Back on Track

THANK YOU to everyone who posted suggestions and kind words about my troubles this week and also to those of you who reached out via email with suggestions and even just commiseration. I am doing a lot better today.

Tuesday night, Uri watched Anna while I went to happy hour with my sorority friends. It was a great break. Uri had fun with Anna too - I think everyone benefited from a change in routine. Yesterday I stayed home and worked on little projects around the house - did a little work from home for the office too. Again, the change of pace was helpful.

Thanks to all the reminders, I've been giving Anna more warning about when we're going to transition to a new activity and that has been helping. I had another great recommendation from my friend Alex to spend a few special mommy only hours with Anna and I'm going to do that this weekend. I know we already spend a lot of time together but she suggested a special, different activity where we are just together and I focus on her. With all the hubbub lately, we haven't had as much QUALITY time so that's what we're going to do.

It really means a lot to me that you guys have chimed in with your own stories and I'm so glad to know my child isn't the only one who bites and hits. Thanks to Katherine I ordered a book about hitting to compliment the book about biting I already have.  Also, Anna has calmed down a bit on her own just as Jessica said she would.

Drop-offs are still a huge mess. Today was epic as Anna decided to throw her snack and snack bowl on the floor - again in front of other kids and another parent. However, as April said, we're all that parent sometimes.

It's times like these when I know that this blog is worth it. I feel so lucky to be a part of this beautiful community of people who reach out and help one another. Much love and thanks to you all.

Question for you guys

Friends, I have some questions for you today. Let's start at the beginning.

Uri was gone for work on an overnight last night and this morning I sat in bed wondering if I should take a personal day. I just feel so tapped. But then I thought well, no matter what I will have to get dressed to take Anna to school and honestly that's the hardest part of my day. Once I'm already there, going to work is a breeze; in fact, it's a treat. Since when has taking care of my child become the worst part of my day?

I want to run through the last 24 hours or so and ask if this is just par for the course or if maybe I'm doing something VERY wrong and need help. I'm not sure what help, but just some help. I just feel like we have a lot of tantrums per hour and I'm not sure if it's way off base. I will say that Mondays are usually a hard day, but then again I could just be making excuses. Here is a vague timeline:

7:00 am - Go get Anna. She is so happy to see us. Change her into clothes and get the day started.

7:15 - 7:30 - Breakfast with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. (Yes I've degraded into letting her eat in front of the TV - it is seriously awesome, don't judge.) Some whining involved with breakfast, possibly some food thrown.

7:30 - 7:45 - Getting ready to get out the door. Complaining about wearing sunscreen. Stating that we are NOT going to school, she doesn't want to go to the Magnolia room, doesn't want to go in the car, etc.

7:45 - 8:00 - Ride to school. Some whining but generally okay.

8:00 - 8:15 - School drop-off. AWFUL. Many instances of jello legs, banging head on the floor, crying profusely.

8:15 - 4:45 - I work, she's in school. Yesterday she bit another kid and who knows what else.

5:00 - School pick up. She's always really happy to see me but then doesn't want to go home. Wants to play in the courtyard of the school. When it's time to go home, jello legs, head banging, crying. I never see any other kids making a scene like this.

5:15 - 5:30 - We somehow get into the car and drive home. Yesterday she cried loudly almost the entire way home. Didn't even want a baby mum mum cookie until we were almost home. It is very frustrating to drive a quarter of an hour with a shrieking, crying child. I am starting to lose it. I've tried reasoning with her, ignoring it, turning the radio up really loud, singing, telling her it's enough - nothing seems to stop it. The snacks worked a little at first but now the novelty is up.

5:45 - 6:30 - Dinner and I'm not going to lie, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Seriously it's the only thing getting me through the day. Bless you, Mickey Mouse and friends.

6:30 - 7:15 - We play, read books, general good times.

7:15 - 7:40 - Bath time. She doesn't want to get in the bath, jello legs, head banging, crying, running away. Once I get her in the bath she cries loudly for probably 5 minutes then eventually has fun.

7:45 - 8:15 - Bed time routine. Of course, she doesn't want to put on pajamas and you guessed it - jello legs, head banging, crying and running away. Last night had the added bonus of her smacking me in the face while I try to rub her back to help her go to sleep. This face smacking thing is relatively new and painful and surprising. I'm not even sure what to do about it.

