My Gift To You

Hey, Moms! Here's a fun little birthday tradition for you to consider next time you have a super kid adding another candle to the cake: Birthday Interviews.

I wish I could claim this idea as my own, but the truth is, I read it in a Family Fun or Parents-type magazine. It goes like this....
Every year on your kid's bday, conduct a little interview. Ask about favorite things - color, movie, food, toys, friends, stuff like that. Spend about 3-10 minutes in question and answer mode, depending on your and/or your child's attention span...and on the level of cooperation. Record the interviews on a dedicated tape/DVD/whatever you use. One tape per kid. The dividends won't pay off until you've done this a couple of times, but eventually, it gets to be a fun time for you and the kids. I've been doing this for the last 3 years now. Q and I sat down a few days ago to watch his first 2 interviews before taping this year's version. He could hardly believe how "little" he used to be. He laughed at some of his answers and guffawed at some of his "favorites" back then. For my part, I tried to hold back a few tears, as I could hardly believe how little he used to be, or what some of his favorite things were back then.

But as different as our reactions were to the interviews of old, we could agree on this: Chocolate Birthday Cake is the best. Good taste (buds) run in the family.

You Are Only as Old as (Your Technology Makes) You Feel

Despite my claim to being a world-class multi-tasker, I am obviously not as good as advertised.

Mom? check

Wife? check

Full-time corporate cube-dweller? check

Blogger?.....Blogger? [insert crickets chirping]

(BTW, if you grew up in the 80s, you should have heard that as Bueller?...Bueller?... Right? Didn't you?)

Anyway, so in an effort to improve my efficiencies and free up a little more time, I've finally made the leap into the 21st century. I now (drum roll, please) electronic bill pay.

Yup, hold your gasps. I e-pay. (What? You thought I'd give up TV??! Oh come on....)

Do you find it hard to believe that a young, hip chick like myself was kickin' it old-school (do kids still say that these days?) and writing checks? Me of the iPod, DVR, and Blackberry. Me of the text message and Twitter. (Ok, I don't Twitter, but it made the sentence sound good, no?)

So, yes. For years I hadn't bothered to set up electronic bill pay. What was I thinking? It is way easy and super convenient.

And so, feeling quite proud of myself, I mentioned this to my mother the other day during a phone chat. I was thinking maybe I could encourage her to do the same. Lend a helping hand. Pay it forward.

And guess what? I barely had the phrase "electronic bill pay" out of my mouth before she says, "Oh, yeah! Isn't it great?"

What? My mother out-teched me? Oh man. Sure, my folks had high-speed internet and GPS long before we did, but still.

What's next, mom?....Facebook?

The Eyes Have It

I have this photo on my computer's desktop. Earlier today, as I fired up the ol' laptop, Keira came over, looked at the picture, and said, "I have tiny eyes; Quinn has big eyes."

"You think so?" I asked.

"Yeah, momma. Quinn has big eyes. You have big eyes. Daddy have big eyes. Keira have tiny eyes."

So this is when it starts, I thought. When she starts to notice that she looks different than the rest of us. It always seems to start earlier than you think it would.

"So who else has tiny eyes?" I ask, expecting her to rattle off the names of the Asian girls in her preschool class or the names of her playgroup friends. Instead, she says this: "Aunt D***."

Once again, she surprises me. Leave it to the girl with tiny eyes to be the one to open mine. Besides, she takes after one of my sisters in terms of her eating habits (they both think M&Ms are a food group in and of themselves). It only makes sense that she'd take after the other sister in some way as well.

Now, if she's just take after someone in the family with a set of good listening ears, we'd be all set.

The Little Brother He's Always Wanted

Quinn often mentions that he'd like a little brother. Not really so little. He'd like about a 4- or 5- year old brother, which in his mind is a way better playmate than a 3-year old sister. See, this boy is wise to adoption and knows that bringing children into your family as an infant isn't the only option. "Next time we adopt, mom," says Quinn, "let's get one that isn't so little....and a boy."

