okay, this is odd...

so all my life I have professed a HATRED of nuts...almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, eww! I get mad (not really) when people call peanuts "nuts" because, well, they AREN'T. They are legumes. So I can like them.

BUT. Recently, a friend of Kaia's gave her some hazelnuts (also called filberts). She asked me to buy some to put in her lunches, so, gagging, I did. She ate them all, we bought more. Repeat. Twice.

Then, tonight, she gave me a small handful....so sweetly did she hand them to me, with love, that I felt it would be mean to decline...so I held my breath and tossed them in my mouth, trying to chew quickly.

AND. I LOVE THEM!!! my god, hazelnuts, where have you been all my life?!! you tasty, scrumptious little things!!!

I have had way too many since that small handful. and I am certain I will need to buy more soon. Like tomorrow.

and how awesome is it that they are so good AND good for me too?!

very. that's how awesome. very very VERY.

check it out...

My mother makes healing stone neckalaces, and she FINALLY (love ya mom!) made one for me! Here you see my two favorite colors at the moment which also happen to be stones with the right energy as well--I asked for a necklace that promoted health and energy. My mom puts the little heart stones on all the necklaces she makes as well, as her "signature". I don't usually put purple and orange together, though I like them best, but I think it works well here, and I LOVE my necklace!

update on valentine project!

This is for the mom who commented below, asking if I had gotten any ideas for homemade valentines yet--

I am taking my friend Tania's idea- she sent me an email instead of commenting on here.

My aunt brought over a bunch of scrapbook style paper for us to choose from and we are making bookmarks for the kids in her class. I will be posting pictures when we are done, but we are doing something pretty basic. There will be three hearts in a row, with the middle one the biggest. The middle one will say "Happy Valentine's Day". Then in the top and bottom hearts will be two more hearts, the top one will say "To: Various Child" the bottom one will say "From Kaia". Then we'll string a ribbon through the top and tie a knot!

I'm having Kaia do most of the work, though it's hard for me not to try to do it myself so that it's "neater". She is very proud of her crookedly cut out hearts, as she should be, and is really looking forward to handing them out. She is also doing all the writing. I am tracing the hearts for her to cut, cutting out the base of the bookmark, and tying on the ribbon. She is cutting, writing, and gluing. Like I said, I'll post pictures of the final product!

Thank you Aunt Carol, for the beautiful paper, and Tania, for the wonderful idea!
(and hey, Anonymous Waldorf Mom who wrote- let me know what you decided to do!)

Staying Home Today

Kaia is home sick today. She came into the bed last night with a tummy ache, and couldn't fall back asleep because of it. It's so hard to tell with her when she's actually feeling sick and when she just wants to get out of something. Since there's nothing to get out of, she likes school, and the stomach ache woke her up, I am assuming it's real. She is in my bed eating toast now, with Ben laying next to her keeping her company. He's always cheerful in the morning, and doesn't need to be carried around constantly.

Ben and I had a moms' group play date this morning at Barnes and Noble, with free coffee! That is disappointing to miss, but I am hopeful that maybe she will nap later, possibly at the same time Ben does, and that means I can too! This is a very small hope, but there none the less. She doesn't remember yet that today is library day, which she will be missing. I am hoping that will keep any ideas of claiming to be sick to miss school other times at bay.

she is calling, must go!

I highly recommend....

Watch the movie Stardust! I'd put that as a hyperlink, but I'm feeling lazy at the moment. However, the movie is AWESOME. humor, magic, love, pirates, ghosts, stars, captive princesses (well, one), witches, princes, and one boy who works in a shop (but he's not a shop boy!)

My two favorite characters are Captain Shakespeare (a sky pirate played by Robert De Niro) and Billy the goat/pseudo-innkeeper. I also like the bevy of ghost-princes. After he grows up a bit, Tristan is pretty cool. There aren't any characters that I don't like (unless they are supposed to be unlike-able, of course!)

A Loose Translation (or, A Monologue)

The Scene: A Living Room


The Characters:
The Narrator: A Baby
The Large Warm Thing With The Milk Thing: His Mother
The Small Loud Thing: His Big Sister
The Milk Thing: A Boob

Curtain Rises, The Narrator Begins.

Oh, Hello, Large Warm Thing With The Milk Thing! I wish to be picked up! PICKED UP I SAY!! BECAUSE I AM TIRED. TIRED!!!! BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER HOW TO SLEEP. Oh, thank you...this is nice....yes, being carried around is nice....

BUT I'M STILL TIRED!! NO!!! NOO!!! NOT HUNGRY! TIRED!!!!!!!!!! HOW DO I SLEEP??? HOW??

Oh...Hello, Small Loud Thing...I like you! I like....BUT NOT RIGHT NOW!! RIGHT NOW I WANT TO SLEEP!! BUT I CAN'T! I FORGOT HOW!!! Hey, a milk thing....yum....mmmm...NO!!! well, maybe.....