8:15 - I leave her room while she cries mournfully that she wants mommy and then finally drops off to sleep.

8:15 pm - 7:00 am - Peace, wine, last night I watched bad TV and it was therapeutic.

Then today she wakes up at 7:00, opens her own door and runs in to my room where I'm getting dressed. It was really cute, she's always so happy to see me. We had breakfast with not too much incident and not a terrible ride to school but the drop-off was even worse than yesterday. She hit me in the face twice in front of teachers, parents and kids. I don't know what to do! She is the only kid I see at drop-off who melts to the floor and cries hysterically when I leave. It's embarrassing and upsetting.

I feel like I've done something wrong here. I feel like we're outliers and I can't control my child. I feel like the other parents are thinking that I'm some hippie letting my kid run wild. I've tried the harsher discipline though and it tends to backfire with Anna. I can't tell if this is a phase or what. Uri says she knows how to push my buttons and she really does. She's so sweet with most other people, I just get this terrible attitude and the face hitting has been difficult. I almost cried when I got in my car - it sounds silly but I feel a bit abused. Does it matter that my abuser is a half-pint? How did she get so violent? I have never hit her and Uri and I don't yell at each other and hit. Where does she pick this up? Even this morning when another little boy showed up she said she wanted to hit him. Why?

I used to be so excited to go get her at the end of the day but now when the late afternoon rolls around I have this pit in my stomach. I am embarrassed to even say this. I'm just so tired of the crying and whining and yelling - and now the hitting. I am a relatively happy, peaceful person and this is just so hard for me. Her poops are back to normal so I don't think that her stomach is hurting. Maybe her two year old molars are coming in? I don't know, I'm always grasping for excuses.

Does anyone else have this much trouble just getting through the day? I'm sorry to complain so much. Maybe it's just the transition but I don't know.

Moving Target

Uri and I had some tough talks this weekend. With Anna's second birthday fast approaching, I haven't felt like the timing is right to start trying for another baby. Uri wants another for sure and well, I go back and forth. My biggest reason for wanting another is how much I love my sister and I want that kind of relationship for Anna's life. But there is no guarantee that siblings will be besties or even friends at all.

The reason we've decided to wait at this time is because I feel like my resources are completely tapped in taking care of Anna. Uri helps as much as he can but he admits that I shoulder much of the load - just with our schedules as they are. He had some suggestions - like getting a nanny or working less days but I don't feel that those are solutions for us right now. I just think Anna is going through a tougher phase and it takes all that I have to get through it in one piece.

In Anna's defense, she has been a lot better. This weekend was a huge improvement over last weekend - I do think in part because her stomach feels better and she's a bit more settled into all the changes that have been going on. But still, I am just beat. When she goes down for a nap, I take one too. I am so tired at the end of the day as well. Uri says I should exercise and I agree but each day goes by without a window where I possibly could do it. Please know this is not an opportunity to tell me how easy it would be to exercise if I only [fill in the blank]. It's just tough right now and my schedule is busy. Some day I'll be able to do it again but just not right now. OKAY? Sheesh.

So for now, having another baby is put off. We'll see how I feel in 6 months or so. I know myself and I know that I can't deal with being pregnant and nauseous and having to keep this pace up. Also, I tried to go off prozac and I had a tough time of it. I'm trying taking less mg per day now (10 instead of 20) so we'll see how that goes. I'll try tapering off again when I'm ready to try for a second. (Although I'm still not totally convinced a second is right for me.) I HATE thinking about this. I really don't want to go through pregnancy and the first year again - it was so difficult. I think prozac could possibly be a big help compared to last time but still, I'm scared. Ugh.

Thank you readers & some big news

Happy Friday everyone! First, I'd like to say thank you for your great advice on my last post. I stocked up the Mazdamobile with some popcorn and baby crack for the trip to and from school. It has helped immensely. Also, I think Anna is recovering from the wheat invasion as her rash is subsiding and her poops are going back to solid. Which is also nice for diaper change time. Of course, she's settling more and more into the toddler room even though drop offs are still a hot mess. So thumbs up!

