Tuesday, March 29, 2011

One of "those" moms


Greg was recently looking at Nolan's 1st birthday pictures (I guess Mallory's 1st birthday spurred all this sentimentality). He kept on saying,"I remember Nolan being cuter than that." I guess after so much time we've forgotten how he "used" to look...now he's just the most handsome little man ever (very biased). There's a lot of things that we don't remember the same.

One of them is being my ideals on how I was going to be a parent. When I used to go shopping and had not yet had children, I promised myself I would not be one of "those" moms that would let their kid scream through the whole store. I would not let my child throw food at restaurants. I WILL have polite children, and if they do throw a fit I will leave my purchases and automatically leave the store.

I now admit I am one of those moms. Awhile ago my friend, Adriana, was brave enough to eat out with me and the kids. Mallory made this horrible "AAAGGGHHHH" sound the WHOLE time. Nothing worked...food, toys, drink. I swear that people's eyes were burning holes in the back of my head trying to silently tell me,"Please leave!"

I guess it's even a little worse that we live in a college town where girls give you a horrific look and you know what they are thinking,"I will NOT do that when I have kids." When I see this in their eyes, I give them the "oh yes you will" look.

I also thought it would be easier to go about town with two kids. I always thought I would take long walks with the kids, be able to get them from place to place with ease. Not so much. Some times I would rather stay in my house all day to skip the mess of putting the kids in the car and taking them out. When it's a beautiful day outside, I feel obligated to venture outside. But when it's overcast it's my ticket to be sloth-like and not have to dress the kids in cute clothes or have to put them in carseats and drive them around town for errands.

I think all of this means that I need to be more flexible. No more pre-determined ideals of how kids should behave/look/speak. In my dad's infamous words, "It is what it is".....haha I never thought I would use that line, drove me mad when my dad would say it. :)



Picture of Nolan and Mallory playing in the laundry basket...and piles of laundry in the background.


Friday, March 25, 2011

Sentimental Ailment

Greg and I have spent the last few weeks going through things getting ready for a garage sale. I have made piles in Mallory's room, our storage closet and the garage. It is now time to actually sell it.

But the hard thing is I find myself weirdly attached to a lot of these things. I keep on looking at the infant clothes that Nolan and Mallory can no longer fit and remember exactly who gave them to us and where they wore it. I want to keep the cute clothes, but there is no way Nolan will fit a "Newborn" onesie again (it would be sort of funny if he tried). I look at the toys that we have had handed down to us or have given to Nolan a few holidays ago. They look so sad in the pile by the door. They are saying,"Please don't sell me!"

We haven't told Nolan that these things will no longer be in the house. I think he might be upset. He has already gotten attached to a police car that my sister, Jenn, gave me to sell. Every time he discovers a toy again, it's brand new! He plays with it for a good 30 minutes, and sadly it is forgotten again or put aside to make room for his train playing.

I'm even having a hard time letting go of the silliest little things. For example, a monkey that is supposed to hold a votive candle. It has been with me for almost 10 years and has NEVER held a votive candle. It has gone through 4 moves throughout college and married life and has never been displayed. Yet, I feel guilty getting rid of it, because Carrie got it for me and I think it's cute (even though I've never used it). It is now time to part with it, sadly, which hopefully someone else will purchase and love it.

Greg has been great at these tasks. In theory, I am supposed to be the one to clean up and get rid of things. But because of my "sentimental ailment" Greg has stepped up and wants to get rid of everything. This attitude might be in part because all the things that I have accepted from people have been happily been put in the garage for "later use". Greg didn't like this, because as of a week ago he no longer could even walk in the garage with so much clutter.

Oops...we have now turned in to our hoarding friends down the street. Hopefully, our purge of "stuff" will help us. There is only a finite amount of space in our house (I wish we had INFINITE) and so stuff must go. Kids take up a lot of space too, but I am very attached to Mallory and Nolan..haha. "Big Attic" now goes on my wishlist of things for a new house. No, we are not moving, but we can always fantasize of the perfect house.

I think the best thing about the garage sale tomorrow is that if these items don't sell, they will be donated to Twin City Missions. Atleast I know they will go SOMEWHERE instead of a landfill.

