Tippy Toes and Tantrums

More on Me!

At Kevin's insistence, I downloaded Firefox 3 last week, but I've been having problems with it, including a temperamental Google search bar, which now requires I go directly to Google to search, something I haven't done in forever. It makes it harder for me to search for things like "does the new Firefox suck for everyone?" Today I went back to the old version, but now I need to re-sign in to everything, which is massively annoying.

Anywho...Carmen tagged me for a meme! Legal notes passed along with the meme: "The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer."

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Living in Marin, working as a reporter, preparing to go to Italy. I was four months away from meeting Kevin.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?
clothes shopping for upcoming trip and BlogHer
go to Tiffany so they could fix my keychain
prepare mailings
pay bills and tuition
laundry

(3) Snacks I enjoy:
chips and salsa/guacamole
summer fruit
chocolate chip cookies

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
move to the next town over with the other billionaires
set up trusts for kids and family
give to Clover's school and charities
set up the sewing room of my dreams
buy about 30 pairs of sunglasses so I don't waste time looking for them
buy the expensive sets in the Lego store for Kevin

5)  Places I have lived:
Novato
San Francisco
Washington D.C.
Boston
Sacramento
Daly City (ugh, the oppressive fog)
Redwood City

6) Jobs I have had:
babysitter
temp warehouse worker
summer camp leader for the local Parks and Rec. department
office assistant
legislative assistant
reporter

7) People I want to know more about:
anyone and everyone. I'm not tagging anyone. I've always been the place where things (memes/chain letters/the wave/orchids) go to die.

Hide and All-Out Seek

My mom was a late comer to email, which means she still forwards jokes and chain messages despite my asking her to stop and generally ignoring them. There was one once that has gone around a bit about a man calling a late employee one morning to see what is keeping him. His kid answers the phone, whispering, and says the parents are busy with the police, yada, yada, yada and that everyone is looking for said kid. My mom said she could see Rocket doing something like that.

She picked the wrong kid.

It wasn't that bad; I was only about to call the police when we found Clover.

Clover did not want a playdate to end and when the mom, my friend, told her I had arrived, Clover hid. No big deal, she frequently hides behind doors to surprise Kevin. Rocket immediately found her thanks to the fact that Clover's friend was standing on the open lawn, talking to Clover, kind of giving away her hiding place. We all went inside and chatted while I tried to get Clover to move toward the door. She walked out of the bedroom we were all standing in and we followed a minute later, but by then she was no where to be seen.

First it started as a casual, okay-ha-ha-joke's-over seek, but as time passed and we searched the house over and over, I started to worry. My friend went outside, checking the front yard, the car and the street. I went into the backyard, checking behind the toys and the shrubs. All of the kids were looking, even Rocket was yelling for her.

I should note that my friend's house is about the size of my college dorm. Not dorm room, but dormitory. It's huge, but very open and my yells could have been heard throughout the house. I was worried that she had gotten herself trapped in a little spot, then I started to worry that maybe she didn't have air. We did not know what to do. I couldn't even remember what she was wearing. She brings a change of clothes to camp and I couldn't remember what she went to camp wearing or if she had changed. Would it be foolish to call the police to say we lost a child inside a house?

About 20 minutes had passed - I know this because we were talking about a clock when Clover slipped away, so I had noticed the time. I walked out of my friend's bedroom pulling my cell phone out of my pocket, figuring it was time to call for help, when I happened to glimpse a spot of bright pink upstairs. She had practically been watching us the whole time. She definitely heard everything that had gone on. I was relieved, but not with the feeling of thank god you're alive because she began launching into one of the worst tantrums she has ever had. Definitely in her top three, maybe top two worst tantrums. We got her to the car fine, but once there, she threw herself in and started flailing away. Fists flying, legs kicking, hair covering her face. She screamed at me the whole way home. (At one point SCREAMING that she would not let me have any of her coffee filter art and that I would be "SAD BECAUSE THEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL!" That was the only moment where I wanted to laugh.) Somehow I got her home, into the house and into her room where after a few minutes, she calmed down and came out as old Clover. (During this time, Rocket got a hold of Clover's Gak from camp and was rubbing it all over my living room couch. Typical chaos.)

