Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!
I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life...to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. ~Henry David Thoreau
Thursday, November 25, 2010
The Big Boy's Bed
Yesterday was interesting, to say the least. We went to Disneyland in the morning. We only stayed for two hours because it was getting crowded. We spent the rest of our morning/early afternoon baking cookies, watching Cars and re-enacting it with cars, and eating lunch and cookies. At the usual nap time we put the cars to sleep and read a few books. And then it began. Screaming. Wailing. Gnashing of teeth. For an hour. This is not typical. Anyone who has ever babysat my angel child has seriously marveled at the ease of putting him to bed. He's been expressing his undying love for the toddler bed at Pottery Barn Kids for a while, and we've been talking about what we want to do and how we want to make the switch. After 50 minutes of the tantrum I offered the option of pulling the mattress out of the crib and letting him sleep on it on the floor like a big boy. Too hysterical. I offered mom and dad's bed. Deal. So I curled up in our bed with him, and he was asleep in minutes.
When he woke up I asked him why he didn't want to take a nap. He said, "All done with the crib. I don't want it."
So I guess that's that, then.
We pulled out the screwdriver and took off the front panel of the crib (it converts to a toddler bed). Done. He was ecstatic. I had to drag him to dinner after 30 minutes.
I didn't know what to expect at bedtime. I mean, I did--I have a number of friends with kids Ben's age, and many of them have made the transition. Their experiences varied, but most had more or less the same pattern of break-outs and falls and early-morning rises.
It was Matt's night to put B to bed. It went seamlessly. He didn't make a peep after he climbed into his big boy bed. He didn't come out once. When we went to bed, he was sound asleep, and not even in a strange position. Well, he was completely covered with his blanket. But in the center of the bed, head on the pillow, body parallel to the sides.
I woke up at 5:30. I realized I had heard no thuds, there was no crying, and he was not asleep on the floor at the foot of our bed. Was it really that easy?
At 7:20 Matt said he thought he heard sounds coming from his room. We poked our heads in. He sat up, smiled, and said hi. From his big boy bed. Where he slept all night.
Now, the matter of the basket of dinosaur toys next to his bed...
When he woke up I asked him why he didn't want to take a nap. He said, "All done with the crib. I don't want it."
So I guess that's that, then.
We pulled out the screwdriver and took off the front panel of the crib (it converts to a toddler bed). Done. He was ecstatic. I had to drag him to dinner after 30 minutes.
I didn't know what to expect at bedtime. I mean, I did--I have a number of friends with kids Ben's age, and many of them have made the transition. Their experiences varied, but most had more or less the same pattern of break-outs and falls and early-morning rises.
It was Matt's night to put B to bed. It went seamlessly. He didn't make a peep after he climbed into his big boy bed. He didn't come out once. When we went to bed, he was sound asleep, and not even in a strange position. Well, he was completely covered with his blanket. But in the center of the bed, head on the pillow, body parallel to the sides.
I woke up at 5:30. I realized I had heard no thuds, there was no crying, and he was not asleep on the floor at the foot of our bed. Was it really that easy?
At 7:20 Matt said he thought he heard sounds coming from his room. We poked our heads in. He sat up, smiled, and said hi. From his big boy bed. Where he slept all night.
Now, the matter of the basket of dinosaur toys next to his bed...
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The DMV Lady
I could write a novel about my DMV experience yesterday. But I won't. I will try to boil it down succinctly. Because I don't feel like writing a novel about the DMV, and you don't feel like reading one.
The goal: Get a duplicate license for the one I misplaced.
I had my mom drop me off (I thought it would be a little shady to drive to the DMV to get a license) at 7:45am, 15 minutes before it opened. The line was wrapped around the building. My friend was in the middle of the line. Don't worry--I wasn't that person. I said hi, we had a laugh, and I went to the end of the line. Because the website said that a written test could be administered for any driver's license transaction, I'd downloaded the handbook onto my iPod Touch. I also brought a book and my knitting.
An hour later I had read almost the entire handbook and was still not to the front door. But I was almost there. There was a seventeen-year-old, his slightly younger sister, and his dad in front of me in line. For most of the time they were playing games on her phone. When we neared the door, there was a woman with a cart full of forms. She approached the family in front of me.
