outside fun

It's getting hot.  It's time to play with water and ice!

filling the storage bin with water

sending the car down the gutter ramp
spraying the hose down makes it go fast

"I will fill my dump truck"

"Then I will go for a ride.  I'm a heavy load."
indeed you are

Yesterday and today we filled some water balloons and put them in the freezer for some icy fun.  The ladies over at Play At Home Mom froze some water balloons with colored water in them, which is even more fun.  We were using the hose to fill our balloons and adding food coloring would have pretty much been rocket science. 

frozen water balloons, with the balloons removed

getting to work

sampling

drawing an O with the ice

that handsome boy turns 3
on Thursday

I'm mom enough, you are too

You're living in a cave, or some hole in the ground if you haven't already seen the Time magazine cover of the mom nursing her almost 4 year old.  Missed it?  Google can help.  The caption on the cover is "Are You Mom Enough?"  Implying, in my mind, that if you cared enough you would be nursing your child as long as they are interested in nursing. 

I've read a lot of negative commentary about the article "gross"  "unnatural" "what is she doing to her kid?"  "oh my stars"  and on and on.  I've got nothing against breastfeeding.  For obvious reasons I couldn't with my kid, but to each his own.... I mean we are not talking about abuse here, so what do you care.  You don't need to care what someone is doing with their child, unless they ask you for your opinion.

 What rubs me the wrong was is "Are You Mom Enough?"  As to somehow imply that she is a better mother than I am because she nurses her kid and I didn't/couldn't.  The Time cover and caption was brilliant.  They got the reaction they wanted and every mother under the sun is chatting about it. 

 Here is how mommy I am...

I'm mom enough to let my kid play and explore
I'm mom enough to let my kid chop and cook
I'm mom enough to let him throw rocks into the pond for as long as he wants
I'm mom enough to live in Russia, for a month, in the winter, mostly in Siberia
I'm mom enough to love a kid who didn't start out as mine
I'm mom enough to realize that I'm no better than any other mom, just different
I'm also mom enough to realize that not everyday is my best, I'm Trisha and I'm a mom in progress

Instead of criticizing other moms let's just focus on our own awesome momness.  Do share your awesome....

found!

I've had my eye on craigslist for a new dresser for about the last 4-5 months, either to use in the guest room or for Oliver.  Particularly a 6-9 drawer, mid century modern style, low standing, solid wood, and sturdy dresser.  I was willing to pay up to about $200.  I found some that were in mint condition and priced as such...$600-$900, ouch.  I found others reasonably priced, but other people jumped faster than me, darn.

Last night I stumbled upon an ad for a 1960s style dresser for $40.  $40!  I neeed it.  I messaged her as fast as I could, asked the appropriate questions, liked her answers, and decided to pick it up this evening.

Side note:  My car is amazing.  I don't know if my mother in law knew it, but she really picked out the best car for hauling junk!  The lady comes out of her house and say, "are you Trisha."  Yep.  "Oh, I thought you were bringing a truck, it's not going to fit in your car."  No, no, it will fit, everything fits!  Could you just help me lift it.  After is slides right in, she, like so many other is amazed.  The largest thing I carried was Oliver's twin size mattress and box spring.  This dresser isn't larger than a mattress!  It's a Chevy Malibu Maxx, hatchbacks are great...in case you're in the market.

Here is the photo from the craigslist ad
Can you even tell it's a dresser?  Hardly.

A little better.

Nicely constructed

Now to come up with a plan

 

 Found this one over at YHL
re-stain the bottom and paint the top

Or this one over at Danish Modern LA
re-stain the drawers and paint the body



Or just re-stain the whole thing to its
original lovelyness, like this one which I found on
pinterest but couln't get link to its original location

I think I like the first idea best, but we shall see. 

not so nappy

Oliver typically naps for about two hours.  During those two hours I try to be super productive cleaning the house and catching up on projects or chilling on the couch catching up with shows on hulu.  Today, like maybe 90% of the days I'm doing the later.  Two episodes missed of glee...a crime.

It usually goes down like this...
1. Put Oliver in his bed and hand him a book.
2. Say have a great nap!
3. Shut the door and retreat to the couch.
4. After about 30 minutes there is a loud thud, not to worry it's just Oliver throwing his book out of the bed rolling over and going to sleep.
5. After two hours, I wake him, because I also like when he sleeps at nigh.

