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July 31, 2006

My belated take on Blogher

Obviously, I didn't go to Blogher.

There have been no posts about trips alone, away from talkative children. Nothing about being nervous to meet people I've only read. About exciting discussions and meet-your-cobloggers mixers. No anxiety ridden discourses on knowing no one, being outclassed by the writers and feeling like I'm 14 on the first day at a new school.

All you get is this post about feeling like I missed out on the fun. Like I'm an outsider in a group that pretty much doesn't know I exist, through no fault of their own, and I didn't get to go to the party.

I know I don't have many readers, and that doesn't really bother me. This isn't so much about you as it is about me. I don't care about making money off the site, even if I thought I could. (Don't get me wrong, if someone wants to throw cash at me, I'll take it!) But while I don't consider myself anywhere near the class of of writer of most of the blogs I read, I do still at least consider myself in the same genre. And because of that, I think it would have been exciting to attend.

Maybe next year?

Posted by me at 10:05 PM | Comments (1)

Hitting the (hummingbird) juice hard

Posted by me at 9:59 PM | Comments (0)

July 27, 2006

This can't be normal

I'm pretty sure I've brought up Jamie's crying before. I like to think things have been getting better, although it may just be that my outlook has finally changed for the better in the last few weeks.

Then today happened.

Don't get me wrong, she's still a crier. She still cries for stupid reasons, no reason, or for a valid reason with an over the top reaction. I've tried having her take a deep breath, asking her to calm down, telling her we only cry when we're hurt, sending her to her room, yelling, and even a spanking or two. So far, aside from shocking her into temporary silence on occasion, nothing has really helped.

To give you an idea of what sets off the tears, here are today's transgressions:

-She was trying to put a diaper on her stuffed dog. She wanted help, I wasked her to try. She got squeaky and said she didn't know how. Now, we have diapered doggie before. We have diapered her sister hundreds of times. She is nearly three and a half years old. She should be able to make a solid attempt. We tried this several times.

-Much later, we went out to play. When we came back inside, the power was out and we couldn't watch the Blue I had promised her before her rest. She didnt want to, but I got her up to bed with a little whining and complaining. A couple minutes after I came downstairs, she started screeching like she was neing attacked. I couldn't understand what she was yelling, so I went up to make sure she wasn't hurt. Her clock wasn't right because of the power outage.

To me, this seems like way more than just a case of out-of-control emotions. I don't know how to teach her to gain control.

I;m totally open to suggestions here.

Posted by me at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)

Indoor sandbox

Posted by me at 9:52 PM

July 26, 2006

"Blogging"

Rex has been working from home a lot lately, especially since his part of the New Mexico contract is up. I joke with him a lot that he isn't working from home so much as "working" from home. Amazing how much more sarcastic air quotes look in person.

One day I was messing with him, telling him he should go to his "office" and "work" at his "job." Jamie followed him in to give him a hug and shut the door, as usual. Then she came out and told me that Daddy had started "working." It made me giggle, even though Rex confessed to coaching her.

He wasn't coaching her later, though when she came over to tell me that she had been entertaining herself jumping his "golf shoes." Still not sure what was up with that, since she really had been jumping golf shoes :)

Posted by me at 10:00 PM | Comments (0)

July 25, 2006

Side by side

Posted by me at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)

No way I'll be homeschooling this one

The other day I got out the broom to sweep the grass clippings off the sidewalk, then laid it down on the driveway while I chased Katie around. Jamie picked it up and started trying to push it sideways, effectively doing nothing. Since my job as a parent is to teach her how to do my dirty work, I figured it was my duty to teach her to sweep right.

I held the broom vertically, wrapped her hands around under mine, and showed her how to actually move grass with the bristles. After clearing one 10-inch swath, Jamie dropped to her knees crying about how she wanted to do it. She started pawing at the yard, trying to rake the grass we had just swept back onto the driveway, completely ignoring the fact that we have 50 more feet of unswept grass. As I was trying to talk her down from the cliffs of despair, she kept trying to take the broom from me, telling me to "Go sit down! Go sit down over there."

I suppose I should be applauding her independence, and I am. But would it kill her to let me try to teach her a thing or two every now and then?

