a little retail therapy

This morning, I got an e-mail from a store called Crazy 8. Apprarently, it's the Gymboree brand, but a little less expensive and a little hipper. It seems to be new, as they don't have that many lines...BUT they gave me a code for 20% and free shipping (SAVE20, if you want to check it out between May 15 - 18) so I took a look.

I thought a lot of the clothes in the Baby Girl (3 mos - 5T) section were cute, especially since they had a line that was pretty much all polka dots. I love polka dots. Though most of the stuff in A and E's sizes were already taken, I did get them this dress:Cute, huh? I am having a bit of buyer's remorse because I'm worried that it's not "pink enough." E is in a *very* pink phase in her life where she is refusing to wear things that aren't pink...so I'm not sure this will work for her. But it is a dress, so hopefully that will cancel out some of the brown-ness of it all. I'll keep you posted on how it goes and let you know what the quality is like when I get the dresses. I'm sure you'll be on the edge of your seats.

Now if finding clothes for me were only that easy!

nothing doing

Not too much is going on Chez Slacker to write about these days. The girls have been getting along wonderfully, and continue to make my heart melt by getting so excited to see each other, playing together and giggling hysterically along the way. The sun finally came out after days upon days of rain, so the plans to build the ark have been scratched. Work's been...well, work. Not too great or too bad...which is okay I guess.

I think the Slacker clan will all be home at a reasonable hour today, and there are plans to grill steaks for dinner. While usually I get psyched for steak (I love me some red meat and it's a sure-fire dinner that both girls will devour), I'm kind of over the steak thing. As a Mother's Day "gift" to me, he took both girls grocery shopping on Sunday...and returned with a whole beef tenderloin, 4 pounds of ground beef AND 3 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast. We've had beef everyday since Sunday. So I'll be making a big-ass salad for my, well, big ass.

Oh, and before you get all, "Wow, that is *so* nice of John to take both girls grocery shopping...I can't believe that she's complaining!" please note that I spent the time they were gone PLUS an additional hour and a half putting together this monstrosity:It's a combination gas and charcoal grill...all we need is a fire box and it becomes a smoker, too! While I admit, it's kind of awesome...I hadn't planned on buying and assembling a grill on Mother's Day.

So, there you have it. A big, bad post about nothing. Hopefully I'll have more exciting things later.

looking up to her big sister

As A gets older, she has definitely started to look up more and more to E. Whatever E is doing, A is most likely right behind her trying her best to do it as well. And E can get A to laugh this amazing little laugh that I just *love* to hear...so much so that I often overlook the fact that sometimes the activity generating this laughter really isn't allowed (jumping on the couch or playing on the stairs, anyone?).

Last night, my parents came over for dinner. As we were sitting at the table eating dessert, A thought it would be a great time to play peek-a-boo. She sat at the table with her hands covering her eyes while the adults were asking "Where's A?"

Except A wouldn't take her hands away from her face.

"E-uh-bet," A said.

E was too busy eating dessert to ask where A was.

"E," I asked her, "do you know where A is?"

E looked up from her dessert and smiled.

"Where's A?" she yelled.

And with that, A pulled her hands off of her face and smiled at her big sis.

Later that evening, E decided it would be a perfect time to get naked and dance around. A, on the otherhand, went around gathering up E's discarded clothes and put them on. E's undies were pulled on over her diaper. E's t-shirt was pulled over sweatshirt. She was so puffy and lumpy from all of the layers, that she ended up looking like the bodybuilders from Saturday Night Live, Hans and Frans.

Here she is...and she is ready to PUMP YOU UP!

And you know me...equal opportunity mama. Here's a picture of E causing trouble on the stairs from earlier in the day. (Sorry internet pervs...no naked E pictures for you!)

mother's day 2008

A few days after E was born, some family friends stopped by for a visit. When Janet walked in, she came over to me and said something that really struck me.

"Isn't it amazing how much your mother loves you?"

Growing up, parenthood was always used around as a bit of a threat. When Kiki and I didn't eat anything except Chef-Boy-R-Dee and McDonald's...when we stayed out too late over Thanksgiving Break causing my mother to show up at the party we were at...whenever we did something and complained that our parents "just wouldn't understand", the response was "wait until you have children and you'll see."

We knew our parents loved us, knew (to an extent) the sacrifices they made for us, and in return, loved them back the best we could. But it wasn't until that moment while holding a newborn E and talking to someone who had watched me grow up that I realized the depths in which I was a daughter who was loved.

And since then, the love, admiration and respect for both of my parents infinitely grew. I've said this many times before, and I'll say it many times again, but my parents provided such a great guide as to how I want to be a parent to my own children. If I do half as good of a job, I will have not just succeeded, but over-achieved.

Once my mom told Kiki and I "I don't know how I ended up with two daughters like you." Now, I know that the answer to that.My mom is a wonderful mother. And for that, I'll be eternally grateful.

