Happy Birthday to Julia!!

Julia turns 5 today. It does go by quickly and if it weren't for this blog and photos it would be a blur. Julia is special in so many ways. She has grown so quickly and has become a wonderfully confident, fun loving, curious, and mind-bogglingly smart little girl. Regularly we have to remind ourselves that she is still a little girl.

I love you, Julia. I am proud of you and happy to be caught up in your whirlwind.

Too smart for my own good

Recent ramblings from Julia & Jacqueline:

1. A couple of days ago I was watching TV. Jacqueline came in the living room babbling away like always. This time she went to the TV, which had captions on (as usual), holding one of Julia's sight word flash cards, she pointed at the subtitles with the card and said "this" and shook the card and said "that". She did it a couple times while I picked my jaw up off the floor and asked her to repeat, "What did you say? She must have done it about 4 times. "This, that." She's 22, almost 23, months old.

2. Julia loves typing on the computer, especially with her Aunt Susie when we Skype. Yesterday she was trying to capitalize the first letter of a word, and somehow knew to hit "caps lock" but she didn't realize that it would capitalize all letters. Susie asked why her last couple of words were in all-caps while I explained internet protocol related to "yelling"/all-caps. I left the room and at some point later she was typing and it was again all capital letters. Tara commented and Julia's response was "They are all capital but I wasn't yelling". Tara was dumbfounded b/c she had not been privy to the earlier conversation. Once that was clarified we both marveled at how quickly Julia processed the concept and used it. She'll be 5 years old on Sunday. Amazing!

Don't feed Johnders

Jacqueline is a conduit of human food to Johnders. All toddlers feed dogs, right? Well what happens when Jacqueline has a snack. 

She hands part of it to Johnders. You catch her and you tell her to stop, "Don't feed Johnders." She looks at you and says "Alright." You emphasize "It's your food, not his." She looks you in the eye and very directly says "Okay."

Modern Family 11/20/13

Lily: "She's a mess." (she's talking about Cam)
Mitchell: "Gurl!"

Later witness a conversation between Cam & Mitchell while they're visiting Cam's family farm in country.
Lily: "Y'all fighting?" (picked up local language quickly!)

It is the little things!

It is the little things that the kids do that make me smile.

It's when Jacqueline goes to the table to get her napkin while she's eating or when she turns her plate so that the food is closer to her. 

It is when Julia goes to a book that has the word she's trying to spell in the title or when Julia puts her socks in her shoes and puts her shoes in the pantry next to each other when you realize that you're doing something right as a parent. 

It is these little things that you can enjoy when no one else is around.

Jumping Jacqueline

Jacqueline has learned the pleasures of jumping. It's that toddler jump where they usually don't leave the ground but every once and awhile they do. She loves doing it. She does it all the time and in all locations. She laughs through the whole process making it absolutely adorable.

Today I saw her brain click in another way. She jumped in an effort to reach something. She has been climbing up on things for awhile so I knew she understands that sometimes you need help to reach up high.  To see her jump showed me that there's a whole other thing going on in her head.

Chocolate for sale!

PTO Fundraising time ...  chocolate candy bars on sale for InglewoodES PTO

Quick synopsis

$1 per candy bar

5 flavors - milk chocolate, milk chocolate almond, dark chocolate almond, crispy rice, caramel

They'll make great stocking stuffers (if they last another 4-5 weeks in your house!).

Each bar has a coupon for Pizza Hut. What a deal!

If we sell a box of 60 bars, Julia gets prize - popcorn & movie party.

We're not aiming for Top Seller prizes.

You can email Tara (djtj81@comcast.net) or Jai (bmitd67@gmail.com) if you're interested. 

Thanks! Have a great day!

Update: we sold 3 boxes - 180 bars of chocolate!!! Unbelievable!
Most sold to people at church & Tara's school. Thanks for the support!

White Bunny White & latest funny Julia moments

This is the name of 1 of Julia's animal friends (or children as she calls them!).
First, middle, last names ...
Yep, got to love the mind of an almost 5 year old. Hilarious!

She was just telling me about how her older children don't get in trouble ... with her & her husband, Andy.
Actually I learned this morning that Andy died, not sure of cause of death.

"Where did my purse go? I've been searching all over for it?"
I just heard that comment.

This purse was in package sent by Susie from when I helped clean & organize S's closet in Phoenix during Fall Break. There were 2 black purses, 1 we thought was for Julia, cute little one with broken zipper so perfect for her, 1 for me possibly. Not to be the case! The 1 for Julia is now Jacqueline's & Julia likes the one earmarked for me. It's OK, I don't need another purse.

Another funny comment we've heard lately.
"I'm her second mother." She's referring to Jacqueline.
Luckily I'm considered first mother.
I guess this is good that I'm still #1.

She's playing the piano spontaneously (she's pretty good!) and sings "I really miss Trenton ... he chases me until he gets tired. I wish I could see Trenton ... I love to learn ... every single day, all my life!"

Trenton is 10 year old friend from church. She played with him & bunch of other boys at Montgomery Bell State Park camping trip in early October.

Richard Stands

Julia is becoming indoctrinated to the ways of American citizenship and is memorizing a new version of the "Pledge of Allegiance".

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America

And to the Republic for RICHARD STANDS...

I explained that is should be "for which it stands" but she said she was gonna say Richard Stands anyway.

NYC's new First Lady ... Go Wellesley!

Chirlane McCray is married to new mayor of NYC. She also is a graduate of Wellesley College.

After reading this article (link below), she sounds like an incredible person.

Link: http://www.billdeblasio.com/meet-the-de-blasios/about-chirlane

Aesop's Fables Puppet Show at Main NPL

Ugh, I really dislike it when I find an old post with nothing written yet, not even a few words to tease my memory of what I thought I might write. This one was dated in June, it is now November. Come on, Tara!
I'm I was going to write something about us attending this program. It was great! I am continually impressed with the quality of storytelling performances at NPL. They are entertaining for children AND adults!

I found myself chuckling at parts that most kids didn't understand. We also participated in Summer Reading Program and attending a program counts just as reading a whole book does. Fun activity to do, especially if it's too hot for outside activity or you're tired of going to pool another day (yeah, I know, not really my problem as my kids & I love water!).

Summer seems like a far away memory, but the great part is that puppet show performances happen fairly often. Unfortunately I'm not able to attend once school is in session, but Jai has taken Jacqueline a few times this semester. If you've never gone, GO!! : )

Bad Influence

Julia is extremely dramatic. When there is the slightest hint of something not going her way she falls out and screams and yells. Quite often runs out of the room, screaming, and flops down on the sofa. Now Jacqueline does her version. She screams and cries and runs out of the room to go climb on the bed or to go grap her beloved remote controls and push a bunch of buttons.

Little sister sees, little sister does.

Stratford HS football game

Last night we went to the football game at SHS. We had a blast!

A friend invited us to a tailgating party for the home opener in September. Even though I'm not a football fan, we planned to attend because we want to support our cluster, but we had stomach bug. : (

Another friend told me about efforts in neighborhood to build community involvement & plans for more tailgating at next home football game. However, it was the weekend we were going camping at Montgomery Bell State Park. Darn!

Then I looked at schedule when we returned from our fall break trips & saw there was another home game. The weather was getting cooler in evening, but we bundled up & headed over to the stadium. We arrived just in time to walk in ahead of the marching band - barely! We paid entrance fees - $6 a person. Luckily the girls were free since under 5 and so was I as an MNPS employee so only $6 for Jai. WOO HOO! : )

After pausing for the National Anthem, we climbed the bleacher steps to top area ... right next to band's area we discovered once they finished their procession. How cool! It was fun - more festive sitting near them. We cheered throughout the game as Stratford played Maplewood HS ... sometimes we wish he had been more. The quarterback is quite the renaissance player - he seemed to be everywhere!

At half time there was a presentation of students for Senior Recognition Night, 12th grade students walked with family and/or friends as their accomplishments were shared aloud. They are some busy sounding young people! Then the band performed a routine on the field. They were good.

