I have been tempted to have my morning cup of coffee in our new van. It smells like new car, it's clean, and quiet. That Toyota commercial is brilliant.
With the impending arrival of #3 (gender unknown) we found ourselves FINALLY in need of another vehicle. For the last 20 months, we have crammed our double stroller, groceries, carseats, and selves - yes, all at once- into our humble Corolla. It's been a great lil car despite its lack of modern conveniences like power windows or locks.
After copious research mostly focused on reliability and trunk space I had selected the Toyota Sienna as our van of choice. Matthew was not pleased that I wasn't keen on the Suburban or the Yukon. I hope I never have to drive one because I'm just plain freaked out at their size. But, he looked at gas mileage, 5-yr cost to own, storage space, and listened to my various rational and emotional reasons for selecting the Sienna. None of which, I might add, included the commercial with the mom running out to sit in her Sienna in her bathrobe. At least that I listed to Matthew.
We started our search on craigslist and drove 45 min out to see a 2007 listed at a great price. Not having driven any new vans yet or smelled that intoxicating "new car" smell, we were really pleased with it. It was rough inside - like we found a melted crayon and toothbrush sculpture inside one of the little storage cubbies, but it ran fine and seemed like a fair price.
Then we went to a dealership that claimed online to have a dozen used Siennas. We got there and there was one. We drove it and it was nice. Overpriced with bleach stain in the trunk. But nice. The slick salesguy got us in his office and started really drilling us about whether we could see ourselves in THIS car. Trying to get us (me) emotionally invested. I said "yes" and so he ran off to fetch numbers from his bossman. I kept looking out the window at the van and by the time he got back with his overinflated interest rate numbers (he gave us a 17% sample rate, since he hadn't checked our credit. gaaahhh!) I was ready to give him and Matthew my irrational reason for not wanting this van we had just wasted an hour driving and looking at.
It was gold.
I told the menfolk. They both just kind of looked bemusedly at me. And then I told them the story of why I would never buy another gold car. When I bought my Corolla after graduation, we had to leave the lot with a car since my parents were helping finance and they were splitting town. I wanted a manual transmission new car and guess what the color was of the only manual transmission car they had. Gold. And I got it. It made the joy of my new car a bit less because I didn't like the color. Five years later, I wasn't going to "settle" again when we had options.
Matthew chuckled and starting laughing and the sales guy just looked blank. He started talking about how much it would cost to paint. But we were done. I apologized and felt very much like a woman and very pregnant. It wasn't until I realized that this van could be ours that I hated gold so much.
And there were more revelations to come....
Maybe tomorrow since naptime is over :(.
1.04.2011
11.09.2010
Pink vs. Blue
Every so often, I promise myself that I will take this parenting thing more seriously. In an office environment, you're encouraged or required to take continuing education courses of just an hour or two every year.
There's truth to the method. The things you read, study, or take in form you as a professional or a parent. There's a ton in parenting that is intuitive or that you learned yourself from your parents. But recently, in a quest for self-betterment and understanding kids better... I picked up this book by Dr. Leonard Sax called "Why Gender Matters." In a nutshell, he begins by demonstrating how boys and girls brains are essentially different in their composition and how that influences their choices, education style, and tendencies. Such a great book.
Lately, my friends who have multiple children of the same gender have been asking me if I can see any differences beginning to emerge in how Matthew, now 18mos, acts more "boy." I'm more attentive now to those differences, lemmie tell ya!
Fearless, often dangerous behaviour, check. Matthew's favorite indoor action game is to stand on the seat of his wheeled Pooh riding toy and jump off. The most creative Sophia got with that toy was to sit on the seat backwards and ride it that way. She thought that was so novel!!
Color choices, check. One thing Sax talks about is boys tendency to draw "action" over static figures (like people and houses) that a girl might draw. Coupled with this is boys' tendency to pick colors like gray, brown, black and blue. Girls are drawn to bright colors like red, orange, purple, and yellow. This phenomenon, explains Sax, has everything to do with how their eyes are wired to their brains and what cones inside the eyes are most receptive. (I'll admit I tuned out a lot of the technical stuff in this example). So true... Sophia scribbles with vibrant colors while Matthew does opt for the others mentioned.
So cool! So much to learn!
There's truth to the method. The things you read, study, or take in form you as a professional or a parent. There's a ton in parenting that is intuitive or that you learned yourself from your parents. But recently, in a quest for self-betterment and understanding kids better... I picked up this book by Dr. Leonard Sax called "Why Gender Matters." In a nutshell, he begins by demonstrating how boys and girls brains are essentially different in their composition and how that influences their choices, education style, and tendencies. Such a great book.
Lately, my friends who have multiple children of the same gender have been asking me if I can see any differences beginning to emerge in how Matthew, now 18mos, acts more "boy." I'm more attentive now to those differences, lemmie tell ya!
