The Giraffe's Big Night On The Town

Today we went to see Dad at the office. Usually there's a Halloween party in the office for kids, but this year the office is in a big remodel, so no party. However, Colin did some reverse trick-or-treating and handed out candy to Dad's co-workers.

I also finally got around to painting the big 32 lb. pumpkin that we got at the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago. His pumpkin is a giraffe, just like he is.

Halloween Spooktacular

Our local children's museum had a Halloween "Spooktacular" last night. And though Colin is much too young to enjoy a cake walk or decorating his trick-or-treat bag, he enjoyed running around in full costume and enjoying all of his usual favorites. The water sensory area has a water fall, which was thematically filled with a bit of foggy dry ice, and even the rubber duckies in the water were in costume (dressed as mummies, witches, vampires, pirates, etc...)

Colin was a giraffe this year. It is such a comfy looking velour jump suit. Costumes have come a long way from the plastic costumes I wore as a child. I remember swishing as I wore a plastic pink panther costume as I walked from door to door, and breathing heavy through an uncomfortable plastic mask. Now costumes look like life-sized stuffed animals, with the kid being the stuffing for the outer shell. Very cute!

Broken System

Warning: Cynicism to follow; if you read the last post, you know that today is "slump day hump day..."

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Every new mother looks at those little coupons in her new Parenting magazine and thinks, "Sure, I'll just head over to JC Penney or Sears and get a cute little picture of baby." At this point you are trying to figure out when to schedule an appointment based upon the complicating factors such as feedings, naps, and generally happy versus cranky times of the day.

When you do schedule the appointment for this perfect time, the photo studio seems to be behind schedule, and your once perfect time is now forty minutes later and your once happy baby is....not so happy. No amount of waving tattered Elmo in front of baby's face or feigning a huge "ahhhchooo!" sneeze will make baby happy.

Somehow the photographer, who forgets to ask baby's name until half-way through the session, manages to get a few half smiley pictures because you the mom step in to save the day with a few big tricks to perk baby up.

Then here's the real torture -- they make you wait (up to 30 minutes at Penneys) to then view your pictures, which they enhance with all kinds of crazy finishes. And did I mention I'd just be happy with a great smile? No sepia tone needed for my lil' guy!

So you finally view the pics and you already know the ones you don't like without even having to do much looking, and somehow, a few pictures seem to be the contenders for a purchase. At this point baby is bored and screaming, and your nerves are so fried you wonder if they are going to pay YOU for this whole experience. And then you blindly select a pose in a moment of desperation to get outta dodge.

And wait! Your not done yet! At Penneys, they want you to schedule an appointment to pick up the pictures. Yes, an appointment to come by and pick up an envelope. As if I'm even going to remember at that appointment what I selected in a frenzied moment of post picture horror. And they recommend the best time for coming, which is guaranteed to be during baby's nap time, so you tell them you'll only come at "x" time -- I am the customer, right? So was an appointment REALLY needed? They want me to come back in so they can sell me on the "extras" the lab printed "just for me."

And somehow, like people say about childbirth, you forget how bad the experience was and you do it all over again for baby's next biggest milestone. Crazy what we will do for those $3.99 portrait sheets!

Their system is broken, just broken. Please let me just go home and view them online with my spouse and at about 10 pm later that night I'll place the order from the comfort of my home and you could even ship them to my house. Guess that'd be too easy.

Slump on Hump Day

Wednesday is school day, unless you are a cranky lil munchkin that wakes up with a fever! Our lil guy slept through the night fabulously, though he woke at 7 am with a whimpering cry that indicated our plans for school were to be tossed out the window today. Yes, it's a slump on hump day!

It's rare to get a cuddly moment with an energetic, energizer bunny of a 1 1/2 year old, so when he wanted Mom to hold him all morning, I knew he felt bad. And I feel bad that he feels bad. Time to put on my nursing "hat" today!

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Fortunately, though, we had some great weather these past few days (I actually got to wear capris -- woohoo!) and had some fun playtime outside. He's just now getting big enough for his tricycle, making for some cute fall pics that you will enjoy.

Pumpkin Patch

Two pumpkins!
So many choices!
I like that one, Dad.
I can pick this one up!
Going on a hayride!

We slogged out into the Pumpkin Patch today. It's been really rainy this past week, so it was definitely mud boot weather. Colin enjoyed his hayride out to select his pumpkins - and one of them ended up weighing more than he does!

Fall At School

Colin enjoyed playing with the new play stations at school this week. His teachers so creatively created a sensory room filled with fall items -- big plastic spiders and fall leaves in the water table, orange lentils in the sand pail, and squirrels and other fun fall critters in the wooden cubbies. Definitely a fun day to have the camera at school.