This is last home football game, but we plan to attend a few basketball games in December and January hopefully. Even though we knew NO ONE, had a great time & hope to get to know others while attending games. At least basketball games are inside ... warmer! : )

FB2013 Sister Trip in Phoenix - Day 5 & Departure

Sun. 10/13  
1. We woke at 6:00am, tired, but knew we had to get up early for tennis. I called Jai as we needed to check-in for boarding passes. He said "what are you doing awake at 6am?"
2. We drove to a different local park (this one seemed closer, S said it was almost same distance!) to play tennis. Susie had found some new balls in garage so we played for about 45 minutes, even a few games. I had been winning for awhile, then we ended in tie. WOO HOO! That's good for me against the great Susie. It really was fun, I miss playing tennis and need to find a way to play more regularly. Hopefully when S comes home in December, we can play outside if not too cold and/or reserve an indoor court at Sportsplex.
3. Back home we cleaned & shredded old receipts for hours, taking breaks for breakfast (leftovers) & snacks & stretches, while watching 4 episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" on-line. We finally finished her desk area & relocated some papers to guest room in order to really clean her bedroom, sweeping & mopping after moving some furniture to create a better room flow. The feng shui chi/energy improved too. It looks like a new room! Seriously I am impressed by my work with great effort by Susie, too.
4. We took another break to shower & wash laundry since I have hardly any clean clothes left (I didn't bring much) & I'm leaving tomorrow.
5. Then we headed out for our final meal, dinner at The Yard (Culinary Dropout), a really cool space, known for fun games & people watching. We sat outside under this huge covered awning with couches & lots of TV with football games blasting. Again we enjoyed some happy hour specials - apps & alcohol, beers for both of us. I had a yummy blueberry beer ... you know I was buzzing so quickly AND I drank with food! Grilled cheese sliders, french fries, Korean chicken on stick, kale shrimp salad, then this delicious peanut butter chocolate tart.
I need to get home so I can return to my exercise routine & eating healthy! : )
6. I called Jai on way home - girls were in bed earlier tonight (he had a rough evening with yesterday's bedtime). First he said he could tell I'd been drinking by the way I was talking ... hmmm ... Then he said his hotel night isn't going to be enough compensation for 5 days with girls ... not sure what we can arrange, something to ponder. : )
7. Back at Susie's, we called mom on Skype to show her S's new bedroom - she was incredulous! I folded my laundry & packed bag, adding a few items gleaned from S's closet, also some books for Julia from S's reading storage. Susie has a ton of books she accumulated over first 5 years of teaching, many are chapter books at levels 2.0-4.0 so perfect for Julia to read. I packed a few in my luggage, most went in box to be mailed to Julia next week. Susie plans to take all of these books to school & distribute to students this next quarter as part of her continued efforts to clean out her house ... in anticipation of moving back to Nashville in next 1-2 years.
8. I updated posts on blog ... I will forget when I get home, likely attacked by my girls tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully we also can plan our next trip to Chicago for June 2014 - I missed not seeing his cousins!

Mon. 10/14  
Early morning rise as I depart sunny Phoenix, hoping to arrive in pleasant Nashville. 10 weeks until Winter Break when sisters will meet again. Hopefully successful in reaching personal & physical goals - each of us wanting to lose 10 more pounds of weight, probably 10 more pounds of stuff out of Susie's house! : )

FB2013 Sister Trip in Phoenix - Days 3 & 4

Fri. 10/11 
1. Again I woke up early at 5am, read & finished Wellesley magazine (Spring 2013); Susie woke up soon & got ready for her PT appt.
2. We drank breakfast smoothie again on our way to spa appointments in Tempe.
3. Back treatment & facials - ahh, vacation! : )
4. As we traveled back to Phoenix proper, hunger motivated us to stop sooner than planned. We found an Indian place near ASU - fast & yummy & hopes of meat.  Much more affordable & delish.

Side Note - funny story about Indian restaurant experience
1 of the employees REALLY liked Susie. If I'd cared I might have felt slighted ... especially since my 15 pound weight loss, I am definitely a MILF. Come on!
It was serious full court press & I was slightly annoyed as I didn't really want to chit chat.
He's lucky there was buffet so I got food & ate while he asked a gazillion questions. After 1 trip to & from buffet, I said "someone likes you" in a sing-songy voice & Susie said "be quiet, I have more to tell you" ... intriguing, what happened while I was gone. Then the air chilled, barely came to our table, maybe cleared a plate, but no convo ... what had happened since the previous visit to buffet. Later Susie told me he asked her if she was single & could they be Facebook friends??!! Seriously! Come on! We should have complained to manager. Your employee sucks!

5. We didn't work on Susie's clutter today.

6. Back home for rest time - Susie was studying for her other class, the on-line one. I read "Eleanor & Park", still loving it! Again I fell asleep for another long nap, about 3 hours. : )
7. We were still stuffed from lunch so dinner food was leftovers & snacks.
8. We watched TV again - Netflix DVD "Helena from the Wedding", an indie film Susie had gotten, interesting look at marriage, friendships, parenthood ... my life! : )
9. We stayed up late again talking, eating mocha ice cream, also watched "Blue Bloods" (episode 4 actually though I haven't watched 1-3 yet; surprisingly I didn't feel lost or confused) on TV.
10. I read more of "Eleanor & Park" - it is so good! : )

Sat. 10/12  
1. We woke at 6:30am. I don't know why I'm awake so early when I'm going to sleep after 11pm. It must be because I'm getting uninterrupted sleep without being responsible for anyone other than myself. It is so nice, such a treat! Even though I really need 7+ hours of sleep, I've been functioning on 5-6 hours, usually interrupted at least once for middle of night bathroom break, if not call from a small child, that I feel refreshed by 6 good hours of sleep.
2. We drove to a local park (everything seems SO far away yet Susie says it is "close") to play tennis FINALLY. Sadly the balls are too used, quite flat so we only play for 15-20 minutes before deciding no more, we'll try again tomorrow with some new balls. It was fun, really miss playing tennis.
3. Back home we showered/dressed before heading to Phoenix Public Market, local farmers' market. We went with Susie when we visited in March. I enjoyed many samples ... time for a real meal.
4. Soon we had produce (and I got some beef jerky!) and drove to Windsor, another hip neighborhood restaurant, with a short menu, for brunch. I got something called "The Matador" - eggs over cheesy potatoes with crispy tortilla strips, salsa verde & avocado relish. Really yummy, little spicy. Susie got vegetable frittata with English muffin. Luckily S always brings her to go containers so she makes sure we save some for later & don't eat too much now. I almost forgot we indulged in a fun adult beverage, a pitcher of Pimms, in honor of Wimbledon. Whew, it doesn't take much for me to be lit. It was yummy, mint, cucumber, limes plus ginger beer & some kind of alcohol.
5. Back home we continued cleaning, cleaning more in S's bedroom, a little in closet, filled another bag.  Later we focused on stacks of receipts from past 7-8 years, I shredded them while Susie cleaned out old papers in file cabinet. In the evening we shredded more documents while watching TV - we picked up a DVD from Red Box after dinner.
6. We ate out a 2nd meal, dinner at The Parlor, another funky hipster place, known for its pizza. We enjoyed some happy hour specials - apps & alcohol (only Susie), including a BBQ chicken pizza for me.
7. We picked up "Broken City" - Mark Wahlberg, doesn't matter what movie is about. It actually was pretty good, good company as we continued to shred years of receipts. Thank goodness today we mostly are paperless for most accounts/transactions. We agreed to stop at 9pm so we could watch rest of movie & eat some ice cream from another fun place called Churn. I had cookies & mint, yum; S had vanilla/chocolate.

FB2013 Sister Trip in Phoenix - Days 1 & 2

Wed. 10/9 Departure from Nashville/Arrival in Phoenix
1. hug & kiss Julia & Jai (Jacqueline was napping) good-bye
Bonnie was my ride to airport, nice visit with my mom : )
2. Get boarding pass, check bag, only have back pack, easily go through security
3. Go to nail place near gate - get a pedicure (I have 1 hour before plane leaves!) - awesome!
Feet need some attention! : )
4. Listen to audiobook - "Five Days at Memorial"
5. Board plane - B35 (no early boarding without kids!), get seat near front ... on aisle! Nice seat mate!
Have LONG convo with Scott, no interruptions, so unusual, got great list of restaurants to try with Susie
6. Wait for bag while Susie arrives, listening to audiobook
7. Home - quick shower, so lovely, while Susie cooks pasta with veggies & sauce
8. Watched TV for a bit while playing phone tag with Jai - sleepy so early to bed around 8:30pm

Thurs. 10/10 
1. I woke up early at 5am, read Wellesley magazine (Spring 2013) until Susie awoke around 6am.
2. We drank breakfast smoothie & watched morning TV - ahh, vacation!
3. Raining so no tennis as planned ... hopefully tomorrow.
4. Tackled Susie's closet - organized it a bit, cleaned out a ton of OLD clothes, most for Goodwill, some went to trash, also started a "Julia box" to be mailed to her. It also will be addressed to her. Recently she said this to me about last box Susie mailed to our house. "Aunt Susie wrote your name on outside, but it really was for me." Really? Umph!
5. Hunger motivated us to stop so we loaded S's car (back seat since trunk doesn't work anymore) & dropped stuff at Goodwill. There is more for sure, but this is a great start!
6. Lunch at Barrio Cafe in downtown area, yummy local Mexican food, cool decor, not too crowded at 1pm. OMG, the guacamole was delish, it had pomegranates in it! Overall food priced a little too expensive for me, but we ordered cheapest items - "tres tacos" with pescado. I have got to get some meat!
7. Back home for rest time - Susie was studying for her mid-term tonight. I read "Eleanor & Park" my latest YA book from NPL, loving it! Fell asleep. : )
8. I woke 4 hours later to darkness - outside & inside house as Susie had left hours before to attend her community college nutrition class. Groggy, slightly disoriented, little hungry. I drank water & ate rest of my nut butter/jelly sandwich from home. I checked messages, 1 from Susie; I called Jai, but got voicemail so left another message for him.
9. I watched TV - whatever came on as I couldn't figure out S's instructions. Joel called, he was having similar issues with our new TV though Jai hadn't left directions. : )
10. Susie got home around 9pm, we watched "Scandal" & talked for awhile before going to bed at 11pm.
11. I read more of "Eleanor & Park" - it is so good! I love a good book. : )

Crib Climber ... Toddler Bed?