When we went to the pumpkin patch, every little pumpkin was a "ball" for Matthew, which he identified as such and then attempted to hurl as far as possible. Sophia just watched him with a teeny bit of girlish distain. "No. They're pun-kins Matt-Matt!"
Fearless, often dangerous behaviour, check. Matthew's favorite indoor action game is to stand on the seat of his wheeled Pooh riding toy and jump off. The most creative Sophia got with that toy was to sit on the seat backwards and ride it that way. She thought that was so novel!!
Color choices, check. One thing Sax talks about is boys tendency to draw "action" over static figures (like people and houses) that a girl might draw. Coupled with this is boys' tendency to pick colors like gray, brown, black and blue. Girls are drawn to bright colors like red, orange, purple, and yellow. This phenomenon, explains Sax, has everything to do with how their eyes are wired to their brains and what cones inside the eyes are most receptive. (I'll admit I tuned out a lot of the technical stuff in this example). So true... Sophia scribbles with vibrant colors while Matthew does opt for the others mentioned.
So cool! So much to learn!
11.08.2010
Prelude to the Happy Post to Come
Monday... Monday...
O to go to the office. I swore I wouldn't want to go back. But some mornings, when the monkeys are howling at 5:45 (thank you daylight savings time... grrr) you just want to leave the little screamers with someone else and go tackle a flow chart or something. Tune in later when I write a sonnet about how much I love staying home from the kids. I am that fickle.
11.03.2010
Am I Getting Old?
It's 9am and I'm still not awake. Both kids sleep through the night and I'm wiped. Starting to have trepidation about #3 and how I'm going to manage to get through the day after a long night with some semblance of charity towards my alternately chatty cranky kids. I'm not even 30. How do mommas in their 40's do this?
10.28.2010
Creepy or just me?
So there is a lovely park within walking distance from our house. We go there often - even when the weather isn't nice and the clouds are starting to spit at us - just to get out and run off some energy. There's a 1/2 mile loop walking trail around the open rolling fields with tennis courts and playground equipment in the middle.
Really lovely. Except I always feel like I could use that extra set of eyes that my mother had in the back of her head. That I haven't fully acquired yet... despite me being a mother myself. There are almost always people sitting in parked cars in the parking lot and quite frequently there are middle aged men walking the path, doing laps in the middle of the day. Not that they don't have a right to come out and take a stroll in the park, but it brings out the grizzly momma in me.
There was nothing or no one especially threatening at the park today, but I found myself visualizing "Chuck"-esque kung-fu moves and wishing I could "flash."
" Take 'em out by the legs... yeah!"
If you haven't seen "Chuck" (no relation to Chuck Norris) on NBC you're probably wondering what the heck I'm talking about. Well, Chuck has this intersect computer program in his head that allows him to upload all kinds of useful things, like kick-a** kung-fu, when he's in a jam. I do feel as if I have learned a few cool moves from him. Unfortunately for you though, since I'm pregnant, I won't be able to demonstrate for a few months.
I have always had a crazy imagination (why I don't watch horror movies) and I tend to see things in headlines. Then I always write a the first few lines of the article in my head.
For instance, I see a dog going nuts behind his fence as we walk past. I picture him jumping the fence and coming at us.
HEADLINE: "Mom fends off angry dog with keys and cell phone"
ARTICLE: "A mother taking her two toddlers for a walk was attacked by a dog when it jumped a fence. The quick-thinking mom grabbed the two items she had on her person - her cell phone and keys - and effectively stopped the dog by jamming the cell phone in the dogs open mouth as he lunged for her children." And you can imagine the rest yourself....
Wierd huh. So, maybe the park isn't as creepy as I make it out to be in my head. Occasionally, I'll take a friend with me and point out some of the things that get my imagination going - just to see what they say and figure out if it's just me....
Let me know when you want to go. Moo-haha!!!
Happy Halloween!
Really lovely. Except I always feel like I could use that extra set of eyes that my mother had in the back of her head. That I haven't fully acquired yet... despite me being a mother myself. There are almost always people sitting in parked cars in the parking lot and quite frequently there are middle aged men walking the path, doing laps in the middle of the day. Not that they don't have a right to come out and take a stroll in the park, but it brings out the grizzly momma in me.
There was nothing or no one especially threatening at the park today, but I found myself visualizing "Chuck"-esque kung-fu moves and wishing I could "flash."
" Take 'em out by the legs... yeah!"
If you haven't seen "Chuck" (no relation to Chuck Norris) on NBC you're probably wondering what the heck I'm talking about. Well, Chuck has this intersect computer program in his head that allows him to upload all kinds of useful things, like kick-a** kung-fu, when he's in a jam. I do feel as if I have learned a few cool moves from him. Unfortunately for you though, since I'm pregnant, I won't be able to demonstrate for a few months.
