The Adventures of SuperGerky and The Magician

And So it Goes and So it Goes

2009-01-14T15:54:00.002-05:00

A new year, a new series of kid stories.

Gish turned 5 last month. It's funny that when SG turned 5 he seemed so much older than Gish does. I wonder why that is? Gish is still such a baby. You know, when they can say the most inappropriate things that are still considered funny. Like when we were skiing; Gish fell on the bunny slope (can you believe my FIVE year old skiis????) and he started to cry, not because he was hurt but because "now everyone will be laughing at me." I tried to tell him that everyone falls sometimes when they ski and that no one would be laughing at him. Why did he think that people would be laughing at him? And through his sobs he tells me "because I laugh at them when they fall!" Ok then. I would say in that case that you deserve it.

SG has become quite adept at skiing. "C'mon, Mom! Let's go in the terrain park!" Is he nuts??? Why on earth would anyone want to go down a flight of stairs IN SKIS?!? ON PURPOSE?!?!?! He can't understand why this does not sound particularly fun to me. (COOL! Did you see my SKI popped off when I fell off that bridge??) Heaven help me. Whoever came up with this sport anyway? For a school project he decided to make a video tape of himself skiing. It was my brilliant idea, but what I didn't think through completely was the poor shmo (read: the daddy) that had to ski with a video camera - sometimes backwards! The video actually came out really good and the kids in his class enjoyed it so much that he played it twice. I'm waiting for the day that he asks me if he can go sky diving.

And did I tell you what he wants to be when he grows up? A roller coaster designer. He wants to make roller coasters. The bigger and scarier the better. I just know that he is going to talk his little brother into being the roller coaster tester. Hang on everyone, here we go.

Lotion

2008-11-24T12:26:00.003-05:00

Boy time flies, doesn't it? I can't believe we are getting ready to celebrate Gish's fifth birthday. Five. How is that possible? This is my BABY. No, I refuse to believe that 5 years have passed since he decided to make his appearance. I overheard a conversation between Gish and SG the other day in which they were talking about an argument that they had "inside Mommy's tummy." Apparently, Gish was hogging the space so SG pushed him. When I interrupted that they were not inhabiting the space at the same time, SG informed me that "well, Gish was only this big" when that happened and that seemed perfectly reasonable to both of them. Ok.

Remember I said that I believe my kids have superpowers? Gish's superpower made an appearance again in a rather scary way. Remember that his superpower is his tolerance for pain. Well, about a month ago he brushed the back of his hand against an outdoor chimnea and got some pretty severe burns on the back of his hand. He cried for a few minutes but then seemed fine. By the time I got him to the doctor, his hand was purple and a good part of the skin had blistered, popped and scraped off. Yuck. He hardly showed any sign of discomfort. I gave him some precautionary ibuprofin that night in case he was in any pain but he never needed medicating after that. ANYWAY, the burn is finally healing and all that is left is a pink scar (hopefully a temporary one) where the worst of the burn was. I have been putting lotion with vitamin e and cocoa butter on it every night to try to minimize the scar. Somehow in his head, he now equates lotion with fixing boo boos. He came running to me the other day holding his thumb out (which he claims was cut but I didn't see anything) and begging me to "put lotion on it!" I was baffled at first until I realized what he was talking about. So I put a little of the cocoa butter lotion on it and he didn't mention it again. This happened a couple more times with a other boo boos and worked each time. Lotion. Who new? At least my kid will have the supplest hands on the playground.

There's Good News and There's Bad News

2008-10-13T16:18:00.002-04:00

That was the phone call I got yesterday. Do you want the good news or the bad news? Usually I ask for the bad news first to get it over with and then perk myself up with the good news, but yesterday I got the good news first. The good news is that Gish wrote his name, by himself, absolutely perfectly. No letters were backwards, it was legible. Good boy. The bad news it that he wrote it in magic marker on my pillow! Not my throw pillow, the pillow that I put my head on at night. In perfect letters. And then, just in case I couldn't read it well enough, he drew a picture of himself. ON MY SHEETS! Lovely. We didn't know whether to praise him for his work or punishing him for where he did it. It was like the time he drew a shark on my white carpet with a red sharpie marker (Gish, what is THAT? It's a SHARK, Mommy!) Luckily I learned my lesson with that one and only have washable markers now. Still. Rotten kid.

Then last night right before I put him to bed, I noticed that he left his clothes in a pile on the floor. The boys are responsible for putting their own clothes in the hamper so I told him that before he went to bed he needed to get up and put his clothes in the basket. He said he didn't want to. I said "If I were you, I would get up and take care of these clothes little boy!" He responded, without missing a beat, "if you were me, then YOU would put the clothes in the basket!" Rotten kid.

Some Insight into my Oldest

2008-09-24T09:57:00.003-04:00

I can't believe we are back to school already. It seems that the summer flew by. The boys loved loved loved camp (of course, Gish loves anything that SG loves) but were so excited to start school that they didn't even mind camp ending. We even got to take a nice vacation at the end of the summer - and Gish was finally tall enough to ride some of the big coasters! Yippee! It's amazing how he can walk for 6 hours straight, up hills without uttering a single complaint when we are at an amusement park, but the 100 yard walk from the grocery store parking lot to the front door will do him in every time.

So back to the school year. Gish has gone from a 3 day a week, 2.5 a day schedule to a 5 day a week, 2 different school, plus aftercare program. The first day I thought when I went to pick him up that I would need to peel him off the floor, but no, my child actually sent me away because he wasn't done with his game yet and doggonit he was NOT leaving until he found out how the alphabet bingo game played out! When we left, he was actually skipping (SKIPPING) to the car and singing! I thought it was a first day fluke, but nope, he genuinely loves it. Thank goodness! The last thing I want is another babysitter living in my house. I've been punished enough, thank you.

It's hard being a working mom with 2 kids in school. Especially in the beginning of the year. There is so much to do it is hard to do any of it particularly well. I have been trying to be efficient wherever I can. One way I have done that is to combine my morning commute with exercise. I have been riding my bike to work on days that it is not raining. What this means is that I put on my gym clothes with makeup (I change my clothes when I get to work but not the makeup). It often looks pretty funny. Gish will often keep me company in the bathroom in the morning and a morning a couple of days ago, I looked particularly horrific in a cruddy t-shirt, stained sweats, and a full made up face. I said to Gish "how do I look?" He was silent so I figured he was just trying to spare my feelings. After a good 10-15 second pause he says "Mommy, you look so beautiful I have no words." That's my boy. Look out girls!

SG has the greatest teacher this year! I met her at Back to School last night and I wanted to be in the class! What fun she is! When I first got there, I was looking at all the stuff hanging out in the hall, and there was one particular project that all the kids had done but him. I asked the teacher about it and told her I was afraid that she didn't put it up because my child's handwriting is so atrocious and she didn't want to showcase that (I was joking). This started a conversation about how I think he is going to be a doctor based solely on his horrible penmanship. When she said that it isn't always that bad, something clicked for me. She's right. It's only bad when he is in a hurry to finish because there is the promise of something more fun or more interesting on the horizon. This would also explain the behavior I've heard about from his last 2 teachers. They said during certain parts of the day he would be unusually fidgety and have a hard time sitting still. Hmmm... I wonder if it was right before recess, or snack time, or gym time, or something else that he looks forward to. The thing that cemented it for me was what happened the first week of school. (I shared this story with the teacher and she said I made her night).

The first week of school was a bit crazy and I didn't get around to doing the laundry for a few days. When I finished folding it, I was struck by the fact that we all had 4 days of clothing but that something was missing. Noah didn't have any underwear in his pile. I feared that maybe he was having accidents again and hiding his underwear from me. He has never done that before, but who knows? I started to look under his bed, the back of the closet, etc. Then it hit me. After much probing, he finally admitted to me that he had not worn underwear all week! Not one time! He went to school every day commando! When I asked him why he did that he rolled his eyes at me and said exaperated, "Mim (he calls me Mim), I don't have TIME to put on underwear. I only have so much time to play my game before school and the underwear thing just slows me down!" Ugh. So now I have revised my morning checklist for him before he can play any games - homework in backpack, lunch in backpack, dressed (and checked for coordination of clothing - he is known for wearing things liked ripped orange cordoroy pants with a red muscle shirt on backwards), shoes and socks on, teeth brushed, pajamas in the laundry basket and now UNDERWEAR!

Camp

2008-06-25T09:51:00.002-04:00

Both boys started camp this morning. They were so excited that they would have slept on the front stoop if I would have let them. Watching Gish getting on to the bus was a bit of a surreal experience. SG assured me that he would look out for his little brother and scare away all the bullies. I thought that was very sweet of him. I didn't tell him that I firmly believe that anyone that tries to mess with Gish will surely end up on the losing side of that battle (Gish can absolutely take care of himself). SG also made Daddy buy him a notebook to pack in this backpack so that he can fill it with the names and phone numbers of all the friends he is going to make. I'm sure he filled the first 2 pages before he ever got off the bus. I tried to tell him to wait a couple of days until he knows the kids better but patience is not one of his strong suits.

I have renamed them: they are now my children "Moody" and "Persistent". I made the mistake of telling them those names. SG, aka Persistent follows Gish, aka Moody around saying "you're moody. Yes, you are, you're moody. You're moody, you're moody..." etc etc etc. Of course the more persistent he is about it the more angry the little one gets. By the end he's screaming "I AM NOT MOODY!!" It's really quite humorous. I wonder where they get those traits? (ahem)

A short post today. Will post more after I see how they like camp.

So Bad. So so bad.

2008-05-21T16:31:00.002-04:00

That's me. A bad bad blogger. The excuse, er, I mean problem has been that now for some reason this site is behind my firewall at work. Go figure! They want me to actually do WORK at work. Anyway, that's when I usually do my posting. Who has time at home with two little ones running around.

This year is starting to get away from me. I can't believe we are pushing June already. We had a bit of a hard time last week when we had to put our beloved dog, Jack, to sleep. He had a tumor that was just swallowing his head and he really had no quality of life left. It was a tough decision, but I think the right one. It is weird for us to not have him greet us at the door when we get home, but I don't think it is really affecting the boys at all. For Gish, as long as the cat is still around, all is right with his world. SG was upset at the idea of losing Jack, but hasn't once asked for him so I think for him it is a bit of out-of-sight-out-of-mind. I'm glad that it isn't harder on them. It's the daddy that I am most worried about. He was definitely the closest to the pooch and he was the one that had to take him to the vet. It was not/is not easy.

The kids are getting ready for camp and I am getting ready to FINALLY not have a live in babysitter anymore! Woo Hoo! I can't wait to get my house back. I keep telling people, if you hear me talking about getting another live in sitter, or if you happen to walk by me perusing any sites like au pair sites, just hand me a gun, put my hand to my head and tell me that it will be much quicker and less painful this way. Seriously, I will even do the boys laundry MYSELF if it means that I don't have to have another drama queen, I mean sitter, live in. We'll just have to figure out how to make it work next year.

