Monthly Archive for April, 2008

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Lazy Schmazy

Published on Monday, April 14, 2008 in Claire and Fun. 2 Comments

Last night, the three of us played at another family’s house. They are the family we went with to Santa Fe, and we try to get together as often as we can. We always have a great time with them. Last night was no different. Claire had a blast playing with the 5-yr old boy and the 2-yr old girl. (She is just two weeks older than Claire.)

The evening was full of fabulous food, friends, and fun. It was perfect!

Whenever we get together, we end up staying out past our bedtimes. Claire goes to bed later than a lot of kids, because Daddy’s work schedule is such that if she went to bed at a “normal” time, she’d never see him. She also still sleeps about 12-hours at night. I can’t complain!

Well, last night, she didn’t fall asleep at their house (none of the kids did…they were having way too much fun!), and she didn’t fall asleep in the car. She chatted with us the whole way home.

Needless to say, her bedtime was really late last night.

Claire and I had plans to meet some of the moms from the MOMS Club at the Zee-Oh-Oh today at 10am. Well, I knew when we got home that we were going to have to rush around, and both of us would be grumpy. The reason I quit my job was so that we could have some flexibility and not be so harried, so I made the executive decision to not go to the Zee-Oh-Oh (yes, I’m spelling it out. Saying it out loud would remind her that was what the plan was for today…shhhh.) ;)

I emailed the organizer of the playgroup and told her we’d have to catch them at the next one. I hope she understands, and I’m sure she will.

So, I stayed up way too late myself last night, wanting to wrap up some things before bed and hoping I could sleep in. The alarm went off at 7am and my poor exhausted hubby started the process for getting out the door. He’d gone skiing Sunday morning, helped move a fridge (long story), and stayed up past his bedtime. Not to mention he had to go to work today. By 8:30, he was out the door and I went back to sleep…hoping Claire would allow my sleeping in late plan to come to fruition.

All of a sudden I jolted awake and looked at the clock. 10:04!! Sweet. Good call on the no playgroup thing! Claire was still sleeping. I tiptoed to my office and responded to some emails. At 10:47, I decided to awake the sleeping princess, and all went well. When she wakes up on her own, she’s always happy. When she’s jostled awake by an outside source (i.e. Momma), you never know what you’re gonna get. She was in a good mood! Bonus!

We opted to have brunch, and she helped me make French Toast. She’s a really good helper in the kitchen. She stands on one of the kitchen chairs and helps me add ingredients and stir. (She even helped me make the guacamole for the dinner last night!)

Now, she’s playing in my office while I’m writing my blog. She says she wants me to write about tigers. :) First, she was talking to the little girl in the mirror and telling her that her name is Claire, and she’s telling her all about all kinds of things. And, then, she was singing along with the play piano one of her uncles gave her. And, now, she’s playing with the dollhouse one of her aunts gave her. Such a busy girl…and the day just started.

Well, it just started for us anyway… ;)

I am so glad we were able to sleep in today. Lazy or not, this is a great way to start the week.

A fate worse than time-out

Published on Sunday, April 13, 2008 in Claire, Conversations and Parenting 101. 3 Comments

“Momma, can I sit in time-out instead of eat my pears?” Claire said with a glint in her eye.

I cannot believe she just asked me that. She must really not want to try the pears!

“Uh, no. Time-out is where you sit if you’ve done something naughty, on purpose. Not trying the pears is not naughty; it’s just silly. Why don’t you want to try the pears?” I asked.

This was not unlike the time she put herself in time-out for touching the dishwasher. I am shocked. She’s only two! Such negotiations already!? I knew that time-out could be powerful, but I had no idea she was capable of extrapolating the idea of crimes and punishments to this degree.

“Cuz I don’t like them,” she said matter-of-factly. …which must be true, if she’s willing to sit in time-out instead of eating them. She hates time-out, so the thought of pears must be pretty bad in her world.

