Urban Dictionary for $2000, please
28 minutes ago
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Backyard wilderness
Following the theme of my previous post here's another cool critter. I found this mantis right in my backyard.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Awesome critters
This week we visited several animal parks and botanical gardens.
I can go "long" periods of time without taking any photographs and all of a sudden I get this frenzy to capture every moment spent with my children.
Besides the pictures of my blond beauties this week I took a few of some amazing critters we encountered during our outings.
A turkey
For the reptilian:
What's not to love?
Treats from the Insect World:
A bee
A butterfly
A special mammalian moment:
5 week old baby lemur nursing from its momma.
I can go "long" periods of time without taking any photographs and all of a sudden I get this frenzy to capture every moment spent with my children.
Besides the pictures of my blond beauties this week I took a few of some amazing critters we encountered during our outings.
For the avian:
An owl
A turkey
For the reptilian:
A 95 year old Aldabra Tortoise named Jethro who loves to be stroked on his neck and head.
What's not to love?
Treats from the Insect World:
A bee
A butterfly
A special mammalian moment:
5 week old baby lemur nursing from its momma.
As far as blond beauties, have a go at these!
We just love to be out and about!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Mommy's had it. Letter to an irate toddler
My dear son,
I'm writing this letter to let you know that I'm having a really hard time dealing with your tantrums and constant defiant behavior.
There is just so much a mommy can take and you take me too close to becoming a serious nutcase on a daily basis.
Kids don't like to be pushed. They don't like to be spat on. They don't enjoy it when you sit on top of them. Some don't even like it when you chase them. Taking turns is good and socially acceptable. Please listen to your momma and you will have many more friends and longer stays at playgrounds and other fun places.
Being put in your car seat to go places really isn't that bad. I find it unnecessary to arch your back, kick your legs and scream on top of your lungs so that people can hear you from a 5 mile radius. I don't particularly enjoy having to hold you down using my whole body weight simply so I can strap you in. Kicking the back of my seat in frustration while I drive isn't my cup of tea either.
Potty training was going really well until we went on that week long trip to see family. You were asking me to use the potty in public places and staying mostly dry. Mommy was very proud of your efforts and hopeful that you were going to be ready for your upcoming three morning a week preschool adventure. Now we have regressed to having to walk around the house bare bottomed and peeing on chairs and pooping on carpet all over again. Mommy is having a tough time not beating herself up for this one and hates to have wasted money on Pull Ups.
I understand NO is your favorite word, I GET IT but please, could you use it a little more sparingly?
Food is good for you, really, it will help you grow and develop. A seed in a "Multiple Grain Bread" isn't an "EWW", it is supposed to be there and it really tastes pretty darn good. Watermelon (even seedless) is also supposed to have some seeds, really, they are not "poop" or "ews" or "sucio".
Your brother is not a punching bag. Yes, he bites and drools and tries to destroy your puzzles and train tracks, but he is supposed to do that. He doesn't know any better. Exercise patience with him please. Also, stop teaching him to behave like you. I can't believe he is not even 1 year old and his favorite word is NO. Also, for the record, he ends up paying for stuff you do simply because you drive mommy so mad.
Last but not least, please stop behaving like a nut at home. We can't spend every single second of our day outside. It's just not realistic. Crayons are not meant for the walls, your stuffed animals don't enjoy being dragged around in circles and smacked against each other and puzzle pieces will get lost if you take them all out and never put them away. Mommy always suggests lots of fun activities, lets partake!
I understand that sometimes you don't understand the words that are said to you and more often than not you can't find the words to describe what you want. I know that is very frustrating for both of us but you will see, one day soon you'll be a perfectly bilingual child who won't stop asking for what he wants.
Please be a good boy and make it so that mommy doesn't get an ulcer or gets put in an asylum. I'm really on the brink.
I love you very much.
Mom
I'm writing this letter to let you know that I'm having a really hard time dealing with your tantrums and constant defiant behavior.
There is just so much a mommy can take and you take me too close to becoming a serious nutcase on a daily basis.
Kids don't like to be pushed. They don't like to be spat on. They don't enjoy it when you sit on top of them. Some don't even like it when you chase them. Taking turns is good and socially acceptable. Please listen to your momma and you will have many more friends and longer stays at playgrounds and other fun places.
Being put in your car seat to go places really isn't that bad. I find it unnecessary to arch your back, kick your legs and scream on top of your lungs so that people can hear you from a 5 mile radius. I don't particularly enjoy having to hold you down using my whole body weight simply so I can strap you in. Kicking the back of my seat in frustration while I drive isn't my cup of tea either.