Over the less few days of September & into October, Ms. Jacqueline tested her mettle. First she started climbing out of the Pack N Play during/after nap - suddenly she appeared in living room or bathroom. Then at bedtime, we'd hear a thunk & then Jac appeared at the top of stairs, saying "Mommy" or "Daddy." This also means that she is not sleeping as long as she normally does ... might not be related. However, we think Jac is thrilled by this new ability ... hopefully it will even itself out.

With trips planned during Fall Break & routines jumbled up, we know it will be a little crazy for a few more days/weeks. Thinking about whether it's time for Jacqueline to have a big girl bed ... seems too young. Julia was over 2 before she had mattress on floor, 3 when she got the big bed. We have the 2nd bed frame in basement so really we just have to get the mattress ... money needed for that.

Also there's the freedom factor. I'm not concerned about Jac getting in or out of bed, she'll be fine.
NO - it's the freedom of getting out of bed whenever she's awake. I don't like that factor at all. : )

"I ungry"

This is Jacqueline's favorite phrase lately - it means "I'm hungry. "This girl eats all day!
When we wake up, when it's snack time, really anytime. Jac LOVES to eat.
It's a new delay tactic at bedtime ... I don't think Julia tried this technique until much older.
OMG! Another smart one! : )

Weaning Completed

It started about 2 weeks ago, just changed the bed time routine a bit, see how Jacqueline dealt with not nursing at bedtime. Jai & I switched so he took Jac upstairs & rocked her to sleep. I worked with Julia to get ready for bed, change into pajamas, brush teeth, read some books. It worked like a charm, no pushback or tears from Jacqueline. It probably helps that she started saying "night night" & thinks it is like a game or something so it's fun.

Am I sad? Hmmm ... not really. Probably a really small part as this is it, not going to breastfeed another baby. However, there are so many other wonderful activities I get to do with my kids. Jac is really getting into reading more which is a HUGE relief so that's being incorporated more into her bedtime routine too.

Baby is growing up ... not really a baby anymore. Yeah, more independence is on its way!!!! : )

Reading at level 24

Today I get a call from Julia's teacher.
Nothing's wrong."
"Julia wanted me to call to tell you she tested today at a level 24."

I had to sit down, seriously having a hard time processing this information.
know that seems goofy, but students should be at 24 at end of 3rd grade.
Obviously some/many students can be or are at level higher than 24 before 3rd grade.
However, not at 4 years old (5 in 3 months), but barely in Kindergarten.
Tomorrow is last day of Quarter 1.

Amazing Julia! She truly is a "special" child.
I mean that in the nicest way! : )

The end of cable ... and TV watching

Slightly dramatic title, but this is a big moment for my TV watching experience.

We finally did it, cut the cord (not literally, but kind of) and have about 5 channels. WHAT is that?? After a year (or more) of discussing costs & amount of TV we watch, we downgraded cable package to Basic. Ironically enough, the real catalyst was Comcast cutting off the DVR. I guess we'd had a special deal & it had expired (another reason we procrastinated, "we have the special, let's ride it out!") so no more services. No warning, no communication, nothing! I also got a bill for $120 and I said "I'm not paying this much money for NOTHING!" (that's how I perceive life without DVR).

We also had bought a Roku MONTHS ago, but hadn't hooked it up - also our former TV was 8 years old so I guess too old to work with a newer gadget. I'm not sure exactly what a Roku means, but it allows streaming with these various services (you pay a monthly fee) like Netflix, HuluPlus, Crackle. I don't know. Now I rarely watch TV unless Jai or Julia are around because I don't know how to operate the new equipment either. They do - of course!

If Julia is around, we're watching PBS Kids anyway so I might as well not be watching TV. : ) I'm glad she's watching quality TV, but it's not my choice for TV. I'm sure I'll start to experiment & practice, but for now, I'm watching less TV. Good thing since I have camping & PTO committee work & work-work! : )

Update on Julia's school

If you haven't read previous posts, we decided for Julia to attend her zoned school, Inglewood ES. On paper (or internet) IES' scores are low. Most people who were in ENCORE & elsewhere ask us why we have her there. I get emotional as I write this part.  I love my children & I want the best for them like all parents.  I am a MNPS graduate K-12  - attended K-6 at Glendale ES in the '70s before Spanish Immersion.

Also as an employee, I want my children to attend MNPS schools, especially necessary on 1 income. : ) We believe in neighborhood schools & being close to home. I drive 11 miles to work one way so it's also practical. The "morning grind" is hard enough without adding more miles - Jai & girls are late at least once a week & they're going 1 MILE!! I don't know what is going to happen later, but we decided to be involved in her school - I feel like that's how I can contribute.

I'm a PTO committee chair now - how did that happen already! Also we all have IES shirts, even Jac!

We like the school, teachers are great, so friendly; it's a beautiful, clean, BIG building, & it's small (around 300 students). Julia has adjusted well, doesn't stand out as younger. She gets along with others, talks about friends - we check in with her every day about what happens at school. Her teacher modifies her work appropriately - excellently actually - from day 1. Her handwriting continues to improve daily. : )

Last week was Open House/PTO & it was fantastic! HUGE crowd - impressive! 

Also much more diverse than I expected - the stats on MNPS website for many schools are OLD. There are/were moments when I'm uncomfortable or dislike what I see from other parents - I'm a middle class biracial woman. I'll be the first to admit, well, my husband tells me to admit, I'm a snob. : )

At Open House we met parents of another K student in ENCORE (not zoned for IES either!) who want to be involved with PTO. Yeah, I think we have a K parent rep for PTO. Then yesterday Julia told me there's another K student in ENCORE. WHAT!!! Are you kidding me? When we had Julia's eligibility/IEP meeting in April, they'd never had this situation.

If you are zoned for Inglewood ES & not sure, please consider coming. Join us & be part of this amazing change that's happening there! Everyone's situation & choice are individual & unique - you have to make best decision for YOUR family! 

However, I really want Stratford cluster to be the best school option for our kids! I realized that we're going to be at IES for 8 years because of Jac's age, probably the same for Litton MS & Stratford HS. I like to be involved in community stuff anyway; also we're helping children whose parents don't have skills and/or resources.

Sweet Moment

Lately I've been staying up late - mainly working on camping coordination (made EAC blog), also I'm now chair of PTO committee at Julia's school. When I go upstairs to bed, the girls are always asleep. I check on them & then turn off lamp by Julia's bed. Lately I have felt particularly emotional as I look at them, especially Jacqueline, but they're both so adorable. OMG!

So peaceful in sleep, too. Quiet after the crazy running around, talking, loudness that is these 2 girls all day! It probably is because this week we've altered bedtime routine a bit. No nursing for Jac so Jai starts the process with her, I'm with Julia. I'm glad for more time with Julia too. It's been different, she seems OK, hasn't called/cried for me. Jac also loves saying "night, night" with a big smile/grin so that seems like a good distraction.

She's 20 months old, weaning is not that unusual, 6 months longer than I nursed Julia, but this is it. No more kiddos, no more breastfeeding. I am glad we're doing it the 2 weeks before Fall Break. We'll all be traveling - I'll be in Phoenix, Jai & girls in Chicago. This is the first time for me to be away from Jac, longest I've ever been away from Julia, longest I've been away from Jai in 5 years! I'm excited though - I haven't had a sister trip in 2 years & I was pregnant so not the same! PHX here I come! : )

Virgin Diet update

11 pounds in 6.5 weeks! It's going so well! : )

Tuesday is last day of 7 weeks of V-Diet. I plan to continue it as I have 9 more pounds to reach my Oct. 8 goal (5 weeks) which is also what I weighed before I got pregnant with Julia. Currently I'm 2 pounds away from what I weighed before I got pregnant with Jacqueline!

It will be close, but I'll be happy regardless. My eventual goal is another 5-10 pounds after the initial 20 so that I'll be in top range of my suggested BMI. Honestly I think if I lose any more I'll look anorexic.

Even if I don't get to the exact number by 10/8, I will start again after my (used to be annual) "Sister Trip" during Fall Break (October) to see Susie in Phoenix. She is doing VD too & eats vegetarian (vegan sometimes too) so I know we'll eat healthy; hopefully play some much needed tennis. We didn't get to play tennis like usual during her summer visit to Nashville because of S's foot injury.