“How do you know if you don’t try them?” I asked. As a baby, Claire always ate pretty much anything we’d give her. We were lucky. Lately, she’s gotten a little pickier, but we don’t push her. We assess the battles and save our energy for the big ones. That being said, I know she used to like pears, and if she could just get past the texture of the non-pureed version, she’d be fine.

“I don’t wanna! I’ll sit in time-out!” she said. She was much too eager.

“Just try this little bit. If you don’t like them, you don’t have to eat any more of them. But, if you try them and you really like them, you can have as many as you want.”

After much dramatics, she put the cubic-centimeter piece in her mouth, quickly chomped and swallowed. Of course, there was fake-gagging, which can only be created by the obviously toxic pears, and then, she started wiping her tongue frantically with her napkin.

“I-don’t-like-it,” she said with an over-exaggerated grimace. “Bleck!”

“Okay, fine. You don’t have to eat them.” Such drama! Over a teeny-tiny piece of pear! She may or may not have seen me roll my eyes.

“Do I need time-out?” she asked.

“Nope. Not this time.”

The bad news? Claire has proven to be quite the little negotiator. I knew this would happen, but I had no idea it would happen so soon. The good news? If the time-outs ever start to lose their power, I can threaten her with a spoonful of pears.

The odds may still be in my favor after all. ;)

Anatomically Correct

Published on Saturday, April 12, 2008 in Fun, Photos and Random Thoughts. 1 Comment

Claire and I were playing with the Play-Doh™ today, like we have every day for the last week. She loves it and could do it for hours. The set she has came from one of her uncles, and it includes all kinds of colors of Play-Doh™ and all kinds of shapes and tools.

There are the cookie-cutters that cut out creature shapes: elephants, ducks, horses, and butterflies. There are the food molds that create food: strawberries, cherries, and bananas. There is a car mold and a key. There are rolling tools for flattening the Play-Doh™, and tools to use for cutting squiggly or dotted lines. There are multi-tools that have a bunch of things on them.

This is one of Claire’s favorites:

Play-Doh Tool

(Click to enlarge.)

It has a scooper on one end and then a bunch of tiny food molds on the other.

All of this is very innocent. Playing with Play-Doh™ is good wholesome fun for the whole family!

So, Daddy is talking on the phone to his brother (the uncle who gave Claire the set) and Claire and I are making masterpieces out of Play-Doh™.

She hands me something she’s been working on and asks me what it is.

I looked at it, and I couldn’t believe what I saw. She’d been using the green tool pictured above.

“Um…I think that’s lettuce? Or a sandwich? Or, maybe it’s a walnut?” I said out loud, but I couldn’t believe my eyes. It certainly looked like something else.

So, when it was my turn to play with the tool, I pressed a piece of Play-Doh™ into each mold to see what shape was revealed.  (Because the end result in the Play-Doh™ is always a little different than the way the mold looks to the naked eye.)  There was an eggplant. There is a peach. There is a strawberry. And, then, there it was again. And, right next to it was something that I can only assume is supposed to be a tomato.

There they were…two parts of the female anatomy that I never expected to see in a Play-Doh™ mold. I can’t be the only one who sees these things this way! Especially when taken out of context. Seriously.

So, I handed both Play-Doh™ shapes to my hubby and said, “What do these look like to you?”

That’s when he nearly spit his drink all over the front of his shirt and nearly dropped the phone. Of course, his brother wanted to know what happened and got quite a kick out of what we’d discovered.

I asked him just what kind of toy shop he used! He swears he got the set at his local Toys R Us, and not some specialty shop. ;)

But, you know what they say. Sometimes we see things not as they are, but as we are…which means, these Play-Doh™ tools are completely harmless, and I’m a 12-year old boy.

;)

Who’s going to tell Mr. Monk?

Published on Friday, April 11, 2008 in In the news and TV Shows. 0 Comments

As I was perusing my news websites yesterday, I stumbled upon an article that made me gasp:

“Stanley Kamel, ‘Monk’ Psychiatrist, dead at 65.”

