Designing Houses and Creating a Home

Pregnant for a year....

2012-01-23T10:00:00.001-08:00

Way back during Logan's pregnancy I read Dr. Sears Baby Book and it opened my eyes to attachment parenting. I have re-read pieces of it and love some of the ideas of parenting this way. I love raising my toddlers by involving them in daily life. With my babies I love wearing them and moving about making dinner, or holding Venice on my boppy and playing with Sylvie.

I love the idea that you are pregnant for a year. For the first 3 months outside mom baby is figuring things out and needs mom to help out. Knowing this makes me okay with holding her more, sleeping upright sometimes with her in my arms. This week she is 8 weeks old and growing so much. She is more in tune with us and our rhythms, and voices of Jorge, Logan and Sylvie. She is moving away from only mom can do, to being happy with dad. And more independence. She slept in her rock and play all night last night! I feel like we are seeing the end of 3 months and its exciting to see what is next but also sad to see the newborn phase coming to a close.

I love that she still falls asleep drunk on milk almost every time I nurse her.

I love how she rubs her head into me, burying herself.

I love when she sucks on her binky, smiles wide and coos at her toy bird.

I love how her legs pop up during diaper changes, and she stretches her arms up and arches her back when she is waking after a long nap.

I love the way I have been able to bond with my babies and having the ability to nurse them, providing nourishment and soothing, and that I have time to hold them, kiss them and love on them. I love that I've shared it all with Jorge, then Logan and Sylvie. What a blessing it has been to have this girl in my life.

Don't Blink....

2012-01-12T10:48:00.001-08:00

I'm holding Venice on my chest, on the boppy. She's all curled up and warm and calm as she listens to my heartbeat. I just want to cry thinking about how quickly time flies and moves this little being into a real person, a real personality and a "big kid." This is such a luxury to get a chance to do it all over again....just one last time to taste newborn toes, smell newborn skin, get those gummy smiles and fall in love all over again.

And bonus that I get to see my kids fall head over heels for this newbie as well. Sylvie is so in love with her sister she just cannot get over it, and tries to find words to express how excited she is about her sister. Consistently through the pregnancy she said "why did you want another baby...." and I tried to explain how in love I am with her and Logan and that I was so excited to make a new person that would join us. And in the car the other day while she was having trouble expressing just how much she loved Venice already I told her "Sylvie, now YOU know why I wanted another baby. It's the most exciting thing to make a new person and love them so much and you just met them."

Venice, thank you for joining our family. You have brought us SO much joy in your 7 short weeks!

Cellphone Speak....without the phone

2012-01-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

Logan told me....

LOL stands for 'Laugh out Loud'

he proclaimed "Oh Ehm Gee!" (oh my god)

and he said "Mom, want to know what SOL stands for?" Well, since in my world it has meant 'Sh*t out of Luck' I was curious what he was going to say and he said "Shouting Out Loud." Phew!

Who let this boy get so big?! It's scary to let them out in the world under the influence of ...gasp.... other 8 year olds!

Christmas!!!!

2012-01-07T13:15:00.001-08:00

So, how didi we survive the holidays with a newborn? Well!

We made Christmas cookies!

From a very simple mix. And the rolling pin hung out on the counter for a week.

We gave the teachers the perfect gifts!

Somehow Sylvie's came back home and Logan gave a gift card to the family restaurant to the teacher on accident.

We put up a christmas tree.

Jorge gets all the credit for puling this one off.

We had a great collection of gifts to give.

We did almost all of our shopping online and there were definitely last-minute gifts purchased.

We made it to church.

Jorge and I each were nodding off at different times.

We had an impressive table spread and a clean house on the 24th.

The kids basically watched tv while Jorge cleaned and the baby hung out attached to me for hours on end.. He got everything in one glorious trip to Whole Foods.

Santa came! Santa Came! SANTA CAME! And there was joy in this home and thats all that mattered.

January

2012-01-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

Let it be known that this year wher Sylvie turned 6 there was no snow on the ground and we played at the park in sweatshirts!

And this November when Logan turned 8 it snowed big fluffy flakes that stuck around for awhile. Backwards weather rocks! I am 6 weeks postpartum and took a bike ride on the trail!

Music Musings

2011-12-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

When I had Logan as an infant he was a pretty fussy little thing, he had silent reflux. So sleep was minimal for a lot of months. At some point I remember getting into the habit of bringing him downstairs, turning on the stereo with my toe, and rocking him til he went to sleep. Music of choice was usually Sarah McLachlan, Irish melodies, something soft, quiet and uplifting. My music to make me happy that seemed to make him happy as well.

With Sylvie, music around the house was often Baby Einstein, kids music, things that appealed to Logan. I know when she had her fussy evenings I would play Mozart on our stereo- LOUD. Jorge discovered that trick for Logan one night and it seemed to work well for baby Sylvie.

Now with Venice, Sylvie is the music lover of the house. When we switched the rooms we got Logan a tv (his was pre-HD or whatever it was that means it doesnt' work any longer) and we decided to get Sylvie a stereo. Not just a little radio, a real stereo. It makes her so happy! She loves to put on some cd's, jump on her bed and dance away to the music. The choice of artists is more modern- Lady Gaga type music. Dance music. So one of our routines in the mornings is to get Venice down to sleep in her swing, and we head upstairs. I hop in the shower and she dances away to her music. It struck me how happy and upbeat I feel, energized by the music and it really starts my day right. I love that my Sylvie brings sunshine to my day like this. One more reason to love having "big kids" when you have a baby:) Love this "spunk" on this little lady!

cutie pie

2011-12-15T11:37:00.001-08:00

Introducing Venice Soleil......

2011-12-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

Let’s see if I can sit down and write out the story of how Venice came into the world. It was Tuesday, November 22 and the day I had predicted all along that she would arrive. The last days of pregnancy were rough. I was accepting a lot of help, very cranky. Mix it up with a need to clean everything, obsess about the kids lunches and such for school, and tying up loose ends. And impatience. Baby was crazy moving, you could see her from the outside and my hips would randomly separate. Nothing was comfy- sitting, standing, sleeping, I had a cold and was pretty miserable.

So my mom came to watch the kids and I headed off to my 10 am appointment. The ultrasound technician found her head down, quiet, not moving much, good heartbeat. We were at “failing” the biophysical pretty quickly so I figured I’d head over to the non-stress test and she’d start jumping. Instead they sent me to the hospital. I called Mom and Jorge saying no rush yet, it was probably just going to be a false alarm like last week. Nope! Dr. L was at Triage and saying “we’re going to deliver her today.” They hooked me up to monitors and initially they were going to wait a few hours to let my breakfast settle. So Jorge headed home to grab the bags, Mom pulled the kids together and the plan was for Lilia to pick them up at 4:30.

Well there was a change and Dr. L had to attend a complex cesarean, so Dr. C was called in. He said the baby had only passed the biophysical by a bit and was pretty quiet on the monitors so if we could get Jorge there in the next hour, I would be first before a bunch of scheduled procedures. Craziness!

Jorge made it in time and they had me prepped and iv’d for surgery. Of course they blew a few veins and things had to sign a second set of consent forms for the change in doctor. The anesthesiologist was good but it took him 3 times to get the spinal in and it was painful. They switched nurses to a second nurse that helped me pose a bit better. It’s hard to bend forward when your belly is in the way! Once that was in things were better. Except for the cold that allowed me only to face one direction and I was so stuffy I was having a hard time hearing. I felt the strong pressure on my chest of not being able to breathe but it was short-lived thank-goodness! No nausea during the procedure but I was nervous. It felt like a very long time before they got the baby out.

She arrived at 2:30 and Jorge got to go to the nursery with her. The rest of the surgery was slow and apparently I had a good amount of scar tissue. They used glue on the top layer, so that was good. The immediate recovery was rough, I felt unsettled and shaky and weird, but by the time I got to my room I was feeling better. Jorge had taken photos and showed me on the ipad during recovery so that helped and we picked a photo to share on Facebook as our announcement. It helped distract and pass the time.

We had a lot of visitors pretty quickly and I must have been out of it because I don’t remember the first moments in the room with the baby, something I had been worried about all along! The kids got to be with us and Sylvie took awhile to warm up. Logan was cute and excited and held her. My dad got to come in right away but didn’t meet the baby til the next day. He met up with my mom and took over the dog and she came in to hold the baby right away.

She was pretty sleepy but a good baby. Didn’t love her bassinet, but did let us put her in it some of the time. Nursed quite a bit and then would sleep for too long. It was hard to wake her up to eat! She had a test for jaundice and an echocardiogram for a hole in her heart. Both came up okay, but it took awhile to get released on the third day (Thanksgiving) waiting for the results.

All in all, a good birth experience. The things I worried about went as well as I could have hoped. And Jorge was really a great help in the room.

Loganisms....

2011-12-15T11:17:00.000-08:00

Logan likes to chat about Pokemon ad nauseum so it was a fun change of pace to have a neat conversation with him on the way home from the dentist....

He was talking about how he calmed Venice down and I said "Logan, you are a good helper person. I'm sure you will help people in your life."

Logan: "I'll bet God gave me that as my gift."

Me: "What gift?"

Logan: "The desire to help others."

So true Logan , and I'm loving the increased vocabulary!

Logan: "I'm going to go to Mexico. Did you know water is only 10 cents there? When I'm an adult I'm going to go to Mexico in my Teleporter Portal and bring Legos there. I will give the legos free to kids that don't have toys."

Me: "Logan, how will you get a teleporter?"

Logan: "I'll build one. Out of Lego's and mechanical stuff."

He also has a new obsession with the military, especially the Marines. He said he wants to create armies of Lego guys especially a Marine collection.

Size of a Watermelon

2011-11-17T16:36:00.001-08:00

"Mom do you HAVE to have that baby in 8 days?" "Yes!" Woohooooooooooooo!

Just laughing at my Sylvie. She's so excited for all this waiting to be over. She wants to meet her sister, count on mom to be the one to come get her from school, and have a few nights at grandmas house that she just can't contain herself.

She wrote me a letter today (had my son write some of it)

"Mom, I am so happy you are going to have the baby."

"She is the size of a watermelon now, so it's time for her to come....."

When we first announced the pregnancy I followed a chart of about how big the baby was compared to produce. So she asked me almost daily for 9 months "how much longer til she is the size of a watermelon?" We even have a countdown chart with watermelon slices. One slice left!

Entrepreneur

2011-11-09T08:59:00.000-08:00

I love the way each of my children look at the world. Logan has big plans to make money. His current favorite is the elusive lemonade stand where he thinks he can make a lot of money, you know, like $15. So this is Logan's dream. Start with a lemonade stand. And someday open a business where he sells legos and healthy food. He will even let me work there. And they will be closed on Sundays. So he can take care of his 4 dogs on Sundays.

So Sylvie, not to be outdone, has her own idea. She would like to be a "ringer" aka a cashier. "Mom I would like to own my own store." "What would you sell?" "Cabinets. I would charge 100,000 for them." "That's a good idea, then you don't have to sell very many to make a lot of money." "Yeah, then I would have more money than Logan." "Sylvie, if you do that, you'll have more money than me!" "Perfect." A girl knows how to make money, and she knows how to spend it. I see her future already.

Mom! Best Breakfast Ever!

2011-10-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

34 weeks pregnant me gets up, waddles into the kitchen, considers making muffins from a box, remembers we're out of muffin cups, waddles over to the computer and figures breakfast will be yogurts and cereal.

Sylvie (30 minutes later): "Uhm, Mom, aren't you forgetting something?"

Me: "What"

Sylvie: "Breakfast?!" Apparently she was hungry because she's not a breakfast person at all!

So I get up, make biscuits (from a can), bacon, OJ and scrambled eggs. Nothing too hard, and with the smells wafting, we were all ready for breakfast by the time it was ready.

Logan, after breakfast "Mom, that was the best breakfast ever! The honey was PURE!"

Silly little man!

Daily Conversations

2011-10-13T13:45:00.001-07:00

Logan: "When I grow up, my house will be little on the outside but big on the inside. I will have robots that do everything. They will make me slushies, etc......I will have a genie and I will wish......What would you wish for mom if you had 3 wishes?" ad nauseum. At least it's a change from "when I grow up my whole house will be filled with dogs......." He's very into his home in the future!

Sylvie: "Mom, I had a lot of dreams last night. I dreamt that the baby was here. I dreamt that we had a sleepover at Abuelita's house but it wasn't exactly like her house....I dreamt that there was a snowstorm." She's very into her dreams and also into reassuring you that whatever you want to be true is true. Like Logan wanted to know if there was a Frankenstein gummy treat in the new gummies we bought. No, of course there wasn't, but she was quick to agree and get all excited for him!

Sylvie's also writing the letters they are learning in school but doesn't quite have them down as to what they are called. Like if you say "what letter is this?" she'll probably guess "T" but if you spell out a word she'll most likely write it correctly and sits and writes all the letters on paper. I think she'll get past this quickly and be letter-crazy before you know it. I'm really really really happy she's in a good kindergarten. The preschool drama we had last year seems to have entered her classroom in her relationship with one friend, but we talk about it alot and how people can be moody and fickle and she's also making other friends. There were two "best friends" that caused her a lot of heartache last year in her school and the two girls are attending the same catholic school this year for full-day kindergarten. Sylvie's in half-day at the public school next door. I'm really happy we made this choice, and while I think she gets a bit bored and ready by the time kindergarten starts, and it would be easier to do one less drop-off with the baby coming, I think this was a good decision for her.

:)

2011-09-30T10:55:00.001-07:00

Just flashing back to Baby Sylvie and how itty bitty she was. I can't wait!!!!!

Will she look like them?

2011-09-24T05:56:00.000-07:00

I'm curious if baby #3 will look like baby #1 and baby #2!

When Logan was born he looked like my sister when she was born to me, but he definitely has has dad's lips and some of his facial features. He was such a mix of so many family members on both sides I couldn't believe it when Sylvie was born and she looked most ..... like her brother! She has taken on more looks of my mother-in-law's family as she's gotten older, but she also has looked like various family members through the years.

I picture baby #3 to have more hair, dark and not formed to her head like the other two, and a pale face. But we shall see! They never look like what you think they will look like!

Disney!

2011-09-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

Rooms!

2011-09-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

We rearranged and painted the rooms this weekend. We just took the tape off this morning, so this is 1 days worth of arranging and decorating. I'm excited to have the main pieces in place to get the rest done!

The Star Wars Room is Logan's (was Sylvie's) and the yellow room is Sylvie and baby's room (was Logan's). Logan was very hesitant for anything to change, so aside from his walls and a new tv, we tried to keep the room similar to what it was. Sylvie was excited for new things, but I kept her duvet cover and matched that. The crib mattress is where the crib will be. And we need to build one matching dresser that will cover the end of Sylvie's bed.