In other news, the boys were at their first real wedding this weekend. Well, they were at one other, of a former sitter, an aupair, who left us to travel for 3 weeks and in that time met a man, got pregnant and then married and is currently living in Rhode Island. Mind you, she left us because she was soooo homesick. That one doesn't really count though because no one there spoke English and we didn't recognize any of the food or the music. It was a typical Armenian wedding, which was great for them to experience, but a bit hard for us. This wedding was their Aunt and they had a blast! They were the ring bearers (or ring bearies as Gish called them) and they wore tuxedos, and walked down the aisle and everything. I was so proud. Especially when Gish, noting how his Aunt was struggling with the ring said very loudly, "Well, Aunt D., why did you tie the ring to that pillow anyway?" to lots of giggles from the crowd. I think all weddings need a comic moment or two.

I was super duper proud of SG when he took a microphone and read a poem to the couple that he, well, WE wrote. We practiced all day and he read it beautifully. Everyone was touched. He was really upset at first because he the DJ said he could do it but he needed to go potty first. By the time he got back from the bathroom, the DJ told him he missed his chance. Schmuck. The poor kid was crushed. You better believe that we were not leaving that affair, nor were any of the guests, before he got a chance to read that poem. Gish managed to memorize it too after hearing SG recite it all day long. The two of them were just precious. Of course, SG didn't share the mike, but at least Gish THINKS he was part of it. I was pretty puffed up to say the least.

Anyway, going to end this now before the firewall police catch me and I lose this post.

My Baby

2007-12-19T13:41:00.000-05:00

My baby keeps reminding me he is NOT a BABY ANYMORE! He's 4 now. His birthday was last week and in our usual fashion we had 3 parties. Everyone keeps telling me how much he has matured in the last couple of weeks. Nah, he is still my baby. (I am NOT a BABY!) In fact, on his birthday, after we dropped his brother off at school he went back to the car and tried to climb into the front seat. When I questioned what he was doing he said "Mommy, I'm 4 now. I can drive." HA! I answered, "maybe when you're 5" which seemed perfectly reasonable to him. His parties were fun - especially the one on Saturday night, which was a cocktail parties for all the parents. We let the kids play in the basement and the grownups had a grownup party upstairs. I figure I'm the one that did all the work on that day 4 years ago, why shouldn't we be celebrating ME? But alas, just like on that day 4 years ago, I did all the work this day too. *Sigh.* And like that time 4 years ago, everyone came to my house and "oohed" and "aahed" over everything, brought a couple of gifts for the baby and then left me to my own devices. Ah well, it was fun.

In other news, I was superproud of my Supergerky! A few months ago he saw the movie Zathura and was so taken by it that he decided to write the sequel. He spent days coming up with the plot, writing out the outline and making illustrations (in crayon of course). He was so pleased with the final product that he wanted to send it to the movie studio. We sent it to the director, the executive producer, the movie studio and the PR firm. Well, we were thrilled a couple of days ago when he got a real live letter, addressed to him from the CEO of Radar Pictures (Ted Field) telling him that while he didn't know whether or not they would be doing a sequel, that SG is a wonderfully creative little boy with a great imagination. He thanked him for sharing his work and encouraged him to keep writing. I'm sure it was written by an assistant, but nonetheless, how utterly cool that he got such a great response from the Executive Producer of the film! He was a bit underwhelmed, but I think he will be thrilled as he gets older and realizes what that really is about and who the letter was from. Meanwhile, I wanted to bring the letter to my office for Show and Tell. 8) That's my boy!

And lastly, Gish has renamed me. He now calls me Frieda. I don't know why, he just does. It's a little weird. Frieda. Whatever.

Tis the Season

2007-12-07T12:07:00.000-05:00

Ok, my goal for this blog is to write often enough that I don't forget my freakin password every time I try to update!! Actually, I'm not sure if that is a testament to how often I write or a factor of getting older. Not sure which is worse frankly.

ANYWAY, I had to write to gloat about my fabulous children. We have been gearing them up for Chanukah for a while now - telling them that we are going to have a nice dinner together, light the candles, spend the evening together, sing songs, etc. and not to get their hopes up for a lot of presents. The truth is we got them one BIG present (the WII) and a couple of accessories to go with it. We had been telling the boys that they were getting 1 present and that in fact they would have to share it.

So the big night comes and true to our word, we set up a lovely dinner, sing songs, light candles, etc. We suggested we all play a game together (thinking when they asked us what game we would give them their present) and the boys were all too happy to suggest we play Hullabaloo together. OK. Not one mention of gifts all night long. I decided to tease them a little - I asked them if they wanted their present and when two very excited little boys ran over to see what it was, I pulled out 2 chocolate lollipops that I had gotten that afternoon at the store. I expected tears, groans, disappointment, but no. My kids were sooooo excited about the lollipops - and Supergerky even pointed out, "Daddy! You told us we were going to have to SHARE a present! And we EACH got our OWN!" We were baffled, but so touched that even something as small as a $2 chocolate lolly could give them such joy. Who raised these wonderful children to be so free of avarice? Pat pat.

We did ultimately give them the game system and OH MY GOODNESS you would have thought that we handed them the world. I have never seen them so excited. They called their cousin to tell of their good fortune and the disappointment in my brother's son was palpable as he said "I got a book." If it were the other way around, my kids would be thrilled at the prospect of going over there to have a turn. AND after about 45 minutes or so when we said it was bedtime, I got no argument. Just hugs and kisses and a million thank yous. Every day since then, at least 10 times a day SG comes over to hug us and say thank you. What a kid. I learn something from him every day.

Along the same lines, I learned another valuable lesson this week. SG was at a playdate so I asked Magician if he wanted to help me wrap presents - but it was super duper secret. Of course, he promised up down and sideways and swore that he wouldn't tell. I figured it would be a few hours before SG got home and that Gish would have forgotten all about it by then. I did my brother's shopping for my children this year (it was much easier that way). SG has been asking for a big Hot Wheels set for years - ever since he was about 2. We did get him a couple of sets but he would play with them for a couple of weeks and then break them or lose interest. My favorite SG quote came one day after Gish broke one of his hot wheels set - he said "I don't know why you think this baby is so cute! All he does is BREAK things!" Tee hee. But I digress.

Anyway, so Gish helps me wrap SG's hot wheels and promises not to tell. That secret lasted about 6 hours. We were in the car, talking about the candles and the songs, etc. that we were planning for the first night and Gish blurts out "And you are getting Hot Wheels!" I nearly fell over. I instantly tried to mitigate and said "no, he's just pushing your buttons, I am not giving you Hot Wheels." And Gish is busting out of his seat, "no, really! You're getting hot wheels! You really are! Hot Wheels!" At this point, I am hysterical and saying "stop setting him up to be disappointed, you aren't getting it"

YES YOU ARE YOU ARE!! I saw it!

SG: So then what am I getting?
Me: I don't know yet - haven't figured out if there will be presents this year or not
SG: No really mom...
Gish (in the background): HOT WHEELS! I told you! You are getting HOT WHEELS!"
SG: Mom, come on, you got me something didn't you?
Gish (practically jumping up and down): I keep telling you! HOT WHEELS, you are getting HOT WHEELS - and I helped wrap it! It's in green paper! HOT WHEELS! REALLY"
Me: Well, don't get your hopes up. You might have to share a present. Don't expect anything too big, we have a lot of bills this year....
Gish: HOT WHEELS! HOT WHEELS! HOT WHEELS! (all the way into the house)
SG: That's ok, Mom.

I could not get that kid to shut up! My lesson: Don't trust an almost 4 year old.

Incidentally, he did not get the Hot Wheels. YET. (you can keep a secret, can't you?)

Inappropriate?

2007-11-21T15:52:00.000-05:00

We had our parent teacher conference last week with SG's teacher. Of course he is brilliant, which we knew, but she said that he will sometimes say some "inappropriate" things and she has to remind him where he is, etc etc. I asked for an example - which was this....

They were talking about Thanksgiving and brainstorming some of the things that the turkey might say to save himself. They were going to record the responses and hang them in the hallway with the hope of saving the turkey. Well, SG very enthusiastically raised his hand and said that the turkey should say "don't eat me! I taste like poop." Personally I think that is ingenious. I mean, unless you are my dog, who likes to eat poop? If you told me something tasted like poop, I would be far less likely to eat it, wouldn't you? Is it inappropriate to laugh at a parent teacher conference at the inappropriate thing your kid says? I hope not. And I do feel just the tiniest bit of guilt - no doubt he got that idea from some of the conversations we have had.

And just now I got a call from SG with a question (apparently Daddy thought I should be the one to answer this question). SG asked if he could play Spin the Bottle. WHAT?!? I asked if he knew what it was and he said no but he heard about it on a show on Nickelodeon and wanted to play. I told him it was a kissing game and that I would play with him. That should turn him off to it - I am most definitely NOT allowed to kiss him. Not even at night, in the dark, under the covers, when I am tucking him in and there is no one else in the room. But he surprised me and said that he WOULD play with me. Now I am torn between discouraging him from this game that clearly he is too young to know anything about, or taking my kisses where I can get em.

Oh and SG lost his 6th tooth a couple of weeks ago. Daddy and I were out for the evening and the boys were asleep by the time we got home. We got awakened at the crack of dawn by a very excited SG, pointing to the new gap in his teeth and holding his tiny little tooth in the palm of his hand. Then he wanted to know why the tooth fairy didn't come the night before? Um, probably because the sitter forgot to tell the tooth fairy that he lost a tooth! When questioned about it, the sitter said he didn't tell us because SG wanted it to be a surprise. Um, do you see the problem here?

SG was then sitting on the couch with his tooth (he was waiting for daddy to wake up so he could show him) and dropped it. Daddy turned that couch upside down (literally) trying to find that tiny tooth. I went down and found it in about 6 seconds. But the good news is that since Daddy turned the couch upside down, I also found the remote control to the TV that had been lost for literally 2.5 years. Bonus!!

And my closing Gish thoughts - sitting at dinner a couple of weeks ago and I order Gish a glass of milk. He wanted chocolate milk but I said no since he had had chocolate milk with lunch and it was getting close to bedtime (sugar that late scares me). He argued with me, pouted, and finally said "I don't like milk! Milk STINKS!" Nice.

Well, outta here. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

2007-10-23T16:18:00.000-04:00

Whenever the phone rings when my kids are not with me brings with it the tiniest bit of fear. But I must say I was totally unprepared for today's call.

I was at work when the phone rang. It was an unfamiliar local number but this time I was so caught up with what I was doing that I didn't think twice about it. There was hesitation on the other end of the line when I picked it up, so I thought it was either a nervous job seeker or salesperson. When the person identified herself as SG's school nurse my heart stopped a little. Remember SG is the one with the IhardlyevergetsickandwhenIdoitisforabout3seconds superpower. I jumped out of my chair, keys in hand ready to run even as I uttered the words "Is he ok?"

No, no, he's fine came the reassuring voice of the nurse. Ok, then why are you calling me? Well, she says, SG's teacher sent him to me. I'm waiting for the - he was complaining of a stomach ache or his feet hurt or something. Nope. She cleared her throat and I can tell was shuffling her feet a little bit. What the heck??

So she started. It turns out my son had a hole in his sweatpants, high up on his inner thigh. I didn't notice it when I sent him to school that morning, but that hardly warrants a call. Well, apparently, when my son dressed himself this morning, he neglected to wear underwear! How the heck did my child go to school with a hole in his pants and no underwear?!? Now, this is bad enough, but my son tends to still be quite fascinated with his - er - nether regions. During the day he was apparently so preoccupied with himself that he was not paying any attention in class. He was too busy pulling said nether regions through the hole in the sweats. The teacher said she tried to discreetly correct him, but that when other kids started to tell her about it she had no choice but to send him to the nurse.

