Sunday Snapshot

London enjoying the tulips and the noon-day sun at the Salt Lake Temple.

May 2010

Quote of the Week

Kate (to Juliet): 

"Welcome to the world of not knowing what the hell is going on."

Lost, I miss you.

To Save Himself

...Lester ignored the Head Mouse.  "Son," he said, "please."  Despereaux looked at his father, at his gray-streaked fur and trembling whiskers and his front paws clasped together in front of his heart, and he felt suddenly as if his own heart would break in two.  His father looked so small, so sad.

"Forgive me," said Lester again.

Forgiveness, reader, is, I think, something very much like hope and love, a powerful, wonderful thing.

And a ridiculous thing, too.  

Isn't it ridiculous, after all, to think that a son could forgive his father for beating the drum that sent him to his death?  Isn't it ridiculous to think that a mouse could ever forgive anyone for such perfidy?

But still, here are the words Despereaux Tilling spoke to his father. He said, "I forgive you, Pa."

And he said those words because he sensed that it was the only way to save his own heart, to stop it from breaking in two.  Despereaux, reader, spoke those words to save himself.

And then he turned from his father and spoke to the whole Mouse Council.  "You were wrong," he said.  "All of you.  You asked me to renounce my sins; I ask you to renounce yours.  You wronged me.  Repent."

"Never," said the Head Mouse.

Despereaux  stood before the Mouse Council, and he realized that he was a different mouse than he had been the last time he faced them.  He had been to the dungeon and back up out of it.  He knew things that they would never know; what they thought of him, he realized, did not matter, not at all.

And so, without saying another word, Despereaux turned and left the room.

After he was gone, the Head Mouse slapped his trembling paw on the table.  "Mice of the Council," he said, "we have been paid a visit by a ghost who has told us to repent.  We will now take a vote.  All in favor of saying that this visit did not occur, vote 'aye.'"

And from the members of the Mouse Council there came a tiny but emphatic chorus of "ayes".

Only one mouse said nothing.  That mouse was Despereaux's father.  Lester Tilling had turned his head away from the other members of the Mouse Council; he was trying to hide his tears.

He was crying, reader, because he had been forgiven.

-From The Tale of Despereaux, by Kate DiCamillo

The Pee Alarm

Nathaniel is 7 1/2, and is just a golden kid- does what he's asked to do, gets along with everyone, is good natured and smart and has the world's softest, most kissable cheeks.  One thing he has struggled with though is wetting the bed.  He has been wearing diapers or pull ups every night of his young life up until the past month. 

(I don't even want to know how much the expense totals to over 7 1/2 years.  It kills me to think of how many clothing articles aren't hanging in our closets because we spent so much on Pull-Ups).

My sister told me about the pee alarm she used with her son, and how successful he was with it.  I was skeptical, and if it had come from any other source I probably would have disregarded it completely.  Thinking I had nothing to lose, I ordered one for about $15 from eBay.  It was blue, and had a sensor on one end, small felt square on the other, and they were connected by a wire.  The sensor attaches to the underwear (think right where the pee leaves the body) and the felt square (the alarm) clips to the child's shoulder.  As soon as the sensor gets wet, the alarm goes off.

The first few nights the alarm didn't wake him, but it woke us, and we got him up and to the bathroom. ( By 'we' I mean Rich, of course.  I don't parent well between the hours of 1 and 7 a.m.)  The next few nights it woke him up but we were still changing sheets.  Within a week he was waking quickly enough to only have to change underwear and pj's, and by 2 weeks we had complete and total success! 

No more Pull-ups for us!! And just in time, too, because in 10 weeks we start buying diapers for the next boy.  I'll be keeping the pee alarm handy, though- my goal is to have this one potty trained by age two.

Feeling Better

Well, I'm feeling better. That means less time in bed, and less time to blog- so, sorry for my absence.  

My house is finally starting to look clean again, even more organized, it's a good feeling.