Sidenote: I always feel guilty throwing away things knowing they will go in a landfill. Putting trash in to the earth makes me a little depressed (hippy-ish, I know) but I have not thought of a better solution.

Back to garage sale....so if you are bored tomorrow, come and visit me and my things (and the kids too). We are combining with a few other families, so it should be some good stuff.

Goodbye to my beautiful things, I will miss you and have enjoyed the memories you have helped me create. I am not replacing you, just moving on to an emptier, happier house.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Spring is in the Air

After waiting patiently for winter to pass, spring has officially arrived as of March 20th.

I crave for Spring to come. I am not a Winter person, unless I am inside by a fire and hot cocoa in my hand. The whole "brown" look of everything puts me in the duldrums, and I always look forward to green coming back in the scenery. Winter always keeps me indoors, but Spring opens the door to activities outside. Walks, playground, kite flying have all been checked off the to-do list already.

I don't know what it is about Spring, but it always makes me motivated to do things. I have been motivated to clean out the house of things not being used...I guess that's why they call it "Spring Cleaning".

We have also been twiddling our thumbs waiting for warmer weather to plant our veggies. Now, they are completely done. We did tomatoes, squash, basil, and various peppers. Greg came home raving about a pesto, basil and tomato pizza. I was happy to inform Greg that we had all those ingredients in the backyard...in about a few months.

The great weather also seems to put love in the air. Instead of being bundled up with gloves and scarves, we can now take walks and hold hands. Of course, I'm usually holding hands with Nolan because he likes to wander, but atleast it's with a boy that I love. Don't Spring Flings happen right about now? Not that I am in that department anymore, but it's nice to see new couples at the park or church walking around enjoying each other.

I think the only bad thing about Spring means that the next season to come is Summer. No longer will we have cool mornings and windy afternoons in a few months, but we will start having heat waves and the scorching sun to deal with. I guess I should spend the next few months enjoying everything that Spring has to offer, instead of dreading the Texas Summer that is soon to come.

For right now I will water my grass as much as I want, as long as I want, because there are no water shortages yet...I will enjoy every bluebonnet on the side of the road and even take pictures in them (yes, they will be cheesy and involve Mallory and Nolan)...I will take long walks in the evening with my family without getting overheated and smelly...I will watch all the plants bloom those fantastic colors and not worry that these same plants will probably be brown by the end of Summer.

So, go ahead and eat some delicious Easter candy (I'll be eating my fair share of Robin's Eggs), and take a walk in the pretty weather, because Spring only comes once a year :)

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Lions, Tigers and Bears...oh my!

The family and I ventured to Houston today as our last Spring Break outing. We had already gone to the Waco Zoo and the Blue Bell Factory earlier in the week with success, so we were crossing our fingers for 3 out of 3 great outings with the kids.

We got to the zoo right at 9 am and met our friends there. They nicely camped out in the spot next to them and saved it for us. The weather was perfect, we got in free due to our nice friends again and the animals were out and about. Even though it was pretty crowded, all the people were nice and one guy even gave Greg a quarter back that he had dropped ( I would have kept it). I'm guessing because of the beautiful weather, all the animals were roaming and got some great pictures.

After the zoo we picniced at Hermann Park and even went kite flying afterward. We were SO close to having the perfect day. Then, the "perfect" bubble got popped and things went downhill.

When we were flying kites Nolan ran up to me and said he had to go potty. We powerwalked to the bathrooms, got half-way there and he said he had to be carried (guessing that all extra energy was goinng to holding it). We got into the stall and he began peeing on himself, wetting his clothes and making a pretty puddle on the floor. This was not a big deal...if anyone knows small kids, accidents happen. We get back to the car, get Nolan cleaned up and try to leave.

I've never seen a more crowded parking lot. All the parking lanes are two-way. While walking back to the cars (our friends and us) a guy asks if we are in that lane. We say yes and he follows us slowly as we drag along 2 3-year olds and 2 1-year olds. He is very patient waiting for us and the person behind him pulls around him, cuts him off and asks us if we are leaving. Yes....but that's how lines work...you wait your turn. She backs off a little bit and parks beside the guy waiting patiently, blocking the other lane. Other cars come down the two-way parking lane and see they are blocked, notice that this woman must be crazy and they back up slowly out of the parking lane.