How embarrassing!! I don't know who was more mortified - me, the nurse, the teacher, or my son who had to eat his lunch in the nurse's office waiting for his father to come dress him!!

Clearly he is his father's son. I would never have done that!

A quick Gish story:

The other day SG was teasing him and saying that he was a baby. Like all 4 year olds, Gish does NOT like to be called a baby! He is a big boy and don't you forget it!!! Well, SG said "You are a B A B Y! That spells baby!" Gish calmly looked up at him and rather than fighting the point of whether or not he was a baby he said "no it doesn't."

SG: Yes it does! B-A-B-Y spells Baby!!
Gish: No, it doesn't. It doesn't spell baby.
SG: YES IT DOES!
Gish: No it doesn't.
SG: (frustrated) MOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!

I Should've Studied Harder

2007-10-01T14:16:00.000-04:00

When you have kids, they should come with a manual - the first part of the manual should include how to do simple things like changing diapers, feeding, changing clothes, burping, etc. I remember SG had been home for about 4 days when I called my sister and said "am I supposed to wash him or something like that? How would I go about doing that?"

The second part of the manual should be the answers to all the impossible questions. SG has this habit of asking me all the real zingers. Dad gets questions like "how do cucumbers become pickles?" I can answer that one. "Where does lightening come from" I could probably make my way through that one. I get questions like the one he asked me yesterday in the frozen section of the supermarket. He waited until it was just the two of us and hit me with - "What number comes before infinity?" What a fabulous question! Leave it to my 6 year old to make me feel dumb. Who the hell knows what number comes before infinity? I suppose I could have answered "all of them! All the numbers come before infinity" but I didn't think of that at the time. I am still reeling from the time he asked me if the future exists - because if it did, he wanted to know what was going to happen in it. My son the philosopher. I ended up answering much the way I imagine many mothers would ask that question - "That's a great question! Let's go ask Daddy!"

Ok, now a couple of stories: first a SG story from a couple of years ago that still makes me laugh. We were driving through the mountains and it was incredibly foggy - we could barely see 100 feet in front of us.

Daddy says to SG - Wow! Look at that fog! Have you ever seen anything like that?

SG reponds - I don't see it.

How can you not see that? It's all around us! It's everywhere - surronding the car.

I don't see it.

Look out the window. You see all that white misty smokey stuff? (A bit of irritation creeping in at this point)

Yes, of course I see the white smokey stuff - but where is the FROG???

And what blog entry would be complete without a Magician tidbit:

I came home from work one day to find a friend of my au pair's sitting in my family room, calmly watching television with my child wrapped around his neck like a neck warmer. He had one arm wrapped around Magician's legs and the other wrapped around his neck. Gish was wrigging like crazy and calling out in his meanest voice "you want a piece of me?!?" Priceless.

Oh, and one last Gish thought - walking to school the other day and Gish is singing. SG denies any affiliation and declares Gish "weird." Gish responds" "I'm not weird, I'm BAAAAAAD."

Called for a meeting - gotta run.

Thomas is for Babies!!

2007-09-20T12:28:00.000-04:00

For the last few years Magician has absolutely IDOLIZED Thomas the Tank Engine - he has the trains, the tracks, the shirts, the sneakers, the pajamas, the games, the toys, etc. etc. etc. etc. Well it seems that SuperGerky has convinced him that Thomas is for babies. Since Gish is no longer a "baby" he may not like Thomas anymore. If you ask him, he will still say no, Thomas is for babies and I like Lego Star Wars (although he has no idea what lego star wars really is). I was a bit worried about it for a while (think of all the crap I would have to get rid of and start all over again!), but it seems that Gish is still a closet Thomas fan. He still begs to wear the stuff and play the games and watch the shows, etc. In fact last night he asked me if he could play his Thomas computer game but since it was pretty late and close to bedtime I told him he would have to wait until tomorrow. He threw the typical 3 year old tantrum and then after about 30 seconds was completely distracted by the moon (or so I thought). He started to tell me a story.

The story went like this:

Mommy, the moon is following us (we were in the car). I am going to jump up and sit on the moon. But I can't reach the moon. I will have to wear my jumpy shoes and jump as high as I can to touch the moon. But I still can't reach it. I am going to get my magic motorcycle and ride that over and it will throw me up to the moon and then I will be able to catch it. When I catch the moon I am going to grab it and pull it down to my motorcycle. Then I am going to take the moon and ride it on my motorcycle to the train tracks. I will throw the moon behind the trains and it will get in the way of the trains. Then I will get the sun. I will take the sun on my magic motorcycle and throw it up to the sky. Then the sky will turn blue. Then it will be daytime. And then (wait for it, wait for it......)

And then I will be able to play my Thomas game.

Recess and Lunch

2007-09-06T18:57:00.001-04:00

Today was the first day of first grade for Supergerky. I asked him how it was - "good." I asked him what he did - "I don't remember." I asked if he remembered anything he did today - "lunch and recess." And so it begins. There are about 6 kids from last year in his class again this year, but not his closest friends, which is just fine with me. It will be good for him to meet some new kids. I think he likes the teacher and he didn't seem at all anxious so I guess all is well. I suppose I will know more as the year progresses. He will have to learn to eat a little faster because shockingly he had enough time to eat his pasta, but not enough time to eat his green beans. He ate his fruit at snacktime even though I coached him about a dozen times before he left that his snack was in his backpack and not in his lunchbox. Ah well.

Magician... here is my latest Magician exchange (from only moments ago).

Me: Gish, finish your pasta and your carrots.

Gish: Mommy, I don't want to eat anymore pasta. Can I just eat my carrots and be done?

Me: (noticing most of the pasta still on his plate) I would like you to eat just a little more. 5 more bites and you can be done.

Gish: No. I don't want to.

Me: 5 more bites.

Gish: 4 more (negotiating already! I thought that didn't happen until at least 4!)

Me: 6.

Gish: 7.

Me: Deal.

We counted out his 7 pastas and happily ate them all thinking he won the battle. 8)

That Kid

2007-09-04T15:23:00.000-04:00

I'll tell ya, if that kid wasn't so darn cute......

Magician, at the tender age of 3.5, has perfected the art of pushing his brother's buttons. This was this morning's exchange:

The boys were watching some movie and in said movie there was a bike race. Apparently Magician identified with the protagonist of the movie (ok, so they were watching The Goofy Movie, perhaps protagonist is overstating it somewhat). After a particularly exiciting bike race, Magician throws his hands up in the air and proclaims, "I WIN!" Supergerky, competitive to a fault, responds, "It's a movie, no one wins." Well, Gish was insistent that he won and that SG lost. After a prolonged battle of "No you didn't", "Yes I did" (repeat until you feel like your head is going to explode), SG comes to find me so exasperated he has tears in his eyes to tell me of how WRONG Magician is and he keeps saying..... I spent a few minutes calming him down and making him see that it didn't make a dfference what Gish said, that SG knew the truth and that's all there was to it. Why not just let him think that he won. "Because it's NOT FAIR! How come HE gets to win and I have to LOSE!" Clearly this was going nowhere quickly. So I tried a different tactic. I ask SG, "so tell me, what does he get if he wins?" After thinking about it for a second he answers, "nothing. He gets nothing." Right. So what's the big deal? SG processes this bit of information, seems ok with it and runs off to tell his brother, "so what if you win, you don't get anything if you win."

Gish answers, "Yes, I do. (pause) I get a trophy!"

SG in a frustrated huff, "MOMMMMMMMMMMMM!"

What am I gonna do with that kid??

Magician the Artist

2007-08-30T12:07:00.000-04:00

Everyone always tells me I should write these things down so I don't forget them. I always say of course I won't forget them, but I am hard pressed to think of any of the funny and endearing things that SuperGerky said when he was Magician's age. *Sigh* The joys of getting older.

So the other day we find in the family room, RED PERMANENT marker all over my nice off-white carpet. I was pretty - er, put off - to say the least. I call Magician over and I point at it and say in my sternest "what did you do" voice, "What is THIS?" He looks at it, gives me a HUGE grin and replies "It's a SHARK!" He was very proud of himself. It was all I could do not to break into hysterical laughter (although I sure as heck have been laughing ever since). The things that child says.

School is looming for both of SuperGerky and Magician. SG has a super strict teacher, which might be good for him, but I am a bit nervous about the transition for him. Gish will be just fine. He always is. More on all that when they actually start.

Hello? Is anyone out there?

2007-08-21T10:59:00.000-04:00

I'm thinking I probably lost my audience at this point since I haven't updated in so long. Lots has happened since I last posted - for starters, Magician is finally potty trained! (Insert happy dance here.) I thought the day would never come. I was sure I would be sending him off to college with toothpaste, a comforter and a HUGE bag of diapers. In fact, he is pretty much night trained as well. Even Supergerky, with all his superpowers, isn't yet night trained.

The other big news is that Supergerky just lost his 4th tooth - he now has both of his upper teeth missing. He looks like he was on the losing end of an ice hockey brawl. He is so pleased though! I find it amazing that he understands that (stop reading here if Santa still visits your house on Christmas!) there is no such thing as Santa Clause, but has no problem believing that a fairy steals into his room while he is sleeping and turns teeth into money. I guess if someone wanted to leave money for me in the night I wouldn't question it either. Some things are best left at face value. Between the tooth fairy and his lemonade stand over the weekend he has more money than I do!

Speaking of the lemonade stand, my goodness, that had to be the cutest thing I ever saw in my life! He made a whopping $11! Every time a car came by our street, or someone was out and about he and his sidekick (Magician) would jump up and down and wave their arms and scream at the top of their lungs "LEMONADE! LEMONADE!" And when someone would actually stop (and plenty of people did) he would very politely say "thank you for stopping. How may I help you?" And then would finish the sale with "thank you! Please come again." I was so proud.

There seems to be so much to talk about - but right now I need to get back to work. I will resolve to try to be better about this - and thanks if you are still checking in.

HEY! These feel GOOD!

2007-04-18T11:35:00.000-04:00

I am such a bad blogger. So much is happening and changing every day and I can never find the time or motivation to post about it.

A couple of the highlights:

Magician finally started to potty train. Well I guess it was more like Daddy decided that it was time - he wrestled him kicking and screaming and fighting and squirming and wrestling and crying into a pair of underwear. It was hysterical. I heard this fight from the next room but had no idea what was going on - I hear all of this commotion and then mid-sob Magician stops and says "Hey! These feel GOOD!" It was like a switch was flipped in his brain. He hasn't wanted to take them off since. Unfortunately, this has not translated into wanting to actually USE the potty. For the last 3 days we have been following him around with carpet cleaner and a pocket full of underwear. Last night we finally had a bit of a breakthrough. I learned that my un-bribeable child does indeed have a price. The lollipop was JUST out of his reach on the counter. He could SEE it, he could almost TASTE it, but he couldn't get his hands on it until AFTER. We all piled into the bathroom for another round of family potty time and lo and behold we hear this little tinkling sound. I don't think anyone was more surprised then he was. We all did the Potty Joy dance afterwards, which I think was his favorite part. He has not yet repeated the feat, but at least I know it's possible. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

A couple of weeks ago we went to Hershey Park. We go every year during the summer and this is the second time we have gone for the Spring Preview weekend. Some spring. It was between 30-40 degrees the whole time we were there. Snowing too. It didn't dampen the kids' spirits though. They went on any and every ride that they were big enough to ride. Even the little guy has become a bit of a thrill seeker. Of course, they spent a great deal of time huddled under a blanket in a stroller while Daddy and I struggled to push them up the hills and not freeze to death. At one point SuperGerky asked if we could go on a couple of water rides!!!!!! The most precious moment of the weekend however came in the hotel. Supergerky thought Daddy and I were still sleeping but Magician was awake. He looked at him and whispered "I love you." Magician whispered back just as matter of factly, "I love you too" and went back to eating his cereal bar. It was the most natural thing in the world for them and it makes me wonder if that is how they start every day before they come to get us. We are very lucky to have children that are so close. I hope they continue to have that bond forever.