I’m not really good at remembering actors’ real names, but when I saw ‘Monk Psychiatrist’ in the headline, I was alarmed. My first thoughts? Dr. Kroger died!? This is not good news! Who is going to tell Mr. Monk!?

He is not going to handle this news well.
At all.
This could set his therapy back years…

Then, I shifted into reality and thought about how shocking a death like this is for friends and family. I wondered how they’re going to write this into the show. I’m sure they’ll find a way, but talk about an unexpected twist.

I shouldn’t joke about this, and I’m really not. It’s just interesting when you make such a connection with the show…especially when it’s hard to see past that.

(It’s kinda like how Agent Doggett was always going to be the Melty Terminator Guy in my head. Always.)

Dr. Kroger wasn’t the main character, but he ranked right up there, and he was one of my favorites. They have replaced other key people on the show smoothly (Mr. Monk’s assistants have changed over the years), so it’s not a show-breaker.

Claire loves Mr. Monk. The show is pretty tame, so she’s watched them with us. The only part that may border on being inappropriate for her is the very beginning where the actual crime takes place, but we can usually distract her or say, “Yep, that lady fell down. She’s just pretending.” ;) The good thing about TiVO is we can fast-fwd pretty quickly if need be. We really haven’t had the need with Monk.

She’ll even beg to watch Monk. (and Psych, another of my favorites. It comes on right after Monk. It is also witty, engaging and really funny if you really pay attention to the dialogue. Shawn Spencer has been my boyfriend for a while, he just hasn’t figured it out yet.) ;)

I can’t wait for the new seasons of Monk and Psych to start. I think I saw an announcement somewhere about how both shows will be showing on NBC, too, so those out there who don’t have USA can get a taste. Check your local listings. (I’ve always wanted to say that.) ;) And with this new development on Monk, I wonder where the story will go. Only time will tell, and I hope Mr. Monk is sitting down when he hears the news.

Did it rhyme with snow?

Published on Thursday, April 10, 2008 in Birthdays, Conversations and Photos. 2 Comments

Click on the photo to enlarge.

April Birthday Snow

Conversation we had earlier today, before my hubby left for work.

Me: “What did you really want for your birthday? Because I think they got it wrong.”

Him: “What?”

Me: “Did you want to go to a show? Did you want a new hoe?”

Him: “What?”

Me: “Did you want something for your toe? Or just something with a bow?”

Him: “What?”

Me: “Because they sent you snow.”

Him: “Oh! Sorry, I’m a little slow.”

See? He’s not too old to play rhyming games! ;)

Happy Birthday, Babe!

Cuz I’m the King of Bongo, Baby

Published on Wednesday, April 9, 2008 in Claire, Fun, Moms' Group and Music. 2 Comments

Claire and I went to a Music Class today! It was hosted by our local MOMS Club, and it was part of the Meet & Greet they have once a month. This was an opportunity for us to check out this group before we join.

From what I saw today, we’ll be joining! You never know what you’re going to get with groups like this, and all the women I met today seem really nice. Claire got along fabulously with the other kids, so I think we’ll give it a shot.

There is a small annual fee to join the club, and it covers the cost of snacks, mailings, etc. To be honest, the cost of the yearly fee would have more than covered the cost of a real Music Class and snack, so I think we’ll be getting our money’s worth! (Now that I have time, I wanted to do different activities with Claire. Rather than get tied down to the schedule of a particular class, I decided to look into something like this MOMS Club, because the cost is minimal and the activities are varied and all in our area. Perfect!)

So, the Meet & Greet was great, but the Music Class was awesome! The woman who led the kids was very well suited for this, and so talented. (She runs her own Music Therapy business and provides music classes for all kinds of groups or individuals.) I thought it was great that Claire got to experience someone playing the guitar, bongos and violin for real. (As opposed to the guitar and drum-set we have for Rock Band…though fun, is not quite the same. And, Daddy has been trying to convince me to let him buy his own bongo set, so once he hears how much fun Claire had, I’m sure he’ll kick his “but it will really be for Claire” excuse into high gear!) ;)

The woman started the Music Class out with a scarf dance that we all preformed to King of the Bongo by Manu Chao. I’d never heard this song, and I loved it! I did a search on youtube, and apparently I’ve been living under a bongo-less rock, because there are a lot of versions out there!