Anyway, we aren't on that path. Not now anyway. But it was Quinn's weekend to have his class' Flat Stanley. We had a laid-back weekend with FS, and "our" homework is to document this in the class notebook. When with other classmates, Stan has been to the Indianapolis Sailing Club and to a football game with a former Colt, among other glorious events. Here, it was pizza and watching The Tigger Movie. Do we go all out for Valentine's Day or what?

FS also went to Quinn's basketball game on Saturday morning (where Quinn finally scored his first basket!). Maybe little Stan is a bit of good luck. I'm sure Q would like to have him along for his next game. I know that from my standpoint, Stan was much easier to entertain in that little gym than K. He also doesn't whine, complain that he's hungry 20 minutes after not eating his lunch, and he never has to use the restroom when you are in the far reaches of the grocery store with a whole cartload of stuff.

Maybe Q is on to something. As far as little brothers go, FS is nearly perfect.

The Winds of Change

The winds of change are blowing here....or, at the least 50-MPH-blow-shingles-off-your-roof winds. But other change is brewing.

Remember the last post? Miss Getting Her Own Breakfast?

Well, she's now Miss Answer the Phone and Keep Track of the Household. In other words, I think she's gunning for my job!

A couple of days ago, I call the house as I'm on my way home (yes, on my cell, while driving, still legal here....oh come on, you know you do it, too!). This is my usual practice. The I'm-on-my-way-What-are-we-having-for-dinner phone call. The difference is that this time, Keira answers. At first I think that her dad must've handed her the phone so she could chat with me (our house phones are set with "special" rings for me, hubby, and grandma, so they know right off who is calling). But, as the conversation continues, I realize that nope - Keira found and answered the phone all on her own. Those of you who know me well (and therefore know my sense that I must control everything) realize the gravity of this: my 3-year old was on her own with a phone! The trouble that could come from this! I shudder at the thought! And, this part goes without saying: where is the supervising adult???

Anyway, not only does she answer, but she proceeds to tell me everything that is going on in the house (hence answering my unspoken question about the whereabouts of her father): Q playing his Nintendo DS, Daddy in the laundry room (he redeems himself!), and kitty downstairs. When I ask what she's doing, she simply replies, "Talkin' to you, momma."

Alrighty. Enough said. Not only are her organization skills impressive, but she answers truthfully and succinctly. Probably overqualified for politics, but some greatness awaits, I'm sure.

It's Snow Problem

Well, apparently it takes a snowstorm to get me to post. Twelve and a half inches fell on Indy yesterday and I've got the school closings to prove it. But unlike my last post, where I seemed all oh-my-gosh-I-can-hardly-stand-to-be-cooped-up-with-little-people, I wanted to add something brighter to this space. Something that says, "I like being with me kids. Really. And I'm so glad I got to spend 2+ years at home with them without the worry and stress that comes with outside employment." So, here we go.

This morning, as I saw Q's school name go scrolling across the bottom of the TV screen, I crawled back into bed and decided that the first remote check of e-mail and voicemail could wait another 30 minutes or so. And a few bleary-eyed minutes later, it was feeling like the old days again. When Keira woke up (thanks to Mr. Q-isn't-for-Quiet), she sleepily asked to eat "beck-fist" in her PJs. Usually, Monday through Friday, my response is a kind and gentle not-today-we-have-to-get-to-school/work/preschool/all of the above. But today, I said yes. Once we hit the kitchen, as I sneak in a e-mail/voice-mail check, Keira rummaged through the freezer to find her waffles and plopped them down by the toaster. This part...not so much like the old days (where I lovingly put the waffles by the toaster). But nonetheless, I got a kick out of her 3-year old self-sufficiency. And at the same time, I managed to feel a twinge of guilt - - couldn't I have just waited until after the waffles to check e-mail? Some mom I am.

But you know what? She didn't mind one bit. In fact, she was very proud of herself. When I told her what a great helper she was, she did a monkey dance around the kitchen. Keira clearly wasn't thinking that she had a lame-o corporate mom who was more worried about teleconferences than her daughter's nutrition. (At least I hope not!) She seemed to be thinking, "Aha! I got to do something for myself! And I did it! I can do it! Yea, me!!"