Well, it's back to work for me again.

SuperGerky is Six

2007-03-15T09:42:00.000-04:00

I just cannot believe my first baby is turning six today. He had his party on Sunday, which was chaos, but which he enjoyed. Today we made cupcakes and snuck them in for a celebration at school (they have a nutrition policy but how can you not have cupcakes on their birthdays? It's an integral part of the event, no? At least I tried to make them a bit healthier by using egg whites instead of eggs and unsweetened apple sauce instead of oil - I guess that's how I assuage the guilt). Tonight we will take him to one of his favorite restaurants, Rain Forest Cafe.

Every year on their birthdays I get a little depressed. I don't really know why. Is it just me? Maybe it is the realization that with every passing year we leave his babyhood further and further behind? Maybe it is the realization that I too am a year older? Maybe it is the general passing of time? Maybe it is the realization that this stage of my life is passing way too quickly? I don't know what it is. On the surface it is none of those things. Maybe depressed isn't really it - maybe just a little melancholy. Of course, I am the first one in there singing my heart out to him and smiling and hugging and telling him how proud of him I am and all of these things are true. And of course I tell him all about the day he was born. How it was a beautiful spring like day, 60 degrees, how Daddy came rushing home when I told him it was "time" (even though it took him more than 3 hours since he was working in another state at the time), how the neighbor came to keep me company while I labored and how I felt when I first laid eyes on him. I always thought I would have to write the birth story out so that I would remember it. I remember every single detail of that day. Of course, my husband remembers it all differently, but I know I am right. It was a day that forever changed my life. Wow. Six. Years. Old.

Magician on the other hand is thrilled to have a birthday to celebrate. All of SuperGerky's gifts are his gifts. He thinks he made out like a bandit. Luckily SuperGerky is an amazing brother and shares with the little guy and looks out for him and such. Their relationship often brings a lump to my throat. It makes me want to gather up my big guy and just squeeze him tight.

One quick Magician story and then I need to go back to work. So the other night their two friends came over (brother and sister the same ages) and Magician wanted to play train with the other little boy. He is grabbing the other kid around the waist and shouting "choo choo! Chugga chugga chugga chugga, CHOO CHOO!" and "All Aboard" etc. Well, the other little boy wanted none of it and kept walking away from Magician. But Magician is quite tenacious and held on, following behind him. Finally, the other little boy got free of him and ran into the other room. Magician darts after him screaming "OH NO! RUNAWAY TRAIN!" Tee hee.

Getting Healthy

2007-02-28T12:03:00.000-05:00

Finally after 2.5 weeks home due to snow, holidays and flu, Magician went back to school today. You would think he would have some issues, but nope, walked in, went right to the train set and didn't look back at Mommy. I am not sure whether to be thrilled that I have such a well adjusted, obviously secure child, or cry that he doesn't seem to care if I am there or not. I will opt for A since this is the same child that was glued to me for the last week. He was so miserable - fevers spiking at 103.5, coughing, runny nose, the flu is an evil evil illness. I know. I had it too. So did Daddy who got the flu shot this year. Ha! He was no less sick than the rest of us.

SuperGerky was the only one that didn't get it. I swear that child has the strongest constitution of any kid I have ever met (knock wood). I sometimes wonder if maybe he DOES indeed have some super powers.... hmmm. I can't believe he is turning 6! The things that he does and says just amaze me. The other day he asked me for a "telyawut." I had no idea what a telyawut was - then he explained it to me. He had been asking to stay up until Daddy came home and I said no because Daddy was not due home until midnight-ish. Apparently, when he wants something I will often make a deal with him and say "I'll tell you what (or telyawut)...." usually followed by if you do something you don't want to do, I'll let you do whatever it is you want that I originally said no to. A telyawut. I love it.

So Proud

2007-02-12T10:47:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I updated this blog. Bad Mommy, bad bad Mommy. Today though I feel compelled - I am bursting with pride and I need to brag. We have been putting SuperGerky in ski school now for a couple of years every time we go skiing. Well, yesterday it seems that something "clicked" with him. I went to pick him up from skiwee and couldn't find him. Apparently he "graduated" from ski school and was up on the mountain (with an instructor of course). He went all the way to the top and skiied down. We picked him up and lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon skiing with him. He was skiing the blues by the end of the day. I was amazed watching this fearless kid wind his way down the mountain. Granted, the Pocono blues are nothing at all like the Vermont Blues and not even close to the blues out west, but nonetheless, my kid was on the chairlift, to the top of the mountain skiing down relatively challenging slopes. Woo hoo! He told us he was using his SuperGerky powers to make sure that he didn't fall and that he was able to maneuver around people. He said he couldn't wait to tell everyone he knew, so we called Grandma and Grampy and he offered to teach them how to do it so they could come next time. HA! What a kid!

Quite a difference from our trip to Vermont a couple of weeks ago. On that trip he nearly snowtubed into a creek and the next day fell off the chair lift, decapitated a snow monster and nearly broke a couple of bones. Add to that the little one throwing up over night, the daddy getting sick and mommy getting stuck at the top of a trail that should have been closed and needing to be rescued by ski patrol and that pretty much sums up our week. And yet, we went again and had the most amazing time!

Friday we went tubing and Magician laughed the entire time we were there - well, when he wasn't crying becuase of the cold that is. We would fly down and he would get out of the tube, jump up and down and squeal with delight - "again, again!" We would have stayed there all night if it weren't for SuperGerky getting hungry.

We took the new Manny with us and he said that it was the best weekend of his life. He is from Brazil and had never been on snow before. He didn't think he needed a lesson but learned pretty quickly that you can't just up and go. What a rush.

Happy Birthday Baby

2006-12-12T11:50:00.000-05:00

I can NOT believe my baby is 3 today. In fact, about 40 minutes from now will mark exactly 3 years since he took his first breath. I was probably being prepped for surgery right about now - that's when it stopped being about me and started being about him.

His party this weekend was great, although quite chaotic. It was too cute watching him and his friends all dancing around the basement to Big Jeff. He was so proud. There were 22 kids there (I only counted 20 in advance - oops) and their assorted parents. Luckily, I have a decent sized basement that could accomodate everyone. And the basement cleans up nice with a few streamers and balloons strewn around.

Today is the actual day though. It's hard not to relive every moment. He has grown up so much this last year - he talks, he can jump with 2 feet (ok, so this doesn't SEEM like a big thing, but really, it is!), he makes jokes, he sings his little heart out, he loves to hug and kiss and cuddle, he has his very own playdates and he likes to do whatever his big brother does. One thing he still refuses to do is use the toilet. When we ask him why he won't he says "'Cause I said NO" and that's the end of that. I just need to tell myself that he won't be wearing diapers in college. His time will come.

SuperGerky told me today that he can't wait to grow up so that he can do whatever he wants. I told him to slow down and to savor this time in his life because when he longs to go back to it, it will be too late. He didn't really get it, but took my hand anyway and said "Ok, Mommy. I understand." He didn't. But how sweet that he understood that I needed him to be my little boy for a bit longer. Wow. Sappy day for Mommy.

Breathe In Breathe Out

2006-12-01T11:38:00.000-05:00

Mommy is freaking out. Why oh why did I decide that having a December baby was a GOOD idea? I woke up in a cold sweat this morning worrying about details of the season. I have about 18 kids (and their parents lets not forget) coming to Magician's party next weekend and it occurred to me at 5:30 this morning that I have no idea where I am going to SEAT these children. I don't have a toddler table big enough for a dozen and a half kids! (Luckily, I can rent one. Thank goodness for party places. But until I was able to actually book a couple at 10am, I was a little freaked about it).

The other thing that I am a bit freaked about is the whole nanny thing. I finally decided to bite the bullet and I hired an au pair. From Macedonia. A male au pair from Macedonia. He speaks Macedonian. Not English - just Macedonian. I am having a bit of buyer's remorse (can that term be applied to people?). I thought it would be a great idea to have him start working the second week of January since we have planned a ski vacation for that week. What a great way for him to get to know us and get comfortable with us, etc., and we look like fun interesting people who ski. Then it occurred to me, at about 5:40 this morning, that if I have him come when we are going on vacation, and then leave him the following Monday alone with my children (since I will have just taken a week off work), he will have no idea WHERE they ARE! I didn't even consider that he doesn't know his way around and will not really have any good idea where the kids' schools are. Even if I show him, he will have to go from one school right to the other (there is approx. 25 minutes between when SuperGerky gets dismissed and when Magician gets released). Normally, there is plenty of time to get from one to the other, but that of course assumes that you know where you are going. I suppose I could ask my current nanny to stay a few extra days just until he is comfortable with where he is going. Ugh. And I have 2 MONTHS to stress over this!

And BTW, I can't stand parents that don't RSVP. That's just rude. I wish I could take back the invitation to anyone that didn't RSVP so they don't just show up that day. Sigh.

Back to work for me.

Injuries and Illness

2006-11-16T14:03:00.000-05:00

Knock wood, I am so lucky that my kids are so tough. Magician has a pretty high threshold for pain (so far) and Supergerky rarely gets sick, and when he does it usually lasts a couple of hours and that's all. Thank goodness. Last weekend Magician was invited to a birthday party. His very own party. His big brother wasn't invited. This, per Magician, was the greatest thing ever! Unfortunately after a party in the morning, a play at the shopping center playarea in the afternoon and then this party, this child was pretty tuckered. It was a gymnastics party and Magician zeroed in on the trampoline and jumped his little heart out for about 30 minutes straight. I finally talked him into trying the zip line. Well, this was the greatest invention since the birthday party and off he went - about 10 times straight. I imagine by then his little arms were tired and down he went. He fell on his foot and has been limping ever since. He looks like a little quasimoto. But, other than that first couple of minutes, if he is in any pain, he ain't talkin. The pediatrician thought it was his hip. The orthopedist thinks it's his foot - there was a bit of swelling but no obvious break. I have never seen a kid with a presumably badly sprained foot running and jumping like nothing was wrong. When he had his x-rays this morning, while lying on the table we told him they were going to just take a couple of pictures of his foot. When he heard the x-ray machine turn on, he gave a big grin and said "CHEESE." Too funny. The orthopedist said if he has any symptoms still in a couple of weeks to bring him back in. But other than that, just monitor him and no gymnastics for a few days. Tell that to my kid who was doing jumping jacks last night. And headstands off the couch. And chasing the cat. And tackling his big brother.