DMV Lady: What are you here for today?
Dad: He's seventeen and he's getting his first driver's license.
DMV: Do you have your proof of driver's education?
Teen: Um, hehe, no.
DMV: Do you have your birth certificate?
Teen: Um, hehe, no.
DMV: Do you have identification of any kind?
Teen: Um, hehe, no.
DMV: Sigh. You can't get your license without any of those things.
Teen: Hehe....uh....
Me (inside my head): Please don't give this kid a license. I don't want to share a road with him.
Dad: I guess I'll go home and get them. Do you know where they are?
Teen: Hehe....uh...no.
Sister: I think it's on the desk.
Dad: Okay. I'll be back.
Dad leaves. The brother and sister are quiet for a while. My friend is inside, and he and I occasionally text each other to see where we're at. I text Matt and tell him I hate him (I had an appointment for December 20, but he wanted me to go yesterday). Eventually I get to the door. I finish the handbook. I start knitting a hat. I get a solid 15 rows done before I'm close to the front of the line. My friend is stuck in DMV hell because he apparently filled out the wrong form. The DMV lady behind the counter starts asking people who are there for registration purposes to come to the front of the line because "there are workers who are not trained to do licenses, only registrations, and right now they're [twiddles her thumbs]." About 5 people go to the front of the line. That's not enough for the bored government workers. So she gets out from behind the counter and goes outside. She brings in people from the very back of the line which is still wrapped around the building. They go to the appointment line (which is 5-10 people deep at any given moment...I curse Matt in my head, as well as this horrible woman, as well as the boss that feels it unnecessary to fully train his or her employees). I hit the 90 minute mark. There are five people in front of me, including the teen and the sister, still no dad. The teens have started arguing. Something about how he doesn't listen, and how she doesn't know how to take a compliment. My friend finishes his business and comes to chat with me. Another teen comes in, tells the siblings that dad is waiting outside and they need to go. They leave. I catch my friend up on the drama. I tell him I bet one trillion dollars dad got home, looked around for a minute, then thought, "eff this. He can look for his own damn ID card," then came back. My friend and I laugh. I finally get to the front of the line. The DMV Lady goes out and finds 10 more registration people. When they're done it's my turn. She gives me a number and tells me I don't have to take the test. I'm mostly glad, a little sad. I'd spent a lot of time studying. I really would have done well.
I sit down with my number and knit. My number is called. The next DMV lady says that my license has actually been valid this whole time. Would I like a card? What do you mean, do I want one? I just read the entire handbook, and it says I don't have a choice. Of course I want one. I glance at the photo line. One of the cameras is broken and the line is about as long as the one I've already waited in. I ask DMV lady #3 if I need a photo. She says no. I pay my $25 and leave with my temporary papers (and half a knit hat).
Two hours after I got there.
Now as I drive I have the guidelines of the handbook running through my head. Signal 100 feet before your intended turn. Plan 10-15 seconds ahead of where you are now. Blah blah blah.
The goal: Get a duplicate license for the one I misplaced.
I had my mom drop me off (I thought it would be a little shady to drive to the DMV to get a license) at 7:45am, 15 minutes before it opened. The line was wrapped around the building. My friend was in the middle of the line. Don't worry--I wasn't that person. I said hi, we had a laugh, and I went to the end of the line. Because the website said that a written test could be administered for any driver's license transaction, I'd downloaded the handbook onto my iPod Touch. I also brought a book and my knitting.
An hour later I had read almost the entire handbook and was still not to the front door. But I was almost there. There was a seventeen-year-old, his slightly younger sister, and his dad in front of me in line. For most of the time they were playing games on her phone. When we neared the door, there was a woman with a cart full of forms. She approached the family in front of me.
DMV Lady: What are you here for today?
Dad: He's seventeen and he's getting his first driver's license.
DMV: Do you have your proof of driver's education?
Teen: Um, hehe, no.
DMV: Do you have your birth certificate?
Teen: Um, hehe, no.
DMV: Do you have identification of any kind?
Teen: Um, hehe, no.
DMV: Sigh. You can't get your license without any of those things.
Teen: Hehe....uh....
