Recent Parenting Fails

Because Ollie gets tired on the walk to/fro school and he's just too heavy for me to carry for longer than a minute, I almost always put him in a stroller. The other day, Rhett wanted to push said stroller. Being too lazy to buckle Ollie in, I didn't. Sure enough, Rhett hits a curb and Ollie topples right now. I'm a good mom!

On a recent Tuesday, I came home from work to find Rhett wearing really short pants. I mean, really short pants (but clearly not actual shorts). I asked if he had worn those pants all day and received an affirmative answer. Later I pulled out these pants to make sure they don't go back into the rotation and what do I find? Take a guess. That's right: Rhett wore Ollie's pants. Size 24 months. Sigh. To my credit, this was a dad fail as I had left for work before the boys were even awake.

Speaking of pants, Rhett put his on backwards the other day. After repeated requests for him to change were ignored, I stopped asking. It wasn't until we were walking out the door that Rhett decided it was time to change them. Too late buddy! Yep, my son wore his pants backwards on a non-"Backwards Pants" day. Thankfully he's in Kindergarten and I'm sure this fashion faux pas went unnoticed, perhaps even lauded.

Iron Chef: Baby

We had another Iron Chef party this weekend. The theme was food with "baby" in the title, or something related to babies. Because I was too tired to actually cook anything, here's what we did to poor little Babybel cheeses:



P.S. And no, it wasn't a Santa Baby party. I just have no other large platters.

I Can't Be the Only One This Happens To

Ever since we got the new-to-us CRV, I've had problems with my hair. My hair, which is perpetually in a ponytail, does not like this new car. I think my Subaru's headrest must have had a hole in the middle, but this one does not and now I'm always poking the ponytail into the headrest. (This is where you say, "Oooh, this is one of those posts wherein I find out Erin must be doing okay, because if this is the biggest of her woes, she's alright." And you'd be right.) Seriously though, it's annoying. Really annoying.

Because the Car Talk guys can't even solve my problem, I had to resort to Deb. That girl might just be on to something.



P.S. Chuck and I further channeled our inner Napoleon and inner Deb on Pumpkin Day. Chuck may or may not have wasted me at tetherball. Take a guess at the outcome.

P.P.S. I think I saw Napoleon Dynamite three (THREE!) times in the theater.

An Intra-Marital Challenge

Did you see Chuck's audacity in issuing me a challenge last week?! I never! My own husband, no less. But let me tell you under what conditions that challenge will be accepted. First, it will not be more than two weeks (and six inches of rain) after the last mow. Second, it will not be on a job that needs bagging. Lawn mowing with bagging is like Lawn Mowing 501--you know, upper-division mowing. No freshman jumps into those upper-division classes, and neither will I.

However, should the opportunity present itself, I will be happy to forgo my lifelong goal of dying without mowing in order to take on this challenge. And he will sew a Babe the Blue Ox costume. And I will win.

P.S. Or I won't. Ha.

Pumpkin Day 2013

In the past, I've made a big deal for Pumpkin Day. (See exhibits 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.) I've created shirts and lots of pumpkin dishes. This year I just couldn't get my stuff together (yes, even after being furloughed). So I did what I could: made shirts, picked a pumpkin patch based on friends' recommendations, and counted on the farm for the food. Two out of three isn't bad.

And man, this farm did NOT disappoint. Can you believe we were there for FIVE hours?! We can't. I'm sure a bit of it had to do with running into good friends, but still, we could easily have done four hours on our own. And how did we spend these five hours? Jumping, playing on hay, sliding, posing, playing in corn (the boys' favorite activity of the day), spider-webbing, maze-ing, pumpkin-train riding, eating pumpkin donuts (unbelievable pumpkin donuts), burning mouth on HOT cider, hay riding, picking pumpkins (of course), playing pumpkin checkers, mini golfing, swinging, racing duckies with friends, and just enjoying being with family.



































P.S. Note for next year: Do as Star does and pack snacks, but then make a lunch out of a dozen donuts. We'll all be much happier with our bellies.

P.P.S. Did you see my totally awesome earrings? My dear friend Natalie gave those to me. I thought I would make it a "Pumpkin Pi" day. Get it?!

