May 17, 2013

Why I won't get rid of our couch.

Several family members have commented on the state of our couch. It's stained. It has bunny bites. It's not super comfortable. It squeaks. It's wonderful. I labored with Vera and Penny on it. The cushions make the perfect blocks for huge forts. (And there's six of them!) The wood frame comes apart, and folds down to fit in moving vans. It's wide enough to sleep on. I can hide toys under it. Mice can't burrow into it. (Once, many years ago, before kids, when Scott and I lived in west Baltimore, we had a normal couch, and when I took the cushions off to clean, a mouse had moved into the innards of the couch. I now choose furniture that pests can't invade.) I still have young kids with dirty hands and feet. The cushions are used to make jumping pads, and stair slides. I'm keeping the couch until it dies.

I've decided to split Abby's math lessons up. The math has gotten more involved, but the number of actual problems hasn't decreased. 30 problems of long division, multiplication, and two step equations take much longer to do, than 30 problems of addition/subtraction and simple multiplication. It's been taking Abby upwards of three hours to finish one math lesson. So we're going to do the mental math, problem solving, lesson, and lesson practice one day, and the 30 mixed practice problems the next. Three hours is crazy.

May 7, 2013

I was gifted an iPhone 4. It's well loved, and the home button wasn't working. I did some research, and tried some things, and I got that home button working. It's still slow to respond sometimes, but eventually, Scott will have to replace the button, which will involve lots of tiny screws, a plastic pry tool, and a new button, but it will cost under ten dollars to fix. So far, I love the camera on it, but the os is so funky. After using Android, iOS seems cluttered to me. All those apps just hanging out front and center with no where to put them. So I'm using an iPhone for my instgramming and photos. I'm in the cool crowd now.

Penny's two year molars are poking through. The first one, on her lower left, is half way out. Right before it broke, she was nursing like a newborn, so I'm not looking forward to the others. The right lower one is looking to break through soon.

May 2, 2013

My baby is two! Two! Penny is a pretty awesome kid. There's something about her that makes me want to smoosh her with hugs all the time. Her sense of humor is hilarious, and I hope it stays. Penny is the only kid of mine that refuses to adopt a nickname for nursing. She prefers to yell like a baby bird, "I want AHHH!" The girl can stand her own among her sisters. Oh! I don't want to forget this. Penny calls princesses, dabadees. The dabadee word came about when she tried to say barbie, and it has stuck. Anything fancy is dabadee. It's a dabadee skirt, or dabadee dress. Now, she's got everyone saying dabadee instead of princess or barbie.

If I could relive one day, it would be Penny's birth. Yep. Labor and pain and all. That day still gives me an inner strength and peace when I remember it. Penny was my second home birth VBAC. My labor with her was something special.

So Scott and I couldn't decide and agree on a birthday gift for Penny. When Scott and I can't decide or agree on something, we tend to just forget it and move on, unless of course, a decision must be made. I wanted to get her some doll diapers, or doll clothes, or this really awesome doll stroller I saw on Etsy, but Scott vetoed all doll related toys. He wants to paint chalkboard paint along one dinning room wall since Penny has drawn on nearly every wall downstairs. I said I'd like to see this chalkboard painting actually happen. Shopping for my own kids is incredibly hard. I can't remember if we even got Vera a birthday gift this year. I don't think we did. Does this make us horrible parents?

I went to the blogger party at work tonight, mostly to drink wine, eat, and talk with my lovely lady friends, but to see other bloggers in the area as well. I don't consider myself a "blogger" and I don't have anything unique or special to say. Seven and a half years ago, I started this blog to keep family and friends up to date when we moved to NYC, now it's a public journal, I guess. Someday, I'll export all these posts, and get them printed, and give them to the girls when they're older. I'm sure it'll be massive. Does anyone other than a few friends even read this?

April 28, 2013

I was in a foul mood all day. I woke up with Vera smashed into my back, and Penny nursing, but I felt rested since I fell asleep before 11. Vera woke up, and went downstairs to Scott and Abby. I could smell breakfast, but Penny was still asleep, so I lingered. Then I heard, "I dropped my OJ on the carpet!" Yep, I was up. Then, the kids proceeded to spill four cups of orange juice on the carpet before 9:30. I have to borrow my mother's carpet cleaner vacuum thing, that's how much orange juice there is in the carpet. Have I mentioned I hate fucking carpet?

