Oh, Brother!

It was time to get Baxter off to school. I called the boys in to get ready to go outside and started to get myself ready. Baxter arrived at the coat rack and, standing stock still, began to recount the highlights from the books he'd been reading this morning, a Cam Jansen mystery and Harriet the Spy. Lyle arrived and dutifully donned his own coat, hat, boots, mittens, neck gaitor, and hat. Then he proceeded to hand Baxter what he needed, providing background music for his big brother's monologue: "How 'bout dis neck gaiter, Baba? How 'bout dis hat, Baba? How 'bout dese gloves?" Before I knew it, we were all ready. All I could think was how nice it would be if we all had such a courteous and diligent personal assistant.

(By the way, these photos were taken by Baxter. We've added more to his set on flickr - who keeps giving this kid the camera, anyway?)

Monday, Monday

Well, the iMovie gods have not been my friends this week. Try as I might, I have not successfully uploaded some new video clips to my computer in order to create this week's YouTube video for my Dad. I'll keep trying! Speaking of my creative genius (we were, weren't we?), Baxter got really excited when we told him about the Oscars last night: "Wow, Mommy, you make movies and put them on the internet! Maybe you'll win one!" I waited and waited, but just never heard my name called. Strange, that. Maybe they haven't seen Lyle singing "Skip to Ma You" yet.

And while we're on the subject of my Dad, he has written a beautiful new post on his blog, a tribute to his marriage with my Mom. It's lovely and worth checking out. We should all be so happy 44 years later.

Things that Made Me Laugh this Week

1. Upon hearing that he and I were going to go on an airplane trip together - just the two of us! - to Massachusetts to see my grandparents for a weekend in April, Baxter burst into tears. "I don't want to go without Lyle! Nothing's fun without Lyle! And how will he know when to wake up without ME?" he wailed. Not what I expected so much. But sweet. Very sweet.

2. Lyle has added the word "hate" to his vocabulary. We don't know where it came from, and his brother didn't say it until he was 5 years old, but he has experimented with it all week. "HATE this!" he yelled, literally throwing green beans onto my plate at dinner. "I HATE books!" he declared, shoving them off the couch when he wanted to sit down. When I suggested that maybe we ought to give his books to a child who actually likes the things, he changed his tune. Now every time he asks me to read to him, he says, "Read this book, Mommy! I LIKE this book!" I think he's still a little worried.

3. The "wheel". We don't know where this came from, but every time I present us with a problem ("Hmm, how will we get across this busy street?" or "I don't know what to do about this") Lyle says, "Well, you take this wheel..." and he makes his little hands into a wheel to show me. It's so incredibly random that I just love it and I have to write it here so that I remember it someday.

4. At dinner, Baxter was stuffing the palm of his hand into his mouth in a fairly gross way. "What are you doing?" Matt asked. "I have an itch. This is one of the fastest ways to scratch it!" he replied and we suddenly saw that he was scratching it with his teeth.

5. Tonight when Matt was helping Lyle get undressed for his bath, he discovered that the child was wearing two pairs of socks. When asked why, Lyle replied, "I woke up lonely!"

Painting Almost Done!

I am beyond excited. I stopped by the new house yesterday to check on a paint color and found that most of it was finished! They are just doing the trim and will complete the job today. I was relieved to find that our colors look great in there and that the painters have done an excellent job. I'm sure we'll post some photos once we're moved in, but here are a few I took yesterday to bring home to show Matt.

Friends=Happiness

We are four women in our mid-thirties. We live in Chicago, Minneapolis, and a small farming town in Iowa. We have four husbands and seven children under the age of seven. We are an oncology nurse, an environmental attorney, a kindergarten teacher, and a speech therapist. Most of us work full-time and all of us are dedicated to our children full-time. 2007 turns out to be the year in which we have known each other exactly half our lives. College was a long time ago, come to find out.

We have in common husbands who - with nary a word of complaint - took care of the kids for a long weekend so that we could be together. My husband went so far as to take the boys to his parents' house so that my friends and I could stay together in one house.