Final Post on the Shutdown

Wednesday night I turned on my work alarm for the first time in three weeks. I set out work clothes, for the first time in three weeks. And I prepped lunches for all four of us, for the first time in three weeks. It seems crazy that my part-time schedule + a government shutdown = three weeks away from work for me. But there it is. I returned on Thursday, slightly bummed because I planned to get a pedicure and make some muffins that day. My life is hard.

But of course it's great fine to be back at work actually earning the money they're going to pay me. And for all of those who don't think government workers should be paid, let me tell you something. Maybe Chuck and I don't need my salary. We don't. We like it because it means we can actually save for things, rather than live paycheck to paycheck. We're lucky that Chuck wasn't furloughed, and that we're good with our money so that we have the savings should we need it. But I'm willing to bet that of the nearly one million furloughed employees, this is not the situation for all of them. Their situation is that they do live paycheck-to-paycheck. They are single moms. They are the single wage earners in their family. They are two income families, both of whom work for the federal government. Yes, Chuck and I could probably do without. But so many more couldn't. And remember, we feds didn't choose this "holiday." Our country's congressional members did. You know, those that the entire country voted in. So please be kind and understanding when griping about how I got paid to do nothing for two weeks. And elect different people next year.

P.S. No more shutdown means no more me blogging about it!

P.P.S. Fun weekend ahead: Pumpkin Day is tomorrow!

Random Thoughts

I'm still furloughed, with little hope that it will be resolved soon. It's quite ridiculous, no? Yes. You'd think with the two child-free days during my week, that I'd be getting tons done. Wrong. I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't seem to discipline myself to do stuff. I think (I hope) it's just the "not knowing" or "not having" my schedule. When Ollie is in kindergarten, we'll know for sure.

I miss wearing a sock bun. I really miss it.

Tropical Storm Karen finally left our area, leaving more than 6" of rain. Ugh. Thankfully, no basement flooding this time, although the window well did get a little bit of pooling.

As feminist as I am, I do not believe I should be expected to kill bugs, mow the lawn, or siphon water from the window well. Call me a hypocrite. But I don't expect Chuck to jump at the chance of sewing Halloween costumes.

The end.

Halloween Peek

I know I should wait (actually, I don't know that), but I just can't. I love it so much. Here's the head part of Rhett's Paul Bunyan costume. We picked up the flannel shirt and axe handle at the thrift store yesterday, and I made the suspenders on Monday. I want him to walk around dressed up for the next three weeks, that's how much I love it. Tutorial (and genius idea) came from Ashley at Make it and Love it.


And just think, with a little trim to that fleece beard, next year Rhett could dress up like his Uncle Derek!


P.S. Dude. Is it ever going to stop raining over here? I know it's not as bad as some of the tropical storms we've had, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy with it. I am definitely NOT grateful for the moisture we've received.

Government Shutdown, Day Three

I know everyone is dying to know how I'm filling these what-should-be-work-days-but-aren't. Actually, I'm pretty sure you're not, but since I have nothing else to write about, so-sad-too-bad. At first I thought I'd start working on projects, so after my run, that's what I did. Then I wised up and said, "Self, you can (and will) do these things at night. What you can't/won't do is SHOP." So self went shopping. (You know, in these times of fiscal dearth, I thought shopping a good idea. Good one, erin.) But really, I needed some new running pants, so I went to the running store and got some. Then I remembered that Chuck needed some new work pants, so I went to the mall for those. Oh man, I hate shopping. I do one of two things while in stores: (1) look at all those cute pieces, but feel clueless as to how to put them together in an outfit or (2) think I could copy the entire outfit off a mannequin, but then realize it will never look like that on me. It's all very depressing. Shopping for Chuck is, however, much easier.

So in the end, I ran, crafted, and shopped. Pretty good day's work! And then, because I was just too busy to get dinner, we did hot dogs and s'mores on the outdoor fire pit.


The shirts are for our annual family pumpkin day. I bought the white shirts super cheap at the thrift store. During conference Chuck and I dyed them orange. The orange looked so great I tossed in a spare onesie for a soon-to-be-born baby. The shirt is for my dear runner friend, who doesn't read my blog (I think).

Second Annual Donut Dash

We did it again. After all the work and prep and lessons learned from last year, how could we not? But get this: it wasn't as much fun this year. Apparently I really like all the planning. Making lists, brainstorming, coming up with fun ideas = super super fun time for me. But redoing what I have already done? Meh. But we did it anyway and hopefully people had fun.