AND we have big news today. Well, big news for people with small fries. Last night, Anna peed in the toilet! It was unexpected and totally awesome. We were downstairs watching my salvation show, the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and her diaper was bothering her a bit. It was wet so I said we should take it off. When I said we should go and get a dry one, she didn't want to. I said this was okay if she told me when she had to pee and peed in her potty. As soon as we took the diaper off she said she wanted to go pee in the TOILET - excuse me for saying potty- sheesh. So we went upstairs and she did it. That was that. Of course, I read enough blogs and have enough common sense to know this is only the beginning of a looooong journey towards being potty-er-toilet train..er..proficient, but hey! That was a big deal, right? I was so proud and so was she. We called my sister, my mom and daddy to tell them the news. In each case, Anna announced herself that she "went pee in the toilet".

I'm sure a large part of this is the transition to the toddler room. They have a little open bathroom with two toilets and a sink. There is no door which actually makes sense to me. This way the teachers can oversee without having to take the kids to the room each time. So I'm guessing that Anna has seen some of the other kids use the toilet and was eager to have a turn. This is great but man, she's going to be a sucker for peer pressure.

So that's about it from the homefront. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

The head banging is mutual

Oh my goodness it has been some tough times around here folks. Transitioning to the toddler room has been hard on Anna and her attitude has been dismal. Also, we've had some changes at home and on top of it all we decided to try to test her on some wheat the past few days. All I can say is

Fail.

Fail.

Fail.

Ugh it has been MISERABLE at our house. Poor thing, it has been a lot for her but GOOD GOD she has been putting us through the ringer as well.

Typical school pick-up goes like this:

Anna is happy to see me - good. Then on the way to the car: "No! We're NOT getting in the car!" Of course, we get in the car. Then, "No! No sun in Anna's eyes!!" I tell her okay, we're going to turn the corner soon and the sun won't be in her eyes. "No! We're NOT turning the corner soon!". Then just general crying and whining and "No! We're not going home!" By the time I get home I'm ready to shoot someone. But no, it doesn't end there. We have anger over all the food choices presented to her accompanied by food throwing, milk dumping and more "No!". Also, more whining. The whining, it never stops. It's so tough. She's been doing the head banging again too - always on a hard surface. Sometimes she even bites her own finger so she can have a band aid. It's all just so nuts!

The only break I had yesterday was when I put on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - two episodes in a row. That show is my savior - bless it. I used to be all uppity about not letting kids watch TV but when it is the only thing that preserves my sanity, bring it on!

The way to school in the morning is just as bad but in reverse. Instead of "No! We're not going home!" it's "No! We're not going to school!". I don't WANT to go to the Magnolia Room. I want to go to the park/store/home." Oh there is just no pleasing my little malcontent.

Looking back, the wheat was a huge mistake. It's just that Uri buys really good bread for dinner and then puts it on the table - bread used to be her favorite. So we let her try some to see how it will go and she gets the loose poo. I'm sure it's bugging her stomach. So that's not helping. I'm going to have to work on talking with Uri about not having wheat options on the table when we're all eating together. I don't care if I don't have bread.

There's nothing I can do about the transition to the toddler room. She's almost two and it was time to go. I am sure she'll love it eventually but for now, it's just hard. So, so hard for all of us. I know I'm so lucky to have a healthy, living toddler girl and so many aren't as lucky - this week, that thought is the only thing that's getting me through. Weeks like this make me so terrified of our choice to try for another. I don't know how I can manage another child if he/she has this will of steel. I hope things calm down soon.

Life Insurance Doesn't Have to be Hard

First, some art from yesterday:

Now,on to life insurance. I think life insurance baffles people and it shouldn't. IMHO, one of the problems is that financial advisors / life insurance salespeople don't make much money off term life insurance. It's cheap, it solves the problem, and the application takes just as long as buying one of the more complicated and expensive policies which blend life insurance with investment products. When you are working with someone who is compensated by the result of your interaction - it tends to tip the scale towards the product that will be more worth their while. This isn't terrible, everyone's time is valuable, but still, it can cost you money you don't have to spend.

Again, these are just MY OPINIONS and you don't have to listen, you can tell me to shove it. But I'm going to tell you the way I did it - which was simple and cost effective.

First, I had to think: how much insurance do we need? Do we need it for just Uri? Well, Uri and I decided to insure each of us. Since we are a dual income family - if he passed I'd need some extra funds for life and and if I passed, Uri could use some extra funds for childcare and cash to buy lots of booze to drown his sorrows. Just checking to see if you were listening. He really wouldn't need extra cash for booze. Well, maybe just some.