And then I thought, OK- so you really can't have it all (this I've figured out over the last few months), but you don't have to blame yourself for every little thing. For all those times I've feel like a bad mom for one reason or other (like going back to work, for a big one!), the real opinion that matters is that of the kids. You know, no harm - no foul. If they don't perceive it as bad, I don't have to either. I'll have plenty of other things to beat myself up over the coming years, I might as well give myself a break where I can.

So Miss K - have at it. Soon you'll be making your own breakfast and signing your own permission slips, all in the time it takes me to reply to voice-mail.

Besides, she's got management written all over her, don't you think?

I Don't Know How I Did It

Here's how it went down....

Friday: Too darn cold here, school was cancelled. Kids home, mom therefore home, too, albeit working from home (armed with laptop and Blackberry). Heavy doses of TV and video games seems to work OK and gets us all what we need.

Saturday: Hubby putting in his every-4th-weekend shift, so again - mom home with kids. Still about 50 degrees below zero (an improvement on 100 below previous 2 days). Trying to limit activities involving TV with some degree of success but wishing it was springtime so we could run it off outside.

Sunday: See Saturday.

Sunday afternoon: Fighting over the V-Motion (kids, not mom). Whining about who just won Hullabaloo. Kicking. Throwing basketballs near very large and expensive HDTV. Lost blankets. Lost Nintendo DS (actually just hidden). And nearly, a lost mind. (Did I mention somewhere yet that amidst this all, about 3am Saturday morning, I think, Keira woke up with a 102.7 fever? No? Not yet? Ok. Consider it mentioned now.)

And guess what's next? No school again on Monday. Thanks for all you did, MLK; but this is a little much.

Someone, please remind me: how was it that I was a resident of Stay-at-Home-Mommyville for over 2 years? Was I a happy resident? Did I emotionally scar my children while living there? I'm sure it was a very lovely place, I just can't seem to remember it all right now. Give me a minute....

In the meantime, enjoy the lovely new spring-like blog background. I had to think-spring as a remedy for cabin fever. (As a life-long midwesterner, I really do love the change of seasons, but after about Jan 5, I'm done with winter. And as all midwesterners know, spring is always, always too short.)

Anyway, as I said, enjoy the new background, cuz there are no new pix this time around. I did get an awesome new camera for Christmas, but I just have get more adept at making it talk to my less-awesome laptop.

Oh. OK - fine. Stop whining like the kids. I'll post a couple of photos. Sheesh. I know that's why you all stop by anyway. ;-) Plus, this will provide photographic evidence that indeed, no kids were harmed in the production of this weekend.

Happy Now?

Yeah, well...another 3 weeks....another vacuum in bloggerland. Apparently this whole back-to-work thing is cramping my style more than I thought. But that's another post. (So is our fabulous Christmas, my Nintendo DS Brain Game addiction, and so on.)

Here's tonight's topic (it'll be short and sweet: Leverage is on TNT in 18 minutes!....Yes, I may be back to work, but I still make time for TV!): Quotable Quotes from Quinn and Qeira...I mean, Keira....I wanted it be totally alliterative, but I guess 3 out of 4 Q's ain't bad. Anyway, here we go...

1. "I not very happy wif you!" - Keira, after I put her in a mini-timeout for excessive use of toothpaste. As it turned out, I wasn't very happy with her at that moment either.

2. "You know what they say, Save money. Live better. Wal-mart." - Quinn, after reluctantly agreeing with his dad about saving his money instead of buying more Kooky pens. I think he watches a bit too much TV.

3. "Each sold separately." - Quinn, to Keira, while playing "store". When your son sounds like a TV commercial as a part of his normal speech pattern, you can confirm that, indeed, the TV is on too much. Or his brain is too sponge-like. Or both.

4. "Mommy, I love you most of the world." - Keira. Just because.

And yes, I am very happy with her now.

* * * * * * * * *

We hope you all are having a great start to 2009!

All I Want for Christmas

'Twas the morning before Christmas and a boy wouldn't sleep.

He was up so darn early his mom wanted to weep.

