So yesterday was Pumpkin's first day of school (I'll talk about that in a blog later today - I want to post his pictures). :)
I don't know if was the fact that I had a major meltdown yesterday (don't ask), or if it was the fact that our barely-slept-in-4 days daughter passed out around 6p, or if it was the fact that Chris and I both had the day off, or if we finally just realized that our Kindergartener is, in fact, old enough to progress beyond chicken nuggets, or it was combo of all of it... but we had family dinner last night.
Wahoo!
Chris made delicious steak with cilantro and veggies - squash, oyster mushrooms & shallots- yum! He made a tiny plate with a teeny bit of meat and a few pieces of veg for Pumpkin. He ate all the meat of course (for having a vegan mother the boy looooves red meat) but the veggies were another matter. Chris told him "I only gave a you a tiny bit of veggies - three pieces. You need to it all of it and then you can have more meat." After three bites - one mushroom and a bite of squash - he thought he was done and then burst into bitter, hot tears when Chris reminded him he needed to eat all of it.
"ALL of it?! You didn't tell me that!!!"
"Yes, we did."
Tears or no, Chris stuck with me, and we told him, "You don't want to eat it? That's fine. But that's the end of dinner. No more meat. No nothing." He kept saying, "But I want meat! I WANNNNT meat. But I want to!" Finally after he nearly knocked his plate over when I tried to take it, I told him, "If you want to eat it, eat it. But we are not going to sit here while you have a tantrum. Either eat it now, or you're done." And he scarfed all of it down. I think he was emotionally done though, because after all that he didn't even want the meat I saved him.
I even think he liked the squash (unlike the mushrooms, which required a root beer chaser). All around, not too pretty, but I consider it a success! Real food in 08!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Because I don't have enough to do...
My dear friend Katy (Ryan's momma) decided that our crafty endeavors needed a home of their own.
Voila! She Crafts Too has been born.
(PS. Managing two blogs on Blogger? Very confusing at first!)
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Our Menu Tonight Is...
Am I the only one who doesn't do family "dinner"?
I was reading one women's blog on her daily work outs, and she mentioned that "dinner tonight is..." It occured to me that I read and hear similar phrases often: "dinner tonight is..." "tonight we're having..."
I would love to get to the point where I could get home, give hugs, and start making a healthy dinner with everyone eating the same thing. But for now, unless Chris is home to cook - which is maybe one night a week these days if that (and said dinner night is generally at my parents' house these days) - I never feel less like a "we" and more like a "me" than at dinnertime.
As mentioned above, Chris is rarely, if ever, home in the evenings. Which means that most nights I am essentially a single parent getting home at 5:30p, desperately trying to throw together a meal that will a) not result in a Gladiator-esque battle of the whines, b) be health-conscious, and c) not take forever to make and/or eat, thus allowing time for our frantic schedule of cuddles/ playtime/make Pumpin's dinner/feed the baby/baths/books (we can't even read the same books because the baby tries to eat the paper pages)/bedtime.
After the baby was born, our eldest survived on his own steady diet of chicken nuggets and cheesy sticks. As I slowly try to transition to healthier food, I try to feed him smaller portions of what I'm having, but any kind of spice or herb is subject to a CSI-style investigation.
So more often than not, I end up making Pumpkin the safe bet grilled cheese while I attempt to feed the baby (who is transitioning to "real" food). I generally don't start thinking about what I'm going to eat for dinner until 9pm or later. Not good, especially for my healthy diet.
While I am trying desperately to become the "we eat ____ at dinner" family, it's a process. Baby steps.
What I want to know is - who are these "we" families? How do they deal with the different tastes of their family members? The dragout food battles from the picky eaters? The evening crunch time?
Enlighten me.
I was reading one women's blog on her daily work outs, and she mentioned that "dinner tonight is..." It occured to me that I read and hear similar phrases often: "dinner tonight is..." "tonight we're having..."
I would love to get to the point where I could get home, give hugs, and start making a healthy dinner with everyone eating the same thing. But for now, unless Chris is home to cook - which is maybe one night a week these days if that (and said dinner night is generally at my parents' house these days) - I never feel less like a "we" and more like a "me" than at dinnertime.
As mentioned above, Chris is rarely, if ever, home in the evenings. Which means that most nights I am essentially a single parent getting home at 5:30p, desperately trying to throw together a meal that will a) not result in a Gladiator-esque battle of the whines, b) be health-conscious, and c) not take forever to make and/or eat, thus allowing time for our frantic schedule of cuddles/ playtime/make Pumpin's dinner/feed the baby/baths/books (we can't even read the same books because the baby tries to eat the paper pages)/bedtime.