After dinner we talked about how scared I was and that it is extremely important that she respond when I call for her. She will be apologizing to my friend and hers the next time we see them.

I really need for it to be Friday evening.

I Heart Camp and Carpool

Camp began this week for Clover, allowing the return of some sanity for me. We are carpooling with a friend and three days a week the kids stay until 3 p.m., which has opened up a new world. Yesterday Rocket napped while Clover was still at camp. I got more accomplished during that time than I have in the past three months. Clover was disappointed today to find out it is a short day (1 p.m.). I wanted to reassure her that I am just as disappointed, maybe more so.

But Rocket's good times continue on, as always. Not long after returning from camp drop off, we looked at the window to see a digger? backhoe loader? I read enough truck books that I should know. Our county is doing some sewer work, which mesmerized Rocket for about 20 minutes. At one point a dog walked by too and I thought Rocket's head would explode with all of his excitement. Construction and a dog? If only the ice cream truck would discover our neighborhood and come by, then his would be the greatest day of his life.

Finally, the winners from last week's hotly contested giveaways:

Hannah Montana pens - Cyn
Kung Fu Panda activity CD - Cyn, Carmen and Francesca
Snapfish photo card - Francesca
Kung Fu Panda computer game - Cyn
Brothers-All-Natural Fruit Crisps - Christina, Cyn and Suzy
Huggies Swim Diapers and pail of goodies - Jo-Ann

Woo hoo! I promise everything will go out before Christmas!

The Post Birthday Party Sigh

My youngest turned two this weekend and while that is tied up with sadness about how fast he is growing and joy from watching him rip open presents and blow out candles, the parties (yes, two. One for friends, the other for family) are over now, leaving us with leftover cake and the sweet relief of not having to plan another birthday party until November. Getting through another birthday party makes me want to burst out a bottle of champagne to celebrate surviving the madness.

My son's parties were not nearly as much work as my daughter's parties. He's young and also it's the curse of the second child - thanks to my daughter, I am already burned out on all encompassing themes, entertainers, and parties chalked full of activity. My son's parties were slapped together pretty quickly - a contrast to my daughter's well planned birthdays - but the casual approach produced two relaxed birthday dinners that were a lot of fun. Still, a party is a party and I am thrilled to cross them off my list. No more thinking about favor bags as I stalk the aisles at Target. No more planning menus around picky eaters. I'd like to propose that the day after a child's birthday be set aside as parent's rest day. Not only did we survive another year with this child, we made it through the birthday party.

The casual birthday dinner was loads of work, despite appearing laid back. As I frantically prepare for my kids' parties, I always have a moment where I beat myself up for not reserving the bounce house place. All I would need to do is give them my credit card, order some pizzas and in two hours it would all be over. I don't know if it is the florescent lighting in those places, but I cannot book a party there, bringing all of the work on myself by going the do-it-yourself route.

The birthday party prep work was finished in time (other than the pineapple mojitos for the parents, but I enlisted help from the first arriving mom and dad) and all without any major explosions. We went to a party a month ago where the dad jokingly called the cake the "divorce cake" because the baking went late into the night, causing tensions to rise. It wasn't nearly that bad here - maybe because I ordered the cake - yet I noticed my husband took a deep interest in Buddhism and meditation prior to the party. We survived with our marriage intact and our son happy, which must signal a successful birthday party.

Of course, thank you notes need to be written, which I will do as soon as possible or else I feel the burden of the party work lingering on. But for now, I want a moment to relax.

Two Years In

We went to a birthday party Friday afternoon for Rocket's friend who shares his birthday. His friend had other friends at the party whom we had never met and when their moms found out Rocket was also having a birthday on Saturday, they remarked on how it must be his third birthday. Rocket gets that a lot and when I correct people about his age, they always say that he's big, but the funny thing is, he's not. He's generally in the 50th percentile for weight and height, making him average and the same size as most of the other newly two year olds at the party. But it's true that he seems older.