We didn't have any life insurance before I was pregnant with Anna - well, just whatever we each had for free from our employers. I didn't see a need for it. Our small policies and respective 401ks would cover our funeral expenses and then some for the other person to move on with life. Since we both work, we just figured the other person would pick up the pieces, carry on with life, continue working and such. However, if you are married without kids and you think the surviving spouse would struggle with a mortgage or something like that, you may want to consider additional insurance.

So how did we figure out the amounts? Well, don't tell but it was pretty back of the envelope. Kiplinger's has a pretty good article about it that talks about covering final expenses, education for children, mortgages and other debts, and income replacement. When I did our calculations - I only included income replacement. I figured hey, if Uri dies some things are going to change around here. We're going to scale back, live in a smaller place, be more scrappy. You may not feel this way - beef your insurance up more.

So I basically just used this formula -

(1/2 Current income of person you are replacing) / .05. That's it.

So if you earn $150,000, it's $75,000 / .05 = $1,500,000 in insurance (policy amount).

I found out our number for Uri, deducted the amount he already had through his work, and voila - his amount. Again, I kind of went on the low side because we already have some cash and investments and no debt to worry about. To insure myself, I just did half the amount I did for Uri. I don't even have a calculation for that - it just seemed good. I think the important thing with life insurance is to just do it. If you make it too complicated or worry too much about it, it's less likely that you'll go through with it. All you really want is to have something in place - it's peace of mind.

The next decision is - how many years do you want the policy to continue? The usual choices are 10, 20 and 30 years. We picked 20 because we hope to be self insured in 20 years. We'll be closer to retirement and should have saved up enough to carry on. If you feel like 20 is not enough - go with 30, no big deal. Your premium will be higher but the nice thing is you will lock in your rate. Like retirement savings, sooner is always better than later with life insurance.

So then on to picking a provider. We were lucky that Uri is a member of the IEEE and they provide low cost term insurance through New York Life. Check around to see if you are a member of a group that has good rates. I think AAA offers life insurance - that's probably pretty good. Many people have additional term policies available through the workplace - those are usually fine but often won't get you to the finish line with the total amount you need. Really it doesn't make that big of a difference if you go with a reputable company.

Once you've picked a provider, you have to fill out a lengthy application and sometimes do a phone interview. Then a medical examiner will come to your house and weigh you, take some blood and urine and verify your identity with a photo ID. After that, you are done!

We pay monthly through an automatic debit on our credit card. I think our monthly premium is like $35 or something like that for a good amount of insurance. That's a lot of peace of mind for $35 a month! So you see, life insurance is no more difficult and certainly less expensive than choosing between cable and DirecTV.

There goes another piece!

Date: 9/13/2011
From: Growing Place
To: Erica & Uri

Hi Uri and Erica!

Well this is your first official Magnolia room update! I just wanted to touch base with you about the progress of the transition. First of all, we are very excited to have Anna join the room she is very competent child and has lots to say. She is very kind to her friends and extremely interested in what is happening around her.

I have observed her morning drop offs to be a bit tearful but I do feel that is to be expected. Though she is familiar to the space- this still is a brand new experience for her. As long as we keep a consistent routine in the AM I feel this will subside soon. Today I stepped in to assist when Anna was crying and I comforted her with her family book and also offered her to write a message for mom and dad. I think she was a little confused by this but still very interested. I showed her paper and asked her what message she wanted to send home. She said, "I want to go to to the store with mommy." She watched closely as I wrote her words. She was very pleased when I finished, she looked up at me and I said, "did you want to give that to mom?" She quickly responded with yes.

Later, she worked very well during work time and seems to be extremely interested in the line tools, she has spent the past 3 days there. After reflection mtg we took the group to the park and she had such a good time playing with Elio and Luca. As of right now her day has been great!

Let me know if you have any questions! I look forward to our future communication and getting to know your family!