My new artwork in Logan's room is scrapbook paper I ordered, had Jorge mount to foam core and Logan arranged around the room. My artwork for the girls is over Sylvie's dresser, from Etsy some prints with princesses from fairy tales.

I've been obsessing over these two rooms for a few months now, agonizing over how and when to move the kids, so I'm very excited to have it "done" and ready to move into the nitty gritty as time allows. So fun!

First Day of School!

2011-08-24T07:42:00.001-07:00

Vignettes

2011-08-19T07:49:00.001-07:00

I love seeing the phases kids go through. It's fun to document them because sometimes, as quickly as they begin, they end! Sylvie's in this "Vignette" phase. She will set up random small items in a location and it's funny to come across it and wonder if she was thinking artistically, arranging to make it look nice, thinking realistically (like creating a hammock for a friend), or just plain playing.

Here are a few fun examples that are sitting around the house today....

A squirmy worm in a small hammock on lego fridge magnets

Chapstick, a small animal on a rug, and a larger animal on a towel, all sitting on a washcloth

A teddy beanie baby, a box for his "food", a fallen flower petal, sitting on a piece of pretty fabric.

Making Wishes

2011-08-16T18:41:00.000-07:00

Deep Thoughts by Logan, age 7 3/4 years old.....

Sylvie: "I'm totally making a wish when we go under that bridge." (there was a train on it).

We all make a wish as we go under.

Logan: "Mom, I made a wish but I don't care about it anymore."

Sylvie: "Why not Logan?"

Logan: "The trick to wishes is that YOU have to make them come true."

Sylvie: "How do you make a wish come true?"

Logan: "You work really hard at it and come up with a plan. If you want a lot of money, you have to not spend all your money and save it and then you can get whatever you wanted to buy with your wish."

Love this kid!

Noticing Each other

2011-08-07T17:52:00.001-07:00

Jorge moved some of my photos around so I can find them more easily on the Mac and I love this one!

Abby- 2002 to 2011

2011-08-06T08:18:00.001-07:00

I took this photo on a Friday after Abby's haircut. This has been the year of skin and ear infections for her and it seems we'll be good for a few month and then she'll be cranky, itchy and licky. So this last go-around was pretty nasty, scabby and gross. And her personality was kinda cranky. We talked to the doctor and of course there are a lot of potential expensive tests to see what is causing the rashes, but she figured it was the same types of things as before- rolling in other animal dander and pee in the yard, spreading bacteria by rolling and licking, just making it worse on her own.

So we came home with some strong meds and I finally got her to the petsmart grooming to get some of that scabbiness off. They did a great job and she looked so pretty and healthy!

On Sunday she was fine when she woke up and started panting by 11 am. And shaking a bit. It was very unusual for her, but hot in the house. And then the other symptoms started. I was keeping a list to call the vet and we were googling around. She went downhill fast though. By the end of the night she was panting, tummy issues, excessive thirst, peeing quite a bit, and couldn't settle at all. Jorge took the shift til 1 am and I went down after and stayed with her til 4:30 am. She was very unsettled, going out constantly but wanting to come back in. And at one point she looked very disoriented and laid on her paws on the kitchen tile. I had thought maybe it was a UTI with a fever, and at that point I was really worried she was in a lot of trouble.

I had to work, so I left her downstairs for 1 1/2 hours to sleep upstairs. She tried to be up with us, but I brought her back down as she was very unsettled and I was afraid she would wake the kids. At 6:00 I went down and couldnt' find her downstairs. After a frantic search and a quick question to Jorge if he had left her out, we found her under the computer desk unconscious. She was already almost gone, and I thought she was, she was messy and not responsive. But she was breathing. By this point Sylvie was frantic and Logan was up. So I had Jorge wrap her up and we had to share the news that Abby was gone from us. We had them say goodbye and my father in law picked the kids up to get them out of the house so we could deal with everything.

Going to the vet to put a pet down is not an experience I would every hope for again. The vet was wonderful and the process was quick. She never perked back up or opened her eyes and the vet said her belly was already full of blood and fluid, she was not panting any longer, just barely breathing. Putting her down was a messy experience as well and the graphic images of seeing my dog lose control of her body will stick around for awhile.

It has been a sad week saying goodbye and every time we walk in the door, morning routine without my buddy asking for a treat, not worrying about her as part of my "do I have the keys, do I have my purse, is the dog inside the house" walk out of the house has put a sad note in a lot of our day.

I'm not sure what caused her sickness and I don't know if I really want to know. She seemed happy and somewhat healthy to that point. In my google searches I came across a few texts that said "dogs are very good at making you believe they are not sick." And Jorge found some things that mentioned skin infections a manifestation of things going on inside.

In all, it's been a sad goodbye and we'll miss her quite a bit and I know there will be tears shed when we bring this baby home and don't get to introduce her to our first "baby" Abby.

High Expectations

2011-07-20T18:06:00.000-07:00

As I'm sitting working my toosh off at work this month I realized something, I have high expectations. I expect myself to accomplish a LOT at work, and if someone asks for something, I usually say yes. And get a lot done. So it got me thinking of other ways I have high expectations....

-I think the kids should be good to each other. Nice friends, respect one another, and love us all as a family.

-I expect myself to keep up their school skills over the summer. I start every May/June with some scrounging to find things they can and will do over the summer. Workbooks are a given and some cool ideas are always part of the agenda.

-I expect our house to work. For example, I think equipment should last longer than a summer. My parents have a box fan from sometime around 1976 that they still use. Meanwhile we've bought new fans every few years as those darn things break down all the time. Don't even get me started on how a house should not leak or how a DVD player should work for longer than a few years.

-I expect good things from the government, a clean city, and no crime. Weather that is acceptable would be great! Can we just combine a few cities into one grabbing the best weather months from them all, throwing in some awesome views, healthier restaurants, cheap shopping and driveability. Yeah, that sounds good. I may have to invent such a place someday and have an interview process for who gets in.

-I expect happiness out of life. I'm not satisfied with a mediocre doctor, church, job, activities, movies, etc etc. I just think if there is better, why not seek it out!? Call me picky, or annoying, but it must be part of my personality to want the good things in this world around me:)

Silly Billies

2011-05-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

In the car....

Logan: "Mom, we don't have 10 fingers, we only have 8. Thumbs are not fingers."

Sylvie: "Are pinkies fingers?"

Explanation from me about the different names of the fingers- index, pointer, etc. Then I said I wasn't sure what the one next to the pinky is called.

Sylvie: "I'm going to name mine 'Stace."

Logan:"I'm going to name mine 'Slice."

I love that they so naturally go into make-believe pretend mode!

Mother's Day Plans

2011-05-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

Logan: "Mom, we have a plan for tomorrow. You get to sleep in and I'll get Sylvie her princess milk."

Sylvie: "And I'll do all the dishes" (aka pouring soap all over everything and running up the water bill, but ever so sweet)

Logan : "And we'll do everything in the morning, we'll even keep the floor clean. You just have to sit back and relax on the couch."

Sylvie: "You can sit in my spot on the couch. Logan, you do the broom and I'll do the dishes okay?"

I love these sweetie pies. They make my world a wonderful place to be in!

And endless palette......

2011-03-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

Suddenly this week I'm really open to ideas on how to bring back some of the old fun into my life.......Some things I've come across that are inspiring or worth pursuing.....

Meetup

I used to be part of a meetup.com group. Nice ladies but my kids got too big too fast and suddenly school was getting in the way of play! Add in work days and I had to part ways. So on a whim I went on meetup.com and came across a few biking groups. There is one that tries to do biking and hiking with stops along with way for taking photos. Here's a photo from a member. Sounds right up my alley doesn't it? Think I can convince Jorge to stay in town on Sunday mornings for the spring and summer so I can do some sunrise bike rides?

Architecture

I came across an architect with really beautiful buildings. It won't let me copy any images, but it's this website for Clay Chapman www.periodarchitecture.com Not sure if that will work, but it With so many directions to turn in architecture, I feel like I'm constantly realizing I'm inept at some piece of it. I love that he comes across as in love with one idea, and goes that direction, and that's just the way it's going to be. I'm not quite as strong in the ego as that, but it was fun seeing a different version of the art of "techtonics" that I learned in Seattle. It was also reassuring seeing an architect's take on "period architecture" as opposed to the oversized versions that are pimped out to the maximum FAR with no regard to proportions that I come across all to often.

Mommy Mojo

I seem to be feeling more creative and enjoying the babies and their loves more. I was okay with 2 days of Polly Pocket time and I'm looking forward to a lego creation plus a battle with Logan. He made me promise to be the bad guys:) I am a bit ridiculously sad that both kids spend so much time away from us that they are their own little people now. I'm excited to recapture some of that family bond on our vacation next week. I'm also super proud of Logan getting so into baseball and Sylvie being so into ballet and gymnastics.

West Coast Wonderment

We're headed to San Francisco in a few short days. I'm excited to be rejuvinated by the air, the water and the hills. And to introduce our kids to the urban lifestyle. Complete with walking, fun things to do, and time together!

Feeling pretty good tonight. My biggest annoyance is the dog, and that's a good sign.

Sketching

I've been playing around with my handwriting, taking a bit more time to focus on the letters. And sketching. I've seen a few neat watercolors that struck my fancy that I may have to use as inspiration as well. I'm bringing my sketchbook to San Francisco, and who knows, I may actually document this place through my mind's eye rather than just my camera's.

Music

A few blogs I follow have fabulous music. And I have been listening to Pandora at work during the late afternoon and on the bike trail when I'm walking to push me through and get inspired. Music can be so invigorating and soothing, I need to find more of it in my life. I think it really moves my Sylvie, she absolutely loves music. But Logan is funny as well, it can change his mood quickly. I think as a family we need to find more music time, and less tv time.

Local Hangouts

I consider my neighborhood as the entirety of Chicago, and I'm proud that we do try to take advantage of some of what the city has to offer. But I feel bad that we have not really enjoyed some pieces of our own neighborhood, and my goal is to try a few hangouts, a few restaurants, and a few new parks and such. I also need to find some of what I had in Seattle that was so readily available, trails and hikes and such, and make my way into nature here. Mosquitos, heat, snow and all. I need to find joy in this place because I don't think I really have yet and it may be awhile before we leave.

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Obsession with Hair

2011-03-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

Sylvie's obsession with long hair has been fed by the Rapunzel movie Tangled. I'm sure she's not the only 5 year old who has latched on to long hair. It began with the hair extension that came with the castle, which moved to HER wearing the extension in her own hair. And then there was the need to have the 18" Rapunzel doll with super-long hair.

So we move on to the visit to the American Girl Store where she selects the doll with the most hair possible. Kanani. Well, did you know if you brush Kanani's hair out instead of down, you get a ball of hair as big as a small cat? Oh yes you do. And thank goodness for Google, I was able to figure out you can wet and use detangler, then wrap each tendril around your finger and have an amazingly pretty head of doll hair. It took an hour. For 5 minutes it was pretty before she has to doctor it all up. I think I need my own American Girl doll that can stay pretty and brushed :)

And alas, this weekend we went to a party and low and behold there is Sylvie with a new best friend- a girl who has that beautiful long, black, asian hair down to her bottom. I turned to my mom friend and said "Betcha anything she started chumming around with her because she covets her hair." We got a good laugh, but I know I was right. Because this morning there was a total meltdown over "MOM, I NEED my hair to be black and long like that girl at the party!!!! I need to have it painted. " So I said "Sylvie, you are welcome to add color to your hair when you are a teenager." To which she said "Mom, that'll be perfect! When I am a teenager I am going to be Rapunzel, so I can be a Rapunzel with BLACK hair!" Aka, something like this picture. I would not put it past her, and gosh, I'll be jealous because that really would be pretty, and fun if you can swing around your tower and such dontcha think:)

Note to Self-

2011-03-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

..... The key to juggling a lot of things and enjoying life instead of being overwhelmed is to be in the moment. At work, think about and work that piece of your brain. At school drop offs and pick ups, enjoy the mom-conversation and try not to judge everyone, but get to know them for who they are. At home, create a nice place for the kids to "land." Keep it neat, keep it organized so the library books don't go missing. Keep on top of the laundry and our health. But throw in plenty of time for creative activities, mix up the kid-focused ones and the adult ones, make it a good place to be. When you have 2 hours, do something that will set the tone for the rest of your weekend. Take a walk listening to Pandora, looking at the trees and bundled in too many layers, dream of biking the trail soon enough and work those muscles to get ready.

And don't forget to breathe, smile and enjoy this life:)

Dreams may come true....

2011-02-09T18:31:00.000-08:00

With kids at this age (5 and 7) you start asking questions like "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and expect somewhat real answers.

So I asked....

Logan asked me today "who wins more, the Sox or the Cubs?" The totally baseball-illiterate mom in me told him "Well, the Sox win more, but the Cubs are the underdogs" and explained underdog to him.

Soon after I was googling "how many players are in the Cubs?" 38 says Answers.com. "39 with me when I start playing on the Cubs" says Logan. What a sweetie!

Sylvie went to Nordstroms twice this year and picked some item and fell in love. With us, she picked a dress, the newest dress that cost more than we would normally spend on a dress, and of course, since she had daddy around her little finger, it came home with us!!! And later she brought Abuelita, and captured herself a hat, a little adorable hat that had to come home with us!

Snow Day!

2011-02-01T16:10:00.000-08:00

....for Snowmageddon!!!! Just putting it down for Logan and Sylvie that today, this day in Chicago history, is a storm that is classified as a blizzard! It started today (Tuesday) at around 2 pm. It was a difficult walk even between the 2 schools. I was so happy my boss let me head home to get my babies. Even Jorge came home at a decent time. Tomorrow almost every school is out for the day, even the Chicago Public Schools called a Snow Day for the first time since 1999. The last time we had a blizzard of this magnitude was 1967? Though my parents remember shoveling snow off their roof in 1979!

Hope we get some pictures to put up tomorrow, it's supposed to last all day and dump between 1 and 2 feet of snow!

We did we did! We got up to snow all around the windows, snow outside in huge drifts. The front yard wasn't too bad thank goodness because the back yard was so bad we couldn't open the door and I had to wade through 3 foot drifts to get the extra shovels! I had thought to bring one set inside overnight! We all got outside in snowpants at 7 am and spent an hour and a half shoveling. Sylvie went back inside but was fine with us continuing. It kept snowing all morning so Jorge went back out for an extra hour later.

And then there was the alley. Oh goodness! The plow came by around 5 pm and we then had a huge wall of snow at our garage and nowhere to put it! Jorge did a huge chunk and then I headed out to help him and we made 5 foot piles at either side of the garage. What a project!

Today is Snow Day #2. I guess the buses aren't able to get through the streets yet.....Crazy and fun and exciting. The windchill is supposed to hit 25 below today- ick! It's cold here in the house.

Front

Alley

Side Yard- biggest drifts!

The school project....