Six months ago, a dad we know could not believe Rocket was only 18 months and said "he's so competent." Competent is a word normally used to describe moderately successful middle management, akin to satisfactory on an elementary report card. You met your goals, but didn't shine beyond that. After giving it some thought, the true definition of competent does apply to Rocket. He can handle most anything. He hangs around his five year old sister and her friends, which pushes him to grow and test himself constantly to keep up with the bigger kids. There was a moment at his party where he walked toward Clover's room to join the older boys gathering props for their play, but as he got close, the boys came running out, headed to the backyard. Rocket turned to run in the same direction they were headed and I froze, certain that he was going to be trampled by the herd. I wanted to jump in front of the group to pick him up, saving him from getting knocked around, but I reminded myself that he's not really a baby, even though I call him one. Somehow his tiny legs switched into overdrive and he zoomed off in front of the pack with the biggest smile on his face, thrilled to be playing with the big boys. As always, he proved me wrong.

Planning his party left me with no time for reflection about how much he's grown and changed in the past year, but as I was driving to the Farmer's Market to get supplies for the party, I listened to NPR and when Scott Simon said something like "This is what's happening for Saturday, June 21," my eyes welled up. Maybe it was the uplifting music in the background, but hearing a date that is so special to our family and my boy made me want to cry. (Maybe it was hormones, because later in Starbucks I felt weepy again when hearing Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire and remembering the good times at a dive bar from my college days. I wanted to turn to the person next to me and say "There was a time when the power was out and the entire bar sang this song together, even the completely drunk, alcoholic regulars who never looked up from their drinks. It was beautiful." But the person next to me would have thought I was completely nutty, especially since it was a 10 year old girl.)

My baby is now two. He will always be my baby, even when he is 22 or 42. He is so full of love, always hugging and kissing, always joking and laughing. He takes falls or defeats in stride. He says welcome instead of thank you. He lets me snuggle him often and when I cradle him, I always tell him that this is just how I held him when he was a very little baby, before the bruised shins and the stinky feet.

I see him maturing and it warms my heart. He will sit alone, quietly "reaning" his books, he will share toys (usually), and he likes to sit out front harvesting our "strawbeddies" one by one, either eating them himself or sharing with our dog. He's strong and athletic and frequently acts like he is part monkey. He's got big blue eyes with long eyelashes that make me melt.

Happy birthday wee man!

A Birthday Wish

Walking toward our car in the Whole Foods parking lot, I reminded Rocket that his birthday is only a few days away. Clover added, "I hope you're not a total jackass when you turn two."

I need to start monitoring Sesame Street. I can't think of where else she could have learned this.

***********

The final giveaway of the week comes from Huggies. I love using cloth swim diapers, mainly because I think it is the easiest way to get away from disposables. Not to mention, the swim school at which Clover began required cloth swim diapers, saying they are tighter around the thighs and do a better job of...um...holding things in. This was all well and great until the other day when I realized upon arrival at Rocket's swim school without a minute to spare that I had forgotten his swim diaper. I had a moment of panic in the car as I realized I didn't have time to get to a store and certainly not enough time to get home and back. I took him inside hoping I could scrounge one up - maybe a classmate brought an extra? - and I was so relieved to find the school sold the Huggies swim diapers individually. Afterwards, I decided to buy a pack for the car to cover times when I forget or for during frequent summer swims when we may not have a clean/dry cloth swim diaper around.

Coincidentally, I was contacted the next day to see if Huggies could send a pack. I relaxed after putting one in the car and one in our swim bag, knowing he'd be covered even if I forgot. I am sure I will forget soon enough. It seems we always arrive at swim class to find out that I forgot something, usually it is my bra for changing into after class (I wear my suit there), which is embarrassing, but doesn't prevent us from participating in the class, like being swim-diaperless.

I have a pack of Huggies swim diapers to giveaway along with a pail full of other Huggies gifts, including sunscreens, some toys and a product that I cannot wait to use: sun exposure stickers. You put them on your child (or yourself - it seems that my sister could use these for herself) and it will turn colors as sun exposure increases, serving as a reminder to get out of the sun or apply more sunscreen. I think we will try them out this afternoon as we head to a birthday party at a park.

Overheard in the Locker Room and Fruit Crisps!

