Milkweed Hill...And Beyond

I've moved!

2009-03-03T12:40:00.004-05:00

If you're reading this (and I am shocked if anyone is actually following my blog anymore) I have moved away and am on to hopefully bigger and better things. Come by and check it out if you get the chance at Mommyrunner. Thanks!

Thankful

2008-11-24T09:57:00.002-05:00

My 6 year old son David has a school project that's due at the end of each month. It's something that he works on at home sometimes with help from us if he needs it. These usually have a theme and of course this month's theme was Thanksgiving. Every day in November David had to write two things he is thankful for in a journal. At first it was difficult for him to get in the habit of writing in it, and difficult for me to remember to remind him. At this age, any homework for him is also homework for me. But it only took about a week for him to consistently remember to write in it on his own and the more he did it, the more he seemed to enjoy the process of writing and bringing to mind all the things he's glad to have in his life. I got a kick out of what he's written so far, and so with his permission I've written them here, spelling errors and all:

I am thankful for my famuly and my home.
I am thankful for my Legos and my K'nex.
I am thankful for birthdays and food.
I am thankful for drinks and toys.
I am thankful for ise crem and I am also thankful for trees.
I am thankful for fish and grass.
I am thankful for watr and sand.
I am thankful for my friends and whole milk.
I am thankful for birds and lemonade.
I am thankful for darey prodx and pizza. (me too!)
I am thankful for ham and mashd potato.
I am thankful for land and sea.
I am thankful for clocks and muusic.
I am thankful for cats and dogs.
I am thankful for lemons and baskits.
I am thankful for Pokemon and peckoks.
I am thankful for pigs and paradis. (reminds me of a Jimmy Buffet song)
I am thankful for Miss Hazzalton and Misses Graval. (his teachers)
I am thankful for church and gym.
I am thankful for school and light.
I am thankful for rice and chicin.
I am thankful for juice and cake. (mmm...cake)
I am thankful for mackarony and chees and bred. (absolutely)
I'm thankful for chereos and cinamin tost crunch.
I'm thankful for soup and my cats.

All I can say is, that kid likes his food. You wouldn't know it by how much he fusses at dinnertime, but then you'll notice he did not say he was thankful for "mom's experimental chicken dishes with weird sauces and spices". What I also found interesting was that some of the things were obvious associations (land and sea), while others were less so (soup and cats). He's probably heard me making too many jokes about how I'd gladly cook up the cats if I had no other means of feeding the family.

Mostly I'm thankful for my family, my home and our health. There are many subcategories but those are the big ones. And of course I'm thankful for "mashd potato". How could you not be thankful for that?

What are you most thankful for this year?

My Top Ten Reasons to Run

2008-11-15T11:39:00.008-05:00

#10 It's good for the heart. You can lower your blood pressure quite a bit by running regularly and that ticker will last a hell of a lot longer if it gets the workout it needs.

#9 Makes your bones stronger. The impact from running increases bone density which is crucial as we age, especially for women. Recent findings support that lower impact exercises, while helping your heart, don't do much for those bones.

#8 Lowers stress. I can speak from personal experience on this one. If I don't get my regular runs in I get crabby and I don't sleep as well. And no matter how I feel prior to a run, I ALWAYS feel better after one. Always.

#7 You can eat more of what you want. I enjoy food and because I run I need to consume more calories than the average woman my age. That said, I have no idea how many calories I consume each day. I know I eat enough to feel good and I don't put on weight, so that's enough for me!

#6 It's good for the kids, too! Kids today are at high risk for obesity because of increasing sedentary lifestyles, but children who witness their parents taking part in physical sports are much more likely to follow suit and get the exercise their little bodies need.

#5 A good excuse for some alone time. Who couldn't use a little time out of the house alone? I know for myself that even a few minutes away from the demands of being a mom of little kids really refreshes me. It's not at all the same as being alone in the house or getting time to watch a show or something. This feels like good, quality time that's spent making me a better person.

#4 You can wear cool things like this. Well, not if you're a guy, I guess.

#3 It makes you feel like a kid again. Nothing brings you back faster to childhood than running around. You might not be as limber as a ten year old, but you'll find with some effort you can be a hell of a lot faster than one!

#2 Racing is fun. If you can run three miles, you can run a race. And the opportunities for races grows every year and it's a great way to meet new people and put yourself to the test. Also, free snacks afterward!!

#1 You will get to know yourself a lot better. Running strips you down and builds you back up. You learn a lot about your inner nature when you push yourself physically, and running is a sport that demands much of both your body and your mind.

Okay, so there's my two cents. So what are your reasons for (or against!) running?

Name that picture

2008-10-01T16:51:00.002-04:00

I am a lazy blogger. So lazy, I can't even come up with a caption for this photo. So you do it for me. Best caption gets my utmost respect and a copy of my unfinished short story.

These are tough economic times. We do what we can.

The DMV lives up to its reputation

2008-09-04T15:41:00.005-04:00

I got a notice in the mail that I needed to renew my driver's license. Just another opportunity to stand and line and hand over $50, and I get grumpy thinking about it but then a faint, low voice echoes in my head, "Driving is a privilege, not a right!" Whoever said that did not have to drive around in my dirty minivan with my three kids.

Anyhoo.

So I got to the DMV early yesterday morning with Sofia and Isobel in tow and it seems quiet enough at the registration desk, but then I round the corner for the licensing and OH! There it is! The long line of sullen faces reaching back to the far wall, the herd corralled within the line dividers so they can't escape, their hands all clutching their little renewal notices. They all look at me, their eyes pleading, it's not too late for you...run while you still can! But I'm here. I could come back tomorrow but I'm here now so I'll just get it over with.

The first 20 minutes go smoothly. The girls have snacks, then some water. Then Isobel gets restless. She keeps grabbing at the skirt of the woman in front of us. It looks silky, so I guess she likes the way it feels. Then she tries to go under it. The woman tries and laughs it off, but I apologize and hoist 'Bel unto my shoulders. Then she messes up my hair, which didn't look so hot to begin with, but now it's totally craptacular. Now Sofia is getting restless. "I'm so bored," she moans. "Me too, hon. Nobody likes to wait in line. Let's just try and make the best of it." I try doing finger plays with the girls, like "thumbkin" and "open, shut them" and they are only mildly amused. The line shuffles along, slightly. Now we're 40 minutes in. Still about 8 people in front of me. Isobel begins to lose her cool, so I throw her in the air repeatedly, but then after about 10 tosses my arms begin to fatigue and I have to put her down. She wants nothing to do with the stroller. Then "Desperado" starts playing over the speaker. Now, you're probably wondering what I've got against that song. I used to really like it a lot, but years ago when I worked for a dinner theater I was in a play in which my character had to sing it 5 nights a week for 4 months. Sometimes we had matinees and I would sing it twice a day. So now I just really hate it. That's all.

So if that's not bad enough now Isobel is really starting to lose it and nothing I do is helping and then in walks some man with a little boy of about 2 years old in tow and he starts yelling, "REPENT all ye sinners! REPENT!" Now, I've nothing against repentance- it's good for the soul, for sure, but this guy is nutty and I am scared because I am certain any minute he is going to pull out a gun and start shooting everyone. I'm already planning my exit route with the kids and I'm glad I'm wearing my sneakers in case I have to haul ass out of here and I think, "no, I can't die at the DMV...anywhere but here, please!"And then, suddenly...it's my turn.

So I take my eye test, pay my fifty bucks, get my hideous picture taken and leave with my life intact.

Thanks DMV for such a stellar birthday gift. Really, you shouldn't have!

Into the Unknown

2008-08-28T09:13:00.002-04:00

So close

2008-07-25T17:15:00.002-04:00

Before I die I WILL capture a photo of my kids without one of them doing the "thumbs up" and/or sticking one of their tongues out. But probably only during the sullen "emo" years of puberty and then I'm pretty sure they won't let me take their picture at all.

I guess I'll just have to be happy with this.

A couple more and we'll have a proper band

2008-07-15T16:58:00.003-04:00

You should hear us cover "London Bridge", man. We totally rocked the house.

Beachy keen

2008-07-11T11:21:00.004-04:00

Here am I playing in the sand at our first trip to the ocean this summer. We had a ball, of course and as you can see here I forgot to bring something to hold my hair up. Silly me! Do you like my new bathing suit? It's a Ralph Lauren. I think it brings out the blue in my eyes and accentuates my light, golden tan. I know what you're thinking..."She really gave birth three times??" Oh yes, I get that a lot. But you know what they say- Pictures don't lie!

We are royalty and will be treated as such!

2008-07-08T12:00:00.002-04:00

You know they are of royal blood because they hang out in a purple room. Every castle needs a purple room, right? Pictured here are mighty King David, Princess Sofia Marie and Little "Bel" the royal kitty cat. Treat the kitty lovingly or she will bite and/or scratch. Feed the King and Princess chicken that isn't too spicy or they will freak out. Hire a really good jester to entertain them because they become bored very easily. And be certain to never give them sugary foods before bed or you will have a royal mess on your hands.

Mutha Runna

2008-07-06T20:53:00.006-04:00

Running is sometimes like being in labor. It's uncomfortable, hot and sweaty work. There's some pain, sometimes lots of pain, and a great deal of heavy breathing. I try to control the rhythm of my breathing (in through the nose, out through the mouth and repeat) and keep focused on the goal of getting to the end. Of course at the end of labor you have a new baby and you can't walk comfortably for several days. With running you just have the latter. Well, that's not true now, of course. When I first got into running it was like that. I would run (ok, jog) and be thinking, "why am I doing this? Oh, this sucks so much. I should just stop now. No, I can't stop now. If someone sees me they'll think I'm some kind of wuss. Got... to... keep... going. Oh, someone kill me." And all this just before reaching the end of my street.

That was the old days. Now I go out, feel good for the most part, get tired through the middle and usually finish up strong. I still get stitches, especially if I've eaten too much right before a run, and I get the occasional tweak in my foot or ankle that makes me have to take it easy for a few days here and there. I still breathe heavy up the hills, but I can smile sailing down them. Once in a while, not very often, I'll get heckled by guys driving by, but it doesn't bother me. I've usually got U2 blasting in my ears and I can't hear a damn thing they're saying, but I imagine it's something like, "Oh, you are so gorgeous and mighty, running lady, and I am so lowly and insecure, for I feel compelled to yell at you while driving my truck! Why am I such a bastard?"

I both love and loathe running. And sometimes, still, the best part of running is the stopping running. Getting to the corner of my street, seeing my house and knowing it's finished and I can rest, get a drink of water and take off my stinky shoes. The kids all come rally around me and David always smiles and asks, "How far did you go this time, mommy?" Some runs are farther than others, but always I run just far enough to get out of my own head for a little while, or deeper into it, I'm not sure. Far enough to get my heart thudding in my ears. Far enough to get me to think about death and to feel every once in a while that God has got my back. Far enough to get just enough crazy out of me so I can do everything that I need to do every day...every day. That is what I love most about running- How far I can get without every leaving my city.

I've been meaning to write more about running, but reading this funny post by Backpacking Dad is what inspired me. It's a slightly different kind of running story.

Thumbs up for ducks (because I couldn't think of a better title)

2008-07-03T15:59:00.002-04:00

The picture from my last post mysteriously disappeared (Peg-what gives?) so I had to delete it but now I have the opportunity to promote...myself.

I have an archived post featured on the ezine Blog Nosh this week and you should go over there and check it out. It's funny to think about the kinds of things that concerned me when I first became a stay at home mom. I remember right before I left work, a couple weeks before my due date with David, a fellow employee said, "so, you're just going to be a housewife then?" I wanted to cry. And punch him in the face. It's fortunate for him that I've forgiven far greater trespasses to my soul, but then I was heavily pregnant so he's still pretty lucky I didn't take him down. Today if someone were to call me a housewife I would just laugh and say, "no, if I were married to my house I wouldn't let the kids trash it up nearly as much."

And as long as I'm self promoting, let me give another nod over to ChapterBytes which should have a thrilling new chapter up any day now. This one has the potential to be very steamy so you will not want to miss it. And no, I'm not up next to write this one but I wish I were!

So I leave you with the thumbs up girl and ducks, because who doesn't love ducks?

Dad's day

2008-06-17T08:14:00.002-04:00

Thanks to my husband for being such a terrific father. Thanks to my mom for this photo. And thanks to photo editing which allowed me to crop myself right out of the picture.

Hope all the dads out there had a Happy Father's Day!

Duet

2008-06-06T20:06:00.004-04:00

I posted this picture from late last summer for two reasons: One, I don't have a camera anymore and until dollar bills start growing in my garden, I won't be getting a new one any time soon, but I wanted to post some kind of picture of the kids. Two, this served a good reminder that sometimes my kids get along really well. Sometimes.

Today was a mixed bag. They only had one little incident, but it was after a long day of other assorted headaches and it did not help things much. I have to give them credit, though, because earlier today when we were at the grocery store their baby sister would not let me put her in the grocery cart seat without screaming bloody murder (turns out she had a diaper rash which she has never had before and I wouldn't have even suspected it in a million years- explains of course why she did not want to sit down) and so I had to carry her, slung on my hip through the entire shopping trip. I am just now getting the feeling back in my arm. Anyway, I was ready to walk out of the store, but David really wanted to get groceries (he is a snack-a-holic and we were running desperately low on anything remotely appealing to snack on) so he said, "No, we can do this. I will push the cart while you hold Isobel. You just tell me what you need and I will put it in the cart, ok?" and Sofia chimes in with, "Yeah, I'll help push the cart!" And so David picked out some nice steak for dinner, selected some juice and they both worked together to maneuver the cart around the store. They did everything they said they would. For about 10 minutes or so.

But hey, that 10 minutes made all the difference in the world. Isobel calmed down a bit and we got most of what we needed pretty quickly. Of course by the end of the trip they were nearly running down poor old ladies in the canned goods aisles, but God bless 'em. It's just nice to know that they can come through in a pinch.

My kid the carnivore

2008-06-05T09:56:00.003-04:00

Little kids are weird. And sometimes they say creepy, weird little things.

Kids have a tough job. There is so much information for them to process, so many mysteries to unravel (or let remain mysteries) and all the while trying to communicate their thoughts and feelings to others in a manner that grooves with societal expectations. And sometimes it's good to use your parents as a sounding board before you go sharing all your reflections with the rest of the world.

Me to Sofia, as I put her down for her nap, trying to explain why she cannot hit her brother after an earlier altercation: It's ok to feel angry and frustrated sometimes. Everyone gets mad and sometimes we want to just hit, but we can't. It's not ok to hurt other people and it doesn't help anything. You didn't really hurt him this time, but you could have.

Sofia: Well, it's not the worst thing I could have done.

Me: No, it's not the worst thing you could have done, but it's still not alright.

Sofia: Like, I could have bit him really hard and taken a big bite out of him. That would have been bad.

Me: Yes, that would have been very bad. I'm glad you didn't do that.

Sofia: Yeah, because I don't think I could have even bit through him. It would have been too tough to eat it.

Me: Right. Skin is very tough.

Sofia: And then I would have to eat his blood and I don't think I would like to eat his blood. She pauses for a moment and scrunches up her face. Is blood red?

Me, trying to back out of the bedroom: Uh, yes, blood is red.

Sofia, making an disgusted face: I would be like, "Blech, Bleaaahhh!!! Urugh!" She makes a spitting sound.