Potty training was going really well until we went on that week long trip to see family. You were asking me to use the potty in public places and staying mostly dry. Mommy was very proud of your efforts and hopeful that you were going to be ready for your upcoming three morning a week preschool adventure. Now we have regressed to having to walk around the house bare bottomed and peeing on chairs and pooping on carpet all over again. Mommy is having a tough time not beating herself up for this one and hates to have wasted money on Pull Ups.
I understand NO is your favorite word, I GET IT but please, could you use it a little more sparingly?
Food is good for you, really, it will help you grow and develop. A seed in a "Multiple Grain Bread" isn't an "EWW", it is supposed to be there and it really tastes pretty darn good. Watermelon (even seedless) is also supposed to have some seeds, really, they are not "poop" or "ews" or "sucio".
Your brother is not a punching bag. Yes, he bites and drools and tries to destroy your puzzles and train tracks, but he is supposed to do that. He doesn't know any better. Exercise patience with him please. Also, stop teaching him to behave like you. I can't believe he is not even 1 year old and his favorite word is NO. Also, for the record, he ends up paying for stuff you do simply because you drive mommy so mad.
Last but not least, please stop behaving like a nut at home. We can't spend every single second of our day outside. It's just not realistic. Crayons are not meant for the walls, your stuffed animals don't enjoy being dragged around in circles and smacked against each other and puzzle pieces will get lost if you take them all out and never put them away. Mommy always suggests lots of fun activities, lets partake!
I understand that sometimes you don't understand the words that are said to you and more often than not you can't find the words to describe what you want. I know that is very frustrating for both of us but you will see, one day soon you'll be a perfectly bilingual child who won't stop asking for what he wants.
Please be a good boy and make it so that mommy doesn't get an ulcer or gets put in an asylum. I'm really on the brink.
I love you very much.
Mom
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
ME time in unlikely places
Most of us who have children can truthfully complain of the lack of "ME time".
Finding time to spend on yourself and/or by yourself is like looking for the Holy Grail if you're Indiana Jones, expect for he did find it eventually, right?
ME time shouldn't simply consist of a few minutes of half ass reading before losing consciousness on your bed after feeding, bathing and putting everyone in bed and cleaning up afterward and a long day of skipped naps, temper tantrums, learning experiences, muddy paws and fun outings.
We all need ME time. ME time is defined as time spent taking care of yourself (and I don't mean on a basic level like brushing your teeth and flossing although with an infant home sometimes a shower feels like ME time). ME time is time spent listening to your own thoughts without interruption, time spent making a craving come true, time spent doing a favorite thing or simply spent doing a pleasant thing for your own enjoyment. You get the idea and no, paying the bills online doesn't qualify unless you get some weirdo sense of accomplishment from it or have a really strange fetish. And yes, cleaning up primate enclosures is one way I get ME time. No need to elaborate.
I find that a proper ME time is pretty hard to come about in my household.
For those of you unfamiliar with some of my background details, we have two children ages 3 and 8 months, two 75+Lbs dogs, a cat and about twenty fish. Our property has about a quarter of an acre worth of "mowable, fast growing, water retaining" lawn and a vegetable garden (which will hopefully save us a lot of $$ this summer).
All these things need to be tended to and I am the one in charge.
So unless they do invent some form of time machine that adds hours to your day, ME time is a luxury for the time being.
Since time machines are unlikely to be invented in my lifetime (I've heard of a special island out there with special time warping properties but it's supposed to be infested with mysterious smoke monsters and hostile natives, not my cup of tea), I'm trying to find the ME time in unlikely places.
One place I find ME time is while walking my 2 dogs with one hand while pushing my double stroller with my other hand. When the dogs are done pulling with the initial excitement and burst of energy going for a walk induces (usually not until 75% of the walk is completed), I might actually use both hands to push the stroller and my right wrist to hold the leashes. Now, that does not really sound like ME time, does it? Here's the trick. Add headphones, an MP3 player, blast music (preferably something you like) into your ears, hope not to have any encounters with other canines (off the leash and unsupervised being the worst category) which would prompt a festival of pulling and you have yourself ME time. How did I not think of this before? I enjoy the music and it actually helps muffle my toddler's tantrums if he decides to throw one mid-walk. Bonus! By the way, this is a great form of exercise for both me and the dogs and YES, I do think I'm a badass being able to take dogs and kids on a walk simultaneously. You wouldn't mess with me, right? I didn't think so.
Another unlikely place where I (choose to) find ME time is lawn mowing. There is something so incredibly satisfying in looking at your freshly cut lawn is not even funny. The smell is nice too, don't you just love freshly cut grass? And... it's a workout too! Shed unwanted pounds (which I might or might not have a few of) for the price of a little bit of gas, cheaper than a gym!