After finally leaving the parking lot, we stop 3 times even before we leave Houston for Nolan to use the restroom. I've never seen some one use the restroom that much. Since we didn't have extra pants (only swimtrunks) he was carried around in his Toy Story underwear (he couldn't wear shoes because he peed on them...eewww). I think we scared a few families by just pulling in to Frazier's pottery on Hwy 6 and letting Nolan just pee on the tire. We don't know what else to do when he's screaming,"I gotta go!!" and there is no gas station in sight.

Finally, Nolan falls asleep about 30 minutes from home. Yay! But then, Mallory cries the rest of the way. She had a good reason because the sun was in her face the WHOLE way home from Houston.

We were 90% there on having the perfect day trip. SO CLOSE! It's like dropping the baton in the last few yards of a relay race. You could probably see the look on my face saying, "NNNOOO!"

But to look at this from a positive view point, 90% is still an A and thank God we didn't have an "F" kind of day. I always remind myself,"It could have been worse" and it definitely could have. The kids were champs 5 out of the 6 hours of being away from home and I will call that a good day!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Tis the Season to be Green

"Obsessively Green" would have been a good theme name for Mallory's birthday party. Since Mallory was born on St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) I decided in my mind a long time ago that her whole party should revolve around the color green. Once this snowball started rolling it went a little out of control. Not only did we have green cupcakes, cake and cookie; but all the food was green or had some green in it. For example, green veggie chips, vegetable tray with only green veggies, chicken salad with cut-up green grapes and celery, green M&M's...I think that's it.

I wish the madness would have stopped there, but it didn't. I could picture Mallory in a cute green dress for her party, but had none. I asked Greg's mom to make a "green themed" dressed and she nicely obliged. All of the grandparents wore green clothing, Greg and Nolan wore green, but I bypassed the green thinking it might be too much.

The morning of her party I thought there needed to be some party balloons, but had not gotten any yet. A mad dash to HEB before the party began. I picked out two mylar balloons and asked for a few other solid colors. Before I knew it, the woman was filling up yellow and pink! NO! It wasn't green, I was a second away from making her do it all again. Then, I caught myself thinking that maybe some sort of color other than green might be a good thing. I rushed home, the party commenced, and every one (I hope) liked all the green-ness of the day.
Here are some pictures of the big day:


3-leaf clover cookies with a green icing...they were pretty yummy, but fixed over 70. Sadly, 70 were not eaten and these cookies' fate will probably see the bottom of a trash can.














Birthday banner made out of 3-leaf clovers printed from the internet. I colored each clover a different shade of green...still hanging up, too lazy to take it down.


3-leaf clover cake made with cream cheese icing, yum! We ate mint-chocolate chip ice cream with it. And yes...I picked the ice cream because it was green.


Mallory's "1" cupcake :)

Mallory in her pretty green-themed dress eating her cupcake. Surprisingly, she was very dainty about it.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Web of Lies

Greg and I try to be truthful with Nolan.

When Nolan asked where all the small fishies were in the fishtank, I told the truth and said that the bigger fish, Oscar, ate them all and they are now dead. He was shocked for a second, but quickly got over it, and now even looks forward to getting more fish that Oscar can eat.

But now Greg and I (especiallly me) have started lying and I even got called out on it yesterday.

Probably about a week ago, Greg started buying kites and flying them in the street. Two kids down the street rode their bikes constantly down the street to "watch" Greg fly kites. They finally stopped and asked a lot of questions. Their final question was,"Can we borrow a kite?" Greg said no. They didn't understand because in their words,"you only have 4 people in your family and you have 5 kites." Greg still held firm and said no. While Greg was wrapping things up he hears the little girl say,"Wow, that's a really nice kite, I wish I had a kite like that." Hmmm...I wonder if that works on her parents, I should try it sometime.