Happy Mother's Day, Zamms! I love you!

first mother's day present of the weekend

Today began the weekend-long celebration that is Mother's Day. And, you wonder, how did we celebrate it? Well, John got me tickets to a musical. A Broadway-quality show. Guess which one...Wicked? Moving Out? Mamma Mia?

Nope. This one: John and I, suckers that we are, drove the girls down to Charlottesville to catch the 2PM show of Sesame Street LIVE! I know, I know...you are totally jealous of me now!

Actually, it was a great way to spend an otherwise intermittently rainy and overall dreary day. After breakfast we got dressed (E even changed into her Elmo undies in honor of the day) and headed down to Charlottesville. We met Uncle Matt and Aunt Noreen for a quick lunch. There was a fountain outside that kept the girls pretty entertained.

Though we extended the invitation for Matt and Noreen to join us, they (suprisingly!) declined...so we headed off to the JPJ for the show. Complete slackers that we are, we actually hadn't purchased tickets in advance...so imagine our suprise when we were able to score second row seats! After we got in, we took a few pictures with our new friends, bought some snacks and headed to our seats.
Once the show started the girls were absolutley mezmerized. While Broadway quality as the internet description touted was kind of a stretch...it was pretty entertaining. I have to admit, I got a little teary to see how excited the girls were (and I'm not one to get teary!).


E even got to shake a few characters' hands! A had none of the meeting the cast. After the show, we packed back in the car and headed home. A was crashed out before got out of Charlottesville; E made it to about Culpeper before dozing off. Once we got home, the girls spashed in some residual mud puddles before dinner, playtime and bed.

All in all, it was the kind of day that only a mother could say was great!

money and finances according to e

E has always been fascinated with the concept of money. Since she was a little girl, she has loved putting "monies" (as she calls them) in a piggy bank. Every night she gets to put John's pocket change in a money jar. And when she was younger, John and I could get dressed in the morning while she would put coins in her piggy, open the cork snout, dump the coins out and start all over again.

As she's gotten older, she has begun to understand more and more of the concepts of money...namely, that you buy things with it. Yes, at the tender age of three and a half, she's become quite the saavy consumer. Here are some lessons about money that E has taught us this week.

On America's Over Reliance on Credit Cards...
E: "Let's go to Pickle Bob's. You have to have monies to go to Pickle Bob's. Pickle Bob's doesn't like credit cards."
Me: "But, E...I don't have any monies with me."
E: "That's okay. Do you have your credit card? We can go to Maggie Moos!"

On Parents Buying Their Children's Love...
Me: "E, where did you get the new book from?"
E: "The Book Fair at school!"
Me: "But, E. I took you to the Book Fair yesterday and got you girls each a new book. Didn't you tell Daddy that?"
E: "Well, Mommy, I didn't want Daddy to feel bad that he didn't get to go the Book Fair. He really wanted to go."

On Budgeting...
E: "Mommy, your special day is coming up this weekend!"
Me: "It is, E! I'm very excited!"
E: "We're going to buy you lots of presents. Some pants and some shirts and an Orange Birginya sweater. Do you need an Orange Birginya sweater?"
Me: "Wow! Pants, shirts AND a sweater! That's a lot of stuff. How will you pay for all of that?"
E: "Daddy."

we've created a monster

Last night during dinner, I let E have some chocolate milk. Truth be told, it was bribe to get her to actually *drink* her milk since she is on some sort of milk strike at home. When A saw that she began grunting and madly gesturing, I figured she wanted some, too. So I scooped up her sippy, added a little syrup and announced that dessert was served.

A couldn't get enough of it. She slurped every last drop in her cup and looked at me with wanting eyes and said, "Muh peese, muh muh muh PEEESE!" Luckily we were able to distract her with promises of NHT upstairs.

But...this morning, we went downstairs to get her morning sippy of milk and turn on the crockpot. I handed her her sippy cup, she looked at me and said,

"No!"
"What do you mean, no? It's your sippy...of milk." I told her.
"Chalk-a-ut," she responded.

Luckily, she seemed to accept my explanation that we don't have chocolate milk all the time, only for dessert. But I'm forsee a tantrum about this issue very soon in my future.

Side Note:
Sweet Pea Chef (or any other crockpotters "in the know")...I'm making your Carolina Pulled Pork BBQ with a Boston Butt (heh). when I went to turn on the crockpot at 7 this morning, I neglected to actually plug it in. Luckily I figured out my mistake at 8:30 before leaving for work. My two questions are:

1. After sitting out on the counter for an hour and a half not cooking, is this Butt still safe to eat?
   
2. We try to eat at 6 or so...which puts us at 9 1/2 hours on LOW. Should I jack up the temp to HIGH when I walk in the door to get it to cook more, or do you think it'd be fine? It's a small Butt (5 pounds) if that makes a difference.
   

they should charge admission

I've mentioned before, but my neighbors have a tree in their front yard, around which they've built a small stone wall. When E was a baby, she loved to play around this tree. I thought it was cute and quirky. But then A had the same fascination with it...so I now attribute this to my former career as a Tree Hugger Extrodinare. (Sidenote...did you know that my tree hugging organization is no longer in existence. Never was the same with out my talents.)