2011-01-29T05:37:00.000-08:00

Logan's school project is to celebrate 100 days. He has to put 99 of one object on a board and 1 of something opposite. Of course the example was "cats and dogs" and he said he was going to do "cats and dogs." Hilarious. I was able to persuade him into doing something he likes and we decided on 99 Lego Guys and 1 Lego. He actually came up with the idea of taking photos of his guys and gluing the photos to the board. So it's a few days after we began the assignment and here's how it's gone......

Thursday morning- Grand discussion on what the plan was to get all this acccomplished.

Thursday afternoon- trying to wrangle Logan into focusing on what he wanted to photograph, and the three of us rounding up 100 guys. Me hovering over a table taking lots o' photos. Sylvie wanted in on the action and she has a pile of her own lego people to photograph as well.

Thursday night- upload photos. Try to upload photos. Safari won't allow me on Walgreens photo website so I never make it. Ugh. Okay, CVS also does photos. Upload photos.

Friday morning after school dropoff- bring Sylvie into CVS where she falls in love with some cute kissing stuffed animals that need to come home with us. And if you buy the animals, you need to buy a Valentine's Day card to go with them, so I set out to pick one for my sweetheart.

Oh and there are 3 other things I needed to get of course. Plus posterboards and glue sticks and sticky letters....

Friday afternoon- open the photos and I'm super disappointed. For $24 worth of photos, they are pretty bad quality and there are 30 extra photos that are enlargements of faces. Lego faces. What the frick? Late Friday, I call CVS to see what's up and check what I had uploaded. My 50 photos turned into 65 and then I ordered duplicates! Headquarters had no idea. And when I opened my original photos I realized my photo quality was much better than the results, so on principal, since they said they always accept returns if you're not satisfied, I returned them. WITH Sylvie in tow, who was livid that we were going yet again out to the same darn store (and to pick up Logan).

Friday evening- haul Logan and Sylvie into Walgreens where we use the machine to upload photos. Twice. And hope for the best. And what do you know, there is a whole aisle of stuffed animals that only cost $1.99 and 2 kids pleading for one. So we buy those as well. Plus some wine for me, because I am reminded that this is a darn school project, the first of millions, and whatever the photos look like, however Logan chooses to lay them out, it'll be okay. A-Okay. :)

Saturday morning- the photos will need to be picked up but I'm going to wait til Jorge is home because I am NOT dragging 2 kids into a stuffed-animal infested Walgreens one more time to collect photos! I can just hear it.... "Mom, they're webkinz and my unicorn needs a friend!"

Temper Tantrums

2011-01-26T18:10:00.000-08:00

We have had a big streak of tantrums most days! Here are some of the situations:

-Sylvie comes in from Abuelita's babysitting hours and freaks out about missing Abuelita, cannot handle her emotions and sits crying for a good long time and then begging "don't be mad at me!" Oh gosh this is hard to deal with and by the time it's over, I'm spent!

-One morning I was dropping Sylvie off and she showed me that she had a little digital camera in her pocket. I told her she couldn't bring that into school and she went ballistic! She had a total meltdown and even bringing her out of the room into the bathroom, I wasn't sure I'd be able to drop her off. She was sad about the camera and it turned into "I'll miss you mommy, don't go."

-The other day the windchill was 19 degrees below zero. Obviously it was frigid outside, and too cold to hang out for any length of time. We knew it was going to be cold, so we talked about how we were going to wait in the car between picking her up and getting Logan instead of waiting outside. Sure enough, she went crazy when I tried to get her in the car and was totally out of control. I got her in the passenger side and she was standing on the seat acting like a fool! Her friends were in the car next to us and even that didn't pursuade her that this was okay. She wouldn't calm down until I happened to find her library book and suddenly she was a different person and settled down. Once I tried to get her to wait in the car and brought a snack and drink and she still went nuts. She waits in the car for grandparents. I don't know what the deal is, but it sure isn't fun being the mom with the screaming child dragging her into the car instead of getting a hug or a kiss.

-We have lots of tantrums over clothing- she wants to wear a fancy dress every day and if she gets a fancy dress she flips out if it can't be worn to school, even if she knows it's not for school. Getting dressed can be a very long, drawn-out ordeal somedays. And other days, not a problem.

It's been a really hard few months of tantrums on and off and I'm not really sure what spurs them, but it's getting old fast. I'm trying to not let her walk all over me, hold firm but gentle and kind, and it doesn't seem to matter, she can't control her own emotions.Someday maybe I'll understand it all. Where is my own personal child psychologist/ psychic? There are nights where instead of sleeping she's standing upstairs next to me screaming at the top of her lungs instead. And then other nights it's not a problem. She can be so LOUD and drag things out fora a LOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG time !!!!! It can be hard to handle.

Sylvie turns 5

2011-01-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

My sweet princess is turning 5. I love the saying "The days are long, the years are short." It is so true. If I think of all the days I had a 4 year old, it seems like ages, but if I reminisce back to my 2 year old or even my newborn, it feels like just yesterday.

Sylvie is a spunky little girl and she brings light to our lives every day. She commands attention and demands her way. She wants what she wants when she wants it. Which is usually immediately.

And yet she can pick up my mom's little dog Jackson in the crook of her arm and carry him around longer than he wants, and he's a snuggler. She misses us ferociously, the minute someone leaves, school ends, we leave an adventure, she already misses it. She must have some sweet sappy nature inside her already:)

She still gives us trouble with night-time sleep and still hates waking up in the mornings. She was inducted into the American Girl club this weekend with a trip to pick out her very first doll and it was such a joy to see her coming into a big girl. While the rest of us reverted to our childhood memories of wanting and loving dolls we had seen.

There is a special bond between mother and daughter, she's my little girl and I understand what she goes through and all that is to come. It's raising a future mother, a future best friend, a future sister to her brother Logan when he needs advice or someone to pull together Thanksgiving dinner. A future career. Future talents. And yet, we still get to enjoy all that is today, all that she is, and all that we are to her.

Happy Birthday my darling Sylvie. You are the fire in my life and you make me smile and you make me laugh and you make me hug you. Thanks for being YOU!!!!!

2011

2011-01-01T18:06:00.000-08:00

In no particular order, the things on my mind to accomplish this year are:

*Mommy- we talked about a list of places to go this year- Museum of Science and Industry, Navy Pier during some live music in the summer, plus some big trips including Disney, maybe even for a wedding!!!!

*Baby- yep, it might actually happen this year! Time will tell. But #3 would be an amazing person to add to our life. I might never stop smiling.

*Wife- with a year of heavy travel keeping us apart, we need some patch and repair work during this 14th year of marriage. Date night is on the agenda to light the spark.

*Architect- please tell me a new job is on the horizon for this year, before I go insane. Resumes are time consuming but essential. And I have some additional projects related that need working and attention. Also, exams for licensure and learning Revit are on the radar. Revit learning has been happening, and I'm really proud of what I have accomplished. Plus, going to Greenbuild Chicago was amazing.

*Biking- love that darn bike, and it's all set up in the basement as a stationary version for the winter. Hopefully biking brings with it weight loss.

Seems like the recession may be ending and these goals are already in progress. I'm hopeful to not feel so much anxiety about everyone else's problems, and when things don't go my way, and enjoy every moment.

And as always I love to be inspired, creative, loved, and in love, and really just enjoy life as it goes by. I hope to jump in with 2 feet and live this life to its fullest.

Christmas Highlights!

2010-12-27T06:26:00.000-08:00

Sylvie has been having trouble sleeping in her own room so this week we worked very very hard to "practice" for Christmas sleeping. The night of Christmas Eve we stayed up til 11:30 partying and then I got the jammies on the kids and showed them the google Santa Tracker. It showed Santa flying around the skyscrapers downtown and that's where we had just come from, so the kids knew it was mighty close to our house, and they went running upstairs with fervor and hit the pillows in their own rooms without complaint.

We had so much fun on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This year was the most "last minute" of any year, even running into Walgreens on our way to the party at our house on Christmas Eve. A lot had been done ahead of time, but Jorge had been on 2 trips- Tokyo and then Mexico- and then working all week, so it left final preparations to last-minute. It wasn't stressful, and it all worked out in the long run.

I think Logan's on the verge of losing sight of believing in Santa, but he very much wants to play along because of the joy in it. My guess is he'll hang on to pretending for another year or two. Sylvie was nervous about Santa's Elves watching but it did good to keep her in line this spunky child of mine. On the plus side, she was the sweetest darling little girl during the 3 days of celebrating! Yeah!

We were spoiled with presents, hosted a fun party and now have so many fun things to play with!

My Brilliant Offspring

2010-12-18T18:38:00.001-08:00

Logan is starting to spout off 'Mom, I can spell 'love backwards'. I know how to rhyme everything.' I can read that word 'playbill' 'cast'....etc. He's also learning subtraction and has decided he already knows how to multiply (not sure on that one, but I would love to see it!)

Sylvie came home from a dead sleep, woke up, got out a pen, found a pad of post-it notes, and started some "messages." It's past bedtime and her brain is on fire writing words. All of a sudden she knows letters she didn't seem to remember before, she's stringing them into words, with appropriate vowel and consonant placement, and asking how to pronounce the words she wrote.

Brilliant children I tell you, just brilliant. Yeah, I'm bragging. And yeah, I know your kid probably did all this 3 years ahead of my kids, but it doesn't matter. The first time your kid does it, it's durn exciting!

Strawberries with "Stuff"

2010-12-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

Logan: "Mommy, do you want to know a gift everybody will like? Strawberries with stuff on it. You mix up the stuff, and you make sure it's all around it and you wait til it dries and then you can eat it." Me:"What about the stem?" Logan "You eat all the way to the stem but don't eat the stem. I made those at the restaurant before." "Got it Mommy?"

Someday he won't say "Got it?" all the time like he does now, so I have to write it down.

Also, he's very very big on repeating everything from the tv back to me, as the commercial is happening, like I don't hear it myself. Ah, my boy.

We are headed out to some store tonight because "Mom I NEED a pencil sharpener at school. And it has to come from that store where Daddy took me." Me: "Logan, do you need new crayons as well? Are yours wearing down?" Logan: "Only the gray." I find that hard to believe as I saw his crayons at the Halloween party and they were on their last legs but I forgot to get new ones til now. He's so into recycle/reuse that he probably thinks you need to use a crayon til it literally is gone. Silly sweet boy.

Sylvie is in an eating phase, she eats all the time. Logan is in a talking phase, he never stops!

Middle of the Night

2010-12-09T01:56:00.000-08:00

What's keeping me awake tonight?

Reliving a work situation. I hate when I do that. No one else is thinking about it at 3 am!

Wondering about Sylvie's school and if it really was a good idea. And wishing I had the means to decide on a different preschool. This one covers my work hours. At least she has made good friends.

Kinda pissy that Jorge is on his 2nd vacation trip in 2 weeks and I'm here dealing with frigid cold, a finicky furnace and ice and snow and Christmas prep all by my lonesome. Missing him as I had a cranky day and really could use a hug and smile.

Got sucked into a movie. It takes place in England and is flashing to Paris and I am reliving the memory of Paris.

Wondering if I'll ever get out of this job.

Wondering if all the other things I'm sad about will change.

Wondering if I'll wake up in a better mood if I go to bed for another 2 hours.

Greenbuild!

2010-11-18T17:44:00.001-08:00

When I hit September and didn't get my new path laid out in gold for me, I chose to go at it alone. And maybe piece by piece. So piece #1 was Greenbuild Chicago. Just the idea of skipping responsibility for the day after so many days of playing double-parental duty made me a bit guilty. I did however at least leave a list for Jorge. And pack lunches for the finickies.

Drove in. Blech. What an ugly state. I'm sorry, but after learning that the actual scenery can actually soothe you while you drive long distances in Washington state, I always shock myself driving through factory areas where speeders fly by in the shoulder. Ignore the scenery and focus on the white knuckles and getting over to the lane where you need to be, which may or not be the one GPS tells you with all this construction in this town. If I had not looked up where I was supposed to be, I would have been overwhelmed by McCormick Place so score one for me for knowing what I was doing instead of trying to read a massive sign while driving.

Happy day, loved it. Loved the seminars, big and small. Yes they are tree-huggers. But I know that type, they live in Seattle often. Even more of them live in Portland. :) And man, those guys/gals at MIT are pretty crazy, but it looked so cool and out there, I'll take it.

Went to 4 seminars. Only thing that was weird was not having someone to share it with, but I did strike up a conversation or two along the way. And made myself go to the social event at the end, despite the potential of helping Jorge out by picking the kids up. Love the kids up, but I've had 80% of the parental duties this year, so kids, here's your dad. Jorge, here's your watch. It's 5:30, normal people leave at this time of the day and live in the same state as their wives. And he did it like a champ. At the social event I had great conversation, which I started, so it was awesome.

Happy day. Love this world of green, but even more than that, it made me miss my intellectual school days. Seven years of college and then one day the learning ends. Well, in some firms you continue. My new goal is to figure out ways to keep up the learning. Despite the company that employs me. Ideally it would be some great company though right? :)

4 Year Old Preschool

2010-11-13T16:44:00.000-08:00

Sylvie likes to call her year of preschool "4-year old preschool." It has been a whirlwind year so far and while nothing is earth-shatteringly funny she does make me laugh, worry and cry.

Here are some highlights:

-Storytelling. Ellen had a wolf visit her house. Alex got bit by a REAL vampire. Emily saw the real monster that lives at Great America.

-Best Friends. She has been having issues keeping in the clique of girls. She spent the first few months concerned about who sat next to her, who liked, her, who talked to her, etc. My goodness she came home and threw temper tantrums left and right from the stress of it all. I've volunteered and it's insane at times. However, it does seem to be calming down. She gets out of school and obsessively wants to go over to the flagpole for her one on one time with Allison. I was really upset at her behavior until I understood that she spent the day fighting for attention and this was special friend time. Preschool can be rough! But on the plus side she's making some really long-term good friendships.

-She's good with the boys. Having a brother has taught her how to talk about Star Wars, and how to not freak if a boy talks to her.

-They call her Chivis (the kids, not the teacher) which I think is hilarious and she likes

-Every day is a fashion parade for Sylvie. She spent the first months wearing dresses and skirts, mourning days she had to wear gym shoes and having massive numbers of outfit changes. Then this week she wore jeans. Twice. With heeled shoes and a sparkle shirt. She keeps the teachers laughing. She wore two pigtails but wanted one clipped to the side to look like a side ponytail.

-Introducing the "I want for lunch exactly what my friends have for lunch." Which can be great because I know I can get her to eat a sandwich for the first time ever. And horribly disastrous when you pre-order hot lunches in September and she has a meltdown about it. And packs a lunch anyway.

-She's more patient with the process of getting to school, waiting for Logan's turn, and the walking it takes to get it all accomplished. As long as mom is right by her side. Woe to the family member who has to take her to school, her world is not okay on those days. I had to beg my office to let me change my hours just to keep the peace. Ah, kids:)

She's keeping me laughing, keeping me guessing, and throwing tantrums like a true 4-year old can pull off.

