Originally posted 1/26/09 And we're still spoiled...
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I was doing laundry the other night. Alex had an entire drawer full of socks but none of the ones that he REALLY likes so I had promised to do a load of socks so that he'd have some of the right kind for the next morning. (sidebar - God, I'm whipped) So...I only remember this at something like 10 at night so I go through the house collecting all the socks and underwear and white t-shirts I can find and go throw them in the washer. No big thing; the washer takes something like a half hour or so to finish it's cycle and I'll still be up to switch the laundry to the dryer. So, dryer time comes and it's now nearly 11 at night and my washer/dryer is in my uninsulated garage. GADS!! It was cold out there!! And it's not like a typical load of laundry that has pants and shirts wrapping thier arms and legs around each other so that you can grab a handful of whatever and pull out a third of the load all at once. Oh, no, this is mainly socks. You know how it goes...you grab a handful, which really only amounts to about 4 socks if you're lucky, and then while trying to transfer it to the dryer, one will fall out of your little pile and land in the lint and crap that gathers on the floor in front of the machines.
Anyway, I'm standing there in the cold, throwing socks 2 at a time into the dryer and thinking to myself that it's just plain f-ing cold in there and that makes me think of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I know, "Where the hell is she going with this???" is what you're asking. It made me think of one of her books where she was talking about doing wash and Ma has put it out on the line to dry but it's so damn cold outside that the clothes all freeze and they have to bring in the frozen shirts and stuff and dry them by the fire. That sucks. Plus, if you know it's damn cold out, why are you putting the stuff out there on the line in the first place??? Duh? Do they not teach you that in pioneer school?
I digress...so, it gets me thinking about how spoiled we really are. Really, how long have we been living with microwaves? 20 years or so? That's really not that long. Can you imagine NOT having one, though? Answering machine? Cell phone? Email? Cable? VCR? Crap, vcr's are so "old" that they're almost obsolete now and I don't think I got my first one until something like '91! We are spoiled. My kids freak if I don't let them watch tv or play video games for a whole 4 hour stretch. "I'm so bored..." they whine. We're spoiled.
Imagine going on vacation to find that there was no blowdryer in the room, or, even worse, no little shampoos! Gasp!! We're spoiled. Imagine not turning on the computer everyday. Imagine only watching network tv for a whole week. Imagine cartoons only being on until 9 am on weekdays and 11 am on Saturday (don't even get me started on Sunday morning). Imagine having to watch re-runs of Star Trek, Adam 12, Emergency, Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch as your only after school entertainment...EVERYDAY. Imagine making dinner from scratch. Imagine no Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Imagine having the only cool place to shop be The Squire Shop conveniently located in your local Fred Meyer store. Imagine spending your summer picking berries because that was the only job really out there and you didn't think twice about it because everyone did it? We're spoiled.
My garage isn't that cold. I have a dryer. I have the option of turning my thermostat up when I'm cold. I have lots of shoes. I have an automatic drip coffee maker. I have a toaster oven AND a regular oven AND a microwave oven. My car is paid for. I have a car. I don't stand in line to buy bread or produce. I have a great pediatrician. I can choose between at least 5 different stores to do my grocery shopping at and when I get there I'll have at least 5 different kinds of apples to choose from. I don't have to butcher my own meat. The government doesn't tell me what occupation I must have.
I'm spoiled. And so are you.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Deaf, Dumb or Blind
Originally posted 1/13/06
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Am getting over a cold that left with pretty much no voice for close to 4 days. It completely sucked. It prompted discussions with the kids, though, regarding sign language. When our middle boy (Alex) was a baby we taught him sign, not because he had any impairment but based on the belief (and the Berkley study) that babies have the cognitive ability to communicate long before they develop the verbal skills to do so. Well, he took to it quite well and we were "talking" with him regularly by the time he was only a few months old. He was stubborn, though, and refused to speak for real until he was almost 3.
Anyway, I wouldn't say that we were ever fluent in sign but we did OK and I found myself falling back into wanting to use it more while I had no voice. Made me think, though...if you had to be one - deaf, dumb or blind - having had all the abilities before, which would you choose and why?
I think I would choose to lose my hearing. I don't know if I could stand to not see. It would break my heart to not see the faces of my children. Watching their faces when they are learning new things is amazing. I think we communicate a lot more with our faces and bodies than with our voices. Watching deaf people talk to each other is lyrical. It's fluid and mesmerizing to me. More people should learn sign in my opinion.
So, I've got my voice back now, though, and the signing thing has kind of passed at our house. Nothing beats a reminder of what you've got, though.
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Am getting over a cold that left with pretty much no voice for close to 4 days. It completely sucked. It prompted discussions with the kids, though, regarding sign language. When our middle boy (Alex) was a baby we taught him sign, not because he had any impairment but based on the belief (and the Berkley study) that babies have the cognitive ability to communicate long before they develop the verbal skills to do so. Well, he took to it quite well and we were "talking" with him regularly by the time he was only a few months old. He was stubborn, though, and refused to speak for real until he was almost 3.