Here is a link to the one from Robbie Williams:

Link to youtube

Here are some of the lyrics:

Momma was queen of the mambo
Papa was king of the Congo
Deep down in the jungle
I start’d bangin’ my first bongo

Every monkey’d like to be
In my place instead of me
Cause I’m the king of bongo, baby
I’m the king of bongo bong

This Momma would love to be Queen of the Mambo, and both Claire and I rocked the scarf dance.

Needless to say, the Music Class was a success. We sang songs, danced some more and then the kids got to choose an instrument out of a plastic tub and we became a band. For every song we sang, the kids chose a different instrument, and it was so much fun! (Claire’s favorite was the drum…Daddy will be thrilled!)

When the Music Class was over, the kids played some more in the playroom while the moms chatted. When it was time to go, Claire wanted to stay forever, which is a sure sign that she had a good time.

Now, the song and the lyrics I’ve copied and pasted above are stuck in my head. I start humming it and Claire sings along, “Cuz I’m the King-go Bongo, Baby! I’m the King-go Bongo!”

…and we dance.

I love my lipstick

Published on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 in Photos and Product Reviews. 1 Comment

In a former life, I was an independent consultant for a major international cosmetics company. I was great at sales and great at teaching women how to care for their skin, and I was great at teaching others how to choose the right colors and application techniques for color cosmetics. Because I was on the cutting edge of the industry, I was on top of all the trends. I never left the house without my lipstick on. My look was always complete, whether it was casual or more formal.

I had over 200 clients of my own, and I was very successful at what I did.

Then, my priorities shifted, and I wanted to get out of the industry. It wasn’t that I was afraid of leaving a college degree on my shelf unused, since I wasn’t a social worker anymore anyway. (And, this is where I could do a whole post on how we use what we learned in college every day, so it’s never truly “wasted”…blah blah blah.) ;) I wanted to have a baby, and I knew that running a hardcore business like the one I was running would not be conducive to that.

So, I cut back. I put a plan in place to work my business down to where I could shut it down completely.

I got pregnant, and I continued part of my business…the part that I loved: I would teach women how to care for their skin and work with them to find the right products to match their needs. But, my morning sickness was so horrible that it became harder and harder for me to do the classes and consultations. More than once, I willed myself to not throw up in the car or at the various houses.

So, I cut back on the classes and consultations and just decided to service my existing customer base with reorders.

When my doctor put me on a weight-lifting restriction, I cut out the classes and consultations completely. After six years, it was time to move on. I started another independent contractor position out of my home office and worked on phasing out my other business.

By the time Claire was a year old, I was done. I moved my existing customers to another consultant and that was it. (I then just focused on my other full-time at-home job and Claire.)

I’d stopped wearing lipstick anyway by that point unless my husband and I were going out on our date-nights. Where had the old me gone? Where was the girl who loved different shades of lipsticks and wouldn’t go anywhere without it?

Well, the company I’d represented didn’t have a line of lipstick that was non-transferrable (i.e. didn’t come off on everyone/everything), and I didn’t have the time or the energy to find a new brand. I was a new mom and kissing a baby all the time was more important to me than the newest shades. Rather than wipe lipstick off her head or her face, I just didn’t wear it…or I’d wipe it off as soon as my hubby and I got back to the house.

Fast forward to the present…

I think I’ve fallen love with a new lipstick. AND, it doesn’t come off! So, I have the best of both worlds…I can wear my lipstick AND kiss my toddler and husband and not worry about the lip-print.

What is it?
It’s L’Oréal Infallible™ Never Fail Lipcolour.

First of all, this is not a paid endorsement or a sponsored product review. I’m always on the lookout for new things, so I’m sharing this cool find.