SuperGerky has an amazing constitution so far. The child has amazing recovery powers. I guess every superhero needs super powers - maybe that is his. One can only hope. There is a nasty bug going around. I don't really know much other than it is an awful cold with fever, sore throat, and incredible fatigue. The other day I got a call from my nanny that he wasn't himself - he actually took a nap in the middle of the day. And didn't eat his afternoon snack. You know there is something wrong when my creature-of-habit-who-lives-for-morning-and-afternoon-snack child refuses his afternoon snack! I got home and sure enough, he had a fever pushing 102. He had a bit of a meltdown when he "couldn't breathe" which I assume was some congestion. I braced for a long night and a few days home. Well, I gave him some Motrin and put him to bed. He woke up 9 hours later at the usual time raring to go. He was absolutely fine. Not even a sniffle. I refused a playdate for the afternoon because I was expecting him to be tired or sick or something. But nope. Nothing. He is an amazing kid. Both of them.

I am very lucky. I hope I didn't just jinx it all. If so, a note to the powers that be that can control this sort of thing, just ignore this whole entry. :)

Nannies

2006-11-07T09:48:00.000-05:00

I just learned that our nanny will be losing her driver's license in March. It's amazing how one small simple statement can turn my life completely upside down. All of a sudden I have to find new childcare! ACK! Even before this revelation, Supergerky declared to his nanny that it was time for her to go home and for him to have a new nanny; preferably a boy nanny this time. Perhaps he is a bit clarevoyant? Unfortunately, me not working is not an option. We are toying with the idea of Daddy leaving his job and freelancing but that's pretty scary and unpredictable. Although then I would stop worrying that one day the kids would turn to me and say "daddy? daddy? do I know a daddy? the name is vaguely familiar but I just can't seem to place him...." So I obsess over how to handle this crisis. At least I have a few months to find someone or to figure it out. I am amazed at the nannies that are asking for salaries that are larger than mine (almost) and then accusing me of skimping out on my kids because I can't afford it. Um, hello? I am not a corporation, I am a mother who is working to earn enough money to pay the bills - would you give me the slightest break please? It would be nice to find someone to watch the kids who is truly motivated by the fact that he/she loves kids - oh but needs some money to live too. Does these type of people exist?

Halloween. Halloween was a blast. Magician was Tigger and still wants to wear the costume every day. It's a bit ironic that now that Halloween is over he wants to wear it because it was a huge fight that day to get him to play. I guess once he figured out the candy was involved he was more agreeable. He did the cutest little bounce too. Supergerky wanted to be supergerky again this year (that's what he was last year - an interesting costume since no one but he really knew what supergerky looked like - and we had a bit of trouble with the laser beams coming out of his eyes, but the moon boots were a nice touch!) but then decided to be something scary instead. We went with a Zombie, complete with white and black face paint and a plastic sickle. Okay, the sickle is more Grim Reaper than Zombie, but the sickle was cheaper than the machete and he didn't really care. After a while he got tired to carrying it anyway. He put it down and Magician picked it up and would not let go. We started to call him Psycho Tigger as he went to the doors. Too cute. They made out pretty well all in all. They have pretty much all but forgotten about the candy by now. I'll probably end up throwing most of it away. Ah well, at least I didn't have any of my own left over. It's easier to waste someone else's money than my own I guess.

Well, it's back to work for me for now.

Magician

2006-10-25T11:10:00.000-04:00

I have been writing a lot about Super Gerky these days and not so much about my Magician so this is dedicated to him. He is quite a charater. Laid back, independent, hysterically funny, a bit obsessive and cute as a button is my baby. I just booked his 3rd birthday party with Big Jeff, a kid's musician that he loves but I am starting to wonder what the heck I was thinking planning to invite 20 kids, AND THEIR PARENTS! to my house in the middle of December. The things we do for our kids. I just think he would enjoy that more than going to a place, as easy as that would be. I figure a 2 hour party, 30 minutes for the kids to get there and get settled, 45 minutes of music and then 45 minutes for pizza and cupcakes. I just can't believe my baby is turning 3 already!

Yesterday we were getting ready to have a bath and he likes to hide when it comes to bath and bed time. He usually hides in the same place though so it is pretty easy to find him. Anyway, we were calling him for bath and he wasn't coming. And he wasn't in his usual hiding places. He has a habit of draping himself over the arm of the couch and screaming "help me! rescue me!" Well, when we heard the familiar cry, we figured he was playing the same game. Nope. He was no where near any of our couches. We started to panic a little when we heard him scream "help me!" again and ran upstairs. We found him in our bedroom - he had climbed up on to my dresser and was sitting there, big grin on his face, ankles crossed, just looking out at us. "Hi Mommy and Daddy!" Perhaps it was a you-had-to-be-there moment, but it was pretty funny. No idea what he was looking for up there, or how he got up there, but he was pretty pleased about it all.

They just changed his assistant teacher at school. The teacher that was there was promoted to the head teacher role in another class. She was awesome! All the kids loved her and she really knew how to communicate with them. This morning was utter chaos as the kids were crying and clinging to their parents and such when Ms. Amy wasn't there. The parents were freaking out as well, running to tell the director that this was not acceptable, etc. etc. Well, there was my Magician - he walks into the classroom, puts his stuff in his cubby and walks over to the Thomas toys, ignoring all the screaming kids in his room. I stood and watched him for a couple of minutes then had to call him 2x to tell him I was leaving. He glanced over at me, gave a quick raise of his hand and back to work. I didn't know whether to be relieved that he is so well adjusted or upset that he clearly doesn't need his mommy there. Most of the other kids cry when they go to school, my kid cries when he doesn't. Go figure.

He even got to take home the class mascot this weekend - Casey the Cow. Casey the Cow went out to dinner with us and had to taste everything that we were eating. Then they played Hide and Seek (Magician hid under the table every time and Casey never caught on) and Rock, Paper Scissor Shoot... the second game was not that successful as both Magician and Casey the Cow always chose Rock.

So school is a piece of cake for him, however, if you put his jacket on without buttoning it all the way up, lord help you! It is not acceptable for him to leave the house with his jacket even the least bit open. It took me a while to learn that "stir it up" meant button it up. In fact, the first day of school he was hysterical because the teachers did not know that it was a sin to leave with your jacket not completely buttoned up and did not "stir it up" when told.

I have lots more Magician stories, but for now I need to get back to work.

Trouble at School

2006-10-17T13:52:00.001-04:00

And so it begins. I got an email today from SuperGerky's teacher asking me if I have noticed any change in his behavior at home. According to the teacher, in the last couple of weeks at circle time he has been "rocking, stretching, talking to others and himself" and "not stopping his work or talking when she is trying to get the class' attention" and "playing with his milk carton at snack time" which inevitably causes it to spill. Um, is this NEW behavior? Sounds like the same old not paying attention I have been getting at home pretty much since the day he was born. I think maybe the novelty of kindergarten has worn off and is getting bored. He loves his work and his homework, but I wouldn't say he is particularly challenged by any of it yet. It almost sounds pretentious to presume that my kid is too smart for kindergarten, but I really think that is part of it - it doesn't move fast enough to keep his attention. I don't know. I am not sure if I should be concerned, but it never feels good to get a note home from the teacher. I have asked for a meeting with her to delve into the details more but I am not going to get too worried - yet.

Ok, changing the subject..... yesterday, while waiting in line for the bell to ring, Supergerky looks at me and says "Mommy, when is Monday?" "Today is Monday honey, why?" "Oh. I need to bring in a show and tell for Monday." WHAT?? So I scrounge the pockets of my coat because that is all I had to scrounge through (didn't even have my purse which is always a wealth of fun show and tell stuff). Hmm, old bank receipts (interesting to me, I'm thinking not so much to a bunch of 5 year olds), tissues (slightly used), a bit of loose change (not enough for everyone), car keys (I need these to get to work), and AHA! I got it! We went to the zoo on Sunday for pumpkin patch day and they gave each kid an orange yarn bracelet. At the time, I was wondering what they were for, but now I know. It was so that when Magician got tired of wearing his and gave it to me, and I shoved it in my jacket pocket, it would be there the next day for me to give to SuperGerky for Show and Tell! Yep, he could tell 'em all about the zoo. Whew. And my husband thinks being a pack rat is a bad thing. HA!

The tooth fairy

2006-10-09T11:56:00.001-04:00

Supergerky lost his first tooth yesterday. We were in the car, on the way to dinner after a long day of apple picking and playing on the farm and he starts yelling full throttle, I lost my tooth! My tooth came out! At first I didn't get it. I thought he was trying to tell me that he lost something and was about to tell him to look under the seat for it. Then when I processed what he was saying, I thought maybe his friend (sitting next to him) popped him in the mouth. It finally occured to me that perhaps his tooth fell out (ok, so I was a little slow on the uptake). He grinned at me and yep, gaping hole on the bottom of his mouth - actually, it sort of matches the gap in his upper teeth so it makes a nice little tunnell into his mouth. Maybe that's how I can get him to eat when he won't open his mouth - the lips are easy, it's the teeth I have trouble with. Now I can just shovel right through that hole! (I'm kidding of course, please don't alert child services on me). The tooth looked like a tiny little pebble - about half a centimeter long. I thought I was going to lose it. Then what would the tooth fairy do?

And speaking of the tooth fairy, she has significantly upped the rate for teeth since I was a kid! I, I mean she, is leaving $5 for the first tooth these days! Highway robbery! But this morning, my bedroom door flies open and a very excited little boy, brandishing a five dollar bill jumps in and yells, "Everybody WAKE UP! I... have.... (pause) MONEY! (with a flourish)" It was cute. Of course, he was so excited that he forgot to help his little brother out of the bed (they have insisted lately that they want to sleep together but Magician has a hard time navigating the steps down out of the loft bed and usually Supergerky helps him). Anyway, he told me he wants to buy ice cream with it. I told him maybe he could buy ice cream with half and save half. He didn't really understand that concept. I wonder if he'll buy ice cream for all of us? LOL I guess we'll see.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2006-10-03T10:46:00.000-04:00

Supergerky has really been something lately. A couple of stories:

A few days ago, supergerky was very upset when we told him it was bedtime. He usually goes to bed quite easily, but for whatever reason, this night he claimed to be not tired and wanted to come downstairs and play. He was sitting in his bed crying at one point started saying that he wanted a new mommy and dad. This incensed me as he doesn't usually say things like that. I angrily stormed into his room and told him that that was hurtful and that when I am upset with him that I don't say that I want a new son and that he should be careful of saying things that he didn't mean, but that if he meant that the next day I would take him to the Department of Mommies and Daddies and we would see what we could do.

So fast forward to yesterday, Yom Kippur, a day of atonement and forgiveness. We took the boys to family service and when the rabbi was talking about saying things we don't mean, he turned to his daddy and said "you don't know this, but when I was upset the other night, I said that I didn't love you (I didn't hear that part) and said that I wanted a new daddy. Well, I didn't mean that, and I am really sorry." I cried. What a good kid. Of course, he also said he wanted a new mommy and I am still waiting for my apology. Maybe he only changed his mind about daddy? Hmm..