Anyway, as I was saying, this tree and wall has provided both A and E with hours and hours of entertainment. They dig in the mulch, attempt to hang from the branches and walk around it ... a lot. Because of the location of my house on our lot (we're in a pipestem), it's kind of in our front yard, which allows me to get my groceries at least to my front door with them entertained. If they ever need to rebuild, John and I should surely pitch in as my kids have used the heck out of it. Here the girls are doing one of their favorite activities around The Tree, from Sunday.


Note: No toddlers were hurt in the making of this video.

See what I mean? She pops right back up and keeps on keeping on.

get up and DANCE!

Last night after dinner, the girls and I had a bit of a dance party before John got home. I turned on the iPod and we had a good ole time. Both girls have inherited their father's total lack of dancing abilities, so our dancing was limited to spinning, jumping and rousing games of ring around the rosy with three lucky baby dolls.

Then Laurie Berkner's "We are the Dinosaurs" came on. There was a time when E watched the Laurie Berkner DVD all the time, and "We are the Dinosaurs" was certainly a fan favorite. So when the song came on, E and I started re-enacting the video by marching around the room singing along. A, never to miss out on anything, marched around with us as happy as a clam.

The trouble came in the second verse. When E and I "stopped to take a rest, over in our nest" by lying down and pretending to sleep, A mistook us for actually trying to sleep. She frantically ran over to me and started yanking on my arms, my shirt, anything she could get a hold of trying to get me back up and dancing. Luckily, before she resorted to tears, it was already time to wake up and march again.

And, then it was time to roar. Really, there is nothing cuter than two sweet girls doing their fiercest dinosaur roars.

For those of you familiar with "We are the Dinosaurs"...I dare you to not have that song stuck in your head all day. I've been singing it over and over and over and over all day long. Just wanted to share the joy!

a & e's excellent adventure

A couple of people asked about A & E in the comments of my Ireland post. I don't know if you guys re-read comments...so I thought I'd quickly post.

The girls spent the week in Kentucky with John's parents. My parents drove them down to a mid-way point...and after lunch pulled a car switch-a-roo, and off the girls went to Grandmom and Grandad's.

The girls had a blast. They did a lot of playing outside and going to the playgrounds. They went shopping for new sandals and summer clothes (and are pretty much set and the most stylish tots around). They went out lunch. E and Grandad went to the movies. It was a great week had by all.

On Friday, they all piled in the car and drove back here. It was so nice to have the weekend to snuggle and catch up and spend time with them. Since it was a beautiful weekend, we spent a good deal of it outside...coming in only when we were overtaken with allergy attacks from all the pollen out. And, the girls are still as cute as ever. Here are some pictures we took on Sunday.


The only downside of all this quality time with Grandmom and Grandad is that Grandmom's penchant for shopping has rubbed off on both girls. When we ran to Target on Saturday, I had the following conversation with E.

"Mommy, let's go buy me some clothes."
"E, you just got a ton of clothes and new shoes from Grandmom."
"I know, Mommy, but I need more clothes and shoes. I need new stuff for every day of summer!"

And A isn't much better. At the shoe store, she got fitted for a pair of sandals. They had different colored butterflies all over them and came in white or lime green. Grandmom, thinking that the white were more versatile, told the salesperson that they'd get the white. A upon hearing this refused to take off the green ones...hanging on tightly and shouting "NO!" until Grandmom relented and finally bought her the green shoes. When they went to put on her old shoes, it turns out she had hidden them around the corner in an apparent effort to ensure that she would get new shoes since no one would be able to find her old ones.

five things i learned in the emerald isle

Well, we are back after a whirlwind trip through Ireland. It was a great time...a lot of driving, but we got to see a good bit of the country. We spent the night in Kinsale, Kenmare, Dingle, Galway and Dublin (two nights). But, really, this was a trip where the journey itself was 90% of the fun. The scenery as we drove from town to town...the people in the pubs...the towns we stopped in for lunch...it all contributed to the entire experience.

I could bore you with an entire play-by-play description of our trip...but I'm too lazy to type that up. So, I've condensed it into the five things I learned. I've included a few pictures, but if you want to see the whole memory card you can go here.

1. I'm a 30-something mother of two, and yet I have the same sense of humor I did when I was 12. We flew Aer Lingus and I giggled. We went to Dingle and the dingleberry jokes were aplenty.
   
   
2. It might taste better in Ireland, but Guinness is still not my favorite beer. I had the requisite pint in the first pub we went to, and of course the free one at the Guinness factory, but other than that, I was a straight up Smithwick's girl. (It's pronounced "Smiticks" -- silent H and W -- for those in the know.)
   