Life today....

2010-10-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

Today I have been weepy. Probably hormonal, but it's kind of nice. I like being able to really "feel" strong emotions some days. Not being on cruise control. Or just being satisfied with something like a clean kitchen. Seeing life's big picture and really assessing it. I worry sometimes that some big crisis will come crashing into our lives, we have this beautiful life and I want it to stay good, great really. Happy, loving, and sweet. Joyful. Who would want to rock that boat? I always feel like I am asking for better and I'm always worried about how can one not feel guilty for complaining about anything in their perfect life while thereare miners stuck 2000 feet below the earth's surface for over 60 days, and friends who left the earth leaving their children behind, and babies who left the earth leaving their moms behind. All that seems so life-shattering and crazy and I hope nothing like that enters our daily bubble.

But life is life and we churn through dishes and losing weight and meal planning and parenting. And smiling in disbelief that our kids are so smart and get 100% on all their papers. And spend a long time coloring the perfect picture. And make mini-laptops out of paper and leave them all over the house. And tuck their dolls into a hand-me-down American Girl bed. I want a new job and had given myself a September deadline to accomplish this task but for all the hours spent trying, this recession is either double-dipping or just not coming up for air just yet. So knowing how firms are in this career, I'm trying to grieve the loss of this happiness I wanted for myself and make do with the new reality of our real fall schedule.

Not that I'm in this terrible place. I'm just so stubborn that I want what I want when I want it thank you very much. And I thought things were going to be one way and they are another. So I'm trying to make the best of things.This week I stood up to a head person to ask for something I knew they would not like. And when his mouth formed the word 'no' and every ounce of his body language said the same, I had to step it up, fight for what I wanted, and sell it. I got it. Phew! I also played the work game, you know the one where you run into an issue and instead of banging your head against your desk you find just the right person to get an answer from with the added bonus of sympathy for your plight? Plight. I learned that word ages ago in grade school and did a whole report on the Plight of some group or another.....always loved good words....

Seeing my kids in school is bringing back memories aplenty of life back when. When the cool song everyone wanted to listen to on Walkmen was "Toy Soldiers" by Martika. When the cool thing was to make fun of the music teacher. My son is making fun of the music teacher and I asked him why and kind of leaned over and said "well, she's not really that bad" which leads me to believe he doesn't quite know why the kids say she's mean, but he'll happily jump on that bandwagon anyway. Poor music teachers!

I'm trying to just enjoy what life is bringing my way this fall instead of making my own path, because it doesn't seem to be going that way. I do have to say some big decisions seem to be coming clearer and I'm pretty happy with that. Sometimes I think it takes being a peace with what you have before you can take on something new. And not knowing if you want something is overwhelming. But feeling at peace with a future plan is so liberating. For now, I'll share some of the little things that made me smile today....

Do we really have to get rid of all of these leaves? I am LOVING them. They make everything so pretty. My favorite is the bright pink/red trees that show up when you round a corner and take your breath away.

Logan, my sweet soul, was getting into a habit of bringing every friend he owns downstairs and now he's narrowed it down to a few "best friends."

Sylvie has rejuvinated her mothering role. She has a few American Girl knockoff type dolls she's loving on. Abuelita collected this doll bed back from a neice and Sylvie really loves it. I can't wait to introduce her to Jamie's twins this weekend and see what she thinks.

We have a house built in 1946. A brick Georgian. It has its perks, its quirks and its frustrations. But when we went looking for a house I really really wanted a staircase. And while a ranch house would be good for laundry I won't regret the stairs. The window and the paintings from Mexico make me smile each time. The wood stairs are warm, and warmer with white paint. I always think about the fact that we are creating a baseline for our kids on what they see as "home." I can see us dragging our kids to an ultra-modern urban condo someday only to see them buy their first home with their spouses that looks just like this one.

My sweet dog. Jorge and I both had cocker spaniels growing up and wanted one as our first "together" dog. She's full of spunk and can push my buttons worst than Sylvie but I do love her as a walking companion, and a sweet friend who is at my feet.

William and Pink

2010-10-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

Logan: "William at my school is funny."

Sylvie: "I have a William at my school too. He teaches Gym. Mr. Williams."

Logan: "I have another teacher named Mrs. M."

(I was surprised because I haven't heard of this teacher before.)

Me: "Logan, what does Mrs. M teach? Spanish, speech, music, library......."

Logan: "I don't know what she teaches, but she's really fast at sharpening pencils!"

I seriously laughed out loud, then he got upset, then he got curious. So I had to explain that it was surprise that made me laugh, that I was laughing with him not at him. (don't know why the font went all funky on me).

++++++++++++++++++++

Sylvie: "Mommy, I can't wait til we learn about the letter 'pink' so I can bring this Barbie with me for Show and Tell."

Lapbooks

2010-10-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

I have heard about this from the homeschooler-crowd and it was right up my alley as a fun and educational Sunday activity. I am eternally grateful to websites that help moms out with freebies all ready to print. It took awhile to get my printer to produce this, and I was right there with my big scissors cutting things for the kids (it would have been a LOT of cutting), but they had a blast!

I think the idea is to focus on one subject and create 3D games, activities, etc. all based on that subject. Sylvie had a book telling her Three Little Kittens Story. Logan got to act as a reporter and interview Sylvie for his Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs theme. I flashed some pictures of a summer activity we did on the computer to jog their memory, and then had him ask the questions "who, what, when, where...." that were listed on his reporter notebook to write down the answers.

Sylvie loved this. She was all about the games we made, the almighty glue stick and the sing-songy story. She loved completing the project and went back later to continue decorating it more.

Logan was a bit worried about the idea of being a "reporter" but really enjoyed writing down words all over his lapbook. I did give him the option of drawing pictures and he chose words- that was pretty exciting!

This is where I got our free lapbook printouts, by subject, by age group, etc. A lot of them are based on a book you would read, and then do a lapbook to summarize it. They also had a great list of additional activities. It was great being able to print and make the whole thing this morning, but some of the ideas would take a day or two of prep, supplies, etc. Next time i'll find the lapbook, get the book and read it, and then do the lapbook activity after. A lot of Logan's lapbook involved reiterating vocabulary words from the actual book, which is a great idea.

http://www.homeschoolshare.com/Lapbooks_at_HSS.php

Don't worry mom....

2010-09-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

Logan: "Don't worry mom, I won't ever leave this house. I'll live here forever and take care of Abby (the dog). Sylvie can still feed her, but I'll take care of her. "

Me: "Well, if Sylvie feeds her, what will you do to take care of her?"

Logan: "I'll play with her."

Me:"What about walking her? Like around the block on a leash all by yourself?"

Logan: "Maybe I can do that when I'm 10. And an adult."

-------------@@@@@@@-------------

Sylvie on Monday :"I know what I'm going to be when I'm an adult. I'm going to be Merliah. With a Tail." (that would be a mermaid tail)

Sylvie on Tuesday: "I know what I'm going to be when I'm an adult. I'm going to be Barbie Fashion Fairytale. With a Tail."

Sylvie on Wednesday: "I know what I'm going to be when I'm an adult. I'm going to be Rapunzel. With a Tail."

Sylvie on Thursday: "I know what I'm going to be when I'm an adult. I'm going to be a Cowgirl. With a Tail."

Sylvie: "Mom, when I'm an adult I'm going to have my own house. So I can buy all the things I want to buy and you can't say there isn't room for them."

Yep, that about sums up their personalities right there.

Bonus: Sylvie gave Logan 2 princes to play with while we all played Polly Pockets.

Sylvie: "Logan. This is the Prince from Snow White and this is the Prince from Sleeping Beauty."

Logan argues.

Sylvie: "No Logan. I'm really serious here. I know what I'm talking about. That is the prince from Snow White. I'm sure (pronounced "sir"). I know all about the princes and princesses."

I show them the pictures on the computer to confirm that they are indeed both actually right.

Logan: "I knew it. I just looked next to my eyes and I thought about it and I could see the picture and it was right there from when I watched the Snow White movie."

Voices

2010-09-21T16:13:00.001-07:00

Sylvie talking .....

Sylvie "Hey, I talk like someone at school."

Me: "Oh yeah, like who?"

Sylvie: "I don't know. Dylan."

Me: "Do you like talking like your friends?"

Sylvie: "Yeah. I do. I'm an Ac-tor."

What a ham!

Clubs

2010-09-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

Logan:"Blah blah blah clubs. Sylvie, are you gonna.....blah blah clubs? Mommy are you gonna blah blah clubs? Sylvie, come blah blah blah blah blah blah........"

Sylvie gets annoyed, irritated and I see a temper tantrum coming on like the other 5 she's had since 2:30 (it's only 6 pm, my poor mom!!!! )

Me "Logan, we're not playing that game. Sylvie has had enough already tonight. You are asking questions that 6 year olds love and 4 year olds hate. Please wait til tomorrow to ask those questions to the other 6 year olds in your class."

Laughter from Logan, peace from Sylvie, whew!!!!!

Early Learners

2010-09-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

Sylvie: "Mom, Jamie's babies are gonna read!"

Me: "How do you know?"

Sylvie: "I heard it on tv."

Those "Your Baby can read" commercials are getting a bit ridiculous!!!!

Trilingual

2010-09-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

Logan: "Mommy, I'm learning 3 languages."

"China, Mexico and Sign Language."

Me: "What about English."

(he ignores me)

Sylvie: "What about spanish?"

Logan: "Yeah, I'm learning that one too!"

I will call you....

2010-09-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

Sylvie: "Logan, stop being a doody bop!"

Logan :" "No."

Sylvie: " Logan, if you can't stop being a doddy bop I will call you a butthead!"

Me: "Sylvie, that's not nice. What is a butthead?" (I couldn't resist)

Sylvie : "It's a head, with a butt on it."

Logan: "I f you say butthead one more time, then I will cancel our parties every time."

Me: "Sylvie, do you think it's worth it to stop calling Logan mean things so you can go to his parties?"

Sylvie: "No, Logan you are a butthead."

Logan: "That's it, all the parties are cancelled."

Sylvie: "Aw, no, I'll stop saying things. Puh-leeeeease?"

Logan: "Sylvie, don't touch my penis!"

Okay this blog post has to end and I now need to go talk to these kids instead of typing what they say.......

Okay, false alarm. But they are now put to bed. Not that it means much, Sylvie has already come back down here and I now mush shoo her back upstairs. Crazy kids!

A touch of red brings.....

2010-08-07T05:58:00.000-07:00

This house has both the formal living room and this amazing family room. It was outdated and needed some TLC when we got it, and it has changed the most often through the 6 years we've owned our Casa Barrero. It takes a bit of vision to see the whole picture,...when you can buy things one piece at a time. This room is the most heavily used and abused, tumbled on, rolled around in, and oh...my....the TOYS! They are the bain of my clean house I tell you. So this is just one more round of "arranging the family room" with some new IKEA furniture, but I am so happy to have walked through the store without too much of an idea except the sizes and functions, and found exactly what will help. I have some different chairs picked out, but they were out of stock, these are borrowed from the dining room. Don't tell the kids but there is a MOUND of toys downstairs I've been sorting through for the past month, and bags of broken pieces I've tossed. Anyway, just wanted to share my fun new family room and record THIS family room moment. Because it may never be this clean again!!!!!

Snippets from home....

2010-06-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

Being around these kids is hilarious and some day they will be whiney unreasonable teenagers with somewhat more adult behaviors so I'd like to write down some of the sillies that they do just being at home on a Thursday and Friday without school.....

*Sylvie has covered her legs, arms, and fingers slowly with bandaids over the past 2 days. Every time she walks by she has more.....

*Logan randomly got bored, rolled the legs up on his jammies, then rolled them down and walked around like a duck with his jammies and undies around his ankles.

*They both fought over who would get to keep the yellow power ranger (with a skirt) long-term. As in their house when they are adults.

*Sylvie put makeup all over Logan. Logan tied Sylvie's dress. Sylvie got Logan's silverware. Logan got Sylvie a snack.

*Incessant fart jokes.

*Sylvie was showing me a castle she said belonged to mermaids. She flipped it around and showed me the living room, the bedroom for mermen and mermaids and the bathroom. Then she giggled and said she wondered how the mermaids pulled their tails down to pee. Then she said maybe there is a special hole on their tails for that. She's smart as a whip I tell you.

*We were watching a scene from Epcot where they have a globe and Sylvie wanted to know how we can tell what the earth looks like when we're standing on it. Logan and I said the astronauts see it. Logan said "but, that earth on tv is made of lights. The astronauts see the earth that is green and blue." So I asked him to clarify why it looks green and blue for Sylvie. He said the green is trees and grass, but "the astronauts are so far away they can't tell the difference between grass and trees." And then I explained the Ozone Layer to the kids. And then Sylvie told me she absolutely positively needs to go back to the Apricot (Epcot ball) and do the ride there. Soon.

*We're going away to a hotel with bunk beds and I showed the kids so they would be prepared. Logan helped me ease her mind about not being the kid to sleep on the top by reassuring her that all the ocean dreams happen on the bottom. Then Sylvie decided that princesses sleep on the bottom and Mermen hang out on top.

I love these kiddos!!!!! And as a side note, how the heck did they go from looking young to old in 6 months since the Disney trip!!!!

School-ish Evening

2010-06-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

After a very physical day of running, playing, ballet and los Abuelitos, the kids played here and then easily transitioned into school-time. I found a great Kumon workbook for numbers and Sylvie flew through it. It's great practice writing and recognizing the numbers, with connect the dots up to 20. She did really well!

Logan found his Transformer Sight Words workbook and the tasks are complex but he's doing well with them. We also have some flashcards and he matched up all the upper and lower case letters. Dd, Pp, Qq and Bb gave him a bit of trouble, but to his credit, they all looked the same in this font to me as well!

Anyway, I love when they are feeling engaged in an activity, and if it's a learning one, even better. And since I took my thyroid pill later today my attention span is still here at 8 pm. Kinda crazy how much I notice the difference!

Feeling Sappy

2010-06-10T20:11:00.000-07:00

.....and sad to see different phases of my kids' lives pass. They are growing up so quickly. Their awake hours are not 100% ours so they come home with all these things to tell us, show us, and make us laugh. Tonight both kids were showing us how they can do cartwheels, splits while in a handstand, and walk on their hands!!!!! After years of "My Gym" they are moving quickly through the ranks of Flying High Gym. Sylvie is in the kinder-stars class already, and Logan is moving up to the next level as well.

Miss Sylvie had her ballet recital that was just adorable and Logan is getting so good at golf. A huge piece of all these extracurriculars is my in-laws doing. They are doing the legwork, the signing-up, the paying and keeping the kids' spirits up about attending all of these lessons. It feels like the world is in front of them, they are being exposed to all these amazing things. In school they are just learning so much, given so many opportunities to better themselves, and push themselves. Even religion is coming into their vocabulary. And we are getting all the million "how does the world work" type questions from our free-thinkers.