It would be impossible to describe the perfection of this much-needed weekend with friends. I could give you a string of words such as: coffee, chocolate, Hugh Grant movie, shoe shopping, delicious meals out, and more coffee. Okay: and more chocolate. But that would only scratch the surface. There is no way to measure the joy of being on one's own timetable, rather than a child's, for a few consecutive days. Nor to capture the feeling of waking up in your own bed three days in a row only because you are no longer tired, smelling the coffee that has already been made downstairs by an early rising friend.

But what truly cannot be quantified is the emotional satisfaction of being with friends you can talk to about whatever is in your heart: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Old friends, particularly roommates, seem to be the best when it comes to making me laugh until my face hurts and simultaneously creating a safe place to cry. People talk about women being in the prime of our lives in our 30's and I don't doubt this - we are fabulous, after all! - but what struck me over the weekend was what an incredibly challenging and life-altering decade this is for us. How lucky I am that I made such amazing friends back when I was too young to understand how much I'd need them later on. I was exhausted this afternoon when everyone had gone home, but not because I didn't get enough sleep; it was a complete emotional exhaustion. This is a good thing, believe me. I find that being with old friends not only helps me reconnect with them, but also with myself.

I feel ready now to get on with work and the kids and moving to the new house with renewed energy and a strong sense of inner peace. And I am already counting the days until we do this again.

NewTube

It's Monday, and you know what that means! This week's edition includes a visit to the new house, reading to Teddy, and a little hootenanny. Enjoy, everyone!

Mc-NERD-LT

McDLT
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The McDLT (McDonald's Lettuce and Tomato) was a hamburger product based on a novel form of packaging.[1] The meat portion was prepared separately from the other toppings, such as lettuce and tomato, and then both were packaged into a specially designed two-sided container. The consumer was then expected to finalize preparation of the sandwich by combining the hot and cool sides just prior to eating. The company discontinued the sandwich in 1990 due to the move away from the environmentally unsound styrofoam packaging which was integral to the McDLT "experience". The sandwich has come back, albeit in a slightly different incarnation, as the Big N' Tasty.

Marketing

The McDLT is perhaps best remembered for its marketing, which focused on variations of the theme "Keep the hot side hot, and the cool side cool." A fairly well-remembered 1985 commercial released to market the new sandwich featured a young Jason Alexander, and has obtained a minor following on the web as a shining example of 1980s era television advertising.

My day was like a McDLT

Breaking the 180-degree Rule
Originally uploaded by nailmaker.

Yesterday, I rather enjoyed an acute case of meterological whiplash.

I woke early in a lovely room in the Beverly Hilton (I was there on a project for the Hilton Corporation) with a view of the Hollywood sign from my room. Not this view, mind you, but it was still cool to see the famous sign, even if it was not less than a mile away. The air was warm, humid and smog-free. I woke early, held the door for golfer Vijay Singh on my way out, and headed to the airport.

Six hours later, I stood on Belmont Avenue, about a mile from our house. It was 14 degrees, and I was standing in a deep puddle of slush, waiting for a bus. The air was, shall we say, crisp, but everyone's spirits seemed to be lifted by the bright sunshine and the bright white snow.

I got home and enjoyed a few minutes of playtime before I went to pick up Baxter. He was, as usual, well bundled against the cold, and he wanted desperately to try the snowshoes he got for Christmas. Once he got them on, there was no stopping him, and we floated over the knee-deep drifts like arctic hares. Okay, maybe not that last part.

Anyway, I realized that I like the hot side AND the cold side, especially in the same sandwich day.

Note to Self

In the future, bring all sippy cups in from the car.

As Seen at the Dinner Table

"I'm thinking I should get some Pokemon cards," were the shocking words Baxter uttered, as he hopped up quickly from the dinner table, nearly knocking over a lit candle, in order to fold his cloth napkin neatly on the floor; one mustn't leave it crumpled after wiping one's mouth. I watched this scene and bit my tongue so as not to say, "You may not be the Pokeman type, sweetie."

Proof!

How do I know this day is looking up? Because through some stroke of genius (there is a God), I remembered at 10:07 that Norah Jones/M Ward tickets went on sale at 10 AM today! After a few minutes of nail-biting when it looked like it was sold out, I found a pair of tickets - first row of the balcony! So Matt, remember that nonsense about not doing Valentine's Day gifts? Forget that crap!

