Monday, April 21, 2008
They crack me up. Everyday.
Em's skills at sarcasm are starting to rival her father's. She's learning how to cope with frenemies at school and is into email, talking on the phone and picking out special outfits (esp. from certain stores - she's suddenly VERY brand conscious).
Luce just had her first sleepover birthday party. The girls went for "Princess Manicures and Pedicures". As we arrived at the nail salon some girls were there getting ready for prom (our high school's prom was the same night as Lucy's b-day party). The little princesses in our party asked: "What's prom?" Then they all ooh-ed and aahed over the teenagers' pretty hair up-dos and fancy nails. One high school girl showed the girls her hairstyle (like a princess! Those curls!) and explained it takes all day to get ready for prom. The girls all turned to me and said: "When do we get to go to prom?" I told them: "Just about 10 years from today, ok?"
Michael is learning that if he gives a really smooth explanation that he can get his way sometimes.
He talked me into his eating a chocolate Easter candy one morning this past week because he explained it had "all medicine in it" that would make his sore throat all better.
It was so earnestly delivered and cute (and I figured no harm could come from a tiny piece of chocolate first thing in the morning, esp. for him because he's lost so much weight lately) I let him have the candy.
I've taken to jotting down the really funny things they say - because the kids crack me up so often. The other night Jeff and I were tucking Emma into bed and he was going to (playfully) hit her with a pillow. I made a good show of trying to wrestle it from his hands - and ended up with a 2 inch cut on my finger that I somehow managed to cause with my own thumbnail. When I showed Emma she said: "Sheesh Carolyn - you aren't to be trusted with soft objects!"
Last Friday morning Jeff called me and Mr. Man had this to say to him:
"Daddy. I very disappointed in you and I be angry with you because you don't stay home with me and I sick." When Jeff called me and we laughed about this, Michael, in the back seat of the car began to get REALLY mad and corrected Jeff:
"Daddy! I already angry at you."
The other night Michael came up to me dragging a quilt and said: "Mommy, how 'bout we play I patching." I said: "Patching?" ...instantly my mind went to thinking about quilting..but I could tell that wasn't what he wanted. I finally figured it out: he wanted to play he was a HATCHING baby bird. So, I wrapped him up in the quilt and he "hatched" and peep-peeped like a baby bird. He thinks its so funny when I say: "OK, the mommy bird will feed you chewed up worms now!" and make fake barfing noises - that cracks him up and he giggles for a long time.
The best was last week when I was giving the kids a bath and had the TV on in our bedroom. I was flopped on the bed watching the Miss USA pageant while rotating kids in and out of our tub. Lucy walked in to take her bath, took one look at the Miss USA swimsuit portion of the pageant on TV and said: "Ewwww. Gross!"
Luce just had her first sleepover birthday party. The girls went for "Princess Manicures and Pedicures". As we arrived at the nail salon some girls were there getting ready for prom (our high school's prom was the same night as Lucy's b-day party). The little princesses in our party asked: "What's prom?" Then they all ooh-ed and aahed over the teenagers' pretty hair up-dos and fancy nails. One high school girl showed the girls her hairstyle (like a princess! Those curls!) and explained it takes all day to get ready for prom. The girls all turned to me and said: "When do we get to go to prom?" I told them: "Just about 10 years from today, ok?"
Michael is learning that if he gives a really smooth explanation that he can get his way sometimes.
He talked me into his eating a chocolate Easter candy one morning this past week because he explained it had "all medicine in it" that would make his sore throat all better.
It was so earnestly delivered and cute (and I figured no harm could come from a tiny piece of chocolate first thing in the morning, esp. for him because he's lost so much weight lately) I let him have the candy.
I've taken to jotting down the really funny things they say - because the kids crack me up so often. The other night Jeff and I were tucking Emma into bed and he was going to (playfully) hit her with a pillow. I made a good show of trying to wrestle it from his hands - and ended up with a 2 inch cut on my finger that I somehow managed to cause with my own thumbnail. When I showed Emma she said: "Sheesh Carolyn - you aren't to be trusted with soft objects!"
Last Friday morning Jeff called me and Mr. Man had this to say to him:
"Daddy. I very disappointed in you and I be angry with you because you don't stay home with me and I sick." When Jeff called me and we laughed about this, Michael, in the back seat of the car began to get REALLY mad and corrected Jeff:
"Daddy! I already angry at you."
