What to do with a single small turnip from my CSA? Creamy turnip hash! Too bad no one likes creamy turnip hash.
Observation: Jon's family eats more salad than any family anywhere ever.
What I have learned from musicians in my family: Isaac should avoid trumpet and Anna should avoid clarinet and bassoon. Oboe, harp, piano, and guitar are a go.
What I have recently learned from going on a walk with my children: I should not go on a walk with my children. No, wait. That's too harsh. Rather, here are the conditions under which we shall not walk: (1) with a side-by-side double stroller, (2) when it is too hot and/or too sunny and/or too cold and/or too windy, (3) when someone has the smallest inkling of being tired, (4) when we have a destination in mind, (5) when there is not a fourth person to aid in divide-and-conquer strategies, (6) when I have not packed a six course meal into twelve separate-but-equal containers, (7) when we are not at the zoo.
We went to the zoo and had fun! By which I mean there were no melt downs, animals were viewed, and no children were misplaced at any point. Fluke or result of my new zoo strategy? We'll find out this coming week, as the end of August appears to be a sweet spot for zoo visits. School is in but it's too early for large school groups to begin wandering around. So what is my new strategy? The two main elements are: immediate and large amounts of food upon arrival, and no stroller. The former eliminates constant stopping and rooting for food every 5 minutes, and the latter ensures greater flexibility as I sprint to prevent Isaac from diving into the polar bear enclosure.
My father-in-law is on Facebook. Surely the end is nigh.
Isaac peed on the bathroom rug. And yah, that rug really tied the room together.
Actual rain during an actual afternoon last week. Autumn, you are on the way!
Next time I'm mixing a mojito, I will finish making it before I turn to other things, lest I again dump cornstarch into the concoction.
Starting to think about this year's Christmas country: Tibet. Just thinking. Haven't actually researched anything yet.
Other things of which I'm thinking, but doing very little about: Anna's kindergarten, Halloween costumes, shrubs, reorganizing various drawers and cupboards, swim and piano lessons for Anna. There's a few other things, but it's Sunday so I'm going to go take a nap.
Showing posts with label zoo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zoo. Show all posts
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Projects and Plans
Is there any day lonelier than the day after a long weekend, when that day is a home day and you have no plans? No, there is not. Which isn't to say we are not keeping busy over here, because there is much to do. In fact, I have not posted in awhile, in the name of Getting Things Done. This has been mostly successful, although I have not gotten Everything Done. Then again, does one ever get Everything Done? No, one does not. So here I am.
One of the projects nearing completion is the horrid digging out of the rock border in our backyard. The new tarp is now laid and I've been trying to put the rocks back, sans dirt and detritus. This is unexpectedly problematic, since it seems the centers of my rock piles have turned into heavy black dirt. Dirt which will not wash away, but instead turns to mud and stubbornly clings to the rocks from which it has come. Stupid dirt. Maybe I can train Isaac to start throwing individual rocks onto the tarp.
Other than moving rocks to and fro, we did have time for some fun stuff over the long weekend. We went to the Denver Aquarium, which is strangely owned by a restaurant. We saw some interesting creatures, a fun demonstration of a flash flood, and animals both in the water (lungfish! sea turtles! Nemo!) and out of the water (otters! a tiger!). Isaac caught glimpses of animalia here and there, but spent most of the time tearing through the crowd, pushing his umbrella stroller and yelling "beep! beep!" whenever he ran into someone or something. He appeared both terrified and intrigued, existing in a state of heightened arousal. Needless to say we did not stay for dinner, but collapsed at McDonald's and engaged in Happy Meal therapy.
Our zoo trip last week was a similar experience. Isaac spent the whole time at 100 mph, while Anna was mostly at 0 mph. What I'm learning from these experiences is that I need to rethink my plan for the summer. I have a mental list of fun things to do in the area, and was going to do one a week. Unfortunately, unless I leash Isaac I'm almost guaranteed to lose him in the crowd. Or lose Anna while I chase Isaac. I need to think of events that are in more small-scale, enclosed spaces. Oh well. Those are cheaper, anyway.
One of the projects nearing completion is the horrid digging out of the rock border in our backyard. The new tarp is now laid and I've been trying to put the rocks back, sans dirt and detritus. This is unexpectedly problematic, since it seems the centers of my rock piles have turned into heavy black dirt. Dirt which will not wash away, but instead turns to mud and stubbornly clings to the rocks from which it has come. Stupid dirt. Maybe I can train Isaac to start throwing individual rocks onto the tarp.
Other than moving rocks to and fro, we did have time for some fun stuff over the long weekend. We went to the Denver Aquarium, which is strangely owned by a restaurant. We saw some interesting creatures, a fun demonstration of a flash flood, and animals both in the water (lungfish! sea turtles! Nemo!) and out of the water (otters! a tiger!). Isaac caught glimpses of animalia here and there, but spent most of the time tearing through the crowd, pushing his umbrella stroller and yelling "beep! beep!" whenever he ran into someone or something. He appeared both terrified and intrigued, existing in a state of heightened arousal. Needless to say we did not stay for dinner, but collapsed at McDonald's and engaged in Happy Meal therapy.