Best,
Anna's Teacher

Date: 9/13/2011
From: Uri   
To: Growing Place   
Cc: Erica

Thanks for the note.  I'm pretty sure I know the meaning of "I want to go to the store (with Mommy)."  Last weekend Mommy was going to go to the kitchen store, and I didn't want to go.  So I said you go and I'll take Anna to the park.  Anna was so sad that Mommy was going to the store without her that she cried a lot while I was putting on her shoes after Mommy left.  Then Mommy came back because she forgot something and said, "Do you want to go to the park with Daddy or to the store with Mommy?"  Anna said "I want to go to the store with Mommy."  Not sure if she had fun at the store, and I'm sure she would have had fun at the park.  But anyhow, the meaning of the phrase is that she misses her Mommy.

Cheers,
Uri

Pieces of my Heart

Parenthood is a collection of small losses, year over year, that hopefully, somehow, end up in a lifetime of gain. The math doesn't work out. There are so many days when I feel that a piece of my heart just fell off as Anna grows a little older, a little more independent. Today was her first day in the Magnolia room - the room for bigger kids. She was scared to go. She knows many of the kids there, and she is ready, but it's different - it's a whole new routine. On the way to school she said things like, "I don't want to go to school, I want to stay home." or "I want to go to the park." And most devastating, "I want to go to the Willow room, I don't want to go to the Magnolia room." I know it's just the change - that she'll have lots of fun there. We talked about the other friends who transitioned from the Willow room to the Mag room, and the types of fun things she can do during the day. We talked about how her friend Livvy transitioned with her and that Livvy is probably scared too.

When I dropped her off, she was hesitant until the teacher prepared snack. Then she was over at the table, helping herself to some pears and Gorilla Munch. More friends started showing up and then it was time for me to leave. She was sad but I had to go. I felt like I had a hole in my chest - I still do.

Parents are The Giving Tree. We find it in ourselves to give just a bit more of ourselves until it's time to give again. I realize that it will never end. That her hurts will always be mine and her successes bring joy to my soul. I will gladly give all I have to give her the best life I can.

I remember in my early 20's I had a friend with a child. I couldn't even imagine that life for myself. She told me a story of how she took her daughter to the fair and she rode on a little carnival train all by herself. The mother's heart was breaking but thrilled to see that her girl was not a baby anymore. I couldn't really comprehend it. I thought to myself - "so what? a little kid train, big deal." But of course, life has a way of bringing understanding to you eventually, even when it's years later. And of course, now I understand.

Friends

Friends are such an important part of my life. I have childhood friends I still keep in touch with, besties from high school, sorority friends, biz school friends, couple friends, and of course, bloggy friends. Groups of friends collide and separate, and at times I feel more close to some than others. Motherhood was a game changer. I feel like my whole life went through the wringer and I got a new understanding of myself and my relationships. I treasure my mom friends because they've helped me through the tough times but I love my non-mom friends because they remind me of who I used to be and who I will be again once I get through these challenging (but amazing) infant years.

Last night I was thinking about how some close friends pretty much disappeared from my life. In almost every circumstance, I can think of a deciding event, something that I did (yes, for some reason it's always me) that severed the bonds. I lost one close friendship because I failed to fly to Alaska for her wedding as a bridesmaid. Of course, there were extenuating circumstances but at the end of the day - I should have found a way to make it work. I tend to be really cagey about money and this was probably one of those times I should have just thrown it on a credit card and worried about it later. Stupid self - I missed out on a great trip and a great friend.

In the past, I was much more self-centered in my actions with my friends - I didn't think of how what I did or said would affect others. Also, I've always tended to have a large circle of friends so if once circle wanes, there is always another to take its place. This isn't necessarily bad, but as I've gotten older I've realized how my friends are true treasures and put myself in their shoes if things are going south in the relationship. Of course, some friends grow apart because it was meant to be. I have strong convictions and some of my friends have equally strong convictions in the other direction - sometimes we just have to agree to disagree and step the friendship down a bit. That's okay too.
 

Gosh - I feel like this post is building to something but I am at a loss for what it is. Perhaps its just that I think about the role of friends in my life and I treasure them. I have messed up in the past, I will continue to mess up but I'll continue to try. I look forward to new friends and adventures but love the old ones. [Insert cheesy email poem forward thing about friends in our life here.]

I've been percolating another Money Matters post about life insurance. It's so simple - it will be a shorty. Hope everyone is enjoying summer!