Counting calories is making the difference - overall I'm eating less. Exercise is important too, but food intake is my nemesis. Also being gluten free is a good part of plan. Adding the other 3 foods independently in last 4 weeks was not too revolutionary. My body doesn't react to soy, dairy, egg in major ways. Eating gluten has been telling, especially wheat. Ezekiel bread or spelt are OK for me to eat, but wheat is not!

I look forward to being at maintenance point too. : )

Additional Note:
A friend asked how Jai was doing. Good question, didn't mean to exclude his progress. : )
Jai is doing pretty well.  Strangely he hasn't lost as much weight as I expect (men usually lose faster). He's lost 9 pounds ... I think he has about 35 more.  He stays up later than me & snacks. He's doing better after he gained 2 pounds 1 week & then he started logging/counting calories the next week.

National Wear Your College Colors Day

My colleague/co-school counselor & I promoted this day in conjunction with our district's college & career readiness initiative. We communicated with our school staff to wear their college shirts; many did.

I wore 1 of my Wellesley t-shirts with pride & excitement.

Of course I have 4-5 Wellesley shirts - my favorite is one I cannot wear at work sadly.
Wellesley Wisdom is on the front.
On the back is a quote from Madeline Albright '59 at reunion (not sure which one in last 10 years).
"There is a special place in hell for women who do not help other women."

I save that one for more appropriate opportunities to display my politics & feminism. : )

Cute is as cute does

This morning I told Julia to put on her backpack so we could leave. Immediately Jacqueline pushed past me going away from the door. I followed asking where she was going but she gave me no response, walked right over to her little backpack, pulled it off the chair, went to the door and while trying to put it over her shoulder said backpack, or maybe bye bye; its hard to tell. 

Cute is as cute does when Jacqueline tries to copy Julia. 

I will not be the one teaching Julia to drive

Today's homework assignment is pretty simple ... yet I found myself getting more frustrated as Julia didn't write her name clearly & correctly on those darn lines of primary writing tablet paper. Yikes! We switched kids after Jai changed Jacqueline into PJs & I got her to sleep. As I watched Jai & Julia working together, it was a much different picture of calm & patience. Thank goodness! : )

Goodwill greatness!

AHHH! I really am mad at myself for being so tardy on posts sometimes. It's the cycle of my life. I'll get on something & obsess, catch up on posts, for example, and neglect some other area, like working on Julia's birthday party plans, which is one reason I got up early on Sunday morning!

Here goes a quick synopsis of why Goodwill is great.
1. Sundays & Wednesdays are 99 cents day - items (clothes mainly) with the assigned color tags for that week are only $1 (basically) AND there's no tax!!! Don't shop any other day
2. However, if you do, because you might need something & another day is better shopping opportunity for you, you're still going to be a winner. Occasionally I've shopped on a non SU or W. My basic rule is stick to the color tag for that week as it's 50% off so instead of paying the tag price of $2-5 (most items are not more, even shoes), it is discounted 50%. Sweet!
3. Rarely, but it has happened, I'll be honest, I have paid the tag price. Yes, don't fall out of your chair that Tara paid "full price" ... at Goodwill. : ) I don't like to do it, but I feel less guilt since it is used items & I'm not paying retail prices.

I love that it's like recycling. Clothes swaps are really my favorite since that's just FREE stuff. I don't find as much success usually, depends on who is there, what they bring & really the real truth is, what size I am.
I'm not always successful at finding items at Goodwill, but usually I find something I want or need.  I used to have a rule (that I used to follow more faithfully) when I brought something into my house, I had to get rid of something else so I donate to Goodwill too & it comes full circle.

SO come on, go to your local Goodwill & get your cheap shop on. Your wallet thanks you! : )

Reading saves money

I'm pretty much a failed handyman but it probably has more to do with my inability to finish what I start but yesterday I proved to myself, my wife, and my neighbors that reading is fundamental.

Last year the front axle on my gas mower broke. My immediate response was I'll never fix *that*. So we bought a $40 mower off craigslist. It lasted until 2 weeks ago and it became evident that repairs would cost lots more than the mower so I decided to look at the broken axle. All I needed was a diagram of the parts and ironically, ~$40. One part, some turns of a ratchet and BOOM! My mower is working again.

First Day of Kindergarten

Awesome day!

"May I have a piece of corn on cob?"

Question asked by 4 year old granddaughter of her grandmother as she unpacked her CSA box. That day Bonnie received 4 ears of corn.

"No."   ... no hesitation ... Really?! WOW!

You cannot share 1 ear of corn with a child ... your grandchild?!?!
Especially after I explained that we got NO corn in CSA box last week!

"Too bad."

Another WOW! Interesting what fresh corn on the cob will make someone say.

Sales, OCD & SSA

This leads to the Perfect Storm for Obsessiveness. OMG!

Julia is going to K ... so the other day I realized I don't think she has enough SSA. Thanks to generous friends, we had items that worked when she attended Pre-school Encore class once a week at Robertson Academy.  I wasn't sure what still fit plus if it is the right season. I knew we had a ton of white tops with stains. However, she will be going to school EVERY day - 5 days each week. That set Tara in motion to get some stuff pronto!

You know I don't like to spend a lot of money. Sunday [99 cents day] I went to Goodwill & found a few shorts, only 1 top. Yikes! Worst case scenario I still have the many stained white shirts.  I also emailed all my friends for ideas though some suggestions were more than I wanted to spend. I went to my favorite consignment sale on Tuesday for the new mom pre-sale with my new mom friend. THANK YOU! There was a ton of great stuff for nothing! I didn't pay more than $4-5 for an item - my total was $43 and I got a few pants, mostly tops, sweaters, tons of hangers.

Wednesday I went to Dan Mills PTO sponsored clothes swap. Even though Julia is going to Inglewood, I donated $5 to PTO & picked up a few more items, including a cute red dress. I also met some nice people. What an awesome idea too! It got me thinking about working on a collaborative community/school organized clothes swap for East Nashville schools - ES, MS, HS. Everyone needs clothes, let's share.

Thursday I got some more clothes from 2 friends, including some more white tops (no one wants to keep those!). I need to get some RIT dye and take care of that stain nightmare!

Friday [today] I went to the 1/2 price sale & spent another $30 - got a few more SSA items (so glad I went on TU as very little was left), some more hangers, shoes, some fun clothes for Julia to wear after school/weekends.

My OCD continues as I've hung every shirt, pants, shorts, dresses, leggings on those many hangers I bought for $1 [for 10]. This way Julia can see her options & select what she wants to wear each day [pick it out the night before of course!].

Perfect storm, right? : )

Royal Baby Prince

What a lovely family they are! What a sweet sight it was when Kate & William presented baby George outside the London hospital. They seemed so comfortable & personable as they waved to onlookers & then answered some reporters' questions. Kate looked amazing considering she'd given birth the day before - still looked pregnant like most women postpartum, so real. They also looked cute in their matching blue dress (her) & shirt (him). I actually like the name George for the baby prince, too.

Like mother like daughter

We had a woman clean our house today and she did some straightening. We (Julia, Jacqueline and I) went to storytime. When we got back Julia made a beeline to her room when we got home and yelled down :

"Misty (not her real name),  "where are my cards?"
Misty said "They are in the drawer next to your bed. I needed to move them while I was cleaning."
Julia responded in kind of a mutter, "Oh, that's not where they go.  I don't put them there."

I commented that Julia has very flexible but particular places to put things. Sort of like her mother. Misty closed the conversation with "I noticed. I asked Tara if she wanted me to do any organizing and she said no, she'd take care of that."

Yes, I have am in the house with Tara, mini-Tara and minier-Tara (maybe).

Today's Julia moment

Julia is wearing that 1/2 sweater "shrug" top over her dress.
"I can wear this to jam."

Apparently this is the result of too much watching of "Pitch Perfect" which I got from NPL.
We watched a part every day, I don't think Julia ever watched the entire movie.
However, she remembers certain things with amazing accuracy. She constantly references Lily's quiet talking ... pseudo talking & we cannot hear her ... she whispers "like Lily."

Reminds me of 1 of our favorite lines ["our" being Jai & I]:
"Uh, not a good enough reasons to use the word penetrate."
Hilarious! Love Rebel Wilson in PP - so funny!

Tetanus shot 2013

Ouch! That shot hurt!

Today I went to MNPS clinic for my annual well woman check & the nurse asked me about tetanus. There was anything in my record with date of last shot. I know I had to get 1 before working for MNPS in 2000. Best practice is to get the shot every 10 years. I think I had 1 in past 13 years, but not sure if before or after Julia was born, definitely note in 2 years since I got pregnant with Jacqueline.

Since I work with children & have children, I thought let's do it. I'd rather be safe. Ironically Julia asked me if I would get a shot (Jacqueline always gets 1, Julia sometimes does when we go to clinic) at my appointment. I nonchalantly said "no, not me, I'm an adult, I don't get shots any more."