Then I was just annoyed by everyone's presence, and no one was making an effort to leave the house, so I packed up Penny, and we went to Staples to make copies, and to the car tire place because my flat tire warning wasn't turning off since I got the rear tire replaced. (They forgot to reset the sensor, or something. It's off now.) Did I mention the van got a flat on Thursday? Fucking cars. Speaking of fucking cars, Scott changed the oil in his car, and felt very proud of himself. I was annoyed by the kids on the block constantly stepping on my newly sprouted wild flower garden in the front yard. I want to install an electric fence.

Penny asked for pizza for her birthday. Scott made pizza tonight in case he ends up working late next week. She had a white pizza with fresh mozzarella, olives, and garlic. I think next time our pizza needs fresh basil. Penny was really happy with her pizza.

Once the girls were in bed, Scott and I finished watching Lincoln. Scott made me a ginger tea, since my foul mood gave me a nausea. (When am I not nauseated?) Only, he spiked it with brandy! Ginger tea is spicy enough, that I had no idea. None. I felt super relaxed and warm on the couch, then when I stood up, I got that kind of drunk dizzy feeling. That's when Scott came clean about spiking my drink. It worked though. I relaxed enough, I was feeling better.

We all need to have our cranky, blue days on occasion.

April 19, 2013

I can't sleep so might as well blog.

This September will mark nine years of consecutive nursing. In those years of nursing, no one has ever said a negative thing to me, and I've nursed everywhere. Trains, buses, subways, cabs, museums, restaurants, schools, churches, work, libraries, zoos, everywhere. I've never used a blanket or cover up. I'm a discreet nurser. By nature, I don't like to show too much skin. When I attempt to nurse super discreetly, no one knows. (That's why babywearing is awesome.) But yesterday, I was told I couldn't nurse at a family event. Yep.

I will gladly change my appearance, or clothes if asked. I don't care about my comfort, but I was asked to sacrifice the comfort of my daughter for the comfort of someone else. I think not. My mama bear is angry. Angry at even being asked. Angry at someone who thinks their feelings should be put first over the physical needs of a child of two. Angry that nursing is still not seen as normal.

April 15, 2013

We have been so busy, I can't keep up. All my weekends are booked through May 12, and my weeks have activities every day. It must be spring.

Last week, Penny seemed nearly 90% potty trained, then came Saturday. Scott seems to have the hardest time ec'ing Penny on Saturdays. Either she doesn't tell him or he doesn't offer the potty enough, but it sets us back, and I end up trying to reset the ec switch on Sunday/Monday.

Vera starts African drumming/dance today. I'm curious to see how she likes it.

March 30, 2013

Penny food allergy update. I trialed tomatoes and peppers last week. Fail. She had hives on her neck and chest within minutes. I still don't have the nerve to try potatoes. She seems OK if I have a tomato or pepper dish once in a while.

Yesterday we dyed eggs with friends. Penny was all about dying the eggs, and smooshing them. Eggs don't bother me unless I eat a lot of them, and it's especially bad if I eat them straight up, but I can cook and touch them. So I didn't think about Penny having an issue touching eggs. Last night, she had a fever. A very low one. I didn't take her temp. This morning, her eyes were puffed up, her nose was congested, and when I changed her shirt, she had hives all over her torso. Scott says hay fever, and I say eggs. It's almost the same reaction she had to the dtap, just not severe. Eggs are out. I gave her benadryl, and the reaction stopped, which I think further supports the egg reaction. Or it's hay fever, and I'm crazy.

Sometimes I think I am crazy when it comes to my kids' issues with food. So many people don't take me serious.

Next years school books arrived! I love getting new school books. Same stuff as usual. Saxon Math 5/6, First Language Lessons 4, Writing With Ease 4, Spelling Workout, Story of The World 3. I also finally ordered our own copy of Usborne's What's Chemistry All About and What's Physics All About. No more rotating library cards to check the book out. Those books are great, and Abby enjoys them. I ordered a physics workshop box to compliment the Physics book for next year.

Abby and I have been working through a pretty cool chemistry lab kit. (Thanks again Amy and Dad!) Abby is very much into chemistry, and the kit looks professional, and makes Abby feel like a chemist. She's made a litmus solution, blue ink that she turned into red ink, and carbonic acid. Next up we make limewater for some sort of experiment. I made her a lab coat out of an old shirt of Scott's. Abby wants a patch with Dr Takemoto on it, but sadly, I think that is beyond my crafting and sewing skills.