While changing into my swimsuit last night I was near a group of girls, all around 15 years old. One was telling the others about a boy who is interested in her: "He's got blond highlights and (leans in and says slower) facial hair." Suddenly spending 15 minutes at Target to pick out the right princess underwear for Clover is not such a big deal. This stage has got to be easier than that stage.

While changing out of my swimsuit, I am next to a grandmother and the littlest girl. She could not have been two years old, but she spoke so well when she pointed to her half naked grandmother and said "Gramma, I have chubby thighs too!"

Today I have Brothers-All Natural Fruit Crisps to give away. For someone not always prepared each time we head out the door, these are great for throwing into a diaper bag or the car to pull out when your kids are hungry. I've bought them at Whole Foods and Costco, so I was thrilled when they sent me some of their new freeze dried potato crips to try out as a healthy alternative to potato chips. My kids ate them and didn't say anything about how they differed taste-wise from regular chips and I was afraid to ask because if I point out that something is different, they will automatically reject it, even if they liked it. So I stayed mum.

I was given three bundles with the potatoes and some of their standard line, including pears, to giveaway. They can be reconfigured, though, based on interest.

Drapes and the Last of Kung Fu Panda

The drape project is complete and we're happy with how it turned out. Kevin sounded like a home improvement show host when he said that for $30 and some sewing, we transformed the back deck. Maybe he didn't say transformed - because it's certainly not transformed - but he said something like it.  It's so rare that I have an idea and then have the time to complete it within a reasonable time frame. If I had to do it over, I would have spent more money to buy hemmed drapes from Target. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for and I got a great price at Ikea, but the construction is pretty crappy.

Crossing the drapes off the list of things to do for the party felt like a relief.

There is a book about a woman studying animal behavior and training, I think, and how she used some of those concepts when dealing with her husband. Somewhat related, I decided to copy Clover's teacher by making a master list of things that needed to be done before Saturday's party and post it on the refrigerator. When someone does one of the work jobs, they cross it off the list. Kevin has been a big help, checking the list and getting things done. It is so much nicer than taking on almost all of the work myself and asking him to do x,y and z, which are usually forgotten. Another lesson learned in kindergarten.

And finally the last of the Kung Fu Panda giveaways: the Kung Fu Panda computer game. It's for Windows and is rated E 10+ due to "fantasy violence," which made me laugh for some reason.

We've finally reached the end of the Kung Fu Panda stuff. Clover is keeping the soundtrack, with which she has fallen in love and tries to "replay" for me in the car. (Rocket killed our cd player by putting a quarter and a nickel into the slot.) The problem is the soundtrack is largely instrumental, which means hearing Clover sing it is particularly painful, particularly on the high notes. It's like an erratic hamster on a squeaky wheel. When I've asked her to tone it down, she responds with, "This is HOW IT GOES! It is very fast and loud at this part!" Duh mom! It doesn't matter that my ears are bleeding. I can only hope Rocket will throw some change into her cd player too.

A Tip for Dummies (Me!) and Tuesday Giveaways

Before undertaking a project, even a minor, but tedious one, always ask it there are directions and then read them. I learned that obvious lesson last night. My latest plan is to hang drapes from our pergola to block the sun, allowing us to eat outside. By dinner time, the back table, minus one chair, is fully in the sun. We've tried cramming into the shaded part of the table, but it is uncomfortable and weird, so we eat inside where it is hot, but shaded, looking out at the outside table. A friend of mine added drapes to her back patio to give it a very romantic look and while I'd love the romantic look too, I'm primarily trying to block the sun. Last night Kevin attached the wire system to the pergola as I worked on cutting and pinning the long Ikea drapes to the right length. Ikea claims their drapes are easy to shorten, but I found that to be a joke as the panels have two layers that are not necessarily the same length and the lengths are not cut straight. I started measuring and pinning and cutting and then folding and repinning when Kevin - who had opened the drapes in the first place - picked something up and asked what it was. I paused because it looked like fusible webbing. He then said "Oh, they have directions," which he read and sure enough the drapes are designed so that you pick a length, iron on the webbing and cut, leaving a decent hem. I froze. I had already cut, so there was no turning back. I could have finished the project in half the time, in a quarter of the time, but now I have two huge panels to sew up. Kevin assured me they will look better neatly hemmed, but...ugh. On to Rocket's birthday week giveaway. *One card for free prints from Snapfish. 50 free prints if you are a current member and 70 if you are a first time user. *Kung Fu Panda/HP Panda-Monium Activity CD. It includes: a music video, programs for photo and print projects, frames and cards, labels and stickers, screensavers, and more. There are four CDs available. (One entry per item, per person.)

