Milkweed Hill...And Beyond

Will you be stimulated?

2008-05-10T10:34:00.007-04:00

Ernesto and I have had this back and forth on the whole "stimulus package" the government has set up and I am thinking it will have little, if any effect on the economy. I am predicting a brief rise in consumer spending and then back to the dreary status quo. Obviously I am no expert, and not even seasoned economists can say for sure what will happen and believe me, I would certainly like to see a positive outcome from this, but I don't think it bodes well.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still happily accepting this money, even though it is borrowed from ourselves and/or China, who we already owe about a trillion dollars to. Who cares, right? I'm guessing there are people who will make some purchases and lots of other people who will use the money to pay off debts, like all the oil bills incurred over the brutal winter, or some will stock it away to pay for gas for their cars. It ought to last a couple weeks, anyway. Ours is going to help pay for private school for our eldest. If we were good Americans, we'd use it for a vacation or a big TV or I could buy twenty pairs of really good shoes. I wish we could spend it on something really fun or lavish, but we've got a mortgage and three kids, so there you go.

How will you be stimulated this summer?

So good I took the time to write about it

2008-05-02T14:44:00.003-04:00

If you really appreciate good coffee like I do, then I know you aren't drinkin' Maxwell House. I'm always looking for a good deal on grounds and I saw this Ugly Mug on special at the local Shaw's and was suckered in by the good packaging and fair trade angle.

Can I just say- it's very, very good. I am enjoying some right now. No one paid me to say this. But anyone can feel free to do so. I gladly accept small and large bills. Or you can just send me some more of this coffee.

Girls' night out

2008-04-12T09:59:00.006-04:00

Sofia and I enjoyed a little time out Friday night, just the two of us. We got some tickets for Smucker's "Stars on Ice" in Manchester and originally I was going to bring David as well but he bowed out at the last minute. Actually, he didn't want to take a nap in the afternoon which I required that he do if he was going to stay up past his bedtime for the show. So I gave him the choice of watching men and women skating around to 80's music or skipping his nap, and of course, he chose the latter.

"I wasn't really that up for going, anyway," he confided. Like father, like son.

So it was just me and Sof. I was kind of excited because we don't do much alone together and being that she's the middle child, I think she really does need a little extra attention once in a while. She's not the oldest so she's not ever the first to do anything and she doesn't get fussed over the way the baby does. I was looking forward to spending some time just with her.

We both got all dressed up and drove over to the arena and we chatted happily the whole way (Sofia is a talker) and she was so excited and beside herself to be going out at night together. We crossed the street to the arena with all the other throngs of people and she exclaimed, "It's like all these people are our friends! Come on, gang!"and she waves the crowd onward.

We don't have to go too far to get to our seats once we're inside. I note that we are seated very close to both a bathroom and a concession stand. Excellent. No one is seated right near us and we have easy access to the aisles, just in case. We get there shortly before the show is about to begin and Sofia is pointing out all the interesting details of the arena as we wait, such as the ice, the lights, security guards and so on. She wriggles around in her seat excitedly and keeps clasping her hands together with anticipation and leans over to give me a hug. After the show begins and some of the stars come out for the opening number (skating fans- please do not be appalled that I don't know the names of these people. I recognized Sasha Cohen who seemed to be the lead "star" of the show since she was in a red sparkly dress unlike the other women who were all in white) Sofia is even more thrilled. With every leap and jump the skaters complete, she points and squeals with a "Did you see that?!" or a "Wow!! This is the best show ever!!" We get some snacks at the snack bar but we hurry back to our seats for she's afraid she'll miss something terrific. At one point she even leans over, sipping her lemonade and squeezes my arm whispering, "I'm so glad we came!" and of course I am swelling with joy and pride and thinking that this will be one of the memories she'll carry into adulthood- the time she and her mom went to the spectacular ice skating show together.

And then minutes later, as a skater is gliding across the ice to a sentimental number, Sofia turns to me and declares, "I'm bored of this."