I have always had a crazy imagination (why I don't watch horror movies) and I tend to see things in headlines. Then I always write a the first few lines of the article in my head.
For instance, I see a dog going nuts behind his fence as we walk past. I picture him jumping the fence and coming at us.
HEADLINE: "Mom fends off angry dog with keys and cell phone"
ARTICLE: "A mother taking her two toddlers for a walk was attacked by a dog when it jumped a fence. The quick-thinking mom grabbed the two items she had on her person - her cell phone and keys - and effectively stopped the dog by jamming the cell phone in the dogs open mouth as he lunged for her children." And you can imagine the rest yourself....
Wierd huh. So, maybe the park isn't as creepy as I make it out to be in my head. Occasionally, I'll take a friend with me and point out some of the things that get my imagination going - just to see what they say and figure out if it's just me....
Let me know when you want to go. Moo-haha!!!
Happy Halloween!
10.12.2010
Apples and Punkins
And so begins the delicious baking/sugar frenzy which won't conclude till Christmas!
Applesauce muffins this morning to compliment the cold snap in the air. Then this afternoon we created some caramel apples. Sophia and I melted the caramels and swirled a few apples for some photo worthy and yummmmy treats. Did I mention we are an apple family?
I'm bracing myself for the sugar high which I'm sure I made worse by giving them hot chocolate to wash the sticky caramel off their teeth. So fun... I'm sure it will be worth it!
Also, this weekend we went to the Flower Mound Pumpkin patch where we took a hay ride and picked a few cute lil punkins for our mantle.
10.04.2010
The Time Has Come...
The time has come my little one, to talk of many things,
of skinny jeans, tiny tees all tossed to the side till spring
(of 2012 probably).
A few days ago, I said goodbye to my wardrobe as I know it. Those cute shorts that made me look slim, the fun peasant top that showed a teeny bit of my flat belly when I wore my favorite pair of low cut jeans.... all sentenced to at least a year in storage. Didn't even unfold the skinny jeans to say goodbye. 'sigh'
By now its a familiar ritual. One I know in my head that is silly to get too upset about - I'll fit back into the stuff eventually - but still a difficult one.
The maternity clothes all are hanging expectantly (no pun intended) in my closet. I tried swimming in a few pieces yesterday, and hung them back up in favor of my new best friend... the t-shift. I'll grow into those pieces in a while... 'shudder.' It's a good vanity check.
It's a little known fact that these characters actually inspired
a popular maternity pant design.
Right now, when there aren't any kicks or wiggling its hard to remember that there's somebody down there, making my tummy pooch out. But when I think about being super-preggo and ready to deliver any day - it makes my heart leapfrog with anticipation.
It's amazing being a mother. I had forgotten the rush of emotions that accompany this time of belly-biggering. The things along the way that momentarily depress you but give way to excitement about the inevitable arrival of a tiny new family member.
So I won't get depressed about my inability to wear a belted sweater. I'll just zip up those black stiletto boots and give my baby belly a reassuring rub.
I thought the next stanza of the Walrus and the Carpenter was oddly appropriate to conclude with...
“But wait a bit,” the Oysters cried,
“Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!”
“No hurry!” said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.
of skinny jeans, tiny tees all tossed to the side till spring
(of 2012 probably).
A few days ago, I said goodbye to my wardrobe as I know it. Those cute shorts that made me look slim, the fun peasant top that showed a teeny bit of my flat belly when I wore my favorite pair of low cut jeans.... all sentenced to at least a year in storage. Didn't even unfold the skinny jeans to say goodbye. 'sigh'
By now its a familiar ritual. One I know in my head that is silly to get too upset about - I'll fit back into the stuff eventually - but still a difficult one.
The maternity clothes all are hanging expectantly (no pun intended) in my closet. I tried swimming in a few pieces yesterday, and hung them back up in favor of my new best friend... the t-shift. I'll grow into those pieces in a while... 'shudder.' It's a good vanity check.
It's a little known fact that these characters actually inspired
a popular maternity pant design.
Right now, when there aren't any kicks or wiggling its hard to remember that there's somebody down there, making my tummy pooch out. But when I think about being super-preggo and ready to deliver any day - it makes my heart leapfrog with anticipation.
It's amazing being a mother. I had forgotten the rush of emotions that accompany this time of belly-biggering. The things along the way that momentarily depress you but give way to excitement about the inevitable arrival of a tiny new family member.
So I won't get depressed about my inability to wear a belted sweater. I'll just zip up those black stiletto boots and give my baby belly a reassuring rub.
I thought the next stanza of the Walrus and the Carpenter was oddly appropriate to conclude with...
“But wait a bit,” the Oysters cried,
“Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!”
“No hurry!” said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.
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