Soon sis was up too, with a grouch and a pout.

She could hear brother downstairs and would not be left out.

Why, oh why, do they wake me? Mom thought with a bother.

Why is it they never go to wake up their father?

She sighs and gets up, heads downstairs with cold feet.

And instead of some coffee, gets this lovely treat.

HO HO HO! I hope your Christmas is filled with sugarplum smiles like these!

What Were You Doing Two Years Ago Today?

Me? I was freezing my tail off on the Great Wall of China, among other things.

Yup, it's that time of year when I take a trip down memory lane.

We left for China to get Keira 2 years ago on December 14 (which was a Thursday in 2006). And after a day of travel and the time change, we ended up landing in China late on the 15th and touring Beijing on the 16th. For the fun of it, I re-read my blog post from that day. Apparently we got updates on the kiddos then. Keira's update listed her as restless, energetic, with a sweet smile. I didn't know it then, but they really nailed it.

I honestly didn't put much stock in the orphanage generated "personality information" at the time, but looking back at that and the initial profile we got, it was all amazingly on the nose. Perhaps I underestimated them.

But I'll never underestimate the Mighty K. As she reminds me daily, "I can do it, Mama."

Yes, dear. No matter what it is, I'm sure you can. You already have.

It's Like This, Sister

Tonight, during the portion of mealtime conversation that I like to call Mom's Summary of Things to Come or What's Up for the Week, I reminded the kids that not tomorrow, but the next day was....

Keira's Birthday! Quinn shouts.

And then the day after that....? I ask.

Silence.

So I help out. "Keira's uhhh...."

Adoption Day! Again, Q with the right answer.

Keira says: "Doption?"

Before I have a chance to answer, Professor Quinn says this: "Keira. Adoption is when...well, see I was born in mommy's tummy and you were adopted. You were born in another mom's tummy, like I was born to mommy's tummy, but your first mom and dad couldn't take care of you and we had room in our hearts and in our house to love another sibling so we adopted you."

Boom. Just like that. K's story in 10 seconds or less.

Pretty well done, I think. He must listen to some of what I say, here and there. (The room-in-our-hearts-to-love-another is my line, by the way, in case you were wondering.)

And to think, I've been spending all this time trying to eloquently write out a life story for Keira when I could've just asked Quinn.

Next thing you know, the boy will be blogging.

Watch this space.....

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas

Quinn has left no less than 3 lists in his stocking for Santa this year. He's leaving no doubt that he'd like a NintendoDS, Kooky pens, and Bakugan. (Thanks to public school and rides on the school bus for enlightening my little one as to the existence of all these things! And don't feel bad, grown-up, if you had to google at least 1 or 2 of these items....I did, too!)

Anyway, the sweetest thing he's left, however, has to be this:

He left a gift for Santa. Wrapped himself, no less.

One night as I was tucking him in, he said to me, "You know that bear with the broken hat? [Ed. note: I'm pretty sure SC will overlook Q leaving damaged goods.] Well...I thought I'd leave it for Santa. He brings, like, presents to 5000 kids and gets nothing for himself, so I thought maybe he'd like to get something."

I practically cried right on the spot.

You know how, as a parent, you have those days when you aren't sure if any of that use-good-manners-be-kind-to-others stuff sinks in? And then pow! There it is. A beautiful thing. This kid is on the Nice List for sure.

"That's such a great idea," I say. "I'm really proud of you for thinking of that."

And then here is where he maybe he gets himself into trouble with SC. You see, I go on to say that he doesn't have to part with the bear if he doesn't want to (I'm afraid he'll have donor's regret later and I don't want to deal with the tears). I say that perhaps Santa might also like a note that he's written or maybe we could leave some cookies out for Santa or something.

"Cookies?!" Q asks in disbelief.

"Yes, cookies. Sometimes people leave Santa cookies as a treat, since he's been working so hard and all."

"Uh...mom?" Q whispers, "Santa kinda has a big, fat belly. I really don't think we should be leaving cookies."

Oh. Well. He's got a point. Guess my healthy snack chats have made an impression, too.

So I agree that maybe carrots would be better. And we leave it at that.