A few days ago we were yet again outside the house flying kites. The kids rolled up and asked to fly one. Greg told them that all of the extra kites were in my car (which they were, because we had gone to the park earlier). A little while later when we were eating dinner, we see little eyes peering through our front door. Greg opens the door and the kids are there asking to borrow a kite. He finally agrees and then after they thoroughly tangle it after 5 minutes of playing with it, they put it back and run home....hhmmmm...

Yesterday, while I was outside painting crown molding (trying a little re-modeling) the kids come yet again. They ask for a kite and I tell them Greg has them. They called me out-"But your husband said they were in your car yesterday." Then, I swear, they start peeking in my car, and yes, there were kites in my car. But the REALLY expensive ones that we don't want to get tangled. I convince them that Greg is carrying all the kites (5-7 of them) on his motorcycle. They then inform me that they are getting their own kites from Sam's for $50. "That is one expensive kite" I say.

I guess the moral of the story is that we shouldn't lie, but since we didn't let them play with the kites but a few times, they are now getting one of their own.

I can just imagine the mom inside saying,"Go down the street and ask those people to borrow a kite, they'll let you." Guess again, Greg and I are hardcore about our kites. I will try harder next time to not lie to them, but kids are SO persistent it wears me out.

I'm sort of glad it's rainy outside and will have to skip kite flying today. :)

Friday, March 11, 2011

World's Best Splashers

Yet again, I am sitting here reminiscing as Mallory's first birthday approaches. I started thinking of the things that will never be the same in our house because of the kids:
  • I will forever have car seat indentions in the backseat. I lifted Nolan's car seat out the other day to clean under it, and there was a perfect impression of what the bottom of what his car seat looks like in the cushion. I hope someone makes a powerful enough vacuum to fluff it back up.
  • Peanut butter and jelly are permanent fixtures in our pantry. I do like pb & j, but Nolan could it eat for lunch and dinner and it never get old for him.
  • I now smell like baby. I adore the smell of baby, who doesn't? After Johnson & Johnson Baby Lotion entered this house it not only went on the kids, it went on me as well.
  • Call me "Tongue Scratcher". It started when the it got warm outside and the shedding of the dog's hair was everywhere. Nolan came up to me with mouth wide open, tongue out as far as it would go and saying,"eh, eh!" This is my cue to look around and dig out a dog hair that haphazardly got in to Nolan's mouth. I have become somewhat of a pro at this.
  • Child safe locks are not really "child safe". We were the dutiful parents that put locks on all the cabinets to keep things in and keep kids out. Maybe our kids have super-human strength, but Nolan was able to rip them off and break them. We are down to one child-safe lock while Mallory thinks that it is her purpose in life to keep all cabinet doors open all the time.
  • Our furniture will never have that "new" look anymore. They are now worn-in and always have some kind of stain on them. If you know me, I am perpetually looking for the best sofa that will never look worn-in. 3 sofas down, and I have not found one yet to fit the bill.
  • Our bathroom should have one of those "CAUTION:WET" signs in it all the time. We are the parents of the World's Best Splashers.
  • It doesn't matter how much sleep I get, it is never enough. I never thought parenting would be so absolutely physically and mentally exhausting.
  • I now get to park in the "Shoppers with Children" spot at HEB, and get to sneak gummy bears for the kids. Love it!

All of these made me laugh. By no means do I look at these and feel sad about the daily grind of everything. I love that my car seats will never move because they are so well-formed to the cushions. I adore pb&j for its simplicity. It makes me feel needed when Nolan comes to me with mouth wide open. Being tired all the time gives you the perfect opportunity to snuggle with your little one, pop in a movie and take a nap. All these things add up to one happy me.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Kite Crasher


Greg's new obsession: kite flying

By no means are we ready to dip our string in bits of glass, have kite fights in the air, and have Nolan run down the broken kite, like in "The Kite Runner" but we are having fun practicing:)

A few days ago Spring made its presence in Bryan by the Sun shining, and the wind blowing. The kite buying began by going to quite a few stores looking for them. We finally found some at the 99 cent store for 99 cents! Nolan was excited about the idea of having kites flying in the air, but I think Greg was even more excited. We all went outside and they both had a ball trying to get the things in the air. Nolan's kite was a Buzz Lightyear and he was impressed that he was actually flying! Greg is a pro at this whole kite flying business. His kite is 20 feet in the air, looking all pretty and professional. Alas, I am horrible at this.

