Just Another Day

Things I Appreciate Today:

1)  Rainbows.  Is there another natural phenomenon that instills so much hope and happiness?  There was a huge rainbow across the sky on the way to pick up Jonah from preschool, and I couldn't keep my eyes off of it. 

2)  Noodles & Company.  It's not the greatest restaurant in the world, but I can take my sons for a little lunch and all three of us happily consume:  the two of them a moderately-priced bowl of mac 'n cheese and me whichever pasta/salad combo I've chosen for the day.  And it's all topped off with a gigantic rice crispie treat.

3)  Trader Joe's non-fat plain frozen yogurt.  It doesn't sound like it should be good, but good heavens. . .it is.  It's brand new, so don't feel bad if you've been missing out all of these years.  It's kind of like that astoundingly overpriced ("Did I really just pay $7 for 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt?") Red Mango, but it's better.  Top it off with a little TJs fresh or frozen fruit, and you have a guilt-free, ridiculously delicious dessert.  If you don't live by a Trader Joes, you should move.  You won't regret it.

4)  Schizophrenia.  Today was a typical Oregon day.  It has rained 412 different times.  But my favorite part of the Oregon weather is the unpredictability of it all.  Sure, it rained at the most inconvenient times of the day, like every time I got out of the car to take my two boys into preschool, the store, or the above-mentioned Noodles, but now they're doing this:

I can wash those pants with the muddy knees because he just slipped and fell on the soaking wet grass later.

5)  Texting.  I don't even have a text plan on my phone, if that gives you any idea how inexperienced I am with this new-fangled technological phenomenon.  My husband is in San Antonio for 4 days and in constant meetings, but with texting, I can keep my finger on the pulse of the meeting happenings (like how much Tex-Mex they're eating, and who makes the most annoying comments) and it only takes me 45 minutes to compose each text and only costs me 50 cents to say something like:  "Are you bored yet?"  Genius.

6)  Realizing I don't have to watch the season finale of True Beauty until my husband is back in town on Friday.

Things I Don't Particularly Appreciate Today:

1) Human-produced train sounds.  Loud, long train sounds, produced from the vocal chords of my 4-year old.  All. day. long.  Make it stop.

2)  Emptying the dishwasher, vacuuming and cleaning the bathrooms.  All of these things SHOULD be completed today.  But I'm not sure I can empty the dishwasher again. . .ever.  It's the least satisfying household chore in the world.  You do it, and 30 minutes later it's full again.  And even the Dyson can't increase my desire to vacuum.  But look at this great blog I wrote?  And I caught up on the CW's Privileged, so I consider this day productive.

3)  When Trader Joe's runs out of stuff.  Which they do frequently.  Today they were out of stir-fry mix (a fairly important ingredient for my menu item titled "stir-fry"), and, more importantly, suckers, which my boys earned with their stellar detective work.  And no, the banana-nut granola bar is not an adequate substitute.

4)  The entire "cast" of the 10-11 AM hour of the Today Show.  Sadly, this is usually when I'm getting ready for the day, and I turn the TV on in the background.  But seriously, Hoda is bad enough.  Al Roker makes me cringe.  And Kathie Lee?  Is there anyone in the world more innately unlikeable?  Maybe Miley Cyrus.  Maybe.  Sometimes I switch between the Today Show and The View to see how much my body can endure.  Some people do an Ironman. . .I do this.

5)  Realizing I won't be able to watch Lost until my husband is back in town on Friday.

6) Realizing I forgot to put that frozen yogurt in the freezer when I got home. . .oops!  Gotta run!

Things that go bump in the night

Noel has recently entered a new "phase" (and so help me, it better be a short phase) where he is scared all of the time. Sometimes, he likes to use it as an excuse, as in "Noel, come brush your teeth." "I can't, I'm too scared." But legitimately, he is scared of the dark and has trouble going to sleep at night because of it.
I blame myself. I have a hyper-active imagination. A couple of times a week while Amy and I sitting and watching TV, or laying in bed reading, my mind is running through what would happen if the house was attacked by Zombies (you have to head north so the Zombies freeze) or what I would do if I heard someone break through our sliding glass door (That one I am not sure...I am better off with the zombies.) When I was a kid I was TERRIFIED of the dark. One time, my sister Lori hid inside my closet and waited until I was in bed to slowly creak it open and yell "I have no idea!" in an odd voice. (I have no idea why she said "I have no idea" but imagine laying in your bed at night and your closet door slowly squeaks open. It doesn't matter what the person says. It is scary.) I convinced my dad to put a dimmer switch on the lights in my bedroom and I would turn it about 1/16 of a turn before I went to bed. I was afraid of the dark until I was ....well, let's be honest, I am still a little bit afraid of the dark. So I am sure that Noel is just following in my footsteps (why do my kids inherit the things I don't like about myself?) But it is going to be the end of me.
Last night, he was up of and on until about 3am. He gets scared, starts crying, and won't stop until one of us goes in to comfort him. We comfort him, and that last about 4 minutes and then he screams again. We are not opposed to letting our kids scream it out when they won't sleep. We have a strict policy of that when our kids are babies. But it gets stickier when Jonah is in the room too and every time Noel screams it wakes him up. Jonah loves his sleep, so you don't feel like you can just let Noel scream all night long. But I am sure every time we go in there we are just reinforcing bad behavior.
Last night as I was walking down the hallway for the 30th time I found myself thinking, "There better really be a monster in there this time so I can kick its butt and we can all get some sleep." But no monsters. Just a scared little boy. And a grouchy tired dad. So what is a parent to do? No, seriously, I am asking for suggestions. Comment away...