At least the people that weren't carried away on a stretcher, into an ambulance, to a hospital. That's right: We had a runner down. I repeat: a runner was down. Was it the intense heat? Low 80s in October, so wrong. Was it the intense humidity? Probably into the 90s on the wooded trail. Was it the donut eaten at the half-way point? Of course not, don't be silly. Eating donuts while running is always a good and safe idea. For whatever reason(s) a good friend went down about 1/10th mile from the finish line. I am happy to report that after her day in the hospital, she is recovering well.

Will we do it again? Uh, probably not, but not because of the downed runner. Like I said, it just wasn't as much fun for me this year. And of course, it's all about me. I think we'll focus on British New Year's or Pi Day 2015. Don't worry; there is planning a-plenty to keep us busy.



P.S. The government is still shut down, but it looks like I'm going to get paid regardless. And if I'm going to get paid, so is our babysitter. And if the babysitter is going to get paid, well, she's going to be doing some babysitting. And if she's babysitting Ollie and Rhett's at school, that leaves me...home...alone. Oh I can get used to this.

Out of the Mouth of Ollie

Now that Ollie is really getting this talking thing down, we're beginning to get some gems. Like this beauty from last week:

Me: Who loves you, Ollie?
Ollie: Mom.
Me: Who else?
Ollie: Rhett.
Me: Who else?
Ollie: Dad.
Me: Who else?
Ollie: Grandma and Grandpa.
Me: Who else?
Ollie:
Me: What about Jesus?
Ollie: Nope.
Me: Yes! Yes, He does. Jesus loves you.
Ollie: Nope. He scary.
Me:

I guess we've got some work to do.

Test Run

Remember when I said that I would have no problem filling my child-free days once both boys were in school? Yesterday, I got an early chance to find out, thanks to a bunch of dummies congress members. Because we didn't get word on the shutdown until the middle of the night, we planned to take Ollie to the babysitter's like a regular work day. But of course, I didn't actually have to work. In fact, I am commanded to NOT work. So not work I did.

What did I do? Well, we spent the morning getting the boys ready for school and babysitter's. Once they were dropped off, I went for a good long-ish run (wherein I saw two sets of furloughed friends and some crazy lady), showered, and then spent a little time working on the Donut Dash and a Thanksgiving craft-thingy. Then I had to rush off to have lunch with my husband. I found it quite appropriate that we chose to eat at "Hard Times Cafe." (You know, because I'm furloughed and all.) By the time I got home, I barely had time to re-check email, vacuum the house, change the boys' sheets, and read the newspaper. I didn't even brush my teeth until right before kindergarten pickup (moms of new babies shout out!). Whew. I'm tired. I need more time away from the boys.

P.S. More time I might get! The superintendent of schools wants to add 30 minutes to the elementary school day. Can't wait for those tantrums.

P.P.S. I am totally convinced that the thing that "earned" me my slice of apple pie yesterday was the changing of bunk bed sheets, not the six miles I ran. Those of you with bunk beds, you're with me, right?

P.P.P.S. Of course I write this post quite light-heartedly. Chuck and I are very fortunate that although my income makes a big difference to our family, it doesn't break us to not have it (just breaks our regular, college, and retirement savings) . Chuck's job is not federal, so he can keep working and getting paid. We definitely feel blessed, as there are many for whom this is not their situation.

Six Parks Down, Only 14 To Go

I am happy to report that ALL expectations were exceeded! Camping was a success. We slept (Ollie even did in his new sleeping bag), the weather was gorgeous (highs in the low-70s, some clouds but no rain), the kids ate food, and even swam (and the camera survived!)...everything went great. Phew.

This time we went to Point Lookout State Park, in southern Maryland where the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay meet. The Bay side was super choppy and windy and rough, but the Potomac side was calm and nice. And during the Civil War, it was used as a prisoner of war camp (hello disease!) We spent time on both sides, I ran, we visited the nature center, walked some piers, enjoyed a nice campfire, toured a reconstructed fort, and the boys even got in the water. I really enjoyed this park, especially on the off-season.













P.S. Can't decide when/where next trip will be. Hmmmm....

P.P.S. Any bets on whether or not the government shuts down tonight? I don't know if I need to wake up at 5:22 a.m. or not.

This is How Low They Can Go

We are going camping today. I am preparing by lowering my expectations, much lower than they've ever been.