Me: Right. That would be really gross. Don't ever try to eat another person.

Sofia: I'm a kitty! MREEEOOOWWW! She licks her kitty paws.

Me: Have a good nap, kitty. I'm just going to shut this door, then.

Something to nosh on

2008-06-02T20:48:00.002-04:00

Like to do a little creative writing but don't have the time to complete a novel? Or even a whole short story? Heck, just want to put together a short chapter and still get to call yourself an author? Well look no further than ChapterBytes. A good friend and fellow blogger got a great idea for this collaborative writing project that should be a blast. Get in on it now while you can!

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got an assignment to complete...

What not to wear

2008-05-18T09:41:00.003-04:00

This morning I pull from my dresser drawer a summery sort of shirt that's all wrinkly from being balled up in there for about a year. Really, I do fold clothes when they come out of the dryer, but they never seem to remain that way for long. I'm not sure what happens to them, but I assure you it's not my fault.

Anyway, it's one of the shirts I'm not sure if I really like or not. Seems like the trends nowadays are toward clothing that's so hideous it's fashionable. I'm not keen enough to tell the difference. I've got no time for this foolishness, anyway, but you know, I still want to look "good". So I put on the shirt and walk into the kitchen where the kids are and hold out my arms and say, "Waddya think? I'm not sure about this shirt. Does it look ok?"

The kids are staring at me.

David: "What do you mean? You don't like it?"
Me: "Well, I can't decide if I do or not."
David: "Well I think I would think it's cool if I was you."
Me: "Yeah? You think it looks good?"
David: "Yeah! It would make a really good undershirt."
Me: "Oh. I guess I'll go change."

David is a very kind and gentle critic, but sometimes I just want the plain, non-sugar coated truth. It would at least save me some time.

Will you be stimulated?

2008-05-10T10:34:00.007-04:00

Ernesto and I have had this back and forth on the whole "stimulus package" the government has set up and I am thinking it will have little, if any effect on the economy. I am predicting a brief rise in consumer spending and then back to the dreary status quo. Obviously I am no expert, and not even seasoned economists can say for sure what will happen and believe me, I would certainly like to see a positive outcome from this, but I don't think it bodes well.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still happily accepting this money, even though it is borrowed from ourselves and/or China, who we already owe about a trillion dollars to. Who cares, right? I'm guessing there are people who will make some purchases and lots of other people who will use the money to pay off debts, like all the oil bills incurred over the brutal winter, or some will stock it away to pay for gas for their cars. It ought to last a couple weeks, anyway. Ours is going to help pay for private school for our eldest. If we were good Americans, we'd use it for a vacation or a big TV or I could buy twenty pairs of really good shoes. I wish we could spend it on something really fun or lavish, but we've got a mortgage and three kids, so there you go.

How will you be stimulated this summer?

So good I took the time to write about it

2008-05-02T14:44:00.003-04:00

If you really appreciate good coffee like I do, then I know you aren't drinkin' Maxwell House. I'm always looking for a good deal on grounds and I saw this Ugly Mug on special at the local Shaw's and was suckered in by the good packaging and fair trade angle.

Can I just say- it's very, very good. I am enjoying some right now. No one paid me to say this. But anyone can feel free to do so. I gladly accept small and large bills. Or you can just send me some more of this coffee.

Girls' night out

2008-04-12T09:59:00.006-04:00

Sofia and I enjoyed a little time out Friday night, just the two of us. We got some tickets for Smucker's "Stars on Ice" in Manchester and originally I was going to bring David as well but he bowed out at the last minute. Actually, he didn't want to take a nap in the afternoon which I required that he do if he was going to stay up past his bedtime for the show. So I gave him the choice of watching men and women skating around to 80's music or skipping his nap, and of course, he chose the latter.

"I wasn't really that up for going, anyway," he confided. Like father, like son.

So it was just me and Sof. I was kind of excited because we don't do much alone together and being that she's the middle child, I think she really does need a little extra attention once in a while. She's not the oldest so she's not ever the first to do anything and she doesn't get fussed over the way the baby does. I was looking forward to spending some time just with her.

We both got all dressed up and drove over to the arena and we chatted happily the whole way (Sofia is a talker) and she was so excited and beside herself to be going out at night together. We crossed the street to the arena with all the other throngs of people and she exclaimed, "It's like all these people are our friends! Come on, gang!"and she waves the crowd onward.

We don't have to go too far to get to our seats once we're inside. I note that we are seated very close to both a bathroom and a concession stand. Excellent. No one is seated right near us and we have easy access to the aisles, just in case. We get there shortly before the show is about to begin and Sofia is pointing out all the interesting details of the arena as we wait, such as the ice, the lights, security guards and so on. She wriggles around in her seat excitedly and keeps clasping her hands together with anticipation and leans over to give me a hug. After the show begins and some of the stars come out for the opening number (skating fans- please do not be appalled that I don't know the names of these people. I recognized Sasha Cohen who seemed to be the lead "star" of the show since she was in a red sparkly dress unlike the other women who were all in white) Sofia is even more thrilled. With every leap and jump the skaters complete, she points and squeals with a "Did you see that?!" or a "Wow!! This is the best show ever!!" We get some snacks at the snack bar but we hurry back to our seats for she's afraid she'll miss something terrific. At one point she even leans over, sipping her lemonade and squeezes my arm whispering, "I'm so glad we came!" and of course I am swelling with joy and pride and thinking that this will be one of the memories she'll carry into adulthood- the time she and her mom went to the spectacular ice skating show together.

And then minutes later, as a skater is gliding across the ice to a sentimental number, Sofia turns to me and declares, "I'm bored of this."

I think I misheard her. "What did you say?"
Sofia, louder: "I'M BORED!"
"Well the next one might be more exciting. This song is kind of slow. Wait for one of the fast ones and I'll bet they'll do some great tricks."
"I want to see inside my Skittles. It's too dark in here to see inside my Skittles!" She's bitten into one of the candies and wants to see what color it is inside.
"It's just white, hon. That's all. Whoa! Did you see that move?"
"I'm tired. I want to go home now."

Oh man. And I was just getting into it.

It was well past her bed time and she picked a good time to want to leave, right at intermission. And of course there was the added benefit of not dealing with all the traffic leaving the parking garage at once. We held hands and walked back to the car together and I felt a little sad that we didn't make it the whole way but I asked her if she had a good time and she smiled up at me the way she does with her eyes squinted tight and said "Yes! Just us girls!".

I'm sure it won't be our last adventure out as just the girls. We'll have to see how it goes at the ballet. You know, like in another four years or so.

A very good year

2008-04-07T16:17:00.003-04:00

So I'm a week late in posting this (big surprise) and I don't even have any pictures to share because we *gasp* lost our camera a couple weeks back. How can that be, you ask? Because I must be the most organized person in the world, how could I have possibly misplaced an important item like that? Yes, well I've also been known to misplace a birth certificate or two so you can really only expect so much from me. I'm busy and very distracted most of the time. Speaking of being distracted...

...so what I wanted to mention is that my littlest screamer is now a one year old girl, as of the first of April. Like her older siblings, she wanted nothing to do with her birthday cake and acted as if we'd fed her dirt. Not clean sand or anything, because babies love to eat sand. No, just regular dirt. Dirt cake, if you will. Anyway, it was a happy celebration and I could not be more proud of my little girl. I give myself a little pat on the back, too, for helping her to get to this point. It's been a busy, but extremely good year.

And speaking of being busy, I haven't made much in the way of time for blogging. I have a new passion; running. I'm getting out whenever I can and logging more miles every week. I am easily in the best shape of my adult life and my stress levels are way down. I have stinky running shoes, but I think the benefits outweigh the negatives in this case.

So I've written several posts in my head, they just haven't made it all the way to the keyboard. Funny thing about running- it actually makes you go to bed at a reasonable hour. I seem to be following in my father's footsteps who also had difficulty making it through an evening tv show or movie without falling asleep. I actually spilled a glass of wine on myself in mid-doze a few weeks back. I guess Ernesto would have taken it out of my hand if he'd seen me nodding off...or would he? Hmm. I should go have a talk with him...

So all in all, it's been a good year. The kids are thriving, we all survived another New England winter and there are crocuses, daffodils and tulips coming up all over the yard. What more could I ask for? Maybe I will even find my camera somewhere in one of these melting "yard" bergs. Do I dare to dream?

Yes, this is Spring in New England

2008-03-19T12:28:00.002-04:00

I do not, nor have I ever understood the "one size fits all" mentality of chain stores when it comes to the timing of seasonal clothing displays. I get putting out the next season's items before the season actually arrives, but there is absolutely no good reason to stock a New Hampshire sales floor with sundresses in February. Exactly when is anyone around here supposed to wear these items? They are no good until June. And Easter dresses?? Well, they are absolutely adorable and I would love to put my 12 month old into a pink and purple sleeveless number with open-toed sandals to match but I would prefer she not get frostbite whilst we are searching for Easter eggs amongst the 5 foot high snowbanks. And sun hats. Yes, we will certainly be needing those and I'll make sure to get the ones with the grosgrain ribbons to tie them under the girls' chins so they don't blow away into the upper atmosphere when the 40 mph winds kick in.

I love the thought of a warm, dewy Easter morning, but when I have that vision it almost always takes place in the deep South where the mercury might be just a wee bit higher than here. You know, a scene like the one in "Steel Magnolias" with all the fair haired children running amok down a rolling TruChem green lawn in their summer whites and pale blues. Then there are my kids in their shabby, road-salt smeared winter coats and too tight snow boots. Just darling!

I am going to design a more suitable line of clothing for us Nor'eastern folks that seasonally appropriate, but still Spring-like. Perhaps for the girls a long sleeved fleece gown and for the boys a woolen suit coat. You know, kind of like what they wear at Christmas time but in Spring colors. Sounds terrific, doesn't it?

I don't really care about this at all, though, because come snow, rain, wind or sleet, (most likely all four) this Sunday I am going on an all out chocolate peanut butter delight fest and there is nothing to that can ruin it for me. I will just have to remember to remove my white lace gloves before I dip into the goods.

when muppets indulge in too much "craic"

2008-03-17T07:48:00.004-04:00

Thanks to my friend Jemi for sending this to me this morning. It's just the kind of thing that makes complete sense before I've downed my first cup of joe. And really, this is the only way this song should ever be performed, anyway.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Bella's Theme

2008-03-02T11:30:00.005-05:00

Kids sure do grow quickly. They smile, they learn to sit up, crawl and then before you know it they're walking.

And then they learn to rock.

Please don't listen to me

2008-02-16T20:38:00.007-05:00

Everyone knows you have to watch what you say around little kids. They can pick up words or phrases in an instant and then you spend the next few months locked inside your home, foregoing social visits, hoping they'll magically forget the new vocabulary.

We've been very fortunate in this regard. Not once have I ever heard one of my children use a curse word and about the meanest insult they can come up with is "stupid head", which of course is not very nice, but at least it's not profanity and I've only heard them call each other that once or twice at most.

Now of course I don't do much in the way of swearing. Anymore. I'm not proud to admit that I used to swear on a pretty much daily basis. Not like in a Jay and Silent Bob film, but still enough for it to be tricky to cut out using these words altogether. Well, mostly. On occasion if I am frightened (like someone is about to swerve into my lane while I'm driving) or I do something stupid (like drop several dishes on the floor at once) I will let one fly, then quickly cover my mouth as if that will help to keep young ears from hearing it. But generally I do pretty well, and I've got lots of new phrases that I use in place of the old ones that are nearly just as satisfying. Feel free to use any of these if you aren't already:

"Awww sugar snaps!!"
"Cheese and rice!"
"Son of a motherless goat!"
(and my personal favorite) "Mother pus-bucket!"

Now, that last one sounds bad, I know, but there really isn't anything profane in that expression. It's just kind of gross. But it's very satisfying to say.

A few days ago I was taking this kids out on some errand and I had forgotten I was listening to a mixed CD the last time I had been out by myself in the car. None of the music was racy, but I had completely forgotten that the singer lets rip one expletive, clear as day and just as I remembered the lyric that was about to come up, well, it was too late. I cringed, looked back at the kids who were looking out the windows and waited. I thought David might ask, "What did he say, mommy?" or something to that effect, but neither of them seemed to notice. Bullet dodged.

But even though that one got past them, most of what the kids hear does not go unnoticed. They are picking up other choice phrases, as was demonstrated the other day when Sofia was annoyed with her big brother and called out to the heavens an exasperated, "OH, for the love of GOD!"

I cannot imagine where she got that from.

And some things they seem to pick up by osmosis. Earlier in the week I was reading the kids some stories and they were making up funny names for characters in the book and after listing several cute ones, David blurts out, "Rudy Giuliani!"

I laugh and ask, "Do you know who that is?"
He shrugs and says, "Um...he wants to president?"
"Yes, but he won't."
"Oh, is he a candidate, then?" he inquires, all conversational like.
"Well, he was..."
and without missing a beat, Sofia chimes in with, "But Isobel voted for Mike Huckabee, ya know!"

We all pause and look down at Isobel who is drooling and chewing on Barbie's pointy foot. She smiles.

This is the sort of thing that results from living in NH. No child can escape from the political process.

Ya know.

A quick run through February

2008-02-12T10:57:00.000-05:00

It seemed like only a few days since my last post, but clearly time has gotten away from me yet again. This shortest month (which is longer than usual thanks to the leap year) is actually going by rather quickly. I mean, March is actually within sight! Let's not kid ourselves that spring will arrive next month because that has just never, ever happened. Not in this neck of the woods, anyway. Still, it's on its way, slowly but surely.

So to catch you all up to speed I've been busy with a 5 year old who has just discovered comic books (oh yay! Another thing to collect!), a 3 year old who has already mastered the art of shooting "dirty looks" at her mother when she is displeased and a 10 month old who is now a full-on walker, officially a "toddler", really, who also likes to collect socks and eat paper.

When I'm not busy with them, I'm escaping to the gym to run, but not quite as far as this guy. I guess I am officially married to an athlete. I don't know how anyone is able to smile after running that far. It would be all I could do not to puke on my shoes. Oh and yes, the kids and I are VERY proud of him!

And of course, since life isn't crazy enough, I have yet again given up chocolate for Lent. Those who know me, know this is indeed a sacrifice. But then come Easter I will gorge myself silly on peanut butter cups and will again return to my old, sweet self. And no doubt I will need to add an additional 12 miles a week to my routine to make up for all the chocolate. It will be soooo worth it.

Extreme Makeover revealed in Manchester

2008-01-28T10:57:00.000-05:00

If you remember this past fall, I got a glimpse of Ty Pennington as I was picking up drive-thru with the kids. Well, they built a new home for a fellow Manchester family and last night it was revealed on the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition show. I don't normally watch the show but of course I couldn't resist watching this one, since these folks live mere minutes from here. Also, I nearly crashed my car on the highway, craning my neck to see the Christmas light display this 3-story home had this past season. Nearly the entire home was outlined in white lights. Pretty cool.

Anyway, I was struck by how long this show was and how much crying goes on in it. Understandable, of course, considering the circumstances. I would be crying all the time if I lost my home to a flood or any other disaster, and crying even more if someone came to build me a new one.

