magpie

Catching Up

2 Comments

It’s been too long since I’ve update here.  I’ve been bitten by the Twitter bug and that has been taking over my life.  Luckily (?) I don’t have a phone that will allow for mobile Tweets…when that happens we are all in trouble.  Instead of a proper post here are some random updates:

  • Friday night Mark and I went on our first date night in entirely too long.  We went to the Cavs/Celtics game to watch LeBron and Co. kick some ass.  It was my first NBA game ever and I had a blast (even though our seats were about as close to the arena rafters as you can get). I think I’m becoming a serious Cavs fan.
  • We got about a foot of snow here over the weekend and we had a lot of fun with M playing in the white stuff.  We even purchased her first sled and took her to an ity-bity hill a few blocks away.  She loves it (and loves eating the snow).  She squealed with delight going down the 6-foot hill and wanted to do it again and again.
  • Preparing for these snowy outings is more like a scene in the “Christmas Story” then I’d care to admit.  Anyone have any tips on good toddler mittens that are easy to put on but stay on?  They can’t cost a fourtune, either. 
  • My GB surgery has been rescheduled for Feb 9.  Thankfully, Mark and I have an overnight alone for Feb 7.  It’s been almost a year since our last one.  We are banking on this one being more restful then that.
  • 2009 is the year we will finally be able to start some work on our house.  Now that we’ve been here a year the list has gotten quite long and it boggles the mind to try to think about getting it all done.  Our plan is to start with the upgrading of the electrical system and a complete re-wiring of the house.  Sounds exciting, no?
  • I’ve taken a too-long hiatus from my workouts.  Tonight that changes.  I expect to be quite sore tomorrow. 
  • Sunday mornings have become “pancake day” in our house and M loves it.  If it’s my sleep-in day (Mark and I take turns sleeping in on the weekends) she wakes me up by saying “Mama!  Pancakes, yes?” while nodding her head and looking hopeful.  It’s too cute.

Short and Sweet

Leave a comment

In the last 7 days…

Cookies: baked (and frozen lest they be inhaled prior to Christmas)

Surgery: cancelled

House: decorated

Dust: swiffered

Laundry mountain: summited

Shopping: started and finished

Holiday cards: ordered, addressed and mailed

Big-ass TV: set up

World: rocked

A week from today is my big family Christmas gathering.  After that it’s pretty low-key and low-stress.  My sister & her kids will be coming up for a couple of days to watch M during a daycare shutdown and I know M will have a blast – she adores her cousins.  p1040875

M and her cousins, the morning after Thanksgiving

Rock with your Daddy

2 Comments

Today we finally got to experience Rock-n-Tot and we all had a blast.  Pumping music, toys, snacks, art and people to meet – what’s not to like?  Naomi puts on one hell of an event – I could not believe all the things she thought of… from goodie bags to a sports center to get game updates.  I will be watching for news on the next date and will get my tickets quickly as this one was sold out.  

rnt1

rnt2While we were there I recognized Erika’s little girl shakin’ it on the dance floor and eventually spotted Erika and introduced myself (no small feat for this shy girl).  Hopefully I’ll see her again at the Kurt Vonnegut Book Club in a few weeks.

rnt3

rnt4

As with everything worth doing in Cleveland, Bar Cento was involved.  And upon seeing this sign we immediately knew where we were going to dinner:

rnt5

It was fantastic, as always.  I branched out from my usual (sunnyside pizza) and had the mussels which were fabulous.  We also all shared the olive oil cake which was very, very yummy.  And, in another display of finally overcoming my social awkwardness, I introduced myself to the famed Amelia – AKA Chef’s Widow. The KVBC is her brain child so I hope to see her in a few weeks, too.

All in all it was a fabulous family day on all accounts.  Now I’m looking forward to the short week and more family time ahead.

Bring It On

2 Comments

Winter is here with a vengeance.  Cold temps, gray skies and bitter winds not to mention the snow we already have (and the several inches to come in the next few days).  All I can say is “bring it”!  While our basement is dank we have a 3rd floor which has sat empty for nearly a year.  Mark brought in the climbing cube from the yard, I dug out old Ikea curtains we don’t use anymore and a number of toys were hauled up.  It’s now M’s Playhouse and our (TV-free) hangout every night after dinner.  Stuff to climb, forts to build, flashlights to shine, daddy-horses to ride…it’s a lot of fun.

clubhouse

 

fort

 

horse

The snow can be fun, too.  Especially in snazzy new snowpants:

snow

 

The Dora Debacle

Leave a comment

Until well after M’s 1st birthday she watched very little TV – a few viewings of a Baby Einstein video was it. Since then we’ve slowly allowed more TV to creep into her day: a few minutes of Blue’s Clues in the mornings to allow us to finish getting ready in peace, some Sesame Street while cooking dinner seemed like a harmless distraction. She liked watching these shows but never asked for them or got angry when we turned them off. That all ended about a month ago when Dora the Explorer got her claws on M.

