Pet Parenting in the Heat

Along with my two children, I am also the pet parent to two creatures. The first is a 3+ year old fluffy white bunny. The second is a small white puppy. 

The bunny is free range during daylight hours and the dog comes and goes in and out as long as someone is home. 

With the recordbreaking heat their survival has been a worry.  I don't want them to become prisoners and so far we have been able to provide them each with relief without crating them in the house. 

Here is what we do- utilizing 4 or 5 milk jugs that were previously "customized" to help in slow watering the trees is the key. 

First, I bring out one of our shower buckets and dump the contents onto our cement patio in the area I know will get the least amount of sun all day. 

Next, I fill the jugs with water, replace the lids, and set them out at the top of the designated area. These jugs have one to 4 small pin holes in their bottoms which allow water to leak out when the lids are loosened. Once they are in place I adjust the lids to allow a tiny bit of water to leak out. On extra hot days I also add some Ice packs, just to be safe. 

This combination, along with plenty of water, seems to do the trick. Both animals enjoy laying on the cool slightly damp cement patio and we are controlling the amount of water used which keeps my anxiety at a minimum. 

I wonder what other people do....

A Quick and Literal Tale

I realized today that my children are way too literal.  
Yesterday my husband, in a moment of frustration,  asked her how many times he had to ask her to do something. She replied 6. 
Today I asked the 7yo how many spoons of Nutella one person needs. She said 2. 
Oh for the love of sweetness! What are your options when this happens? 
I see two clear options in this sort of a situation-
1) Laugh
2) Hit my head on the nearest solid structure

A Tale of Mrs. Mean Guy and How I Learned I Am NOT Mrs. Brady

This is not news, but there are aspects of parenting that really suck rocks. One of my least favorite parts of the job is having to e the bad guy. There are days, weeks, maybe even months, when I swear every other word out of my mouth is "don't" or "no" or "stop-it!" to one or both of my children. It's so tiring and frankly sucks the joy from my most inner core.

As an aside, my sister and I didn't always get along, but I can't believe we would have survived to see 10 if we had behaved the way my kids do. In my fantasies my girls are best of friends and ultimately these fantasy children of mine become strong, polite young women who have a deep bond. I am even OK with the idea that they will gang up on us, their parents. I picture a happy Jan and Marcia Brady, sure they fight but within 20 minutes they are sharing sweaters and working at the ice cream parlor together. Is it really too much to ask?

Sorry, now back to reality. This past April after hosting a birthday party my 7yo daughter got a coupon for the Build-a-Bear Workshop down by Disneyland. Today was the expiration date. Earlier this week I told both girls that we could go and use this coupon along with the left over gift cards I had from the party, today, Saturday. The caveat? They needed to behave. I thought I was setting the bar low. Honestly I did. I didn't want to let this discount expire any more than they wanted to skip a trip to BaB. I should also add that nearly every Saturday the kids and I go to a restaurant about 10 miles from our house and meet family members for breakfast.

Here was the basic plan when I got up this morning. Let the kids sleep in. Get them dressed and out the door by 8am, be to breakfast by 8:30, then from there if all has gone well we would go over to BaB.

It started going south about 15 minutes after they got up.  From the start they were arguing and grumpy with each other (strike 1). They didn't do what I asked them to do in preparation for leaving the house but instead said "hold on I am doing…." (strike 2). They constantly interrupted the adults at breakfast, didn't eat the meals they ordered and refused to sit in their seats (3, 4 and 5). I could go on. The 4yo took her sisters 1 Direction trading cards and colored on them (strike 6!) There was crying, there was baby talk (OMG I HATE BABY TALK!) and there was basic rudeness. I swear I reminded them over and over again about the promised trip and the consequences of their behavior. Honestly I did, before, during, and after.

Finally breakfast was over and we got in the car. The first thing out of both their mouths was "let's go to Build-a-Bear!" I'm sorry. WHAT? Somebody needed a reality check, for sure! Had we come from the same restaurant? Did they even understand what the expectations had been? Who did they think they were fooling with this sunny declaration? Had they recently been hit in the head and lost their memory? Why, oh why, could they not just behave?!

I know that I am not Mrs. Brady because if I were I would have been able to make some sweet and simple statement and they would have had a total attitude adjustment. Instead we had this….
Me "Girls, what did I say you needed to do to earn the visit to BaB?"
Them "We needed to get ready quick, listen and be good."
Me "How do you think you did?'
Them silence
Me "Honestly, how do you think you did?
7yo "badly"
Me "….I am sorry to have to say this but we can't go to BaB today or I would be teaching you the wrong thing."
Them crying and begging lots of "we will be good now!" and disingenuous promises that involved the rest of the day 
Me "Please stop. I am not changing my mind, we will do it another time, IF you shape up."