NO!!!!!! NOOOOO!!!! NOT HUNGRY! WHY ARE YOU SITTING DOWN, LARGE WARM THING WITH THE MILK THING?!? I DON'T WANT TO SIT, I WANT TO
SLeep...hmmm....you ARE warm...this is nice....I....think...I am ....sleepy....SLEEPY I SAID!! I SAID I AM SLEEPY!!!

WHY HAVE YOU DONE NOTHING ?!! oh....Walking around is good...hey!
It's the Small Loud Thing again! Hi, Small Loud Thing! Hi! Hey...do you by any chance know how I go to sleep? HEY!! HEY I'M TALKING TO YOU!! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?!

NO!! COMING BACK WILL NOT HELP! IT'S TOO LATE! ........ Where was I? Oh, well, I think I'll just close my eyes and take a small na....

AAUUGH!! SINKING INTO BLACKNESS! AND WHY ARE WE SITTING DOWN?!!?

Oh, HelLO Milk Thing, yes I do believe I WILL have a small snack...

WAIT!! I am TIRED!!! TIRED TIRED TIRED!!!!!

mmm...milk......milk....mmmm...oh..right...I've just remembered how to fall as-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

In Which I Show A More Pathetic Side

On the sign up sheet table today was the festival/celebration list for Kaia's school. I idly glanced over it and saw this:

Valentine's Day- Please bring homemade valentines for everyone in the class. Give yourself two weeks to prepare.

ummm..... Hmm. I think (I am assuming they will give us a list soon?!) there are about 12 kids in her class. Which is better than my first thought, remembering that in her last class there were 25. So...12 homemade valentines. I can do that, I know I can. (well, Kaia and I can. Mostly Kaia, if I can keep my hands off) But does anyone have any cool ideas for us? For an All Natural, All The Time sort of valentine? (and how wrong is it that I did an Elmo reference that probably only Kathy will get for a subject in a school that promotes no TV watching? and, Kathy, you do get it right?! I'm not being too obscure?!) ANYWAY. Any ideas? I KNOW I shouldn't be worrying about what the other parents will think, but this is our first project that will be taken to school, and then home to each of the kids' houses...and I have NO IDEA what they expect from it. NO IDEA what the other kids' valentines will look like. So what I want is a valentine that I will be proud of, but doesn't scream "look how all natural and all Waldorf we can be!" cause I don't WANT to buy into the whole competitive bit...

SO. In short (HA!) I want an idea for valentines that would be something I would do normally (on a more creative day), that shows our own personalities (yet I'm asking YOU for suggestions, yes I am pathetic), that doesn't look too overly thought out or trying to hard to impress and that's CHEAP TO DO.

so, yeah. feel free to laugh at me, but then give me something, ok?

In Which I Use WAY Too Many Capitol Letters...But Don't Care.

This afternoon was the third week we've done Wednesday Library Day, and the second week we've done Story Time at the Library (the first week we were opening our accounts at that time). And I have to say....

The library ROCKS. I had forgotten how fun it is to bring home a bunch of books FOR FREE. My Acquiring Nature likes to BUY books so I will then HAVE THEM FOREVER should I LOVE THEM. However, I tend to forget how few of the books I buy do I actually LOVE. This way I can read whatever I want guilt free!

And Story Time! Kaia is the oldest kid there, but that doesn't bother her. The Person In Charge is just that...and she has no problem telling the misbehaving kids that they Better BEHAVE or ELSE. But she is also a great Reader To Children, and does an excellent job of mixing books and songs so Kaia, as well as most of the other kids, doesn't lose interest. At the end Kaia picks a book from the pile the Story Teller has that are related to the day's subject - today it was laughing- then we head to the Children's Biography section where Kaia picks out a few more books about Real People. This is her choice, not mine....I don't usually like non-fiction, but Kaia loves biographies! Today she picked out ANOTHER one about Helen Keller, one about Dakota Fanning, and one about a deep sea ocean explorer.

Then we head to the Adult Fiction section and I browse the books that are at eye level, since I am carrying Ben in the front carrier. I pick out 3-4, and we head to the checkout, where Kaia gleefully runs the show, expertly scanning the books and putting them in our bag.

I am so glad I started doing this....it's fun for all of us. Even Ben seems to like Story Time - he will actually let me SIT while we listen!

Ben Laughing!

Mike told me the other day that Ben had laughed for him, but then of course when I came in to see, his stopped! This morning though I caught him on video!! Check it out...

Trying to be a Social Animal.

Hello! I know I've been a bit lax in posting, it's amazing how busy I am even though I have nothing to do but raise kids.....