During the show, one of the designer's brought up a good point about communities. He essentially said we are all responsible for making sure that the people we share our town with are taken care of, that we all do something to help out. This came more sharply into focus when a local news story covering the makeover pointed out that the local city food bank had been asked for donations for the people working on the house to which the food bank workers essentially replied that their supplies were depleted enough as it was. Even so, I do believe they still made a contribution. Made me think we need to be doing a little more here in town to help out on a regular basis.

Cool to finally see the interior of the finished home. Very neat, indeed. I don't know why that designer was so worked up about getting those circles on the ceiling in the family room. Whose going to have to dust those blasted things??

Fun family stuff

2008-01-24T13:37:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to link to these sites that I think are really great for young kids. If you've got a beginner reader in the house and want a fun and easy to follow online activity for him/her, check out Starfall which has gone over well with both my kids. If they struggle with a word, they only need to click on it to hear it sounded out. It makes a great substitute for your usual phonics lesson if you happen to be homeschooling, or if you've got the kids stuck at home on a snow day. If you are clever enough they won't even realize they are learning anything! Be sure to click on the characters in the stories to make them do silly things.

I'm sure there are other sites like this, but this is one of our favorites when we want to learn about animals. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has live web cams of otters, fish and other creatures that live in and around the Bay. Of course they are on Pacific time, so their cams aren't up and running until around 10AM out here. Which of course turns into a good lesson on time zones for the wee ones. Thanks to my mom who first turned us on to this one.

Also, I wanted to mention that I bought this strategy game called Blokus for the family for Christmas. So far we have only all sat down together once to actually play it and Sofia got distracted by the end, but I think this is a great game for families of kids ages 5 and up. And kids as young as Sofia can still make cool patterns with the pieces on the board. It is sometimes a challenge to keep those pieces out of the baby's mouth, however.

Hope you're all staying warm this week...

"That's one step for baby..."

2008-01-19T10:33:00.000-05:00

Isobel took her first few steps this past Thursday morning. I tried, pretty unsuccessfully, to get some good video footage of this milestone in action. Here I managed to shoot a few seconds her taking just a couple little steps and of course I didn't even get her feet in the frame. Oh well.

Note that even after three children I still use that high voice that gives people a headache and makes dogs' ears prick up. My first thought was, wow, do I really sound like that?

Anyway, she's been taking as many as four steps at a time before she either falls or decides she's had enough. It must be pretty exhausting work, all this learning to walk. You would think it would help her to sleep better...

Oh Rats!

2008-01-16T15:46:00.001-05:00

The kids and I were headed home from the store this afternoon and while listening to the radio we heard the DJ commenting on a story about how a 2000 lb. rodent fossil was just discovered. I looked into the rear mirror to see David's jaw just about drop to the floor. He's really interested in this sort of thing (ok, what isn't a five year old boy interested in, except "girly" things and cleaning up after himself?) and he was very impressed with the news story. He was taking it all in and it was very quiet in the car. Then he slowly uttered a single word:

"Ratzilla."

At any rate, this one's certainly got the ROUS's beat.

Miles to go before he poops

2008-01-11T19:42:00.000-05:00

Today the kids and I were enjoying the album, "For the Kids Three" I won over at Phil's blog a while back. David and Sofia have enjoyed it immensely and today I was reminded of my nephew Miles when I listened to "The Poopsmith Song". He's well on his way to complete potty training, but as you can imagine he's had a few stumbles here and there, and um, everywhere.

We know you'll get there, buddy, even if your poor parents have to reupholster the entire house. This one's for you Miley!

Primary teeth

2008-01-09T13:04:00.000-05:00

Isobel celebrated her very first NH primary election by cutting her very first tooth. What amazing timing she has. See, even at 9 mos. she has a wicked keen sense of humor.

David and Sofia marked the occasion by having their own mock election here at home. Sofia circled two names on her ballot so I guess her vote would have been thrown out if it weren't for the fact that I'm her mom and I get to make up the election rules. "Everybody's a winner!" I declared since all three of us had voted for different candidates. And I allowed them to vote in both the Republican and Democratic races, but like I said, I make the rules here!

I took David with me to the polls last night and he got to experience standing in line for fifteen minutes. "See? Isn't voting fun?" I asked him. He rolled his eyes. He did like putting the ballot in the electronic ballot sucker. He wanted to know what that other, even longer line was for.

"Those are the people who haven't registered yet."
"Why didn't they register yet?"
"Maybe they thought it would be fun to wait in line, too."

Anyway, easily the biggest turnout I have ever seen. Glad to see people getting out there to vote, cutting their Primary teeth.

Buried treasure

2008-01-07T15:18:00.001-05:00

Leave it to us to start the new year off with an impromptu home project. Ever since we moved into this house almost two years ago I've been threatening to "pull up the carpet" in the living room. The carpet was fine and in fairly new condition. It didn't match the carpeting in the rest of the house and I really just wanted one room with a wood floor. I know it may sound strange, but walking across a wood floor in my bare feet reminds me of my childhood, or at least my childhood home. Also I like the practicality of wiping up spills easily and not having to haul out the carpet stain remover every other day. Or every other hour, depending on kind of day we're having.

So yesterday Ernesto was trying to find the spot in the carpet where an old cable had been pulled up through the floor. We had removed the unused cable when we moved into the house making the hole in the carpet difficult to find. but now Ernesto wanted to run some speaker wires up through it from the stereo below in the family room.

"Well, you could always pull up the carpet," I offered, shrugging. I was quite unprepared for him to agree to do it this time.

"You have to live with whatever is under here, though," he warned me.

We decided to go for it and several hours later we had the job completed (um, Ernesto had the job completed- I had to deal with the kids) and a new (to us) wood floor was laid out before us.

Needless to say it's not in pristine shape, though the area in the center of the room where a rug most likely laid for many years was in near to perfect shape. There are scratches, worn and darkened spots and now lots of little nail holes to fill, and it will certainly need to be refinished as soon as the time and/or money presents itself to get the job done. But I love the look of it and I was thrilled with the herringbone details along the border. Someone went to a great deal of trouble to make this floor unique and I'm so happy we've uncovered it.

And most importantly the kids and I can now take our "socks skating" tournaments out of the kitchen into a larger rink. That is probably a post for another day...

A ruckus of a caucus

2008-01-04T09:03:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed watching the Iowa caucus coverage last night and I actually feel like there could be some presidential-worthy candidates in the race. Imagine that!

But in the past months with all this talk about rebuilding our great nation, bringing an end to division, starting on a new path, not one, not ONE candidate has tackled the real issues that matter most to me. They all claim that if they are elected president they will make a real effort to meet the needs of all the "ordinary" people. And on no occasion have I heard one of them make mention of these crucial issues, that will for me, at least, either seal or kill the deal. Here's what I'm talking about:

* Who among these candidates is willing to get up at 4 in the morning each day and change my baby's leaky diaper? I have thus far heard no mention of how each of them intend to tackle this on-going issue. What a mess.

*Who is going to baby-proof this house? If I cannot have secure borders within my own home and the baby is able to just sneak on up the stairs without anyone taking any notice at all, well, I just don't know what that says about our government. Unbelievable.

*What about the budget?? I mean, have you seen my grocery bill lately? Completely out of control! Who, tell me WHO is supposed to pay for all this cheese???

*Oil prices are completely out of control. I want whomever is elected president to personally come and lug in and chop up all this firewood because I am NOT turning up that thermostat, do you hear me? I'm tired of having to wear a sweater all the time!!

*Lastly, this next president needs to help create better paying jobs. This is ridiculous. I've been in this position almost six years now and I have not seen a single paycheck. How am I supposed to live like this??

For all their talk and promise making, I just don't know how these issues have yet to be addressed. Now the race is on here in NH and the next time one of these campaigners drops by the house, which could be any minute now, I'm going to give them what-for.

And probably a cookie.

Happy Belated Christmas!

2007-12-31T11:01:00.001-05:00

Isobel Opens Her Stocking
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

Yes, I've been stuck in the time warp that is the Christmas season...preparing for the big day, traveling, cleaning up the aftermath of the big day, dismantling the Christmas decorations and so on and so forth...

Well, the house is finally clean, things are mostly put away and the children are enjoying more than enough toys and books, puzzles and games and all things good. They have played quietly together for more hours than I could have ever dreamed. We're all getting a break from school but as ever, still learning.

This Christmas was really nice. I was very anxious during the days leading up to it, as I usually am, and then a couple days prior this calm overtook me and I felt great. I enjoyed visiting with family and friends and relaxed. And I am more than ever convinced now that a phony Christmas tree might be the way to go. I would be breaking with a long held tradition of a fresh fir or other evergreen each year, but heck, even my own mother has a pre-lit, store bought beauty that honestly, is pretty darn spectacular looking. So I'm not a purist. Who knew. It's just that I'm still sweeping up needles from last year's tree and that's not for lack of sweeping on my part.

Anyway, here is a pic from Isobel's first Christmas ever. I think she had herself a merry old time.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

December break down

2007-12-19T17:42:00.000-05:00

Seems like lately things have been falling apart on me. It's funny, but I had a dream in which a broke a big mirror and someone reminded me that was bad luck, and since everything I touch seems to fall apart. Of course I also dreamed I was a martial arts expert and could beat up bad guys with a flick of my wrist. So needless to say my dreams don't usually come true.

So first the lights on the tree stopped working and I had to replace them. Now half of the lights on the new strand are out as well. Do you think I'll replace these as well? Hell no! If the tree wants to be all moody like that it's fine with me.

Then my windshield wiper broke. No big deal.

Now the washing machine is broken. REALLY broken. Broken to the point of "it will cost over $400 to fix this" broken. And I got to shell out seventy bucks for the privilege of having a surly man tell me that. But hey, when it gets too cold outside for the kids to play in the snow they can just sled down the growing mountain of laundry in my basement. It's soft and warm, if not a little covered in baby spittle. See, I can always find the silver lining, I just have to dig down really deep.

On a much brighter note, my mom came to visit and cooked us a fabulous meal as she always does upon arrival and then the next night Ernesto and I got to go out for another fabulous meal while she watched the kiddos. A couple glasses of wine and some foie gras can really help you forget about all the dirty laundry you'll have to do on Christmas Eve.

A pleasing paralysis

2007-12-16T22:25:00.000-05:00

What better way to spend a Sunday blizzard than to sit inside in front of a warm fire, drinking wine with your neighbors while snacking on homemade brownies? Well that's what I did. I could have spent the day shopping and freaking out about how much I have left to do before Christmas but instead I looked out the window, realized I wasn't stepping foot outside all day and resolved myself to a day of leisure. I played with the kids, did some baking, drank some wine, watched some science program, drank some more wine...hmmm. I forget what else I did after that. Perhaps I need some more wine.

Being house bound isn't so bad when you've got the right elements at hand. If only every day were a snow day.

When it rains, it pours...

2007-12-13T15:09:00.000-05:00

...and when your washing machine is broken you can pretty much count on your cat to accidentally get trapped in the family room and have a raging case of the runs all over the couch, leaving you unable to wash the cushion covers.

David discovered the mess first, declaring that the baby had "pooped on the couch". I'm generally pretty good about keeping a diaper on Isobel so I was certain it wasn't baby poop he'd found.

Anyway, it was pretty gross. And then we discovered more of it, in other places. All in all, not a pleasant ending to the day.

Then today I re-strung a new set of lights on the tree since the set we've had for over six years finally decided to die two weeks after we put them on the tree. It's really hard to take lights off a tree without removing all the ornaments in the process. And knocking the tree down. Yes, it's been a banner couple of days.

On the bright side I've taught the kids to sing the "Twelve Days of Christmas" and they are doing splendidly. They make up their own lyrics, like most people tend to do. I overheard something about "Five golden big butts" and "Three French doofus heads" or something similar.

We are all doing our part here in the Burden household to make Christmas just a little bit brighter.

Tough day at work

2007-11-29T20:26:00.000-05:00

Today was rough.

It started out rough, was tough through the middle and didn't get any easier by the end. Most of my days with the kids have highs and lows throughout, but it's been a while since the whole day was just off.

Well, I take that back. We received "The Sword in the Stone" through Netflix today and the kids really enjoyed it. I don't remember ever seeing the whole thing, though parts of it were familiar so I most likely had seen it with my nephews when they were little. As David pointed out, though, it really should be called "The Wacky Adventures of Little Arthur and Merlin" because they mostly just romp around in various animal forms throughout the film and little Arthur doesn't yank old Excalibur until the end of the film. It was cute though, and held Sofia's attention and she's pretty critical of TV and movies in general.

But the rest of the day was like the world was whirling all around me and I was trying to run through molasses. I couldn't keep up with anything, couldn't motivate, couldn't keep my train of thought for more than a minute. Isobel is up frequently during the night and she is only napping in 15-20 minute sessions. Also, she has learned to crawl, stand and climb up a couple stairs, all in the last week, so her little baby world has exploded and no doubt she is going through quite a time. She also won't lie still to let me change her diaper or clothes, so she and I have little patience for one another right now. Despite this difficult stage I am just as smitten as ever with her, so I don't know why I am even complaining about it. With David and Sofia I was always so anxious for them to reach that next developmental stage but I would like Isobel to slow down, even go back a few paces if she could. Not because I don't want to see her grow and change, but because I feel like time slips by too quickly and I can't savor these days enough.

Well, not this day, though. This day can kiss my big butt. I'm glad it's almost over. I'm happy we all got through it, but I'm happy to put it to bed. I'm hoping to wake with renewed energy and enthusiasm and a positive outlook on the day.

Okay, I'll just be happy if I don't get more than six ounces of spit-up on me and that I get to use the bathroom by myself, just once. That would be a really swell day.

Little geeks in the making

2007-11-27T19:56:00.000-05:00

I have implemented a daily ritual since beginning homeschooling with the kids and that's our "word of the day". Every day I either think up, or look up a word that the kids wouldn't necessarily learn through day to day life. Some of the words are useful and some are less so. Some are hard to pronounce and they aren't likely to remember them, even though I try and find ways to use the word throughout the day. I'm just trying to give them some idea of how immense the English language is. How you could study a new word everyday and still not learn them all.

I was wondering yesterday if it was a silly thing for me to be doing, but then I overheard Sofia say to Isobel's lullaby Glow Worm toy, "You're just a somniferous little bed time toy, aren't you little guy?" and she had him respond in her best Glow Worm voice (which is similar to a Gremlin's) "I sure am!!"

Well I'll be.

It's not that my preschooler is using the word "somniferous" in a sentence. It's the pure shock of learning that once in a while my kids actually listen to me.

Prodigious, isn't it?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T09:20:00.001-05:00

bucket o' baby
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

Put on your best pilgrim hat and enjoy the day! God bless you all!

The secret lives of boys and why I hate doing laundry

2007-11-15T17:05:00.001-05:00

Still working through this blasted cold. Baby's got it, kids both had it and now seem to have another one. Hoping and praying this is not a foreshadowing of the upcoming winter season. And today I did laundry and little else. Lots and lots of laundry. I'm not certain where it all came from and I'm pretty sure half of every pair of Isobel's socks fell through some worm hole in the space/time continuum and may have ended up in someone else's washing machine. If you happen to find an assortment of mismatched pink, purple and otherwise very girlie baby socks, they might belong to us.