3. For as tall as my husband is, he's deathly afraid of heights. Of course he would never admit this outright, but it's true. My first clue was at the Blarney Stone where after paying 10 Euro to get into Blarney Castle and hiking all the way to the top, he refused to kiss the damn thing by saying it was "un-hygienic."
   Then, when we went to the Cliffs of Moher, he refused to hike up along the cliffs past the "Private Property" sign with the beautiful views (but no safety rail) because he "didn't want to disrespect someones property." Oh well, it's his loss. He's the one that missed out on the amazing views and the gift of gab...not me!
   
   
4. However, my husband does comes in handy during an Irish sing-song. In Kenmare, we were hanging out at Crowley's pub when some locals began a good ole fashioned sing song. This basically was a bunch of drunk guys singing Irish ballads. They asked us to join and we were stumped. I mean, my knowledge of song lyrics is vast, but nothing much along the lines of what they were singing. Enter John and his version of "Rocky Top." By the end of the song, even the locals joined in on the chorus.
   
5. As much as you see pictures beforehand, you cannot be prepared for the awesome beauty of Ireland. From the colorful streets of the towns that we visited...to the scenery of the Rings of Kerry and Dingleberry...to the Cliffs of Moher...
   to the architecture of Dublin... I was constantly amazed on what an absolutely positively gorgeous country it was.
   

Oh yes...notice the sun in most of those pictures? The luck of the Irish was on our side as it was sunny most of the time, and when it did rain, it was when we were either driving or didn't last for more than a minute or two.

But, as much fun as it was to be there...I'm very happy to be back. Well, maybe except for having to do the pile of laundry and the going back to work bit, but you get my drift!

though it's not on the itinerary...

Here's a little Limerick for you!

There once was a mama who slacked.
During Grey's she (finally) packed.
She'll be gone for a while,
As she tours the Emerald Isle.
But fret not! In a week, she'll be back!

Don't miss me too much when I'm gone!

a visual representation of how i feel today

FYI: This is E around 13 months or so. She was eating something that was clearly not her favorite. I have no idea what it was, but man is that look priceless.

dear go diego go writers

I understand that you guys have a tough job. I mean, the preschool set is notoriously fickle, and there are only so many animals that live in the rain forest that Diego and Alicia can rescue or go on an adventura with. But seriously, you guys crossed the line.

This morning, A got up earlier than normal. In an effort to complete my workout, I turned off my TiVo'ed episode of What Not to Wear and put on a Diego episode. It all started out innocently enough...Diego and Alicia's grandfather had a strawberry farm, but a windy wind blew away all of the strawberries right before Alicia and the Bobo brothers could pick them for the big strawberry festival. How would Diego save the strawberry festival?

That's easy. With the help of an iguana...who ate some strawberries at the rescue center and then *pooped* the seeds in the garden. That's right, Iguana poop saved the day.

Writers of Go Diego Go...do you not know your audience?!?!?! Do you not understand that there will be an epidemic of kids across America who will be pooping in their backyards this summer in an effort to grow their own strawberries!?!?! What's next, a very special episode featuring a mother bird vomiting up half digested worms for her babies?

Luckily, I don't think A made the poop-strawberry connection (though she *did* poop right after...coincidence?). But I deleted the episode before E could get an ideas watch it.

Consider this your warning ... you pull that crap (heh) on us again and it will be all Dora all the time.

Sincerely,
Slacker Mama

it was the best of weather, it was the worst of weather

It was a tale of two weather patterns here this weekend.

Our warm and sunny part of the weekend started off with a bang on Friday afternoon with Nonna and Pop-pop stopping by and treating the girls (and me!) to Pickle Bob's ice cream. Then we got some good playing outside time before grilling out for dinner.

On Saturday, we headed out to breakfast at John's favorite dive. We then headed out to Baby Animal Day at local park. The girls had a great time petting the baby animals and running around. I was a little nervous how A would do, since she's a deathly afraid little wary around animals, but she loved it. We then came home and played outside for the rest of the day, hanging out in the cul-de-sac with the neighbors and then grilled out again.



We woke up on Sunday to torrential downpours and cool temperatures. Blech. We did head to REI to pick up some things for our trip to Ireland. I got a wind and water resistant jacket, John got some shoes and the girls got new pairs of Crocs. We hadn't planned on the Croc purchase, but when A saw thems she started screaming "Cock! Cock!" (heh) They both got the fucshia Mary Janes. John tried to get them to go for the orange, but A shook her head furiously and said "Pik! Pik!" The rest of the day were boring chores -- laundry, grocery shopping, and a hair cut for E. The girls did get a little stir-crazy, but nothing a little running around in the garage couldn't cure.

On the agenda for this week: IRELAND! We leave on Friday. Now if only the packing fairy would visit Chez Slacker, we'd be good to go!

carrying on a family tradition

I've mentioned this before, but my mom stayed home with Kiki and I for the first few years and then went back to work when we were about 3 or so. My parents were *fantastic* working parents, and I aspire to be like them with my girls. I don't remember feeling like I was missing out, and I certainly remember them being at all the important things that parents should be at (and then some!).