They are real little people with real personalities and real goals. Things like "do I push for them to go to college or be happy with them following their dreams" and "Do I help them with their homework" are entering my mind. Today we were talking amongst the moms about when they get married and that person entering our families as "daughter- and son- inlaws." Not that these things are anytime soon, we have a virtual lifetime ahead of us. And so many experiences.

I was reading an article about the experiences of 2 French High School exchange students. They were saying in America we are pushed to think, to have ideas, to have an opinion. We have clubs, teams and so many ways to form the hours of our lives. I got Logan's yearbook and there are so many clubs to be joined as early as this upcoming year! The French students also spoke of America not having as strong of an educational base. I know it's not as important for life or all jobs, but I think having a general knowledge of life, culture, other places, other people, and current events, is important. I was at lunch with co-workers and some new interns and felt like I was discussing things others had never even considered experiencing. And they were all right here in Chicago. Maybe it's the fact that I lived elsewhere before, I appreciate what Chicago has, just as I voraciously ingested what Seattle had to offer, I want to soak it all in here as well. We got a list from the art department on what there is to do in the area and I plan to bring the kids to many of the places.

I feel our kids are lucky and blessed to have so many people, places, experiences and so much love in their lives daily.

Silly-Inquisitive-isms

2010-05-26T16:56:00.001-07:00

Sylvie: "Mom, why don't people feel that the earth is moving?"
"Oh, you know what? I know why the clouds are moving, because the earth is moving!"

Sylvie: "When I grow up, where will we all sleep in this house?"
Logan: "When I grow up, I'm going to live here."
S:"When I am a princess, I will live in Disney World."
L:"I'm not going to live in Disney, I'm just going to visit. I'm not going to work when I'm an adult." Me: "What are you going to do for money?"
L: "I'm going to work at Legoland."

Sylvie: "Logan, how does the juice get out of the battery?"

Letters and Reading

2010-05-26T16:44:00.000-07:00

With the school year coming to a close, I'm focused on keeping those brain cells alive with not only a love of the outdoors and all things physical, but school things as well. Logan has really made strides this year and is on the cusp of actually reading, I do not want to lose this! So I bought the "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons." For Sylvie, the first 50 seem to make sense, going over letters and sounds. So far she has proclaimed this all "boring" but we shall see on another day. Perhaps I should skip her ahead to lesson 20?:)

Logan was all gung-ho to do this book and we did approximately 12 lessons in a very short time, just reading sounds he was interested in reading, and then reading the corresponding words right after that, and then the sentence.

When I opened the book I thought it looked a bit silly and jibberish but what it does have going for it for Logan's skill set is he is at that point where all words starting with a "th" are automatically "The", and the literature at the front of the book talks about getting past that habit. It might be perfect timing!

Each letter has a dot, and a long line if the vowel is long. This will be great for his speech as well, this is exactly the sort of activity his teacher recommended. He really took the time to sound out each word, put it together in the sentence, still sounding it out, and was quick to recognize some of his sight words from school. Also, the letters are rather large, about the size he writes them himself.

All in all, I recommend it highly for your 6 year old between words and sentences!

A day of sports

2010-05-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

Logan and Jorge went out golfing with Bill, their "private trainer" this morning. Jorge said Logan's improving quite a bit, and Bill (friend of his mom's) has helped him correct his own swing as well.

We spent a lot of the day outside on this hot hot spring day and finally by evening, the kids were running amuck again the house. Time to go outside once again. It was still 89 or so degrees, but we went over to the park hauling some equipment.

Logan was super intense with the tennis balls and his metal bat, throwing, catching, hitting, enjoying. Sylvie joined in and using a plastic bat and tennis balls, really started getting the hang of things. Now I think I need a "personal trainer" to teach me to throw so I can pitch to my two cuties!

We headed over to the tennis courts and both kids practiced swinging a racket and Logan worked on a back and forth game with Jorge.

Logan gets so keyed up, working hard, concentrating, listening to your advice, and not giving up. If anything, it's hard to keep up with his intensity. Sylvie did pretty well for herself, kept at it even when things didn't go easily. I'm impressed! It was a lot of fun but very sweaty and humid. It's fun to have more sports in our lives.

The Parisian

2010-05-15T16:40:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted on our Paris trip. It was an amazing experience for so many reasons, and I feel like I'm trying to blend my experiences into my current life and see where it all fits in.

I keep having this image come back to my head of the last full day. It was rainy, chilly and a great day to be hopping in and out of shops wearing a raincoat and an umbrella. We settled down for lunch at an indoor cafe. Dark wood interior, wall of windows closed against the weather, old tin signs for Coca-Cola. I ordered a salad I had wanted to try since reading about it in Rick Steve's- egg, tomato, proscuitto and some additional things. Goodness.

As we filled our tummies and warmed ourselves, I couldn't help but look around at our fellow cafe-goers. On either side of us were two women and I was fascinated. What was their story. They looked like locals. One looked to be about 50. She sat and drank an espresso out of an impossibly small cup, book in hand, facing the window and us coincidentally. I couldn't actually tell if she was listening to our conversation, but she looked happy. Content. I don't know if she was retired, on break from work, alone or enjoying a moment of peace in life of chaos back home.

The whole time we were in the upper end of the Latin Quarter, I tried to picture who lived here, how did they live. They stopped at the fresh corner store, picked up flowers and groceries, opened their windows to let in the social noises in the street below. These women seemed to fit that life. Enjoying the little moments.

The older woman at the window drank a mid-day glass of wine. She ate steak and frites and had walking shoes on. She probably walked the park all day, every day, she looked hearty but was not eating low-fat, low-carb, low-taste food. She even ordered a mousse, and this huge smile spread across her face as she took that first bite.

I think what struck me was the lack of reaching out. I find myself in solitude looking for everyone around me, they are happy, they are with their friends, enjoying their children, judging my own experience of the moment on what I am NOT doing that everyone else IS doing. I would like to keep that image of the other women in my mind as a reminder to enjoy my quiet moments, enjoy the solitude, the routine and the daily moments that make up our life, and not always be looking for the newer, bigger, next, better and more fulfilling. The stuff of life is what makes the happy moments. And, I would like to remind myself that sometimes, it is okay to order dessert. Or drink wine at 1:00 in the afternoon. Because, really, the endorphins it releases must at some point outweigh the damage it does to our figure, especially if we walk more and drive less.
The

Logan's conversation.....

2010-05-15T16:32:00.001-07:00

typed as I'm listening to it....

Logan: "Mom, want to know what kind of superhero I'm going to be? I'm going to be one that flies."

Logan: "I'm going to live with you forever mom."

Me: "Logan what will you do when you're an adult?"

Logan: "Mom, when I'm an adult I'll feed Abby (the dog) her food whenever it runs out."

Logan:" I'm going to do what Abby does. Relax at home while you and daddy are at work."

Logan: "When I'm at school, can you drop me off?" (we always walk in together)

Me: "What kind of job will you have?"

Logan: "The job is to take care of Abby at home. I'm going to do all the Abby work. Clean up her toys, get her something to eat and something to drink. When I'm an adult. Hey Sylvie, you don't have to do any work when you're an adult. Sylvie, will you live with mom when you're an adult?"

Sylvie: "Yes."

Me: "Sylvie, what about when you are an adult"

Sylvie: "I'm going to be Melody (a character from a Barbie movie)."

Friday Evening Playtime

2010-05-15T07:36:00.001-07:00

Busy day Friday filled with a backyard birthday party with the meetup moms, school, a bit of running around and plenty of outside time. Friday evening the kids were ready for mom-time so we set down with the box of barbies and had at it. I started flipping my barbie up in a twist and so Logan started getting interested, trying to copy my moves with a flick of the wrist. Then he found a red bandana in the barbie box and started doing his karate moves. My very own Ralph Machio...swoon! hehehe. Sylvie, ever the princess, wore through 2 pairs of tights today caking them with mud at parks, and still found time to glitter her face and accessorize with a necklace.

This morning has been a lego/ pancake-making/ mermaid-watching kinda morning. I made a lego ship, which Logan asked to "borrow." Sylvie, after a bit of moaning about wanting to play Barbies again instead of legos, built her first lego house.

And seriously, when did we get this many barbies? Last summer if seems we were picking up a few at a garage sale so we had enough to fill one barbie car. Now we have a plethora!

Paris Preparation

2010-04-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

We're going to Paris in 14 days- eeek and oooh-la-la!

So I've been surfing the web to see what to wear besides the obvious advice I keep seeing "don't wear white tennis shoes." I have some of my current wardrobe set aside but I feel like my coat is just blech and my shoes that I have relied on are falling apart (including for my work days). So I checked out a few stores online and saw what the price ranges and styles were nowadays and ended up at Target for a few new key pieces.....

The image of the shoes is small, but you get the idea. The dress I got is in black and has a lining underneath and looks really nice. Logan said I should wear it tomorrow.

I Recommend.....

2010-04-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

Today the kids were planning lunch in the car ride home from school. So I decided we would have a "Taste Test Lunch." I put bowls of the 2 soups they requested with a bit of soup in each one, their sandwiches and some rice I had on hand that I wanted to eat myself.

Sylvie was the announcer, telling us what was available, Logan dove into the taste testing immediately. I taught them that after tasting, we could "Recommend" something to others based on what we liked.

So, I officially recommend the
Tomato and Rice soup with extra rice and a dab of fat free sour cream.

Sylvie recommends the
Chicken soup with Arroz (rice) on the side. She liked the grilled cheese but her favorite was the soup.

Logan recommends
Everything. He liked it all. And ate it all!

Guardian Angels

2010-04-07T18:49:00.000-07:00

Alongside the power of Google image, I was explaining Guardian Angels to the kids and was reassuring Sylvie (who was on my lap) about how we have all these "magical" powers of spirituality watching over them who are powerful enough to help them in ways even mom and dad can't. We were talking about prayer and such.

So Sylvie said "I've never seen my guardian angel" and Logan, who I didn't think was listening, came over and said "I see my Guardian Angel all the time. It's a 'He' and he gives me funny dreams."

Kids are hilarious, that's all I can say about that.

I've been into Angels and spirituality lately and read a book about Angels by Sylvia Brown. It was fascinating and I think it's pretty interesting to me. I personally feel like I have NOT felt the power of my guardian angel. I don't know if I shut out the idea of it or haven't really come into harm's way, but as often as I feel a "6th sense" about someone, I really do not feel like I have someone leading me on my path towards what is right. Not sure if I'm not just open to the idea or if it's something else, but it would be exciting to have a sixth sense about a few things on my mind for the future. Actually, maybe it's my Spirit Guide that I need to connect with, the Guardian Angel has kept me safe whichever way I go. So, Guardian Angel and Spiritual Advisor or Guide, if you're around, you are welcome to come drop greetings my way on the next way to turn.

On a side note, I had a really rough day with work and with Jorge out of town I probably slip a bit more to the kids today than I need to. So I was talking and joking with the kids during brushing teeth and joked with Logan "Logan, if you see your Guardian Angel tonight, ask them what I should do about my job." and Logan said "Oh, that's easy, you should have no job. You should just play with your kids all the time. "

My bank account vetoes the idea but my heart is definitely on board with my sweet Logan. It's a good thing he has so many other adults that love him in the interim. You know, while Mommy still has a job.

A 50's kinda kid

2010-04-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought I'd had it with this generation and its commercials that seem to lure my children incessantly (I know because they come over and repeat them verbatim for me, just in case I missed them), the kids surprise me.

We had our first warm day. This weekend is the Easter Holiday weekend and the kids are completely and totally jazzed up for the candy and toys to come. They have spring fever, are on spring break and in general, are intense to the max.

So we got outside for two 80-degree days in a row! Logan had me laughing because he had this whole agenda of what he wanted to do. He wanted to rotate through all the toys in the garage and you could see his brain clicking a few more notches and he started asking for some random things. Like his baseball tee. Only he didn't use it as a tee, he started inventing. What could a 6 year old do with a tee? Well let me tell you, there is "Make it into a star wars blaster." And then there is "Sit on it and make it a rocket ship." oh, and then let's grab mom's sunscreen and drop it in the back of the rocket as "fuel." He had me cracking up with his intense missions so I had to snap some pics to remember this phase of my son's life. The inventor, the intensity, and the fact that this worn-out tee has been turned into new uses like they would have in the "Good old days" of past generations when children didn't own 1000 different toys all to play in their backyards.

How to get a child to morning kindergarten by 8:00.

2010-03-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

First, you must be a morning person by nature. Or else your child is doomed to be late at least a few times.

Then you must wake up quite a bit before all the rest of the members of your household, shower, dress, and do whatever it takes to gather all of your wits about you. On the days I skip this step, those are the days I'm running back into the house gathering up the 20 things we forgot.

You wake up your kindergartener who jumps out of bed and starts telling you the story of the dreams he had for the last 10 hours in detail.

Then you wake up your 4 year old who whines incessantly about everything for the next 3 hours because she is not a morning person. She will insist upon being carried down the stairs. With her big blanket. And her little one. And 3 stuffed animals. And oh no! We lost Polly Pocket's shoes- tragedy has struck. So you will now be digging around in a toddler bed in your work clothing working up a sweat before the day has begun.

Provide cups of milk and television refreshment.

Check the clock while you get yourself ready, the dog ready, the house ready, and breakfast ready for the kids and pack a lunch for myself.

7:15: hand your kindergartener breakfast. Put it on a kid's chair so he can eat on the family room floor in comfort and not spill.

7:18: run upstairs to grab clothing for both kids and at least 2 outfit selections for the fickle 4 year old.

7:20: show kids clothing. Give kindergartener breakfast #2 as the dog has eaten breakfast #1. Shove the dog outside and run upstairs to get another outfit as the kindergartener now only wears "skinny jeans and size 6 shirts."

7:22: Try to get the 4 year old dressed in vain. Plug ears to the drama that ensues. Threaten preschooler that she will stay at the house alone if she does not get dressed. Get 4-year-old dressed.

7:24: After third trip upstairs, and 4th trip up and down family rm. stairs, let dog back in, finish getting ready for work. Make sure all weather-appropriate outerwear is by the back door for 3 family member and the backpack is ready to go.

7:35: Tell kids to get coats and shoes on.
7:37: Tell kids to get coats and shoes on.
7:40: Tell kids to get coats and shoes on. Turn tv off. Listen to whining kids.
7:42: Tell kids to get coats and shoes on.

7:42 Blockade the couch so the dog doesn't sleep on and ruin the cushions all day long.

7:45: Tell kindergartener and preschooler to please hush for just a moment so mommy can think and make sure we have everything.Try to remember everything, listen to the kids freaking out about who is first and who gets to press the garage door opener. Sigh and be happy that you all made it out the door.