On a high note, last weekend I reunited with my long lost childhood pal John and his lovely wife Michelle. We met through my cousin Mike when we were wee little children, growing up on the mean streets of pseudo rural Massachusetts. Because my parents always sent me over to my aunt's house (my aunt had two boys and no daughters at the time, so I think she was ok with it) I was always surrounded by my two cousins and their friends. So essentially it was me and a bunch of boys. But Mike and John were fun and always included me in their play or discussions, even if I wasn't up for Dungeons and Dragons or engaging in their "Star Wars" debates. Mostly I was just happy to hang out- a change of pace from my two older sisters. I got an inside glimpse into the life of boys. I learned that they aren't very mysterious and they won't let you win at anything, just because you are a girl. But they WILL insist on being the hero and rescue you during a re-enactment of an episode from "The Hulk".

Well, John and I are no longer kids and it's nice to see that our adult selves aren't too old and crabby just yet, and our memories are not so riddled with holes that we can't reminisce properly. Ernesto, the kids and I all had a great time visiting with them and can't wait to do it again. I meant to write about this sooner but with all the noses to wipe and laundry to do I didn't get to it when I would have liked. Both John and Ernesto beat me to the punch.

And since I haven't give her a plug in a while, Isobel is now crawling with great might and swiftness which means the house is officially unsafe. She has also whacked her noggin on more than one wall or bookshelf or something hard during her newly discovered mobility. I am considering buying her one of these for Christmas.

I know. I'm a terrible mother.

You know it's going to be a long day when...

2007-11-10T08:50:00.000-05:00

your baby is up from her first nap of the day by 7:30 AM.

oh
dear
me.

Fire in the lungs and in the hearth

2007-11-08T16:37:00.000-05:00

I've got this nasty cold. It's going around, I guess. You know the kind, where you wake up in the middle of the night, feeling the compulsion to swallow constantly, your throat burning all the while. The kind of cough that shakes your ribcage until you run out of breath and all you're left with is a wheeze. Even munching on leftover Halloween candy isn't helping. Imagine that.

Meanwhile the kids are suffering. Which means that I'm serving lackluster meals and snacks and I'm pretty sure no one's hair has been brushed in a while. They are all dressed in day clothes, though, so that's something. The house is a mess and I've got dead plants hanging up outside the house, recent victims of the frost we just had. Will I take them down and throw them out? Probably not for a couple days. I didn't even answer the doorbell when it rang today. The kids were all concerned, saying, "Mommy? Aren't you going to see who it is?"

"Eh," I said, making a shooing motion in the air. "It's probably just someone selling something. If it's important they'll come back." David and Sofia exchange looks as if to say, what's wrong with her?

But in all this there is one thing I managed to do. I got a fire going in the wood stove. I didn't have any newspaper or much in the way of kindling to get it started, but somehow I did it. It's all I've got to show for the day. That and this lame blog post.

cough. wheeze. bleah.

Time takes a step back

2007-11-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

This time change is always a hassle for me and the kids. It messes up bedtimes and nap times and mostly it requires me to change a lot of clocks in the house which doesn't help either. I had gotten around to changing the clock on the microwave but didn't bother with the one on the wall of the kitchen because the battery is dying and won't tell the right time no matter how you set it. It has a pendulum which will stop and start on its own as well. Okay, so maybe it's a haunted clock, but I'm getting off topic. Anyway, I didn't reset the two, yes two clocks we have in the bedroom. One I really only bought because it had a white noise machine built into it and it was on sale. I already had an alarm clock in the room.

This morning the baby was up way too early. She's had a cold and once she gets all snorfely she can't get back to sleep, even if it's only 4:45 in the morning. Why should she care what time it is? So I'm up before 5 and then Ernesto gets up shortly after 6. I wonder why he's up so early, but I figure it's because of the time change and don't bother to ask. After about a half hour or so he says he'd better get ready for work. Then he looks at the clock on the microwave and says, "Is that the real time?"
"Yeah, I already set that one back."
He chuckles. "Oh, I thought the ones in the bedroom were right."
"Oh, no. I haven't set those ones yet."

Why on earth would I set the clocks in the bedroom at the correct time when clearly the microwave is the hub of the household? Hasn't he found a pattern in all my random madness yet? There's got to be one there somewhere right??

Perhaps he just now knows I should not be in charge of the clocks. I think I will stick to making sandwiches.

Blogger hates me and other news

2007-11-01T11:19:00.001-04:00

thumbkins
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

I can't login to my Blogger account for some reason so I can only post via Flickr which means I have to include a picture with every post. Perhaps it's time to bring ole Milkweed Hill elsewhere...

So we watched "28 Days Later" (or is it weeks?) last night and it was very good and very unsettling. Not much creeps me out in the horror genre anymore but stories of widespread infection are always disturbing. Anyway, that combined with Halloween, and a restless night of sleep left with me with memories of creepy dreams all night long. First there were the "rage" dreams and running away from infected people and then I had really strange dreams about our old realtor who came over to our house to make us sausage, egg and biscuit sandwiches. Also she had seven or so kids, which I don't recall being the case with her. And we lived in a house with a really nice basement and then I wake up...and I'm infected. In fact we're ALL infected.

With colds.
Bleah.

And my basement's not really that cool.
And Blogger still hates me.
And my kids are still doing that thumbs up thing every time we take a picture of them.
And we're probably having tuna casserole tonight. Sorry kids.

Hope your Halloween aftermath is not as frightening as ours.

Happy Snacking!

2007-10-31T08:44:00.001-04:00

mrscaryfaces2
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

Our town had its trick-or-treating on Sunday of this week, so the house is already littered with candy wrappers. I overheard this conversation in the living room yesterday during one of our designated "candy snack" times:

Sofia: I'm havin' this candy bar (holds up her full size Hershey's almond bar and shows it to David)
David: Ooooh...that looks like it has nuts in it. NOT peanuts, though.
Sofia: Huh...well, it looks okay.
David: Hey, do you want me to taste-test that for ya? I could see if it's okay?
Sofia: (looking unsure) Wellll...uh, yeah. Okay!
David: (breaking off a big chunk, taking a bite) Hmmm. Yep, it definitely has nuts. Almonds I think.
Sofia: Well, it looks good.
David: (shrugging shoulders, taking another bite) Yeah, it's pretty good, I guess.

He gets it from me, I'm sure.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

My Three Screamers

2007-10-29T16:32:00.001-04:00

threescreamers
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

I was in the process of uploading pictures to Flickr when I thought I ought to do a post, albeit a quick one. Here are the kids enjoying some recent gorgeous weather. We had our first real frost last night, so I think it's safe to say we won't be taking many more pictures like this until next year...

Oh, to be a kid again

2007-10-22T20:08:00.000-04:00

After we did school this morning I took the kids to a nice park about 15 minutes from here. It was unseasonably warm and I wanted to take advantage of it. As soon as the kids were all out of the minivan, David and Sofia began running down the path toward the playground. A young boy, just David's age began running down the path as well and the three of them spent the next hour or so playing merrily together, climbing, jumping and exploring all over the park. There were very few people there so it was easy to keep an eye on them. As I listened to tidbits of their conversations as they passed by, I couldn't help think how nice it must be to be able to become so friendly with someone so quickly. I'm sure I must have had that ability as a child, but then I don't remember. They spoke so freely, not in the last bit self consciously.

David: "I'm five! How old are you?"
Boy: "I'm four. Uh, I'm five!"
David: "Oh, cool. I'm five, too!"
Sofia: "I'm three. I'm a cat. MEOW!!"
Boy: "Let's be Power Rangers!"
David: "Yeah! I'll be the blue one."
Boy: "And I'll be the silver one. I'm invisible though."
David: "Yeah, I'm invisible, too."
Sofia: (still meowing) I'm a cat ranger!"
Boy: "There aren't any cat rangers."
Sofia: "I'm the pet."
Boy: "Oh. Come on! There's dinosaurs coming!"

All three: "AAAAAIIIIYYYYY!" as they run away.

I'm trying to imagine how the adult equivalent of this conversation might go like.

Mom#1: "Hi! I'm thirty-four. How old are you?"
Mom#2: "I'm twenty-nine." (long pause) " Whoops! I mean I'm thirty-five."
Mom#3: "I'm a lot younger than both of you and really cute, too." meow.
Mom#1: "I know, let's be the women from 'The View'! I'll be the vicious one!"
Mom#2: "I'll be the passive aggressive one! I've had way too much coffee."
Mom#1: "Oh yeah, me too."
Mom#3: "I'll be the really bitchy one!"
Moms#1 & 2: "Which one is that?"
Mom#1: "Oh, guess what? George Clooney is our guest today!!"
All three: "AAAAAAIIIIYYYYYY!"

Hmmm. I guess you can't really ever revisit your childhood. And if you couldn't tell, I never actually watch "The View". But just like my kids, I have a pretty good imagination.

I get my hot gossip at McDonald's

2007-10-20T11:15:00.000-04:00

When a large woman with a neck tat that reads "Big John" tells you something, you'd better believe it.

The kids and I picked up some fast food on Thursday and I was paying at the first drive-thru window when I noticed a lot of activity on a side street off the road I had just driven down. There was some young man sitting on a folding chair at the end of the street looking unsure of himself. He was fidgeting and alternately sitting and standing while looking around. There were big trucks and white tents set up on the street and a man pointing all around while a crowd gathered around him.

The aforementioned woman saw me staring and said, "They're doin' an 'Extreme Makeover'."
"No way!" I said.
"Uh huh."
"No way!" I repeated, I'm not sure why.
"Yup." She nodded once and said, "You pick up your receipt at the next window."
"Oh. I didn't know." I don't do the drive-thrus very often.

And then I pulled up and realized the man with the gaggle of people around him was none other than Ty Pennington. It was as if you could see the aura of enthusiasm spilling off him and leaking into the street.

So if you're a fan, you may come visit and check out the scene for yourself. If you bring chocolate and feel like doing some laundry, you can even stay at my house.

Top Ten Reasons I Haven't Been Blogging

2007-10-18T06:46:00.000-04:00

They may be lame, but they're my best excuses for not getting around to posting anything. And the only reason I posted this was because I've been up since 5AM and there's no one hear right now to say, mommymommymommymommymommy...

You get the idea.

#10: I've got very little 'hands free' time with the baby trying to roll around the floor, putting into her mouth any small object that she could possibly choke on.

#9: Plenty to write about, not enough brain power to translate it into cohesive sentences. The number of brain cells lost rises exponentially with each child I give birth to, so let's see that's three times...um, you do the math because I can't.

#8: We're homeschooling now. My house looks like it got hit with the Kindergarten stick. If I have any more children, people will begin to assume I've begun a daycare program within my home.

#7: I accidentally just numbered this line "#10". Clearly I need more time to sleep, not blog.

#6: My wonderful husband always beats me to the computer.

#5: My wonderful husband also challenged me to a "write off". We are working on short fiction pieces separately and then getting together to review and critique them. He's been published, I haven't. Need I say more?

#4: I keep forgetting, where, to place, the, commas. He,lp!

#3: I am so smitten with "BBC America" I am having a hard time keeping away.

#2: The cats always sit in the office and stare at me while I write. Creepy.

AND #1: The baby is up from her nap...again. Gotta run!!

Stay tuned for the "top ten reasons I need regular chocolate intake to survive" and "top ten reasons no one reads my blog anymore".

Once Upon a Time...there was no 'Happily Ever After'

2007-10-09T20:44:00.000-04:00

My kids love to listen to stories, and lately my son asks to hear fairy tales. We have a cute little collection of them, but they are all the Disney variety and really watered down, mostly only appealing to the youngest of children. Over the summer we got into chapter books and now most of what I read to the kids are story books that contain only a few pictures here and there. They don't seem to miss them, especially David, who can work on building his "K'nex" models while he listens.

But at night he tends to reach for that fairy tale collection and I've gotten pretty weary of reading the same stories over and over. I've happily done this for years and years, but now it grows tiresome.

My mother has been taking a course on fairy tales and she's been reading the real ones. You know, the ones with gore and not so happy endings. So we got to talking about them and I recalled the collection of stories she used to read to me as a child called the "Atlantic Treasury" and it was fantastic, with all sorts of wild characters, and both horrible and wonderful, magical things happening on every page and they weren't the least bit watered down and I loved them.

So I decided that I would read some of the real fairy tales to myself again and enjoyed the original "Little Mermaid" last night and marveled at just how much better a story it is than the one most children know. Now, no one likes that overzealous little crab "Sebastian" better than I, but it's just not the same story. Ariel is just boy crazy, but the Andersen's mermaid is just as(if not more) passionate about taking on an "eternal soul" as a result of being loved by a human being.

Today I read Grimm's "Cinderella" to the kids and they enjoyed it quite a bit. I told them before reading it that it was going to be a bit different than the version they are accustomed to and asked for them to point out some of the differences when we reached the end of the story. They weren't the least bit put off by the wicked stepsisters having to cut off their toes or heels in order to shove their fat feet into Cinderella's shoe and they loved the imagery of the little birds that came to help Cinderella when she had to pick the lentils out of the ashes. They were keen to spot the big and little differences in the story, one in particular being that there is "no happily ever after" at the end. No, just the scene in which the two stepsisters have their eyes pecked out by Cinderella's bird friends.

And the moral of the story? Don't get too close to a lady with a bird on each of her shoulders, whose fancy ball gowns fall down from an enchanted tree. If things end well for her then you can be assured they won't end well for you.

The kids are alright...sort of.

2007-09-25T20:54:00.000-04:00

I've been taking note of some of the conversations heard around the house over the last week or so. The kids and I have spent entirely too much time in close quarters as Sofia has been sick and we are starting to make each other crazy. So when I am not parenting, teaching, playing nurse, cleaning, cuddling, coloring, organizing or generally trying to keep things together, I am taking notes so I may someday be a famous writer. Here are just a few quotes from the week...

"I'm pretending to be a teenager. (long pause) I have empty soda cans in my room."

"Oh, she spit up on your pants, too, mommy!"

(whining) "Why do we have to eat tacos EVERY night?"

"It's a poop fest!!"

"Why don't you ever let us watch a show...not for like, 100 days?"

"So, what are you, like 84 years old?"

"Just feed that baby so she stops crying!"

(crying) "My eyebrows hurt!"

"I'm only five but I have the skills of a seven year old."

"Oh, yes, brush your teeth. You have baby dragon breath."

"How come every time I come looking for you you're always in the office?"

"Stop that, David. Stop it. Stop that!! Mommy!!"

"Why do you keep sighing like that, mommy?"

I know what you're thinking. I've got a lot more to endure before I can become a famous writer.

*sigh*.

Does this seem at all familiar?

2007-09-25T18:45:00.000-04:00

If you have a few minutes and even if you don't...if you're a parent you'll appreciate this.

solve the mystery!

2007-09-21T17:29:00.000-04:00

There have been some strange goings-on in and around the household as of late. See if you can find the answers...

mystery #1:
I could have sworn I saw the sugar bowl move on its own across the kitchen counter this morning. It was very unsettling, to say the least.

Was it (a) a wet spot on the counter, causing the bowl to slide on its own?
(b) a result of watching too many episodes of "Ghosthunters"?
(c) the hijinks of a poltergeist?

mystery #2:
Sofia voluntarily put herself down for a nap today.

Was it (a) she was feeling under the weather and needed to rest?
(b) that she decided to try and make my life a little easier today?
(c) she was possessed by a poltergeist?

mystery #3:
We came home from our trip to find a half-eaten cucumber on the hood of Ernesto's car.