Bob, Larry, and Colin

Veggie Tales. If you don't have kids and are over the age of 25, you probably know nothing about these lovable veggies and their silly songs and videos. When we were DINKS vacationing in Vegas a few years ago, I recall seeing a Veggie Tales shopping display near the Aladdin and thinking, "What's that and why are parents lined up to purchase such random videos for their munchkins back home?"

Fast forward a little less than three years, and here is my response: "Oh, now I get it!" Today I was "that" parent. Let me explain.

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Matt is off in the forest on his annual guys hunting and camping trip, so I decided to take Colin for a visit to see how vendors from across the area suggest we enhance the great indoors -- The Annual Home Show.

The show resulted in several brochures and lots of ideas about things I have pondered for our home "someday": a new deck (can you say GORGEOUS Tiffany-style solar powered post caps, stone masonry for the columns of the house, house painters, vanishing screen doors, entertainment center cabinetry, etc. I also registered to win a house full of new windows (real exciting stuff, right -- I never knew there were so many window manufacturers.)

I also left with a cool kids apron from Home Depot (very cute - just like the ones they wear in the store), a recommendation on why my current solar yard lights are no longer working (they apparently use rechargeable batteries -- duh!), ideas about what not to do when working at a booth (talking on the phone or sounding bored when I describe what I am thinking about), and fear that I was leaving the event center across from Quest Field just hours before the Seahawks kickoff (can you say hairy traffic!)

But what I didn't realize we would discover at the show was the one thing that made Colin just LOVE the car ride home, even right at nap time. One of the vendors was selling Veggie Tales CDs that are personalized with your child's name inserted into key portions of the song. Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato spent hours in the studio recording over 1,000 names for various parts of the sing along music CD. So the theme song starts out, "If Colin likes to talk to tomatoes, blah, blah, blah..."

Later on in the CD Junior Asparagus sings to Colin, using his name and singing songs like, "God is so good. He's so good to Colin...", and "Colin's happy heart is a thankful heart..." (Thankfulness Song.) The CD closes with Bob and Larry's typical show closing, "And remember Colin, God made you special, and he loves you very much!"

HUGE smiles, and much happiness. Colin and me. Bob, Larry, and Junior Asparagus made Colin's day by singing him his very own songs as we drove home. And can you believe he cried when I took him out of his car seat? Now that was a first.

Want Larry, Bob, and Junior Asparagus to sing to your munchkin? Check it out online at Just Me! Music.

Kid Nation - They Chose The Books

I haven't really tapped into prime time shows much this fall, but I saw a promotional spot for "Kid Nation," a reality show where 40 kids spend 40 days as "pioneers" in a fictitious town called Bonanza City.

It's a true reality show with team challenges and rewards. This past Wednesday the show's theme dealt with religion. I was curious to see how a diverse bunch of 8-15 year olds dealt with issues of faith.

In this episode the town council receives a journal directive that says, "You've been so busy feeding your bodies that you don't have time to feed your soul." And thus they had to decide how to handle religion and hold a religious service (or services.)

The discussions about religious differences were as real as something you might hear among grown adults. One kid tries to explain Hanukkah, while the other has no tolerance about even hearing of it's significance to the other child.

In the end, a group of kids gather in the evening by the bonfire and have an impromptu, inter-religious prayer service. It was a visibly a moving experience to many of the kids.

And during the typical reality show "challenge" later in the show, every team completes the task under 30 minutes and gets to choose between 2 rewards: instant gratification or spiritual salvation -- A giant miniature golf course for the center of Bonanza City OR a library of religious books from various religions.

The kids overwhelmingly voted for the library of books. And near the end of the show, the boy reading from his Jewish book, and the boy reading from the complete King James Holy Bible read through Genesis 1 and the creation. And they realize it says the same thing, and that they believe the same thing about creation, exclaiming, "That's pretty cool."

Yes, it was pretty cool.

Eight or ten years from now, how would Colin react in a similar situation? Would he rally the troops and be respectful and knowledgeable of other religions while being firm about his own beliefs? As a parent, it really made me think. And pray. What an awesome responsibility we have to raise our children in the admonition of the Lord. Colin's faith will be his own, but I have such an awesome responsibility to teach him. I am humbled.

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

Simply Salmon

In the spirit of honoring those hard-working salmon who are swimming up stream night and day to "meet their destiny," I thought I'd pass along a simple and yummy way to enjoy salmon on the barbie!