Ha! Yes I did! : )

215

7/18/13 today Julia knows 215 sight words

5/17/13 she knew 176 words

3/1/13 she knew 101 words

2/1/13 she knew 67 words
1/23/13 she knew 51 words

MNPS list has 220 most commonly used words in reading.
Goal is for students to know all 220 by end of 2nd grade.
Julia starts Kindergarten in 2 weeks!

Wednesday quotes

"Not something that concerns you."
Excuse me? What?
Again excuse me - where did that come from?

Instead of staying at table while we finish eating dinner, Julia wanders around dining room table/area.
She picks up box of sight words, talking loudly ... of course! : ) (I guess, I didn't notice unusual volume)
"Dinosaur wonders about the sight words."
Jai: "Can s/he wonder quietly ..."

Looking at The East Nashvillian magazine, reads some ads, out loud of course:
"Five Points Pizza ... hot pizza, cold beer."

"For the love of God." - recent favorite heard from Miss Julia, common phrase of Mr. Jai's!

"Guys, I get you."
This said in response to discussion about Julia not eating dinner & presenting options.

4 going on 14 - unbelievable!
I had to walk away from dinner table to laugh in other room. : )

Virgin Diet

As I told someone "I don't understand, you cannot un-ring that bell." : )
Apparently it is the author's last name ... and a great marketing gimmick I suspect, will catch people's attention. My sister started it as she was reading the book while here this summer; she & my mother are planning to follow the plan. Basic premise is food elimination for 3-7 weeks in order to determine if there is a food intolerance.

7 foods to eliminate is soy, egg, dairy, peanuts, corn, sugar and gluten. For 3 weeks you do not eat any of the foods in ANY form, including as additives in sauces, salad dressings, ketchup ... EVERYTHING, especially sugar & gluten, actually soy. Crazy!

After listening more, I discussed the idea with Jai for us to consider doing it together. "Under distress" Jai says he'll do it. I think it will be a good plan to break some bad habits of eating too much. I also was not being faithful to my pledge in May to help with my insane allergies issue - no dairy, corn, potato, sugar, wheat. I was good for last 3 weeks of school which is amazing because there is lots of tempting foods in a school. Jai also gained lots of weight in 2012 - stress related to Jacqueline's birth & summer travel.

Part of it for me is calorie intake (food) and calories burned (exercise/movement). As I head back to work next week, I'm excited to have a return to a routine - getting up at 5am will be necessary in order to exercise/shower at the Y & be on the road by 7am in order to get to work on time. I want to miss those school zones on Gallatin Road! I also am going to use FitDay again to log my food & activities in order to monitor my calorie balance.

My goal is to lose 23 pounds in 11 weeks by Oct. 8 - Fall Break in PHX!!!

Straw Experiment

Again an old title post with no hint of intended prose (July, now it is November).
I believe this is related to Miss Jacqueline's fascination (probably most toddlers) with straws.
However, she took it to a new level (again maybe this is typical of other toddlers & we just think ours is brilliant). She had this water bottle that has a "straw" part that flips up,  but sometimes is not best conveyor of beverage. We must have been at a restaurant & she was done with her meal (surprising since she's always hungry and/or eating!); we don't typically have straws in our house. So Jac decides to take the straw and attach it to this bottle. It's not easy to do, at least for a year and half year old's coordination. However, she perseveres, seriously determined & focused, not really frustrated, she just keeps working at it. Then triumph and you should have seen the pleasure on her face. So happy - she did it!

Summer Haircuts

Yesterday 3 of the 5 of us residing in our house got a hair cut.

I had a coupon for Great Clips that expires so I went for my quarterly cut.
I got my hair "thinned" as it was REALLY thick! It grows so fast!
Thankfully there is a lot less hair on my head now - I'm all about less hair on everyone! : )

Since it was taking forever & I had 2 coupons & Julia starts school in 3 weeks, I thought why not her. Julia got her first official "real" hair cut!
Not that it looks drastically different, still short "like a boy," it looks much better than my work. She also really enjoyed the experience, super excited to get in the chair & look at herself in mirror. She started after me & finished before me!

J-Dog went to Dog Spot for his biannual, sometimes quarterly, hair cut & bath.
Somehow the reservation was mistakenly for a "summer shave" which is quite short. When Jai dropped him off, the worker asked him if he was sure! : )
Jai told me later about this "mistake" & after some discussion, we decided this is a good choice. He has TOO much hair plus it is hot so this is a win-win for everyone ... right?

In the car, Julia says the dog is SO hairy, now he will be so bald!
I'm slightly nervous about this decision, but excited when he arrived home with Jai that evening. J-dog looks like a larger version of his puppy self - so adorable, long, skinny.

Side note: He definitely looks skinny despite his visit to vet 2 weeks ago & he weighs 10 pounds more than last year! He eats those toddler scraps from the high chair! : )

Anyway, hopefully we all feel more light & beautiful with our new hairdo's! : )

MNPS clinic

Employee & Family Healthcare Centers
1 of the BEST decisions made by the district ... in a long time ... EVER ...
Our favorite location is the Bransford clinic; we love Marty, Amy, Ms. Pat, really miss Tracy!

Jacqueline is 18 months old today! 
What an amazing 1 1/2 years it has been with such a sweet spirited person.
She is really starting to show quite a personality lately - funny, cute, strong willed, confident, emotional!

• weight = 21.8 pounds = 10%tile (same)
• length= 32 inches = 50%tile (increase)
• head circumference = 44 1/2 cm 
Oddly no change, definitely think some measurements were off last 2 visits!

Lots of talking happening - I wish I understood more of it.
"Mommy" or something close to that represents EVERYTHING - more food, help me, attention.
Even when I'm sitting right next to her & she's looking at Jai or Julia or Susie or anyone else! Crazy!

Every day we hear "she is so beautiful." I remember when people would say that about Julia we would say "and smart too" so it wasn't always about her appearance. We don't bother with much other than "thank you" these days, but hopefully Jacqueline willl to be as brilliant as Julia in her own way.

Regardless Jacqueline is a joy in our lives & others.
We love you!

Adopted Mexican Boy

This is a post I meant to write MANY months ago; however, as often happens I forgot.
Seeing my younger sister while in NC reminded me! We laughed & laughed about it again last week.

Lisa has some photos of the girls on her phone. There is 1 of Julia from the summer before Jacqueline was born. It definitely is 1 in her very short "boy" hair stage. She's probably not wearing pink & is very brown from a summer at Y pool. Apparently she showed the photo to a classmate; the response was something like "that's so cool that your sister adopted a little boy from Mexico."

Come on ... Adopted? Does she not look like me at all?!
I know that is NOT true! I've seen my baby photos!

Seriously? Mexican?!
Not that there is anything wrong with Mexico, but how do you get that?

Really? Boy?
I keep her hair short because it is easier & she wears a variety of clothes' colors.

Actually this is a common mistake - probably heard once a week, actually it happened today.
Julia usually is cool with it, corrects the person.
Today she matter of factly said "she's a girl" when a boy whispered to me "is he a girl?"
Julia was sitting right next to me & heard of course.

Funny & interesting story about gender, race & biology/family! : )

Road Trip 2013

Vomit, Diaper Explosions, Fractured Clavicle ...

oh, just a teaser about our vacation to NC last week!
Also involved a trip to Outer Banks beach & a family picnic/BBQ & fireworks seen from hotel balcony

I'll write more later! : )

Andy Murray Wins Wimbledon

Yeah! Way to go, Andy! It was a great match!!!!

quotes from Road Trip 2013

Nashville, TN to Greenville, North Carolina from June 30-July 6
Fun road trip with Jai, Tara, Julia, Jacqueline, Susie in the mini-van - woo hoo!!

Most of these are courtesy of Julia ... of course! : )

7/2/13
"I am a girlfriend; I don't know who's girlfriend I am, but I am a girlfriend ... my boyfriend likes jello."

Later that evening while the females were hanging out in room #2 of the lovely Days Inn
(Jai got a "Night In" alone in room #1)
We're watching a movie in the dark while I am nursing Jacqueline to sleep (not that it worked!).
"This is not a feeding place! This is a movie theater."

7/3/13
Beach Day at Nags Head in Outer Banks (about 2 1/2 hours from Greenville)
As we're leaving the beach area, driving back to G'ville ...
"Bye beach, thanks for the waves!"

Marque we saw on the drive in anticipation of Independence Day tomorrow.
"Happy Birthday America"
Julia says "Happy Birthday Barack Obama!"

7/7/13 after returning home to N'ville after Julia's early morning fall on Saturday at Asheville hotel
When asked to do some task, Julia's response: "I cannot. I'm wounded."

I'm Browner than My Sister!

Sweet! Goal accomplished!

Thanks in part to 2 circumstances.
1. We didn't travel in June so I had many more opportunities to go to the Y pool.
2. Susie had foot surgery in April so she's been housebound basically for 2 months ... out of the hot hot Arizona sun for those 8 weeks. She also does not have easy access to a pool like we do.