Greg thinks it is very un-American of me to have not grown up flying kites, but that was not a hobby my family did. We also did not go camping and I refuse to eat apple pie. I know...just deport me for the whole apple pie thing, but I can't even stand to look at it. I DO like baseball and BBQ, so hopefully that makes up for my lack of patriotism in other areas.

Back to kite flying...

Greg came home today with a brand-new, fancy dragon kite. He assigned me the job of practicing for our kite-flying adventure later. I couldn't get the kite 4 feet off the ground. It hovered sadly above the road and refused to go any higher. Greg saw how pitiful this was and I was re-assigned to de-tangle the kites from yesterday. While he was flying the dragon kite, he became quite popular with the kids down the street. They parked their bikes by our house and watched Greg do his mastery.

While Greg finished up his fun, I came inside to feed Mallory. He came in later to tell me that the kids wanted the kites. They didn't understand why we needed 5 kites and there were only 4 people in our family, one of them being a baby. "Wow, that kite looks really nice, I wish I had a kite to fly like that." These words from the small girl down the street did not sway Greg. We might have to start locking them up in the garage for fear of small children sneaking by our house to "borrow" kites. I wish I could have been outside for that little scenario, but hearing it first-hand from Greg was still pretty funny.

So, yes, I am a little ashamed that I can't do this simple thing that even Nolan can do, but practice makes perfect (or hopefully a little bit better). Our mission this afternoon is to go to a large field where cars and trees will not get in my way and we can all practice. I am determined to have my kite super high in the air and for Nolan and Greg to be impressed. Cross your fingers for me!

PS. Thank you Spring for all the windy days, keep them coming!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

My teacher, Ms. Mallory

For the past year I've had the privilege to watch Mallory grow and learn. Since it is coming close to her first birthday, I'd like to reflect on the things that I've learned from her:

1. ALL milestones are big in mom and dad's eyes, so why set the bar too high, too fast?

2. Any food on the floor is fair game.

3. Any food on the floor is better than food from the pantry or fridge (including dog food)

4. If I cry long enough and hard enough, someone will come and hold me.

5. If I'm with dad, and I make any kind of unhappy sound, I will get anything my heart desires (Greg gave Mallory her first chocolate milk because she was sad)

6. Spoons are overrated, fingers in my babyfood work just fine.

7. If I crawl close enough and get in someone's face, they will give me a bite of what they are having...I took this tip from Mallory and tried it on Greg. I got really close and kept on looking down at his delicious sandwich. He eventually gave me a bite and a very "you are weird" look, but it worked!

8. Grooming (baths, hairbrushing, toothbrushing, dressing) done by others is so much easier than doing it yourself.

9. You are always better in your mother's arms after falling down.

10. If I scream in the presence of Nolan, mom will make Nolan give me one of his toys...sneaky sneaky

11. Mirrors are great because everytime I look in one, there is always that crazy baby looking back at me making funny faces.

You might be thinking that it's a little pathetic that I'm learning things from a less-than one year old, but some of these reminded me that they are still true to this day. Can't wait to see what I learn from her in year 2.
Have you learned anything from your kids? Please share!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Generation "NOW"

I feel as though the demand for things immediately has lately become a necessity for people. If we send out emails/texts, we want a response back pretty quickly. If we are at red lights, we wish they would turn green faster.

I find myself doing this all the time. Even though we have very fast internet (10mbps), I am still shaking my head screaming at the screen, "Go faster!". It was only a few years ago where the only way to connect to the internet was dial-up. I remember clicking on my Internet Explorer icon and then leaving the room for 20 minutes, coming back and it still not being connected. So, why am I complaining now of a 10 second delay?? All of this technology has made me impatient.