That's not to say that growing up I didn't sometimes wish things were different. You see, my mom worked in DC when we were growing up and traffic was just as horrendous (if not more so) back then as it is now. So she was often up at 4:45AM and out the door before Kiki and I got up. My dad was the responsible party for getting us up. This was both a blessing and a curse. On the bright side, our morning routine included climbing into my parents' bed and watching cartoons (Mighty Mouse and others) with my dad. Unfortunately, it also meant that my dad was responsible for brushing Kiki's and my hair.

Oh, the horrors!

My dad's method of doing this was to cup one hand under our chin to hold it steady. Then he would brush our hair down as hard as he could, producing a greasy, stuck-to-our head look. To add insult to injury, our hair was already in a heinous bi-level cut (that's on you, Mom!) so we needed all the styling help we could get.

So, when I was in third grade, I looked forward to Fridays. My mom didn't work on Fridays, so there was a relaxed vibe in the house. No rushing to get kids out the door and parents off to work. And, my mom did our hair. So on Fridays, I wore pigtails. In retrospect, the bi-level pigtail didn't look so great, but I loved them nonetheless.

Now that I'm a mom and working part-time, Fridays have that same feel in our house. Usually I work in the mornings, but it's from home so we're not rushed. We often have breakfast and play before I take them to school. And I try to pick them up early -- sometimes before lunch and nap even. And this morning, E was so excited to be wearing a spring dress that she asked for piggles this morning.

And...since it was Friday, I happily obliged.

signs of spring

After a long, cold winter, spring is finally upon us. Over the past few weeks, the first signs of spring had appeared.

Longer days...

Birds chirping...

Blooming flowers...

Warmer weather...

and, of course, sending your children to school as clean and well-dressed children, only to have them be returned to you as dirty ragamuffins.

Thank god we didn't have to run errands after school today...that would have been embarassing.

catch me if you can

So A has learned a new game called Chase. This is how it is played:

1. Mommy and the girls need to go somewhere that necessitates them getting in the car. This trip also necessitates bags or purses or lunchboxes (or any combination, thereof) which transforms Mommy into a temporary Sherpa.
2. While en route to the car, A determines that this is the perfect time for the game to commence, and proceeds to run in a direction *away* from the car, laughing all the way.
3. Mommy begins to run after A while juggling the aforementioned bags/purses/lunchboxes.
4. Mommy catches A and proceeds to carry A (in addition to the bags/purses/lunchboxes) back to the car.
5. E, seeing how much fun A had playing the game, decides to play as well and runs in a completely different direction.
6. Mommy considers never leaving the house again.

the road to urgent medical care is paved with good intentions

I'm working from home all this week, which has been *so* nice. No commute, and I'm able to get things done around the house during the day. One of those things is meal prep.

Yesterday, I decided to make pizza dough so that we could have pizza for dinner. As I was getting the pizzas ready, E wanted to help. So she dragged a kitchen chair over, climbed on it, and helped me spread the sauce and sprinkle the cheese. Of course, A wanted to get in on the action...so she hopped up on the chair with E. For a while, things were going well. We finished with our first pizza, and I went to go put it in the oven.

You can see where this is going, right?

While my back was turned for 15 seconds, some sort of scuffle had ensued. I turned around just in time to see both girls falling off the chair. While neither of them was seriously hurt, tears ensued. I almost cried right along with them, to be honest. They finally both stopped crying when I broke out ice cubes for them to put on their boo boos (in the case of E) or to try to eat (in the case of A).

Then, to add injury to injury, when I went to take the first pizza out of the oven, my finger slipped off the pot holder. Instinctively I went to steady the pan with my other, pot-holder free hand. So I managed to burn the bejeebus out of fingers on *both* my hands.

Ugh. Next time I'm ordering Papa Johns.

So, all you mamas whose kiddos "help" in the kitchen...how do you get them to counter height? Chairs, stools, levitation? Or do you do things on the kitchen table or a kids table?

dora pajama dance party and piggle-palooza

Last night after baths, the girls got into their pajamas. Their Dora pajamas. E had two sets from the fall that were 3T, but were so ridiculously small on her that no part of the shirt and pants came close to touching, much less overlapping. So, this weekend, we headed to Kohl's where we picked up a Dora nightgown with a bonus pair of slippers and scrunchie (I kid you not! 1992 called and wants it's hair holder back!) and a Princess pajama set as well. They are both incredibly ugly and look cheaply made...but E couldn't be happier.

And, since E no longer needed them, we passed down the older PJs onto A. For 3Ts, they are almost too small on her! Nonetheless, she was psyched. She yelled at me this morning when I tried to take them off to get her dressed.

Here are pictures of the girls having a dance party on E's Dora blanket last night.