Me (inside my head): Please don't give this kid a license. I don't want to share a road with him.
Dad: I guess I'll go home and get them. Do you know where they are?
Teen: Hehe....uh...no.
Sister: I think it's on the desk.
Dad: Okay. I'll be back.
Dad leaves. The brother and sister are quiet for a while. My friend is inside, and he and I occasionally text each other to see where we're at. I text Matt and tell him I hate him (I had an appointment for December 20, but he wanted me to go yesterday). Eventually I get to the door. I finish the handbook. I start knitting a hat. I get a solid 15 rows done before I'm close to the front of the line. My friend is stuck in DMV hell because he apparently filled out the wrong form. The DMV lady behind the counter starts asking people who are there for registration purposes to come to the front of the line because "there are workers who are not trained to do licenses, only registrations, and right now they're [twiddles her thumbs]." About 5 people go to the front of the line. That's not enough for the bored government workers. So she gets out from behind the counter and goes outside. She brings in people from the very back of the line which is still wrapped around the building. They go to the appointment line (which is 5-10 people deep at any given moment...I curse Matt in my head, as well as this horrible woman, as well as the boss that feels it unnecessary to fully train his or her employees). I hit the 90 minute mark. There are five people in front of me, including the teen and the sister, still no dad. The teens have started arguing. Something about how he doesn't listen, and how she doesn't know how to take a compliment. My friend finishes his business and comes to chat with me. Another teen comes in, tells the siblings that dad is waiting outside and they need to go. They leave. I catch my friend up on the drama. I tell him I bet one trillion dollars dad got home, looked around for a minute, then thought, "eff this. He can look for his own damn ID card," then came back. My friend and I laugh. I finally get to the front of the line. The DMV Lady goes out and finds 10 more registration people. When they're done it's my turn. She gives me a number and tells me I don't have to take the test. I'm mostly glad, a little sad. I'd spent a lot of time studying. I really would have done well.
I sit down with my number and knit. My number is called. The next DMV lady says that my license has actually been valid this whole time. Would I like a card? What do you mean, do I want one? I just read the entire handbook, and it says I don't have a choice. Of course I want one. I glance at the photo line. One of the cameras is broken and the line is about as long as the one I've already waited in. I ask DMV lady #3 if I need a photo. She says no. I pay my $25 and leave with my temporary papers (and half a knit hat).
Two hours after I got there.
Now as I drive I have the guidelines of the handbook running through my head. Signal 100 feet before your intended turn. Plan 10-15 seconds ahead of where you are now. Blah blah blah.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Rest and Other Drugs
This weekend was fan-flipping-tastic. No joke. We sat around in our pj's until 11:00. We ran a quick round of errands. We put our pj's back on. Ben took a long afternoon nap. We had crock pot chili. We went to church. We went to bed a little late. We slept in. We stayed in our pj's until 11:00. We painted. We went to the mall and played and had lunch. I went to rehearsal for the kids' Christmas Storytelling night. Matt and Ben played with dinosaurs in the kitchen (an activity from which I was banned by a two-year-old. "Mommy, move! Go to the living room!"). We ate mushroom-apple pork chops and mashed potatoes. Ben played cars while Matt played guitar and I knit. We watched Monsters Inc. Ben went to Bed. We watched Saturday Night Live then I read my book while Matt played video games.
More please.
More please.
Friday, November 19, 2010
I bit the bullet. I was trying to go through my blog post by post and delete any "unnecessary" pictures. I tried to stick it to the man by cleaning up the blog. An hour later, I've deleted three pictures. I can't do it. So I threw down $5 so I can keep putting new pictures up. Meh.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
State of the Union
Less than a week and I already failed in the picture of the day. Whatever. Since it's my game I say it doesn't have to be every day. So there.
It's been a while since I've actually talked on here, so allow me to fill you in on the goings-on of our little home.
Basically nothing. We work, we play, we go to the mall and have free play time in the Disney Store, Puzzle Zoo, and Pottery Barn, and we just generally live our lives. For whatever reason we just always seem to have something going on so we haven't had any adventures in quite some time. Last weekend would have been a perfect time for an adventure since I had a four-day weekend, but unfortunately Ben and I were both sick and I ruined the perfectly good weekend with my anal perfectionism and an inordinate and implacable need to rearrange and redecorate our house. NOW. I've also had approximately one thousand meetings and trainings to be at for work, which has basically sucked out my will to live. So...we don't do much these days.
