Wash On Monday

Sports: from my kids' perspective

2010-03-13T19:53:00.006-05:00

This evening, while I was making dinner in the kitchen, my husband spent a few minutes perusing various sports channels on TV. Katie showed unusual interest in the games and peppered Ben with questions, which he answered almost absentmindedly. Andrew occasionally jumped in if he thought he had the better perspective on the situation - I was hard-pressed not to laugh out loud!

On soccer:

(Katie) They have to be in really good shape, huh, Daddy?
(Daddy) Yep, they have to run a lot.
(Katie) They have to be careful when they fall! When do they win?
(Daddy) When the time is over.
(Katie) You mean they have to keep playing?
(Daddy) Unless the coach subs them out.
(Andrew) Or until their lunch is ready!

On basketball:

(Katie) Why are their feet squeaky?
(Daddy) Because their shoes stop quickly on the court.
(Katie) Why did he fall?
(Andrew) He double-crossed him, I guess.

On baseball:

(Katie) Daddy, you know that game where they hit the ball with the stick and then run? Can we watch that?

Ah, that's my girl.

Apologies for my long absence. . .

2008-06-04T12:18:00.002-05:00

Yes, friends, it has been a long time - a long time - since I last posted. The reason for this is simple: after transferring my blog to Google, I promptly forgot my username and password. It was a sad thing to be able to visit my blog, but be unable to "speak" to it. It was like one of us, like the sad beasts in Narnia, had forgotten how to speak.

But, obviously, since I am now posting this, I have had my memory refreshed thanks to the technical support of Mark and my husband.

I cannot promise that I will post more frequently than in the past, but at least I will now be able to do so when the mood comes upon me.

Hmm. I can't help but wonder how many of my friends will read this and if they do, how long it will take them to get here?

Christopher Robin & The White Birthday

2007-01-09T17:09:00.000-05:00

What do you do when your three-year-old insists on speaking with a Christopher Robin accent? "Mummy, are we going to chuch today?" "May I have a cracka?" I mean it is fairly normal for our two-year-old to have trouble with his "l" and "th" sounds: bwue is his favorite color and he finks he should play wif his car now. . . but a British accent from his sister?!

Did you know that all birthdays are supposed to have a color theme? Apparently all kids know this. Last year my daughter informed us about a month before her third birthday that she wanted a Pink Birthday. We were a bit amazed, but we strove to please: pink balloons, pink napkins, pink cookies, even pink whipped cream for the strawberries! This year we have been told that she needs a White Birthday. That shouldn't be too hard, right? I have to admit that I laughed when she proceeded to inform her daddy that he needed a Black Birthday this year!

It Happened in Brooklyn. . .

2006-09-29T09:37:00.000-05:00

So I got a call from a friend in Brooklyn late one night. She was beside herself with glee. In the most dramatic of tones, she said, "Do you know who I saw tonight? Do you know who just autographed my copy of "Pride and Prejudice?" " She paused for effect and then squealed, "Colin Firth!!"

Apparently, Helen Hunt is directing a movie down there and Colin is in it. My friend watched them film one scene about fifty thousand times. I admit that I would not have stayed that long, but she is nothing if not determined. When the shoot was over, she did need a nudge from her husband, however, before she got up the courage to intercept Colin, who was a little grumpy after a long day of filming the same scene over and over, and gush out that "Pride and Prejudice" was the greatest movie ever made! That earned her a smile and Colin agreed to autograph the dvd.

I heard from my friend again last night and the crew will be filming again next Monday and Tuesday. . . she wants me to come. I looked over the schedule and I don't think I will be able to go, but wouldn't it be fun?

I just might need to watch "Pride and Prejudice" again soon.

Pickles, Band-Aid's & Crayons

2006-06-02T07:59:00.000-05:00

We took the kids out for dinner last night to Friendly's. (For those of you unacquainted with Friendly's, it is basically a slightly more upscale, "sit-down" version of McDonald's - with better ice cream.)

Andrew "ordered" the hotdog while Katie preferred the grilled cheese. Andrew calmly extracted the hotdog from the bun and devoured only the meat. Note: this is standard procedure for my kids - they don't understand hotdog buns yet. This was made evident by the fact that when we next noticed Andrew he was gleefully dipping the bun into the ketchup mound on his plate (intended for the fries) and then eating it.

Katie, on the other hand, daintily ate her sandwich, being very careful not to ingest any of the dreaded crust. She then ate all of her pickles. It is funny to watch the difference between Andrew's and Katie's eating styles. Andrew stuffed as many pickle slices into his mouth as possible. Katie ate each slice in two bites - I may have imagined it, but I think she even had her "pinkie extended."

All day yesterday, Katie had been trying to convince me to put a Band-Aid on her finger. She insisted that there was an "owee" on it. I spent all day trying to convince Katie that since there was no blood in sight, a Band-Aid was not needed. (She has gone through almost an entire box of Band-Aids since the beginning of May.) At the restaurant last night, she remembered her hurt finger and soberly, with much theatrics, wrapped her entire hand in a napkin. Apparently doctors have underrated the healing powers of napkins, because about five minutes later, she pronounced the wound "all better" and removed the napkin. Amazing breakthrough in medical technology!