Nathaniel has one week left of 2nd grade, I still can't believe he's that old!  (I'm that old)

London is into Starfall- it's a great (free!) website that teaches preschoolers and kindergartners to read.  She loves it, and is learning her letters at an amazing pace.  Find it at www.starfall.com or just click HERE.  


Oh, and I bought a steamshark to mop my floors.  It's better than I ever thought it would be.

Sunday Snapshot

Fendi has an adventure on the trampoline and loves our soccer ball a little too much.

Spring 2009.

Quote of the Week

 I pour London a glass of orange juice, and she scrutinizes it carefully.

"Is there poop in it?" she asks.

"No, " I reply, "and there isn't any pulp in it either, if that's what you mean."

Friday Confessional

with

GLAMAZON 

• We got new neighbors in the house behind us.  
• They have 4- count 'em- 4! little yippy dogs.
• I listened them bark, day in and day out- 8-10 hours a day...
• For about a month.
• They seriously barked all the time.
• I listened to them with my eyes on my watch for an hour.
• There was a four second period of silence.  The rest of the time it never stopped.
• I secretly hoped they would dig under the fence and come into our yard so our (quiet) German Shepherds could eat them for dinner. Or a light snack.
• Finally one day, I reached my limit.  I called animal control and asked them just to stop by and let them know the barking was disturbing their neighbors.
• I felt bad about it, but I didn't want to make an enemy by asking them myself.

• THE NEXT MORNING I look out my kitchen window and notice their oldest son who I had never seen before.

• He was in  a wheelchair.

• Oh, no, not like a regular wheelchair. No, no.  It was an electric-quadriplegic-can't-move-at-all-lucky-if-he-can-speak-with-straps-to-keep-his-head-up type of wheelchair.

• I'm such a great person.

• I'm also pretty sure my chances of going to hell when I die went up about 27% with that phone call. 

• I get to ponder on that in blissful silence, though.  It's kinda nice.

THIS EMOTIONAL LIFE | Happiness / Intimacy

I thought the concept explained in the video was interesting.  I know so many people who spend their lives 'impaling' themselves on others' prickly spines...many who seem to lack confidence or self-esteem.

We are all human, and therefore, fallible.  We hurt each other.  We don't want to, but somehow it happens anyway.  What is the solution? Being close but not too close? And how do we generate our own warmth?

What do you think?

Londons First Dance Recital

London had her first dance recital last week.

It was at 10 a.m.

That's kind of a problem for me these days- I'm still so sick most mornings.  I couldn't miss it though, so I rolled out of bed at 9:45 and made it on time- no make-up, probably dressed like a dork...oh, well.

I walked in the door and her dance teacher, Miss Courtney, looked at me with wide eyes and said, "You are so pale.  Can I get you something to eat?  A bottled water?  Are you okay?" (And please don't throw up in my dance studio)

"This is just how I look at ten in the morning when I'm pregnant,"     I told her.  (Something like the living dead)

I accepted a bottled water.

Miss Courtney really is the sweetest lady ever- and so great with the kids she teaches! London and I both adore her.

I made it through the recital, and so did my breakfast, mostly due to the fact that the recital was short and no one in the room was wearing strong perfume.

I even took a few snapshots of the fun.

The girls danced to "Beauty and the Bees"

(Beauty and the Beast tune, hummed by what sounds like buzzing bees)

 Miss Courntey and the girls.

London and one of her best friends, Alice.

Is there anything more delightful in life than having a little girl?

(Most of the time, anyway)

All images copyrighted. 

Post-it Tuesday

To view the NieNie dialogues click HERE.

Sunday Snapshot

3-d glasses at Midway Mania, Disneyland.  

September 2009

Quote of the Week

Nathaniel: "I don't want to run around this house naked, but you leave me no choice!"

(Sunday morning, while Rich was trying to get him to put a suit on for church)