I think I misheard her. "What did you say?"
Sofia, louder: "I'M BORED!"
"Well the next one might be more exciting. This song is kind of slow. Wait for one of the fast ones and I'll bet they'll do some great tricks."
"I want to see inside my Skittles. It's too dark in here to see inside my Skittles!" She's bitten into one of the candies and wants to see what color it is inside.
"It's just white, hon. That's all. Whoa! Did you see that move?"
"I'm tired. I want to go home now."

Oh man. And I was just getting into it.

It was well past her bed time and she picked a good time to want to leave, right at intermission. And of course there was the added benefit of not dealing with all the traffic leaving the parking garage at once. We held hands and walked back to the car together and I felt a little sad that we didn't make it the whole way but I asked her if she had a good time and she smiled up at me the way she does with her eyes squinted tight and said "Yes! Just us girls!".

I'm sure it won't be our last adventure out as just the girls. We'll have to see how it goes at the ballet. You know, like in another four years or so.

A very good year

2008-04-07T16:17:00.003-04:00

So I'm a week late in posting this (big surprise) and I don't even have any pictures to share because we *gasp* lost our camera a couple weeks back. How can that be, you ask? Because I must be the most organized person in the world, how could I have possibly misplaced an important item like that? Yes, well I've also been known to misplace a birth certificate or two so you can really only expect so much from me. I'm busy and very distracted most of the time. Speaking of being distracted...

...so what I wanted to mention is that my littlest screamer is now a one year old girl, as of the first of April. Like her older siblings, she wanted nothing to do with her birthday cake and acted as if we'd fed her dirt. Not clean sand or anything, because babies love to eat sand. No, just regular dirt. Dirt cake, if you will. Anyway, it was a happy celebration and I could not be more proud of my little girl. I give myself a little pat on the back, too, for helping her to get to this point. It's been a busy, but extremely good year.

And speaking of being busy, I haven't made much in the way of time for blogging. I have a new passion; running. I'm getting out whenever I can and logging more miles every week. I am easily in the best shape of my adult life and my stress levels are way down. I have stinky running shoes, but I think the benefits outweigh the negatives in this case.

So I've written several posts in my head, they just haven't made it all the way to the keyboard. Funny thing about running- it actually makes you go to bed at a reasonable hour. I seem to be following in my father's footsteps who also had difficulty making it through an evening tv show or movie without falling asleep. I actually spilled a glass of wine on myself in mid-doze a few weeks back. I guess Ernesto would have taken it out of my hand if he'd seen me nodding off...or would he? Hmm. I should go have a talk with him...

So all in all, it's been a good year. The kids are thriving, we all survived another New England winter and there are crocuses, daffodils and tulips coming up all over the yard. What more could I ask for? Maybe I will even find my camera somewhere in one of these melting "yard" bergs. Do I dare to dream?

Yes, this is Spring in New England

2008-03-19T12:28:00.002-04:00

I do not, nor have I ever understood the "one size fits all" mentality of chain stores when it comes to the timing of seasonal clothing displays. I get putting out the next season's items before the season actually arrives, but there is absolutely no good reason to stock a New Hampshire sales floor with sundresses in February. Exactly when is anyone around here supposed to wear these items? They are no good until June. And Easter dresses?? Well, they are absolutely adorable and I would love to put my 12 month old into a pink and purple sleeveless number with open-toed sandals to match but I would prefer she not get frostbite whilst we are searching for Easter eggs amongst the 5 foot high snowbanks. And sun hats. Yes, we will certainly be needing those and I'll make sure to get the ones with the grosgrain ribbons to tie them under the girls' chins so they don't blow away into the upper atmosphere when the 40 mph winds kick in.

I love the thought of a warm, dewy Easter morning, but when I have that vision it almost always takes place in the deep South where the mercury might be just a wee bit higher than here. You know, a scene like the one in "Steel Magnolias" with all the fair haired children running amok down a rolling TruChem green lawn in their summer whites and pale blues. Then there are my kids in their shabby, road-salt smeared winter coats and too tight snow boots. Just darling!