She caught the start of an episode when we didn’t turn the TV off quickly and it was an instant addiction. We thought it was pretty harmless and let her watch Dora instead of Sesame Street while we prepared dinner. Every time it came on she would absolutely freak out screaming “Dora! Dora!” and dancing around the room; we found this kind of funny. She quickly learned the names of all the characters and would shout them out when the came on screen. We saw trouble brewing when she would melt down when the show was over, but again we didn’t see this as a huge problem – just typical 2-year-old behavior, right?

The mistake came when I thought it would be a good idea to get a Dora DVD for our 12-hour car ride. The first problem was that I snagged a $5.99 deal on one which should have alerted me to the fact that this was a crappy movie. Let me just tell you that you should avoid Dora’s Pirate Adventure at all costs (here’s a little tip – it’s a musical, which I didn’t notice until loading it into the DVD player.  You should never, ever buy a cartoon musical). The second problem was as soon as it was over she immediately asked “again?” and when I refused and put in a new movie she lost her damn mind. If you’ve ever been in a car with a tantruming toddler and know you’re stuck in that car for several more hours then you understand you’ll do any thing to MAKE IT STOP. So Dora went back in and we watched it over and over while my brain started to slowly leak out of my ears.  60 minutes of whiny cartoon voices singing songs about lost pirate costumes is enough to make you want to jump out of a moving vehilce; hours of it is pure hell.

This Dora-fest during the ride led to a full-blown addiction.  While on vacation every time we came back to the condo she demanded “I want Dora!”  In the car for a quick trip to the grocery store – “I want Dora!”  The moment she woke up from a nap – “I want Dora!”  We decided that for the sake of our own sanity while on vacation she could watch all the Dora she wanted but when we got home it was time for an intervention.  We considered enrolling her in a 12-step program but opted to go cold turkey in the end.

I remembered reading some of Sundry’s old posts about breaking Riley’s addiction to TV by telling him the TV was broken so we tried it (I think it was Sundry – I can’t find the specific post).  By leaving the cable box off the screen is just blue so when M sneaks over and turns it on we just tell her it’s broken.  She gets pretty upset for a few minutes but we can usually distract her with a toy or book.  So far it’s worked pretty well although we have gone back to letting her watch a few minutes of  Blue’s Clues in the morning, especially if she’s up before 7; otherwise our mornings are chaotic.  We still let her watch the occasional episode of Dora the Evil Explorer*, and she still loses her shit when it’s over, but the battles are not nearly as tragic as they were a few weeks ago.

*One thing that takes the evil edge off Dora is the fact that M has started to drop Spanish words – “the moon is arriba!”,  “I salta” as she jumps, and in front of every closed door she shouts “abre!”

Trick or Treat!

2 Comments

After a week of cold, rainy, windy weather the clouds broke and we had an awesome warm fall evening to trick or treat last night. M was into it for about 4 houses but we went around the block anyway – she just refused to talk to anyone.

I was told to expect about 300 kids by friends in the neighborhood. I guess they didn’t figure in all the old farts on our street who don’t participate so we saw very little traffic. Now we are stuck with a Costco-size bag of leftovers of which I can’t have any. Mark’s office will be very happy on Monday!

Have to Get Away

1 Comment

Even though I’m a couple of days back at the daily grind I thought I’d tell you a little more about our vacation. Mark and I have been going to Hilton Head just about each of the last 8-9 years thanks to the generosity of my parents who own several weeks in time shares.  We have been very spoiled by vacationing to condos with 2-3 bedrooms and as many bathrooms and I now can’t imagine spending more then a couple of nights in a single hotel room with kids (I’m a brat, I know). Last year we drank the kool-aid and bought a week for ourselves.  We own at the Marriott Surf Watch and it’s fabulous.  This was our first trip with our week (I’ve been to this resort before with my parents) so it was great to confirm that we love our purchase.  

Since we’ve vacationed here so often we know what we love about the island and what we can skip.  This made for a very relaxing trip where the biggest decision was “pool or beach?”.  Our days pretty much consisted of letting M dig herself silly on the mostly deserted beach, going back to the condo for lunch and naps (which we all took, every day), swimming – some days outside, some days inside, dinner, then another jaunt to the beach for some more digging action.  