- Brush both sides of salmon with olive oil and add salt & pepper. Grill 6-7 minutes per side.
- Slice pineapple 1/2 inch thick and toss with olive oil. Grill 2-3 minutes per side.
- Brush salmon and pineapple generously with sweet chili sauce (found in the Asian specialties section of your local market - brand makes no difference, but be sure it is sweet).
- To serve, place pineapple on plate and top with rice (I prefer Trader Joe's Thai style lime pilaf). Place salmon on top and serve with your favorite veggie.

Disappointment

Friends from church had a baby boy this past weekend, and today Colin and I headed over to their house to deliver dinner to them. As we drove over, I explained to Colin that he would get to see both baby and baby's older brother (who is just a yr older than Colin).

We caught them just before they got home, so we left dinner at the door. And Colin WAILED for about 15 minutes the entire way home because he didn't get to see his little friend. He was so disappointed! I had "played up the visit" ("You'll get to see your friend"), and when his friend wasn't home, tears just flooded his sweet blue eyes.

He doesn't have the words yet to say it, but he was so disappointed. His little mind understands so much of what we say, and I know he wanted to just say, "But you promised me, mom!"

Yes, we're going to see our friends tomorrow : )

School Day

Today was a school day for Colin -- and he just loves school...but so does Mommy! We take a pre-toddler/parent class through our local community college at a nearby church, and there are 5 different rooms filled with fun toys, music, sensory activities, and 24 other kid/parent combos to interact with.

Five other families are from the class we took last year, and three other families are from my PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support) group, so it's great to see our friends each week and to meet new ones. We also have 3 fabulous teachers who have been doing this for a combined 60+ years, and they have so much perspective on parenting our little kiddos (with lots of insights and helpful ideas for addressing various parenting challenges.)

Colin's 2 current favorite play stations are the kitchen (though we almost pulled the microwave onto another kiddo today -- oops!) and the bouncy horse. It seems that all the boys gravitate towards the horse.

A busy and fun morning leads to a great nap afternoon. We like Wednesdays!

Victory and "Thee Perfect Dress"

Every Southern Girl knows the thrill and victory of capturing "thee perfect dress." It starts when we're very young, and I just discovered, continues on as we are adults.

Growing up I would search for the perfect "first day of school" dress -- usually on a marathon trip to every store in Amarillo. Sometimes we ended up back at the first store we ever went to (usually), but we searched every store just in case. And sometimes, there was a tie and more than one (two or three) would end up coming home so that I could decide the ultimate victor the night before school.

Then there was the Christmas dress, the Easter dress, and even the dance recital final bow dress (usually the Easter dress, since the 2 fell so close together.) My mother reminds me how in Kindergarten I wanted a dress like Mikael and Jama because their mom's MADE theirs. Mine was "just" store bought!

Around second grade the perfect dress style was to have a layered dress (2 or more pieces), and I recall even having one with a layer that had bells on it. I loved that dress, though I received some teasing from my cousin Jason.

Fast forward to 8th Grade Achievement Night, and this is where the real search for a formal began. I scored a beautiful deep sapphire, full length formal from The Trolley Car Boutique. It had a sequined bodice and a full skirt (which of course required a full petticoat), and it had just one poof sleeve with the other side strapless. I felt like a princess. And that is how you know you have found THEE dress -- you feel like a princess.

Searches for the perfect prom dress in high school resulted in the need my senior year to make the 6 hour trek to Dallas, the shopping mecca of the south. I returned home with the most unique and beautiful flapper girl styled dress that was fully sequined with a colorful paisley design. Who cared if I had no date to the prom -- I had THEE dress, and that was what mattered most.

The quintessential dress hunt occurred back in Amarillo when I was on the hunt for my wedding dress. Every girl dreams of this dress, and I was no different. I was "daring" and found a dress with a floral accent with champagne flowers....It was everything I wanted, so that I could marry the man who was, and is, everything I ever wanted.

I was reminded this weekend, that victory can indeed happen even after our bodies have given birth to a baby, and even after years of marriage. I broke the cardinal rule of dress shopping (I was wearing no makeup, and my hair was just in a top knot.) and I dashed in to Cache to see if they had something special for the upcoming company holiday party. And boy did they! It was a beautiful, black , full length dress, which exuded the elegance of Audrey Hepburn. It fit perfect, and I felt like a princess. And I walked out of the store, with no dress in hand. I found the perfect dress, enjoyed a small moment of victory, and that was enough for me.

The Call

In addition to being the family designated "form filler-outer," (what a title, eh?), I am also the family designated "contacting the customer service rep to fix a billing mistake" person. I "earned" this designation from my years working in banking, which included customer service roles, both in person and by phone. Character building, really character building.

So today I had to place the dreaded, "I'm not paying this $x annual fee" call. Period. The rep told me last year the fee was waived permanently. It's not my fault that their computer system doesn't allow permanent fee removal. So, until I close the account and pay an account closing fee, I will make a ritual call to have the annual fee waived. It's easier to grease the squeeky wheel than to risk losing my business.