This morning, we had a few extra minutes so I put the girls hair up in piggles (as E calls them). There is absolutely *no* chance that the piggles will still be in their hair by the time I pick them up from school (or lunch-time at that), but here are the cuties before going to school.


The white box on the picture of both girls is to obscure the name of E and A's school. Sorry internet stalkers!

busted

E was helping me with the laundry today. When she offered to throw away the used drier sheet rather than rolling my shirts in to little balls folding clothes, I jumped at the chance.

"OH NO! MOMMY!" E screamed.
"What!?!?" I asked.
"My art! My art is in the trash!" she replied.

And sure enough, E pulled out three of her "drawings" from school.

Now don't get me wrong, we save *a lot* of E's work. And A's. However, after 5PM at school, they either are outside on the playground if the weather is nice, or in a classroom coloring and reading if it's not. Which means we get *a lot* of pictures that E draws. Sometimes upwards of 5 or so a day. So, I keep the ones that are really good (e.g., a school craft, the one she wrote her name on) and the rest get put in Mommy's Special File, which until now had been the laundry room trash can.

"Oh, Mommy didn't mean to throw those away!" I told her. Luckily two were actually on the back of school calendars, so I continued. "I thought they were just school papers."
"Okay, Mommy," E said suspiciously. "Let's go put them with the rest of my art right now."

Sigh.

So mission tonight is to re-throw out the art from Friday. And find a new place to do it.

heat + humidity = one cute 'do

Today it reached 80 degrees. And the girls spent *a lot* of time outdoors. We got a sneek peak of what A's hair will look like in the dog days of the DC summer. In a word, curly.

kebab-a-rama

Kebab-a-rama was a success last night. The girls had tons-o-fun playing on the swing set while we grilled the kebabs. The kebabs were pretty tasty, though A only ate the veggies (she's in a vegetarian phase right now) and E only ate the meat. Well, she did try some grilled veggies after I told her that little girls that eat their veggies get turned into princesses.

Here are some pictures of the girls. Really not the best, but I had to show you how there's really nothing cuter than an 18-month-old in running shorts and running shoes. And, E was rocking the soccer shorts last night.

turning lemons into lemonade

After yet another 2AM wake-up call from A (ugh!), I overslept my alarm this morning (ack!). So, I made the executive decision to work from home today and save myself from having to do the time-consuming activities going to the office entails...like commuting and showering.

Thus far I've been able to get some stuff done for work, get in a workout on the elliptical, and my house is sparkly clean. (Okay, my house would have been sparkly clean regardless since the cleaning lady did it...but I did let her into the house!) And, since it's such a beautiful day, I'm going to do a little work out on the back deck (gotta love wireless internet and laptops!). Later this afternoon, I'm going pick up the girls from school in the wagon and walk home, and then we are grilling out and eating on the deck. We picked up some kebabs from The Teets, so tonight is Kebab-a-Rama 'round these parts.

Turned out to be a pretty good day, after all.

"most favored parent" status

Currently, I hold the title of "Most Favored Parent" with both girls. While it often has its perks, it does have it's drawbacks. For example, I have to be a part of both girls nighttime routine. With E, I have to come in and sing her at least a song or two. With A...well, let's just say if John so much makes a move that might cause A to think that he will be involved in the story and songs prior to bedtime, there is screaming. And crying.

Anyway, when A got up on Monday night, I kicked John and told him it was his problem asked him if he could try to re-settle A after my attempts failed. His solution was to sleep with her in the guest room. And he did both pick up and drop off yesterday (and probably today, too). Consequently, A has definitely been a little more lovey dovey with him and minutely less so with me...causing John to joke that he might be the more favored parent before too long.

A girl can dream, can't she?

further proof my kids are geniuses

So, the other day when I picked E up from school, she told me she made a present. She does this every day, and generally her "presents" are scraps of paper she has cut and stuffed into her pocket or a couple hundred sheets of paper with two or three scribbles on it. She pretty much is responsible for the destruction of a tree a day with her paper habits.

But, that day she showed me her picture and said, "Look, mommy! I wrote my name on it!" And sure enough, she *had* written her name across the top! Now, I'm no expert in child development, but I think being able to write your name at 3 1/2 is pretty impressive...especially when your parents have stuck you with a ridiculously long name (nine freaking letters).

As for A...the yesterday I was putting on her pants. For some reason, I always count arms and legs as I put them on...so as I pulled on the first leg, I said "One." A looked up at me with those beautiful blue eyes and said,

"Ooooo!"
"That's right!" I said and then continued. "Three!"
"Or!"
"Five..."
"Icks!"
"Seven..."
"Ay!"
"Nine..."
"En!"

And with that, she threw her hands up in the air and smiled.

Writing names and counting to ten...these girls are the smartest kids EVER!

head wounds, basketball and more spring cleaning

Overall the weekend was a good one in the Slacker house. On Saturday morning, we went grocery shopping and then the girls played outside while John and I did some lawn work. Saturday afternoon, my parents came over to watch the basketball games. My mom brought meatball subs, which were delicious.