Posted by me at 9:44 PM | Comments (0)

July 22, 2006

Time to be more careful with what I say

"Shut it, Katie"

Posted by me at 4:43 PM | Comments (0)

July 21, 2006

Literal, not lying

Me: What's that white stuff on your lips?

J: I don't know.

Me: Is it toothpaste? (It looks like what dries around her lips after she brushes her teeth, and she has recently been alone in her room resting, during which I heard some faint sounds that lead me to believe she didn't stay in her room like she was supposed to.)

J: I don't know.

Me: Did you brush your teeth while you were resting?

J: No.

Me: Were you eating toothpaste?

J: Yes.

Posted by me at 10:31 PM | Comments (0)

Achoo!

Posted by me at 9:15 PM | Comments (2)

July 20, 2006

Afternoon glow

Posted by me at 9:11 PM | Comments (0)

Only Rex could have done it faster

The girls were up a little late tonight while we got some long awaited home repairs done. They were doing laps around the couch, giggling and tickling chasing and playing. As Katie toddled past me in front of the couch, I whispered, "Want a boobie?" You've never seen a kid turn so fast and smile so big!

Posted by me at 9:09 PM | Comments (0)

July 19, 2006

Upslide down

Posted by me at 9:14 PM | Comments (0)

She was standing in the kitchen with me the whole time

J: Mama, where's my scoop?

Me: I think I put it away. Did you look for it?

J: Is it in the drawer?

Me: Nope.

J: Mama, I can't find it. I looked everywhere!

Posted by me at 3:05 PM | Comments (0)

July 18, 2006

Whachutalkinbout?

Posted by me at 9:10 PM | Comments (0)

July 17, 2006

Apparently Jamie is ready for us to have another kid

As the girls and I were loading into the van to go to Walmart today, Jamie started to explain the seating arrangements. Apparently, since Katie is going to "be a big girl soon," it's time to do some rearranging. The little baby is going to sit in Katie's seat, Katie will move to Jamie's, and Jamie is going to sit in back.

Does she know something I don't?

Posted by me at 9:22 PM | Comments (0)

Pinhole

Posted by me at 9:13 PM | Comments (2)

July 15, 2006

Desert I haven't seen

Taken by Rex.

Posted by me at 9:43 PM | Comments (0)

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

The first time my dad came down here to visit, he and Jamie planted a little garden on the side of the house. Just a few yellow squash, a couple zuchinni, a short row of beans, one tomato, some sunflowers and a row of Zinnias for color. So far, I've harvested one bug-eaten tomato and two beans. Oh, and the flowers are up and bee-you-tee-ful.

The sunflowers have the excuse of not getting enough sun.

The squash and zuchinni popped up out of the ground and have flowered like crazy, but all male flowers that do nothing but look pretty.

The tomato is crazy tall and has had some flowers, but no fruits.

The bean plants are short, but finally produced a couple tiny but tasty beans.

I have gay vegetables.

Posted by me at 5:24 PM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2006

Best seat in the house!

Posted by me at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)

Argh!

I have managed to screw with my site settings in such a way that I can't comment on my own site.

DAMN THE SPAMMERS!!!

Posted by me at 10:37 PM | Comments (0)

July 12, 2006

Summertime

Posted by me at 9:56 PM | Comments (2)

July 11, 2006

And then we had Krispy Kremes

We spent a night in Austin with friends this weekend. As usual, we had a wonderful time catching up with friends, watching the kids play happily (if not quietly) together, and not getting much sleep. Rex, the girls and I shared a room, which worked out just fine.

In spite of all the excitement and a late bedtime, Jamie woke up at 6:45. I convinced her to climb into bed with me and keep her mouth shut. For once she complied. Half an hour later, Katie woke up and then spent the next 15 minutes talking quietly to the skylight.

I brought Katie into the bed with the rest of us. She started fussing when I laid her down, but then I pulled up my shirt and she gave me the same smile her father does when the planets align, he's working from home, the kids nap together and I open for business. She lay on her side with one hand hovering above and one below my boob, as though afraid that touching it would cause it to take flight like a wild creature.

Except for the short night and early morning, it was the most perfect morning I can remember.