After the baby was born, our eldest survived on his own steady diet of chicken nuggets and cheesy sticks. As I slowly try to transition to healthier food, I try to feed him smaller portions of what I'm having, but any kind of spice or herb is subject to a CSI-style investigation.
So more often than not, I end up making Pumpkin the safe bet grilled cheese while I attempt to feed the baby (who is transitioning to "real" food). I generally don't start thinking about what I'm going to eat for dinner until 9pm or later. Not good, especially for my healthy diet.
While I am trying desperately to become the "we eat ____ at dinner" family, it's a process. Baby steps.
What I want to know is - who are these "we" families? How do they deal with the different tastes of their family members? The dragout food battles from the picky eaters? The evening crunch time?
Enlighten me.
Monday, August 18, 2008
I want a vacation.
A nice, long, family vacation. Or maybe just a husband-and-wife vacation (Disneyland was kind of crazy).
Either way I want a vacation: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/17/TRP11224CU.DTL&hw=vacation&sn=001&sc=1000
Either way I want a vacation: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/17/TRP11224CU.DTL&hw=vacation&sn=001&sc=1000
Friday, August 15, 2008
Lies, lies, and more lies
Have you ever noticed how dishonest the world as a whole has become? It's been glaringly obvious to me lately. Two specific examples:
1) John (liar) Edwards
Another one bites the dust. Another cheating politician. I have to say, naive as it is, I was really almost heartbroken over this. I really really liked John (liar) Edwards. I thought he was honest family man with a spectactular wife (one out of three ain't bad), and I would have voted for him in the primary had he made it to the California vote (and if yours truly hadn't registered as the "American Independent Party" instead of "Decline to State" Independent...but that's another story).
To find out he was not only a cheatin' lyin' politician, but a cheatin' lyin' politician with a heart of black coal - who cheated on his terminally ill Betty Crocker-esque wife - just floored me. I guess you really can't tell who people are from their public persona at all. Which I knew, but still...still!
Worst of all, more and more details keep coming out that show (liar) Edwards is still lying about how long he was involved with the woman, did he pay her off, is he her baby's daddy, etc. It's like, you've already screwed yourself royally, just come clean with it all. It will come out, and you've already violated the trust of anyone who knows you exist. Get it done with, already.
I'm voting for Obama now, but my faith is shaken. It makes me wonder what skeletons are his closet, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Which is just another tragic consequence of John (liar) Edwards and his absolutely rotten, selfish behavior.
On to Example #2:
2) China's Gold-Winning Gymnastics Team
China's Gold-Winning Women's Gymnastics Team, to be more specific. Who were admittedly fan-freakin'-tastic is the team overall competition and beyond. As were the Chinese men, but they look their age. They ARE their age. Which brings me to my point.
No way, no way in hell, are all those Chinese girls 16 years old. I'm not only trusting my eyes here, either. There's an interesting commentary in Yahoo's Olympics coverage today about how the IOC needs to get up the guts to investigate: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/gymnastics/news?slug=dw-gymnastsage081408&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
The article cites several examples of how the Chinese girls were registered in former competitions as being born in 1993, 1994, etc... and then mysteriously their passports produced at the Olympics listed them as being born in 1992. In one case, a girl considered a 13-year-old prodigy as late as Dec 2007 all of sudden became 16 this summer. An amazing feat, no?
The columnist basically calls out the IOC for not having the cohones to investigate China's glaring breach of the rules. It's open and shut, as far as the IOC is concerned. China provided valid passports stating all girls are 16. That's good enough for them.
Because obviously, China is trustworthy. Obviously, a country that takes girls from their villages at age 3 and puts them in government-run training facilities the rest of their prepubescent lives and allows them to see their parents once a year has only the girls' best interest at heart. Obviously they wouldn't allow a 13 year old to risk serious injury by competing before her bones and body are fully developed, no matter how advantageous their nimble young bodies may be during all those gold-winning twists and layouts. Obviously a corrupt government wouldn't even think about how easy it would be to slap a digit change in the date of a year on a passport. I mean, it's not like they make the passports, right? Oh wait...
But China wouldn't do that. Obviously. And obviously, the IOC's lack of courage to address the situation has nothing - absolutely nothing - to do with the millions upon millions they receive from the host country of the Olympics (ie: China). Right?
Right?
Like I said, a dishonest world man. I need to go listen to some Bob Dylan or something now.
PS. For the record, I have already mailed in my new voter registration. I am now - or soon to be- officially "independent" independent... not the stupid American Independent Party.
