Me in Melange

If you could do anything you wanted....

So my 6 year old says to me today, "Mommy, can I be God when I grown up?"  I answered, "What do you think?" (my typical response when I either,  1)don't know how to respond, or 2) don't want to get into a long explanation.)  Her response to me was, "Yes, I think I can.  But actually, I want to be the President of the United States.  No, I want to be a news lady.  Actually, I think maybe a doctor.  Actually, I don't know what I want to be when I grow up."  The entire thought was said like a stream of consciousness in less then 5 seconds--she didn't even really think about it at all, the options just came tumbling out of her head without reflection, no doubt, fear, or stress.  It was awesome.   I love living through their little eyes....all day I kept thinking, what would I do if I wasn't scared to do anything?  Signed, ME {lv}

The Official Office of the Tooth Fairy

My niece, Bryn is very weary of the tooth fairy.  She has now lost 2 teeth and has yet to leave a single one for this so-called fairy to break into her room at night and 'steal'... even with the prospect of cold hard cash.  There ain't no way this little girl believes it for a second. ;)  I came across the "office of the tooth fairy" website today (via ohdeedoh) and sent it along to her momma, in hopes that their "official" stance on the fairy's job and the fact that you need a kit to get proper payment for your well-earned lost tooth, will help convince her to leave the 2 that are about to fall out any day! 

   

I love the beautiful letterpress and silk-screened 'deposit' bag, but this is also great inspiration for any DIY-er.  signed, me {CA}

Finally ordered my date stamps!

Honestly, it has been on my list of things to do for a YEAR.  Yeah, a year.  That is the conservative estimate.  Well, today I finally ordered the name/date stamp for the kids so that their artwork can be saved in some semblance of order vs. the nameless piles of stuff we have right now.  Classic case of "second child gets screwed", because Ava has a nice box labeled with her name, and artwork that I actually labeled (must have had a year or so where I remembered to do it...or maybe it was that actually wrote her name on everything).  Lucia, well...she has ZIP.  I couldn't find one picture noted as hers except for a handful I just got back at the school conference.  I can hear it now, fast forward 20 years, "well, you know you always loved Ava more, just look at all the stuff you saved of hers."  So, to avoid what will no doubt be an issue years of therapy will need to cure, I purchased stamps with changeable dates and their names on it.  Self-inking.  How cool is that?  I shopped around the web and ultimately ordered them from http://www.thestampmaker.com .  Cheap (relatively), easy and now I can finally mark it off my list!!  Signed, ME {lv}

Tooth fairy pillow savior!

This little tooth fairy pillow that we got in today is the perfect savoir for "middle of the night, tooth searching mom."  Ava has lost two teeth now, and the first time I easily found her mini tooth thrust under the middle of her huge pillow.  The second tooth wasn't as easy...I woke up at 5:00 a.m. in a cold sweat when I realized I had forgotten to be the "tooth fairy" and I had to sneak in and snake her tooth out from under the pillow coming dangerously close to waking her and blowing her childhood fantasy altogether (translation:  years of therapy later on, blamed entirely on me for dashing tooth fairy dreams.)  Well, she'll still need therapy, but at least she can't blame it on me because from now on we are hanging her tooth fairy "tooth" holder on her door!  Signed, ME {lv}

http://www.melange4women.com/emarhatopipr.html

Cahier de vie!

I thought I would share my summer project with everyone.  During this past school year Ava kept a "Cahier de vie" at school...basically a notebook of her life at school.  It was super, SUPER cute....this 14" x 10" paper notebook with all kinds of drawings, cut out pictures, and little bits and pieces that made up the weekly events of the past school year.  She was actively involved in its creation, and a couple of times during the year brought it home for "group" projects (i.e. mom had to print out pictures and direct the drawing of pictures etc.)  It is a little rough, sort of like a worn in favorite journal you bring everywhere (not a perfectly kept scrapbook) and this I absolutely love about it.  Anyway, we decided to start a Cahier de vie d'ete to chronicle the happenings of this summer.  This morning we went strawberry picking, and I took along the camera so we could print a picture (nothing fancy, I'll probably just do it on regular paper in black and white), and slap it into the cahier--they draw a picture or write something and wham, we've got documentation of a fun day along with the memories.  I thought it would be a fun way to journal one of our summers together!  Signed, ME {lv}

The power of PLEASE!

We leave on Thursday for my in-laws' house.  So I started tonight while driving home from dinner on the "manners refresher course".  So we start off with the basics, I asked them what kind of "good manners" they were going to use.  Please and thank you were on their short list.  I then diced it up and gave them a scenario.  "O.K., what do you do if they put something on your plate that you don't want to eat?"  I envision them picking it up and throwing it across the table, right onto a perfectly pressed tablecloth, so I figure this is my opportunity to verify that throwing it is not the solution.  Lucia says, without skipping a beat and in her cute toddler drawl, "I would say, 'PLEASE take that yucky stuff off my plate RIGHT now.'"   :-)  Signed, ME {lv}

My proud moment!