Another kind of ME time is watching online episodes of a couple of TV shows I like. Give me some Lost! If and when I get a simunap that I don't want to "waste" actually doing productive stuff, I indulge myself with 43 minutes of cybernetic television goodness plus brief commercial breaks. Priceless... I guess the only "unlikely thing" about this particular kind of ME time is the actual occurrence of the simultaneous nap...
Last but not least, writing in my blog provides me with some pretty satisfying ME time. It's kind of fun to put my live into words and share it with perfect strangers out there. I'm hoping to one day print out all my silly pointless posts and keep them to read in the distant future. Maybe my kids would like to read them one day. Either way, there must be something to it when so many people out there are sharing their lives with the rest of the World through their blogs.
But now it's time for some mindless halfass reading before hitting the sack hard.
Good night!
Finding time to spend on yourself and/or by yourself is like looking for the Holy Grail if you're Indiana Jones, expect for he did find it eventually, right?
ME time shouldn't simply consist of a few minutes of half ass reading before losing consciousness on your bed after feeding, bathing and putting everyone in bed and cleaning up afterward and a long day of skipped naps, temper tantrums, learning experiences, muddy paws and fun outings.
We all need ME time. ME time is defined as time spent taking care of yourself (and I don't mean on a basic level like brushing your teeth and flossing although with an infant home sometimes a shower feels like ME time). ME time is time spent listening to your own thoughts without interruption, time spent making a craving come true, time spent doing a favorite thing or simply spent doing a pleasant thing for your own enjoyment. You get the idea and no, paying the bills online doesn't qualify unless you get some weirdo sense of accomplishment from it or have a really strange fetish. And yes, cleaning up primate enclosures is one way I get ME time. No need to elaborate.
I find that a proper ME time is pretty hard to come about in my household.
For those of you unfamiliar with some of my background details, we have two children ages 3 and 8 months, two 75+Lbs dogs, a cat and about twenty fish. Our property has about a quarter of an acre worth of "mowable, fast growing, water retaining" lawn and a vegetable garden (which will hopefully save us a lot of $$ this summer).
All these things need to be tended to and I am the one in charge.
So unless they do invent some form of time machine that adds hours to your day, ME time is a luxury for the time being.
Since time machines are unlikely to be invented in my lifetime (I've heard of a special island out there with special time warping properties but it's supposed to be infested with mysterious smoke monsters and hostile natives, not my cup of tea), I'm trying to find the ME time in unlikely places.
One place I find ME time is while walking my 2 dogs with one hand while pushing my double stroller with my other hand. When the dogs are done pulling with the initial excitement and burst of energy going for a walk induces (usually not until 75% of the walk is completed), I might actually use both hands to push the stroller and my right wrist to hold the leashes. Now, that does not really sound like ME time, does it? Here's the trick. Add headphones, an MP3 player, blast music (preferably something you like) into your ears, hope not to have any encounters with other canines (off the leash and unsupervised being the worst category) which would prompt a festival of pulling and you have yourself ME time. How did I not think of this before? I enjoy the music and it actually helps muffle my toddler's tantrums if he decides to throw one mid-walk. Bonus! By the way, this is a great form of exercise for both me and the dogs and YES, I do think I'm a badass being able to take dogs and kids on a walk simultaneously. You wouldn't mess with me, right? I didn't think so.
Another unlikely place where I (choose to) find ME time is lawn mowing. There is something so incredibly satisfying in looking at your freshly cut lawn is not even funny. The smell is nice too, don't you just love freshly cut grass? And... it's a workout too! Shed unwanted pounds (which I might or might not have a few of) for the price of a little bit of gas, cheaper than a gym!
Another kind of ME time is watching online episodes of a couple of TV shows I like. Give me some Lost! If and when I get a simunap that I don't want to "waste" actually doing productive stuff, I indulge myself with 43 minutes of cybernetic television goodness plus brief commercial breaks. Priceless... I guess the only "unlikely thing" about this particular kind of ME time is the actual occurrence of the simultaneous nap...
Last but not least, writing in my blog provides me with some pretty satisfying ME time. It's kind of fun to put my live into words and share it with perfect strangers out there. I'm hoping to one day print out all my silly pointless posts and keep them to read in the distant future. Maybe my kids would like to read them one day. Either way, there must be something to it when so many people out there are sharing their lives with the rest of the World through their blogs.
But now it's time for some mindless halfass reading before hitting the sack hard.
Good night!
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