, zippy little sports cars that men often seem to buy when they are having a "mid-life crisis". I think this one was a white Miata.
And I got to wondering. If men are buying vehicles to prove that they are still virile, then the car surely represents his actual "manhood", right? So why are these cars so often small, and fast?
And I got to wondering. If men are buying vehicles to prove that they are still virile, then the car surely represents his actual "manhood", right? So why are these cars so often small, and fast?
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