Last night was the final school performance for both kids.  They do it every year, and the school makes a big "to-do" about it.  They dress up, they do a song/dance number (each class) and we all pile into a large theatre at the Lewis & Clark College.  We buy flowers.  You get the picture.  So, we have the video camera rolling when the cute little class that Lucia is in came out on stage.  The music starts and this sweet little sound of children singing French echoes through the autorium.  We are in the way back, but through the zoom on the video I spy it.  IT being Lucia....picking her nose, not singing, and looking dazed.  No joke, for about 95% of the song she held one side of her pretty floral dress, twirled slightly, and picked her nose with the other hand.  We were laughing so hard the video is shaking constantly.  Yes, that is my kid....I'm so proud   I have the kid that all the other moms use as a reference point...the "low" point...."well, at least she didn't pick her nose the whole time" :-).   Signed, ME {lv}

My favorite terms of endearment....

I recently realized that I use food and food categories in organized endearment phrases, unconsciously building food groups daily.  Example today:  "oh my little burrito", "my cute little chimichanga"..."ooohhh my little mexi fry" (I am thinking those tasty ones from Taco Time that are so bad, yet so good).  Anyway, now that I've discovered that I do that all the time and don't even notice, I've made it into my own humorous little game that cracks me up...and probably only me.   I can't look at Gia's fat little knees (see rolls below for evidence) and not coo, "oh my little piece of pound cake." Today is Mexican food day...tomorrow might be Indian food ("oh my little baba ganoush" has a ring to it)....maybe candy the next day (I often call Gia my little "junior mint" because those puppies are GOOD).  So, besides being a little crazy, and obviously obsessed with food, I'm also my own comedian.  :-)  Signed, ME {lv}

   

Funny little story....

So I'm in the shower this afternoon, and Lucia comes in and proceeds to tell me she has to go to the potty.  I'm washing my hair, not paying attention too much attention, shaving my legs etc. etc.....and eventually a handful of minutes pass and I realize that Lucia is still in the room.  She is standing over the toilet and painstakingly laying out toilet paper to make a "paper seat" over the actual seat.  I ask her what she is doing and she says, "I'm covering the seat for germs mommy, I don't want my butt to touch the yucky seat."  I nearly died laughing...first because it was so cute (albeit sort of narotic), but second because I privately joke with my husband all the time that I'm going to install a toilet cover dispenser in our own home because having toddlers and young ones potty training can be such a nasty business.  I don't care how much you love your kids, sitting on their pee is sort of last on your list of things you want to do (and that is the best case scenario...it was easier when they wanted me to help every time they went to the potty, now they want to do EVERYTHING themselves and there is definitely a learning curve)!  Anyway, thought I would share that little story because it gave me a chuckle!  Signed, ME {lv} 

Such a bright business idea-anyone need one?

So, I think this is a fantastic idea...so much so that I can't quite figure out why the idea hasn't spread and there is some fantastic company forming a chain of these around the country.  Yesterday I took my kids to the The Play Boutique and it was AWESOME.  They have a "coffee break" for moms, where you bring your kids in from 11:00 a.m.-1:00, they play in this huge room with a million different activities, and you get to (while semi-watching them of course) lounge in the parent-zone(couches/chairs/two computers/snacks/mags).  They go on a coffee run at 11:30 a.m. and take your order, and then a sandwich run a bit later (again, they take your order).  There is one exit so you don't worry about your kids escaping, and it is hard for them to run out of things to do because there are so many different activities.  They have healthy snacks for the kids (you get two when you buy a "coffee break" package for the day which was only $8 per child), and they lead a short music time and art time to help give a little structure to the two hours.  Meanwhile, I sipped my coffee, spaced out, read a Real Simple magazine, it was GREAT.  They do all sorts of activities during the day, camps, pre-schools etc., including a "happy hour" for parents where you can drop your kid off at 5:30 for a few hours...they feed them dinner!!!  All I know is that sometimes the only thing that keeps you from going off the deep end is an hour where you don't have to think "quite as much", so the coffee break idea is ingenious.   Signed, ME {lv}

p.s.  the kids have spring break this week (yes, their second spring break...the French really love their breaks), and the "deep end" has approached many times.  Once when Lucia had a full on tantrum in Barnes & Noble and it felt like we were moments away from having security escort us out.  Once when we went to a movie and Lucia dropped her lemonade all over her and the seat.  The list goes on.....