7:49: Get the kids out of the car. Do a daily check of "How many degrees is it today?" Remind kindergartener 4 times to grab his backpack. Take forever to walk to the school, and across the playground to the line. Listen to both kids complain if it's too hot, wet, stinky, snowy, cold, etc. End up carrying the preschooler half of the time. Smile knowingly at the other moms ushering their kindergarteners into school carrying their whining preschool girls. Another busy morning under your belt. Go to work. Go to bed. Start all over in the morning. Mornings were 10 times more difficult when the kids were babies, but some days it's the incessant banter that makes it feel more like climbing a mountain to get out the door.

Bilingual Dog?

2010-03-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

Me: (playing with the dog) "Abby, why are you licking your paw? Is is a worry spot? Are you worried about Jorge being gone. He's coming back, it's okay Abby."

(Sylvie looks concerned) Me: "It's okay Sylvie, I'm just telling Abby that daddy will come back in a happy voice because she doesn't speak english so she doesn't know when I'm telling you how many days til he gets back."

Logan: "Abby speaks spanish?"

The naming of a plush toy

2010-03-13T12:40:00.000-08:00

Conversation at the checkout line at IKEA. Both kids were purchasing a stuffed hampster

Logan:"Mine is named Hampster-y"
Sylvie:"Mine is named Hampster"
(2 minutes)
Sylvie:"Hampster-y is a girl."
Logan crying and whining
Me:"Sylvie, do you mean your hampster is a girl? Logan's can still be a boy?"
Sylvie: "I mean, mine isn't named Hampster-y anymore. I am naming him 'Uno.'"
Me: "That's such a fun name Sylvie."
Sylvie: "No, I am changing his name. His name is Yellow-y."
(5 minutes pass, we get in the car)
Me: "Sylvie, maybe your hampster fits inside the new i-carly purse from McDonalds"
Sylvie: "My hampster is a girl and her name is I-Carly. And she does NOT want to be inside my purse."

Update:
Logan:"Sylvie, get I-Carly off of Hampster-y's house."
Sylvie of course does not
Logan: "Grrr! I-Carly! You are in a time- out!"

Parti-Party

2010-03-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I forget. I forget that once Parti was pronounced "Par-Tea". Way back when, as in, my pre-kids life. As in, when there was no client and my brain was on fire trying to further my own ideas to the max. Back when I got less sleep than a new mom. Back when I met Jorge and our lives were ablaze with sheer determination, drive, and willingness to redo and redesign towards perfection. Where ink pens were refilled in expensive doses and models were constructed one small piece at a time, and I listened to cd's. On a "portable cd player" with huge headphones. All night long to meet that 8 am deadline.

A Parti or Parti pris ^[1] / from the French Prendre parti meaning " to make a decision " ^[2], often referred to as the big idea ^[3] , is the chief organizing thought or decision behind an Architect's design presented in the form of a basic diagram and / or a simple statement.

In school we did a few projects where we drew the floor plan emphasizing the main axis, the main ideas, the main gestures, with bolder lines. The diagram if you wish. But Parti sounded way cooler.

This week my friend is interviewing off in Seattle. I wish her luck. I saw the website for the firm she is interviewing and it brought back a flood of emotions. About what design was like in the great Pacific Northwest where you work hard to make your imprint on the earth small. . Where you color your house bright so it brings a smile to your face on even the dreariest of days. Reading the website reminded me of design in the school setting. About ideas and concepts, about parti's and perfection. Not that my current firm who does not strive for this, I guess in a way it's the nature of home additions and remodels. We work hard to fit into what is existing. And what is existing is suburban Chicago. And while plumbing fixtures bring their own sense of intrigue and satisfaction, there is no wow factor involved. Not to mention the day to day of correspondence, selections, permits, office politics. You know, the other side of what it takes to get something built.

I know there are a lot of unemployed architects right now. And more that are "settling" for projects and jobs. I guess I'm just not ready to drop the idealism that 7 years of college afforded me. After all, I'm still paying for school, why should that chapter be over? In a way I'm happy I haven't found that ideal job yet, it's a recession, the really amazing projects are only a glimmer in someone's eye. I'm just going to wait patiently until the economy turns for real, and I'll be the first in line ready and eager with my idealistic shoulders held high and my inspiration binder at my side.

A childcare center

A multi-family housing unit in Chicago's bulldozed Washington Park

An elevated train station. Wouldn't you like to start your morning commute with something fun and inspiring to look at?

A kiosk for information for architecture students.

A sculpture with one name "Contact" to be placed in a local body of water.

Small gestures sometimes can be wonderful moments of inspiration.

New Vocabulary words

2010-03-08T16:58:00.000-08:00

Sylvie learned a new vocabulary word which she shared with us this evening. "Brain."
Sylvie: "Knock knock."
Logan: "Who's there?"
Sylvie: "Brain."
Logan: "Brain who?"
Sylvie: "Aaah! My brain fell out of my head!"

Logan's new word involves a human body part and starts with a W and ends with an -einer. You can imagine the line of knock knock jokes that had to be stopped once that word got involved. Ah, parenhood, never a dull moment.

Logan's "First" Dinner

2010-03-07T07:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was one of those days where Logan just could not get enough food to stay satisfied. He wasn't eating too much all morning, just often. And then we got home and I made cornbread. I'm sure the yummy smell and long wait while it cooked aided in the hunger factor just a bit.

He's sitting eating hot dog (no bun) #2 and has already eaten a huge hunk of cornbread and he says:
"Mom, can this be my first dinner?" and I ask "What would you like for your second dinner?" He says "I need to think about it......" and then later he says "Mom! We forgot to eat lunch!" No Logan, you ate lunch, breakfast, 3 snacks, dinner and then a late evening snack- good grief!

Lunchtime Banter

2010-03-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

Ever one for attention Sylvie was chattering away about anything and everything.....

"Mom, if our ceiling had a hole in it, we would have air inside. And we could see the sky and the roof. And that would not be good."

"Mom there is this guy, and he's scary and he comes into our room and takes stuff. I had a dream about him and he came into your room and took your things mom!" She's been telling me some version of this story every few hours for days now. Turns out today, when we were in Trader Joe's and they were hanging shamrocks, and discussed St. Patrick's Day, we found the culprit. Apparently at preschool they have a song about a leprechaun and this has morphed into this dreadful little man who comes and moves our things about in her head. Needless to say, we won't be introducing leprechaun shenanigans into our home this year!

Giving Project

2010-03-04T14:50:00.000-08:00

This morning we had Amvets scheduled to come pick up some bags of donations. I warned the kids about an upcoming donation project and set them down with a few of the bags of toys that have been hiding in the basement since Christmas. I gave them each one brown bag and let them sort through the toys to decide what to give. I also got them to okay giving away a few larger toys. It was a great experience and they did really well with it.

Nickjr.com

2010-03-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

Thank you television for all of the hours of distraction and intrigue you provide my children. Thank you Kai-Lan for allowing Logan to think he is trilingual and speaks fluent Chinese. I hopped on their website for a simple and fun project. Sylvie made a Dora diorama and Logan made one for Kai-Lan. Here is Logan's. It was a lot of fun and required quite a bit of cutting. I was impressed that Sylvie did so well and it motivated Logan (who usually does not want to cut a lot of paper).

Impromptu Tent

2010-03-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

Sylvie has a bit of time with just mom on Fridays while Logan is in kindergarten. This past Friday she decided to make a tent and it was the topic of discussion and a welcome distraction for many hours. She decided how to build it, I just provided the manpower and tying skills.

Sylvie's Play Phone Conversation

2010-03-03T16:30:00.000-08:00

Overheard by my mom and scribbled on a post-it for posterity:
Sylvie speaking into a play phone (a one-sided pretend conversation)
"Hello?"
"Yes."
"No Way."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"No, No Way."
"I love you Logan. You're the best friend I have."
"What the heck?"
"You got all Princess Toys?"
"Thank you Logan! Thank you!"

So I'm guessing in Sylvie's imagination somehow Logan scored a bunch of girl toys and in his ever present generosity he is giving them all to Sylvie. I like how this girl thinks. Sylvie, dream up some new perfume for mommy will you? Mine is all gone.

Why Not?

2010-02-24T19:54:00.000-08:00

Logan has been really into Lego's lately. Like obsessively obsessing over when the next new lego will enter his life. As a mom I'm pretty stern with the word "No" and if I say no, I don't cave in. I've set limits like "Mom doesn't buy toys except from the dollar section at Target. And if you want something you see in the dollar section, awesome. If you don't like anything, you get nothing and let's move on with our day." I have been the mom of the 2,3,4, 5 and 6 year old dragging a screaming child from a store on a bad day wanting something, anything, I had already said no to. And I stick to it.

And yet, this little 6 year old has been on my case to get a lego. A new one. So I bought one. But I'm not his only target, he's been obsessing to everyone about the legos. So instead of just punishing this sensitive cheeky monkey, I'm attempting re-direction. Right now we're in the heart of Lent and heading towards Easter. It's not too far for a child to comprehend, so we're working on some Lenten projects to take his mind off the next lego and onto our new thing... "Giving Projects." I'm not even sure what we'll do but I know it'll be a good bonding time for all of us if we follow through.

Wish me luck!

Self Portrait

2010-02-21T11:20:00.001-08:00

Sylvie has been drawing a slew of these types of images. She says they are "Me as a jellyfish" and "Ariel as a jellyfish." We got a new book called 'Mermaid Sister' and the concept of a mermaid sister who likes jellyfish has sunk in apparently.

Independants

2010-02-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

Conversation overheard while driving....

"Maybe we could go to Disney again..."
"And when we go to Disney, can we ride the Pirates ride?"
"Yeah! Will you go with me?"
"Yeah, maybe we can go just you and me."
"All by ourselves?"
"Sure, I'm a big boy!"

The other day when Tio came walking in .....
Logan: "Hey Tio, Long time no see!"

The other day getting into the car
Sylvie: "This sure is a friggin' cold winter."
Hehehe. That took a bit of explaining that just because mommy says it every time we go out in the cold doesn't mean she should repeat what I say. Still darn funny. Not to mention true.

Overheard while I was unloading groceries:

Logan: "Sylvie, when you are bigger and you are Tiana (Frog Princess) when you grow up, then we can have our real wedding with flowers and music and a church." Sylvie: "For real?" Logan: "Yeah."

And did I mention Jorge is on his bazillionth trip to Vegas as Snowstorm #2 is about to drop 10 inches on us during the work week. Again!?! He's a better predictor of bad weather than the groundhog!

First Book "Read"

2010-02-20T05:34:00.000-08:00

My mom ordered some sight word books from Scholastic books. There are 2 sight words and you "read" a simple story. That kind of worked for attempt #1. But after that Logan decided to memorize the book and read it back to us over and over.

One side of me wants to correct him because he's doing it wrong and he's supposed to at least attempt to match up words on the page with words he says. But oh what the heck. Whatever, he's interested in reading and has now sat and "read" me his first memorized book. That's a huge accomplishment in itself. Yeah for Logan!

And Yeah for Sylvie because darn if she didn't take her turn next and read the entire darn book just as well as Logan with appropriate page turns and everything. Cheeky Monkey:)

I love these kids. At whatever pace they run, they keep moving forward and surprising me at every turn.

Sweet Nothings.....

2010-02-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

Logan: "Sylvie, how much do you love me?"

Sylvie: "I love you to Disney World and to the moon and back to our house."

Sunday Morning Architecture

2010-01-31T07:25:00.000-08:00

Logan was Mr. Inspired this morning and we all made a mess of the kitchen creating architecture. Logan decided we have 3 architects because Sylvie scribbles and architects don't scribble. Then Sylvie surprised him by drawing real window shapes on her creation and Logan officially inducted her into the family of architects. First he made a "Blueprint" where he drew an elevation of what he wanted to build. Then he cut up the Blueprint and made a "Model" (the one with the frog in it). Then he built the real thing. What a smart little boy! Sylvie wanted a house for Snow White so I folded and she windowed and we made a little home.

Addition, Not Subtraction

2010-01-29T18:29:00.000-08:00

Logan has been into the idea of math. So I have been writing equations for him most mornings, he gets all excited. I think he understands the concept as well. I'm pretty into taking things a step further and trying something new, and I always have to remember to ask him first. This is the boy who took a whole year writing his name with the lightest pencil weight barely visible until he felt like he had mastered his name, and then we could move onto new letters and words.

So anyway, after I wrote an addition equation for him, he handed me the paper and asked me to write another. I wrote a subtraction equation for him and he was very upset. First he thought I messed up, which is really good that he knew I had written the wrong answer! Then I showed him with my fingers about subtraction, and he totally understood what I was saying and kind of gulped and sulked and thought on it.

Then I got a nice lecture on how this was unacceptable and all equations should be addition today. So I erased the answer, made the subtraction symbol an addition symbol and revised the result. What a kid. He's got his own way of thinking, doing and understanding. I can't wait to see how he does through school.

And speaking of school he's doing well! He's starting to get his sight words and patterning under his belt and doing well with capital letters. He needs a bit of extra help with lower case letters and recognizing some of the larger numbers in written form. His social and motor skills are all excellent:)

Logan's Soul

2010-01-26T16:50:00.001-08:00

is so sweet. And my mom and I were discussing that I needed to write this down for posterity. Right now, at age 6, the absolute worst thing that can happen in Logan's world is for his sister to cry and be really upset. 90% of the time he ends up giving her something she has coveted all day and then goes off to corner to mourn whatever he gave away.

This little boy has to be living a second life, his soul is so sweet and he feels like he has the wisdom of 1000 years. Such a sweet, sweet boy.

Grocery Lists

2010-01-26T16:45:00.000-08:00

Mom's Grocery List
milk
butter
sugar
cereal
oatmeal
(+50 additional foods)

Logan's Grocery List
(that he asked me to make)
uvas/grapes
bananas
apples
(What can I say, the boy is a health nut at times!)

Sylvie's Grocery List
(that she asked me to make)
chocolate chips
cookies

Oh wait. Logan just came over and asked me to add something to his list.
"Something from the Dollar Store."
Gotta love it. Logan may eat healthy but he is my toy-aholic. Sylvie may eat junk, but she does not ask for toys as often. No, when she wants toys, she throws herself to the floor and screams like a banshee.

'Princess milk' explained by a princess

2010-01-21T16:32:00.000-08:00

'Princess Milk' from my explanation. Sylvie had a weird lactose intolerance where she handled cheese, dairy and milk-based formula but had a hard time with rashes and spitting up when it came to milk. So she stayed with Enfamil for older kids for awhile. She clung to drinking it from a bottle, so it took awhile until she would willingly switch to milk (didn't like the taste after her tummy was ok with it) and it took awhile until she was ready to give up the bottles.