Was it (a) some creature, such as a squirrel who stole the vegetable from our neighbor's garden and deposited it there after having its fill?
(b) that Ernesto occasionally likes to have a salad whilst sitting on his car?
(c) the poltergeist's silent plee for us to become vegetarians?

I do not have all the answers. But if in fact a poltergeist is responsible for all the things, I will no longer need to make excuses for my lackluster housekeeping. I will finally have someone to blame.

Here's hoping!

Mountain folk

2007-09-15T14:21:00.001-04:00

K and the kids
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

We just returned from a lovely trip in the White Mountains and are enjoying the last couple days of our vacation. We only spent two days there, but it was plenty and we weren't bored for a minute. There is something to be said for traveling during the off-season. Rates are lower, there's little to no traffic and you don't have to wait in line for anything, which is especially wonderful when traveling with the wee screamers. The kids were awesome and only began to bicker when we were in the car headed home. It seems we left just in time, then.

Here are the kids and I posing on top of Cannon Mountain during our hike along the rim path. The calendar may say it's still summer, but the weather in the mountains is fall all the way.

Summer wrap up

2007-09-09T13:45:00.000-04:00

It's been a busy couple weeks here. We're seeing how much fun we can fit into these last fleeting days of summer. We've celebrated several anniversaries; our wedding, my birthday and David's birthday, just in the last two weeks. Yesterday we had David's party and he had an absolute blast with friends and family. He slept very well after a day of outdoor play, food, cake and lots of humidity. The rain clouds have finally graced us with their presence and we are enjoying a good soaking here after 3+ weeks with nothing but sun. My plants and grass thank you.

Here is a pic from our most recent excursion to see the Fisher Cats, which is Manchester's minor league team. We got special "suite" tickets through work and enjoyed the winning game with a great view. The kids, however, were far more interested in the little room that came complete with a couch, mini fridge, free popcorn and tv which was airing a Red Sox game. Sofia especially enjoyed that and was content to lie on the couch and watch the game on tv rather than the one right outside the door in the stadium. Oh well. As you can see the mascot paid us a little visit, but David was too wrapped up in other things to be bothered. He clearly shares my love of costumed characters.

We also hit the Hopkinton State Fair and saw lots of cows, goats, pigs and fried dough. There was probably some fried cow, goat and pig in the mix as well there. We went through a lot of hand sanitizer.

We've got some vacation coming up here, so there are plenty of adventures yet to be had, I'm sure. Until then, I'm kicking back with some much needed coffee and maybe even some peanut butter and chocolate truffles- thanks, Mom!

Have a great week everyone!

The week in review

2007-08-31T12:55:00.001-04:00

Why, Hello!
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

We're recovering from a rough day yesterday. Sofia's face met with our side table as she jumped off the couch in kangaroo like fashion and now she's got three serious punctures in her lower lip, courtesy of three of her top teeth. Her gums and lip are swollen and she's talking a bit funny, but no teeth are loose and she is in very good spirits despite the trauma. After talking with the doctor's office we all determined there wasn't a whole lot anyone could do and that ice, ibuprofen and a little time should heal this wound. Meanwhile I'm feeling lousy for having been out of the room when it happened because maybe I could have prevented it.

When she's not doing aerial acrobatics, Sofia is coloring up a storm and filling every book and piece of blank paper that she comes across. She's also decorated the walls of her bedroom and a few areas on the carpet. I guess a true artist's canvas can be found anywhere.

David is into math more and more. He is working on counting to a trillion and so far has made it to 700. His reading is also coming along very well and I am no longer able to spell words out loud in secret code to Ernesto because David usually can tell what I'm saying. I guess now I have to brush up on my Spanish.

And Isobel, dear sweet little baby is just full of smiles and happiness. I think perhaps she is just laughing at the rest of us. I don't blame her in the least.

Happy Friday! (and long weekend for some of us!)

Evening Out

2007-08-29T09:24:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was our wedding anniversary and Ernesto and I got a much needed dinner out last night as my good friend Annette watched the kids. That's right, all three of them. As hard as it is to leave the baby at this tender age, even for a few hours, it did me good and today I feel so relaxed. It reminded me of how important it is to do this every once in a while and that we don't do it often enough. I remember reading somewhere that couples with small children should get out alone at least once every couple of weeks and I just laughed. That very well may be what we all need but it is entirely unrealistic for those of us without live-in nannies.

The bonus though, of getting out so infrequently is that we really enjoy ourselves when we do. We don't take it for granted and we do it up right. We went to the nicest restaurant we could afford (without taking out a small loan) and we got dressed up and indulged in a fantastic, liesurely meal. It was weird having both my hands free while eating, because there is usually a small child occupying at least one of them during meal time.

As usual though, our converstion eventually turned to the kids, as it always seems to. Ironic, since we often try to have in-depth discussions about other things when the kids are running around, but of course we never get to finish them. Then here we are alone and we just talk about them. I'm just glad that after eight years of marriage (and 11 years together) we still have lively conversations.

So if someone offers to watch the kiddos for you today, take them up on it! It will do you good.

My worst job ever

2007-08-20T14:06:00.000-04:00

I've worked a few less than stellar jobs in my life, but today I was reminded of the worst job I ever held.

I stopped at the bank to deposit some checks and I went through the second teller's drive-through, the one that sends the checks through the pneumatic tube or whatever that thing is. I thought the kids would get a kick out of it.

As I'm preparing to launch the deposit, I hear the man in the car next to me cursing and giving the teller a hard time. Apparently he was cashing a check and she asked to see his ID. I couldn't make out everything he was saying, but the teller was biting her tongue and continuing to be very polite to this irate individual. Suddenly I had a flashback to the time when I worked as a bank teller down in New Jersey. It was maybe my second or third week there and I was working the drive-up window for the first time and I asked for this man's ID, just as I was instructed to do by the management. The man began flipping out on me and then drove around to the front, parked his truck and came into the bank to curse me out. He went on and on about he'd been coming to this bank for five thousand years and what kind of idiots were they hiring at this branch now, yada, yada, yada. I was horrified, embarrassed, angry, all that stuff. And not one of my superiors defended me. They smiled at him, apologized and sent him on his way. I felt humiliated and beleagured as to why no one stepped up and said anything. The job was horrible for about a dozen other reasons as well, all stories unto themselves, but this episode was one of the worst.

That same day I decided that it was time to find a new job. I think I worked there for maybe four months at the most. My last day there was my favorite day of work.

So as I'm watching this woman take this abuse, I was really impressed by how well she held it together. She was very professional and treated him as though he was just sunshine and roses personified. I'm sure she was seething underneath, but you really couldn't tell. I witnessed the whole scenario and I don't think the man knew anyone else was there but he must have heard me speaking to the kids because he flashed a quick look in my direction and then his face went all red. Yep, I'm watching you. Thanks for teaching my children some new words you big jackalope.

I'll try and remember that day back in NJ every time I'm having a bad day at home. A bad day here with the kids is still ten thousand times better than a good day back in that hell hole.

So now I want to know...what's the worst job YOU ever held?

Now I know why some men leave the toilet seat up

2007-08-15T16:56:00.000-04:00

It's because as young boys all they did was let the lid slam shut after using it and their mothers went so crazy hearing the "BANG! BANG! BANG!" from it all day that they finally broke down and pleaded with the little guy to "just leave it up...please, whatever you do just leave the seat up!"

And that's how it happened. Those guys were just obeying their moms.

So my apologies, future daughter-in-law.

My big kids

2007-08-10T11:59:00.000-04:00

We get a lot of comments on how tall our kids are. When David was three and we were out and about, people would ask, "How come he's not in school?" I'd tell them, "He's only three." Then the typical response of, "Oh!" would follow. He's not exactly a giant, though he is taller than many of his peers. I don't wonder so much about his height, but then there are my girls.

I'm a very tall woman and I was a very tall kid. More importantly, I was a very tall girl. I don't know if you know this or not, but out in the "real" world if you are a little different from everyone else, well, it's not necessarily perceived as a good thing. Particularly during adolescence.

Those were some rough years for me. I remember in fifth grade being about the same size as most of my friends and then suddenly, everyone was shorter than me. Like, a lot shorter than me. Then people began drawing quite a bit of attention to my height. Not, "hey, what sparkling blue eyes you have" or "you've got some healthy hair, there". No, it was always, "Hey! You're really tall!!"

Really? I hadn't noticed.

It became irritating. Really irritating. And it only got worse the older I got. When you are a self-conscious pre-teen to begin with and then everyone keeps drawing attention to your physical being, it's nothing short of humiliating. They may as well have said, "Hey! Look at how microscopic your bosom is! Remarkable!" Okay, well they might have said that too. Imagine if I'd gone around calling attention to how "short" other people were. Like, "Hey, tiny! What are you, about 4' 3"?"

Then as I grew older and was more interested in boys, I'd sometimes get comments from guys saying, "Oh, you must be at least 6' 2" because I'm 6' and you're taller than me." I always steered clear of those guys because I was pretty sure the delusions didn't end there.

I remember my high school graduation when we were paired up alphabetically to walk down the aisle toward our seats. It just so happened that the young man whose name came right after mine was an actual "little person". Yes, whatever the PC term for it is now, he was a dwarf. We had grown up together so when we saw we had been assigned to walk together during the processional we glared at each other, shaking our heads in disgust. I wonder which staff member said, hey, let's team up the tallest girl in school with the smallest guy. Won't that be a kick? And now when I reminisce on that day I look at the pictures of me walking down the aisle, seemingly alone, since you cannot see my partner's cap from above the crowd.

So when I get these growth charts for my girls and I see how tall they already are compared to their peers, I wonder if they're going to have to endure the same trials I did. Hopefully they will embrace their height, and be proud of it. Maybe they won't be as clumsy and awkward as I was (am) and they won't be all that bothered by it. Or who knows, they may not even be that tall and it will be a non-issue altogether.

Or perhaps I'll start calling them "shorty" now so that when the tall comments start, they will be thrilled.

Now We Know Why Elmo Talks So Funny- Lead Poisoning

2007-08-06T08:35:00.000-04:00

Thank you so much Fisher-Price, for instilling yet more fearful thoughts into the impressionable minds of my children. Now my child would rather bleed all over the place rather than accept a Dora brand Band-Aid, worrying that it might contain traces of lead.

Now here's a puzzler: Even if the toys your children have are on the list of recent recalls, but were purchased prior to those sold containing lead (and therefore supposedly safe) do you really want to keep them? Because if Fisher-Price put these others on the market and didn't know they contained lead, how do I know the others are safe, or any of them for that matter? I'm not an overly suspicious person, but I find that a little troubling. I mean, let's see here...what's the one thing that would be really dangerous to put on a child's toys besides sharp little knives...Oh YES! Lead paint! It's bright, colorful AND delicious!

I guess they thought they would save a lot of money by outsourcing to China, but it looks like this little incident will end up costing them a small fortune.

The Talking Buffalo (and other horrifying tales)

2007-08-03T21:14:00.000-04:00

Lest you all begin to get the impression that everything is all sunshine and roses over here at Milkweed Hill, let me tell you a little story about my family's evening out.

Ernesto called me as he left work tonight and we chatted about what to do for dinner. It was too damn hot to cook, so we thought about take out, but then couldn't agree on what to get. So finally I said, "Okay, let's just go out to a restaurant then. I'll get the kids ready and we'll leave once you get here." Easy enough.

So we head out to one of the "Bugaboo Creek" chain restaurants, and no, this is not a gourmet night out, but it's kid friendly and there's air conditioning. We had an incident there once with David when he was three because he was scared of the talking moose, but we got through dinner without too much trouble. There were enough people there to help distract him and I think he may have ended up under the table, but whatever. He assured me he was no longer afraid of the animatronics, making this a safe bet.

We were seated fairly quickly as I had called ahead and they brought us around the corner, past the talking Moose to a table directly under the mounted head of a talking buffalo. So Ernesto and I are like, "Hey kids, isn't this great? Look at the cool stuff!" David points out a skunk peeping out of some fisherman's waders and there's a red squirrel hanging from a lantern. I get Isobel all situated next to me and then I look to Sofia with her face turned upward, trembling with fear, wide eyes filled to the spilling point as she stares in horror at the stupid talking buffalo.

Immediately Ernesto and I spring into mommy/daddy reassurance mode. "Oh, it's okay, Sof, it's just a little robot inside it, like your barking puppy, you know?" Ernesto tries to place her in her seat but she clings to him for dear life, still unable to turn away from the wall-mounted beast looming above.

Between the quiet sobbing and the cries of "I don't want to hear it talk!!" we somehow manage to order some drinks. Somehow I think she'll be appeased by a fancy frozen lemonade. Not so. She comes to my side and implores, "we've got to go hooome..."

I'm both sympathetic and very frustrated. I understand that she cannot help her fear of the robotic buffalo telling lame jokes, but I just want her to get it that this thing is benign and it's nothing to be afraid of. Ernesto takes her outside to try and calm her down and meanwhile the waitress is trying to complete our order, but she can't with Ernesto gone. And now David has got his ears covered and is saying that he just doesn't want to hear the buffalo because "it's so loud." His sister has got to him. At least the baby is happy.

They finally come back, but Sofia is no happier than when she left. Tears are streaming down her red cheeks and she's trying not to look directly at the hairy beast, who hasn't moved or said anything for at least ten minutes. I ask Ernesto if we should try and get another table but the place is packed and there's no way we'd be eating anytime soon. We begin getting snippy with each other and finally we determine we have to leave. We pay for the drinks and tip the waitress for her trouble and leave, getting funny looks from some of the other tables as we go. Some sullen faced woman is staring at me as though I've just ruined her life and I insincerely mouth the words, "I'm So Sorry".

We pack into the car and head home. As I'm driving I'm reminded of the time I was about Sofia's age and went to the annual Christmas party that they held through the newspaper my mother worked at. It was a gala event every year, with magic acts, presents for all the children of the employees which numbered in the hundreds, and of course Santa was there in his grand sleigh, patiently listening to Christmas wishes while his cheerful elves (also employees of the paper) looked on. And as glorious as this whole scene was to my delighted young eyes, there were also the clowns.

Oh, the dreadful clowns.

I now know they were just doing their jobs, but I remember it like it was yesterday. There were four, or maybe six of them. A zippy little gaggle of them, all buzzing around in their primary colors , their pom-poms and their crazy hair. Most, if not all of them made balloon shapes and so there were kids running amok with "swords", battling it out in the great orchestral hall. Some of them talked, but many fancied themselves mimes I guess, because they wouldn't speak, but would rather honk or make some kind of whistling sound with a device hidden somewhere in their costume. They were all just awful.

But of course they weren't at all. I think as clowns go they were probably the best out there, but I was so freakin' afraid of them I could not stand it. And the most vivid memory I have is of my mother holding me on her hip while one of the clowns tried to give me a balloon shaped like an apple and all I could do was cry. He made one of those sad clown faces and I think it just made me cry even harder. He kept trying to give me the apple but I wouldn't take it. What was it about my wailing and refusal of the latex fruit that he didn't get? I mean come on. Enough already! I remember even feeling sorry for him, as though I really was hurting his feelings, but I couldn't bring myself to talk or smile or engage this character in any way.

So I get it. Sofia's scared of something that can't hurt her in the least, but it doesn't matter. She perceives it as terrifying, so that's just what it is. No amount of cajoling will fix that. She'll grow out of it, as I did my fear of clowns. Well, I'm mostly not afraid of them. I can talk to them without bursting into tears, anyway.