I am going to design a more suitable line of clothing for us Nor'eastern folks that seasonally appropriate, but still Spring-like. Perhaps for the girls a long sleeved fleece gown and for the boys a woolen suit coat. You know, kind of like what they wear at Christmas time but in Spring colors. Sounds terrific, doesn't it?

I don't really care about this at all, though, because come snow, rain, wind or sleet, (most likely all four) this Sunday I am going on an all out chocolate peanut butter delight fest and there is nothing to that can ruin it for me. I will just have to remember to remove my white lace gloves before I dip into the goods.

when muppets indulge in too much "craic"

2008-03-17T07:48:00.004-04:00

Thanks to my friend Jemi for sending this to me this morning. It's just the kind of thing that makes complete sense before I've downed my first cup of joe. And really, this is the only way this song should ever be performed, anyway.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Bella's Theme

2008-03-02T11:30:00.005-05:00

Kids sure do grow quickly. They smile, they learn to sit up, crawl and then before you know it they're walking.

And then they learn to rock.

Please don't listen to me

2008-02-16T20:38:00.007-05:00

Everyone knows you have to watch what you say around little kids. They can pick up words or phrases in an instant and then you spend the next few months locked inside your home, foregoing social visits, hoping they'll magically forget the new vocabulary.

We've been very fortunate in this regard. Not once have I ever heard one of my children use a curse word and about the meanest insult they can come up with is "stupid head", which of course is not very nice, but at least it's not profanity and I've only heard them call each other that once or twice at most.

Now of course I don't do much in the way of swearing. Anymore. I'm not proud to admit that I used to swear on a pretty much daily basis. Not like in a Jay and Silent Bob film, but still enough for it to be tricky to cut out using these words altogether. Well, mostly. On occasion if I am frightened (like someone is about to swerve into my lane while I'm driving) or I do something stupid (like drop several dishes on the floor at once) I will let one fly, then quickly cover my mouth as if that will help to keep young ears from hearing it. But generally I do pretty well, and I've got lots of new phrases that I use in place of the old ones that are nearly just as satisfying. Feel free to use any of these if you aren't already:

"Awww sugar snaps!!"
"Cheese and rice!"
"Son of a motherless goat!"
(and my personal favorite) "Mother pus-bucket!"

Now, that last one sounds bad, I know, but there really isn't anything profane in that expression. It's just kind of gross. But it's very satisfying to say.

A few days ago I was taking this kids out on some errand and I had forgotten I was listening to a mixed CD the last time I had been out by myself in the car. None of the music was racy, but I had completely forgotten that the singer lets rip one expletive, clear as day and just as I remembered the lyric that was about to come up, well, it was too late. I cringed, looked back at the kids who were looking out the windows and waited. I thought David might ask, "What did he say, mommy?" or something to that effect, but neither of them seemed to notice. Bullet dodged.

But even though that one got past them, most of what the kids hear does not go unnoticed. They are picking up other choice phrases, as was demonstrated the other day when Sofia was annoyed with her big brother and called out to the heavens an exasperated, "OH, for the love of GOD!"

I cannot imagine where she got that from.

And some things they seem to pick up by osmosis. Earlier in the week I was reading the kids some stories and they were making up funny names for characters in the book and after listing several cute ones, David blurts out, "Rudy Giuliani!"

I laugh and ask, "Do you know who that is?"
He shrugs and says, "Um...he wants to president?"
"Yes, but he won't."
"Oh, is he a candidate, then?" he inquires, all conversational like.
"Well, he was..."
and without missing a beat, Sofia chimes in with, "But Isobel voted for Mike Huckabee, ya know!"

We all pause and look down at Isobel who is drooling and chewing on Barbie's pointy foot. She smiles.

This is the sort of thing that results from living in NH. No child can escape from the political process.

Ya know.