The Tantrum of 2011

Aren't milestones fun? On Friday night we got to experience our first time leaving a restaurant without even ordering dinner. In Anna's defense, she has a nasty canker sore on her tongue. It was hurting her and salty corn chips didn't help. (Parent fail - but we've already discussed how chips and guacamole are her favorite and we were at a Mexican restaurant.)

So anyway, we met our friends at a local Mexican place for dinner. Anna seemed to be doing well when we sat down. The problems started when she went to drink water out of a straw. The straw must have bumped the canker sore on her tongue so she started crying - a lot and loudly. I had Uri take her outside to chill. When she finally calmed down, she came inside and tried to eat chips and guacamole - more loud crying. It must have really hurt, I feel bad. While I was holding her outside, all she wanted to do was to go inside and see her friend and eat more chips and guacamole. But man, she was having a Grade A flip out. I've never seen her like that. We ended up pitching in for the drinks we had already ordered (alas, I didn't even get a SIP of my margarita) and heading home. She bawled for 40 minutes straight. Epic. Poor little thing.

Over the weekend, she was touchy about eating stuff like crunchy cereal or oranges - anything that was either spiky, salty or acidic. She didn't have a fever so I wasn't much worried until Sunday when she had another crying spell. But then this morning she seemed fine - I dropped her at school. Turns out school was worried about the sore as there has been an outbreak of hand-foot-mouth. She's already had HFM and she didn't have a fever but still I had to take her to the pediatrician in the middle of my day. She was fine but upset that mommy picked her up and then took her back to school. I really want her in school all week though because tomorrow is her goodbye circle to move to the toddler room. Also, I have this thing I do during the day called work and we had some big stuff to get out.

So anyway, everything turned out fine in the end. Besides that, great weekend. We went swimming and Anna went all the way underwater for the first time. She was a little surprised but we made a big deal out of the accomplishment and we'll keep building on success. Hope everyone else had a great weekend.

Ergonomics Win

I've had my new desk set up for a few days now and I can't believe the difference. The main thing that feels so much better is my shoulders. Since 1999, I've been sitting at a desk all day at work and I've had a painful knot in my right shoulder blade. Sometimes it is so bad. Today, it is gone. Totally gone. I can't believe it. I am a heavy mouse user and having my mouse arm down lower so my shoulder isn't raised at all has eliminated the knot. Or at least that's what I'm guessing it is.

Some tips:

Sitting as your desk may seem like a no-brainer, but there’s actually a very specific way to sit to avoid the common injuries that come with bad posture and poor positioning.

The key is right angles – keep your seat height so that your knees are at a 90° angle to your thighs and your hips are also at a 90°. In this position, your feet should be flat on the floor. The last important 90° is at the elbow. You shouldn’t be reaching forward to type, but rather have the keyboard tray pulled out to you. This reduces potential injury to the wrist and shoulder.

Other important desk posture notes: 1) keep wrists straight, avoid cushions that cause them to bend; 2) have the top of the monitor be about eye level with a slight upward tilt in angle; 3) for added lower back support, a lumbar cushion may be used; and 4) have buttocks firmly planted in the back of the chair’s seat (in other words, don’t slouch).

Source.

So wow! I feel like I'm still working on it a little, getting my angles right but my ball chair is awesome. Definitely worth $75. I had a keyboard tray installed and that really helps too. I used to think ergonomics was kind of dorky but after over 10 years of sitting at a desk every day - now I'm starting to get it. I'm guessing you might be able to get your office to pay for the ball chair. I bought my own because I didn't want to explain my crazy idea but they did pay for the keyboard tray. The keyboard tray is bolted to the desk anyway so it belongs to the office. Some people here have gotten the office to pay for spendy Aeron chairs but well, I like the ball chair solution.

Parade video update: Uri is an artist. He made an awesome parade video but it is 13 minutes long and we had trouble uploading it to YouTube. I'm trying to convince him to make a short one that's appropriate for the blog but he says he doesn't make "blog content videos". I'm working on it.

Have a great weekend!

Called Out

We're lucky that Uri has been home more often than not lately so we've been having family dinners. Anna can sit at the big dinner table and we pretty much eat the same thing. It's a fun time to chill together as a group.

I've known for years that often when I'm talking, Uri isn't really listening. He readily admits to this and we joke about it sometimes. It's okay - I guess sometimes I talk just for the fun of it. If I really want him to understand, I repeat myself or check if he was listening and not off solving work problems in his head.