Posted by me at 10:20 PM | Comments (0)

Party Animal

Posted by me at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)

July 6, 2006

Candy Tuft

Posted by me at 10:35 PM | Comments (0)

Feminine products: The ultimate toddler entertainment

Tampons get all the credit for my daily shower escapes since 2003.

It's been a rare month that I've had use for products, so once Jamie learned to sit up and move around a bit, I made sure there was nothing dangerous in the vanity cupboards and I let her go to town.

By the time we got to Maryland, Jamie was old enough to occupy with Sesame Street, Clifford or Dragon Tails. Once Katie came along, I'd stuff the bouncer in the bathroom with me and pray that peeping through the shower curtain every 2 minutes would keep her happy. Then Katie learned to move, and I provided Jamie with all sorts of toys to entertain Katie with (packs of toilet paper worked best). Had there been enough room in the bathroom with me, you can bet I would have just opened the cabinets and let them go at it.

We're back in a house with a huge bathroom and cupboards filled with all sorts of booty that I still have no use for. Jamie spent days carrying the ob instruction page around with her, showing off her "list." Katie is learning about cleaning up your toys by helping put the tampons back in the box every day. Jamie counts panty liners. Today, they "scrubbed" the outside of the shower doors with panty liners. I just wish Jamie had had some Clorox Clean-Up.

They should just stock Tampax in the toy aisle at Walmart, as far as I'm concerned.

Posted by me at 9:39 PM | Comments (0)

July 5, 2006

Well, there goes my camera money

I was supposed to watch the neighbor's kid for three days this week. She pays me the same amount she would pay for drop in day-care, which is a wonderfully insane amount of money to receive, in addition to having a little person who enjoys Jamie's personal brand of torment. I get a break *and* cash, what could be better?

Normally, I watch the kid kind of last minute, when the nanny is sick or decides to take a vacation day. This time, I had several weeks notice and had been working my schedule around being stuck around the house. (I'm not crazy enough to take three kids to the grocery store, especially when one of them isn't mine.)

About half an hour after the neighbor usually drops the kid off, I got a call from her saying that her mother came into town and she wouldn't need me at all.

Well, shit.

No money, no playmate and no plans for the next few days.

Posted by me at 9:48 PM | Comments (0)

July 4, 2006

Rain, rain go away

It's been cloudy and rainy here lately, and today was no exception. To ward off boredom and escape the house, we decided to make a last minute trip up to College Station, a town Rex and I lived in for 4+ years while earning (or at least attempting to earn) our degrees. We haven't been there in about 2 years, since before we left for Maryland, and it's always fun to go back and see what's changed.

And also? Lunch at Freebirds. If you've been to Chipotle, it's the same concept but about 100 times better. I ate way too much, and I can't even bring myself to feel guilty about it. We also got ice cream at a place called Maggie Moo's, which isn't specific to College Station, but was still yummy.

The girls were angels today. There was lots of napping in the car. They were happy and good and they played with each other and Jamie wasn't argumentative at all. Even getting caught in a massive rainstorm and huddling under an overhang for half an hour or so didn't ruin their moods or mine. We didn't get to walk around campus and relive our glory days, although we did drive around and see some of the additions to campus and the town, and some of our old stomping grounds.

It feels so good to have a good day, even when there were so many reasons that it shouldn't have been.

Posted by me at 10:45 PM | Comments (2)

July 3, 2006

Which do you think will be a bigger hit at the preschool kegger?

Sure some people's two year old can count to 50, and someone else's three-and-a-half year old can count to 100.

But mine? Mine can sing the Star Bangled Banner while she goes to the bathroom.

Beat THAT!

Posted by me at 5:47 PM | Comments (0)

July 1, 2006

And I need to pull the camera out more, too

I've had to turn comment approval back on. The spam comments have gotten too annoying to deal with, now that I've gotten over the thrill of actually getting comments, spam or not.

I haven't posted much lately, and sadly, it's not due to lack of material. Just as sad, I can't remember what I want to write about more than 20 minutes after it first occurs to me, so I doubt most of recent events will ever make it into blog form. In any case, I will start writing again soon. Really, I will!

Posted by me at 3:59 PM | Comments (1)