One of my hinderances is texting. They always tell you that texting and driving is dangerous, that you should just wait until you are out of the car. The other day while driving in my neighborhood, I saw a young person texting while bicycling...geez, sounds a bit reckless. The next day I saw a skateboarder texting! Does this sound crazy to you too? I feel I've become an old person that sits on my front porch with my dentures in a glass beside me while waving my cane and screaming, "crazy youth!"

So, as impatient as I am, I think kids 10 years younger are worse off. They all seem to be typing on phones faster than I can ever imagine. Some of their relationships are totally based on texts, no talking required (heaven forbid we talk to someone face to face). Rumors are no longer spread from mouth to mouth over the week, but by a mass text message in a few seconds. No wonder school is getting harder for these kids.

We have grown used to phones so much that they are always with us: on our hip, in a purse, or even sitting on table right beside us. Have you ever walked in to a restaurant and seen tables of people all on their cell phones, not even communicating to one another? Sort of makes me sad. Yes, I admit Greg and I do this sometime. It is pretty fun to play Angry Birds or Solitaire, especially when you can entertain little 3 year olds (who shall not be named) to behave at restaurants. We do try to not make it a habit though. Everytime one of our phone chimes we both look up wondering if the text/email/phone call requires immediate attention. It usually doesn't, but I'm one of those people that feels special when I get a random "hi" text from someone. I feel as though with so much typing and not enough talking, we are missing out on a key element of human speech. It's nice to see smiles instead of exclamation points, or real laughter instead of "lol's".

To wrap this up, this thinking has spurred me to put the phone down, and go outside and play for a bit. To talk to my husband face to face. To not have that urge to respond to emails within 3 seconds of receiving them. To leave my phone in the other room and not have the instinct to have it by my side all the time. To stop and smell the roses, because everything really is beautiful once you stop and slow down to look around.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Eat to Live


The motto is "Eat to live, not live to eat". My thoughts are if you're going to eat to live, why not it be delicious food?

Here are some food inventions that rock my world:
Ice Cream: Whoever thought to milk a cow, add sugar and freeze the cream was just genius. I love you Blue Bell! (If anyone would like to leave a 1/2 gallon of Mint Chocolate Chip on my doorstep, I would not protest.)

Sun Chips: They are all wavy and delicious. I guess I like these so much because they were the "expensive" chips that my mom would never buy, and it was fun when she brought them home occasionally.
Greg's Chicken Parmesan: If you've never had Greg's chicken parmesan, you have missed out. He made it for one of my bible studies and I almost took the credit for how good it was, but finally admitted that I had no hand in this dish.

Fried Pickles: Pickles alone are tart and make your mouth pucker, but when they are fried, they are delectable (especially from Wings N More)

Fruit Salad: I love that all of my favorite fruits end up in the same bowl in bite size pieces. For a little more fun you could throw in some mini-marshmallows

Popcorn: It is made for a good movie. I've always had this picture of corn actually popping on the cob. How else would they have figured out this great food invention?

Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips: They are good by themselves, and they make every dessert a little bit better. If there were no chocolate chips there would be no chocolate chip cookies and that would be a travesty.
**Writer's Note: Just to clarify, I do like these foods, but I do not eat all these foods everyday. That might be a little unhealthy :)

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Thunderous Threes


I like to compare Nolan's meltdowns to a good thunderstorm: They happen usually out of nowhere, are caused by simple changes, they come on strong, are very loud, tears are involved and they end quickly.


We had one of these meltdowns today (hence the blogpost). I went to pick up Greg for a quick lunch and we went to McDonalds. They have those Hot Wheels that come in the Happy Meals. As soon as Nolan saw them he had his heart set on a red car. His dreams were sadly not fulfilled, he received a gray car. The whole meal progressed with him begging for a red car and not eating a piece of his food. Taking advice from the parent books, I gave him two options....keep the red car or NOTHING. He chose nothing. I agreed and told him it needed to go in the trash. Nolan himself walked over to the trash can and dumped his gray car in the pail. What? I really didn't think he would do it. I know it was only a McDonald's toy, but it was still useable.