Despite the diss on SC's weight, I think Q will stay on the Nice list anyway. Afterall, he's just looking out for SC's health and well-being. And maybe saving the Ho Ho Ho HMO some money in the long run.

Who Was That Masked Bird?

Earlier this month, Quinn had a project which involved "disguising" a turkey so he wouldn't be found on Thanksgiving Day.
So whaddya think? Is Q's disguise a good one? Can you spot the turkey?
Yeah, I didn't think so.
Afterall, there are no turkeys in Colts jerseys. Better look elsewhere. (And because I'm in a good mood, thankful for a 4-game win streak and all, I won't even mention where you should be looking....but you know who you are...)

H A P P Y T H A N K S G I V I N G !

Say What?

See sweet little Miss Salsa Face over there? Yeah. Her. She told me to shut up the other day. Lovely, eh? Here's how it happened....

Have you ever tried to teach a kid to NOT interrupt? It is not easy. Heck, even grown-ups have trouble with the concept on an on-going basis, but for kids it is really some form of torture. Nonetheless, in an attempt to teach that mommy will not answer you if you are interrupting (so please wait), I sometime "ignore" the offending child when he or she is yelling over a conversation-in-progress.

As it turns out, Miss K is not a fan of this approach. I was talking with hubby the other day (a serious topic too, like what take-out we wanted or something) and she kept trying to interrupt. For something of utmost importance: a barely visible scratch she had, which apparently urgently needed some sort of first-aid. Anyway, after trying - unsuccessfully - a few times to get my attention she finally just said, "Hey! Mom! Shut up!"

Well, mission accomplished, Munchkin. You got my attention alright.

And how do you suppose I respond? With that classic, albeit ill-advised, mother's line: WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?

And, being 2 and very literal, she replies: Shut up, Mommy. File this under: be careful what you wish for. I asked what she had just said, and so she obliged: she said it again. (Why do moms do this? Ask the ol' what-did-you-just-say question? You know you've done it. And you know you really didn't want to hear it again. Yet we ask....)

Thankfully, I had some patience leftover that day, so I calmly said something to the effect of: That's rude; we don't speak like that here; please don't do it again.

And so that was that.

Except for the look on Quinn's face. For someone not involved directly in this incident, he was looking a smidge bit guilty. Probably waiting for the "Well Quinn says it to me" retort.

But alas, Keira never offered that up.

I think he owes her one. Perhaps he's thankful for his little sister afterall.

Let's Talk Turkey

It's that time of year. Time when all good little kindergarteners make Pilgrim or Native American costumes and enjoy a Charlie Brown-type Thanksgiving feast: popcorn, crackers, and the like. Quinn had his class feast today and looked smashing as Robert Wilson (whoever that is...no doubt a dapper young man listed on the Mayflower's manifesto).

Recently, my little kinder-kid also brought home a book the class put together, entitled How to Catch and Cook a Thanksgiving Turkey. Each child was interviewed by the teacher and answered four questions: How do you catch a turkey? How do you clean a turkey? How do you cook a turkey? and How do you serve a turkey?

To catch a turkey, many of Q's classmates thought chasing after it with a net would be helpful. One girl, the one who loves horses, thought you could rope it rodeo-style. Only one kid mentioned this method: "look for it, grab it by the neck, and then chop its head off." One kid. Mine.

Sigh.

Should I be worried? Does he harbor a heretofore unknown violent streak? Where he get this stuff, I have no idea. I've never even let him watch newconferences done in Alaska.

Calling Ms. Manners

So, what's the protocol here? You know, when you haven't posted in about ages and suddenly you show back up.

Do I go on acting like I was never really gone for 3+ weeks? Post a litany of excuses? Try to smooth it all with cute photos?

Well, scratch that last idea. I haven't downloaded any photos since the last time I posted. Heck, I haven't even really taken any photos since I last posted. Yeah, its that bad.

Well, OK, not really. But it did all start (the blog-out) with a really sad event: Hubby's dad passed away on October 31.