Our zoo trip last week was a similar experience. Isaac spent the whole time at 100 mph, while Anna was mostly at 0 mph. What I'm learning from these experiences is that I need to rethink my plan for the summer. I have a mental list of fun things to do in the area, and was going to do one a week. Unfortunately, unless I leash Isaac I'm almost guaranteed to lose him in the crowd. Or lose Anna while I chase Isaac. I need to think of events that are in more small-scale, enclosed spaces. Oh well. Those are cheaper, anyway.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Ugh
What a crap couple of weeks. Not to say there haven't been some good moments, but I have to say this has not been the best of times. And to top off this two-week anniversary of crap, I am sitting here at 6:30 a.m. when I could still be asleep, since no children are awake (Isaac had a 5:30 a.m. shout out, which I could not recover from).
But let's first focus on the positive, shall we? To begin with, while Jon was cavorting in Miami for work, I had a lovely afternoon visit with some dear friends who were visiting the area. We had not seen each other since graduate school, and it was so very nice to catch up and meet their adorable baby girl. Meanwhile, Anna had a wonderful time at the Renaissance Fair with her grandma and did her share of cavorting with the resident princesses and faerie.
Other positive events included a visit to the zoo, getting formal pictures of the kids, and finding out there are more babysitters in our neighborhood than I had thought (always a good thing). Surprisingly, I will also put Jon's four day absence in the positive pile, since we managed to keep busy and had no major breakdowns (children or mommy).
The negative comes down to the soul-sucking nature of illness. To begin with, Anna caught a nasty bug while Jon was away, resulting in a spectacular display of fluid projection. Luckily, the carpet was unscathed. Alas, the toilet was also unscathed. The poor thing was so sick, but managed to be up and about the next day, despite some minor dehydration and some mental scars (i.e., she now "feels like I'm going to throw up" about once a day.)
My own illness has been less dramatic but more tiresome. Now let me be clear: I rarely get seriously ill. [Case in point: when Anna was about 7 months old she got a horrid stomach virus while we were on vacation, which required various trips to various ERs in various countries. This virus managed to spread to Jon, my parents, and my brother with shocking speed, reducing each of them to quivering, vomiting masses for about 24-48 hours. My own symptoms included mild sleepiness and a nap.] So finally going to the doctor last weekend was a big deal, made bigger by various tests and a CAT scan which will cost us hundreds of dollars. The kicker is that there's was nothing obviously wrong. Frankly, I don't think I should have to pay (as much) for expensive tests if they don't turn anything up.
Anyway, my only choice is to wait it out. So I'm waiting. And waiting. And waiting. And waiting. And waiting...
Back to the positive. My parents are coming on Tuesday! I'm so excited! Anna and Isaac will be thrilled with all the attention, and it will just be nice to have them here. An added bonus: Jon and I will be able to take off for a full 24 hours! We haven't had 24 child-free hours since before Isaac was born. We're not going far, but will be staying in a nice hotel and perhaps even get a hike in, or a massage, or just breakfast in bed. It boggles my mind.
But let's first focus on the positive, shall we? To begin with, while Jon was cavorting in Miami for work, I had a lovely afternoon visit with some dear friends who were visiting the area. We had not seen each other since graduate school, and it was so very nice to catch up and meet their adorable baby girl. Meanwhile, Anna had a wonderful time at the Renaissance Fair with her grandma and did her share of cavorting with the resident princesses and faerie.
Other positive events included a visit to the zoo, getting formal pictures of the kids, and finding out there are more babysitters in our neighborhood than I had thought (always a good thing). Surprisingly, I will also put Jon's four day absence in the positive pile, since we managed to keep busy and had no major breakdowns (children or mommy).
The negative comes down to the soul-sucking nature of illness. To begin with, Anna caught a nasty bug while Jon was away, resulting in a spectacular display of fluid projection. Luckily, the carpet was unscathed. Alas, the toilet was also unscathed. The poor thing was so sick, but managed to be up and about the next day, despite some minor dehydration and some mental scars (i.e., she now "feels like I'm going to throw up" about once a day.)
My own illness has been less dramatic but more tiresome. Now let me be clear: I rarely get seriously ill. [Case in point: when Anna was about 7 months old she got a horrid stomach virus while we were on vacation, which required various trips to various ERs in various countries. This virus managed to spread to Jon, my parents, and my brother with shocking speed, reducing each of them to quivering, vomiting masses for about 24-48 hours. My own symptoms included mild sleepiness and a nap.] So finally going to the doctor last weekend was a big deal, made bigger by various tests and a CAT scan which will cost us hundreds of dollars. The kicker is that there's was nothing obviously wrong. Frankly, I don't think I should have to pay (as much) for expensive tests if they don't turn anything up.
Anyway, my only choice is to wait it out. So I'm waiting. And waiting. And waiting. And waiting. And waiting...
Back to the positive. My parents are coming on Tuesday! I'm so excited! Anna and Isaac will be thrilled with all the attention, and it will just be nice to have them here. An added bonus: Jon and I will be able to take off for a full 24 hours! We haven't had 24 child-free hours since before Isaac was born. We're not going far, but will be staying in a nice hotel and perhaps even get a hike in, or a massage, or just breakfast in bed. It boggles my mind.
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