The problem with this situation was that when Nolan threw the gray car away, he thought he would then receive the red car. I popped that bubble pretty fast. We got in to the car and the tears started. He begged for me to go back and dig in the trash for his gray car. I told him calmly no, he was being selfish and now he gets nothing. Then, Greg reminded him of the infamous scene in Toy Story 3, where the toys go in the fire, remember that scene? That part of the movie even made me cry and has continuously made me feel guilty for any toy that might end up in the trash.


Now, the tears are fullblown with Nolan now thinking that not only will his car be going to the dump, it will then be thrown into a huge infernio to be melted to nothing. I quickly dropped Greg off, and the tears and begging continued all the way home (a 20 minute drive). By now I'm feeling a little guilty, but have to stand my ground. This is one of those "important parenting moments" that I cannot fail at. I keep on repeating myself that he chose to throw his toy away and I will not go get it or buy him a new one.


Nolan finally calmed down (thank goodness). I don't know if it has actually sunk in, but I'm feeling that a nap is in order and naps fix all problems, don't they?


I never thought that standing my ground against a little person one-eighth of my age, only 3 feet tall and 40 pounds would be so hard. I guess that's what parenting is all about. If you are doing it right, it should be hard. Kids have borders for a reason, it's just so hard when they cross those boundaries and it is necessary to deport them back in to "NolanLand" where all little boys follow directions from mom or dad.


Four is easier, right?

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

I Heart Modern Conveniences

Hello friends, it has been a few days but I was waiting for something in life to inspire me to rant and rave about.

While driving through Downtown Bryan I saw this really old house and the family's laundry was all out on a clothes line to dry. What? No dryer? As much as I hate laundry (as mentioned multiple times before) I LOVE the smell of clean clothes. There's no greater feeling than getting a just-washed towel out of the dryer and it feeling all soft and fluffy and smelling wonderful (usually flower scented dryer sheets). Whenever a piece of clothing tells me to lay it flat, I always try that method first. It takes forever to dry, and then has that rough feel and just doesn't smell right to me. I am that person who throws everything in the laundry to make it feel nice. Eventhough a label might tell me to "lay flat" or "dry clean only" I usually throw it in. The result is lumpy comforters and shrunken clothes, but atleast they smell good!

What about all the other things we take for granted every day? There are some things that have just popped up over the past few years that make my life easier. For example, my debit card. No more writing checks for 10 minutes. I also appreciate the "pay at the pump". I probably would forgo gas if I had to get both kids out of the car to go and prepay, but now I just swipe my debit card while the kids sit happily in the backseat.

Greg just got a fun gadget that makes my life easier. It's one of those choppers where you put onions/garlic/etc. into that little machine, you slam down on the handle and it starts chopping. Very easy, no clean up and NO MORE TEARS!

Then, what about all the things that make my life easier that weren't around many years ago. No toothbrush? Go use a twig. No toilet paper? There's a nice pile of leaves out there. No ice? Guess you just have to drink just plain tea (iced tea being a luxury to me). All these things I use daily and could not imagine my life with out them.

I was then trying to think of the biggest convenience that I use daily, makes my life easier, and would go crazy without. The answer is....the remote control :) We lost our remote for a while and it annoyed me by the minute that I couldn't change the channel freely without getting up. I probably use the remote more than the regular person, because I am a compulsive flipper. I hate commercials and it seems that 15 channels in a row will have commercials...flip...to the next channel. I do like the TV, and the remote gives you the freedom to sit more than 5 inches away from the television. Have you ever seen those old pictures where the kids are sitting so close to the television set it seems their noses could practically touch? It's because they had no remote! (this is a theory, not based in truth) They sat so close so they could change the channel easier, which is probaby exactly the same thing I would do if we weren't bestowed the great technology of the remote control.

The only benefit that I could come up with for a "no-remote control household" is you would likely be 10 pounds thinner just walking back and forth to your TV. Sounds like the next fad diet: "Just throw away your remote control and lose 10 pounds!"

The more I look around me, the more I see all the objects that are made to make things easier for me. I just can't imagine myself taking the laundry down to the river and scrubbing my clothes out on a rock with a bar of soap, then coming home and hanging it to dry. All I have to say is, "Thank you Whirlpool, I love you."