H had gone up to visit his dad earlier in the day, but didn't quite make it there in time. He waited to tell me until later that evening, so as not to ruin the trick-or-treat fun for our little goblins. This would be our 3rd funeral in a year's time (H's bro and dad, my granny; and well, make that 4, if you count the loss of our super pooch in Feb). The week that followed was an exhausting week in many ways - mentally, emotionally, physically (that stems from trying to get 2 kids to stop.running.in.the.funeral.home!). And just when we were getting our groove back, so to speak, H was gone for the weekend again (to help siblings sort through his dad's stuff) and then I started back to work full-time.

So, needless to say, things have felt a little inside-outside-upside down.

But, better days are ahead, I'm sure of it. Starting with Thursday and some of my mom's yummy home cooking. Nothing like turkey, dressing, and pumpkin pie to cure what ails you.

So faithful readers, the 3 or 4 of you left, fear not. I shall reward you with fine photos and turkey tales in the near future. Just not now.

OK, fine. Here's a photo to tide you over. Since you've been so patient and all....

Happy Halloween!

Hope you all had a festive Halloween!

The kids were thrilled about their first-ever trick-or-treating experience.

Although at bedtime, Candidate Quinn (see also yesterday's post) added this to his proposed platform: "Mom, if I get to be president, I'd let kids eat as much candy as they wanted at bedtime." I think he's appealing to the too-young-to-vote demographic and the dentists-who-need-work demographic. But this mom may have to pull her endorsement!

A Candidate I Can Support 100%

Quinn, ever the competitor, wants to know "who we're cheering for" in the election. He wants to cheer for one, and boo the other. As we drive through our neighborhood, he reads off "Obama!" or "McCain!" as we pass the yard signs. He's been asking a bunch of questions.

But yesterday, he had an idea all his own.

Hey Mom, if I get elected president, I'll make sure the Colts get to win all their games. Purdue and the Pacers, too.

Now that's a candidate I can support without reservation.

(Don't look now, McCain, but Q might just get Indiana to turn BLUE afterall....Colts blue at least!)

The Mommy Spin Zone

Are you as tired of all the political spin as I am? If you're a Republican, you probably think the Democrats are full of hooey; if you're a Democrat you are up to your ears in it as well. And if you are still undecided, well, your head is probably spinning right and left!

Here's a more constructive way to spend your time: Create your own little Mommy Spin Zone.

This is how it works: Take any of the day-to-day situations that make you crazy, and, well, spin them to the result of your liking. Pretty simple, eh? You'll delude yourself into thinking that your kids can do no wrong and that you are indeed Supermom. Allow me to illustrate.

Remember the Crayon-Carpet Incident of a few weeks ago? Well, now it has become the Keira and Quinn Working Together For Change! Incident....or the Keira Showing a Talent for Interior Design Incident....or the At Least They Didn't Get Their Hands on Sharpies Incident. See how this works? The results show that your kids are geniuses and that you are not incompetent but rather mother of said geniuses. Double bonus.

Here's another example: Have problems with the munckins following you everywhere? In the bathroom? On the phone? Yeah, well, it's not as irritating as you think once you become a spinmaster. You see, what is really going down here is that you are, in their eyes, the coolest kid in school (you always wanted to be, right?). You're a rock star. You are so fabulous and interesting that they can't get enough. They have to know your every move. And - this is important - they want to be like you.

Ahh, yes. Nice, eh? What they say is true: It's all about perspective, people. All about perspective.

And, just to prove that I practice what I preach, know this. I am not about to consume a couple of scoops of high-fat, high-calorie mint chocolate chip ice cream, but rather I am about enjoy a high-calcium, osteoporosis-preventing frozen treat. See? I feel better already.

[Voice over: I'm Quinn and Keira's Mother and I approve this message.]

A Picture is Worth....

Well, the saying goes something like: A picture is worth a 1000 words. These are worth about 5 to 10.

For example, this one says: Mom, stop taking so many pictures!

And this one says: OK, fine....but we don't hafta smile, do we?

An this one says: At last! Momma got lucky!

Now, if only Santa brings me one of those sweet SLR cameras I've been coveting....these kids will be in real trouble. :-)