It is great ... while it lasts.
When I visit her in October during Fall Break, I'll be back to my pale self.
Oh, well, it is what it is! : )
Of course, both girls are much browner than I am.
Ironically Jacqueline has spent 1/2 the time as Julia & I at the pool - she's just darker.

That reminds me of a "funny"story that has happened twice recently.
"Your children are darker than you are" ... uh, yeah, duh!
My husband is darker than I am ... plus I'm biracial so I'm paler than an "all black" person.
Whatever. Actually that reminds of another funny story about color & race.

Julia calls me white.
Everyone else she calls brown, except my mom whom she correctly says is white.
Even Susie she says is brown. My twin sister basically the same as me ... brown, but I'm white.
OK -what? We're not sure what that is about, but never boring at our house.

Sorry, Susie for your pain & recovery.
Glad you are up & on your feet & doing so well! : )

Wimbledon 2013

WOO HOO! It started yesterday & what a day of tennis play!
Nadal lost in the first round ... difficult for the French Open champion to transition from clay to grass .
Day 2 - Sharapova & Federer lose ... what is going on?!

Serena did not lose thank goodness! : )
She has some cool custom shoes.
W on the back heel of course + orange swoosh + 5 years she's won above it.
2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012

If she wins this year that would be 3 times Serena has won back to back.
Serena's got style with all the orange accents.
There are orange shorts underneath the white dress which I like and hair band too.

I have concerns about Serena's eyebrows.
What is up with that? They look odd.
They are hugely drawn - why would you do that?

I'm staying home alone to watch tennis and rest.
Julia is at PDO, Jai & Jac went to some park in Madison.
I love being alone in my house & it's BONUS to be able to watch live tennis! : )

Friday Night Lights

I don't think I've written anything about our latest obsession.
Yeah, yeah, I know we're like 7 years behind the curve!
I saw the movie many years ago & actually enjoyed it. I like Billy Bob Thorton!
I'm not sure what happened when TV series started in 2006 & why I didn't watch it.
It's not like we have crazy awesome Friday night plans usually!
Probably related to my dislike of football.

However, we kept hearing how good it is so I finally requested the first season from NPL.
We totally are binge-ing on it - we probably started watching 2 weeks ago!
Now we're at season 3 - finally last night!
Disc 1 of season 3 had a HOLD so we had to wait 3 days since we finished season 2.

It's bad having an obsession like this, especially at whim of NPL system.
I wait with anticipation for the DVD to arrive ... "in transit" my account says.
I check my account very day, sometimes twice a day in hopes that it will say "ready for pick up."
I'm a serious addict! I drop everything, say "let's go kids, we're headed to the library."
I even contemplated rejoining Netflix (we're planning to soon anyway, but seriously!) so I could get it faster.
However, there is no guarantee as sometimes there is a wait for NF items.

Alright, I gotta get off the blog & make breakfast for kids before church.
I'm looking forward to watching the last 2 episodes on disc 1 tonight.
I have some self control, especially as disc 2 has a HOLD and Wimbledon starts tomorrow! : )

Mad Men

Season 6 finale airs tonight ... description on DVR says "Don has a problem."
Hmmm ... when does Don not have a problem?
Don is the poster child for problems.
Jai & I laughed when we saw that as the "preview."

HA! That's like watching the trailer for "next week's episode."
WTF is our usual response. Usually we have no clue what any of it means!
Actually we look at each other during an episode, quite often, like what is going on?!

For example, this season, what is the deal with Bob Benson?
He seems so helpful, quite a charmer, yet some people don't like him.
Ironically he always is around to help solve a problem!
He's a busy guy at SCCC or whatever the agency's name is these days! : )

Really? Seriously?
Don has a problem. Peggy has a problem. Pete has a problem.
Who doesn't have a problem. They all have problems!
It's called "stop drinking & be faithful to your spouse!"

We look forward to seeing WHICH problem is displayed tonight. : )

organically grown

The rubber band from veggies says this.
Julia has been wearing like a bracelet! : )
For the most part, my girls are organically grown, definitely for the first year of their life, even when they started eating solid foods.
That is one reason they are so healthy.
Plus they know what their food is because it is real, not packaged junk.

Girl Who Doesn't Follow Directions

That is Julia's Native American name.

Later at dinner table this happened.
Tara: "Girl who doesn't follow directions" ... (before I had a chance to say anything else!)
Julia: "doesn't get dessert"

Awesome! She connects the dots ... sometimes her behavior corresponds! : )

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Today we celebrated 8 years of marriage. WOW!
It also is the same holiday for 2 others friends, married 2 & 3 years, who now also have young children. 
Hopefully they got out for some alone time to celebrate a great day!: )

I've been sick since Sunday, didn't go to church either. Poor Jai got no break for Father's Day.

I thought I was better on Monday ... I even went out with girls to infant/toddler story time at Inglewood NPL.

However, then I went home & crashed!

This morning I woke up with pink eye in addition to cough, sore throat, congestion crud.

Made for an awesome anniversary!

I stayed in bed most of day, hoping to feel well enough to go out for dinner - we have a sitter!

Thank goodness Julia was at PDO so Jai only had Jac to watch.

Our friend from church came over at 5:30pm & watched girls so we made it to dinner. YEAH!!

It was fun, I felt better after putting on a dress and being there; I was tired when we got home.

We then had to get the girls to bed at 8pm which isn't that different from evening routine actually these days!

Dinner was at Suzy Wong's House of Yum- a place we haven't been yet as is tradition. 
It was good; we took some great photos of food & funny self-portraits as is also tradition.

We each had a drink (beer for Jai, yummy mocktail for me), 2 appetizers & 2 entrees. 
We got so much food - we'd both not had lunch so our eyes were BIG! : )

Anniversary present
8 years is BRONZE ... OK - what does that mean?
You know we don't really do gifts for most occasions.
However, we needed a new bed spread/quilt because the one we've had for 8 years is "peeling" at the edges.
Jacqueline really enjoys pulling on it, making strips. : )
So I found a great deal on a coverlet at Gaiam & it arrived last week.
I'd washed it, but hadn't had a chance to change the sheets & remake the bed.
This morning was great opportunity as I wanted to wash everything with HOT water once I woke up with the pink eye.
I love clean sheets, but it was extra special to have the new BEAUTIFUL coverlet on our bed.
We were not sure if it would be warm enough, but it is nice & heavy & thick so plenty warm.
YEAH! You know I like function and beauty! : )

I'm staying home again tomorrow; Jai is taking Julia to $1 movie at Opry Mills.

UGH! I hate summer colds! 
Maybe I'll feel better by Friday so I can be at Y pool for some catch up color before Susie arrives next Tuesday! 

We're also hoping she'll watch the girls so we can go out for DATE NIGHT without being sick. : )

Sight Reading

I went out to an adult activity in the evening this week! : )
It was a book reading at Parnassus Books bookstore in Green Hills - very glamorous & exciting.
I love books though so it was perfect, especially I try to read more in the summer.

Daphne Kalotay has a new book entitled Sight Reading; she was in Nashville for a conference.
Daphne is the childhood pal of one of my Wellesley College friends.
Thank goodness Elizabeth emailed Jai on FB who forwarded it to me & I didn't have another engagement.
It was fun even though I haven't read the book or her first novel, Russian Winter.
However, I'm intrigued by the description so look forward to getting it from NPL soon.
One of the reviews said if you liked Bel Canto by Anne Patchett, then you'll like this book.
I really enjoyed BC - Anne P also co-owns Parnassus Books.

Thanks good friend for great suggestion! : )

"I didn't realize" and "actually"

These are some of Julia's current favorite phrases as she begins to explain or express herself.
I realize that I say those words frequently.
It's really interesting how much kids copy us.

This is why I am careful about not dropping the F bomb when I'm around her.
Though I have said it a few times while at the pool in the past 2 weeks, usually hanging with my pal Niki.
There are a ton of kids at the pool too.
I'd hate to annoy some parent as I don't want Julia or Jacqueline hearing it from me, definitely not from someone else.

So far so good with minimal public embarrassment of my children's verbal expressions.
Luckily we have rare temper tantrums or meltdowns while we are out - they save it for home!
They're still considered cute for most of their behavior ... in public, sometimes in private.
Thank goodness! : )

Julia's Spanglish

Julia and I were counting in Spanish today and when she got to 20 she flipped to 

venti-one, venti-two, venti-three, etc... With a little nudge every 10 we counted to fifty. 

Fun with Julia, fun with numbers. 

Wonder & joy

Who says you need a physics class when you're a toddler? OK, nobody is advocating toddler physics classes but watch a toddler observe gravity and you'll wonder if it isn't necessary.

This morning Jacqueline squealed with joy when she repeatedly picked up a piece of cotton, held it up, and let it fall to ground. BOOM! Gravity. During this little experiment she would drop it a couple of times and then she would throw it a couple of times and watch. BOOM! Force. Two self-directed physics lessons in the 3 minutes. All of this was accompanied by a look of joy and squeals of excitement and wonder.