Supergerky's school is about half a mile away from the house and on days that it isn't raining I like to walk him there. I figure the weather is gonna get too cold soon enough and it's a nice way to start the day - a walk, talking, etc. Well, he has been really lazy lately and the minute we walk out of the house he complains that his feet hurt. I know they don't because when we go to a "fun place" he can walk for hours without ever complaining about his feet. And when I asked him to show me where on his foot it hurt, he pointed to the side of his foot (instead of the bottow where you would expect feet to hurt from walking too much). I know his sneakers aren't too tight - he is just being lazy. ANYWAY..

This morning he starts in the minute we leave the driveway about his feet. I finally said to him "you know why I like to walk in the mornings with you? Because it gives me a chance to spend some special time with my first born. We can talk, we can hold hands and just spend some time together - without the tv, without your brother needing something, without the dog needing to go out or the cat meowing over something, without having to cook, clean, do laundry, answer the phone, read the mail, nothing else, just you and me, together walking and making memories that I hope will stay with both of us forever. That's why I like to walk with you and if you would stop and think about it a little, you might start to enjoy our little walks together." Absolute silence. He seemed to really be thinking about that, chewing it over, and after about 10 steps he says..

"Mommy?" another beat "how do babies get out of their mommy's tummies?" Maybe tomorrow we will drive.

So, thinking fast that I am not ready for my 5 year old to really understand the mechanics of childbirth (this, the boy who still thinks the female genitalia is called a "regina"), I explain to him that with him and his brother, I had surgery and the doctor made a cut in tummy and pulled them out. I'm not sure why I thought that cutting me open would be less disgusting to him than just explaining natural childbirth, but that's the way I decided to go with it. I then launched into more a description of what happened AFTER the actual birth - I told him about how the nurses cleaned him up, and counted his fingers and toes, and brought him over to me so I could cuddle him for a few minutes, and then how he went to the nursery for a bath and to warm him up etc. I told him how his daddy went with him and sang to him and then I fed him and held him and on and on and on. I told him I couldn't get out of bed right away so I held him in the bed with me - and he said "because you had another baby in there, right?" Um, no, your daddy isn't quite THAT good!

Then we talked about when Magician was born - how his aunt and his cousin stayed with him, and then his grandma and grampy came and played with him, and took him to Burger King and watched Finding Nemo with him, Then how the next day he came to the hospital and climbed into my hospital bed with me and we took a long nap together, and he met his brother for the very first time and was so great with him and gentle and held him, etc. After THAT whole story, he said "Mommy, you know what my favorite part of that story was? Going to Burger King." Sigh.

Readin, Ritin, n Rithmatic

2006-09-27T12:27:00.000-04:00

It is amazing to me how all of a sudden my baby can read and write and do math - I had no idea he was capable of such acheivements until I met with SuperGerky's teacher and she told me that he wrote a story. I wasn't sure what she meant until he did it for me. He wrote a bona fide story - words, sentences, complete thoughts. The spelling was atrocious of course, and the sentence started on the bottom left side of the page and then wound up the page going in a sort of serpentine motion, but nonetheless, he canwrite. When exactly did THAT happen? I have been working with him more diligently now on his reading and holy cow! It is amazing how much better he is getting every day. I am so proud of him. Although now it is just a matter of time until I lose a primary way of communicating with my husband while he is in the room. D.A.M.N. (oops).

Magician still amazes me every day with the type of things that come out of his mouth. He and his brother were teasing each other and he turned to his big brother with a little giggle and said "aw, you got me AGAIN!" I had to do a double take. The idioms that he comes out with just floor me. Of course, he still answers all my questions about school the same way (ie. "what did you do at school today?" "Miss Amy"). Oh except when I ask him a question that starts with "when...." then his pat answer is Sunday. "Mommy, I'm going swimming!" "You are? When?" "Sunday" or "Mommy, I watched Thomas" "You did? When?" "Sunday" etc. He does make me laugh.

Ok, just a quickie entry today - I'm off to the gym. Said goodbye to 20 pounds - now I'm trying to get rid of the final 10. Later.

A More Pleasing Theory

2006-09-21T16:24:00.001-04:00

Back to school night tonight. Got my parent's letter all ready to go although I don't know if it got approval from the principal yet. I feel like a child waiting for a grade on my first paper. Today has been crazy and I have been incredibly moody - a deadly combination.

I was talking with another working mom in Supergerky's class this morning and we were discussing how we need to get more done by 8am then most people get done in a week. For instance, this morning, I got up, showered, dressed, groomed etc., made lunches for everyone, got 2 children dressed (a miracle in and of itself), called my mother to find out if my father was allergic to the pear/jello/cranberry thing I was making to bring to her house for dinner tomorrow (which incidentally I was making while talking to her), packed food for the day for everyone, found the information on the Back to school night that was lost in a pile of crap on my table, and did a load of laundry. Before 8am. ANYWAY, when I was talking to her about being the class mom I said that it was ironic that it was a working mom that stepped forward to it when no other mom did. She said it wasn't compensating, it was that we, out of necessity, have learned the fine art of balancing and time management. I like that theory much better. She said that she knows many stay-at-home moms that put their kids into afternoon kindergarten because they like to have a nice slow relaxing morning and by the time they get up and dressed and motivated, it's already mid-morning. That is not an option for me. That makes sense. I like that.

Balance seems to be the word of the week for me. Yesterday I was trying to explain to a five year old what balance meant. He was saying that he always wanted to do fun things - all the time. I had my hands up in front of me, scale like and had just put all the fun things on one side... before I had a chance to balance them with the not-so-fun things that we all have to do every now and then so that we CAN do the fun things, the doorbell rang and I lost him to a grinning, silly 5 year old boy who wanted to chase the dog around and play on the swing. So to him, all fun things go in one hand and the other hand gets to hang out there with no real purpose. To my husband, balance seems to be work in one hand, and other hand tied behind his back. Regarding Back to School night, he told me "I'll see what I can do but I don't know if I'll be able to get out" I asked him "do you have something going on? A meeting or something?" "No. I just don't know what the day will look like." To me it looks like you have Back to School night at 7:30 this evening at your son's school. But he'll see if can make it. Men.

Then there is the work saga - the what do we get the boss, who has scads of money and doesn't need us to buy her a thing, but who is incredibly generous with all of us saga. My colleagues want to spend something akin to the GNP of a small country to give this woman something that she absolutely does not need and when I said I was on a budget here they said well then, you can do something on your own. So I am the only shmo that will be left off the card and that feels like crap. I am thinking of doing something passive aggressive like getting a card for her and saying that I felt terrible that the group left me out of the gift, but that I knew that she would appreciate a personal sentiment from us, something that money couldn't buy, much more because that's the type of person she is - not materialistic, generous, etc. etc. I tried to say something to my colleague about it too, but she said that it wasn't fair of me to tell them they couldn't spend that much if that's what they wanted to do. They could take second mortgages on their houses for all I care, but heck, I have children to support!
They don't. It just felt, well, wrong. Especially since this woman can afford to treat herself to any materialistic thing her heart desires - and does. Ok, getting angry again, moving on. Do I sound bitter?

I did have two notable moments today when my heart felt light and I was actually happy. First, when I dropped SuperGerky off at school this morning one of his little classmates called out to him and waited to walk with him. Then another came up behind them and the three became a cluster. A fourth boy came to join the group and I said "looks like the gang's all here." My boy looked at me, beaming, and said "yep, the gang's all here" and was so thrilled to be part of the gang and to have this whole group of new friends and I thought my heart would burst out of my chest. I wanted to hug each of these little boys and thank them for being friends with my boy - for not making him an outcast. More on that another time.

The second notable moment was when I came back from the gym, someone here at work, an acquaintance really, left a CD for me of the soundtrack from Grey's anatomy. She knew I liked the show and she is excited about the premiere so she went to the trouble of making the CD for me and left it with a note saying "we'll chat tomorrow!". A small gesture. But very touching.

Season premiere of Grey's Anatomy tonight. At least there is that to look forward to.

No Time for Colds

2006-09-19T14:38:00.000-04:00

So I've checked and rechecked my calendar and I can't find it anywhere. This cold is unscheduled and as such must leave my being right now! This is one side effect of school that I hadn't really counted on. I'm a grown-up, I should be immune to the ailment going around the preschool, no? Apparently not. I finally have this thing worked out so that I can get the kids dressed, myself dressed, everyone off to school, to work, to the gym, get home, feed kids, undress kids, bathe kids, stories, bedtime and then do laundry, email, dishes, etc. with all activities precisely planned. Being knocked on my ass does not fit into these categories.

Had my class mom meeting with the teacher this morning. She is barely more than a kid herself. I will say though that dropping myself into that chair that is barely a foot off the ground does give me the illusion of being tall. I can pretend for a second that my 5 foot 1 (and a half) frame is actually imposing. Anyway, we plotted out the course of the year in a mere 20 minutes, and while I am still not exactly sure what I am supposed to be doing I know that we are planning a couple of parties, a few field trips and money for teacher's gifts. It also became quite obvious that I was dealing with the grown-ups (the class letter, the money, etc) and my co-parent will be doing the kid stuff (planning the activities for the class). Clearly I am not good with kids. Good thing my kids are good with me or we'd all be lost.

Both the boys still love school which I take as a blessing. Magician isn't so good at the question thing yet and answered each question I ask with the same three answers: "Miss Leslie", "Miss Amy" or "Goldfish". So the conversations might go something like this, "J, what did you do at school today?" "Miss Amy." "And who did you play with?" "Miss Leslie" Or "What story did you read today?" "Goldfish" "What did you have for snack?" "Miss Leslie" "Did you play outside?" "Goldfish". I guess that's more than I get out my other one: "So what did you do at school today?" "I forgot." "Who did you play with?" "I forgot", etc. Amazingly though, the kid can remember a conversation, word for word, or describe a situation that happened when he was 2 years old with almost perfect recall.

I feel like I can go on and on today but since I'm at work, I'm thinking I should probably get back to doing some of that.

Do Working Moms Overcompensate?

2006-09-13T13:03:00.001-04:00

So my colleague made an interesting comment to me the other day. When I told her that I volunteered to be the class mom for Noah's class she nodded her head as if that were the most natural thing in the world. I expected laughter, shock, incredulity - anything but a knowing nod. If you knew me, you would know why it's particularly amusing that I would volunteer to be a class mom. Mostly because there are some would say that while my own children are the light of my life, I don't particularly like other people's children. She said that as working moms we overcompensate not being there for our kids during the day for volunteering for everything we can. It had me thinking. Do I volunteer to get involved to assuage my own guilt? But it's not guilt that I feel really - more like a feeling of "see, I can work and still be involved with my kids." Maybe I am trying to prove something to the other moms? The moms that wait every day outside the classroom and take their kids to the playground and bake with them and play patty cake and such. I mean, I'm not sure my kids really feel missing out because I am not there at the end of the school day.

I then got into a conversation with my boss about it (again, not all that bright) who said I was getting involved because *I* had issues that I needed to let go of and that my kids would be fine if I didn't once volunteer for anything. Now, I take issue with the idea that I have issues. But then why do I bother? Maybe the reason my boss said so assuredly that I need to get over my issues is that she never confronted her own guilt about climbing the corporate ladder while her children were still struggling through early childhood and now as teenagers, but she insists she never had any guilt. Maybe I do it because my mother did it. She was always on the school board or the PTA or something else that made every single teacher know me before I ever set foot in their classrooms. That made for an interesting high school career - the teachers either were afraid of me or had just the tiniest bit of contempt for me for being the daughter of the woman that signed their paychecks.