Ice Packs, a Huge Panda and Free Stuff

Summer camp cannot come soon enough. By 9 a.m. this morning, I had broken up two fights, blown up beach balls, administered one ice pack, saved the dog from the kids, fed them, entertained them and already asked them to leave me alone. Neither one of them is dressed, although one is wearing shoes with his pajamas, in case anyone opens the door, he'll be ready to run out and play, I presume. Now they are quiet, which every parent knows means trouble, but I am going to let it go for a minute.

A word about ice packs: they are a godsend. Almost any crying in our house can be fixed with an ice pack. Rocket always needs his ice pack applied to his head - regardless of where the injury occurred - which is where I like to apply my ice pack too when one of my kids is screaming. Maybe his own crying gives him a headache too. The ice packs are really rice packs, I think. They were a homemade gift, one with boy fabric and the other with girl fabric, and my kids insist on getting the correct one at all times. After one really bad fall, I ran to get Clover an ice pack, but I couldn't find hers within a split second, so I grabbed Rocket's. Through her wails of pain, Clover yelled "I need MY ice pack!" I figured if she was finicky about the ice pack, the injury wasn't as horrible as she wanted me to believe.

One day Clover was crying/whining over something, which is a specialty of hers, and while I ignored her, Rocket was so concerned, he dragged me into the kitchen, where I thought he wanted food as he motioned for me to open the freezer door. I did and he grabbed Clover's ice pack, ran it to her and applied it to her head. It was so sweet and empathetic that I suddenly didn't need one for me head too.

And where was I? Oh yes, King Fu (as Clover calls it) Panda. Dreamworks/HP through a Kung Fu Panda party for the Silicon Valley Moms Blog that was great fun. Clover did art projects, spending a majority of the party at the Playdoh table. So much time that Kevin asked me if Clover knows we have Playdoh at home. The woman working the Playdoh table was making some of the characters from the movie - and doing an excellent job - and the kids could copy them or make something else. She also showed Clover how to make won tons using the Playdoh. Clover decided to make Po (the panda) and that is how she spent most of the party. I finally dragged her away at the end, ordering her to eat some dinner before we left.

The models (not including the blue blob made by a child):

Clover's version:

During this time, Rocket shoved his face full of everything her could grab, which at a party designed for people his size, tends to be a lot. They had a table where kids could learn to use chopsticks while practicing to pick up gummy bears, Fruit Loops and Goldfish crackers. Rocket had no time for the chopsticks; he grabbed a handful of gummy bears and ran. Then came chocolate covered strawberries and cookies. He did get a substantial dinner in too, but the massive sugar could have been why he didn't fall asleep until well after his bedtime.

Clover took a picture with Po - who was huge, way bigger than Mickey or most characters - but Rocket refused to let go of Kevin, instead clinging to him like a monkey. At the end, Rocket waved goodbye to Po, feeling brave as long as he was at least 10 feet away from him.

And finally, the free stuff:

In honor of Rocket's second birthday, I'll be giving away stuff all week. One entry - in the form of a comment - per giveaway, please, and please make sure I have an email address, so I can contact you. I'll let Rocket draw names at the end of the week and announce the winners next Monday. All comments must be left by Rocket's birthday, June 21. If I could remember the time he was born, I'd use that, but as the second child, I've forgotten. Oh wait, it was 19:19 on the 24 hour clock. Just leave comments by 11:59 Saturday night.

First up are Hannah Montana charm pens. I was given two pens, but the packaging opened up and the charms were lost from one package (this happened before I got them, even though it does sound like something my kids would do), so the winner will receive both pens and can then share the charms between them.