The great thing about the condos are the full kitchens and we stock ours for several meals in as soon as we arrive.  But, I can’t be near the ocean without indulging in as much fresh seafood as possible.  This trip with my diet restrictions (no drinking, ultra low-fat foods) I was worried about eating out but then remembered grilled or steamed fish and seafood is perfect.  Our first night we were too tired from the drive to think about making dinner in so we headed to a touristy spot that is a usual place for us to go: the Crazy Crab. This is a mecca for vacationers: casual, kid friendly, nothing fancy.  We usually go to the one in Harbour Town but this time we went to the one on the intercostal waterway and it was a beautiful view.  While their menu features everything fried there was a nightly special with grilled fish, shrimp and veggies that I ordered.  The food is okay, nothing special but perfect for a first night out.

Later in the week we took a recommendation from the staff and tried the Sea Shack.  We were told it was good, very fresh seafood at cheap prices and a local favorite.  The place was hard to find and when we did find it there was a line 20 deep.  “No way” we said, then discovered that it was a few minutes before 5:00 and it wasn’t open.  We change our tune; “Must be a good place!” and get in line.  We wait about 25 minutes before we even get inside.  The place is small – maybe 15 tables and very, very unpretentious.  There is a board with all the fresh catch selections along with the standard fare.  Everything can be grilled, fried or blackened and comes with 2 sides and hush puppies.  I order grilled scallops at the counter and snag one of the last empty tables, Mark gets blackened shrimp and we get M the kiddie popcorn shrimp meal.  Add in drinks and and piece of blueberry-keylime pie to go and the total is about $30.  I wasn’t expecting much but I got a dozen good-sized scallops that were cooked perfectly, a huge serving of parmesan mashed potatoes and salad – all for $11!  Everything is served on disposable plates with plastic utensils.  Like I said, not fancy but oh so good and cheap. When we left there was still a line 20 deep out the door.

Our last night there Mark chose the restaurant and we headed to Captain Woody’s at Palmetto Bay Marina.  We had never been to this part of the island before and will most likely go back.  It seems like a very fun place to hang out and have a few beers on a nice night.  The night we were there it was chilly and pouring rain so no beers at the outdoor bar for us.  Instead we ate inside listening to the chatter of all the regulars at the bar.  The menu was decent but didn’t have much to offer with my low-fat needs.  I ended up with grilled grouper and Mark had the shrimp po’boy. M had PB&J and cottage cheese and a few cocktail shrimp. I wouldn’t say this place was exceedingly kid friendly but that might be different on a warmer night sitting on the patio.  Next spring when we go with family this would be a great place to head when we can leave the kid at home with grandparents.

Rounding out our trip was the ubiquitous trip to Harbour Town and South Beach (we had to get M a Salty Dog shirt) and a rainy day visit to the Sandbox – a new find.  

As usual a trip to the low country left us relaxed and recharged.  A stop over in Saxapahaw to see Lindsay on the way home was icing on the cake.

Happy Birthday, Maggie

2 Comments

Today is M’s second birthday and I’m a bit in shock that we have arrived at this date so quickly.  She is such a fun kid that I couldn’t wish for her to be anything different.  Outgoing, quick to laugh, easily adaptable, independent, daring and sweet.  She loves to read, climb, run, play with her baby dolls and animals, color, sing and explore.  Two years ago her arrival rocked our world and taught us that we never before knew our capacity to love.

Tonight we decided on an impromptu night in Little Italy – dinner at Mama Santa followed by gelato at Presti’s Bakery.  Then we walked around the area, with M insisitng on swinging from our hands in between us, and came upon what looked to be a brand new playground where she ran off all her energy.  It was a delightful evening of quiet celebration.

Her big bash was this past Saturday and we had a houseful of about 17 people to help us celebrate.  M loves having other kids over so having her cousin’s here as well as her friends was celebration enough.  It was a great time.

She helped make her birthday cupcakes.

Having tricycle races with her cousin.

Devouring a cupcake with Aunt Jill (AKA “JMH” from comments).

Playing Project Runway with Grandma & Daddy.

Updates and Such

2 Comments

There is so much going on right now that I feel like we are zipping through weeks at a time.  Our vacation seems to be the carrot at the end of the stick right now.  We will be spending a week in Hilton Head in late October; we’ve never been down there in the fall and we wanted to take advantage of having no school schedules to check out a favorite destination in a new season.   We’ll also be visiting a college friend on the way home.