A Victory for our Family

Aren't you glad my wife is posting now? Isn't she infinitely more interesting than me? And didn't you love all the nice things she said about me? I am too lucky.

February week 2 is really a make it or break it week for me. Amy and my anniversary is on the 8th. Amy's Birthday is on the 12th and Valentine's day is on the 14th. So if I mess up, it is a real mess. Last year Amy and I had a romantic weekend to Portland planned - and then we got the flu (all 4 of us) for about a month and we spent Amy's birthday on the couch watching American Idol waiting for the sweet release of death. So this year we tried to do it up a bit better.

The day started with breakfast in bed:
Toasted bagel with whipped cream cheese and cherry preserves. Hard-boiled egg. And strawberry white chocolate muffin. No, I didn't make any of it, except the egg. Jonah thought the idea of breakfast in bed was the coolest thing ever and has requested buttered toast on his birthday. Done and done.

In the afternoon, Amy and I went to downtown Portland, which we never do, for some shopping and lunch. Lovely. And then home for gifts. This year we wanted to boys to pick out presents for Amy themselves. So a week ago I took them to Target and tried to guide the selection process. Noel chose a plate.
And Jonah immediately knew he wanted to get lipstick. He chose a tube in "Target Red" (classy!) and this necklace. He was pleased that Amy liked it. Though seriously - the boy's got good taste.
That evening we went to dinner as a family, which always involves lots of under the breath yelling, and repeated attempts to get our kids not to kick the booth of the people sitting next too us, and paying for food that our kids won't eat, because they would rather subsist on crackers and air. So we did all that and then came home for cake. Jonah helped me in the decorating process. He insisted that Amy, being a girl, would want a pink cake with princesses on it. I told him I wasn't going to pipe any princesses so we compromised on purple flowers, another thing he insisted all girls liked.Anyone know how to get really vibrant colored frosting? I even used my food color gels that I got for Christmas, but the pink and purple cake was really more rose-ish and slightly-mauve. What am I doing wrong, oh ye cake bakers who read herein?

All in all, the day was a success (*huge sigh of relief*) I am pretty lucky to have such an amazing woman choose to spend her life with me and, evidently, enjoy it! Amy made me promise that I would not write a tribute to her, so I will just say that she has been the means by which all of the greatest blessing of my life have come to me. I love you, sweetie.

Six Years Later

As I mentioned when writing about the new addition to our family, our beloved Dyson, Josh and I just recently celebrated our 6 year anniversary. We paid way too much money to simply go to a movie and dinner to celebrate the occasion. I also thought I'd pay tribute to the man who has been my husband for 6 years, but the man I love for many years before then.

The Top 10 Reasons Josh is So Raven:

1) Josh invented the term "that's so raven." Or, I should say, Raven Symone actually did that, but Josh claimed it for his own. In honor of the queen of subtle acting, "raven" became to mean anything that you do that is so indicative of your character, there's no doubt that you did it. For instance, for Raven Symone, it may be the quick double-take, or the penchant for wearing unflattering clothing. For Josh, it's looking at a menu at whatever restaurant we're at, and ordering the weirdest thing that's offered. That's so raven.

2) Josh is obssessed with hair. While he's loathe to admit it, he's going bald. And while I find him extremely handsome, I'm quite certain he'd chop off both arms to have his hair back. If you have hair, he's noticed it, stewed over it, and commented about it, guaranteed. The other night, while I was trying to figure out what in the world was going on during TV's "Lost," Josh said, "Why does Desmond have all of that stupid hair?"