And so instead of going and having a fun morning building stuffed animals we filled up the gas tank and drove through the car wash. Sadly they have continued to bicker and jump all over each other for the slightest offense and so as of now they have also lost TV (although I would pay anything to be able to just chill on the sofa in front of some cartoons right now.) It is honestly hurting me as much as it is hurting them.

Fingers crossed they start getting their act together. We have three more days until they are out of school and the prospect of being home with them fighting and baby-talking for the next few months makes me want to run away and join the circus.

Portrait of me by 4yo- I named it Mad Mommy

Well readers? Do you have any parenting advice? Over the counter meds I should try on days like this?

Awesome Sesame Noodles

Today was a school picnic for F, the 4yo. It's a potluck event and so I decided to make my very favorite  Sesame Noodle dish which was given to me nearly 20 years ago by a friend. It's slightly spicy and sooooo good!
Sadly I forgot to take a picture of it but I did send some in the 7yo's lunch so can show the bit she took with her. 

L's lunch- PB sandwich, apples, and yummy sesame noodles

For those of you wondering how to make this, I am posting the recipe here. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments! Enjoy!!!

Sesame Noodles 

Quantity                                      Ingredients     

1/4 c.                                           soy sauce

3 T.                                             Sesame Oil

2 T.                                             Red Wine Vinegar

1 1/2 T.                                       Sugar

1 T.                                             Chili Sauce w/Garlic (Sambal Oelek)

12oz package                              Chinese water-style noodles or spaghetti 

4                                                  green onions sliced

2                                                  bell peppers julienne

2 T.                                              Cilantro, chopped (I use an entire bunch but just the leaves)

2-4t                                              sesame seeds (I use toasted and normal)

Blend marinade ingredients until well combined (can be done a day ahead, cover and chill). Bring to room temperature. Cook noodles al dente, cool and toss with marinade and remaining ingredients. Serve chilled. This works as an entree and feeds 4 or as a side and feeds 8-10. 

Tale of a Traveling Octogenarian

I realize as I sit here and type this that my parents are prepping me for when my children are older and begin to leave the nest. Anyway that is what I am telling myself. 
I also say things like "This is good practice." 
or "It's all part of the cycle." and "You can't hold on too tight." The last thing I want to be is one of those helicopter children. 

Well, easier said than done. Back in late January my dad announced that he was going back to the mid-west to see his sister and aunt and to march in the St. Patrick's Day parade in his boyhood town. So I'll tell you the truth, I was nervous just thinking about it. Having just visited this same state myself less than a year ago I know that there is nearly no way to get a direct flight, that the weather is unfriendly at best, and frankly that it's not the place he remembers. I find facing TSA daunting and I fly fairly regularly! 

I can only imagine what you are thinking right now as you read this- He is an adult. The man is in his 80's! He's educated! He worked in aerospace and traveled all the time! Heck, he took me on my first trips to Europe!

Here is my dad as a fresh faced young man

He was a police officer and faced bad guys! He raised two daughters. Even more impressive he was on the S.W.A.T. Team! That man traveled across the country on route 66 to get to California. And to top it all off he survived the depression! What is my problem?! It's not as if he has not been around the block a few times and I know it. 

Over a few weeks we worked details out.
Flights (booked)
Rental Car (booked)
Airport shuttle (booked)
Place to stay (organized by my aunt, thank you!)
Packing instructions, reviewed, explained, and discussed several times. 
We talked about it all. What shoes to wear to get through TSA quickly, the weather and the appropriate clothing to pack. EVERYTHING. If I had been sending my 6yo off to visit family in the mid-west I could have just done it for her and it would have been less worrisome in several ways. 

Time to admit something I guess. I am constantly worried for my parents. I think unfortunately for me I often project negative outcomes to situations which they seem to pass through with little to no damage. I know this, but that does not calm my fears. Who am I to discourage him? He and my mom had allowed me to study abroad at 21 (I know that technically I didn't NEED their permission but that's beside the point) and he has been supportive of my career and the traveling I do. When the time came I knew I had to let him follow his heart and that everyone involved would regret it if he didn't go see these important people in his life. I told myself "Flying to see Aunt B isn't hurting anyone." I also reminded myself that "there would be help at the airport if he needed it and he would be with friends and family once he arrived at his destination." 

D-day came and went. I saw a few photos that my cousin and aunt posted on social media but that was about it. He was scheduled to be gone 12 days. On day 11 I phoned him to let him know I would be at the airport to pick him up as planned. He sounded happy and ready to come home. What more could I ask for?

The next night at 9:30 I headed out to our local international airport to pick up my Dad. 80+ years old and still traveling here and there. Maybe with a bit more support, but getting it done just the same.