But today feels a little different. Well, we're not really doing anything. But it's the good kind of not doing anything. Ben woke up really early, which was lame, but he's done that every day since the time change. But we watched TV, played with Cars and Legos, ate oatmeal, and didn't change out of our pj's until about 11:00 when we realized we had not food and needed to run some errands. But rest assured, within an hour and a half we were back home in our pj's playing and relaxing. Today rules. And tonight we might actually make it to church, which is a Thanksgiving miracle. At least one of us has been sick for about a month running, so we're pretty excited to all be moderately healthy at the same time. Although I won't lie--a part of me is considering not going to church tonight because I don't want to risk Ben getting sick for Thanksgiving the second year in a row. As you may recall, last year Thanksgiving fell a little short of awesome. I really want to not spend another holiday at Kaiser, thank you very much. Today Ben will finish his first round of antibiotics of the season, and I'm hoping for a break before the next one. And I want to have a fun week. Although it won't be entirely fun because I have to go to the DMV. Definitely my choice for a good use of break time.
Other random things: Matt and I got new phones that we love, Matt got a new iPod touch for his birthday and I got his old one (yikes! I should probably already be in a three-stop program for the addiction that is imminent). Matt's birthday was underwhelming because we had to spend it at Kaiser (obviously). But he got the iPod, so he's set. It's got a camera, and he's been experimenting. Check out his facebook page for some fun shots. I've become a pretty good cook.
In other news, Google's being a nerd and is claiming I have no more room for pictures. So until I figure out how to fight The Man, I will not be able to post many pictures. I'm pretty sure the government's to blame. The California one. Damn budget crisis.
We have a pretty exciting month or two coming up. I love love love this time of year. I love rainy days, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and hot chocolate. LOVE. So I'm pretty much in love with life right now. I have a full nine days off for Thanksgiving, which I will spend baking and playing with my son, cuddling with my husband, and standing in line at the DMV. Then I go back for three weeks, then there are two weeks off. In the interim I will perform in a little kids' Christmas at church, ride the Christmas train at Irvine Park, decorate the house for Christmas, watch Christmas movies with my boys, drink buckets of hot chocolate, shop, make and eat cookies and other treats, paint and play with the boys, read yummy books, and go to Legoland (thanks again, Megan!). We have three Christmases at home (one of which we're hosting), then it's up to northern California for the third time in four months for a week for two more Christmases. Did I mention the hot chocolate? Busy bees we will be.
It's been a while since I've actually talked on here, so allow me to fill you in on the goings-on of our little home.
Basically nothing. We work, we play, we go to the mall and have free play time in the Disney Store, Puzzle Zoo, and Pottery Barn, and we just generally live our lives. For whatever reason we just always seem to have something going on so we haven't had any adventures in quite some time. Last weekend would have been a perfect time for an adventure since I had a four-day weekend, but unfortunately Ben and I were both sick and I ruined the perfectly good weekend with my anal perfectionism and an inordinate and implacable need to rearrange and redecorate our house. NOW. I've also had approximately one thousand meetings and trainings to be at for work, which has basically sucked out my will to live. So...we don't do much these days.
But today feels a little different. Well, we're not really doing anything. But it's the good kind of not doing anything. Ben woke up really early, which was lame, but he's done that every day since the time change. But we watched TV, played with Cars and Legos, ate oatmeal, and didn't change out of our pj's until about 11:00 when we realized we had not food and needed to run some errands. But rest assured, within an hour and a half we were back home in our pj's playing and relaxing. Today rules. And tonight we might actually make it to church, which is a Thanksgiving miracle. At least one of us has been sick for about a month running, so we're pretty excited to all be moderately healthy at the same time. Although I won't lie--a part of me is considering not going to church tonight because I don't want to risk Ben getting sick for Thanksgiving the second year in a row. As you may recall, last year Thanksgiving fell a little short of awesome. I really want to not spend another holiday at Kaiser, thank you very much. Today Ben will finish his first round of antibiotics of the season, and I'm hoping for a break before the next one. And I want to have a fun week. Although it won't be entirely fun because I have to go to the DMV. Definitely my choice for a good use of break time.