Well, my daughter has inherited all of my chattiness and also all of Uri's demand for attention. Last night she was prattling away about something to him and he was not fully listening. All of a sudden, she stopped what she was saying, looked him right in the eye and said

"Daddy, I'm talking to you."

Oh my goodness it was the funniest thing ever. He is sure in for it now! I may let him get away with things but not Anna, no siree.

A Few Parade Pics

Thanks.

We're still working on the video.

Picture Fail

Well guys, sorry. I went over our parade pics and we don't even have a single good one of Anna. The only one she's even in is this one:



Which also contains a picture of me with a very blousy shirt. Not to be confused with my stomach hanging over my shorts. Ahem.

Uri also captured my furrowed brow situation (but hey doesn't my hair look good?):



Some cute kids we don't know:



Patriotic menorah:



And the official Miss America of the parade, the Bean.



Seriously, does it get any cuter than that? More cute pictures of the Bean and her entourage here.



Buy local.



Not really sure:



So anyway, clearly I'm going to have to load up some video and Uri promised he would work on it today. Hang in there folks.

Botox! Stat!

I am pretty sure we have some pictures from this weekend to post soon. The thing is, Uri has been less into taking pictures as his new hobby is videography. While it's fun to watch videos of our lives, it is unfortunate that everything is HD and watched on our huge television. Camera pictures are easy - the camera is kind and it's easy to crop things out and find the shot where you look best. Video? Oh my, not so much.

I can't believe the crazy lines I have between my eyebrows! Turns out I squint an awful lot when I'm outside, even with sunglasses on. You know, that concerned, furrowed brow look. I think I am actually going to book an appointment to get shot up with botox. Is this terrible? If you guys saw how crazy deep the lines are, you wouldn't judge. (And no, I haven't figured out how to put the videos up online and also can't decide if they are too boring for anyone to want to watch.) Back to the 'tox - I have a friend who had it done and it looks really great. I used to be so against plastic surgery and the like but eh, it's just a leetle shot in the head. Right? Please don't remind me of that site where they show stuff like this going horribly wrong. Oh god oh god, I looked. Now I'm having doubts. Ah!

Also, there was an unfortunate scene from this weekend where my stomach was physically hanging OVER my belt. We were at a restaurant. Uri said "well, that's why you don't tuck your shirt in." But actually I think the answer is "well, that's why you don't drink so much wine." Because man, it's catching up with me. Anyways - cropped and suitable pictures will be available soon. Video - maybe.

Oh my, I am such a mom.

So in our redecorating bonanza, we're selling some of our existing stuff. One piece of furniture that both of us have always kind of hated is our media stand:



Blearg.

Well anyway. I sold it on Craigslist and last night the girl came to see it/buy it. She was a very cute young singlish girl - early 20's. Of course, when you buy things on Craigslist you can't ever pay the listed price ($70 for this media stand). I thought her bargaining maneuver was comical though:

"Um, well, yeah, I just went to the ATM and, er, can I give you $65?" I don't know how $65 correlates to going to the ATM but I thought it was cute and really I'm just trying to get rid of this stupid thing so I accept it - thinking $60 would have made more sense for her argument but whatever.

So then she goes to move her car while I take the stand apart for her. She comes back up - I show her where the screws go back in to assemble it at home, then take the heavy part while Uri takes a piece and she takes the other piece. We're going to help her take it down to the car - it just seems right. So we walk out the front door and Anna makes a run for it - Uri hands me his piece (the other heavy piece) and I carry both heavy pieces to her car.

Once we get to her car, I just go into mom mode - telling her how to arrange her backseat, trunk and blanket and loading all the pieces into her car just so. She gave me the money but I really felt like I should give her a $20 for dinner and send her on her way.

Sometimes I feel like it was just yesterday that I was picking up random Craigslist finds in my little VW bug, bargaining for $5 off. But it's days like yesterday when I realize shit, I'm a freaking MOM for crying out loud. And I've got the can-do attitude to go with it.

Well, $65 got me half way to Anna's new bad-ass wagon:

All terrain wagons don't count as non-Zen accumulation of stuff.

Oh yeah, we're marching in the Fourth of July parade with this baby. Yes, there will be pictures. I have to go to Old Navy and get some patriotic family outfits today so we'll see how that goes. Enjoy the weekend!