Tonight after I had put the kids to bed, I went in after a few minutes to check on them. David was crashed out but Sofia was still wide-eyed.

"I heard a loud sound," she says to me.
"It was just some thunder."
"Thunder?" she begins to look frightened.
"Yeah, just some thunder. Thank goodness it's not a talking buffalo!"
She smiles brightly, "Oh, yeah, it's good it's not that! Just some thunder!"

And with that, she rolls over and happily nods off to sleep.

You know there's too much "tech talk" in your house when...

2007-08-01T23:08:00.000-04:00

...your three year old daughter cuddles up with you on the couch, opens a copy of "Business 2.0" and offers to read you the story of the "Three Little Laptops".

I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

Another cute kiddo

2007-07-27T14:11:00.001-04:00

Mmmm...Fingers!
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

For cute kiddo Friday I couldn't resist this picture of my niece Sarah, taken at a recent family get together at my mom's house. I haven't seen her since last summer when she was just a baby and now she is one the cutest little kids I have ever seen. I mean the hair, the eyes, gosh, even the eyebrows. Too cute. Of course she screams like a banshee if you try to pick her up, but hey, she's attached to her mom, and as well she should be.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Thank you to the bagger lady

2007-07-26T15:18:00.000-04:00

Dear Bagger lady at the Stop & Shop:

Thank you for bringing out my groceries to my car last week. I didn't particularly need your help, but you were very insistent that I had my "hands full" and needed some help, so far be it from me to keep you from doing your duty. Aside from the fact that my kids were probably on their absolute best behavior at the grocery store ever, I still appreciate not having to haul that heavily laden cart out to the lot, especially since I was carrying a sleeping infant on my chest. In fact, I kind of enjoyed having you bring them out for me and sort of even wished someone would do that every time I went. I think I am well over my "I can do everything by myself and don't need anyone's help, ever" attitude. So again, thank you for your help.

Oh, and I'll be coming back tomorrow and this time, if you could please put the groceries in my car, that would be great. See? I told you I was over that whole not accepting help thing.

Awareness

2007-07-24T22:45:00.001-04:00

I am publishing this blog post with permission from WhyMommy in an effort to spread the word on breast cancer awareness. She was recently diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer and is blogging her battle with it with grace and humor. Please keep her in your prayers.

Inflammatory breast cancer

Monday July 23rd 2007, 3:11 pm
Filed under: About Us / Favorites, breast cancer

We hear a lot about breast cancer these days. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes, and there are millions living with it in the U.S. today alone. But did you know that there is more than one type of breast cancer?

I didn’t. I thought that breast cancer was all the same. I figured that if I did my monthly breast self-exams, and found no lump, I’d be fine.

Oops. It turns out that you don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer. Six weeks ago, I went to my OB/GYN because my breast felt funny. It was red, hot, inflamed, and the skin looked…funny. But there was no lump, so I wasn’t worried. I should have been. After a round of antibiotics didn’t clear up the inflammation, my doctor sent me to a breast specialist and did a skin punch biopsy. That test showed that I have inflammatory breast cancer, a very aggressive cancer that can be deadly.

Inflammatory breast cancer is often misdiagnosed as mastitis because many doctors have never seen it before and consider it rare. “Rare” or not, there are over 100,000 women in the U.S. with this cancer right now; only half will survive five years. Please call your OB/GYN if you experience several of the following symptoms in your breast, or any unusual changes: redness, rapid increase in size of one breast, persistent itching of breast or nipple, thickening of breast tissue, stabbing pain, soreness, swelling under the arm, dimpling or ridging (for example, when you take your bra off, the bra marks stay – for a while), flattening or retracting of the nipple, or a texture that looks or feels like an orange (called peau d’orange). Ask if your GYN is familiar with inflammatory breast cancer, and tell her that you’re concerned and want to come in to rule it out.

There is more than one kind of breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is the most aggressive form of breast cancer out there, and early detection is critical. It’s not usually detected by mammogram. It does not usually present with a lump. It may be overlooked with all of the changes that our breasts undergo during the years when we’re pregnant and/or nursing our little ones. It’s important not to miss this one.

Inflammatory breast cancer is detected by women and their doctors who notice a change in one of their breasts. If you notice a change, call your doctor today. Tell her about it. Tell her that you have a friend with this disease, and it’s trying to kill her. Now you know what I wish I had known before six weeks ago.

You don’t have to have a lump to have breast cancer.

Blink and you'll miss something

2007-07-18T20:52:00.001-04:00

Momma gets a smile
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

Isobel rolled over for the first time today. I was running up the stairs to answer the phone when I glimpsed her out of the corner of my eye on her play mat and there she was, rolling onto her belly. I had been in the kitchen with David getting him some applesauce and I heard Isobel grunt several times in a row. I thought perhaps she was working on a "number" as we like to call it. Turns out she was trying her roll herself over, probably so she could make her way into the kitchen and finally get some attention from me. But really, I hadn't been away for more than a minute and then as I'm up on the staircase I nearly miss her reach that milestone because I'm in such a hurry. Of course she then proceeded to do it about a half dozen more times and then tried to roll herself right off the changing table later in the day. Apparently she has somewhere to go, some people to meet. Who knows.

Anyway, it is blowing my mind how quickly she is growing and changing and her big brother and sister right along with her. There are times when their babyhood seems to drag on forever and then there are days like this that remind me how very fleeting it really is.

Here we are hanging out in the back yard a couple weeks ago. Already she looks different, but I'm happy to say the smile has not changed a bit.

Farewell my flippy friends

2007-07-16T22:08:00.001-04:00

Apparently flip flops are all the rage in fashion footwear. I am about the last person in the world to be trendy, so I was surprised to learn today while skimming this article that I share a fondness for the simple, slip-on, no fuss flip flop style footwear with the fashion elite. Honestly, I bought them because they were about four bucks at Target and my sandals from last year had finally fallen apart, leaving me with no summer footwear.

I love the flip flops. Once you get used to that strap between your first two toes, they feel really comfy. And they're so easy to get on and off, perfect for that sensation of summer ease, like I'm vacation or something, which of course I never am. They're great, though. Cheap, carefree and they make a cute little sound when I walk.

Well, they're also a pain in my back. And my foot. And now my toes are numb, too. I thought I had the beginning symptoms of some awful disease, but it may just be that I'm wearing the damn things too much. And I do. I wear them everyday, just about all day long. And yes, I should know better. But I didn't think they would cause me any problems. Then a couple weekends ago we were out at my sister-in-law's, and Cat and I got into a conversation about our issues with back pain. During the discussion I looked down and noticed that we were both wearing flip flops.

"I wonder if these having anything to do with it?" I said.
She shrugged, "Maybe?"

Well, it's just a hunch, but I bet a little more arch support might indeed help the problem. Part of it of course maybe that I'm lifting and carrying an infant who gets a little heavier everyday and I'm not always bending with my knees.

So now I've got to take a break from these and wear something entirely unfashionable like, say, my running shoes. Not only are they old and dirty, they don't smell particularly good either. Oh, I was sooo close to being a fashion icon. No really, I was! Okay, I was sooo close to actually following a trend through to its end. Whatever. At least now I won't feel compelled to paint my toenails.

Trio of Trouble

2007-07-13T09:36:00.001-04:00

Trio of Trouble
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

Here are the kids yesterday after a trip to my mom's house. They both wanted to hold Isobel so before they went head to head I suggested they hold her together. 'Bel looks a little concerned, but otherwise okay. I guess there are worse things than being smothered with love.

Happy Friday everyone. It's the thirteenth...beware of kids in groups of three!

Who are you and what have you done with my husband?

2007-07-09T20:29:00.000-04:00

Last week was a busy one, so I didn't even get to post my cute kiddio pic on Friday. Ernesto had taken a few days off and we used the time to hang out, visit with family and get some things done around the house. I couldn't have anticipated how much we would in fact get done.

I was going to order some phonics and first reader books for David when I noticed Ernesto had saved a book in the Amazon "shopping bag" entitled, Getting Things Done- The Art of Stress-Free productivity by David Allen. E loves these kinds of books and is always looking for helpful tips for keeping things together and making them run more smoothly. I included it in my order and within minutes of reading it, this book opened up within him a whole new yearning for organization, the likes of which I've never seen. He went to town, sorting, cleaning, FILING and with great joy and enthusiasm he bought a label maker. Yes, a label maker. He said it was key to the whole productivity thing, at least, according to the book. I very clearly heard him in the office say to baby Isobel, "We love the label maker, don't we baby?" She gurgled in agreement. I would be lying if I said I wasn't just a little pleasantly terrified.

But I do get it now. After having used that little gadget myself I was labeling folders for taxes and warranties and all manner of things with great exuberance. Our files are beautifully and clearly labeled and having gone to the trouble of making the folders made us clean out the old ones and now we only have filed what we need, which is about half of what we had before. This device wields great power, making you want to obsessively label everything in your home. I think maybe the label maker needs a label.

And perhaps, just perhaps, if this thing is as magical as it seems, I could simply type in "Beef Wellington" and label the dinner plates as I set the table tomorrow night. Hey, if my husband can happily and intentionally buy a labeler, anything is possible.

My Baby's Birthday

2007-06-29T16:29:00.001-04:00

Baby Ernesto
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

It's my husband's birthday today and I would have posted a current picture of him but this is cute kiddio Friday, so I thought this baby picture of him would be perfect. This is one of my favorite pictures of Ernesto as a wee one, just a chubby little munchkin hanging out on the beach. He's not so much a chubby munchkin anymore but I bet he'd be more than happy to play on the beach if you made him and he's probably a lot less likely to eat the sand now.

Happy birthday, honey! We love you!

Cheaper by the one-quarter of a dozen

2007-06-28T13:53:00.000-04:00

I am a little surprised by the number of people who have seen me with my three children and said, "Oh boy, you've got your hands full, eh?" Okay, well sometimes they don't say "eh" but it's pretty much the same comment I hear whenever we venture out anywhere. It's not like my kids run around yelling or screaming or are climbing the walls wherever we go, (though no doubt they would if I let them) so I'm not sure what the deal is. Maybe I look overwhelmed, though I don't feel it, at least not most of the time. Though I've noticed sometimes Sofia will stare at me, then ask, "Are you okay?" and I'll say, "Sure, why do you ask?" and then she just smiles. Maybe I've got that face that screams, Dear Lord, someone tie me up, put me on a cruise ship and set a course for the Caribbean before I completely freak out!

Yesterday I was getting the minivan serviced and brought the kids in and when I went to pay the cashier peered down over her big desk and said, "OH MY GOODNESS, you've got THREE!" as if that were the number of legs (not children) I had. I kind of smiled and maybe I looked a little puzzled and then she said, a little more calmly, "Well, that's a nice little family, though." What I should have said was, "OH, these are just my youngest three. We've got eight more but they're in school right now. Or somewhere near there. It's hard to keep track, you know."

Anyway, it doesn't bother me in the least and I think it's funny that people think I'm sort of Wonder Mom or something because I'm managing life with three kids. Sure, it's hard sometimes, and very busy. But it was just as hard when we had one (harder even, because I wasn't getting any sleep at the time) or two. It's all relative, I guess.

We stopped by the mall after the auto place and I saw lots of moms and dads and grandparents out with one or two children and then I spied a mom with two little kids, one holding to each of her hands and a baby hanging from a front pack. It was like walking toward a mirror (except we didn't look anything alike) as I held David and Sofia's hands while Isobel bounced in her Snugli. We paused for a second and smiled at each other, almost as if to say, "My, don't you have your hands full!" Indeed, but pleasantly so.

It's Friday, Baby!

2007-06-22T16:25:00.001-04:00

happy baby
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

So since my posts are so lame and infrequent (so I guess it's just as well I don't post that often) I'm going to, at the very least, post a cute baby/kiddo picture every Friday, for no other reason than it's quick and easy and the kids are growing so darn fast they're going to be old and haggard like me before I know it, so better do it while I can. I'm kidding of course. They've got eons before they're as old and haggard as I.

Happy Friday everybody!

Practical Parenting Tips

2007-06-06T08:30:00.000-04:00

Since the kids are playing so nicely together, I thought I would take a minute here to introduce my blog post series, "Practical Parenting Tips", wherein I will sporadically post my best parenting tricks of the trade, covering topics ranging from discipline to practical household maintenance. For example, this little gem...

Tip #1:
Children messed up the living room again? Is the hallway littered with a highway of army men, "Rescue Heroes" and assorted "Hello Kitty" paraphernalia? Is the clutter driving you insane but you've no time to clean? Not a problem. Simply remove your contacts/eyeglasses and continue about your day as usual. The mess will become a cloudy blur and you will feel your blood pressure return to normal in no time! Not visually impaired? No problem! Simply ask the kids to play a game of hide-and-seek and lock yourself in a dark closet for several hours. You will get the added bonus of some quiet time and maybe you can even sneak in a short nap. If your children have already figured out all your best hiding places, your next best bet is to engage them in a game of "coma patient", wherein you are the patient, lying quietly on the bed or couch with your eyes firmly closed as your children think of ways to revive you. This has the added benefit of allowing the kids to work on their problem-solving techniques. Always remember: if you can't see the mess, you can pretend that it doesn't exist.

I've got a million of them folks. Just leave your questions in the comments field and I will be back with your solution within 24-465 hours. Cheers!

Wacky Weather

2007-06-04T12:29:00.000-04:00

We had a freak hail storm this weekend and Ernesto captured some of it on video. The kids were scared, naturally, with all the pouring rain, blowing wind and large stones of ice hitting the house. I was a bit frightened myself, as you can tell by my repeatedly saying, "Oh my God!" I had just gotten my window box planters filled with impatiens, salvia and ivy and they were sitting out on the picnic table in the backyard. Now they were being hammered with ice. Sorry little guys!

Luckily nothing was really damaged, but the bed out front lost a good deal of mulch from the river that ran through it. Oh well.

E and I have never witnessed this sort of thing first hand, so it was really interesting. Did you know that if you cut a hail stone in half you can count the rings of ice inside it to see how many times it bounced up and down inside the thundercloud? Oh, the things you learn from your son's meteorology books!

Time Flies

2007-05-23T17:22:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe how quickly time passes. Not only now that I am older, but now that I've got three little ones to watch over, it's as though the days pass on like hours. Isobel is nearing the two-month mark and growing like my lawn after a week of rain. Sofia turned three this past weekend and she's no longer a baby or toddler. Oftentimes she's more like three going on 16. David is learning to read and is now a young meteorologist, announcing when he thinks a high pressure system is likely to move in and identifying stratus clouds out on our evening walks. I can't keep up with all the changes even though I am always with them. They must be changing in their sleep.

I had my last midwife checkup and I'm all set to have another baby. Kidding. Just wanted to see if you were paying attention. No, we won't go down that road just yet, and maybe not ever. Just like the kids, E and I are getting older and if you were to guess my age just by listening to my knees crackle when I bend them, you'd be off by about ten years.

The kids do help to keep me young, though, so for that I'm grateful. I'm thinking of taking up running again. I mean jogging. Well, I mean really fast walking in which I occasionally jog a little. I may only get as far as the ice cream place down the street, but hey, it's a start.