So one day in Target I made a deal with her. I would mail the bottles to the babies and she could get 4 new Princess sippy cups. Deal made. From then on, all milk became known as "Princess Milk" when it was served in a princess sippy cup.

Nowadays we differentiate between princess milk (white) and chocolate milk. Logan calls it princess milk in front of Sylvie, but he knows it is white milk and was giving her a hard time about calling it princess milk at dinner.

So Sylvie decided to explain. "I know it's not really a princess milk. It's white milk. But it's a special white juice made just for princesses. That's why I call it 'Princess Milk.'"

Works for me!

Day 7- The last full day

2010-01-18T17:38:00.000-08:00

We split up again and Jorge, Logan, Sylvie and I went off to the Magic Kingdom. We got to enjoy the “It’s a Small World” ride, get one last souvenier for each kid (they LOVE the toy stores, go figure!) and a last mid-morning ice cream snack (luxury!). It was overcast and windy but we were able to get a fastpass and enjoy the Buzz Lightyear ride. I defeated Zorg mid-ride with a top score of 999999, it was pretty exciting!!!!

We headed over to Epcot for a lunch at a french restaurant. It was divine!!!! It was my favorite meal by far! They have a little animated “Ratatouille” that comes to your table and he came to speak with us, which was so much fun. He was really cute! French bread, salad, wine, red pepper sauce vegetable lasagna, and chocolate gateau. I don’t ever want to eat again because it won’t live up to that meal! Divine.

We walked around Epcot ...again...and still found things we had not seen previously. Saw the Canada and China movies and saw the Moroccan dancers again. Enjoyed the night life in Epcot for a bit before racing over to the Polynesian for dinner at 9. Er, wait, the dinner is at 8, eek! We made it in time and the luau was fabulous. The fire-dance was just surreal and both kids fell asleep dreaming of dancing I’m sure. It was the perfect last night to the vacation. Complete with a downpour. Luckily Lilia had bought ponchos for us all, and with the umbrella we brought, we stayed mostly dry. Mostly. The kids were exhausted and happy.

What a fantastic vacation we all had, and we’re kind of ready to get back to real life. Kind of:)

Day 6- A little of this, a little of that

2010-01-18T17:31:00.000-08:00

We had a relaxing family morning. Sylvie doesn’t do well with “hanging out” with no direction, so she was acting out a bit, but she and Logan did play on the balcony. How are we going to survive in Chicago without all of this outdoor time each day? I will certainly miss it. The kids have seen us snapping pictures so often they have a new game, pretending to take pictures and showing us the photos. I think Hollywood Studios rubbed off on Logan, he has been creating whole videos with long storylines on his fake phone.

Jorge, Logan, Sylvie and I went to Epcot. We headed over to a show, waited in line, only to be told there were technical difficulties and turn around and head out the door please. Again? Ugh. We went on the boat ride and saw the unique gardens and fish ponds. It was a really informative and inspiring ride and I definitely wanted to do more research. The kids were fascinated, which is always a good thing. They were upset about who got to sit with daddy on the main Space ride in the Epcot ball, so we went twice. I loved going on the ride with Logan because my focus was on listening rather than convincing Sylvie not to be afraid. And then when I went on with her again, I got to whisper some kid-friendly explanations instead of remind her that the people were fake. The ride focuses on communication throughout history and it really struck a chord. We are in our time one piece of a long line of history, and inventors and entrepreneurs throughout time have pushed the limits of their current realities to bring us to a new place in time. I don’t personally feel like an enormous inventor type, but I love the idea that the world is always changing and our experiences in it are varied through time as well.

We hit a few fun activities- a fire safety game, a piggybank savings game and a videogame starring our family.

We met up with the rest of the crew in Epcot later on in the day and shared one last taste of french pastry. We all headed over to Downtown Disney by bus to enjoy dinner.

Downtown Disney in Florida was 180 degrees different than the one in California. To me, the one in California looked like the suburban oversized impressive meccas that we come across in Chicago-land. Vast storefronts and huge signage, each building taking 10 minutes to walk past. Here in Florida they accomplished a small-town feel with each storefront leading to a massive store beyond. The fact that it all sits around a bay/lake/water inlet of sorts is really nice. I really wanted to sit and have a drink under an umbrella and stare at the water and pretend I was in Seattle again.

But alas I found my Sylvie who was now having to go to the bathroom and low on blood sugar and ensconced in the largest Disney Store one could imagine. She found the hugest darn toy they sell, a castle, in a box the size of a small child, and lay her little body over that thing claiming it as her own. Demanding it come home with us. I’m not even sure how much it cost, but no explanation about it not fitting on the plane ride home would suffice. To add insult to injury, they actually sold some large duffel bag suitcases on the shelf above these monstrosities. Apparently we were not the first family traveling with a child who needed this castle. Others dished out the cash and brought them home. I stood my ground, and when the screaming decibel level reached glass-breaking levels, I carried a screaming Sylvie out of the store, pushing the double-stroller and picking up sippy cups as they fell out behind us.

Ah, outside at last. After a bit of craziness, Sylvie decided she wanted pictures with a Cinderella statue and a Sleeping Beauty Statue and some lego puppies. Then she stood up amidst the lego people and whacked her head on the lego lady’s arm. And off she went, wailing and carrying on. At least Logan was content on his lego decisions and we could head over to Wolfgang Puck for dinner.

Wolfgang Puck was quite a hike but Jorge and I enjoyed the architecture and others enjoyed the shopping. We get there and our dinner club cards only worked for the cafe and we had been looking forward to a sit-down dinner, ugh. So we hauled everyone to the bus waiting area, waited forever and a day, took a bus to Tennessee and back (at least it felt that way) and reached our destination. Only a 45 minute wait put us as eating super late again. Paco rented a bicycle to kill time and everyone rode on it, it was so cute! Food was okay and service was slow, it was way past my bedtime by the time we got back. Logan is still lego-obsessed and staying awake on sheer lego-determination. Tomorrow is the last real day of theme parks and while I’m done with the intensity of it all, I cannot resist one last go-around:)

Day 5- The sun came out!

2010-01-18T17:23:00.000-08:00

Yeah for a warmer day and sunshine! Hollywood Studios here we come! Along with every other tourist in the state of Florida. Suddenly we found all fast-passes out, enormous lines, and crowds so thick I considered labeling Sylvie with my cell phone number in case she got lost!

We waited in line for the Mermaid show, were in the small holding area for 20 minutes when they announced there were technical difficulties and please leave. So we left and I found out later they immediately let a whole new crowd in. Really?!? Anyway, disappointed Sylvie was no easy task. Even worse was frustrated pouty Logan who wanted a toy back at the hotel but his request was denied. Hoping to perk everyone back up, we headed towards the Toy Story show. That was a joke, the lines were 70 minutes or more.

During the day we did actually go to the Star Wars show, well, actually Sylvie and I had to skip through the ride for an emergency bathroom pitstop. But we did see the “How to be a Jedi Knight” live show and that was a lot of fun. We did make it to the Mermaid show eventually and Sylvie is forever happier for it. I recorded bits of it and I think Jorge recorded the whole thing. We waited in line for the Backstage Tour ride forever only to hear those dreaded words once again “Technical difficulties.”

After the impatient, unproductive waiting, we brought the kids to the Honey I shrunk the Kids playground which was exactly what they needed. They had fun in one small part climbing, pretending, and just being kids. Sylvie wanted a picture atop an ant, and shouted “WAIT, I need my lipstick first.” Never a dull moment around this munchkin. On a Sylvie update note, she still doesn’t want to stop to use the restroom, but she has gone from sheer terror at the idea of a public restroom with a door to going into and locking herself into her own stall alone. Huge strides!

Lunch was a buffet, not my favorite meal, but Paco fell in love with a salad they had. The funniest moment was when a little boy from the next table came over and asked “Are you Paco?” “Were you at Hoop-de-Do last night?” It was durn hilarious. He has a following in Florida! After dinner were were in time for a street performer, 3 guys doing a “Water Check” that had Logan in stitches. I think all the street performances have been his favorite so far! If you ask him, he talks about toys he got. And talking with Crush the Nemo Turtle. Duuuude. Sylvie takes all the things she has been most afraid of and tells you those are her favorite. Too funny!

We caught the Beauty and the Beast live show and I think I enjoyed it more than anyone else. I love the colors, costumes, and music. Plus, I’ve always been a fan of the movie. We rushed over to Fantasmic and lucked into a few seats. The show was amazing, how they throw fire on the water around here I will not know, but it sure is impressive! I cannot believe we’ve caught so many great evening shows!

The rest of the crew wanted to continue out to a late dinner, so I stuck around with the kids and we had a pajama party in the room instead. Sounds like they had a great time and some good seafood at the Boardwalk- yum! Coupled with a lot of bus riding- ugh.

Day 4- Magic Kingdom Round 2

2010-01-18T17:11:00.000-08:00

What can I say, Disney World in all of its glory is fantastic. We hit most of the major rides and attractions. Which is a bit accomplishment with a group of 8! Some of the highlights include....

*Sylvie met the real Ariel. We happened upon the line to meet her and geared up with cameras and backup because Sylvie has decided she is brave enough for scary rides but not brave enough to meet the characters. We both sat alongside Ariel as she discussed very important things like how long Sylvie has had her fins and how to avoid the Sea Witch. Sylvie’s life’s dreams are now complete:)

*Breakfast with the characters. We came away with full bellies, a group photos with all of us having eyes wide open, and a whole bunch of pictures with the characters. I love that they are not huge beings, the characters are very sweet, funny and loveable. Logan really enjoyed getting autographs.

*Sylvie’s first roller coaster. I think it was called the “Barn-twister” or something. The boys dragged Logan on. He was quite upset and really did not enjoy it. Sylvie decided, a bit later, that yes, we must go on the roller coaster. So we did. And she freaked out a bit after that first drop. And when we got off she told me “I only closed my eyes to watch the movies behind my eyes for a bit” and “I like roller coasters, but I do not want to ever go on them again.”

*The fireworks show. How could you not love it, it’s fantastic every time and the music moves everyone. Sylvie was so sweet, she saw Tinkerbell and held her flashing, glowing Tinkerbell toy up as high as she could, like a beacon for Tink to look down upon and know that she, a princess herself, was here watching. Logan found a Mickey Mouse Light Saber and thoroughly enjoyed all of his new toys that Daddy is now playing with alongside him.

Day 3- Carpe Diem

2010-01-18T17:00:00.000-08:00

As a mom, I’m one who thinks it might be a good idea to give the kids down-time at the hotel or some naptime if they so choose. But I didn’t make these vacation plans, and honestly, the kids are troopers- they are adjusting well to our breakneck speed adventure.

Day 3 began at Animal Kingdom (without poor Jorge!). The Tree of Life is gorgeous, and we all got stinky and wet at the Bug’s Life adventure. We hit the dinosaur roller coasters and the kids wanted to go on twice. The best thing was Sylvie’s sweet demeaner has returned. Despite the longer days, she really was acting out because of the changes, the transition, the triple sets of parents. Day 3 she was attached to Reena and sweetly reminded me first thing in the morning about the promise I made during the temper tantrum she had the day before. If she still wanted that puppy like Logan had the next morning, we would get one. So we did and Pluto and Camila/Rosco (who changed names through the day) joined the family.

The safari was awesome and we saw a ton of animals. Logan and Sylvie took pictures on their pretend cameras. The park closes at 5 so we “seized the day” and used our ability to “park-hop” by returning to Epcot for the evening. I enjoyed sniffing perfumes in Paris and Josemanuel directed us to one of the longest lines in the park, the one coming out of the French Bakery. Sylvie picked her own treat- a chocolate eclair. There was no mistaking the sheer delight when she proclaimed it “Oh, yummy!” For the next two hours or so, while Logan napped in the stroller Miss Sylvie was our evening entertainment. She danced her heart out near the Moroccan entertainers, ran around and around and around, and was so funny. Call it a chocolate high or just being happy to have all of our attention, it was something to remember with a smile:)

So just when the day could have ended over-full and happy, we journeyed on by boat over to a show called “Hoop-de-Doo.” Arrive at 9, wait in the cold until 9:30. Without blankets we made do. The alcohol was part of the package and the kids liked the cornbread, so all was good by 10:00 pm. The show was great, Logan said it was his favorite part of the vacation so far. But nothing beat when they started including Paco into the act. Paco in his typical hilarity was making faces and building a fan club. Throughout the night they kept referring back to him and he fit the part well. By the end, honest to goodness, the whole audience was cheering “Paco, Paco....” and taking photos with him. Oh. My. God. I turned red and flush when they arrived at our table, and when we arrived back at our room around 11:30, I was still flush with laughter, happiness and of course a bit of embarrassment! What an end to a crazy day. And to think if I had planned it, Logan never would have experienced his “Favorite part” of the trip.

Day 2- The one that ended with a Bang!

2010-01-18T16:39:00.000-08:00

Day two started with a sweet little “exploring adventure” with Logan. We explored the hotel and found a new stuffed animal friend- his first Webkinz. We met up with everyone and immediately Sylvie wanted her own stuffie, so we went and she picked out a unicorn and cut the tags off. Ten minutes later, Sylvie was face down on the floor screaming about wanting the same stuffed animal Logan had. After those 10 stressful minutes were over, promises and threats were made, we all headed out to Epcot.

My favorite part of Epcot was around mid-afternoon, in a sunny Italian “piazza” sipping a glass of wine and the kids were watching an entertainer. I don’t remember liking Epcot all that much when I was young, but I think as we get older, the idea of being in a place like Italy that you may not truly experience in your adult life is more appealing. Lunch was a great tepan dining show- fun! At one point Jorge and Logan went into a line to get pictures and autographs with all the characters. Logan loved the autographs, and Sylvie liked drawing her own pictures in her autograph book.

We went to a special late-night dinner show on the property. It was part stand-up comedian, part dancing with Minnie Mouse and Goofy. Logan was cutting a rug, doing the robot dance and happily participated in the storytelling on stage. Sylvie held back, wanting to be part of it, but afraid of the chaos, people and characters. When dinner was over and the music was on, both kids were running a amok alongside other kids dancing their hearts out, and Sylvie was happy as a clam.

The Illumination show was amazing. My favorite was the fireballs that jumped on the water. After that, nothing could compare. I have to hand it to Walt Disney, he may not have designed the Epcot show, but he sure set up the tone, level of perfection, and beyond typical standards that you find everywhere.

Back in the room, all happily asleep, we had our second set of fireworks from poor sick Jorge. We’ll see what is in store and if it’s a food-related thing or a virus we’ll all be getting. But for now, I sure did use my share of hand sanitizer on any surface he may have touched in the room!

Day One- Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and a Boat!

2010-01-17T20:21:00.000-08:00

Day One- Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and a Boat!

The day started at 4:30 with the alarm ringing and the scramble to get up and out. I dressed, woke Logan and he was even groggy. Sylvie wanted to sleep in a nightgown so I was trying to dress her through screaming and fighting, and then- wham, she actually processed that today. was. the. day. The day her dreams would come. true. And she was much more helpful after that!

