Posts by Misty
Posted by Misty on May 2nd, 2008 at 10:36 AM
Summer shouldn’t need a schedule. It should be days of waking up and deciding if we’re going to get motivated enough to go to the pool or just play in the water sprinkler in the yard.
It should not require a shared Google calendar to pull off. And yet for the second time in about three weeks, Stephen and I have had our wires so crossed that we didn’t know what we were doing.
So now our family has a giant Google calendar. Everyone has their own color and every event is now being meticulously added for the greater good. Greater good in this case is marital harmony.
May is full of family visits to celebrate Liza’s birthday. June is full of Eli’s camps. He’s taking swimming lessons for two weeks and then going to soccer camp for a week. July is shaping up to be our trip to Japan. August will bring the school schedule with it.
I’m already exhausted and school isn’t even out for summer yet. But better this schedule than the one from last year! This time last year I was beginning my two weeks of off and on labor before Liza’s birth. Let’s just say I’m looking forward to the 20 hours of flying to Japan way more than the 20+ hours of labor.
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Posted by Misty on April 30th, 2008 at 1:55 PM
This morning as I was showering I was thinking of this website and feeling the pressure of not having made a post in a couple of days. I wondered what to write about and decided to see where the day would take me.
Eli had a dental checkup this morning and all went well except the dentist insists that Eli now give up his pacifier. He started to whinge about it before we even got to the car. I struck a deal with him. If he could do without the binky and the bulk of the moaning about the binky for a whole week, then next Wednesday we’d go to the Pizza Rat, a.k.a. Chuck E. Cheese’s, for lunch. He agreed to it and was unusually silent during the ride towards home. I asked him a couple of times what he was thinking and he said he was thinking about going to Chuck’s.
About 3 blocks from home he started coughing. I asked if he was ok and I passed him a napkin just in time for him to throw up all over the napkin, himself, the car seat and the backseat.
I don’t know if you missed the post from this weekend but I’ve already had my quota of vomit for a while. Also, Stephen and I struck a deal back four years ago when I was pregnant that he would deal with the vomit and I would deal with the blood. Yeah, so far that deal has not worked out in any shape or form.
I’d just like to let the universe, and you guys, in on a little secret: I hate vomit. I hate to do it myself, I hate to smell other people’s and I most especially hate to clean it up. Even more so when it’s to clean it out of the car seat, the crack of the backseat, and the seatbelt.
I suppose I should be thankful that I’ve had to deal with more vomit than blood but is it too much to ask to not have to deal with either one?
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Posted by Misty on April 25th, 2008 at 7:30 PM
I used to stand in the ticket counter line and wonder why people weren’t showing up to get on their flight. What causes people to not go on their trips they’ve planned for months? A death in the family, surely. An emergency root canal, maybe. The nastiest stomach bug I’ve ever had, yes, yes, and yes.
Stephen and I were supposed to leave for Boston Thursday morning. I was up with Eli all night with the vomiting extravaganza. Thursday morning we made the call that since Eli had been so sick and Liza had never had anything like it before, I should stay home. All day Thursday I wondered if I made the right call. Eli seemed fine. Liza showed no symptoms.
Around 4 p.m. I started feeling sick to my stomach. For those who don’t know this already, pizza is a very, very bad idea when you are staring into the abyss of a known stomach virus.
Last night is a blur for me of fevered dreams, trips to the bathroom and trying to help Stephen’s parents with Liza. Liza’s version of the stomach bug is a random up and down fever and yesterday’s masterful total of seven poopy diapers. She had two big naps today, unheard of for her, and I just put her to bed. For the first time ever, Liza fell asleep while I was singing to her. Here’s to hoping we have a better night tonight than last night.
Meanwhile, I have gotten several phone calls from Stephen in Boston. He’s having a blast. My pass for the Con went to our friend Zarf so he too could bask the the ROFL glory. Stephen and a bunch of friends were headed to dinner when I talked to him earlier. He’s supposed to bring me some ROFL swag. (Hi Honey! Don’t forget my souvenir!)
Here’s Stephen on the LOLCat Panel from this afternoon. Thanks to varmazis for the photo. She also has some other good photos up from today’s panels.
So now I know what it takes to miss a trip. I would have rather gone to Boston, that’s for sure. But hey, at least I stayed home and actually got sick. If I’d stayed home and been fine, then I would have really been steamed.