This morning the kids and I went to another Meetup (meetup.com is very cool) event for one of the groups for moms I joined. It was at one of their houses, and was a lot of fun. Kaia was the oldest, and Ben was the youngest! Most of the kids were 1-3 years old. Kaia was so sweet, having to put up with several little kids constantly taking whatever she was playing with. She got upset at first, but learned quickly to just move on to something else. The other moms did try to monitor it, but it was just something she was going to have to deal with, since she was so much older than they were, and they were many.

The women were really nice, but my real goal with these groups is to find one or two women that I really hit it off with. I don't like not having friends close by! Tania is busy with something I haven't posted about because she hasn't made it public knowledge yet, so she isn't able to come up to visit yet....though I plan to go to her SOON. Kathy of course is now even FARTHER away than she was....and Andrea is back "home". I wonder when this will be "home"? I am happy here, and doing well, but I am ready to be done with the transition period.

Maggie and Josh, the two people we visited last week, are coming next Saturday with their son Ben. I really like Maggie, and have cautious hopes. I've never moved somewhere (as an adult) where I didn't already have friends, and I am a bit lonely. My aunt and uncle live close, but they of course are very busy with their own things....have to remember to invite them over soon though!

Gotta get going, we are walking to the store for a couple things! It's bright and sunny out today!

glad that was cleared up....

The other day Kaia was holding Ben on the couch while I did some dishes. After a few minutes she called out,

"Mom!! I'm done!"

I went to pick up Ben, and Kaia got a worried look on her face....

"Not done like let's sell him away, just done holding him, okay, mom?"

got it.

a possibility....

Just got back from dinner with a couple we met at Kaia's new school (she is one of the teachers in the other kindergarten). I really enjoyed our visit, and Mike had a lot of fun too. It's so nice to meet another couple that we both really like! We plan to invite them over soon. They have a son a little younger than Kaia, named Ben!

I think I have found my first new friend!

In Which I Am A Mattress

I managed to get the dishwasher started. That was it, before Ben started full-on crying in his buzzy chair. He just WILL NOT sleep unless he is ON me. Yesterday he did sleep for an hour or so....on his tummy, darn his SIDS-position-loving little heinie. He'll SOMETIMES sleep on the bed next to me at night, but not all night, oh no. That apparently would be too much of an away-from-a-warm-napping-place sort of thing.
SO meanwhile, my boxes are still unpacked, my kitchen is not what you'd call clean or organized, and I have to leave in a hour to pick up Kaia, who has, for the FIRST TIME, complained about the time I spend with Ben. I sat down with her yesterday and talked about it, and I think she felt a bit better, but I still felt bad.
I need to start pumping again so Mike and Kaia can feed him again. Hopefully that will help him bond with them a bit more and give me a bit of a break.

not, you understand, that I don't like holding his soft sweetness. But I have other things that I need to do.

Finally Back Online!

The move went well. Some setbacks and things not going completely to plan, but overall it went smoothly. The drive here was a bit harrowing (whoever is in control of the lines on the road, the Snoqualmie Pass needs your attention pronto.)

I meant to do this before, so that I could write a more detailed post about the move, but didn't, and now it is a bit of a blur. OH! Found an EXCELLENT Thai restaurant within WALKING distance of our apartment! Oh so yummy food, and Kaia found a new dish she likes—garlic prawns!

Kaia started her new school Monday, and LOVES it!! She is going from first grade, and having to sit at a desk most of the day doing paperwork, to kindergarten (she is in a Waldorf School, they do things a bit differently) where she is moving and singing and playing all day. Needless to say, she prefers this one! Her favorite part so far is playing in the woods behind the school climbing trees!

Mike is enjoying work, though feeling at loose ends a bit after the grueling timetable of full time school. He has decided to ride the bus to and from work each day, as it is MUCH cheaper than the parking pass, and takes about the same amount of time. He leaves at 6:45 to get to work an hour later, and leaves work at 4:30, taking the same amount of time to get home. This, for me, is one reason that I don’t want him to stay there forever. He likes the people he works with, and thinks that once they let him start coding, he’ll have a good time at work!

My schedule is this: I get up at 6:30 and make coffee for me and tea for Mike and feed Ben. If I can (meaning if Ben will play in his jumper!), I empty the dishwasher. I wake Kaia up at 7, and we eat breakfast together. Then we get dressed and ready to go. It’s been very easy going in the mornings and we have not been rushed or stressed. We leave here about 5 minutes to 8, and it takes about 20 minutes to get to her school. Then I come back home and do some chores, again if Ben lets me! At noon I leave to pick Kaia up, and we do any errands we need to do. Today we went to the library, a weekly habit we want to get into and Kaia got her own library card…she’s quite proud of it, it was hard for her to keep it in her pocket! She got two books and I got five….almost done with the first one already, and I only read while nursing Ben! We have a relaxing afternoon with some cleaning, some reading, some cuddling, and whatever else we want to do! I like it.

I love having Mike free to spend time with us at night. I love having Kaia go to this school. I love having just Ben in the mornings and Kaia home in the afternoons.

I am quite happy.