Around 5 am we were heading to the long-term parking lot at the airport. Picking a spot not too snow-entrenched, we unloaded and quickly realized that -1 degree feels really really cold when you’re barely awake! We RAN to the train. Did I mention we were dressed for Florida in fleece and no gloves? A half mile away, we got inside with teeth frozen, hands quivering from cold exposure, and ready for round 2. The train.

And then there were the highlights from the airplane. Security double-checks, a lovely glass of o.j. graced my lap and Sylvie refused to enter the airplane restroom. She has a newly well-timed, well-developed fear. Of restrooms. Did I mention we’ll be gone from home for a week? And the best part was when I heard the pilot mention “It is now 38 degrees in Orlando.” Wait, what?!? Logan said “Why is the weatherman so wrong?”

On to another monorail to get to the shuttles. On to a motorcoach to get to the hotel. By then everyone was done sitting in moving vehicles but we needed to charge on. There was a serious mission to be accomplished. Operation Princess Lunch needed to be attended and time was tight.

After a stop at the hotel, a run up to the room to drop off anything we didn’t want and pick up the tickets, we hopped back onto a boat and headed to the theme park. Oh. My. Goodness. I don’t think -1 Chicago degree had anything on 38 Florida degrees in a boat wearing fleece with massive winds on a boat in the middle of a lake.

We’re here! DisneyWorld! The Land of Happiness! Except your disney card is being denied, someone or something screwed up, so you are destined to the land of “Guest Relations.” Still trying to get to the Princess Mecca in time for our reservation, Josemanuel, Reena, and I (who had working tickets) RAN. It felt like the Amazing Race, out of breath, dodging balloons and people, and pumped on adrenaline and no sleep, we made it to the castle! They giggled at our effort and promised we could have lunch, and did the birthday girl want a chocolate cake and a happy birthday song? Oh, yes she DOES.

Insert sappy tears here while we all watched Sylvie meet her idols, the Disney Princesses. We all agreed Snow White was most in character, her voice, her mannerisms, and her aura were pure Snow White. I think I was 4 again for an hour or so. Sylvie was her typical reserved, shy scared exterior, but you could tell she was jumping for joy inside. She had her own set of paparazzi as we all took a million pictures. She even took a quick break in the princess loo. After 2 times of thinking about it, but thank goodness.

Then it hit us. We’re in Disney and it’s still 38 degrees. So we stocked up on fleece blankets and mittens and extra layers. First stop, Swiss Family Robinson, Pirates of the Caribbean (Sylvie decided she likes pirates, but not those pirates, Logan cheered when we went down the drop-off). A typical disney day with a few rides and a the castle at the end of the day was absolutely stunning sheathed in lights and color.

We ate too much for dinner, and both kids fell asleep at the table, and we’re ready for Day 2!

Life + Snow

2010-01-08T08:05:00.000-08:00

Just taking a moment to document how much more intense life gets when you throw in some snow!!!! Some of the things we've dealt with over the years.

*Wake up to the furnace not working- eeeek! Luckily we got it fixed.

*Our radiant floor in the family room works on a boiler, whose pilot light is finicky. To fix it, you need to squeeze into a spot on the floor in the basement. Lay down on concrete. Grab a candle lighter. Turn a knob, get the gas to build up and come at the pilot with a flame lit. Turn the knob and hope it stays. Then jump up because once it catches, it kind of attacks with blue flame and you better not be too close! Repeat every few days.

*Getting to the stores isn't as easy. Lots of snow, slush, a detached garage means bringing bags back and forth in your boots, setting them inside the door, and yelling at the dog to get her nose out of them.

*And then there's the alley, which is gravel and not plowed. And all the intersections where cars get stuck. And the second car of ours that is not as good in deep snow as the SUV.

*Walking Logan into kindergarten means parking, walking about a block through an unplowed playground, and for some reason it's a wind tunnel. Twice Sylvie has had a meltdown crying about her fingers being frozen. Today we bought heavier gloves for her finally.

Seems like everything about winter takes longer, is more difficult and more intense. Between intensely cold days you don't want to leave the house to waking up at the crack of dawn to shovel, it's a lot of work! So when we hear snow is coming, the kids get all excited, and I just want to hybernate!

My Baby Girl is turning "4" !!!!!!!!

2010-01-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

She was originally due to arrive on Christmas day. Even being born January 6, I was a bit concerned that her birthday might get shoved to the side so close to all the holiday hooplah. I don't know what I was worried about. We have found reason to celebrate each year of this little girl's life with gusto. This year we survived more stages, heard precious stories, and watched her pictures are becoming so detailed and even a few first stories to go along with them.

At age 4 our Sylvie Alecia is quite the little lady, loving anything girly and quick to claim anything her brother loves for her own. She is creative, imaginative, spunky and bright. She has her own light and our little "Chivilina" as we call her makes our days full and funny and fantastic. She is learning ballet and fiercely practices her athletic moves at "My Gym" until she masters them. She can bend her legs more than I could ever hope to! She's in preschool and making new friends.

I love you little Sylvie, you have "a way about you" (in Billy Joel's words) that we could see from when you were little and I love it. Thank you for being my daughter, my confidante, my shadow while I do all things girly, my extra pillow in cold nights and for all the spontaneous hugs and "I love you's" that come from nowhere. Can I put them in a box and take them out for later as needed?

Kisses and Hugs,
Mommy

She's got a way about her
I don't know what it is
But I know that I can't live without her

She's got a way of pleasin'
I don't know why it is
But there doesn't have to be a reason
Anyway

She's got a smile that heals me
I don't know what it is
But I have to laugh when she reveals me

She's got a way of talkin'
I don't know what it is
But it lifts me up when we are walkin'
Anywhere

She comes to me when I'm feelin' down
Inspires me without a sound
She touches me and I get turned around

She's got a way of showin'
How I make her feel
And I find the strength to keep on goin'

She's got a light around her
And everywhere she goes
A million dreams of love surround her
Everywhere

She comes to me when I'm feelin' down
Inspires me without a sound
She touches me and I get turned around

She's got a smile that heals me
I don't know what it is
But I have to laugh when she reveals me

She's got a way about her
I don't know what it is
But I know that I can't live without her
Anyway

Thyroid Stuff

2009-12-22T16:42:00.000-08:00

About 18 months ago I got sick of being depressed and annoyed and angry and depressed and overweight and thought "gee, maybe there is an actual medical reason I'm so off." So I started googling and found this extended list of thyroid symptoms and it fit me, all the way down to being cold all the time, losing hair, and well, just everything. As in, symptoms I've experienced my whole life. So I called, made an appointment at 3 different places to get my bloodwork done and followed through with my OB as they were the shortest lead time. FYI - for some reason the Chicago area has the looooongest lead time to speak to anyone but a doc-in-the-box.

Anyway, my OB, love him, he says "wow, you DO have an issue." What I love is that he actually followed the current "guidelines" for thyroid issues. So I made an appt. with an endocrinologist and 3 months later, got some medication. It helped! For a few months. Then I made a new appt. and waited longer and she bumped it up a tiny bit. So nowadays I'm getting that same ol' lovely "your thyroid is outta whack" feeling and I called to make an appt. at the end of January. Fantastic.

So in the meantime I want to tear my hair out, quit my job, hide out with my children and never face humanity again. Someday when my thyroid is removed or my meds are more regulated, I want to be able to look back and remember just how crazy I felt so often. Maybe it's my sensitive nature, maybe it's my charisma, but I am so itchy to do something different and new and well, not live the days that I am living right now. I am curious how much will change when I change my job.

Today I talked to my co-worker as the office was empty, and we both talked about how we hated working there. Good grief, they could lose their entire architectural department if they aren't careful to maybe perhaps become a better office. I've been miserable every single workday and I'm even having panic attacks on certain days. Ugh. So, finally, this Monday there were a few funny things that happened and brightened my mood. Of course, it involved another co-worker driving one of my least favorite comrades nutsy, but hey, take the humor where you can get it right? Today at the end of the day, after said comrade dealt with Mr. Coworker, I found out he has been re-relegated to another cubicle. By me. That's a good thing because he makes me laugh and the other lady drives me crazy. Gotta take some smiles where we can get them until this "Great Recession" really and truly lifts eh?

A-Maze-ing

2009-12-10T14:54:00.000-08:00

I got this idea from

http://ittybittylove.blogspot.com/

We don't have long pretty red blocks, but we do have a mishmash and it was enough to make a maze. I helped guide the kids on when to turn directions on the blocks, but they did well! Logan usually has a lot of patience for building things, but today Sylvie was really into this activity. She loved the addition of the bell at the end of the maze. Logan enjoyed doing the maze walking silly, acting like a chicken, etc. After the maze, it was fun building castles and fortresses for our favorite characters.

Countdown to Christmas

2009-12-06T16:38:00.000-08:00

We've had sort of a non-traditional month. We had a double Thanksgiving, one at my mom's house with lots of not-often-seen relatives, and over to the in-laws to a meal they made (which tasted divine, we usually go out with his family). Plus a new addition- Joe's fiance- was so exciting! Of course we've met Emily before, but knowing there will be a wedding in the summer was extra fun. Jorge and I experienced Black Friday in all its sleepless glory when the kids slept over at the in-laws. Toys R Us at Midnight threatened to be a mob scene in the frigid cold, but the security guard and police presence seemed to nip that in the bud. We opted to go home and sleep as it seemed they were letting 10 people at a time inside the store. Woke early and got some great deals. When you're being careful about money there is something thrilling and overwhelming about going "shopping" for good deals and buying a lot!

I waited too long to find an advent calendar and decided that the kids just needed a countdown and chocolate, so I improvised. I think it's kinda fun! And I made sure to get extra candy so these don't disappear before they are supposed to.

We didn't want a big ol' tree this year. We're heading on a trip this January and the trees around here have gone up in price, and we just rearranged the house for new flooring and did not feel like doing it again for a tree. So we welcomed to the family a tiny tree. We love it! The kids love it. Logan thought it would keep growing if we kept adding water, so I hated to crush his hopes of this new live tree we brought home, but I promised we could do some planting in the spring.

We went out with some friends last night downtown, I love seeing the city in the cool crisp winter in all it's holiday glory. Such a great reminder of why we love being a part of "Chicago." We had to walk a ways from the parking garage and haul kids, toys and food, but we all survived and had a great time. It's funny how holidays are so much about family, and I wouldn't have it any other way, but this was a fun holiday celebration the way WE would plan it.

Today we did the Polar Express train and went to pick up Santa, and bring him back with us. It was cute! Sylvie was very uncertain, and then when she realized what was going on, she got all happy and excited:)

Paper Dolls

2009-12-04T11:49:00.000-08:00

I love the internet and its plethora of free things to download and cut out.

Gotta Love those Dreams!

2009-12-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

Last night was super-intense. I got a chance to see some old friends from Seattle (and some local) but it brought back so many emotions, memories, and thoughts. At the end of the night we were discussing living a more urban lifestyle and so when I finally went to bed, those thoughts were fresh on my mind.

I dreamt we lived in the city and we had just moved. One of the annoyances with our current life is dealing with the drop-offs at various places. So in my dream of course this was resolved! We were all in the car and miraculously I was able to drop everyone off at one corner and they dispersed into their separate directions and we were commenting on how much easier it was! Hilarious.

Then I was driving my SUV and somehow it miraculously parked for free and I found myself walking into a subway tunnel (aka my memories of subway stations in New York) and I rode the train to work (I actually currently work in the suburbs, not the city). So I'm at the next subway station and I am looking at this modern sculpture and there are kids sliding down these metal bars that come to a point (no guard rail) and then drop about 15 feet to the floor below. I was suddenly frantic about someone pushing ME down the sculpture and angry at the parents that didn't seem to notice the major safety hazard. Then I walked upstairs into a grungy stairwell and into my office.

I am usually prone to premonition dreams, I definitely knew the gender of each of my children very early on. And I knew I was pregnant with Sylvie before the tests read "yes." But it would be pretty darn crazy if we did overhaul our lives to fit this dream. Especially if my car could park itself, that would be awesome. I'll keep you posted if this occurs anytime soon:)

Home Sweet Home

2009-11-24T16:52:00.000-08:00

I'm getting really attached to our home! We moved in 5 years ago and it's by far the longest we've stayed put in one home in our 12 years of marriage! The last time I lived in a home for so long, I was in High School. The other day Logan said:
"Mom, do you know where I'm going to live when I grow up?" "Where?" "Here in this house. With you." Ah, the optimism and idealism of a little boy who loves his mommy:)

But it also makes me think about having to leave here someday or hand the home over to someone else would be a sad day. We've left our mark. I have tick-marks up the closet door jambs marking Logan's growth from 17 months to 6 years. And Sylvie from age 2 to almost 4.

The person we bought the house from lived her for a few decades and put the addition on it. She had 2 boys and cut a door into the "nursery" and closed it back in when it wasn't needed. Her husband had a workbench all organized with tools, pegs and rows of containers with different nails and screws taped on for identification. They left the tool bench. They left the addition. They left the old appliances and the new ones. We have made our mark as well. We've added a pretty paver patio. Painted and changed out flooring. Knocked apart a countertop in the kitchen to fit a big family sized fridge there. Had a dead tree removed and added plants.

I like to think that someday when we leave here we'll leave a cd or data of some sort with a history of the house, then and now. It fascinates me that a place can be so solid and so fluid at the same time.

Oooh the itch....

2009-11-11T16:12:00.000-08:00

You know the one where you want to turn your life upside down, shake it around a bit and start anew? I do love our house and our neighborhood and our schools. But the job, my appearance, the routine with the kids, the daycare situation and the stress, well, I could be happy messing around with all of those for sure!

Job- ugh I'm so ready for something different! I just wade through work telling myself "Just hold out til after the new year and our planned vacation and maybe in the new year the economy will pick up." And some weeks at work are okay and others, well, let's just say I am SO happy to have survived. I know all jobs have their ups and downs, and working is never as fun as being home:) But would it be bad if I started a countdown til I could send some resumes in the mail?

My appearance, well, I'm getting older, I need to lose weight, get a good haircut, and better fitting clothing would help. This week my favorite shoes broke and I have had to compensate with some flats I dont' love because then I have to roll my pants up which is way out of fashion. So hopefully this weekend I can find some new ones!

Daycare- it just seems so jumbled and some things have happened this week that make me want to scoop the kids up and never let them out the door with anyone else but me and Jorge. I don't like giving up control, and I've come a LONG way to trusting others with our kids and letting them do things their own way. I hate when things get messed up in that department.

And I could use my husband back. He's been gone alot traveling. And we've survived! But his deadline is not over so he's been a maniac running around trying to get things done and it'll take a day til he gets his head screwed back on. I'll be waiting:)