Second of all, the Department of Redundancy Department should issue a Redundancy Citation Ticket to the name of this product. (Psssst, “Infallible” means “Never Fail.”)

Whew…now that we have that pet peeve out of the way…
This lipstick rocks!!

Here are some things I love about it:

  • It really does work! The lip color really does last all day! …if you follow the directions…so be sure to follow the directions. (see below)
  • The container is small, AND it’s reflective! Kudos to the packaging department at L’Oréal for the mirrored case. Genius!
  • From my days as a sales consultant, I still have my little zippered case that holds two lipsticks and a gloss…with a mirror in the lid. Keep in mind this zippered case was about the same size as my sunglasses case, so it wasn’t huge. I can now ditch that and replace it with this tiny thing that is about 1/3 the size. I have extra room in my purse! Bonus!

Here’s a picture:
See the mirrored back?

See the reflection of the camera? (Click the photo to enlarge.) I just can’t get over how cool this design is.

Here’s what I do to make it work the best:

  • After my shower in the morning, when my lips are clean and dry (no balm, no chapstick, nothing), I put on the color portion.
  • The package says to let it dry for two minutes, so by the time I’m done with everything else, it’s dry and I can put on the gloss portion.

It has a color side and a gloss side…

(Click the photo to enlarge.)
Claire is showing you the two parts of the lip color…
the white one is the gloss, and the auburn one is the color.

Now, the gloss portion will fade throughout the day, but it doesn’t leave a mark. Granted, I didn’t kiss a silk shirt, so I can’t say for certain that it doesn’t leave any residue, but it doesn’t show up on my hubby or my toddler or my Diet Coke can, so I’m counting it as a success. Plus, it’s easy to reapply the gloss portion.

Oh, and I have to say that the smell of the gloss portion is absolutely heavenly. I think it’s a cross between cotton candy and summertime as a child. Seriously. Sometimes, I get out the gloss part just to sniff it. Don’t tell anyone.

Now, the professional side of me wants to share this Public Service Announcement: Non-transferrable lipsticks are known to be very drying to your lips, so be sure to remove it at night with a makeup remover and then apply a balm to your lips to keep them hydrated.

How did I test this product?

  • Of course, I kissed my hubby (who was skeptical, and although he said he loved the color on me, he didn’t think my shade of lipstick was a good color for him…) ;) and I kissed my toddler. No smudging. No hint of anything. They were both lipstick-free!
  • Then, I put this lipstick through a more rigorous testing process. It just so happened that my 6-month dental cleaning appointment coincided with my purchase of this product. So, I wore it to my appointment. My hygienist was up to her elbows in my mouth, and my lipstick didn’t smudge in the slightest. That’s pretty much the definition of infallible if I’ve ever heard one. I left that office with my 34-year record of no cavities intact and flawless lipstick. Pretty cool if you ask me. ;)

So, there ya have it. If you’re in the market for a lipstick that doesn’t fade and doesn’t smudge, I would suggest L’Oréal Infallible™ Never Fail Lipcolour.

Wearing lipstick makes me feel fun and put together, even if I’m not. :) I love being able to wear my lipstick and not have to worry about being stingy with my kisses. It’s the best of both worlds.

*smooch*
;)

My Purple Cup

Published on Monday, April 7, 2008 in Claire, Conversations, Language and Milestones. 1 Comment

Last night, we were all downstairs watching an episode of The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan. We love this show, and it’s one of Claire’s favorites. We have a bunch saved on TiVO and we watch them when the mood strikes us.

I’m engrossed in this particular episode, and then all of a sudden I realize that Claire and Daddy have been arguing.

She’s two, and he was the baby in his family growing up, so this is nothing new. ;)

They are both adamant about whatever it is they’ve been discussing.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “I’m sorry…I wasn’t paying attention.”

“We’re arguing about the color of these cups,” my husband says as he points to the tray on the couch.

“Those two plastic cups?” I ask, looking at our two cups of water.

“Yes. What color would you say those are?”