1) John (liar) Edwards
Another one bites the dust. Another cheating politician. I have to say, naive as it is, I was really almost heartbroken over this. I really really liked John (liar) Edwards. I thought he was honest family man with a spectactular wife (one out of three ain't bad), and I would have voted for him in the primary had he made it to the California vote (and if yours truly hadn't registered as the "American Independent Party" instead of "Decline to State" Independent...but that's another story).
To find out he was not only a cheatin' lyin' politician, but a cheatin' lyin' politician with a heart of black coal - who cheated on his terminally ill Betty Crocker-esque wife - just floored me. I guess you really can't tell who people are from their public persona at all. Which I knew, but still...still!
Worst of all, more and more details keep coming out that show (liar) Edwards is still lying about how long he was involved with the woman, did he pay her off, is he her baby's daddy, etc. It's like, you've already screwed yourself royally, just come clean with it all. It will come out, and you've already violated the trust of anyone who knows you exist. Get it done with, already.
I'm voting for Obama now, but my faith is shaken. It makes me wonder what skeletons are his closet, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Which is just another tragic consequence of John (liar) Edwards and his absolutely rotten, selfish behavior.
On to Example #2:
2) China's Gold-Winning Gymnastics Team
China's Gold-Winning Women's Gymnastics Team, to be more specific. Who were admittedly fan-freakin'-tastic is the team overall competition and beyond. As were the Chinese men, but they look their age. They ARE their age. Which brings me to my point.
No way, no way in hell, are all those Chinese girls 16 years old. I'm not only trusting my eyes here, either. There's an interesting commentary in Yahoo's Olympics coverage today about how the IOC needs to get up the guts to investigate: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/gymnastics/news?slug=dw-gymnastsage081408&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
The article cites several examples of how the Chinese girls were registered in former competitions as being born in 1993, 1994, etc... and then mysteriously their passports produced at the Olympics listed them as being born in 1992. In one case, a girl considered a 13-year-old prodigy as late as Dec 2007 all of sudden became 16 this summer. An amazing feat, no?
The columnist basically calls out the IOC for not having the cohones to investigate China's glaring breach of the rules. It's open and shut, as far as the IOC is concerned. China provided valid passports stating all girls are 16. That's good enough for them.
Because obviously, China is trustworthy. Obviously, a country that takes girls from their villages at age 3 and puts them in government-run training facilities the rest of their prepubescent lives and allows them to see their parents once a year has only the girls' best interest at heart. Obviously they wouldn't allow a 13 year old to risk serious injury by competing before her bones and body are fully developed, no matter how advantageous their nimble young bodies may be during all those gold-winning twists and layouts. Obviously a corrupt government wouldn't even think about how easy it would be to slap a digit change in the date of a year on a passport. I mean, it's not like they make the passports, right? Oh wait...
But China wouldn't do that. Obviously. And obviously, the IOC's lack of courage to address the situation has nothing - absolutely nothing - to do with the millions upon millions they receive from the host country of the Olympics (ie: China). Right?
Right?
Like I said, a dishonest world man. I need to go listen to some Bob Dylan or something now.
PS. For the record, I have already mailed in my new voter registration. I am now - or soon to be- officially "independent" independent... not the stupid American Independent Party.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Sadness
I looked down at my hand this morning and realized that I am missing one of the small diamonds from my wedding band. In it's place stands a tiny black hole.
I must have done it recently, because I would have noticed. I'm not devastated - it's on the side of the ring in an unnoticable area - but it still makes me a bit sad. I'll have to take it to the jewelers this week and make sure they check the rest of the stones.
A moment of silence for my tiny lost diamond, please.
I must have done it recently, because I would have noticed. I'm not devastated - it's on the side of the ring in an unnoticable area - but it still makes me a bit sad. I'll have to take it to the jewelers this week and make sure they check the rest of the stones.
A moment of silence for my tiny lost diamond, please.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Go for the Gold!
Ladies and gentlemen, it's Olympics time!
Oh, how I love the Olympics. When I was about 12 years old, I got really really really into figure skating. I could tell you the difference between a triple toe flip and triple lutz (tooooe pick!) - I even saved the pullout cheat sheet from TIME magazine.
I was there for the 1992 Olympics, I was there for the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan lead pipe incident (way more interesting than OJ's trial), and I was there in 1994 when a teenage Oksana Baiul bent in half and beat shoo-in Nancy for the gold and sobbed her little orphan heart out. I even watched the men... I knew what Brian Boitano would do. I even poured my little 13 year old heart out in a two page letter to Kristy Yamaguchi - and got a hand signed photo - Always Dream! - sent directly to me! It was framed on my bedside table for years.