So here's the kicker the next time YOU call regarding a crazy fee, etc. Ask them this question: "Is it worth the $x fee to permanently loose my business?" If they say yes, then be prepared to go elsewhere. If they really want your business, you have nothing to loose for asking.

G-R-O-W - They Really Meant It

Having worked in Corporate America over the course of my career, I've seen my fair share of hokey initiatives that were merely just a means to boost ratings for the "Best Company to Work For" Annual Awards.

For three of those years, I worked at a company that had an initiative called "GROW," which stood for Growth and Retention Of Women. Through this initiative, our female partners would host special women's only events, dinners, breakfasts, etc. I even worked with a few of these female partners to do some work for a non-profit organization. So they not only invested their time in female employees, but also in a female youth organization. Pretty cool.

This company has ceased to exist for over 5 years. And still today, I received an evite from 2 of the female partners, asking all of the women from our (former) office to join in a happy hour -- oh, and it's a bi-annual event. Pretty cool.

GROW -- They have no financial incentive or corporate ratings to win from continuing the growth of this group of women. So you know what: They meant it. They really meant it.

Good Luck!

Tomorrow (or for those of you reading on the East Coast that would mean later today) Matt will be speaking at a large national conference. I mentioned this several months ago when his speaker proposal was accepted, and where did the time go?

Well, here's a big GOOD LUCK from those of us back home!

Staged For Living

I am thoroughly enjoying my Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) group this year, as our theme is "Living Fully From the Space You Call Home." Today we had a mother-daughter real estate team, who are also accredited home stagers, come and talk about home staging.

This really is not only something you can do to sell your home -- but also a concept for giving your home a "put-together" feeling that is inviting and welcoming to friends and family. It's about taking a fresh and objective look at what's in each room and deciding what you like, what needs to go, and what needs to be replaced or changed.

And here's a bit of useless trivia that I found none too surprising: The concept of staging actually originated back in 1985 in the very city I live in. An interior designer turned real estate agent was using the concept and was selling her clients homes faster and with a higher price tag. Others who first mocked her concept then took notice, and her website, http://www.stagedhomes.com/, is now the premier site in the industry.

I am excited about using a few of their ideas throughout the coming year to freshen up our home. One idea was to buy pillows that can have interchangable covers to go with the season change -- and this would work great since we have chocolate leather furniture. Another idea is to change out the color of the candles to also go with the season and to coordinate with the pillows and other accessories. The trick is to keep the harder to change items (couch, wall colors) in a neutral palate to accomodate these seasonal changes.

OK, I am sure I am boring those of you that were born with the interior designer's touch, but let me guarantee you that this genetic trait did not get passed through my family, so I found these concepts refreshing. My current big "accent" items are the baby gates; all things for a season!

Cutting (And Pasting) the Red Tape

Every few months, I put off the inevitable and endure the pure torture: I tape together a random assortment of receipts, pharmacy and physician statements, explanation of benefits forms, etc. all in the hopes that the magic genie through our flexible spending plan will refund our own money back to us. It's torture. It's like when I had to fill out a time and expense report when I worked for a now defunct accounting firm after I had a big round of travel...(talk about a mish mash of receipts!)

In these modern days of technology, I at least was able to fill out the request form electronically, but here comes the fun part, which is more like a 4th grade cut and paste project. Armed with my tape dispenser, I carefully tape each receipt to a piece of printer paper, coded with a numeral to match the corresponding entry on the request form.

Every year I question if the tax savings are really worth my time and energy. Doesn't my sanity count for something? I am the designated family form filler-outer, and I just dread this activity intensely! Our last legitimate request for $86 was denied because they wanted more info. So I put my happy bottom back in my car ALONG with my 16 month old, drove over to the doctor's office, AND got a more detailed print out. And now the detail is taped and coded. I hope that was worth the approximately $24 in tax savings. I could have been sleeping, cleaning my kitchen, or even blogging for that matter.

In this world of quick and easy, Uncle Sam wanted us to get our tax savings with some real sweat equity.

Hi Dah!

We have few words, but his latest is too hold the phone and say, "Hi, Daahhh" (for Dad...) Cute!

Swimming upstream

The first time I ever saw salmon swimming upstream I was amazed -- these half alive, somewhat decomposed fish are making a journey to their deaths. It's a journey that is quite remarkable and truly speaks to God's creativity with all of His creatures.

This past weekend we took Colin to the Salmon Hatchery where he could see salmon swimming upstream and then up the fish ladder. Getting up that close to the fish was quite remarkable. You can check out the SalmonCam to check on their progress.