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Posted by Misty on April 21st, 2008 at 12:44 PM
I spotted this picture on Etsy and I want it so bad I can’t hardly stand it. Anyone want to contribute to the Tea and Oranges Picture Fund?
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Posted by Misty on April 20th, 2008 at 8:50 PM
A couple of weeks ago, Stephen and I hit the Blue Plate Cafe in Huntsville. We went with the specific intention of a review. It’s a pretty good place to eat if you dig the “meat and three” kind of lunch.
We went early because we’d heard it’s always busy. It’s a good thing because it was already hopping when we got there and they have a super tiny parking lot. Stephen parked the Fit in a median that is obviously not meant for cars and yet his roller skate fit there fine. We went in and were given a seating number that conveniently had the menu printed on the back.
And here’s where I tell you about my blond moment.
I was shocked that there were only three choices listed under each day of the week.
I told you it was a blond moment.
I wanted more choices! Where was the actual menu? Maybe these were only the specials listed here? But no, that was pretty much the menu minus the breakfast items, which weren’t being served at lunch. I read my list of three more carefully. I’m not a picky eater by any means but I still wanted the option of choosing something from a big menu. Then I calmed down and remembered the name. OK, I thought, this is part of the shtick, I get it now.
Stephen and I were chatting about our mornings, waiting to be seated, when a friend from church and one of his coworkers walked in. We talked with them until our number was called and we went to our table. When we got there it was a table for four so we invited the guys to sit with us and frankly, the company was the best part of the lunch.
I had chicken and dressing, corn cooked to mush — i.e. Southern style, mashed potatoes, corn bread and, in a turn that can only be Southern, bread pudding that counted as a vegetable. Stephen ordered pretty much the same plate as I did. Afterwards, I vowed to check with him the next time we go to eat, so that we can get different foods and can try more of what the restaurant has to offer. Matthew, you are totally going to have to give me some reviewer tips!
The food was hot and filling and not bad by any means. The service was ultra fast and the company was fun. Would I go there again? Meh. Ten years ago, I would have thought it was a fabulous restaurant. But now? I like vegetables to actually be a bit closer to their raw state, with a whole lot less boiling action. Stephen and I tend to eat spicier foods than we used to, so while the food wasn’t bad, it’s just not to my taste any more. But the atmosphere of an upscale diner was pleasant. The accidental company was the bright spot and for that, I don’t regret the lunch.
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Posted by Misty on April 17th, 2008 at 10:03 PM
Wednesday, Wendy lured us on a small hike with a picnic in the middle and then a hike back.
Pause for a moment and think about:
1) me on a hike
2) with Eli the Whiny (when things aren’t going his way),
3) Liza the Deaf Maker (when things aren’t going her way), and
4) all of our stuff!
Wendy has no idea that I nearly called her 14 times before we left to say we weren’t coming. Well, I guess she knows now if she’s reading this post. But I got my act together and only forgot Liza’s hat and a spoon with which to feed her. Now you know why she is wearing her sweet potato stained hoodie in most of the photos.
We had a great time and Eli produced almost zero whine until we got in the car to go home when I made the mistake of telling him about ticks. Bad mom!
Click the photo for more pictures from the hike.
Special thanks to Mike Self for helping make up captions for the photos.
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Posted by Misty on April 11th, 2008 at 7:37 PM
Late post, I know but it’s been busy around here what with the weather and my Frankenstein laptop! (More on that later!)
Eli striking a pose! I actually got a photo of him with his eyes open and his mouth closed.
Liza doing what Liza loves best — Looking at books! As if in this household, she even got a choice on that one.
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Posted by Misty on April 11th, 2008 at 2:26 PM
We were just driving home from a friend’s house. I was looking at the clouds back toward where our subdivision is and I thought to myself that it looked like a “funnel cloud.” I’ve never seen a funnel cloud before but it looked exactly like how I’ve always heard them described. It was moving pretty fast and by the time we got to our neighborhood it was well beyond us. As I was turning in, I got a good look at the clouds behind us and sure enough there was another one. I tried to get into the house to get my camera but by the time I got the kids in and got the camera, it had moved on as well. As I was settling Eli into bed for a nap, the weather warning sirens went off. They were a little too late for my taste.
All this after I watched a video on a weather website this morning about how most people’s chances of seeing a tornado is under 4% for their whole lifetime and that’s if they live in places like Oklahoma and Kansas. It’s lower than 1% if you live in the Northwest or New England.