The other night Michael came up to me dragging a quilt and said: "Mommy, how 'bout we play I patching." I said: "Patching?" ...instantly my mind went to thinking about quilting..but I could tell that wasn't what he wanted. I finally figured it out: he wanted to play he was a HATCHING baby bird. So, I wrapped him up in the quilt and he "hatched" and peep-peeped like a baby bird. He thinks its so funny when I say: "OK, the mommy bird will feed you chewed up worms now!" and make fake barfing noises - that cracks him up and he giggles for a long time.
The best was last week when I was giving the kids a bath and had the TV on in our bedroom. I was flopped on the bed watching the Miss USA pageant while rotating kids in and out of our tub. Lucy walked in to take her bath, took one look at the Miss USA swimsuit portion of the pageant on TV and said: "Ewwww. Gross!"
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Yellow Curry = Trip Down Memory Lane
Today at lunch I had a flash of realization - a reminder of how truly fortunate I am that my life has taken the path that it has.
Years ago on a business trip in Singapore I walked with coworkers to a little indoor market area where they went for lunch each day. It was a lot like the Dayton's ground floor level food area (aka Marshall Fields, aka Macy's) - lots of competing vendor stalls selling a variety of lunch items to be purchased a la carte.
I remember thinking, with not just a little bit of jealousy, that they got to have a delicious lunch for relatively cheap right near their office each day. Oh to have that variety...Oh to have those yummy Asian dishes right there. Like every trip I take anywhere, I envisioned what life would be like if I could move to Singapore.
Flash forward nearly a decade to today. I walked down the hall attached to my office tower (in the lovely temperature controlled skyway) and decided between Thai noodles, a freshly made yellow curry with veggies and chicken, Falafel or a fresh tossed green salad. I'd already decided not to walk to the Japanese bento place I've been frequenting lately.
And then it hit me as I ate my wonderful curry... it tasted like that lunch in Singapore. It was the lunch special, so it was relatively (relative to downtown prices) cheap. And I realized again how very, very fortunate I am and how, in many senses, every wish I've ever had - even the fleeting ones for a yummy workday lunch - feels as if it's come true.
Years ago on a business trip in Singapore I walked with coworkers to a little indoor market area where they went for lunch each day. It was a lot like the Dayton's ground floor level food area (aka Marshall Fields, aka Macy's) - lots of competing vendor stalls selling a variety of lunch items to be purchased a la carte.
I remember thinking, with not just a little bit of jealousy, that they got to have a delicious lunch for relatively cheap right near their office each day. Oh to have that variety...Oh to have those yummy Asian dishes right there. Like every trip I take anywhere, I envisioned what life would be like if I could move to Singapore.
Flash forward nearly a decade to today. I walked down the hall attached to my office tower (in the lovely temperature controlled skyway) and decided between Thai noodles, a freshly made yellow curry with veggies and chicken, Falafel or a fresh tossed green salad. I'd already decided not to walk to the Japanese bento place I've been frequenting lately.
And then it hit me as I ate my wonderful curry... it tasted like that lunch in Singapore. It was the lunch special, so it was relatively (relative to downtown prices) cheap. And I realized again how very, very fortunate I am and how, in many senses, every wish I've ever had - even the fleeting ones for a yummy workday lunch - feels as if it's come true.
I miss the days, not so long ago, that she didn't care what she wore...
I'm an evil stepmonster because I wouldn't let our resident 5th grade Fashionista wear shorts to school today for picture day. My arguments:
a) it is only 30 degrees outside
b) there are 8 inches of fresh snow on the ground
and
c) that no one can actually see the shorts in the school picture (shoulders & up is all you get)
...were ignored because clearly I'm just trying to ruin her life.
What really rankles is that she took the shorts over to her mom's house and I have no control over whether her mother lets her wear them despite my telling her she can't.
Whee ...the teenage years are going to be interesting.
a) it is only 30 degrees outside
b) there are 8 inches of fresh snow on the ground
and
c) that no one can actually see the shorts in the school picture (shoulders & up is all you get)
...were ignored because clearly I'm just trying to ruin her life.
What really rankles is that she took the shorts over to her mom's house and I have no control over whether her mother lets her wear them despite my telling her she can't.
Whee ...the teenage years are going to be interesting.
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