I don't know the answers. I just know that 2:30 this afternoon I will be heading to the elementary school to find out what being a class mother really means - then at 7:00 to find out what being a new parent at this school means - then at 7:30 to find out what the PTA really does and how my assistance might be needed. In the meantime, if this is guilt over not spending more time with my children, why am I leaving them home with a babysitter (or with their daddy) while I go to these incessant meetings?

New Beginnings

2006-09-11T11:01:00.000-04:00

Wow, so many things going on today it's hard to know where to start. I think it's appropriate to first mention the anniversary of 9/11. It's hard to believe it was 5 years ago that the towers collapsed in that awful tragedy. I often find myself wandering around on this day in a bit of a fog not sure what I am supposed to be doing or feeling or how I'm supposed to be acting. I remember vividly, as I'm sure everyone else does, what I was doing that day, where I was when I first saw the news and where I was when I first realized that magnitude of it all - and when the towers fell. I grabbed my infant son to me and I cried and cried. So here we are 5 years later. What do we do now?

Today is also Hubby's birthday. He has tried unsuccessfully to change his birthday to Sept 12 since the horrible tragedy without much luck. His family all called him last night and I just had to ask him point blank if they actually KNEW when his birthday was. Heck, I know when it is and I wasn't even there - you would think those people that brought him into the world though should have some sort of recollection of what day it was. We went out to dinner last night to celebrate; not because we were trying to avoid the actual day, but because it was Sunday and I knew he would be home before 10pm (not something I can count on many other days). Then we went to Magician's school orientation. This brings me to the next subject of the day....

My baby started school today. He was so excited wheeling around his Buzz Lightyear backpack and wearing his new denim jacket. I packed the kids up in the car and off we went. We dropped Supergerky off first. He looked so grown up lining up with his class outside the school. The first few days we went we always missed the big march into the classroom so this was a new phenomenon. The little one was very upset when he couldn't line up and go in too.

Then it was off to preschool. The kids are so little. It was hard letting him go, even though he got to the threshhold of the door, gave a cheery "Bye Mommy" and a wave and went off to play with the Thomas the Train set they had there. It was only for an hour today but it was still rough. For the parents. He told me all about it when I met him at the end of class - Thomas the Tank Train, Harold the Helicopter, and goldfish for snack. That's what I got from him. Wait until he learns that he has to actually sit in circle time with the other kids. That's not gonna go over very well I'm afraid. At least the dirty look will be directed at someone else for a change. Oh, and the screeching. That's always a joy too. I guess we'll see. So we start the next chapter.

It's amazing how our lives have changed literally overnight. It used to be that their lives revolved around my schedule and what I had to do. Now it is insane how much stuff there is to do for them - it's all about them now. I volunteered to be a class mom for the kindersgarten class (and anyone that knows me laughs at the thought), then there is the PTA and the event for the preschool that I volunteered to chair because I want to be fair in my volunteering (not that they would know the difference but it assuages my guilt some), the back to school nights, the class meetings, etc etc etc. And homework hasn't even started yet. Oh, and now I have to get back to work. I guess my boss was not amused when I told her I didn't have time to work what with my emotional dramas and my blogging and such.

More soon.

Supergerky in Kindergarten

2006-09-08T11:48:00.000-04:00

I can't believe a year has gone by since I updated this. Bad blogger, bad bad blogger. It took me about 45 minutes to remember my username and password too. Serves me right.

Well the house woes seem like forever ago. We are happily in our "new" home and neither of the boys has much memory of the old house. We drove by the other day and they painted it and made so many changes that I wonder if they show their friends the "before" pictures and say things like we say about how horrible the house was when they first moved in. The probably joke about my awful taste. LOL.

Supergerky started kindergarten yesterday. I thought I was going to get all choked up but I really didn't. The two of us skipped to school and had a jolly old time. He was still skipping when I picked him up so all must have gone well. My hubby and I took the day off of work for the occassion and took him out for lunch after school, just the three of us. I am glad he's excited but I didn't need to hear about it this morning at 6:00am. He came in squealing about how he got to go back to kindergarten today, wasn't that great?!? Fabulous. Now go away and come back in an hour.

The only thing that he is more excited about than school is soccer. Give my kid a ball and bunch of kids to kick it around and he is in heaven. Boy did he let me have it though when I drove him to the wrong field for practice last night. Well who the heck decided that they should practice at a field across town from where their games are played?? He just didn't quite fit in with the third grade girls that were playing there - but not from lack of trying. It helped that I wasn't the only moron with a huge L on her forehead - another mom did the same thing. Tomorrow is his first game of the season. You would think I told him he would get free candy and be able to eat as much as he wants by the way he was jumping around.

Now I just have to get through Magician starting preschool on Monday. Anyway, lots more to talk about (amazing how many things actually happen in a year) but I have to run now. More next year, er, I mean tomorrow. 8)

Slipping Slide

2005-06-06T14:21:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it has been so long since I updated this. I can't even blame it on the fact that my computer was down for a week because I usually update at work. Just lazy I guess.

So we are finally moved in!! Hooray! Well, mostly anyway. I should say we are finally out of our old house! But this unpacking thing is a LOOOOONG process! I just wish I had Genie powers and can cross my arms and blink and poof, everything would be done. At least the kids are adjusting well. My little guy hasn't asked to go back to the old house in a little bit and the little one is still recovering from being sick last week (of course this was the one week my au pair was on vacation) and just enjoying discovering his new house. Amazing how he learned right away where the snacks are kept though!

This weekend was bloody HOT. We dug out the slip and slide that I got on clearance last summer and after many unsuccessful attempts, we finally set it up on our graded front lawn. Holy Cow can a 4 year old fly on a wet downhill mat. He thinks this is the greatest invention of all time and at 6:00 this morning was ready to go out and start all over again. It's pretty cute that anytime someone walks by he shouts out to them in the street that they need to see this - that it is the coolest thing EVER. He even asked the postal worker if he wanted to give it a try. I'm sure he was tempted too. Heck, even I am tempted although I can only imagine how embarrassing that might be. At what level of HOT HOT HOT does discomfort weigh in over embarrassment?

The air conditioning is out at work. It is so miserably uncomfortable in here that if I had the slip and slide I would set it right up in the hall way outside my office. How cool would THAT be (literally). I bet we would have more than a couple of takers too. There is no reason we should all still be here.

It is great that we moved so close to some really good friends. I was in a bind for child care on Friday and she watched my kids for me. On Saturday she had a wedding and we took her kids. We tried to do a sleepover, but that didn't work out too well. First the little guy refused to go to bed. We finally turned out the lights and went into our room and let him stand and sulk in the hallway. Eventually he went to sleep. Then the girl, my son's age, started crying that she missed her mommy. I called mommy and they came to get the kids at around 11. Of course by then they were both asleep, but I wasn't taking any chances. Good thing too because my early riser came in at 4:36 and tried to tell me that it was 6:00am and therefore time for breakfast!! Um, no, I don't think so! Anyway, my point here, is that it is great to have some good friends living so close. I always wanted friends like that - that we could share kids with! It is such a comfort. Now if I can only get my landscaper to call us back - we are starting to lose the kids in the backyard!

Signed, Sealed, Almost Delivered

2005-05-19T12:23:00.000-04:00

We closed! We now own a house we aren't living in and renting the house we have been living in for the past 7 years. We almost did it without a hitch too - except my husband, the proverbial nice guy, pointed out to the buyers of our house that we put in new landscaping last November and that it didn't survive the winter very well. He told them, unsolicited that we would have them replaced before we moved. Well, we have been hounding the landscaper, but he hasn't gotten back to us so I wasn't going to mention the bushes at all. Now they are holding $2,000 in escrow for that (and a couple of other minor things). Whatever.

The new house is being torn apart on the inside as all the renovations are being done. It is a little freaky to see it that way, but I know it will all be for the greater good. I just couldn't stand to live with the neon blue in the guest bathroom and the green shag carpeting in the living room and dining room, etc. My contractor has been great - he's been there from 7:30am until 11:30pm every day, although every time I go over there he shows me something else that is going to cost me more.... I should stop going over there! At least I know it is going to be much better when all is said and done.

One week until we actually move in. Weird. Today the baby was supposed to be in school but I had to keep him home because he vomitted 3x (2x on me) last night. He of course, seems fine today but I didn't want to take any chances. Poor guy. But I don't have time for a stomach bug now! My poor baby.

Well, time for me to run over and see what the latest expense is over at my money pit. I'm so excited though! I have a new house!! Whoppee!

Signing my Life Away

2005-05-13T11:15:00.000-04:00

This morning we went and signed the papers to sell our house. The actual closing is on Monday but we don't have to be there. Amazing how matter-of-fact it all ends up being. I am only mildly nauseated over the whole thing and my breath is slowly coming back. Wow.

My big guy has been my comic relief lately. Yesterday we were having a "dispute" and he told me "That's Not Fair!" When I explained to him that life wasn't fair, he answered "Life Stinks." Very philosophical for a 4 year old I think.

Driving in the car the other day he was playing Dora the Explorer. Our babysitter was Dora, he was Boots and his brother was Swiper. When I questioned him about being Boots, he said "Mommy, (big sigh and rolling of the eyes) I'm only pretending to be Boots, I'm really Supergerky." Silly mommy. Oh, and I love that he taught his babysitter the words to the Dora theme song and the 2 of them were singing at top volume "Come On Dominoes, Everybody Let's Go.." (should of course be come on Vamanos).

Magician's vocabulary is getting a little more varied every day. Still just simple words for now though - up, out, mama, car, bye-bye, hi, baba, etc. Athough if his speech progresses anything like his walking did I fully expect to come home one day and he will be reciting the Gettysburg address or acting out Shakespeare in perfect rhythm.

I just need to get through the next 2 weeks.... I can't believe we close on MONDAY!

Murphy's Law

2005-05-11T14:45:00.000-04:00

So here we are, 5 days before the closing and I feel like I am living in the house from "The Money Pit" with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long, although with a house that is the fraction of the size (can probably fit 8 or 9 of my houses in their house), and with all the problems happening BEFORE we close! That's not the way it is supposed to work! For starters, the landscaping that we spent several thousand dollars on last November is dead. I don't mean a little wilted, I mean DEAD! The landscaper hasn't been returning my calls (of course) and the yard is OUT OF CONTROL! I have a 55 pound dog that I nearly lost in the backyard the other day - I couldn't see him through the overgrown lawn. And nevermind letting the baby go on the swingset! I'm afraid it would be like a scene from "Honey I shrunk the kids." (Let's see how many movie references I can get in this post). Hubby doesn't have time to mow the lawn either because he has been working around the clock - not on packing or this pesky little move thing either, but that's another story. So back to the money pit...

The towel bar in the master bathroom broke off. No, not just unglued and fell to the floor but BROKE taking a good chunk of the wall and the tile with it! Now I KNOW my buyers are planning to redo the bathroom anyway, but I don't know I just couldn't in good conscience leave the gaping hole there. So we busily retile, grout, caulk etc a tile wall that I will never benefit from and that won't be there for much longer anyway.