Just returned from his trip to see family in the mid-west.

It warms the heart to see people you love do what makes them happy. Don't you think? 

A Tale of an Ocean Themed Spring Break

This week my kids have gone back to school after spring break. After a week, it's a shock not only for them but for me too. Homework, alarm clocks, backpacks and lunches. OH MY!

Not that we did a lot, vacations are more stay-cations in our house. My husband and I both had to work so the kids were home with their babysitter all week. But never mind that. L, my 6.75 yo started a unit on the Ocean in her 1st grade class and so the one thing we did over this break was visit an aquarium and then have a short, and chilly afternoon at the beach.

The 4yo and the 6.75yo ham it up at the Cabrillo Aquarium in San Pedro, Ca.

It was a fun day but the altered motive was to get the girls excited about ocean life and this precious resource. L has a diorama to do before the end of the month and frankly I was hoping she would get inspired. 

To keep things ocean-ish I have also been trying to send her with ocean themed lunches (SHOCKER!) So here we go, here was Monday's lunch. 

PB & J Angel Fish and Manatee along with apple slices, string cheese and bear cookies (so frustrated that we didn't have goldfish crackers)

Close-up of AF and Manatee

IDK if this will help her get going on her diorama but at the end of the day we had a nice day and put our toes in the sand. Thanks Cabrillo Aquarium! 

A Tale of A Hump Day

This week's hump day is hitting hard at my house. 
Last night we went to a family event and didn't get home until nearly 10:00. Not too late, until you consider the kids are accustomed to going into their bed between 7:30 and 8 with lights out at 8. The 4yo actually turned to me and said "Mommy I think it's past my bedtime" last night. Thankfully she doesn't have school today but the 6yo does and it starts in a little over half an hour. As for me. I got to bed at a normal time, actually maybe a bit early. SO why am I so darn tired today? NO IDEA. My guess is the change in schedule. 

Anyway, this morning I woke with a start at 6 on the dot already 45 minutes behind schedule. WTH? I seems I forgot to set my alarm. D'OH! Well, I am more or less caught up but still feeling sluggish and in need of a laugh. 

In the spirit of Hump Day I wanted to share this clip from the 1990's tv show Friends. It's one of my favorite story lines and the reaction of the friends is priceless. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do and wish you all Happy Wednesday! 

A Tale of Tuesday's Lunch

Happy Tuesday! I've been a bit lazy about posting the lunches I've made for the Creepy Kids. Here is a fairly simple bento I did today for the 6yo. Pb&jelly on wheat with apples and 3 ginger snaps.
Seriously so simple!

A Tale of the Tooth Fairy and El Ratón Pérez

This week my 6yo daughter lost another tooth. This kid. She didn't even bother getting her first tooth until she was 13 months old and now she can't seem to keep them in her head! Anyway, the tradition in my family was the Tooth Fairy and both my sister and I had special pillows our mom had made for us with little pockets on the front for our teeth. I remember mine had lace around each side and a snap on the pocket. We loved having this special pillow just for our tooth mail and I can see now how smart my mom was for employing this technique back before Pinterest or other crafting social media outlets. Seriously, who is capable of finding one tiny tooth in the dark under a pillow without waking up the (already suspicious) child asleep in the bed? Not this mom! Im just not that stealth and my kids are far to easily disturbed. 

About a year ago, when her first tooth was showing signs of evacuation I set to work making a tooth fairy pillow for L. For her special pillow I recycled a pink cable-knit sweater and used some ribbon I had on hand for a handle. I made it tooth shaped-ish and included a pocket with a heart on it. 

L with her Tooth Fairy Pillow

I think it turned out cute.

Back to my story. On Monday she lost another tooth early in the morning just after the girls got up. When their babysitter arrived L ran to her and told her about her tooth. To this Tia (this is what the kids call her) said in Spanish "El Raton will come to the house tonight!" this had us both a bit worried. I don't know about you, but having a rat come to my house, sneak into my daughters room, and take her tooth is slightly unpleasant. But whatever, right?

That night as I was putting the girls to bed L said to me "Mommy, if the Tooth Fairy isn't real, would it be you or daddy that was doing it?" to which her sister (the 4yo) said "Duh! Mommy! Cuz fairies are girls!" which put them both into giggles and thankfully changed the subject. This comes after a conversation she had with my husband at Christmas where she explained to him that she was fairly sure that Santa doesn't exist. Six years old. Ugh. Anyway, already on to her I had prepped myself. We put the tooth in a tissue before putting it into the pocket. The Tooth Fairy replaces the tooth in the tissue with the money (and sometimes glitter) like magic! So I had a tissue from the same box in my pocket with her money and as I put them to bed I replaced switched out the package and took a huge sign of relief as I shut the bedroom door. Good thing I did the old switch-a-roo! Because with her parting words she warned me that she was planning on staying up all night to see the Tooth Fairy and find out how it all worked. HA! HA! Victory for now!

