Monday, August 24, 2015

Want to see some pictures?

Because that's all I got - I'm home with tonsillitis- awesome!
This is my baby playing with flour & water - now how to remove it is another question...
This is me & my kid sick - yuck
Turns out, D likes French fries with ketchup, just like his mama
Big tractor!
Early morning bed head
Hammock swings are the best
Feeding the chickens
Asleep on the couch at Grandma's
Too big for a doll buggy
Hanging out with Grandma
Doing important work with friends
Busy working kids

Monday, August 10, 2015

Wknd pics

Helping Dada open presents
Beach baby
Climber
Licking the bowl
With a hoe
In the tent with Dada

Country Livin' Weekend Update


  • Friday was Alex's birthday. We got pizza and beer and let D climb all over the pizza place table. Also, go in and out of the door. He loved it.
  • On Saturday, we went to the beach. It was warm and sunny and really nice. We left while we were still having fun and stopped for Mexican food on the way home. Alex had to work, so D and I made a cake. D loved the frosting. We also played outside for a long time. We cleaned up the garage, did some laundry, cut down some bushes, washed the car. 
  • On Saturday night, we had a bat in our house. I have no idea how he got in. But there he was, flying around the house. We slept with the sliding glass doors open, hoping he would find his way out. It seems that he did.
  • On Sunday, D and Alex went for a bike ride. D got a much needed 3hr nap. I cleaned up the house some. Then we did yardwork, and D got to use a rake and a hoe. D got covered in dirt and stickers. I got Poison Oak. Alex grilled some fish. D and I watched a few minutes of Toy Story. 
  • All in all a good weekend.
  • One other thing: conversation between Alex and D at bath time. D:"Dada, bum-bum hurt". Alex, "Sorry bud". D, standing up and turning around,"Kiss it!". :)

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Another conversation

D, in the bath:
"Penis!" (actually, he pronounces it more like 'mee-nus')
"Yes, D, you have a penis."
"D penis!"
"Yes, D, you have a penis."
"Dada penis!"
"Yes, D, Dada has a penis."
"Mama penis!"
"No, D, Mama doesn't have a penis."
-blank look-
"Mama penis all gone!"
<cracking up>
"Yes, D, mama penis all gone."

kids say the darndest things!

The Overwhelm.

I've recently been "reading" audiobooks. I don't really know how to talk about "reading" them, since I actually listen to them, but let's just pretend that I actually read Overwhelmed by Brigid Schulte. I listened to an interview with Schulte on NPR and I must admit, I was intrigued. I feel completely overwhelmed most of the time and I just assumed that that was what life was like as a working scientist with a toddler. This book was stressful to read. I must admit, the first couple chapters had me on edge because I could see and hear myself in the overwhelmed people profiled by Schulte. I could feel my stress level go up and up and up as I listened to each person's never-ending to-do list. And to hear about some of the research that shows that our time is scattered, like confetti. That we never really get to finish tasks because more important ones come up. That we are in a constant state of "never getting enough done" and we will never be able to catch up. All of those things resonated with me. This book was so much more than I thought it would be. It is a study on how we spend our time. It's also about the people who study how we spend our time and how their studies cannot completely capture how we use our time. It's about motherhood, and political policies that promote healthy time use and also healthy play. It's about play - that you should play, all the time. Every day. It's about that to-do list and what you should do with it. It's also about human nature. That, as humans, we existed as communities that helped raise our children together. That this "nuclear family" idea is one that's so recent, we don't know what to do with it. It's about that working mom, feeling guilty for leaving her kids at daycare. It's also about how to deal with the overwhelm. What's her best advice? Chunk up your time. Dedicate a chunk of your time to one task, then take a break and change tasks. But, honestly, this book is full of good advice and good ways to remind yourself that life is more than a to-do list. I highly recommend it. And the audiobook was really good. Although I do wish I had the written book so I could refer to it again and again. But, honestly, would I really have read the book?

Monday, August 3, 2015

Random Schnippets


  • Conversation in the car the other day: "Mama, boogies" "Yes, D, you have boogies" "Mama, boogies NOSE!" "Yes, D you have boogies in your nose" "Mama, eat boogies" "No, D, don't eat boogies" "Mmmmm....Mama, boogies YUMMY!"
  • D can go down the big, twisty enclosed slide at the park because he comes to a stop before he flies off the end of the slide and then he waits for one of us to get him. The other slide has no such brake. So, he just slid down the other big slide and he fell flat on his face. Now he's got a nice big cut on his chin, got a bloody mouth and has a red cheek. Whoops. 
  • Sometimes, I think that dressing a toddler should be an Olympic event. Pants on a kid can be a serious wrestling match.
  • The other night I was putting D to bed and he wanted to say "Night-night" to everything. Including the baby deer and the trees.
  • D is getting more and more challenging. This past weekend was full of biting, hitting and kicking. He doesn't yet understand "no" and he giggles when I say it. He also repeats words, but I don't think he understands "No biting mama!" Then he bites. Ah, toddlerhood....