Then, we are getting ready to leave the house this weekend and I reach for the front door knob. Well, the knob pulls back easily enough but the door stays firmly in place. Yup, the knob broke off in my hand! Someone is playing with us for sure. I stand there with the knob in my hand looking around. I think I was expecting the Candid Camera people to jump out at me (ok, so it was a TV reference, but still a form of media so it still counts!). I am waiting now for the roof to cave in, the water pipe to explode, the floor to give way beneath me.. who knows. We just have to get through the next 5 days. Just 5 days.

Oh, and my 4 year old has informed me that he doesn't want to go. In pressing him a little further, I found out that he thinks that we would be living there with the family that lives there now! He is afraid that we are going to leave him there with this new family. Poor baby. He said "Mommy! I have a GREAT idea! Why don't we stay HERE with the new family?!" Yes, great idea, me, the hubby, our 2 boys, our au pair, dog cat, the new couple, their 3 children and who knows what pets. Guess we need to work on this one!

Rain Rain Go AWAY!

2005-05-06T16:08:00.000-04:00

AGAIN! It is supposed to rain tomorrow. This is the second time we tried to plan a garage sale and it rained. This week however, I have decided that we are going to do it rain or shine. I bought a cheap canopy at Target which I will set up on my lawn. I figure the goal here is to get rid of stuff, not really make a profit. So if I break even on the canopy, I'm a happy gal.

Lots more to talk about... but time is running short and I need to beat the rain to put out my signs. I'll try to update more soon.

Moving Right Along

2005-05-04T17:49:00.000-04:00

So it looks like we are finally set to move ahead. I can't believe the closing is a mere 12 days away. It was a bit touch and go there for awhile when my buyers and I both dug our heels in about the inspection issues. I won - mostly. I had to come up another $65 dollars but that's ok, it is still a victory for me. Now we are in the midst of furniture shopping and I am watching my savings dwindle to nothing. And we still have one completely empty room. I have absolutely no sense for colors and styles and such so you can only imagine what it will look like. I wanted to do one wall of the living room brick red. Just one wall. My designer and my husband pretty much vetoed that idea, and I handled it like any mature minded mother of two would handle this type of thing - I sulked in the corner and refused to give my opinion about anything else. I know my son would have liked it anyway.

I am getting so tired of living like a tornado has passed through my house. We can lose my youngest in the midst of the boxes! Luckily though, he has perfected his screech so there is no way to lose him for very long. He will not be underheard! And then the oldest likes to answer his screech as if they were birds talking to each other. Nothing like a little screeching to keep a party interesting. We are supposed to be having a garage sale on Saturday and that will hopefully help to get rid of some stuff. My mother is going to sell stuff then as well. With my luck, I won't sell anything and then not only will I have my stuff cluttering my house, but I will have HER stuff as well! It was supposed to be last Saturday but it was raining. We had several false starts - there are several families doing this garage sale thing at my urging and we collectively placed an ad. There were so many cars coming by, even in the rain, that at one point I found myself chasing cars down to see what they were looking for - Please! Take my crap! At one point though I had 5 perfect strangers standing in my garage and it just became too much for me. We decided to do it this weekend instead.

So the countdown has begun. All we can do now is keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Just Throw Money at It - It'll Go Away

2005-04-26T16:36:00.000-04:00

So the buyers of my house and I are still "negotiating" over inspection issues. If we all get through this unscathed it would be a true miracle. Apparently the ball is in my attorney's court right now. Still waiting to see how it all plays out.

In the meantime we picked out wood and colors and carpets for the new house. Oh yeah, and got the estimate! Yikes! I made the mistake of letting my 4 year old pick out the color for his room. He was adamant that it be red. Not a nice brick red or burgundy mind you, no, this had to be bright fire engine, blood red. Luckily the baby is not old enough yet to know what he wants so I chose a nice denim blue for his room. With all the "cosmetic" improvements we want to make on the house, I am going to have to take out a second mortgage to pay for it. That which doesn't kill us makes us poorer I say.

Our garage sale is scheduled for this Saturday. Unfortunately, this Saturday is supposed to hold thunderstorms. And I convinced 3 other families to get in on this with me. They should have known better. We have no rain date scheduled either. Oops. Hoepfully, the rain will hold off until later in the day. I am going to be selling a lot of Magician's baby things but I don't know, the thought of haggling over things that were so precious to him just disgusts me. I don't know how I am going to be able to sell those things. I am pretty sure at this point that my family is complete - but still... The maternity clothes on the other hand I have absolutely no problem getting rid of. Go figure.

Well, I'm not really in the mood to be witty today so I guess I will end this right here.

Oh The Stress!

2005-04-21T15:10:00.000-04:00

I don't think we are going to ever actually move into the new house because I think the stress of it all is going to cause me a nervous breakdown before we ever get there. My new home will be the institution they commit me to when I lose it!

First of all, my buyers... I told them they can send over people to do estimates as long as they give me some sort of advance notice. I'm sorry, calling me at work at 11:30 and telling me you have someone that can be there at 1:00 does NOT constitute advance notice in my book! This is the third time they did that. This time I WILL be there because they gave us the chimney estimate and it my response is ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!? So now today we will talk mold. But I will be the one asking the questions today. I am going to tell my attorney to tell them that we came down so much in our asking price that the chimney repair should be absorbed by that. I am dying to see how much the mold guy is going to tell us we need to spend.

Now my sellers.. I wrote about the setback thing before. Well they responded that they had the PERFECT solution. They were going to purchase an addendum to the title insurance that would cover the property that violates the line. When I pressed as to what this meant I found out that it meant that should anyone ever make me cut off that foot of the house, the expense incurred by doing so would be covered by the insurance. Um, for some reason this doesn't provide me with a heck of a lot of comfort. FIX THE PROBLEM! I then asked - when/if I try to sell the house some day, won't I have the same problem? Yep. My attorney said I can ask them to give me a credit for when I sell and have to cover the same thing - well, then won't my buyers ask for the same thing? It is a never ending cycle.

And finally, my attorney's office. I wrote about the suspect/suspect thing that was forwarded to the buyers. Today that same assistant told the buyer to send his requests to me directly - or cc me in his requests. Well, how uncomfortable am I now telling him that I don't want to cover the cost of the chimney! Isn't that why I hired an attorney? I have an idea! I'll just direct him to my blog. Then he can see how I really feel.

Ugh, I just want this ride to stop! I want to get off.

Incompetence Abounds

2005-04-18T20:10:00.000-04:00

First of all, the weekend was gorgeous and I did get quite a bit of outside time with the boys. It was really nice to back away from this whole move thing and focus on the really important things. However, one of the best parts of the weekend was meeting with our contractor to plan out what we are going to do in the new house. I am pretty jazzed about his idea for expanding my master bathroom. Originally we were going to have my cousin-in-law GC the project. Well, he was going to blow through the wall to expand the bathroom out away from the room. Oops, the wall that he was going to blow through is the wall to the stairway. That would have been one heck of step into the tub!! This contractor seemed to know what he was talking about.

We asked him to stop by our existing house to give an estimate on some of the things that our buyer wanted to be fixed. The first thing he saw was the electric wire - according to him only the INSULATION was frayed, not the wire itself. A conduit over the wire will fix the problem. Great. He looked at the chimney and started to laugh. Where the idiot inspector said there were bricks missing was actually and INSET in the design of the chimney. What a coincidence that the exact same brick was missing on all sides of the chimney. Finally he went into the attic and said it was dryer than the Sahara in there with no evidence of moisture or mold of any kind. And he said that ventilation was more than adequate. What a relief. So I sent our response this morning to our attorney who forwarded to the buyer.

Now here is the comical part. Our buyer responded at one part that the inspection report (yes, the same report that called my dog a "home security device") said that "suspect mold was present in the attic" and that he would have it tested. I responded that that was fine with me. I then responded separately to my attorney's assistant only that what I read said "suspect mold was present in the attic" - the same words, clearly a different meaning. The woman at the attorney's office actually forwarded that comment to the buyer, and all the realtors! Hello! That was not meant to be forwarded. It seems mightly hostile, don't ya think? Anyway, I will be happy when all that is settled.

Oh yeah, and the other incompetence - I ordered 2 oriental rugs, pretty expensive at that. Last week, I am pulling into the driveway and would you believe that UPS LEFT this very expensive rug in the middle of my driveway when no one was home??? They didn't give me a delivery date or anything. Just dumped it. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DRIVEWAY! What if it was stolen? What if it rained? What if it snowed? What if I ran over it with the car? What the heck were you thinking!! Incompetence.

Setback with the Setback

2005-04-14T15:48:00.000-04:00

So I think I mentioned yesterday that we were in the middle of moving hell. We got cc'd yesterday on a letter from my attorney to the seller's attorney that there was a "setback." Apparently, the house we are buying violates the setback line in terms of how close it is to our neighbors property by 1 foot in 2 places. I just got off the phone with my attorney asking what that meant and basically what he told me is that there is a chance that someone from the town can come over and make up chop a foot off the house!! He didn't seem to think this was a big deal, but I don't know, I'm kinda thinking we might actually NEED that foot to keep the house intact, no? Hopefully, they have gotten a variance from the town, or the house is grandfathered, or some other sort of "get out of chopping off the house free" card. We are supposed to close in a mere 5 weeks.

The flip side of the deal is that we are still waiting for the inspection report from our house. I want to see what the buyer is going to ask from us. Since part of the negotiation was a firm statmeent from him that he was NOT going to ask for anything during the process (in fact, he was not going to get an inspection at all, but was told that he could not get a mortgage without it), I am practicing my David Spade imitation - "no, marco pol-no, ready set no" etc. Still, the guy that inspected the house, who incidentally is the exact same guy that inpected the house when we bought it 7 years ago did make some pretty big observations, none of which I believe is accurate, BTW. He claimed that there was mold in the attic for example because there is no ventilation up there. Well, I am very allergic to mold and spent 2 hours up there going through all our belongings and had no problems whatsoever. Must have been the THREE vents up there that he said didn't exist. We'll see how that goes. Oh yeah, and did I mention the not quite legal because we didn't get the permit because when we went to apply for it the town wouldn't accept our drawings and wanted us to get architechtural drawings that there was no way we were going to do deck that we built? I don't know what the setback line is for my area but I'm hoping that it won't be a problem. I guess we'll see soon enough.

Ok, now I am going to go home for lunch and pack a box or so. I love that I work 4 miles from home. I am taking advantage of that as much as I can for the next 5 weeks. Then I will live about 9 miles from work. Oh, the hardship.

Welcome to my life

2005-04-13T13:44:00.000-04:00

Well, I finally decided to go ahead and start a blog. I won't pretend to have any idea what I want to talk about but it just seemed like a fun thing to do. You might wonder about the title of my blog. Me too frankly. Let's just say I have a 4 year old with a very active imagination and every so often he informs me that he is now "SuperGerky" and we are not to call him by any other name. During those times I am no longer "Mommy" but become "Number One Friend". At least I am number 1. I think I would be a little miffed if I was Number 837 friend. His little brother becomes "Sponge of Jail" but Sponge of Jail is usually a bad guy in this scenario and I just don't feel comfortable making my 16 month old a bad guy who throws everyone in jail. Magician is the name my husband calls him and it sort of stuck. "Gish" for short. So there you have it. SuperGerky and The Magician.

Our lives right now are a bit chaotic as we are in the midst of buying a house and selling a house and moving and all the fun stuff that comes along with that, but I'm sure I will get into all of that with future entries. Now I need to get back to work.