Andrew, meanwhile, was engrossed in the crayons (or "cray-rons" as he calls them) that restaurants such as this give out with the kids' menus/worksheets/scribble sheets. He discovered that if he took the straw out of his plastic cup, the crayons would fit into the hole in the lid. So the blue and green crayons took a swim in the dregs of his apple juice. At some point, he fished the crayons out of the cup, because we noticed that he was a bit disgusted at the soggy wrappers and solemnly stripped them off the crayons.

By the time we left the restaurant, both children needed to be washed - Andrew would have benefited from a pressure wash.

Hey, y'all want some so-wus?

2005-09-12T12:52:00.000-05:00

"Hey" is the most commonly used Southern greeting. So, "Hey, Y'all!" One of these days, I'll try to post something in Brooklynese. Actually, I might be speaking it in the near future. Maybe I already am! For instance, I now find it hard to just say "sauce" when referring to the red stuff that you put on spaghetti. I accidentally say, umm, I wonder how to spell this? So-wus?

My three years of Southern living still show up sometimes, too. Typically I have trouble pronouncing the word "I." It frequently comes out "Ah." There is something so comforting and welcoming in the soft South Carolina accent.

I really hope people don't think I am making fun of them: I'm not. I have decided that since I am from the West Coast and there really aren't any native accents out there, I tend to pick up bits of every accent I am around. You should have heard me talk in South Carolina. At the school there were people from New Zealand, Wales, Texas and Canada, to name a few. I don't think anyone there knows how I really talk. Don't ask me to put on different accents when you are with me, though. I only talk like the people I am with.

We are now living on Long Island. In our church, there are Irish, Italian, Indian (via Guyana), transplanted Southerners, etc. You should hear me now.

Married. . . Without Children

2005-05-22T13:30:00.000-05:00

A few minutes ago, I put my children in a car and watched them be taken away. Their grandparents are taking them to upstate NY while Ben and I finish packing and move our things to Long Island. We will meet up again on Friday, but I have a feeling this will be a long week!
For those of you without children, I don't know if you can really relate to this, so I will try to explain: when you are the *primary caregiver* (comforter, diaper changer, bather, feeder, cook, playmate, etc) for two adorable children, you can feel a little lost when they are not with you. My children are two and one. Andrew can almost but not quite walk. What if he learns to walk this week?! I won't be there. I am going to miss their cheerful smiles when they wake up in the morning. I won't hear Katie sing or laugh. There are times when Andrew just needs to cuddle with me and won't accept any substitutes (I've tried). Sometimes Katie is a total brat unless "Daddy" is there.
Maybe I sound like a control freak to you, but I am just a mother of little children. I know that they will be well cared for by their grandparents and their aunt ("Poppa", "Mimi", and "Nanna"). Maybe you would tell me that I need to "get a life." Maybe you would be right if my children were adults. Right now, they make up a huge part of my life and I am sad.

andrew

2005-03-23T20:55:00.000-05:00

Andrew (10 months) just threw a *hissy-fit* during dinner. . . and, WOW! Does he do a great imitation of a bull moose!? We used to think that his sister was noisy. . . and then I gave birth to a B-O-Y! He is such a sweet baby, all smiles and cuddles. . . until it is time to eat, and then: watch out! Rule number one: do not get between Andrew and food. Rule number two: shovel food into his mouth with speed, precision, and consistency. Rule number three: keep track of how much Andrew eats because he will keep eating until he explodes.

Last week, Andrew learned how to pull up and stand. Now he thinks he knows how to walk. Poor kid. I hope he learns quickly.

How Tone Gives Words NEW Meanings

2005-03-12T21:27:00.000-05:00

Have you ever tried to have a normal conversation with someone only to have the tone of your words be all wrong? For instance, you are relating to your friend how you managed to get that awful grease spot out of the ________ (you fill in the blank) and somehow, it comes out sounding like you are telling your friend, in no uncertain terms, that they obviously don't have the brains or the upbringing to know that your way is the only way! *sigh* The sad part is that we won't usually hear the way it sounds.

I wonder what I would hear if someone recorded my voice for one day. . . no, too long! One hour, maybe? I have a sick feeling that my words would slap me in the face. I have a tendency to be overly dramatic and sometimes stringent in my tone. I am grateful that the Lord has brought it to my attention. I grieve when I think how often I use my voice to tear others down. No, it isn't intentional, but it happens anyway.

Remember being told, "think before you speak" and "for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart?" (Luke 6:45b) Here is another to add to them: "He who loves purity of heart and whose speech is gracious, the king shall be his friend." (Proverbs 22:11) So, if gracious words come from a pure heart, isn't this what I should be asking God to give me?

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)

"Old" Folks At Home

2005-03-04T09:50:00.000-05:00

Here I am, finally attempting to start a blog! My reason for this is simple: I hope to use this blog to connect with family and friends back home. I am always amazed at the changes that take place at home between my visits. For instance, my baby sister has grown up! Somehow I always think of her as a little girl. But the proofs of her maturity are staring me in the face every time I read her blog. (Beka) Then there are all the weddings and births, funerals and graduations that occur when I am not there to witness them. There is a real disconnect between my life here and my old life as it has continued back home. Sometimes I wonder what I would be doing if I were back home right now. I guess I might be heading down to CA for Uncle Bernard's funeral tomorrow. I wonder.

And then I realize that my daughter Katie has finished "reading" her book and climbed out of her playpen and little Andrew is crying, in need of a diaper change. . . and I abruptly come back to the here and now, roll up my sleeves and get back to work.