WHOO HOOOOOO!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

When I went to bed last night, I was somewhat concerned about it being after midnight, given that I'd be up early with the boys. Turns out, I was right to worry - my expected 5.5 hours of sleep were interrupted at least 5 times by Lyle waking up screaming bloody murder for me and insisting in his raggedy sick voice that I sit on the couch in their room until he went back to sleep. It was so cold in their room that I needed my robe on (and I do have the mother of all warm robes, I swear to you); eventually, I just kept falling back into my bed with this massive fleece robe on, knowing I would be summoned back shortly. Matt's flight home from LA was cancelled and he is expected to make it back late this afternoon. It's still snowing and very windy out there so we are praying he'll be back on time.

But things are looking up. I cancelled my morning session to see how Lyle's doing (I suspected an ear infection during the night), brewed a serious pot of full caff coffee, and am getting caught up on some work in the office upstairs. And the kids are in full Valentine's Day mode (or Clementine's Day, as Lyle says) - as the clock was striking midnight last night I was putting their treats on red placemats with the heart napkins so they'd see them at breakfast, and taping the cards they've made and received all over the play room. It looked so festive when they got up this morning. I let them have candy after breakfast, and we had a good time. Baxter headed off to school with cards for his class, chocolate in his lunchbox, and a few special "Clementines" for his new love.

I just love these kids and look forward to my wonderful husband returning home. It's sure to be a great Clementine's Day.

Return Trip an Improvement

Better prepared to face the elements, we managed to find a protected place to play for a little while on our walk home from school. Now if only Matt's flight from LA will make it home tonight!

[Walkers] in a Winter Wonderland

Most of the time we love being able to walk to school. Then there was today. We left the house filled with the excitement that comes easily to California transplants who walk out into a few inches of fresh snow in the morning. Snowflakes were twirling rapidly around us and small snowdrifts were collecting. Lyle walked through snow that spilled over the tops of his boots and Baxter searched for ever deeper snowdrifts so that he could do the same.

After about a block, however, we had to turn south and suddenly the day was not so kind. The wind blew cold snow straight into our faces and knocked the breath right out of us. It was then that I saw the situation for what it was: since Matt's on a business trip again, I had to take Lyle out to drop off Baxter. Because the sidewalks and streets weren't cleared yet, we couldn't use the stroller. Lyle had to walk (or, when the going got rough, be carried). Since Lyle has a bad cold complete with goopy eyes, he was an uncomfortable mess. It suddenly occurred to me that perhaps taking him out - although necessary and intially exciting - wasn't the best thing for him. He started yelling in my face, "Where's Lyle's car? Need the car! Take the car!"

It's funny how, when things are going smoothly, I can overlook all this and enjoy it. Then all of a sudden there's a shift, and the reality of it becomes crystal clear.

Needless to say, we're happy to be back home this morning, where we can look out at the swirling snow and enjoy its beauty. From indoors.

The Latest and Greatest

Well, folks, it's Monday. And these days, that means that I put a new YouTube video together for my Dad. I am not allowing this one to be viewed publicly; it contains a whole lot of footage of Lyle prancing and dancing through the house, buck naked. Nope, not so comfortable with that being out there. However, if you would like to see a goofy 6 minute video of the boys that includes some innocent nudity (of the child, mind you), just drop me an email (along with your FBI clearance) and I'll share it with you.

In other news, I was flattered to be asked by the mother of a client in San Francisco to be a guest author on her brand new blog, The Family Room. This blog will feature writing about parenting and working with children with special needs. I just put up my first post this morning.

And the Winner is...

Congratulations, Cara Leuchtenberger, of Chicago, Illinois!

Her entry in our "What's Not to Love About the Cold?" contest has earned her a golden spitoon! Now she and her two small boys (and Michael too, if he's into that sort of thing) can freely spit on a cold day; should it not be cold enough to freeze, they'll have the golden spitoon close at hand.

Your prize is on its way, Cara. I think just for fun I should bring this to you at church. I'm willing to bet that a golden spitoon has not changed hands at the 2nd Unitarian Church of Chicago in, oh...a few hundred years.

For the record, our 1st runner up was Becky Hanson. Our judges love the image of her running through the Macalester College veggie co-op in the early 90s with a boiling pot of water, in order to create snow outside. Becky, next winter (when young Anya isn't looking) we're going to request a reenactment - we're hoping that by throwing it off your back deck, we can get some fresh snow on our house across the alley! (Or maybe on our car?)