1. We will sleep not at all!
2. The kids will whine about all food served!
3. The weather will be horrible and rainy and we'll be stuck inside the tent...which will fall down on us in the middle of the night!
4. Skunks will spray us!
5. We will fall in the water and the camera will be drowned!
6. The campground will lose our reservation and we'll be stuck on the road!
7. The kids will complain on our entire tenth of a mile hike!

I have to be happy when I'm expecting so little, right?

P.S. I first wrote the above without the exclamation points, but then saw that it needed them.

My Top 5 Desired Callings

I know you're not supposed to "want" callings. But c'mon. It's not like I want these for prestige or honor. I just think they're (a) easy or (b) fun! Here are what I consider to be a marriage of both:

1. Finance Clerk. Because this is the numbers-heaviest calling outside of Church Statistician, I have to go with it.
2. Ward Clerk. I don't even really know what a ward clerk does exactly, but I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy it. And pretty sure I'd rock it.
3. Sacrament/Relief Society Bulletin Editor. This is my current calling--score! It requires a bit of computer work and a trip to the church every Friday to make the copies. Then I get to leave the programs on the Bishop's desk...right next to the decreasingly-full jar of candy.
4. Librarian. I get out of Sunday School AND I get to organize stuff?! Win win!
5. Relief Society Teacher. What's better than a Sunday-only calling? A once-every-fourth-Sunday-only calling! I'll take it.

Apparently Activity Day Girls is quite desirable, but I know nothing about it. Are there others I'm missing?

P.S. This job is perfect for me, no? So mad I don't live in Oakland.

Le Weekend

Friday: We decided to surprise the kids with an outdoor dinner of hot dogs and s'mores over the fire pit. And then we were even more fun parents by having a movie night. Aren't we awesome? (Don't worry; it doesn't last.)




Saturday: It was our One-on-One day, and I had Rhett. I decided to take him downtown to the National Book Festival. He made his own book, rode in a stagecoach (not sure how this is "book"-themed, but whatever), played PBSKids games, listened to some authors, and even stood in the rain for an hour to get a book signed. We took advantage of being on the mall and stopped in for a bit at the Natural History museum. I loved that jelly. Chuck took Ollie to a Curious George thing and had a dance party. Good times.








Sunday: But come Sunday, everyone is exhausted. We are simply not nice people by this point. It was not a happy day. But like one of my favorite all-time heroines, I can say that, "tomorrow is another day."

Kindergarten Update

Today concludes Rhett's fourth week in kindergarten. I almost feel like he's a different boy! After we got through the rough week that was filled with tantrums, things have much improved. We're all learning that Rhett needs some "chill out" time when he gets home; he needs a snack and then to either sit and listen to audio books, play on the computer, or watch some TV. The tired kid needs a break. Since we've been giving it to him, our tantrum frequency has greatly reduced.

In other changes, he seems bigger somehow. He was running the other day and his body just seemed to move in a more kid-like manner, rather than toddler or preschooler...as weird as it sounds. But he just seemed smoother. We attribute this to recess (his favorite class) and P.E.

Also, his drawing has improved greatly. This is probably due to the fact that he's actually doing it. He never had much interest in drawing or coloring before, but because it's much of what he does in school, it's getting so much better. I mean, not only did he remember arms (a frequent omission previously), but he got the rain boots and legs and umbrella! All on his own. (This was Tuesday night's homework.)



Finally, this boy who can be sometimes difficult at home, but almost always lovely for others, has continued this at school. He tries, and succeeds, at paying attention, listening, and obeying. He struggles with the kids who are disobeying and just Monday he told me about his new friend who is "just like me." This friend listens and stays on task. Let's just hope this ability to choose good friends continues for, oh, the next 13-17 years!

So far, so good kindergarten!

This just in! When I came home from work on Thursday, I was greeted by an award-winning kindergartner! Rhett was the only one in his class to get an award for "Great job being a leader when working with others." How soon is too soon to start bragging? Oops. Too late.

Before we regret it, I'm already planning our next camping trip: October 18-19. Anyone have that Friday night free and want to join us? We're thinking Tuckahoe this time. And remember, Friday the kids don't have school so you can cross the Bay Bridge during the day with (hopefully) little traffic.