Anyway, I wouldn't say that we were ever fluent in sign but we did OK and I found myself falling back into wanting to use it more while I had no voice. Made me think, though...if you had to be one - deaf, dumb or blind - having had all the abilities before, which would you choose and why?
I think I would choose to lose my hearing. I don't know if I could stand to not see. It would break my heart to not see the faces of my children. Watching their faces when they are learning new things is amazing. I think we communicate a lot more with our faces and bodies than with our voices. Watching deaf people talk to each other is lyrical. It's fluid and mesmerizing to me. More people should learn sign in my opinion.
So, I've got my voice back now, though, and the signing thing has kind of passed at our house. Nothing beats a reminder of what you've got, though.
Behind Every Good Man...
Originally posted 1/5/06 Ryan is still a child that renders me speechless more than I care to admit.
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Another fascinating glimpse into the mind of a 4 year old at my expense...
Ryan looks at me the other day and asks why I have green eyes (they're actually hazel but I've always wished they were green) and he has blue eyes. I told him that he got his blue eyes from Daddy and that, someday, when he is a grownup and has a wife and they have babies, his children might have blue eyes like him or the color of eyes that his wife has. He looks at my a bit puzzled and says, "What's a wife?" My mind reeled. This was it. This was my opportunity to tell him what to look for. This was my opportunity to begin molding what my daughter-in-law would be like!
I bit my tongue and began with simply, "You know, I'm Daddy's wife and he is my husband because we are married." Once again, the look comes over his face that says, "Oh, you silly, silly woman. How sad that you are so much older than I but know so little." And then it comes. He says to me, enunciating the appropriate parts of the word in an attempt to make me understand the first time, "The word isn't 'wi-fuh', it's 'wi-puh'."
"What? Wipe?" I say, knowing that I've already stepped off into the darkness of wherever this is going.
"Yeah, you know, like a (diaper) wipe but different," he says matter of factly, still giving me that patronizing stare."I see" is all I can muster in response.
So, I'm a wipe. Hmm...don't know how I feel about that but it does make sense; behind every good man is a good wipe.
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Another fascinating glimpse into the mind of a 4 year old at my expense...
Ryan looks at me the other day and asks why I have green eyes (they're actually hazel but I've always wished they were green) and he has blue eyes. I told him that he got his blue eyes from Daddy and that, someday, when he is a grownup and has a wife and they have babies, his children might have blue eyes like him or the color of eyes that his wife has. He looks at my a bit puzzled and says, "What's a wife?" My mind reeled. This was it. This was my opportunity to tell him what to look for. This was my opportunity to begin molding what my daughter-in-law would be like!
I bit my tongue and began with simply, "You know, I'm Daddy's wife and he is my husband because we are married." Once again, the look comes over his face that says, "Oh, you silly, silly woman. How sad that you are so much older than I but know so little." And then it comes. He says to me, enunciating the appropriate parts of the word in an attempt to make me understand the first time, "The word isn't 'wi-fuh', it's 'wi-puh'."
"What? Wipe?" I say, knowing that I've already stepped off into the darkness of wherever this is going.
"Yeah, you know, like a (diaper) wipe but different," he says matter of factly, still giving me that patronizing stare."I see" is all I can muster in response.
So, I'm a wipe. Hmm...don't know how I feel about that but it does make sense; behind every good man is a good wipe.
Buckle Up!
Reposted from MySpace blog...originally dated 1/1/06
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If you have small-ish children, you have probably been at the grocery store and had to listen to the pleadings of such innocents for the chance to get one of the special grocery carts that has a front that looks like a car. While these carts ARE rather cool looking, I have a few misgivings about them.First of all, if you have a family of more than 3 and you plan on buying more than a box of cheap wine, some frozen peas and a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, forget it. You won't be able to fit much more than that. However, if you opt for the larger, more traditional style cart, you still won't be able to get much more because your toddler will be laying in the large part of said vehicle throwing a fit because he/she didn't get the car cart while you have the little passenger area for your groceries.
Then there's the size of the overall piece of machinery. Good God!! If you want to turn one of these babies around in an aisle, forget it. You can't even do a 3-point turn with one of them. Maybe a 5-8 - point turn but I've got a ribbon for anyone that can do a three. Worse yet is when you encounter oncoming traffic in an aisle. Thank goodness there are no side mirrors to deal with is all I have to say about that. Come to think of it, though, they probably wouldn't be a bad idea. You might as well forget about navigating the bakery section in any Safeway, too. You'll have to leave your child out there on the perimeter while you weave your way through the croissants and turnovers on foot.