Last Call!

Okay, everyone! This is your final chance to submit an entry to our "What's Not to Love About the Cold?" contest!

The winner (and prize) will be announced this Sunday night! We've got some great entries...I know there are a few more out there!

I Heart My Big Kid

Things I love about having a Big Kid:

1. When he has a half day, we get to spend Lyle's nap time together. (It's so hard to find alone time with him!) Today he not only schooled me in chess (he's in the Chess Club at school and is a brutal opponent!), but he allowed himself to be the subject of his own Mama photo shoot. We ate popcorn and had sparking water (oooh, what a treat!) and made a big mess. (Can you tell we blew off all that homework as long as we could?)

2. He can take his own damn pictures! I love to see what he thinks is photo-worthy. In addition to some fabulous random shots, he got some of the funniest pictures of me I've seen in a while.

3. He'll help me clean. Not the cute pretend cleaning he did when he was a toddler; he will take the vacuum and clean as many rooms as I'll allow. He also dusts.

4. He giggles for a full five minutes when I burp.

5. He still wants to sit on my lap and cuddle at bedtime. He doesn't actually fit on my lap - he's four feet of long limbs changing positions non-stop to try to find a spot where he fits, but the fact that he wants to do it is so sweet.

Worn Out

I don't normally complain about things on this blog because, well, I don't normally complain about things. I'm no martyr, just generally a good sport. Parenting? It's hard work. Running a private practice? It's hard work. Balancing the two? No such thing, really. Moving across the country? Very hard. Same goes for moving across town. And having a husband travel a lot for work. And staying on top of finances and trying to find the floor under all the books and Little People at the end of the day. We all know that these things are hard. Who wants to come here and hear me complain about it? I maintain a positive attitude, try to roll with it all, and have as much fun as I possibly can. If I'm not having fun, what's all that hard work for?

So imagine my surprise when I got thrown into a real tizzy last night by...homework. Yes, first grade homework. I am unfazed by three straight days in the house with my kids and yet I lose it over an over-abundance of classroom assignments?

I'm thrilled that Baxter's in a school that is actually teaching him something. This is wonderful. And I don't mind being an active participant in all of his usual homework and cockamamie projects most of the time. But to have extra homework sent home this week on top of all the usual work (and on top of all of the stressors described in the first paragraph) is just too much. Long paragraph-length, complete sentence written responses to his chapter book for reading group. An additional assignment each night of the week leading up to the famed 100th day of school (are you all aware of this new development in education??), that looks like this:

Monday - Practice counting to 100 by 2's, 5's and 10's (I let him off the hook for the 2's because it was lame and we were gonna be late to school)
Tuesday - Show 100 using tally marks (okay, not so bad...)
Wednesday - Do 100 healthy things (jumping jacks, sit ups, push-ups, etc.) (Random.)
Thursday - Write the numbers 1-100 in number words (HUH?? This will take my boy forever!! Thank goodness Thursday's a half day!)
Friday - Practice writing 100 words this weekend. (100 words?! My Lord!) Begin to work on your 100th day poster.

Oh, yes, because we're also supposed to be preparing a poster with 100 items affixed to it. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!! And here I thought it might be the WEEKEND!! Is our family time over because we have a school-aged child? I'm sorry to say, this has occurred to me before.

I'd like to write a nice little note to his teacher that says, "Thanks for all these slick ideas, but our son is smart enough already. We're going to sit this one out."

Either that or I might just write 100 times: "I give up...I give up...I give up..."

My Cousins Rule

You know, it's true that you can't choose your family. But let me tell you, if I could have chosen cousins, I'd still choose mine. Take these two, for example:



Dana -

All the way from Vienna, Dana gave me mad props this week for my techno-savvy ways. I find this hilariously funny. He has made a request: "start referring to yourself as 'TSB' on the blog from now on." What is TSB, you might ask? "Techno-Savvy Bitch". Dana gets huge credit for being one of the funniest people I've ever met.




Sarahjane -

In addition to being extremely funny, smart, and kind, Sarahjane made a very good decision last week. She accepted John Stafford's marriage proposal! Congratulations to SJ and John - and John? If I'd had a choice in a cousin-in-law, I would've chosen you, too!

