Out of the mouths of babes

Bubba watched some kind of quiz show on PBS today about carnivores. I caught a few questions during the show, and on the way across town today I tested his memory retention.... The kid is too smart.
"What is a carnivore?" (me)
"A Tyrannosaurus Rex is a carnivore." (Bubba)
"Why?"
"Because he eats other dinosaurs, but a Triceratops isn't."
"Why?"
"Because he was nice to other dinosaurs"
"How was he nice?"
"Because he didn't eat them."
There you have it! PBS. Educational and informative. (Except for all those Chuck-E-Cheese commercials.) P.S. his enunciation of each word was spot-on. The kid amazes me, especially when he corrects my grammar.

The kids are good. My next youngest (YS #1) sister visited this past weekend. We had a shower for our next, next younger sister (YS #2) who is getting married in Vegas next month (only 21 days until a kid-free vacation!!!) It went really well. All of a sudden about 10 days before the shower I realized that I didn't know the theme ... It was at my house, I thought I had better be preparing to decorate.

So I call YS #1 and ask what the theme might be. She tells me that it just came to her the other night, it was going to be a Vegas theme (DUH) Since that's where the wedding is, it was perfect. So we bought Vegas-type stuff, cards, dice, chips, and Elvis to decorate with and it was great (Sorry no pics. We totally sucked.) The games went fine, the food was dee-lish (how could you go wrong when its catered from the best "foo-foo" place in town) and the guests were delightful.

YS #2 seemed to have a good time. She looked bee-yoo-tee-ful by the way. Simply divine (and it was only the shower, I can only imagine the wedding.)

Big plans for Labor Day. I actually have 5 days off. It should be nice. Hanging with my Dad's family and visiting a high school (HS) chum that is back in the state after an extended stay in Illinois. What on earth did Illinois have that Washington didn't? A job in the ministry. But now Washington has one too. Sounds like their reception has been very positive. Hopefully My Honey and I will be able to seal away one day and maybe overnight.

Yes, again, I canned peaches! Do I need post EVERY time I accomplish this weekly goal?? Yes, sorry if it bores you to death, too bad, I need the encouragement, I need to be reminded that I rock. (Even if it is just me telling it to myself.) Not only that, but I cooked dinner both nights too! That's double rockin' for me! Next week I actually want to start canning pears. We shall see what the farmers market has for me on Saturday. Pears AND peaches... that may be setting myself up for failure. Better stick with one.

Not what I thought

. . . The day before yesterday was horrible. So horrible I finally said to Bubba in the most motherly tone I have: "do not ask me another Why Question, I do not have any answers left. Do you understand?" I was just done. I hated myself for doing that, I really want my kid to learn and to be curious and not afraid to ask questions but I was done for that day. I really honestly could not answer another Why Question.

All day long I had been thinking of where I could go when My Honey got home, all I wanted to do was leave for awhile. So My Honey gets home and can tell I am frazzled. We talk for a few minutes and he finally says "Why don't I take Bubba to the pet store so you can have some peace and quiet?" I nearly throttled him. "What??!!! You leave and I stay home? Not a chance." was the thought I had, and he could tell. He patiently and lovingly told me that he thought it would help if he took Bubba and I could put Punkin Head down and just relax. Deep breath. I did see his point, it just wasn't what I had been thinking of and looking forward to all day. I agreed, and told him to bring home dinner. So they left, Punkin Head went to bed and I did relax.

An hour or so later they came home. And, get this, he remembered dinner! Not only that but he picked up a crab and a bottle of wine! What a good man. I ate the whole thing myself. Not as good as fresh out of the ocean, but it was fine.

Isn't that sweet? Sometimes he really pulls through, knows what I need even when I don't.

Again

I did it again. I canned peaches today! I didn't get quite as many jars because some of my fruit went bad, I think it was a little riper than last week, plus I waited an extra day. But I did it. I am so proud of me.

It was almost a bust, nothing was going right. Ran out of propane, Bubba didn't take a nap like I anticipated, had some extra house work because I am having a bridal shower here Sunday. But I DID IT. And I am glad. Plus the extra cleaning got done, My Honey happened to come home for lunch so I ran down and got a new propane tank (they don't fill them anymore) and Bubba rested quietly at least. So there bad karma, take that!

Hopefully I keep it up and get some pears done too. Go me!!

Books

So Thrusher "tags everyone in the world." Hmmm, am I up to the challenge? I am no good at authors, and I hope I get the titles right!