I've got many stories to share, but they will have to wait until I've a little more time to blog. Isobel is often awake at night when I would normally sit down to write and she's too entertaining to ignore, so for now I'm hanging with her. Right now I'm enjoying an unusual spell where she is actually sleeping in her car seat. This is something she did often the first couple weeks after she was born. It was a trick to make me think she was an "easy" baby. Silly me. Like any baby, she prefers to be held, so we do a lot of that. And I don't mind a bit because as I watch my older two I know that in a blink she too will be riding her bike down the street in front of me calling, "Look at me, mommy! Look at me!", and I will have to jog to keep up with her, my knees crackling all the way.

Mommy slips up

2007-05-08T09:20:00.000-04:00

I am still adjusting to life with two pre-schoolers and a baby. Some days it's as though I am in complete and total control of everything. You know, in a good way, not a crazy, domineering momzilla kind of way. It's as if there's this natural ebb and flow and all the stars are aligned and so on and so forth. This morning has been like that. Baby is napping well, already got dishwasher emptied, trash is out, kids are dressed and working independently. Heck, I'm even showered! But I know it will pass. It is, as they say, "too good to last".

The other day I got the three kids all ready to go to Target. I had a bunch of different things I needed and knew I could get them all there so I thought a one-stop shopping trip would be manageable. It took a while, but I got everyone ready and had to feed Isobel a couple times before we could leave, but by the time we got to the store she was sleeping soundly, eased her into the Snugli, got the kids out, got a cart. Got inside the store, kids pushing the cart together (very cute) and not even bumping into anyone. Get everything I need, kids try on some hats in the accessories dept. for a while. Woman working there chats with David and Sofia for a bit. We get some snacks, back to car, baby still sleeping. Mission accomplished. How much do I rock?

Then I start the car and realize I am still wearing my slippers.

Supermom I am not. Superdork? Absolutely.

A walk in the park

2007-04-30T21:20:00.001-04:00

instant friend
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

We all headed over to Livingston park in Manchester this past Saturday and took a stroll around the pond there, while looking out for signs of spring and enjoying the cool, but sunny weather. Just as we rounded the last bend before reaching the playgrounds, this little girl, who was walking in the other direction with her dad, turns suddenly and walks straight up to Sofia, reaches out and takes her hand. Sofia looked only mildly startled, but happily held her hand and the two continued walking together and began chatting as if they were old girlfriends, suddenly reunited. It was about the sweetest thing I have ever seen.

Oh, to be young and not all chock full of self-consciousness. If only we could all make new friends that easily.

High-speed, competition landscaping

2007-04-25T15:46:00.001-04:00

Facelift
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

We've got serious spring fever and more to the point, I've got serious gardening fever. I've actually had gardening dreams (yes, how lame is that) in which I bask in the glow of my gorgeous, meticulously groomed lawn and gardens while the neighbors look on with envy. The reality is I'm no gardener. I love flowers and plants and am very interested in them decorating my yard, but I don't have much of a green thumb. Not to mention I really don't have the time or money that it takes to get a 'Better Homes and Gardens' look. I do what I can, when I can and sometimes it works out and sometimes not.

Ernesto and I having been talking for a while about sprucing up the front of the house which is more or less a boring old blank slate. There's been much talk of window boxes and new walkways and trees and shrubs. This past Sunday we were able to get a little work done on the front and I think it came out well. We've now got two flowering cherry trees in the front, plus some ground covers like heather and juniper. Oh, and lots of mulch. Actually, all the kudos should really go to Ernesto who dug up the whole area with a small shovel and has the aching back to prove it. I just put the plants in, which really took no time at all.

This morning I look out the window across the street to discover our neighbors have also dug up a chunk of their lawn and now have a nice assortment of bushes and flowers planted. It looks very nice and now I'm thinking we're going to have to take it up a notch to compete with them. Perhaps a big fountain or a small pond? Maybe just a family of garden gnomes?

Let the competition begin! This could get ugly, folks...

Three week update

2007-04-23T20:29:00.000-04:00

Temperatures neared 90 degrees today and while I'm happy to enjoy some warm weather, I was not anticipating having to dig out the kids' summer clothes quite so soon. I mean, we just had a snowstorm a couple weeks ago. I thought perhaps we would ease into spring a bit more slowly. Silly me.

So we got out the water table, Mr. Crab (the sandbox) and scrounged around for some sunblock. I felt very much like I was still pregnant, carrying Isobel around in the Snugli all day. It's funny to think how much I was looking forward to her being born so I wouldn't be all huge and weighted down with her and yet here I am, still walking funny with her fused to my midsection. Except now I also have to feed her and change her diapers. Oh, and apparently she gets gas when I eat chocolate, so I guess that's out. Pregnancy isn't looking so bad right now.

But seriously, she is a little sweetheart and she really is adored by her big brother and sister. David is always in her face, talking baby talk to her and patting her "chubby cheeks". I warned him to give her a little space, but he's only happy if his nose is touching hers and today he got a little too close and she spit up right in his face. He was horrified and ran out of the room exclaiming, "Ewww!!!" while making gagging sounds. Of course he was right back at it a few hours later, so I guess it hadn't bothered him all that much.

I'm finding having three young ones at home is definitely different. Mostly I'm just finding it difficult to get the usual tasks accomplished because I'm holding the baby so often. Although today I discovered I can feed the baby and microwave some EasyMac at the same time. Look, I'm not proud of that but it's all about multi-tasking right now. My plan each day is to ask myself, "what needs to get done today and what can wait?" Obviously, needs of the kids and myself come first. They need to eat and at some point during the week I need to shower. Today it was laundry. Had to get done, but didn't necessarily need to come out of the dryer. The house was pretty much a wreck all day, but I did manage to make my bed, so my room looked pretty clean and hey, we were outside all day anyway, so who cares? The kids and the baby sure don't, so why should I?

So three weeks have gone by with three kids, and so far, so good. hectic at times, calm at others, but overall, just glad to be taking care of this little brood of mine. Wouldn't trade this life for all the chocolate in the world.

Signs of Spring

2007-04-14T10:00:00.001-04:00

Spring has sprung
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

Okay, so technically it is spring, but you wouldn't know it around here. Spring doesn't really begin in New England until late May. And even then you don't know what you're going to get. March was warmer than this month so far, but that's what you get around here. Every year we all seemed surprised when it goes from a sunny, warm day to a raging Nor'easter. But this kind of thing happens EVERY YEAR! I think we New Englanders get optimistic that this year things might be different.

At least I found this little gem the other day out by the fence in the backyard. I had almost forgotten I'd planted bulbs last year. We've got another snow storm due tomorrow and Monday so I wanted to get a picture of this before it got buried again.

Ch-ch-ch-changes?

2007-04-11T13:08:00.000-04:00

So life should seem very different to me now, but oddly it does not. When we had David our world was knocked off its pleasantly spinning axis, left spiraling out of control somewhere in the cosmos. I didn't sleep for a year. I was like one of those ape mothers with her baby always wrapped around her midsection, clinging on for dear life. I had to rethink my world view on everything. Priorities were changed, living space was changed and many, many diapers were changed. Somehow we survived.

Then Sofia was born. David was only 20 months old, really still a babe himself. I had issues. Issues of guilt, (how dare I burden the poor child with a sibling!) issues of sleep (how to get two children down to nap at the same time??) and the issue of my baby daughter who would not allow another soul to hold her for more than two seconds without screaming. I was very, very tired.

But now when things should be trickier than ever...well, they're just not. Have I finally gotten this parenting thing down? Am I just having a good week and life as it truly is will manifest itself when I least expect it? Is it just because Sofia keeps telling me I look like a rock star and I smell like flowers?? Or am I still riding that euphoric post-delivery high and I will come crashing down any second now, only to have Ernesto find me huddled in a closet, dipping my chocolate Peter Rabbit's ears in peanut butter and crying softly to myself? Maybe, but really, I think I'm doing okay.

First off, Isobel is really mellow and boy, she likes to sleep. I mean, she really likes to sleep. I'm not going to say how much for fear of angering any new parents out there, but hey- I've done my time. I've done serious time. I've feared the night. And I think someone up there knew I was due a break.

So hey, this could all just be a pleasant dream, but I'm going to enjoy feeling great and being happy for as long as it lasts. Even if that's only a few more hours or days. I know it will be back sooner or later.

Oh, and it's not likely I'll be in a closet crying, but Ernesto will find me dipping those rabbit's ears in peanut butter. It's only a matter of time.

First week at home

2007-04-06T11:51:00.000-04:00

Well, here it is, my due date and I've got my little bundle here on my lap. Just on the outside. Can I just say how wonderful it feels to not be pregnant? Don't get me wrong, pregnancy can be great and having a little creature romp around in your guts is really interesting, but I think I much prefer this. I like the warmth of this little girl next to me, where I can see her and hold her and hear her breath going in and out, all the tiny squeaks and grunts she makes. Even the crying. Her loudest cry is still quieter than either David or Sofia trying to get my attention.

I'll save the whole birth story for another post, but there's not too much to go over anyway. Things didn't go as quickly as I thought they might this time, but things went much better overall and I feel so much better overall than I thought I would. The VBAC was successful and that was my biggest concern, and I had one of my midwives with me so that was also a relief. The hospital staff was all great. I don't think I've been asked, "Can I get you anything?" more times in my entire life. If I hadn't missed my kids and husband so much I wouldn't have ever wanted to leave.

So things at home are a bit more hectic than usual, but so far, so good. David is very interested in his new little sister and I think he has a special affinity for her because she looks so much like him. He's always coming over and patting her head or making baby talk around her. He gets concerned when he can't see where she is and will look around asking, "Where's Isobel?" as if we have mistakenly left her somewhere. Glad to report we haven't done that yet.

Sofia's reaction is pretty much what I thought it would be. She kind of watches her from a distance, covers her ears when she cries and asks some questions about her, but that's about it. She gives her a kiss now and then when she sees David doing it, but then she follows a lot of what David does anyway. She does like to bring me diapers and stuffed animals for the baby so that is very helpful and sweet.

And like her older brother and sister, Isobel does not like to be put down for more than a couple minutes, so luckily we've got all manner of wraps (Love the Moby, Lyss- THANKS!!) and front carriers and all kinds of baby-wearing devices within reach. Right now she's wrapped up like a burrito in my lap while I type. Thought it was time for her first blog session.

Oh, and one thing that this child can tolerate really well is noise. Lots of noise. Doesn't matter if the kids are shouting right next to her, she is not bothered in the least. In fact, I think she finds it soothing. Good thing.

Well, I'm going to go continue to relax (doctor's orders) and take it easy while I have some quiet time to myself. David and Sofia are out and about with Ernesto and I've got this big messy house all to myself. I am going to resist the very strong urge to go clean and instead go sit on my butt and eat in front of the tv. And for the first time in a while, no one will need to help pull me up off the couch. Hooray!!

Isobel Arrives!

2007-04-01T21:43:00.000-04:00

GUEST POST: Ernesto here; Kris asked me to drop a note on her blog to say she gave birth to Isobel Grace this morning at 6:28. She went into the preliminary stages of labor yesterday at about 5 a.m. and we got to the hospital at about midnight today (April 1). She delivered VBAC with no drugs and no surgery and (if I may say) was really really cool and graceful throughout. She'll be at the hospital for another day or so.

Angry pregnant lady

2007-03-29T14:24:00.000-04:00

Oops, I did it again.

I let my hormones get the better of me. I guess this is one of the few times in my life I can use that as an excuse, so maybe I shouldn't sweat it.

This time I yelled at an old lady. Well, she wasn't really that old, and I'm pretty certain with her car windows all rolled up she couldn't hear me anyway.

I was in the parking lot of our favorite grocery store with the kids and I'd just unloaded them for the minivan when a car comes zipping past us, mere feet from my daughter, making a speedy exit through the parking spaces, because you know, they're empty and it's not like anyone might pull in to park there and certainly no one could be standing there, certainly not a small child that you might not see over your silly oversized Ray-Bans and fluffy steering wheel cover.

So after grabbing Sofia out of harm's way and standing there all rattled, trying to compose myself, yet another car comes whizzing past us (not as close) through the same set of empty parking spaces. The woman even smiles at me. Like, "hey, howya doing? Don't mind if I plow your kids down, do ya? Besides, looks like you've got an extra on the way!"

Now I know. Lots of people do this. I see it all the time, people shaving a few seconds off their drive by taking some shortcuts through the lot. I think I am one of the few people who won't do this, because I am completely paranoid that I am not going to see someone coming and I'm going to crash them. And I don't want to crash anyone.

Anyway, I yelled at the second car as it went by and waved my arms about like I was bringing in a jet plane. I think I shouted something to the effect of, "You're NOT supposed to drive cut through the lot like that!!!" displaying the parking spaces like a disgruntled Vanna White. She kept on going, cutting through a few more before she was out of sight. I looked down at the kids who were staring at me as if to ask, "what did you do with our mommy?"

I guess the maternal instincts have gone into overdrive. I'd better have this kid soon or someone could end up hurt...or just very amused at the sight of an overly pregnant woman jumping about and flailing her arms.

Do not adjust your screen...

2007-03-25T21:58:00.001-04:00

Wide load, coming through
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

Yeah, so that's me. Pretty big, but then there is probably a nine pounder in there, so that's to be expected. Now I look back and laugh at that first photo I blogged where I thought I looked big. Ha. Ha. Silly, silly me.

I'm a little over 38 weeks and beginning to get pretty excited. I've actually finished all the last minute tasks I've set out to do and things are ready as they're going to get. I'm cleaning everything in sight and it's really annoying, but I can't help it.

Ernesto has been making me walk around a lot and trying to get me to eat spicy food. He's not fooling anyone.

I recently read that the highest percentage of births in America fall on Tuesday. So who's willing to place some bets? What should the stakes be? Is it going to be this week, next week or God forbid...the week after that? You tell me folks, because I haven't got a clue.

Saturday morning post

2007-03-24T16:25:00.000-04:00

Yes, preggy photo still to come, but the camera's batteries keep dying each time Ernesto tries to take my picture. I think it's a sign.

I'm sure you have better things to do, but in the meantime you can check this out. Hope you're all having a lovely weekend!

podOmatic - Podcast

Random Bits

2007-03-22T10:05:00.000-04:00

Highlights (and lowlights) from this past week so far:

*Woke up from a deep sleep, thinking I was going into labor around 2:30 am, early Tuesday. Was able to fall back to sleep after about an hour of futzing around the house and playing on the computer. Woke up again a few hours later, and was no longer convinced I was in labor. Of course now the household and other concerned parties are on "high alert" and this finally forced me to get that last minute stuff wrapped up. Hmmm, most of it, anyway.

*The kids have invented a new Rescue Hero by the name of "Braxton Hicks". Apparently his special talent is putting out fires. You'd think it would be inciting pregnant woman to fits of violence, but whatever.

*I am apparently entering the "highly emotional" phase of my last trimester. I've been giving the evil eye to anyone who stares at my bump for more than three seconds. And I have absolutely no patience at the post office. Oh wait, that's not new.

*Yesterday Sofia put on a big show of being pregnant "just like mommy". It was both horrifying and hilariously cute at the same time. I got it all on video. She had a quick delivery and gave birth to a small black and white kitty. Needless to say we are all bursting with love and pride over the new addition to our family.

And for those who have been asking, I will post a photo before the end of the week. Maybe the sheer horror of seeing myself online like that will help to induce labor.