————

This weekend is the bash to celebrate M’s 2nd birthday.  I can’t believe she will be 2 next week and can’t believe all that’s happened since we celebrated her 1st: a new house, two new daycares and a host of other transitions.  We’ll have about 15 people (including 5 kids) over on Saturday and I’m trying to get ready.  I know I will still be a psycho-Martha-Stewart-drone all morning before the party.  It’s one of the few times I’m a typical Virgo – I love party planning but I get crazy stressed about all the tiny details.  This year I’m trying to be very Zen.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

————

I’ve been doing Weight Watchers @ Work for about 4 weeks and it’s going very well.  My employer is paying for it as part of our wellness initiative.  I’ve lost about 15 pounds (and have more then several left to lose) but am feeling like the last several days I’ve been stuck in a state of inertia.  I need to start working out on a more regular basis again.  So many people have praised the 30 Day Shred that I have it next on our Netflix queue.  I need a few options other than walking to get me back to a regular schedule. 

————

I’m so excited about this.  I hope it pans out because I think it would be amazing!

————

M was about 70% potty-trained via the lazy-parent method at her old daycare (this method is where you let the daycare staff do the training and just follow their lead when at home. I highly recommend it).  We have never really tried to train her but she had been interested in sitting on the potty for several months and in the last month had actually started using it with regularity.  With the switch to the new daycare/preschool she isn’t using the potty at all.  I need to talk to them about working with her some more now she is settled in.  She’s there for 40 hours a week and if they don’t work with her she’ll never get it.  I don’t feel she needs to be out of diapers yet, but I also don’t want to loose all the momentum and interest she had gained before the switch. 

————

I go to Chicago for 5 days next week, leaving the day after M’s actual birthday.  I’m looking forward to it but also hate to be gone that long for work.  It’s a long time to be gone from my family and I feel guilty for leaving Mark as a single parent for that long.  The guilt is all mine, he is a wonderful and more than capable parent who has not said one word about going it alone for that long, but I still feel bad.  Plus, although we get reimbursed, the trip is a pretty big outlay of cash and that’s something we don’t have much of right now (2 more payments and a major debt is cleared and I cannot wait).

Whirlwind

2 Comments

Last week M moved to a new daycare/preschool. After months of trying to decide if we should stay at the previous place – a brand new facility where M was one of the first kids to start but staff turnover was high as they got their footing – we finally decided to move to a Jewish-based* facility with great teacher tenure and education levels. We made the choice to switch a few months ago and in that time the old daycare got it’s act together and M had a wonderful teacher for her last couple of months.  It was hard for us to leave “Miss C” as she and M had a great bond, but we knew the new place would provide a more stable atmosphere for M in the long run.  Miss C was sad to see M go and got her a slew of good-bye gifts including a wheelie Dora backback which M loves.  We made the staff cupcakes and got her teachers gifts as a way to show our appreciation; they were all very caring and affectionate towards M and we tried to make sure they knew we were leaving because of management issues, not teaching issues.  Miss C has offered to babysit and we will be calling her soon.

Moving to a new daycare is nerve-wracking for both the kid and the parent so the new place has a “transition period” that takes place over the first week.  Basically, the child is there for increasing amounts of time as the week progresses.  Day one: 2 hours with parent in the room, Day two: 3 hours with parent still in building, Day three: 4 hours and parent can leave, etc.  In theory this is a great idea as it made for a gradual and easy transition and M adapted very well to her new class without any fuss or crying at all. However, most people send their kids to daycare because they have to WORK and need childcare!  So last week I burned about 24 hours of vacation time to accommodate this kooky phase-in.  Luckily we had some extra work on the past two weekends so I earned about 16 hours of flex time or I would have used up even more vacation time, which is rapidly dwindling.  

So between working both of last two weekends, shuttling between the new daycare, work and home the last week was crazy.  But, I got to enjoy some fantastic one-on-one time with my 2-next-week girl and I truly enjoyed every last second of it.  She has such an amazing personality; she runs full-tilt towards everything she does, laughs easily and talks my ear off.  We had honest two-way conversations, sang songs, took excruciatingly slow walks around the neighborhood, finger-painted and colored, and had a grand time together.  Weekends tend to go by too quickly and are full of tasks aimed at keeping the house from falling apart so having last week was a real joy.

Today, I got some bonus time.  Since Ike still had some oomph left as it passed through last night the new daycare was without power and closed today.   I had gone in to work early to get a jump start on the backlog of projects and got a call from Mark at 8 telling me the news.  Since he has significantly less time off then I do, I was back home today playing with our girl.  

I have without a doubt had a blast playing SAHM these last few days, but I know I have a load of work waiting for me at my office.  I was in the office a few precious hours last week and tried to get some work done in the evenings.  Maybe tomorrow I’ll actually be IN the office to do some of it.  I’m grateful that I have a boss with two kids of her own and totally “gets it”.  I’m going to miss the “M time” I’ve had but I’m ready to get back to a normal schedule.

*We’re not Jewish and it’s not a religious school but they do teach the culture and history including celebrating the holidays and welcoming the shabbat with challah and juice on Fridays.