Sunday was our anniversary. In a true testament to the give and take that couples must make in order to be successful, I let John sleep in while I got up with the girls...and John didn't grumble about me drinking 95% of the coffee. We then got dressed and headed into Arlington so that I could go to The Container Store. We walked around a couple other shops and then headed to Faccia Luna for lunch. John and I split a Franco pizza, which is totally symbolic of our relationship (sausage for him and roasted red pepper and red onion for me). On the way back to the car, we ran into a friend of ours, so we stopped by his house to catch up with him and his wife. When we got home, I got to organize my cabninets and coat closet with my new toys from The Container Store)...we then had some dinner, played some more and then headed off to bed.

The only minor glitch in all of this happened on Saturday. E and A were playing on the couch...and E managed to fall off the couch and hit her head on the coffee table, resulting in yet another trip to the Urgent Care to get a forehead glued together. The good news is that she was a total trooper about it all...but I still feel somehow deficient in that both my children have required Dermabond in the last few weeks.

And, A? After a rough night on Friday night sleep-wise, she seems to have made a total recovery from this latest ear infection. Saturday and Sunday she went to bed without so much as a peep and didn't wake up until the morning. So yay!

Hope everyone had good weekends!

april 6, 2002

Six years ago today, we got married. It was one of the happiest days of my life, and has been followed by many, many, many happy more.

And the 99.99% of the time you make me feel like this...

...more than makes up for the 0.01% of the time I feel like doing this.

There is no one I would rather walk hand in hand through this life with. I love you!

the third time's...a pain in the ass

A woke up this morning with a fever. And fussy. And clingy. So, we called the ped and headed on in.

Yep. You guessed it. Ear infection.

Apparently, these have been three separate ear infections, as opposed to one ear infection that hasn't ever healed. However, this means that A's frequent-infection status is putting her dangerously close to needing tubes. Ugh.

E stayed home from school, apparently for comic relief. When the nurse was asking about A's symptoms and I explained that I suspected that there was an infection, E chimed in,

"I checked her ears already. Yep. There are bones in there."

So, the rest of the day was relatively uneventful. The girls are both in bed (well, A is asleep, E is chillin' in the Dora bed). John and I were supposed to go out to dinner tonight to celebrate our anniversary...but we're now waiting on our Chinese to be delivered while watching Superbad.

Good times indeed.

a little fun with photoshop

My work computer has Photoshop installed on it, so I've been playing around with it a bit. Mostly I've made banners for my friends' blogs...but then I realized "Hey, they must call it Photoshop for a reason."

When I was at a baby shower a while ago, the hostess had these really cute pictures of her kids. The photos were black and white, with one colored piece of clothing. It was really cute. So...here's my attempt at recreating it.

What do you think?

hangin' tough

I'm sure this comes as no surprise to anyone, but I *love* me some boy bands! It started with Duran Duran (and the dreamy John Taylor) ... moved onto INXS (and the hunky Jon Farris) ... transitioned over to New Kids on the Block (and Jon Knight...looking back, not so sure about this one) ... and recently was for *NSYNC (did you know they served beer at *NSYNC concerts? and that there was *no* line because everyone else attending couldn't even drive?).

So, NKOTB (for those of us in the "know") is performing on the Today Show tomorrow! And, I'm psyched. I'm going to DVR it in case I have to miss the actual performance due to pesky issues, like work. Then I'm going to move the coffee table over and perform the dance moves to "The Right Stuff" in my living room because it's been 20(!) years, but I still know them. That's right...I'm a bad ass.By the way, I'm pretty sure that A is going to be my Boy Band lover. The other day, I put an episode of Dora on while I got ready for work. E was watching it intently, but A had lost interest and was playing with some toys. Well, Dora and Boots needed some help from a humpback whale, so Dora suggested that they call her cousin, Diego. The mere mention of Diego's name caused A to shriek loudly, jump up from the toys she was playing with and RUN to the television to see her beloved. Too funny.

Oh, and in case you have been following our sleep drama, when I left the house this morning at 7:15, A was still sleeping as she had been since 7:45 last night. Let's hope this trend continues.

the perfect storm

Earlier today, I took A to the doctor's office after *another* rough night of sleeping. For those of you keeping score at home, that would be Visit #4 for Sweet Baby A (#1 to diagnose ear infection, #2 to glue together forehead, #3 for 18 month well check and re-diagnose ear infection, and #4 today).

The Good News! A's ear infection is clearing up. Doctor terms such as "dull and red" and "the membrane is moving" were used. While they don't sound all that positive to me...she seemed happy.

The Bad News! A's ear infection is clearing up...which means it is not likely the reason for her causing me to believe she will never ever sleep through the night ever again nocturnal awakenings. The Ped said that most likely, the ear infection is a minor contributor, with her newly broken-through I-teeth and habit are the cause. Add to that the dreaded separation anxiety, and you've got the perfect storm of sleeplessness.