You could try, but you couldn't even dislike all these people for being so good-looking.

(Dana, I lifted a couple shots off your flickr account. Thanks. xo, TSB)

The Snowy Day

We just spent 3 full days indoors, my sick and asthmatic boys and me. With Matt gone and temps well below zero, we stayed holed up here, keeping busy as best we could. And, honestly, I'm not complaining; for the most part, they were sweet and delightful, fun to hang out with. But when it warmed up to a balmy 1 degree today and gorgeous snowflakes started to fly, my little one and I couldn't resist a little play time outdoors.

If you told me you were tired of photos of Lyle, I would say, "Impossible."

(I will snap some new shots of Baxter soon as well; that pesky school keeps him too far from my camera during the day.)

Stand Up and Be Counted!

C'mon, folks! I know someone else out there has something to add to our ever-more-fascinating "What's Not to Love About the Cold" list!

I know there are lurkers out there who don't comment: this is your big chance! Remember: I said a PRIZE is up for grabs!! (No pressure to be clever, though, we just want to hear from you!)

DadTube

Hey! This is Show Me Another City's 100th post!

As most of you already know, my father is undergoing treatment for cancer of the esophagus. In fact, today begins his 5.5 week radiation/chemotherapy treatment course. He has created a beautiful blog about this experience that includes updates on treatment. My family welcomes your positive thoughts, prayers, and good vibes during this challenging time.

I have been compiling video clips of the boys so that I can post short videos on YouTube; that way, my Dad has something amusing to watch after his long treatments on Mondays. When they don't involve nude boys in the bathtub, I'll post the YouTube links on the blog for your entertainment. This is my first attempt - it's about 5 minutes long. It's dark at first because we're just finishing our dinner by candlelight (as we do every night) but it brightens up soon, so hang in there.

Which is exactly what I would like to say to my Dad - it's dark at first but it'll brighten up soon - hang in there, Dad.

Mama, Don't Let Your Nerds Watch the Superbowl

I know I made it clear last night that I am not the world's biggest sports fan. And you also know that TV is not a big part of our lives over here. Our kids are extraordinarily sheltered from media influences.

However, I do believe that part of my parental responsibility is to keep them clued in to things that are culturally relevant - in other words, since all the 7-year olds are going to be talking about the big game tomorrow in school, wearing Bears paraphernalia, and some adults will sing the Bears cheer (don't get me started on that again!) over the PA tomorrow morning, I want him to know what the heck they're talking about. Due to Baxter having a cold and asthma and Matt being out of town for the weekend, the kids and I found ourselves having a quiet night at home. There was no need to turn on the game, except for my aforementioned goal of handing the child a clue on a silver platter. I am going to share what followed, knowing full well that I am setting my children and myself up for much well-deserved ridicule, but it's too good to keep to myself.

Okay, so I dutifully turned on the TV (after having to go online to figure out what channel it was on) and spent about 10 minutes adjusting the rabbit ears to get somewhat decent reception. Baxter and I got fully wrapped up in the opening vignettes and watching the players stream out onto the field. We talked about how to tell the teams apart by the symbols on their helmets. I got appropriately teary-eyed over the National Anthem, even while laughing inside about how Baxter had stood up and put his hand over his heart ("Is this the National Anthem?" he gasped; apparently he has been waiting his whole life to hear it).

There was a close-up on a player's face. Assuming Baxter was about to ask me about the grease smudges under his eyes, I offered, "I never really understood why they have those smudges." He looked at me strangely for a beat and then proceeded to explain it to me: "It's just like cheetahs, Mommy, it reflects light so it doesn't hurt their eyes! If you look in my cheetah book you're sure to find that out!" (Yes, I'm afraid he did say it like that.) Within 15 seconds he had located this book and the page in question, pointing out a section on cheetahs and football players, explaining the whole thing. Jeepers. Future Reference Librarians of America, I have a candidate for you.

When the first commercial break began I said, "Baxter, the Superbowl is famous for something else, besides football," knowing how he loves commercials. "Baseball??" he asked excitedly.