Almost like Childbirth

Remember the last time we went camping? It was a bit hard. But apparently I've forgotten all the associative pain because we're doing it again! Rhett is being released early next Friday so we are taking advantage of that. Start praying for us now because we know I'll need it. Let me know if you want to come and I'll get you the details.

P.S. Totally unrelated: We had a school meeting last night discussing the future of our building. Apparently we're to get a brand new building in time for the 2016-2017 school year. Crazy! Ollie will start kindergarten in the new building. So awesome.

Derek and Renee's Alaskan Wedding

Frequently Asked Questions about my trip:

1. You have a brother?! Yes, I have a brother. He is six years older than I and has lived in Alaska for more than 15 years (currently Valdez). He's a confirmed mountain man who splits his time between skiing (90%) and building log homes (10%). He's only had electricity for a couple of years, but is still without running water. Here's a picture of my sister, my brother, and me. And then a picture of some wood furniture my brother made for a local lodge. Then a picture taken on a walk from my brother's house. This scene is about 1/10th of a mile from his house. Who can claim such beautiful surroundings?!






2. What kind of woman would marry a man like that?! A very cool one. I just met Renee for the first time on this trip, but she's perfect for Derek. We are so happy to have her in our family. Although she has a "luxury home" (you know, one with running water, electricity, and wifi) in town, she's very comfortable at Derek's and plans to spend as much time up there as possible. She's a kind, fun, free-style woman who will be a great partner to my brother.


3. Did you see any bears? Yes! We were lucky to be pointed in the direction of a mama bear and her four cubs. We saw three or four of them over two trips. At one point, we were watching them from the road's edge that dropped down to the creek. I joked that there was probably a bear right there and we had no idea! How wise I was. How completely freaked out I was when that bear appeared.


4. Do people live in igloos? Uh, no. Most have regular houses; my brother is working on his cabin. But there is lots of ice. Although our first couple of days were rainy and we couldn't see anything because of the fog and clouds, when we finally did see them--WOWEE! So many glaciers. Glaciers we couldn't even see (except on maps) were at the tops of all the mountains. It was incredible.


5. What was the wedding like? Picture a granola/hippie wedding in the wilds of Alaska. That's it. It was outside on Derek's property, and all the guests were under tents (thanks rain) or next to the fire pit as the temperature didn't vary much from 50 degrees the entire time. Friends of the happy couple brought yummy food (even pesto with homegrown basil and homemade goat cheese from home-raised goats). Another friend performed the simple, but beautiful, ceremony. Dogs ran amok throughout the whole thing. It was very loose and easy and relaxed. Exactly what their wedding should be.




6. What did you get to see while there? Unfortunately not much. Of course the rain made sight-seeing impossible (unless you want to sightsee clouds) for the first couple of days. We did get to drive through Keystone Canyon multiple times, a canyon famed for ice climbing in the winter and for its many, many waterfalls during the summer. We stopped at Valdez Glacier and saw the water where my new nephew ice skated. I want to go back and kayak there. We saw lots of salmon and a cool little waterfall; Emily and I ran here one morning and then brought the kids back later. We also saw the Wrangell Mountains (from the car) and the Mat-su Valley during its early fall. Unbelievable.






7. How did the littles do? So very well. My Ollie and his little cousin (Lucy) were such great travelers. For the most part, they slept on planes and in the cars when we needed them to. They put up with incredibly long drives after incredibly long flights (probably better than I did). They adjusted to the time (a four-hour difference for my Ollie!) so well; my earliest morning was 6:30 Alaska time--a miracle if you know my boys. They started to fight only at the end, "No Lucy look out Ollie's window." But wow, they were great. Ollie even put up with near-constant licking from Billy.






8. What did Chuck and Rhett do? Chuck worked; Rhett schooled. When we found out the date of the wedding, we thought Chuck was going to be teaching at a brand new school. A teacher can't take off work the second week of school, especially a new teacher at new school. And Rhett had just started kindergarten. So they stayed here. They ate lots of pizza, celebrated Chuck's birthday, saw a magician, played, and played some more. Of course they were bummed to not come, but we still feel it was the right decision. I'd love to go back to Alaska and take the whole family, but I think that it should wait until the kids are old enough and strong enough to enjoy all the outdoor things Alaska has to offer. There's just so much driving up there that I don't think it's right for us now. But when we do go, I think we're going to rent an RV because that would just be awesome.