3) Josh is the easiest person in the world to shop for. If it's stuff, he likes it. The more gadgety the better, but really you can't go wrong. When we were dating, I'd buy him extravagant gifts from Williams-Sonoma or Amazon. I realize now that I bought my husband, but he was relatively cheap, and I don't feel bad about it. He owns almost every kitchen gadget in America. The latest on his wish-list? Onion goggles.

4) Josh loves television, all things reality TV included. Many a night is spent on the couch watching Tivo together. This seems harmless enough, until he's talked you into entire seasons of high-quality programming like "True Beauty" and "Stylista". And then a piece of your soul dies.

5) Josh is going to write a book. He's formulating it "in his mind." He's actually a talented writer, but his latest venture is motivated by one thing: a new laptop. He figures if he writes a book and gets an advance, he can buy a new computer. It seems like a much easier plan than saving up. As for the book, he's thinking fast money, ala Stephenie Meyer. I suggested zombies in love. I don't know if he's gonna run with that.

6) Josh's kryptonite is "buzz." There's nothing that drives him more crazy then not being able to verify the "buzz" about something. . .anything. This perhaps drives his compulsion to buy the newest gadget on the market. He also joins Facebook, or Twitter, or dreams of the Amazon Kindle, or records Battlestar Gallatica EVERY SINGLE SEASON even though he knows he'll wait six months and then eventually erase it.

7) Josh loves to cook, but he's a bit of a fool in the kitchen. Once upon a time, he gave up his dream to go to culinary school, so I try not to fault him when he messes up a recipe because he saw something shiny while he was cooking, or he leaves me with a gigantic mess. And if he's on his game, his food will make you cry.

8) Josh loves his friends. He's the most loyal person I know, sometimes to a fault. He only ever sees the good in people, and, in turn, has many, many people who love him. He's the life of the party and often the funniest person in the room, even among our extremely funny friends. When we first moved to Portland, he kind of fell into a bit of a depression. I really believe that it wasn't because of the new surroundings, or his added job responsibilities, but because he missed his friends. I find myself trying to schedule social situations for him to keep him happy, much as I do my kids. But I know it's a bit of a lost cause. With the exception of a few amazing people here in Portland, a part of his heart is scattered in places like Provo, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York, and Florida.

9) My boys adore him. They try to find every opportunity to tell me that they love their dad more than me, and I have a hard time blaming them. I hope they spend the rest of their lives content in their hero-worship of this amazing man. Then I'll be sure that they'll grow up smart, imaginative, loyal, hard-working, kind, and the best friend one could ask for.

10) After 6 years, he's still my favorite person. Hands down.

I love you, Josh.

Happy Anniversary

For our 6th anniversary, Josh and I purchased perhaps our best anniversary gift to date:

It may seem like an odd choice, but between my obsession with vacuuming and Josh's obsession with consumerism (in this case, with the Dyson), it was a perfect marriage.  And we're in love.

Still a Fetus

This is why we should never be allowed to have a baby girl:

Legacy

A little while ago, someone somewhere told me something Will Smith had reportedly said. (Stick with me; it gets better.) He said something about how, regardless of anything else, his children will see him run every day and read every day. I've been thinking a lot about this, as I am known to do with all sage advice from Will Smith. It makes me wonder about how my kids see me and what they will learn from me and how it will influence them. I think Will's onto something, but what other things do I want my kids to see me do every day? Pray every day? Make my bed every day? Remain calm every day? I can tell you right now those things aren't happening. It's one of the many reasons I'm terrified by motherhood. I don't want to be known for yelling about messes every day, or saying "I'm going to count to 3!" every day, or sitting at the computer writing my blogs instead of reading them books every day. It's something I need to think about, and start paying attention to. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

It also brings up another subject. How much are you allowed to try to influence your children without being seen as controlling or manipulative and sending them to lifelong therapy? Josh and I have had an ongoing discussion (argument) since we started having children. He insists that, whatever our children decide to be, we should be loving and supportive and encouraging. I insist that I will be all of those things, and they are free to choose between pharmacology and dentistry. Jonah, just yesterday, told me he wants to be a trucker when he gets older. And, if given a choice, I think he'd end up in this illustrious career:


*Extra small clown costume optional.

I know it makes me sound over-bearing and controlling, but the yin and yang of Josh and I is that he's a romantic and I'm a realist. Do I want my sons to be teachers if that's what their heart desires? Of course. Do I want them to have to struggle to make ends meet for their 8 children while doing one of the hardest jobs in existence? You see what I mean? I love ballroom dancers, but I don't want my child to pursue it as a profession. On the other hand, I have extremely talented friends who make a good living being artists and actors and teachers. On the other hand, as much as I hate to admit it, I know it won't really matter what I say.

And, let's face it: I think those kids of Will Smith are really annoying.