Other random things: Matt and I got new phones that we love, Matt got a new iPod touch for his birthday and I got his old one (yikes! I should probably already be in a three-stop program for the addiction that is imminent). Matt's birthday was underwhelming because we had to spend it at Kaiser (obviously). But he got the iPod, so he's set. It's got a camera, and he's been experimenting. Check out his facebook page for some fun shots. I've become a pretty good cook.
In other news, Google's being a nerd and is claiming I have no more room for pictures. So until I figure out how to fight The Man, I will not be able to post many pictures. I'm pretty sure the government's to blame. The California one. Damn budget crisis.
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| The Three Musketeers |
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| Second Annual Gibbs/Miller Pumpkin Patch |
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| the boy loves to paint |
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| he's finally big enough for his bike, so we're working on that |
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
A Picture a Day Keeps the Gloom Away
I am instituting a new feature for this little blog: The Daily Picture. It's no secret that I'm struggling this year--some things I've talked about, some I haven't. But at the end of the day I'm stuck in a rut.
I got this idea (kind of) from some friends that write a blog together, Mama Manifesto. They did a day in pictures thing, where they posted a picture for every hour of the day. Some day I'll get to that, but trust me, you don't want hourly pictures of weekdays. I had another friend do a picture a day for a month (this was a few years ago). That's more up my alley. So that's what we're going to do--fun for me, fun for you. But not just for a month. We're going to try to go as long as we can (basically until I discover that it's yet another thing on my never-ending to-do list and I feel trapped by it, or until I get bored, whichever happens first).
Without further ado, the first two pictures:
I got this idea (kind of) from some friends that write a blog together, Mama Manifesto. They did a day in pictures thing, where they posted a picture for every hour of the day. Some day I'll get to that, but trust me, you don't want hourly pictures of weekdays. I had another friend do a picture a day for a month (this was a few years ago). That's more up my alley. So that's what we're going to do--fun for me, fun for you. But not just for a month. We're going to try to go as long as we can (basically until I discover that it's yet another thing on my never-ending to-do list and I feel trapped by it, or until I get bored, whichever happens first).
Without further ado, the first two pictures:
Saturday, November 13
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| learning to ride his bike |
Sunday, November 14
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| all done shopping |
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Random Things
1. Benjamin asked for a pillow the other day. As in, "Mother, I desire to sleep with a pillow now. Please get me one." I put my pillow in his bed and he went nuts with joy and excitement. But I couldn't let him keep my pillow because I need it. So we went to Target and got him a pillow. He clutched it and said, "I love you, Pillow!" Then I went to find a pillow case. I thought this would be a good opportunity to update his bedroom. He's had the same decor since day one, and since he's not really into sailboats and he'll be ready for a toddler bed soon (yikes!), I figured hey, seize the day or whatever. So we checked toddler bedding. They had two sets: Cars and Toy Story. Ben loves both, but I have this thing about not wanting to drop the big bucks to decorate a room for a phase. Besides, he didn't seem too jazzed about those as much as the Dora. I decided to see more options. So we went to Bed Bath and Beyond, which had no toddler bedding at all. On to Pottery Barn. It's pricey, but I think it's nice for the occasional splurge. I also think buying one set of good quality bedding that will last will cost about as much money as constantly needing to replace the cheap stuff. And I'd had my eye on some Curious George bedding for a while. So we went to Pottery Barn (B calls it Poo Barn). Long story short, no Curious George toddler bedding, only train ones, which I liked but wasn't sold on. So we went home with no pillow case at all. Matt stuck a t-shirt on his new pillow, and Ben went to bed a new boy. Last night was a different story. He refused to go to bed at all. It was not pretty. We'd gone to Pottery Barn and gotten the train sheeting. It was Matt's night on duty, and he ended up reading a million books. I sang a million songs. Ben ended up pulling the train cover off the pillow case, taking off his pajama shirt, trying to wear the pillow case, crying because it didn't fit, then asking for his Buzz shirt, which has short sleeves. Within 45 minutes of starting the bedtime process Ben was in his short-sleeved Buzz shirt and monkey bottoms crying himself to sleep on a naked, old pillow (he didn't end up liking his as much as my old one). After he fell asleep I went and covered him with our couch afghan because it was 50 degrees.
