Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Crossing New Bridges

One of the most entertaining parts of being a mom is watching your kids develop new skills - those precious first wobbly steps, the surprise of peek-a-boo, the first time you hear a "mama" or even the first "For my birthday, I want a red Power Ranger helmet." (That one was courtesy of Sean a couple of nights ago.)
We have had another first.
This morning, Christian achieved a stage that most kids go through, one time or another.
That's right, folks. He stuck something up into his nose.
It was shortly after breakfast, for which he had a bowl of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Cereal - a fruity, pebble shaped (yummy) new cereal.
I was walking through the living room where he had been playing with his drum and a harmonica. He had stopped playing, though, and was lying in the floor crying. I went to pick him up and noticed that he had his finger stuck up his nose. Not a common posture for him. He didn't stop crying when I picked him up, which was kind of odd, too - I moved his finger and there it was. A bright yellow piece of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cereal lodged in his left nostril.
He was not happy about it. It took a good ten minutes for me to restrain him enough to actually remove it. Probably most of the effort was going into my own attempt to act horrified about it - it's really not a safe habit, but it was soooo hard not to laugh at his nostril-stuffed expression. It was one of those the fun thing betrayed me! looks...
This, of course, made me remember the time that my youngest sister, Hannah, kept pulling at her nose when she was maybe two or three. Every now and then, we'd catch a glimpse of something shiny in there, but Mom and Dad couldn't manage to get a hold of whatever it was. Finally, they took her to the doctor and he pulled out a huge silver button. No idea how that huge thing got wedged in her baby nose.
I can't actually remember ever sticking anything into my own nose...I wonder what the appeal is...of course, I have my own stupid human trick that I discovered on the back seat of the bus in second grade during a game of mercy - I can bend one of my fingers all the way backwards until it touches the back of my hand.
Your turn. 'Fess up. What's your stupid human/strange childhood habit?

Friday, February 23, 2007

The Ten Year Old Girl Inside of Me is Squealing






Nancy Drew's making her comeback! What's not to love? She's tough, she's smart, she drives a kicky sports car, and she has a cute boyfriend...when I was ten years old I wanted to BE Nancy Drew. Heck, I still want to be Nancy Drew.

(you try saying Nancy without the Drew. It's just wrong.)

Sunday, February 11, 2007

The Perks of Writer's Block

I'm experiencing mega-frustration with my current work-in-progress, and so I'm suffering irritation and working it out through procrastination. Not the ideal way to make a breakthrough, but for now it's all I can seem to do.
The silver lining? Once I've managed to clean the entire house and actually annoy my children with my 'hey, let's play this/color this/paint this/watch this'...I'm left looking for creative ways to expel some creative energy.
This afternoon, this resulted in a fantastic idea - Lite-Brite! I still have the one left over from childhood days, but I haven't actually played with it in about ten years...so out it came. I made a masterpiece lighthouse out of pegs and a light bulb - and let me tell you, it is still fun. It's currently sitting on my kitchen counter. I'm thinking I should just leave it there and call it art.
For those of you who don't have a Lite-Brite just sitting in a random closet, you can click on the following link and procrastinate to circa-1970 technology!
http://www.sfpg.com/animation/liteBrite.html
And now...I wonder if I can manage to find my Easy-Bake Oven...

Friday, February 09, 2007

Catching Up...




Thirteen Reasons I Love Wilmington, NC




1. Memories - high school was a great time for me, and all four years were spent running in and about Wilmington.



2. J. Michael's Philly Deli - the most marvelous cheese steak sandwich on the face of the earth. That sandwich, pickle, and sweet tea - I want it right this second.



3. The view at night when driving over the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge - the riverfront is always lit up and the river sparkles with the reflection.



4. Walking by the river - it's pretty, the shopping is fun, and the food is good. It's the ultimate hangout area.



5. Playing checkers in the window of Port City Java, sipping a mocha shake and people watching.



6. The historical houses - a candle-lit tour of the historical district is still on my to-do list, as well as a ride through the area in a horse drawn buggy. Gorgeous.



7. Easy beach trips - picnics, walks, swimming...



8. Day trip options - there's the aquarium, the Battleship, museums - a great place to drag a kid around.



9. It's so easy to convince yourself that you're on vacation - throw on flip-flops, mingle with tourists, stay out late!



10. Water, water, water - I love seeing it and it's everywhere...



11. The Salt Shaker bookstore/coffee shop...it's out of the way, super peaceful, and the ideal place to coop up with a book when you don't want to be bothered.



12. The Thalian Theatre - it's a historical theatre where productions are staged and artsy films are shown. A movie seems much more important when you're sitting in a fancy balcony.



13. The opportunities to catch various Hollywood film crews in action - and the chance to star in films yourself! (Okay, so I didn't exactly have a main role...but Carrie, Betsy, and I totally rocked our 'extra' parts in that movie....I definitely consider us movie stahhhhs....)





I miss thee, O Wilmington, Port City of my dreams!









Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

They Make a Mama Proud...



Sean loves to pose for a camera...



Christian and our favorite playdate, Xander...who needs toys

when you have the toybox?

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Thursday Thirteen - What I love about Snow


Thirteen Things I Love About Snow...because we got an unexpected downfall this morning!



1. The way it makes everything quiet and white - there's a dream-like quality to a day with snow falling from the sky.

2. The crunch it makes under my feet.

3. The sound of neighborhood kids out playing and squealing - because they're home from school in the middle of the week and there are snowballs to throw!

4. I absolutely adore the frenzy it causes - here in the south, half an inch of snow and all of the schools are closed, there's not a loaf of bread left in the grocery store, and regularly scheduled television is preempted by a 5 hour long winter weather watch hosted by the local news station.

5. The way my boys look bundled up in layers and coats and hats and gloves...and the way their noses and cheeks turn pink.

6. I love that while we were out playing this morning, Sean said - "It's like Bob the Builder Christmas!"

7. It's such a pretty frosting on the trees and the porch and the street - it feels like a holiday with everything decorated by nature.

8. It's so fun to teach toddlers how to make snowballs - and especially how to throw them. The boys thought it was hilarious.

9. It's also fun that children can be so different - Sean was all about his "snow hat and snow gloves" and Christian was much more about - hey, lets throw all this stuff off and feel how good this stuff is on bare skin!

10. Sticking out my tongue and letting the snow fall onto it - and watching the boys scrunch up their faces and do the same, not quite sure what to do about the flakes flying at them.

11. Discovering what the snow-activities of choice are - Sean liked drawing pictures on the ground and Christian seemed to enjoy the 'take your gloves off and run from mom' game.

12. The simple joy of walking through a flurry, snow collecting on my jacket and hat, and watching the boys watch the flakes like it was the most amazing thing EVER.

13. The cozy feeling when I come inside - the warmth and the coffee, peeling off layers and being lazy - because it's a snow day and in North Carolina, snow days are all about rushing out to play and then cuddling up on the couch.


Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. http://beckydworld.blogspot.com/

2. http://interstellaradventure.wordpress.com/

3. http://www.wrongblog.com/



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!