Within minutes, a Blockbuster Video ad came on. "Oh, brother," he moaned. "What's the matter?" I asked from the kitchen, thinking the reception had gone wonky again. "Blockbuster, that's what," he said sadly. "I hate Blockbuster!" He has recently gotten us into multiple long dialogues about big box stores versus smaller, locally owned retailers. He's also gotten an earful from Matt about how Blockbuster censors what they put on their shelves. At this point, Lyle, not understanding anything but the tone of the conversation suddenly screams, "BOCKBUTHTER?? RUN AWAY!! RUN AWAY!!" like they do when they pretend to see a monster. The two of them pretended to run away from Blockbuster Video for the next five minutes, as I tried not to pee my pants laughing while making dinner.

About ten minutes and a missed touchdown into the game, Baxter looked back at the Superbowl and said, "This isn't really very interesting to me. Can we watch one of our usual things instead?" Meaning "Elmo's World" or "Wonderpets". Swear to God.

Wow! I'm a Super Fan!

Oh, my God. That is so not true.

I couldn't care less about football, da Bears, or da Superbowl. But it's cracking me up, the random places I hear a "Go Bears!" cheer: a preschool teacher wishing her class a good weekend; the pastor of our church at the end of her sermon; the folks selling StreetWise on the corner. I am definitely not accustomed to living in a sports-oriented city. (That's an understatement.)

The news coverage has been particularly rich. This evening, a local news station showed a friggin' orangutan rejecting a Colts shirt in favor of a Bears shirt. Well that clinches the deal: now I'm sure they'll win.

And this "Bear Down, Chicago Bears" song? (The Burley PTA sent that YouTube link to the entire parent community in preparation for a rousing rendition of it that will take place tomorrow morning, win or lose.) Eeeww. I'm sorry, but "bear down"? All I can think of is the quarterback sitting on the can before the big game. And now, thanks to me, so will you.

Go Bears! (or whatever.)

What's Not to Love About the Cold?

Now this is winter. It's currently -3 degrees, heading for -12 overnight. (And, yeah, that's before the wind chill. Brrr...)

So it seems to be time for my preliminary "What's Not to Love About the Cold?" list:

1. Don't bother styling your hair in the morning (as if I needed an excuse) - you're gonna wreck your "do" with your hat, anyway! (Unless, of course, you don't wear one, but that's another post.)

2. No rush getting home from the grocery store! You can stop off at the coffee shop for a latte on your way home and ain't nothin' gonna thaw out. (Of course, Matt burst my bubble a little on this one, suggesting that the cold might actually be bad for, say, one's fresh produce. But...it's coffee!! I could sacrifice a pear or two.)

3. A really good time: when you're filling your gas tank and need to clear your windows (and you do - your windows are covered in icy salty crud and you can hardly see through them), you get to clear them with the window cleaner and watch as it instantaneously becomes a layer of ice on your windshield. Then you get to blast the defroster and watch it melt. So cool. You can enjoy this one a lot because it seems to get covered with crap again almost immediately.

4. Cherry Chapstick. I nearly forgot that which inspired me to create this list.

What do you love about the cold? Share your favorites now! A prize is on offer for the best answer!

Owning a Piece of Chicago

We did it. We bought a house! In San Francisco, my personal goal was to own a home by the time I was 40, but even I knew that was not going to happen. So here we are, 5 years ahead of schedule - in a different city, granted, but I still feel like I came out ahead on this goal. After signing papers non-stop for a couple of mind-numbing hours, we came up for air and were handed a set of keys.

We felt sort of out of it (not to mention starving for dinner), but the change in our home status suddenly hit me when I saw the El train pass by ahead of us. I've always loved the Chicago elevated trains, but last night it was different. I suddenly felt a rush of pride, like these cool trains were in my city, the city I own a little teeny tiny piece of. This was a surprising feeling.

We raced home, picked up the boys and took off for Rogers Park, even though it was technically their bedtime. It's not every day your parents buy their first house! The boys loved it; cried when it was time to leave. We had to get them in there last night because the floor refinisher was starting to work today at 8 AM so we can't go in at all over the weekend and I couldn't stand the thought of them not seeing it until next week (okay, and I wanted to see it, too!).

The next few weeks are hectic: floors getting done, the whole house painted, and a wall-to-wall carpet installed downstairs. Oh, and Matt on at least 3 trips. Eek. Wish us luck!