2. Benjamin woke up at 6:35 this morning. That was the latest he's slept in since Saturday. Booooooooooo.
3. I had a really good day at work yesterday.
4. Ben is still not completely better, but I didn't want to take another sick day (I took one on Monday), especially since this is a 3-day week and I don't want to lose all my sick days. I'm sending him to the babysitter's with a residual cough. I'm still sick. My mom's sick now. I've been debating for three days on whether or not to take any of us to the doctor.
5. I'm knitting a new blanket for Ben. It's freaking awesome. It's taking me forever, but I don't care because I love it so much.
6. I love this time of year. Like a lot. Fall is my favorite. Well, it usually is. This year it's been hard because one week it's 100 degrees, the next it's 65, the next it's 80, and so on and so forth. Thus all of the sickness. Yesterday it was the mid-60s, but tomorrow it's supposed to be 80 again. Then back to 65 next week. I might die.
I have to go to work now.
2. Benjamin woke up at 6:35 this morning. That was the latest he's slept in since Saturday. Booooooooooo.
3. I had a really good day at work yesterday.
4. Ben is still not completely better, but I didn't want to take another sick day (I took one on Monday), especially since this is a 3-day week and I don't want to lose all my sick days. I'm sending him to the babysitter's with a residual cough. I'm still sick. My mom's sick now. I've been debating for three days on whether or not to take any of us to the doctor.
5. I'm knitting a new blanket for Ben. It's freaking awesome. It's taking me forever, but I don't care because I love it so much.
6. I love this time of year. Like a lot. Fall is my favorite. Well, it usually is. This year it's been hard because one week it's 100 degrees, the next it's 65, the next it's 80, and so on and so forth. Thus all of the sickness. Yesterday it was the mid-60s, but tomorrow it's supposed to be 80 again. Then back to 65 next week. I might die.
I have to go to work now.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Weekend Fun is for Suckers
Ben caught my cold. So now we are spending our weekend watching movies. Well, that's what I wish we were doing. Unfortunately Ben did not get the memo that he's sick. While I would have loved to sleep yesterday away, Ben woke up at 5:30 and took a one-hour nap. I laid down on the couch under a blanket. He crawled over me, roaring like a dinosaur. Sometimes, just to shake things up, he'd stand on my arm then jump and land on his knees on my neck. At one point I was laying on the floor while he played with his cars on the couch. He simply took his snack and then rode me like a horse. Then he leaned over and whispered in my ear "I yuv you Mommy." All the while snot is dripping all over my face and body. I love him. I want him to go to bed like a normal sick person.
Matthew is very sweet and is *trying* to give me the sick day I gave him a few weeks ago. But dads are dads. Every time I'd curl up in bed and start to drift off into blissful sleep, the bedroom door would swing open, Ben would run up to the bed, climb up, and start jumping, and Matt would ask me a question about what to feed him or if he should give B any medicine. I did manage to squeeze a little rest in, and Matt made us chicken noodle soup for dinner. Ben slept 12 hours last night, so that was good. The unfortunate thing, though, is that it's "fall back," which means sleeping 12 hours got him up at 5:30am. It's going to be a long day. I may be covered in bruises by the end if this dinosaur phase continues much longer...
Matthew is very sweet and is *trying* to give me the sick day I gave him a few weeks ago. But dads are dads. Every time I'd curl up in bed and start to drift off into blissful sleep, the bedroom door would swing open, Ben would run up to the bed, climb up, and start jumping, and Matt would ask me a question about what to feed him or if he should give B any medicine. I did manage to squeeze a little rest in, and Matt made us chicken noodle soup for dinner. Ben slept 12 hours last night, so that was good. The unfortunate thing, though, is that it's "fall back," which means sleeping 12 hours got him up at 5:30am. It's going to be a long day. I may be covered in bruises by the end if this dinosaur phase continues much longer...