I am continually amused and awed by what kids know and how they learn and how both of those vary from kid to kid. Jacqueline and Julia are so different in many ways but they are also very much sisters. Jacqueline is starting to come into her own although she is definitely watching and learning from Julia. Also, I am fascinated in their ability to use associative skills to make sense of the world. Of course, I can't think of any examples but Julia pieces abstract concepts together all the time and I recently saw Jacqueline do it... we were outside and she saw a bird walking on the ground and watched. She pointed to the bird and made sure I saw it, then she went over to the bird feeder and did the same. She does it with other patterns (Johnders needs his collar before he goes outside) and it is quite often astonishing or maybe because I am not giving a 16 month old enough credit or maybe because she, like her sister, is special or maybe because both.

Trapped by grapes

On the way to her last ballet class at Y today, Julia is walking along the curb.
I am pushing Jacqueline in the stroller so we pass a car on the street & get ahead of her.
This is unusual as Julia really likes to be the line leader.
I turn to look behind as I realize that Julia is not with us.
She is stopped & looks up & says "I'm trapped by grapes" ...
There is a pile of grapes on the ground, including part of the curb where she is standing.
She looks quite serious so I encourage her to find an alternative like a quick jump over the grapes.
Julia does & we continue on our way to the Y.
Hilarious!

on the day you were born

This was last night's bedtime reading material with Julia.
There is a picture at end of story of a circle of people around the woman and baby.
Julia says the following for the people on the page:
mommy
daddy
LJ (her cousin, my brother's oldest child, now 18 years old!)
Anne Marie
Grandma Bonnie
Aunt Susie - even though she wasn't there for 2 weeks
All of these people other than Susie actually saw Julia on the day she was born.

Today was LJ's graduation from Glencliff HS.
He was there hours after Julia was born, 1 of the first people to hold her.
He's loves her so much, they are so sweet together = mutual admiration society going on! : )
LJ is finishing last year in MNPS, Julia is about to start her first in August.
Such is the circle of life.

Happy Wednesday!

"Daddy, it's Happy Wednesday."

"Why do you call it that Julia?"

"Well, last night Aunt Susie typed 'Happy Wednesday' when we were Skyping!"

Are you losing your mind?

Yes!

That is what Julia says to me at bedtime last night as we're reading one of our favorite books, Mice and Beans. Apparently I was saying words not on the page as I dosed between paragraphs. Now that Julia reads, she catches me more often with my sleepy mistakes.

Later Jai asked me what happened because he heard that question. We laughed & laughed in our hysterical empathy of sleepy reading bedtime routine.

CRAZY!

Headed to Kindergarten

It's official. Julia will start Kindergarten on August 1!!! We had her second eligibility meeting today at Inglewood ES & developed an IEP for her. It was a great experience, friendly & cooperative people, very positive meeting. The principal, K and exceptional education teachers are very excited to meet her! Her ENCORE teacher had wonderful comments to share & also helpful suggestions for her IEP goals. The school has never had a case like this yet they are super excited to work with her & us to meet her educational needs & possible challenges. Julia also is happy about going to K. They asked us if she was nervous about school & would she like to tour the building. Jai & I looked at each other and answered "NO" without hesitation. She is not nervous & would LOVE to visit Inglewood ES! Overall we are pleased with our neighborhood school & look forward to this new transition. : )

Toy Story

recent marathon broadcast of the 3 "Toy Story" movies - love them all!

after getting released by Andy's baby sister
Mr. Potato Head:
"ages 3 & up ... that's what the box says. ages 3 & up. I'm not supposed to be babysitting Princess Drool."

waiting to see what next gift to be opened at Andy's birthday party
Mr. Potato Head: "Mrs. Potato Head, Mrs. Potato Head ... hey I can dream!"

deleterious

We heard this word on "Homeland" last night (new latest obsession/TV addiction that is keeping me up WAY past my bedtime!). It's so good!

This is my new favorite word!

deleterious
del·e·te·ri·ous Adjective /ˌdeliˈti(ə)rēəs/ 

Synonyms:
adjective: harmful, injurious, noisome, detrimental, prejudicial, noxious, maleficent, bad,mischievous, pernicious, malign, nocuous, hurtful, baneful, baleful, destructive, inimical

1. Causing harm or damage

today's julia gem

"how do you get up so early to go to work?" ... oh to know that answer as you keep sleeping on a Saturday morning. I get up to feed your sister who is awake. : )

SB 2013 - Phoenix - Day 7 - Departure

"It's too dark to be awake"
Jai's alarm pings at 4am. UGH! That is early. We arrange for taxi to arrive at Susie's house at 4:30am so we arrive at PHX airport by 5am. We had done most of the packing before we went to sleep so it was quick work to brush teeth, hair, put on pants and coats and throw food in bag. We planned to wait until taxi arrived to wake children since it takes a few minutes to load the car seats and luggage. However, we wanted to make sure we were ready so woke & dressed them. We realized the taxi was late & called. When we finally got a live person, the dispatcher said the driver was on the highway ... already 20 minutes late. : (
Finally it arrives, but it's not a van. Amazingly we got everything in the vehicle, all the luggage fit in the trunk, both car seats in back seat with me too, Jai in front. Despite the later departure, we arrive at airport quickly and the fare was cheaper - almost 1/2 what we paid on Thursday evening ... strange. Did we get "taken for a ride"? He seemed like a nice person.

Check-in was smooth though the agent was kind of snippy, especially about the tags on our bags ... including the car seats and stroller. I know it's early, but wow, not what I expected from a SW employee. We got through security easily, to gate on time, first in line for Family Boarding, hoping not to be on a full flight. We figured we'd be a rare family flying at this crazy early hour. Ironically there were a TON of families with children, luckily our children were much better behaved. Even though crossing our fingers didn't give us a less full plane, at least it got us a better flying experience considering the small amount of sleep for all of us.  Julia still farted too much, but she & Jacqueline were less noisy. The flight also was about an hour shorter and amazingly we arrived about 30 minutes early which was a blessing.

"Are we home yet?"
After getting our luggage and shuttle to economy parking lot, we drove home. We stopped by Joel's work to get house key and get update on J-dog. Once at our house, we dropped bags in living room, washed hands and face before getting a quick snack & then nap time for EVERYONE. We all passed out for almost 3 hours. Of course we didn't have any fresh groceries so we raided the freezer for dinner - found some frozen pizzas I'd gotten on sale and some turkey veggie soup. Yummy & easy, then baths for everyone and early to bed.

It is nice to be home & sleep in own bed - I'm too old for a couch futon bed. I hope  Susie is enjoying the quiet sounds of silence without 4 additional bodies in her house. Happiness all around! : )

SB 2013 - Phoenix - Day 6

"Are we there yet?"
Tuesday we visited Susie's school mid-morning. Just as Susie often does, I walked the 1/2 mile with girls, Julia walking, excited, skipping along while I pushed Jacqueline in the stroller. I am so glad I bought this stroller at consignment sale last year when we really didn't need another one; big wheels, high handles, decent sized basket are so wonderful.

Susie's school is nice, typical layout, large campus. She has a cool Technology classroom, really big; nice looking computers, big screen on wall for instruction. Friendly people - staff and students - who oohed and ahhed over the girls, especially Jacqueline. Susie had a 2nd grade class that arrived soon after we did. After interested inquiries from the students and introductions, Susie began instruction while Julia played on a computer in back while I changed diaper and nursed Jacqueline (in back with discretion!). Susie only had a brief break before having to cover detention for some group so we played on playground where I met some 5th grade students who asked if I was Ms. J's twin sister. One student, Jasmine, pushed Julia on the swing and also helped move Julia along when it was time to leave. When I asked Julia what the student said, "mommy says it's time to go" and Julia came! Thank you for complying. : )

"I love tacos ... not really"
Today I discovered the recline position on stroller as we walked back to Susie's place which contributed to a LONG nap for Miss Jac. We stopped at Julioberto's, fast food taco place, on way back home, for the Tuesday special - 99 cents tacos, woo hoo! It was a long wait which surprised me for a fast food place, but it was lunch time & drive-thru was busy, a priority I'm sure. Probably not the healthiest food, but they were yummy! I really liked the crunchy quality of the fried flour tortilla shell.

Once home, it was quick lunch of random food from fridge (goat cheese, crackers, tuna, fruit, TACOS) & then rest time which was definitely needed.

• 3 hour nap for Jacqueline
• 2+ hour nap for Julia
• 1.5 hour nap for Tara
• some kind of nap for Jai

"I didn't realize ..."
While we waited for Susie to arrive home from work, Jai went to Target to get a new cutting board and permanent coffee filter. As we drove to dinner at the 5 & Diner (Susie had another coupon) we explained our gifts. Susie has a glass cutting board and crappy knives. Well, the knives would be better, but once they're sharpened they dull quickly on the glass board. Susie is concerned about bacteria and keeping the board clean so she puts the glass one in the dishwasher to sterilize it. Ironically we NEVER do that with our cutting boards (we have a wooden one, a Corian one and a set of colored plastic ones for specific foods like chicken, beef, fish, veggies). We wipe off the wooden one which we never put meat on; we use the color coded ones which we wash with soap and water. We explain that we're concerned about her physical safety as well as the life of a really knife I bought her after 1 of my visits 5-6 years ago. I told her then and now - please stop using the glass cutting board!