1. One book that changed your life: Created to be his Helpmeet by Debbie Pearl
2. One book that you've read more than once: Goodnight Moon
3. One book you'd want on a desert island: Something by J D Robb, but would I want to read it over and over? Maybe
4. One book that made you laugh: I know I laugh a lot when I read, just can't come up with one right now.
5. One book that made you cry: Anything with a sad story brings tears to my eyes.
6. One book you wish had been written: Something about working opposing shifts and having kids. Its a tough place to be right now, I would love to have someone else's insight.
7. One book you wish had never been written: There are some books I have not finished, but I think everyone deserves their own view and of you don't want to read it; don't.
8. One book you're currently reading: Blow Out by Catherine Coulter (happens to be sitting upstairs, that's how I got the author and the title right)
9. One book you've been meaning to read: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - I have actually tried to read it 3 times. I don't think I have made it past chapter 2, maybe 3. Apparently I am not destined to be Highly Effective.
10. One book you'd like to write: Something people don't know about me is that I have always wanted to write a book. Probably fiction, maybe some kind of cop story. Maybe some day I will.

Thrusher added:
11. Some of your all-time top ten authors or books: Dr. Seuss & Sandra Boynton write great kids stuff. I loved the Harry Potter series. For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn (there's a men's version too) is a great book. I enjoy Shel Silverstein, and a lot more. I read what ever I can get my hands on, I just don't remember what it was.

Awards

This was a part of a previous post, but I thought it deserved a place of it's own:

A co-worker and I were invited to be a part of an awards ceremony recently.

A 5 year old called 911 to get help for his mother who was trapped between the garage door and the garage. He was given a "Hero" award by the City, the responding fire department and the 911 Center (where I work).

My co-worker handled the 911 call and I dispatched the fire department. It was pretty cool. He was pretty overwhelmed by the whole thing. But his parents, grandparents and the whole community were proud of him and wanted him to know what a good thing he did.

Here's what I would like the everyone to know about this deal: Always use your HOME phone to call 911.

We were able to get his mother life-saving help very quickly because he called from his home, not a cell phone and we knew EXACTLY where they were immediately. If he had used a cell phone, we would not have had the exact location. If he had used a voice over internet phone (VOIP) we may not have had his exact location as quickly. Always use a land line phone to call 911 if you can. The life you save could be your own.

Some VOIP carriers are doing a great job, but you need to test your phone. Call your local law enforcement dispatch center, ask them if you can do a test call and then do a test call, ask them what address shows. If it doesn't show your address, call your carrier. Make sure its working.

Cell phone companies are working on it. Right now in my area, we can do a "re-transmit" to get a location but its not the EXACT location and it takes about 10-15 seconds so if the line is disconnected then we may not get anything. Then it shows a location within about a block, which is okay, but not if there are 3 apartment complexes in that block. And if the phone isn't "phase 2" or the carriers in your area aren't "phase 2" then the 911 center isn't going to get your location.

Adjustment

Well, I don't know if the 2 hour nap helped or not. Bubba certainly woke in a better mood but our afternoon wasn't perfect. Then My Honey and I got to go out together for a few hours so I really don't know. Today may tell the tale.

It all started with choices. I give Bubba choices when I can; "Do you want toast or bread with your eggs?" That kind of thing. We have gotten to the point lately where he changes his mind. Now this I have a low tolerance for. Make up your mind and stick with it.

So he gets home from Chelan and all of a sudden we are back to mind-changing. Nope. Gonna put a stop to that right away. But putting a stop to it is tear-riddled when he's so over tired. So I ponder if its worth it. And I decide yes it is. So I continue my quest to help him make the right choice the first time. At one point we actually sat down and I said to him, "you must have gotten to change you mind with Auntie, well we don't do that here, we make a choice and stick with it." to which he replies (are you ready for this?) "I like it better Auntie's way." I just about fell over laughing. My Bubba. Too smart for me that one. Too smart.

Domestic Goddess?

Not really. But listen to what I did today:

I canned peaches. Canning is one of my favorite old-fashioned things to do in the Summer. I love to buy boxes of peaches and pears, get the kitchen all sugared up, fire up the stove, sweat away and can. Don't ask me why, maybe its the sweet treat in the middle of the blah winter that makes it so worth it, I don't know. But I look forward to Peaches and Pears every year so I can buy them and can them.

This year I have to approach it a little different, its a nap-time thing instead of an all day thing. And trust me, if you plan it right, you can get a dozen cans done in 2 hours. And that's from the box to the cooker and cooling. And Ahhh, I feel like a million bucks. Thanks to the in-laws who loaned me an outdoor cooker. I have a great stove, nice glass top, sleek black thing, but its crap for heating up a canner full of cans and keeping the water boiling hot. The cooker worked really well though. And it took a ton of extra heat out of the kitchen.

So here's how I did it, more for my notes, and motivation next year than anything else.

I washed the jars, lids and rings while we were out this morning. I got all the waters (sugar water, blanching water and canning water) boiling while I got lunch ready. Then I blanched the peaches, dunked them into a sink of cold water, peeled and sliced them into a bowl, Bubba helped put them in jars for awhile. His hands fit so much better than mine. When a jar or two were done I put the sugar water in them (note to self: I need to get a ladle that works better than the flimsy plastic one I have) cleaned the mouth of the jar, put the lid and ring on them. I have found over the years it's best to get them in the jars and covered as soon as possible because they'll turn brown.