Today it went like this...
1. Put Oliver in bed and hand him a book.
2. Say have a great nap!
3. Shut the door and retreat to glee.
4. After about 10 minutes he is banging on the door, ugh, repeat steps 1-3
5. After about 30 minutes there is a loud thud, I don't worry it's just Oliver throwing his book out of the bed and rolling over to go to sleep, or not. 
6. After two hours of catching up with glee I go get him, he wasn't sleeping.

Instead of sleeping he was redecorating, or experimenting as a surgeon or something not so nappy.  When I went in he was happily sitting in his bed reading, but the floor was a mess.  I went to pick him up and noticed blood smudged all over his legs and arms.  Instead of napping he took down his picture frames and tried to get the pictures out of them, resulting in one breaking, and him cutting his finger on the glass.  Then getting blood on his books, his pictures, himself, his bed, his pillow, surprisingly none on the carpet. 

He is totally fine.  It's a small cut.  I just wonder, what two year old silently slices themselves with glass and then goes about life as usual.  No noise, no crying, just happily bleeding and reading. 

too busy

We've been at work.  Much more than usual.  No time for house projects, pinterest projects, or anything all that exciting.  Maybe all that "dude get on it" work from lent left me a little burnt out.  Whatever the reason, all we've been doing is going to work, playing a bit, and eating dinner.  Totally lame.  Is it summer vacation yet?

I can't believe it's already May.  Just a few more weeks and Oliver turns three!  This week we are going to work on invitations and other fun party preparations.  It was super exciting to celebrate his birthday last year, even though he was turning two it was his first birthday.  This year he knows what a birthday is and even had suggestions as to who we should invite to the party.  It's fun to hear who he wants at his celebration. 

Other random bits...

-Oliver is very excited to see airplanes.  When he sees one he stops in his tracks to find it then says "I want to go on airplane ride.  I go to Massachusetts.  I see grammy and pop-pop.  I go to the ocean."
Do I brainwash Oliver into thinking that Massachusetts is the best place ever...yeah, what's it to ya? 

-When Oliver hears an ambulance or something that may sound like one he says "I jump out window and go on ambulance ride!"  followed by "I hope everybody okay" 

-He can almost count to 20.  14&15, unnecessary.  Check out his skills right here. 

splendid

The other day I hand something to Oliver and he says, no joke, "I can't thank you enough, I feel splendid"  Wait, what?  "I can't thank you enough, I feel splendid"  Okay, your welcome buddy.  Scratching my head I wonder where on earth that came from.  When Jim gets home I ask him if he taught Oliver to say that.  Umm no Trisha, that wasn't me.  Okay. 

Dinner is eaten, Oliver is congratulated for peeing in the potty all day, and thus is allowed to request a DVD.  As usual he requests "Cranky Bugs" which is a Thomas DVD that has a few different 10 minute episodes.  Jim is washing the dishes, I'm putting stuff away, and Oliver is watching the show.  Then I hear it "I can't thank you enough, I feel splendid"  says the Old Slow Coach after Thomas and friends have saved her from being turned into scrap. 

Such a random line to remember, but such a wonderful one!  Hilarious. 

late? me? never!

It's been an issue all of my adult life.  It was brought up in premarital counseling and may continue to be the thing that I stress over the most.  I can't be late.  Scratch that, I can't be anything but early.  If you are having a party that starts at 6:00, I'll be there at 5:55.  Jim recently taught me that if a party is at 6:00 you shouldn't be there before 6:10.  If I'm "late" for your party, you can rest assured it was Jim's doing and most likely argued over before our arrival.  At both my teaching jobs I was almost always the first teacher there.  I get to my current job five minutes early and that's after waiting for a few minutes at the local park. 

I heard this rumor that once you have a child you throw this whole punctuality out the window and you will be 10 minutes late for everything for the rest of time.     No.  Way. 

This rant comes to the forefront because I was late for yoga class today.  It wasn't my fault, I blame rush hour, a traffic accident, a closed exit, and all red lights.  Usually if I'm running late for something like that I just won't go, but I really like yoga and Oliver enjoys playing in the kid's place, so we trudged on.  We made it to the parking lot by 5:27 for our 5:30 class, Ahhhh!  Parked, ran, signed in, paid for kid's place, dropped him off, told the teachers not to let him drink water, and made it to already quiet, already dark yoga by 5:33.  I didn't feel particularly disruptive, and a bunch more people came in after me, but I still hated it.  What's my issue?  Wait, don't answer that.