The diner food was good, everything except the peach pie (yuck!). Jai really liked his garlic mushroom burger with kettle fries and I enjoyed the cheeseburger sliders with sweet potato fries. Susie had a veggie omelet with gigantic pile of hash browns. Julia had junior pancakes shaped like Mickey Mouse; it was 2 HUGE pancakes with bacon. The chocolate milk shake was awesome! : )

Once home we get kids ready for bed. Susie & I had to drive to Carrie's house to return the Highlander, got a chance to talk with sister for last alone moments, trying to iron out some preliminary travel plans for Summer 2013. Then Jai & I pack everything before going to sleep for about 5 hours before rising to get a cab at 4:30am to PHX airport!  Not going to be enough sleep for another long flight with 2 young children. Fingers crossed for a better experience and a not full plane!

SB 2013 - Phoenix - Day 5

After another quick walk with Susie on Tuesday morning, we prepared to depart for today's journey to the PHX zoo. It is another BIG experience like everything in the west, quite a large place. Jai had packed our snacks the night before thankfully. Susie renewed her membership which had 2 guest passes. We'd planned to use our reciprocal Nashville Zoo membership benefit for 50% discount, but not necessary with the guest passes. Jacqueline was free since she's under 3 & they didn't charge for Julia either which is odd since usually people say she looks older than she is.

"I smell camel"
After bathroom breaks & snacks, including another nursing session, we start to explore the zoo.  BTW - I saw a bunch of different women breastfeeding babies, 1 using a cover of course, though a few like me were not. There were a ton of birds on display which surprised us as not a lot at Nashville Zoo, but such a different climate/habitat.

We also saw lions, tigers, rhinos, monkeys, cheetahs, flamingos (not as pink as Nashville ones), some kind of cattle, deer (seems unique) and giraffes.
Another benefit of Susie's membership were some free tickets for the carousel, sting ray bay and a camel ride. Julia really wanted to ride the camel today and announced as we approached the area, "I smell camel." She waited in line with Jai & declared that she would ride the camel alone. Julia bravely climbed on the back with the worker's assistance and gleefully rode around the pend (with another worker guiding the camel), big smiles, perfect for the camera! She wore her Gilligan's hat (that's what it looks like to me) and looked like a veteran on a safari or desert trek. She almost lost her flip flop as it fell far to the ground, but the camel guide retrieved it.

After too long in the sun, we headed home for rest time. Jacqueline fell asleep in the car for a brief nap unfortunately, but Julia took a good long respite. Jai tried to book his hotel for his alone time, but we should have done it over the weekend because we couldn't find any rooms (except at the scary Knights Inn down the street - awful reviews!). We forgot about baseball's spring training and it also being Easter week & lots of people on Spring Break. The girls did dinner of beans & rice, then bath; Jai walked to a cool neighborhood restaurant for dinner alone.

We got to bed early and again hope for a later wake time for the girls. Another fun day in sunny AZ! Jai looked at weather forecast in Nashville - no snow, but in the 30s! YIKES! We're going to be sad and cold when we get home on Wednesday after the lovely 80s in Phoenix.

SB 2013 - Phoenix - Day 4

"What a mega church"
Another early morning shorter walk on Sunday with Susie (hurt left heel, not sure if result of last week's pedicure) before we shower & eat breakfast, then the females head to church. Susie attends Paradise Valley UMC in Scottsdale about 15 minutes away from her house. It's a HUGE place, seriously a campus with lots of classrooms (nursery, 2-3 year olds, 4-5 year olds, Kindergarten, then groups of upper grades. We left the girls in their appropriate rooms. Though strange to leave them in separate places & different than at our church (we only have a multi-age set-up other than the youth group class) it is good for Julia.

There are more meeting spaces, fellowship hall with a stage and kitchen and the Paradise Perk coffeehouse where Susie worked for 2 years. The sanctuary is massive with wooden & cushioned pews, stained glass in windows, choir area behind the pulpit, piano and organ. Today there was a violin accompanist. Really?! WOW!

"I want frosting"
After picking up the children & meeting some of Susie's church acquaintances, we explore their Stations of the Cross set-up. Very cool arrangement, amazingly organized. Then we headed to the perk for smoothies. Julia wants frosting on hers - AKA whipped cream! : )

"woo hoo! I love Indian food."
Julia says this after asking where we're eating dinner (she ALWAYS wants to go out for dinner so she loves when we're on vacation). I am so happy my child enjoys all kinds of food, especially Indian as that is one of our favorites. Also Susie had a Groupon for this place that our airport taxi driver who was from India recommended. It was OK food - dinner buffet for reasonable price & kids under 5 are free. BONUS!

"uh oh"
Jacqueline's new favorite expression - very cute!

SB 2013 - Phoenix - Day 3

"She is adorable!"

After another early rising of BOTH children, Susie & I took a quick & short 2 mile walk in her neighborhood on Saturday morning before we headed to PHX farmer's market - excited to see all of the yummy locally grown produce. : ) There were tons of booths with lots of great food offerings - fudge, brittle/toffee, pickles & jams, yogurt, produce of course, meat & eggs, breads, cheeses (goat & dairy) and a bunch of food trucks. It is a cool place.

"Midwives Rising"
Jacqueline has not been drinking as much soy milk from her sippy cup before and since our arrival in Phoenix. With the increase in temperature and more sun exposure, I've been breastfeeding her more. At the Farmers' Market, I see this booth for midwifery services and home birth options. Of course I'm curious. In the tent, there is a sign said breastfeeding lounge and changing station and also a rocker chair. There are a bunch of people in front of tent talking with a worker. I approach and ask about feeding Jacqueline; they immediately say yes and the woman sitting in rocker gets up (she's just sitting with her baby). Another family arrives with their 3 children, including a newborn who is HUGE! They also have a scale and the mother asks to weigh the baby. They uncover him (really just take the blanket off him), he looks even bigger, and put him on scale. He weighs 12 pounds. I asked dad about birth weight and he said baby weighed 7+ pounds ... so he's gained 5 LBS in 4 weeks. DANG! The original mom in chair returns to booth; we chat and discover they used to live in Nashville, near Portland Brew on Eastland in EAST Nashville. Crazy coincidence! I also ask the midwife about Arizona's nursing in public law and she says 2 years. Susie was right! That is crazy that AZ protects mothers & babies' rights to feed longer than TN.

"Girls' Night Out - Mom style!"
Weeks ago Susie had asked me about going out on Saturday evening to hear some cover band she & her friends like. While the girls were napping simultaneously (thank you!), she asks me about going. Susie said her friend texted her hours ago & she debated asking me as we all were so tired. She said something about 9pm ... what? That's my bedtime. : ) Then she mentioned something about Happy Hour before 7pm and her friend likes to get there early for a good table. After serious consideration, I said sure. Why not? I'm on vacation! I told Susie we'd have to leave when I got too tired plus I didn't bring any "clubbing" clothes. Seriously! I had khakis I wore on plane, a dress for church, otherwise shorts, t-shirts, flip flops. I cannot borrow jeans from Susie ... not yet (probably not ever again with these birthing hips!). I was wearing a skirt and sleeveless polo shirt with my flip flops. Oh well!

Right before 7pm Susie and I meet Carrie at a restaurant/bar called the Blue Martini, very hipster kind of place ... for a mature crowd. It felt like I was in Cougar-ville. Ironically I think we're some of the youngest people there, maybe no one younger than 35. I got a mango mojito - yum! We also ordered crab cakes, also yummy, spinach artichoke dip and a huge slice of chocolate cake - 50% off on the Happy Hour menu. Again I'm on vacation & someone else is watching my children. FUN! However, 1 drink is my limit, never been much of a drinker, but since being pregnant & breastfeeding for better part of last 5 years, I'm definitely less than skilled.
The music was OK, I knew some of the songs. The best part was the people watching. Lots of high heels, big hair, groupie clinging, inappropriate amount of visible cleavage, especially from the female servers. I joked that I could have just worn my nursing tank and fit right in!

Last observation relates to my solo visit to the bathroom right before we left.  First of all there was a bathroom attendant - it was kind of creepy, kind of stalker like as she followed me into the bathroom (she had been standing in back listening to music when no one is in bathroom). Of course I don't need assistance and I don't have any money for tip which I have no reason, but I feel slightly guilty.

As I washed my hands, I looked at the various items available for use ... hair spray, mouthwash, big toe clippers ... excuse me? WHAT?! Really! No. Seriously NOT! I'm trying imagine what that would look like. Who used them before me? Also where is the blue sterilizer liquid? I don't think so! : )