So now that I’ve seen two funnel clouds in one day, does that mean I’ve seen my weather for my lifetime?
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Posted by Misty on April 11th, 2008 at 7:57 AM
In case you missed it, here’s Liza’s rather narrow perspective on life:
I Can’t Imagine Why Anybody Would Want To Stop Crying.
Ok, really it’s an Onion article, but this part sounds exactly like Liza:
Take my parents, for example. If it wasn’t for my tireless efforts, they’d sleep through the night! Can you believe it? I don’t think it’s because they’re too old—I suppose I don’t know how old they are exactly, but I can’t imagine it’s any more than, say, one. They’ve still got plenty of life in them. Yet they hardly ever cry, and when they do, it’s usually softly, in the middle of the night, and exhausted-sounding. What happened to their lust for life? Don’t they realize that every moment they waste sleeping, fiddling with the car seat, or holding picture books in front of my face is precious time they could be screaming their heads off?
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Posted by Misty on April 10th, 2008 at 4:32 PM
Before I had kids, I swore I would listen to MY music in the car. Ain’t nobody gonna tell me what to listen to or that it’s too loud!
Now I have kids and we listen to children’s music in the car. There’s a reason why and I’ll let you in on a not-so-secret secret. People learn by repetition. If we listen to “adult” music in the car there’s just so many new-to-them songs coming at the kids they start to be overwhelmed. It’s taken me 20+ years to learn all these lyrics, so understandably kids need some time to catch up. If they have their own music, it narrows down the playing field so they are better able to cope.
Now finding kids music that doesn’t make me want to gouge out my own eardrums after 40-50 listenings is a huge deal. I heartily dislike lots of children singing off key. It’s cute if it’s my kid but otherwise, I’m not interested. I think it’s probably good for children to hear other kids singing (my sister-in-law, Joy, can probably even tell you why) but all the time in the car, forget about it. I also have this thing about real instruments. Yes, keyboards are instruments (I grew up listening to Howard Jones for crying out loud) but when the entire song is fake horn hits and drum line I don’t think the kids are getting a realistic idea of what instruments sound like. So with just those two requirements, I’ve narrowed down the field to something like 20 albums. How sad is that?
Here are a few of our favs that I’m not ashamed for other adults to know that I listen to and, gasp, even enjoy:
Slugs and Bugs and Lullabies
Rick gave us this album before Liza was born and I’m sorry to say that we only started listening to it a couple of months ago. Since then it’s been on continuous play both in our car and in our heads. “Tractor, Tractor” is the family favorite since both Eli and Liza’s name can be inserted into the lyric and then commentary on what they are doing to follow. My favorite right now, “Liza, Liza dancing all the time! Liza, Liza dancing all the time! Dancing all the time, dancing all the time! Liza, Liza dancing all the time!” Liza obediently starts doing her knee bendy dance when we sing it.
Sing Along with Putumayo
I think this CD might have come from Joy. Real artists! Using real instruments! Also, once you hear “Banana Phone” you’ll never look at your cell phone in the same way again.
Folk Playground
This one has some classic songs that I remember singing as a kid and then a few I didn’t know. “Sheep” will make you giggle and “It’s All How You Look At It” will give you a little tear in your eye. We use this one for dance party at our house fairly regularly.
Dreamland
This is Liza’s nap music. I bought it for $2 when the Kindermusik site was closing out it’s toy selection. I bought a half dozen because I knew it would be good and I’d want to share it with other parents. I was so right. I love sitting in Liza’s room and hearing these songs. They now make me sleepy and dreamy by association.
Victor Vito
This is the album we own but truthfully, anything by Berkner is great. She ran videos on Noggin for a while and her infectious smile is a complete winner. Our favorite from this album hands down is “Moon, moon, moon.”
Again
This is an Arkansas singer that both my mom and step-mom found the same Christmas. We have the Christmas record and “…A kid like you” but “Again” is the best one. He does break my kid singing rule on a regular basis but I give him a pass for “Hip, Hip Hooray.”
We also like a number of songs by Dan Zanes but don’t own any of his albums.
If you have a favorite kid’s record, I’d love to know what it is. It’s always nice to have some new tunes when you cruise around in the springtime with the windows open, even if it is with two car seats in the back.
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