Silliness

2007-03-19T08:26:00.000-04:00

Sure, there are a million things we could have done yesterday (like shopping for the baby's dresser) but we did this instead. I guess with everything going on we needed a little comic relief. If you have five minutes to spare, check it out and sample the silliness that is my family for yourself.

*For transcripts on what the children are actually saying in English, please send $1.00 and a SASE to "Those Wacky Burdens, Manchvegas, NH". Thank you for your support.

Bad Dreams

2007-03-15T15:06:00.000-04:00

The kids are on this "bad dream" kick lately. I think it started when David had a nightmare and then many nights after that began postponing bedtime because he was afraid of having bad dreams. Now Sofia is doing it, too. As far as I can tell, she's just feeding off of David's fears. Last night I went to check on her after having put her to bed about 10 minutes prior and she was in bed kind of fake crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "I'm having a bad dream" and I said, "But you haven't even fallen asleep yet" to which she paused, then replied, "Uh...but I am asleep." Hmm.

So just about every night when we try to get him settled down, David says, "But I'm afraid I'll have a bad dream." So we've been telling him all kinds of things to try and ease his fears, some which seem to work and others not so much. I told him that sometimes you can even wake yourself up if you don't like your dream. I've had success with this myself, so why not him?

Well, last night I had a bad dream.
And I could not wake up.

It was the weirdest dream and though it doesn't bother me a bit now (probably because I've forgotten most of it) I was petrified while having it. It had something to do with a virus that fed off of humans and consumed them entirely. It had wiped out most of the population and I was one of the few people left and no matter how you tried to destroy it, it would come back in a larger, more resilient form. It went from a bug, to a snake and eventually turned into a man, who chased me up a tree wearing a winter parka and snow goggles as I screamed and climbed higher trying to escape him. I knew if he so much as touched me I was dead. It was horrifying and I thought, "this is just a dream...wake up!" And I couldn't. Then just as the virus man reached for me, Ernesto shook me awake.

"Hey, you were having a bad dream." he mumbled sleepily.

"I know. I know." Now I'll have to revise my earlier statement to David. Still wondering how to do this and still sound like I know what I'm talking about.

There was one really good part in the dream, though. I wasn't pregnant and could move like a ninja. It was sweet.

What's wrong with Mommy?

2007-03-12T21:03:00.000-04:00

As I descend through the final weeks of pregnancy, it is becoming increasingly clearer than I am becoming quite useless.

My physical state is such that putting on my own shoes has become a mini Olympic event. If I can roll over in bed from my left to right side in a single rocking motion (as opposed to several attempts leaving me winded and crampy) then I feel as though I've summited my own little Everest. Today I reached for my coffee cup way across the coffee table and managed to grab it without spilling it all over the rug and myself. These are the golden, shiny moments in my day.

My brain is still somewhat intact. I can remember things pretty well. Most things. But every once in a while I'll forget something so commonplace that it's a little scary.

I am nesting all wrong. I guess maybe it's because I've already got lots of baby things, so I'm not really sweating the details, but I get easily distracted when scouring Ebay for essentials and end up purchasing items like a futon cover. Because, you know, the baby really needs that. My friend and I went shopping the other night and I bought towels, some books for the kids and some decorative Easter egg things. I left "Babies 'R us" with a lemonade and a rasberry flavored water. (The cashier asked me if this was off someone's registry. I think she was new. We're still having a good chuckle over that one.)

I still haven't packed a bag for the hospital and I still don't know how to get to the hospital. I mean, I know where it is and I have a map, just in case, but I haven't actually been there yet. They have valet parking, so that's good. You know, in case the valet has to help deliver the baby because we got lost on the way to the hospital.

Eh. I've got new towels. Maybe we'll just do a home birth this time.

See? What did I tell you. I'm just a mess.

Checking In

2007-03-04T15:41:00.000-05:00

I thought I should post at least a little something this week, lest you all think I've gone and had the baby or was in some sort of chocolate-peanut butter induced coma. No baby yet, and I've given up my precious chocolate for Lent, so they'll be none of that for a while. (My preeeccciousssss!!)

I am 35 weeks along, and so far, so good. Baby is head down, or at least this was the consensus between at least two of the midwives I see, and since I can feel and see the little heels of the wee one scraping along the inner wall of the topmost portion of my belly (yes, it's just like those Alien movie, just not as scary) I know that they most likely speak the truth. I am walking like I've got an anvil hanging from a rope tied 'round my waist, swinging between my legs, and that's kind of what it feels like. I am intermittently happy and grumpy, both bursting with excitement to meet this child and still wishing I had another 5 months to prepare for her arrival.

Ernesto and I are placing bets on baby's arrival. Haven't agreed on a prize yet, but I think it should be something good. He's guessing March 25th and I'm guessing the 30th. Mostly because if I go into April and still haven't had her I will have gone completely insane and no one will be getting a prize anyway. Of course I am not due until April 6th, so this is all wishful thinking on both our parts. With David I went 5 days past my due date and with Sofia it was 2 days prior. So who knows?

We're still working on a girl's middle name, so if anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them! My friend Alyssa has recommended the name Alyssa. It certainly is much better than Deefer.

My apologies to anyone named Deefer.

A Recommendation

2007-02-23T23:27:00.000-05:00

This is the only advice I think I would give a woman who is going to have a baby and is not sure how to prepare for labor. Please do yourself a great big favor and take a Hypnobirthing class or do a home study course.

I can't speak of any other birthing method and I'm sure there are some other great ones out there. This is the only one I ever used. All it really is, in a nutshell, is a combo of breathing, visualization and affirmations that keep your body calm and relaxed, so you don't tense up during labor and make it more difficult than it has to be. It's actually pretty simple. You can call it, "fooling yourself that you're not really in labor" and that's pretty much what it boils down to.

And I don't know at all what my labor would have been like if I hadn't used this method, or some other kind, but I can tell you this: For 26 hours I labored without any crying or screaming, or yelling at my husband, "YOU did this to me!!!", and there was no epidural- not so much as a Tylenol- and after four hours of pushing, out came my 9 lb, 7 oz, 23 inch baby boy. I have to say, I did not experience much in the way of pain. I was however, quite exhausted from the whole experience. I imagine I might have ended up quite a bit more exhausted had I not been able to relax throughout my labor.

And though I did not labor much with Sofia -who was born via c-section due to breech presentation- I used the Hypnobirthing technique again to get through the two external versions that the doctors used to try and turn her. Now that was painful, but certainly shorter in duration. The breathing helped to calm me and keep my from getting too worked up. And I employed the techniques yet again in the operating room when they were prepping me for the section. I was pretty anxious knowing I was about to have major surgery but the techniques I learned help me keep it together.

Anyway, I think it's a great method and cannot recommend it enough. I think what you get out of it is equal to what you put in. The more you practice the breathing and visualization, the deeper the state of relaxation. I'd say I was in a pretty moderate state of relaxation. I mean, I never fell asleep, never was so relaxed I forgot where I was, nor would I say that my birthing experience was "discomfort- free". I listened to the tapes pretty regularly for a couple months, but I would almost always fall asleep before I got to the end of them. I still wonder if my brain absorbed the instructions that came at the end of those lessons.

Nowadays I'm not finding much time for practicing the method. I'm hoping a refresher crash course in March, coupled with my previous experience will help me get through what I anticipate to be a shorter, more pleasant labor. At least I'm hoping not to push for four hours. That was a bit much.

If any other moms have some good delivery room advice I would love to hear it. Someone recently reminded me that I need to pack a bag to take to the hospital. You'd think that's a no-brainer but honestly, I had forgotten about that. Maybe that was the instruction at the end of that tape I slept through.

This one's for the ladies...

2007-02-22T11:04:00.000-05:00

The heavily pregnant ladies, that is. A little ditty (to the tune of "Do Your Ears Hang Low?")I wrote, in our honor...

Does your belly hang low,
does it wobble to and fro?
Are you so horrified,
by how much more its going to grow?
Does it seem a giant boulder
that no one would dare climb over?
Does your belly hang low?

Does your belly hang wide,
as though it has multiplied?
Do you look in the mirror
and sometimes want to cry?
Is it hard just to sit up
even though you've tried and tried?
Does your belly hang wide?

Does your belly hang out,
does it make you scream and shout?
Is that a real maternity shirt?
(well, of that there is some doubt!)
Would you go shop for more clothes,
if you could only move about?
Does your belly hang out?

Thirty-four weeks and counting. Next to come, horrifying pictures!! Not for the weak of heart...

Rescue Mama

2007-02-20T08:21:00.000-05:00

I'm always trying to teach my kids to spot the silver lining on even the darkest clouds. Try to focus on the good of something instead of the bad. I have to work on this myself, often. It's a lot harder to start working on this an adult, so I thought I would give the kids a head start.

Lately David was playing with his new Ebay purchase of a used lot of Rescue Heroes. If you have kids who are or were into these, you know how precious this package was when it came. He's played with them non-stop for days. I've played with them non-stop for days. He also got a few brand new ones, courtesy of Valentine's Day money from both his Grandmas (thanks Moms!) which are even more special. We had to find a large, plastic bin to house them all. I asked that he take care of them by putting them back in the same container each day so they'd be organized and wouldn't get lost. I've been reminding him often that I need a lot of help picking up because I get tired quickly and can't do all the things I could before I was pregnant. Sometimes he seems bothered by my limitations (ie. not being able to carry him up the stairs at bedtime) but mostly he doesn't fuss much about it, and does what I ask of him.

Yesterday I caught he and his sister trying to drag the huge box from the playroom in the basement up the stairs to the living room. Sofia was pushing and he was pulling. They were managing, but clearly Sofia was going to end up buried in a rescue heroe avalanche.

"Woah! That's too heavy for you guys... Let me do that, " I say, taking the bin and carrying it up. When I set it down on the living room floor, I notice David quietly regarding me.

"What is it?" I ask him.

"At least you aren't too weak to carry up the box of rescue heroes!" An older child might have been sarcastic saying this, but he was genuinely happy for me.

"Yes. I'm not too weak for that." It gave me just the boost of confidence and strength to get me through the next seven weeks.

Way to spot the silver lining, little man.

Winter Wusses

2007-02-15T15:01:00.000-05:00

My kids are not handling the snow all that well. Last year at this time you couldn't drag Sofia back inside after a day of frolicking in the fluffy white stuff. Now it takes 25 minutes to get her dressed to go outside and only 3 minutes to find her in the corner of the garage crying, "I'm coooolllldddd. I want to go innnnnnnn!!!"

David's not a whole lot better. He enjoys about 15 minutes of outdoor play and then the mittens get wet or he face-plants in a pile of snow and then he's done. We've had such a mild winter out here (thanks El Nino!) that this feels like it's coming out of nowhere for them. But to be fair, it has been unusually windy and kids just don't like wind in their faces, I guess unless it's coming at them as they fly down hill on a sled. No hills here, I'm afraid. We left them behind in Vermont, yet I gladly gave them up to live amongst people again.

But perhaps it's a blessing in disguise. Truth is, I don't particularly want to bring them outside and run around a whole lot myself, feeling the way I do. I'd much prefer to snuggle up in front of the fire, read books and drink hot chocolate. And I'm pretty much incapable of shoveling any snow, so hopefully this is about it for us. Apparently I can blame the snow goddess for this one. Maybe with her great universal powers she can make it so the snow doesn't actually accumulate on roads and driveways. Guess she didn't think of that.

Anyway, it was bound to happen and I'm just thankful I don't live in Western New York state. I think we can handle a foot or two of snow. Eleven is kind of pushing it.

Happy belated Valentine's Day! My thoughtful husband got me some delicious gourmet strawberries dipped in chocolate. He knows me all too well.

Where to Stop and Drop

2007-02-01T16:25:00.000-05:00

So there isn't a whole lot new up with me. Had a very busy week with Ernesto gone on business and Sofia being very sick. I had all these plans to do fun things with the kids and everything had to be pushed aside so she could recover. We watched a lot of tv and read a lot of books instead and we got through it. It reminded me how I take my children's health for granted. When I pray, I always pray for their health, but I don't think about what it would be like for them to be really sick. Who wants to think about that?

I've had to call my midwife's office twice already this week for pregnancy-related issues. Each time the nurse asked, while looking for my chart, "is this your first pregnancy?". I'm sure they get a lot of these kinds of calls from first time moms. I am not at all the panicked, oh I need to call the doctor right now, type. In fact I avoid medical professionals as much as possible. I don't like having to go to my checkups as I feel like, hey, this is my third kid- couldn't I just come in when I'm in labor and we'll go from there? But this week has been an exception. One time I thought I was going blind and had read that pregnant women can often have eye problems, so I called just to make sure that was not the case. Then this morning I took advantage of Ernesto being home for a few hours and headed off to the grocery store for some much needed food. As I was driving over there a pain developed in my lower left side and would not go away. It was not a contraction as I am very familiar with that feeling, and it got worse as I drove. When I stopped in the parking lot I sat in the car for a while taking deep breaths, but nothing worked. I thought about just turning around right there and going home, but I'm kind of that stubborn, idiot type and thought, eh, it'll pass. I need food.

Somewhere in the juice aisle I got the swimming feeling I was about to pass out. I hadn't had anything to eat except for a few bites of peanut butter sandwich on the way over in the car. Usually that would suffice, but not today. So I wheeled my little squeaky cart over to a seat by the checkout registers and sat down. I guess I didn't look too good because many people stopped to ask if I was okay. A woman at the register got the store manager and he brought me a bottle of water and I ate a couple granola bars I had in my cart, just to get some sugar back in my system. I didn't feel nearly as woozy, but I still had the pain so I called E and he gave me my midwife's number and the nurse told me to go home and lie down and call her back in an hour. She was pretty certain it was round ligament pain. It usually doesn't last that long, at least not as intensely as this had, but it was in the right spot and the baby was very active so she didn't seem overly concerned. Again I got the, "Is this your first pregnancy?" query. "No, it's my third. Sorry, I'm having a bad week." True enough.

Anyway, I wanted to thank all the very kind people at the Stop & Shop supermarket who showed a lot of concern for my well-being. Clearly no one wanted to see a tall, heavily pregnant lady pass out near them. I think it would have been very scary for all concerned.

In other news, David has now contracted what I call the "rat-bug" and has managed to throw up everywhere except in a toilet or bucket. 6 AM found me mopping up a "mess" on the kitchen floor and misting the house with Lysol. Do I know how to party or what??

So hopefully Ernesto and I will be spared from this infection, though at this point, lying down with a sickness might mean someone would take care of me and I could finally get some rest. It's really not sounding all that bad. Bleah.

Up-Chuck E. Cheese's

2007-01-31T11:51:00.000-05:00

I went to Chuck E. Cheese's for the first time ever last week. I also went to Chuck E. Cheese's for the last time ever last week. Sorry kids. You'll just have to try to "be a kid" at home. Somehow I think you'll manage.

Not only is it way too expensive for the sorry food they serve, the games are pretty lame and you could have a seizure from the overexposure to kids crying and parents nagging. Then there are the germs you pick up that have left my poor little girl throwing up and slumped over my lap for the past couple days. Thanks a lot you mutant, virus-laden rat.

The kids had a reasonably good time there and I would probably have taken them back some time down the road, but it's kind of like when you're in college and you have a few too many white russians to drink and the next day you realize that you will never be able to look at another one without wanting to hurl.

So if you're headed off there anytime soon, let me know and I'll send you our leftover tokens. I'll be sure and douse them with Lysol first.