So what's an exhausted mama to do? Well, increase her Motrin, apparently. I have my doubts that this will work...but here's to minor miracles.

a sign of things to come

Yesterday was bee-you-ti-ful outside! It was in the 70s and sunny. So, for dinner last night we had a cookout. We grilled burgers, dogs and brats (can you guess who went grocery shopping this week?) and ate out on the back deck. The girls were thrilled to play on the swingset while we cooked and cleaned up after dinner. It was a great way to spend the evening ... I look forward to doing it more as the weather gets better.

And speaking of warmer weather...it has come to my attention that bathing suit season is quickly approaching. (Thanks, Poppop, for shopping for Dora bathing suits online wih E on Satuday. She has talked non-stop about swimming in her Dora bathing suit this summer!) Not only that, I'm headed to Ireland in a little over three weeks (yay!)...and if I want to pack something other than the three pairs of "real" pants and closet full of sweatpants that fit, I'm going to have to lose a few pounds.

Since I need the accountability of regular weigh-ins, I've started a new blog to document my progress (or -- horrors!-- lack thereof). Feel free to visit...or if you want to join in, let me know!

teaching the girls some culture

As you might know, the girls go to "school", which is a euphemism for daycare. To be fair, it does have a hoity-toity name which includes the word "Academy", they send out report cards and have parent-teacher conferences...so I think it's legit to call it a "school" even when some "students" are 6 weeks old.

The girls have learned a lot at school. They teach sign language and Spanish. They have PE (called Pee Wee workout). We get "art" projects hand over fist from both girls (A does a mean scribble). But it wasn't until today that I realized the depths of culture and music appreciation they are instilling in my girls.

When I went to pick E up, all the kids were in the gym having a dance party. And the song playing on the boom box? None other than "YMCA." The teachers were even teaching the kids how to make the arm letters. Sign language might not come in handy in a few years, but she's got a lifetime of weddings to attend where she will surely need to know this. And, after dinner tonight, E turns to me and says,

"Mama, want to see the dance I learned at school today. It's called the macarena."

Hallmarks of a quality education, I tell you!

By the way, I dare you to go through the day without having either "YMCA" or "Macarena" stuck in your head. Personally, I've been shouting "HEY...MACARENA! Ay-it!" at random intervals since last night. Let's hope it doesn't happen on my conference call.

things i've learned since friday

• The current Target One Spot kicks ass.
  Friday afternoon, I headed out to Target to return the not-chosen Easter cardigans before picking up the girls. Since I was by myself, I was free to peruse at my leisure (i.e., without the usual strains of "Mommy, do you see that Dora [piece of crap]? Can I have it? Oooo! It's a Diego [something or other]! I want it!"). The One Spot was all over the spring rituals of planting and organizing, so I got a bunch of bins to organize my linen closet and some basil and chives to plant. And, I got a couple of cute Easter things for 75% off, which I will put in the basement and promptly forget about until after Easter next year!


• Happy Hour Play Dates are F-U-N.
  After picking up the girls early from school, we headed over to my friend Heidi's house, where E and A played with her girls, Madelyn and Ellie. The girls had a great time playing while Heidi and I sipped some wine and chatted. And...bonus...no bathrooms were flooded as a part of the playdate.


• Never underestimate the power of a good night's sleep.
  A slept wonderfully on Friday night. Went down without a protest and didn't stir until 8 am. I woke up well rested, got showered and dressed before either kid got up. I felt like a million bucks.


• There's no place like home.
  E, A and I headed to my parents for the day. We took a walk to a neighborhood playground, the girls played with my parents stash of toys like it was Christmas all over again, and I got to take a nap. For dinner we had breaded steak and mashed potatoes, which was divine. After dinner, the girls and I headed home.


• Maybe A should sleep in the Dora bed.
  A slept in her crib and was up for a bit (again) last night, and then was up for good at 7 am. E got to sleep in her Dora bed last night since she was whining disappointed that she didn't get to sleep in her one at Nonna's and Pop-pop's. E did not wake up until almost 9 am. Coincidence? I think not!


• Spring cleaning puts a spring in my step.
  Today I got a chance to clean out the refrigerator, freezer and pantry. I tossed a bunch of stuff past expiration and my shelves look pretty. When John and E went grocery shopping and A went down for a nap, I also got to clean and organize my bathroom linen closet and medicine cabinets. Getting some of my to-do list done makes me feel so much better!


• My girls like to party all the time.
  This afternoon we headed to a birthday party at a local kiddie gym for my friend's daughter, Julia. The girls had such a fun time running around and playing. They also wore themselves out...both of them almost fell asleep on the way home.


• All good things must come to an end.
  Lunches are packed, laundry is getting done, coffee's set and ready to go for tomorrow. Another weekend has slipped away. Only 5 more days until the next one...