Now, the picture and crappy frame are packed away neatly in a box of treasures in my closet. I still like to watch figure skating when it's on, but it's not nearly the obsession is was 15 years (eek!) ago.
On to 2008 Beijing, and I realize my love for the Olympics has never died. If anything, I watch them more obsessively with each passing (two) years. It may be cliche, but there is so much bad news every day, and as the world gets more and more evil, it's a wonderful thing to watch the entire world celebrate together.
Also, I have realized that, oddly, I much prefer the Summer Olympics now. I still watch ice anything in the winter - hockey, dancing, pairs, singles, mens, womens, etc. - beyond that, not much holds my interest. But Summer is swimming, beach volleyball, gymnatics, synchronized diving... I haven't slept since Friday.
Every night, from 8am to nearly midnight, for the past 4 days I sit at my TV screen absolutely entranced. Really, did you see the Opening Ceremonies? Phenomenal. The best performance of anything. Ever. 15,000 extras in LED suits, people running on walls, more fireworks than anyplace ever... truly stunning.
And really, did you see the men's 400M medley relay? The French set to take it, had been trash talking for weeks, are ahead by a full freakin' body length and then all of sudden the last few meters 32 year old Leskin pulls it from somewhere and barely passes the French world record holder to win gold! Team USA is jumping up and down screaming, I was jumping up and down and fist pumping and punching Chris. It was bloody exciting. Eat that Frenchies (and I am one of the few who love the French).
After watching the 1-2-3 of Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, and Aaron Piersol win golds last night, I managed to tear myself away from men's gymnastics out of sheer exhaustion. I was thinking I would get a night off tonight, but then I hear the radio, and nope! Michael Phelps trying for another record-breaking gold! May and Walsh beach volleyball! Natalie Coughlin and Katie Hoff go for medals in women's swimming! Team USA in the women's gymnastics volleyball! And synchronized diving in between.
I guess I have another date with my TV tonight. Go Team USA!
Oh, how I love the Olympics. When I was about 12 years old, I got really really really into figure skating. I could tell you the difference between a triple toe flip and triple lutz (tooooe pick!) - I even saved the pullout cheat sheet from TIME magazine.
I was there for the 1992 Olympics, I was there for the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan lead pipe incident (way more interesting than OJ's trial), and I was there in 1994 when a teenage Oksana Baiul bent in half and beat shoo-in Nancy for the gold and sobbed her little orphan heart out. I even watched the men... I knew what Brian Boitano would do. I even poured my little 13 year old heart out in a two page letter to Kristy Yamaguchi - and got a hand signed photo - Always Dream! - sent directly to me! It was framed on my bedside table for years.
Now, the picture and crappy frame are packed away neatly in a box of treasures in my closet. I still like to watch figure skating when it's on, but it's not nearly the obsession is was 15 years (eek!) ago.
On to 2008 Beijing, and I realize my love for the Olympics has never died. If anything, I watch them more obsessively with each passing (two) years. It may be cliche, but there is so much bad news every day, and as the world gets more and more evil, it's a wonderful thing to watch the entire world celebrate together.
Also, I have realized that, oddly, I much prefer the Summer Olympics now. I still watch ice anything in the winter - hockey, dancing, pairs, singles, mens, womens, etc. - beyond that, not much holds my interest. But Summer is swimming, beach volleyball, gymnatics, synchronized diving... I haven't slept since Friday.
Every night, from 8am to nearly midnight, for the past 4 days I sit at my TV screen absolutely entranced. Really, did you see the Opening Ceremonies? Phenomenal. The best performance of anything. Ever. 15,000 extras in LED suits, people running on walls, more fireworks than anyplace ever... truly stunning.
And really, did you see the men's 400M medley relay? The French set to take it, had been trash talking for weeks, are ahead by a full freakin' body length and then all of sudden the last few meters 32 year old Leskin pulls it from somewhere and barely passes the French world record holder to win gold! Team USA is jumping up and down screaming, I was jumping up and down and fist pumping and punching Chris. It was bloody exciting. Eat that Frenchies (and I am one of the few who love the French).
After watching the 1-2-3 of Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, and Aaron Piersol win golds last night, I managed to tear myself away from men's gymnastics out of sheer exhaustion. I was thinking I would get a night off tonight, but then I hear the radio, and nope! Michael Phelps trying for another record-breaking gold! May and Walsh beach volleyball! Natalie Coughlin and Katie Hoff go for medals in women's swimming! Team USA in the women's gymnastics volleyball! And synchronized diving in between.
I guess I have another date with my TV tonight. Go Team USA!
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