Third, these things are a pain in my post pregnancy ass to "drive". Personally, I think there should be a manual, written and driving test before anyone should be able to get behind the the handlebar of one of these things. I suggest setting up a small study/testing area near the bakery area. I myself study better when I have a snack so they could make a few extra bucks off me while I'm there. Throw in a coffee bar right there and I may even purposely fail my test a few times just to hang out with the other moms for muffins and lattes in the morning. We could giggle and talk about boys and the clothing we used to be able to wear. Then it's off for practice on a course in the parking lot with those screaming orange traffic cones and obstacles that one must manuever around. You would have an instructor with you, of course, that would have a handlebar of his/her own and would bark instructions at you.
Finally, the main thing to remember about these behemoths is that they are rear-wheel drive rather than all-wheel like we're used to - something no one ever tells you until you crash into an endcap display of the place setting of the week right in front of the store manager (God save you if your little one's hands or arms are outside of the vehicle at the time because you may have to have something amputated). The only problem being is that, when sitting around by themselves with no one in them, you will notice that not all wheels rest solidly on the ground! The center set of wheels are actually lower so that, when you place your darling little Richard Petty in the driver's seat, the REAR wheels come off the ground rendering you and your steering ability completely hopeless. Honestly, I think they do this on purpose and then watch us from their little bubble cams in the ceiling and laugh.
So, there you have it. Probably better off spending money on a babysitter and going to the store alone really. If you do venture into the wide open world of grocery store Nascar, do remember this...if you've done your job right and buckled up your child everytime you get into your real vehicle, you WILL be yelled at by your angel if you dare to take off into the produce section without first letting him/her buckle up. At first I thought that was cute - he wanted to follow the safety rules he had been taught. Then I experienced all of the above and realized the beansprout was probably smarter than I was. "The fruit zone is for loading and unloading only. Please keep all hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times. Should we experience a water landing..."
___________________________________________________
If you have small-ish children, you have probably been at the grocery store and had to listen to the pleadings of such innocents for the chance to get one of the special grocery carts that has a front that looks like a car. While these carts ARE rather cool looking, I have a few misgivings about them.First of all, if you have a family of more than 3 and you plan on buying more than a box of cheap wine, some frozen peas and a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, forget it. You won't be able to fit much more than that. However, if you opt for the larger, more traditional style cart, you still won't be able to get much more because your toddler will be laying in the large part of said vehicle throwing a fit because he/she didn't get the car cart while you have the little passenger area for your groceries.
Then there's the size of the overall piece of machinery. Good God!! If you want to turn one of these babies around in an aisle, forget it. You can't even do a 3-point turn with one of them. Maybe a 5-8 - point turn but I've got a ribbon for anyone that can do a three. Worse yet is when you encounter oncoming traffic in an aisle. Thank goodness there are no side mirrors to deal with is all I have to say about that. Come to think of it, though, they probably wouldn't be a bad idea. You might as well forget about navigating the bakery section in any Safeway, too. You'll have to leave your child out there on the perimeter while you weave your way through the croissants and turnovers on foot.
Third, these things are a pain in my post pregnancy ass to "drive". Personally, I think there should be a manual, written and driving test before anyone should be able to get behind the the handlebar of one of these things. I suggest setting up a small study/testing area near the bakery area. I myself study better when I have a snack so they could make a few extra bucks off me while I'm there. Throw in a coffee bar right there and I may even purposely fail my test a few times just to hang out with the other moms for muffins and lattes in the morning. We could giggle and talk about boys and the clothing we used to be able to wear. Then it's off for practice on a course in the parking lot with those screaming orange traffic cones and obstacles that one must manuever around. You would have an instructor with you, of course, that would have a handlebar of his/her own and would bark instructions at you.
Finally, the main thing to remember about these behemoths is that they are rear-wheel drive rather than all-wheel like we're used to - something no one ever tells you until you crash into an endcap display of the place setting of the week right in front of the store manager (God save you if your little one's hands or arms are outside of the vehicle at the time because you may have to have something amputated). The only problem being is that, when sitting around by themselves with no one in them, you will notice that not all wheels rest solidly on the ground! The center set of wheels are actually lower so that, when you place your darling little Richard Petty in the driver's seat, the REAR wheels come off the ground rendering you and your steering ability completely hopeless. Honestly, I think they do this on purpose and then watch us from their little bubble cams in the ceiling and laugh.
So, there you have it. Probably better off spending money on a babysitter and going to the store alone really. If you do venture into the wide open world of grocery store Nascar, do remember this...if you've done your job right and buckled up your child everytime you get into your real vehicle, you WILL be yelled at by your angel if you dare to take off into the produce section without first letting him/her buckle up. At first I thought that was cute - he wanted to follow the safety rules he had been taught. Then I experienced all of the above and realized the beansprout was probably smarter than I was. "The fruit zone is for loading and unloading only. Please keep all hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times. Should we experience a water landing..."
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