When I had 6 jars ready to go, I put them out to boil. They boiled for about 15 minutes I think. And then I set them to cool. Well sort of, I took them out of the boiler outside and set them on the table outside where it's 95 degrees. That's cooler than boiling right? Anyway, then repeat and my dozen jars were done. Not a bad way to spend nap time. Well, napping would be better, but that's okay.

MMMMM. I am going to try to do that every week until the fruit is gone. I should get about 3 more weeks of peaches and then 4 weeks of pears I think. That should get us through the winter and have some to give away.

The past few years I have taken all my canning stuff to my Dads house and his wife and I spend a day canning. Its more fun that way. Maybe I'll take stuff with me Labor Day weekend.

KIDS:
This week has been an adjustment for Bubba. Not only is he still tired from his fantastic weekend away, he acquired some bad habits. Its been a real pain in the ass to bring him around. Hopefully a nap today will improve that a whole ton.

Punkin Head is getting another tooth. Nothing worse for a little baby than getting teeth. They just don't know what to do about it except cry, cry, cry. Which makes me want to cry, cry, cry. Ah well, they only last a few days and the babies don't remember getting them.

Sigh

Well, it happened. Bubba grew up.

It all started with an innocent day trip to the Moses Lake Aquatic Center last Saturday and culminated with weekend at Lake Chelan (my favorite place in Washington State.)

I don't know how he went from a day trip to a weekend away, but it happened. And it was hard. I didn't think letting him go away for the day with another family would be that bad, but it was. He was fine and so was I after awhile. And the kids had fun! He was invited by BB's family to go to the family aquatic center. This place is the best ever for little kids. It has a "zero-depth" pool, its like walking onto the beach, it just gradually gets deeper and deeper until its about 3 1/2 feet deep. There's two sets of small waterslides for tiny kids (or sissy kids) and another set for more experienced (braver) kids. PLUS giant waterslides for bigger kids and adults. It was the most surreal thing to pack him into someone else's car and watch him go away. Without me. Weird.

Then he was offered to go away for the weekend (with family). Even though he was with family it was still hard. He was almost an hour away, I had to work. What if something went wrong? But he was fine. Again it was weird to pack him and two days worth of overnight stuff into my sisters car and watch him go, but what can you do? Visit the next day. So I did. I took my niece with me we all had a blast. And Bubba didn't want to come home with us so he stayed again. Such a big boy. What's next? Riding a bike with no training wheels.

I love Lake Chelan. It is absolutely my favorite place in Washington. Maybe because it was so off limits when I was a kid, I dunno. But I love it up there. I just drive into town and feel myself relax. My sister's husband's family have a condo there so its comfortable, there's choice of a pool or the lake (it was a little windy yesterday so we opted for the pool) and I could take Punkin Head because there was a place for her to sleep. It was fabulous. I could spend weeks there. Unfortunately I only got to hang for a few hours, but it was worth it. You should see my tan!

I also enjoy the Aquatic Center. Its worth the 90 minute drive. Bubba, my niece another adult friend and 3 other kids went on Wednesday last week. What fun! I am not sure if I would go with 5 kids again, it was kind of unnerving to keep track of all them but it was a good time. Pictures to follow. My digital isn't waterproof, so we used disposable cameras and I will have to develop those pictures then I can post them.

Explanation

So where'd this and that come from? One (of the many) cluttered areas of the house that I rearranged yesterday. There were several photo albums from that era too. I was looking in the albums for a motivational picture of myself. I need something to get me motivated to work out. Nothing is doing it. And pictures of myself in too-big t-shirts just don't motivate me. No wonder My Honey always suggests something else. I dress totally frumpy most of the time.

Among this stuff is a box of old letters too. I have not been through it in 14 years or so. Someday I might, not right now. And I found a bunch of scrap booking stuff that I might get around to.
Probably not.

1983 or 1984 maybe

I wrote this once upon a time.

Mommies are always there
Mommies usually care
Mommies ask if you need help and don't favor one of the kids
Mommies don't force us to do or eat what we don't want to
Mommies understand if there is a problem and try to help
Mommies reason with us instead of yell at us
Mommies and kids try to understand each other
Mommies can't break the rules that are made but usually do!

There's a second verse, it starts with "If Mommies are always there, why weren't you?" and goes on in the same tone. I'm not going to publish that verse. But now that I am a Mommie I look at this and have to wonder, "would my kids write this about me?" Not at 4 1/2 years and 8 1/2 months old, but will they in 10 years? I pray not.

1988

A friend wrote this once upon a long time ago:

Once a day and sometimes more
You knock upon my daydream door
And I say warmly, "Come right in,
"I'm glad you're here with me again."

Then we sit down and talk things out
You tell me what it's all about

Until something I must do
Forces me away from you
With a silent tear and sigh

Though my daydreams bring you near
I wish that you were still here!

But what reality can not change
My dreams and wishes rearrange
Through my wishing you'll be brought
To me each day - a guest in thought.

Thanks for that oh so many years ago.