The next morning she was so cute. She came out and asked if we could look up Tooth Fairy traditions around the world and find out why Tia had said a rat would come to the house. So we read about the traditions of the Spanish, French and Italian speaking parts of the world that believe a mouse comes to their homes and takes the teeth. Sometimes the mouse or rat had a last name, Pérez, and sometimes it was the mouse of the teeth. We also read about what people did before these traditions started and how parents would burry or burn children's baby teeth to save them from witches or help usher their spirits into a favorable afterlife. Our favorite of all was the regional Scottish myth which blended the story of the fairy (which seems to originate in Scandinavia) and the Ratoncito by making it a mouse fairy. How cute is that? 

Hey look! They even made a movie about El Raton!

After all of this the good news is that I am still able to outsmart my 6yo for now anyway…...  

It's nearly Halloween! Time to pull out that sexy costume....?

I have always enjoyed halloween. When I was in my early teens I was especially sad that I could no longer trick-or-treat, and most halloween parties or too young for others. I put a lot of energy into decorating the house and figuring out a costume to scare the neighbor kids.

Some of my Halloween costumes over the years. (from top left clockwise: Where's Waldo?,  home made princess costume, Lunette, scary clown, home made bride, a 'mod') 

As you can see from my little collage above I have had some silly costumes, some scary costumes and some downright lame costumes. Yes, I have dressed up like Waldo. What's the big deal?  Recently, as my children have begun to pick their own costumes and we have moved from dinosaur and princess to other options I have been shocked and put off by the overwhelming number of the uber-sexy costumes made for girls of all ages and sizes. That may be the reason I found this bit on The Daily Show so awesome. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

A few years ago I had read something about the rise of hyper sexy costumes for women and young girls which included a then and now of simple things like a witch, strawberry shortcake and EVEN Spongebob. I have not been able to find that same article but I did find this very interesting commentary on the subject by Rebecca Hains an academic who writes about children's media culture.
http://rebeccahains.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/halloween-and-the-rise-of-sexy-costumes-for-women-and-girls/ The fact is, that 15 or more years ago there was a lot less pressure to be crazy sexy at halloween. It was a fun holiday in the fall. It's chilly and why in the world would you be uncomfortable for the sake of sexy? Ugh! Today the expectation for women, even the very young women is so different. So warped and strange to me. I guess I should be thankful my kids are asking to be things like zombies and possibly Darth Vader.

Mom always said that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach....And who wouldn't want to BE a sexy pizza? aka the object of his desire.

Making a list of movies for Halloween

My kids are not "normal" I know that.
They love creepy stuff including movies and stories. They also love spending time visiting graveyards. I believe this is directly inherited from my husband, but then again I have fond memories of walking graveyards myself as a kid so I guess he may be taking the blame for something they have inherited from us both.

My two kids nearly two years ago at Hollywood Forever on Halloween morning

When L was little she was the sort of child that would wait in dark rooms for someone to come in so she could jump out and scare them. At less than two years old! When she started preschool I had to warn the teacher that she might tell scary stories or pretend to be dead. 

People say things all the time. F is playing zombies and people say "oh, but that is so scary!" as if that child is not loving every moment of being afraid! Being scared for these kids is the same sort of adrenaline rush that other people get from ridding motorcycles or bungie jumping. 

So as October draws near they are starting to pull out costumes and watch scary movies. This morning we began making a list of movies to watch each Sunday of the month leading up to Halloween. 

Here is our list. 

1. Frankenweenie (short) 1984 

It's A Bird... It's A Plane...

The following is a true story. It happened to me.

Yesterday I needed to send off some documents for work. I love my local post office. The people who work there are so friendly and helpful.

Anyway, I had completed my transactions and I was headed to the front door to leave when I saw that I was about to meet up with an older man (somewhere between 75-100) walking the same direction.  He was hunched, and thin, and walking slowly. So I dropped back and let him go through the door first. 

Beyond the door parked at the front curb was a late model Saturn. In the passenger seat was a woman who looked like she had been cast as the grandma for a Normal Rockwell painting. The only thing she was missing was a high necked shirt with a cameo broach, her silver hair was packed neatly into a bun and everything about her suggested softness and fresh cookies.

As we exited the building "Grandma" looked up at the man in front of me and I heard her exclaim "There's my Superman!" and my heart swelled thinking about these two people, their entwined lives and their love.

In a flash I was stopped dead in my tracks as Grandma with pure venom in her voice said "Fly shit-head, fly like superman you stupid SHIT-HEAD!"