“Well, what color is she saying they are? She’s actually really good at colors now…” I turn to look at Claire. “What color are those cups?”

“That one is blue,” she says, pointing to Daddy’s plastic cup. “And, that one is lavender,” she says, pointing to mine.

I looked at my husband and laughed.

“What!?” he said. “Don’t tell me she’s right!?”

“Um, yours is blue, and mine has always been purple. Actually, it’s a light shade of purple, so, technically she’s right when she calls it lavender. What did you think they were?”

“They’re both blue to me. I told her they were both blue,” he said, shaking his head. “But she kept telling me I was wrong.”

“Well, you are! Talk about a brutal way to learn colors! It takes her a while to figure them out and then once she does, her Daddy argues with her. It’s a wonder the poor thing’s not confused. It’s a good thing she’s smart.”

“Don’t remind me! She’s getting to be too smart, and I had no idea it would happen this quickly.”

“Oh, it’s okay Sweetie…you’re still a little better at math than she is,” I said to him with a wicked grin.

“Not for long…not for long.”

Note: In the light of the kitchen, he conceded that the cup does indeed look like a light purple and not a shade of blue. I told him that I was surprised he didn’t remember what color the cup was since I’ve had it since college. It has a very distinctive shape and texture. In other words, I could tell you what color this cup is in the dark. ;)

I won’t tell you what we’ve called it all these years. (My college friends and I named it. It’s longer than it is wide, and it’s ribbed…I’ll let you figure that out. ;) I don’t want Claire calling it that, so it’s forever to be known as “my purple cup.” Dr. Freud would be so proud.)

The argument they had last night about the colors makes me laugh. He’s not colorblind, which is what makes the argument he had with Claire even funnier. I found myself laughing about it last night and again this morning. My hubby heard me, and he knew what I was laughing about. He then tells me to stop making fun of him. I told him I would. Luckily for me, he rarely reads my blog. ;) Luckily for him, he is really good at math. :)

Sunlight and shadow…again.

Published on Sunday, April 6, 2008 in Re-run. 0 Comments

Today’s post is a re-run originally published on Friday, May 25, 2007 in the Books, From the offline blog, and the Claire Categories. There’s just something about this moment that was so magical, so I’m sharing it again…

Sunlight and shadow

I’ve come into my office to check on a couple things, and Claire is playing in the dining room. I can see her from my office door. I hear her giggling, and I glance up. The sunlight is coming in the dining room window at just the right angle, and it’s making the wall glow. Claire is entranced. She is playing with the sunlight and the shadows created by her arms and hands and head. She gets her ladybug book and sits in the light, watching the wall as the pages create more shadows.

I’d love to capture this moment on film, but that’s just not possible, and I really don’t think a picture would do it justice. I want to remember this moment forever.

Made my day a little brighter

Published on Saturday, April 5, 2008 in Claire, Conversations and Parenting 101. 1 Comment

Yesterday was a good day, and here are some reasons why. Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference.

~*~

All of a sudden, Claire stopped playing, ran over to me and threw her arms around my neck. She said, “Momma, you’re byuuuuuuuu-tiful!” and then she kissed me. “I love you!”

“I love you too, Claire.”

~*~

“Wow. I really like your cut! That hairstyle looks great on you!” the woman behind the counter said to me as I was checking out.

I hadn’t even had time to “style” it, and I was hoping no one would notice.

~*~

Claire was a perfect little lady at the salon while I got my eyebrows done. But, by the time we got back to the car, she wanted nothing to do with being strapped into her car seat. After a huge struggle, I had the latches clicked and the straps tightened.

Little Miss Angry Storm Cloud glared at me from the backseat.

I sat down in the driver’s seat, exhausted. Then, totally on purpose, I said, in the sweetest tone I could muster, “Claire…you’re wonderful.”

“I. Am. NOT. Wonderful.”

I grinned to myself. I knew she’d answer that way, and the irony made me laugh. And, regardless of what she thought, I was right.

~*~