A quick run through February

2008-02-12T10:57:00.000-05:00

It seemed like only a few days since my last post, but clearly time has gotten away from me yet again. This shortest month (which is longer than usual thanks to the leap year) is actually going by rather quickly. I mean, March is actually within sight! Let's not kid ourselves that spring will arrive next month because that has just never, ever happened. Not in this neck of the woods, anyway. Still, it's on its way, slowly but surely.

So to catch you all up to speed I've been busy with a 5 year old who has just discovered comic books (oh yay! Another thing to collect!), a 3 year old who has already mastered the art of shooting "dirty looks" at her mother when she is displeased and a 10 month old who is now a full-on walker, officially a "toddler", really, who also likes to collect socks and eat paper.

When I'm not busy with them, I'm escaping to the gym to run, but not quite as far as this guy. I guess I am officially married to an athlete. I don't know how anyone is able to smile after running that far. It would be all I could do not to puke on my shoes. Oh and yes, the kids and I are VERY proud of him!

And of course, since life isn't crazy enough, I have yet again given up chocolate for Lent. Those who know me, know this is indeed a sacrifice. But then come Easter I will gorge myself silly on peanut butter cups and will again return to my old, sweet self. And no doubt I will need to add an additional 12 miles a week to my routine to make up for all the chocolate. It will be soooo worth it.

Extreme Makeover revealed in Manchester

2008-01-28T10:57:00.000-05:00

If you remember this past fall, I got a glimpse of Ty Pennington as I was picking up drive-thru with the kids. Well, they built a new home for a fellow Manchester family and last night it was revealed on the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition show. I don't normally watch the show but of course I couldn't resist watching this one, since these folks live mere minutes from here. Also, I nearly crashed my car on the highway, craning my neck to see the Christmas light display this 3-story home had this past season. Nearly the entire home was outlined in white lights. Pretty cool.

Anyway, I was struck by how long this show was and how much crying goes on in it. Understandable, of course, considering the circumstances. I would be crying all the time if I lost my home to a flood or any other disaster, and crying even more if someone came to build me a new one.

During the show, one of the designer's brought up a good point about communities. He essentially said we are all responsible for making sure that the people we share our town with are taken care of, that we all do something to help out. This came more sharply into focus when a local news story covering the makeover pointed out that the local city food bank had been asked for donations for the people working on the house to which the food bank workers essentially replied that their supplies were depleted enough as it was. Even so, I do believe they still made a contribution. Made me think we need to be doing a little more here in town to help out on a regular basis.

Cool to finally see the interior of the finished home. Very neat, indeed. I don't know why that designer was so worked up about getting those circles on the ceiling in the family room. Whose going to have to dust those blasted things??

Fun family stuff

2008-01-24T13:37:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to link to these sites that I think are really great for young kids. If you've got a beginner reader in the house and want a fun and easy to follow online activity for him/her, check out Starfall which has gone over well with both my kids. If they struggle with a word, they only need to click on it to hear it sounded out. It makes a great substitute for your usual phonics lesson if you happen to be homeschooling, or if you've got the kids stuck at home on a snow day. If you are clever enough they won't even realize they are learning anything! Be sure to click on the characters in the stories to make them do silly things.

I'm sure there are other sites like this, but this is one of our favorites when we want to learn about animals. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has live web cams of otters, fish and other creatures that live in and around the Bay. Of course they are on Pacific time, so their cams aren't up and running until around 10AM out here. Which of course turns into a good lesson on time zones for the wee ones. Thanks to my mom who first turned us on to this one.

Also, I wanted to mention that I bought this strategy game called Blokus for the family for Christmas. So far we have only all sat down together once to actually play it and Sofia got distracted by the end, but I think this is a great game for families of kids ages 5 and up. And kids as young as Sofia can still make cool patterns with the pieces on the board. It is sometimes a challenge to keep those pieces out of the baby's mouth, however.

Hope you're all staying warm this week...

"That's one step for baby..."

2008-01-19T10:33:00.000-05:00

Isobel took her first few steps this past Thursday morning. I tried, pretty unsuccessfully, to get some good video footage of this milestone in action. Here I managed to shoot a few seconds her taking just a couple little steps and of course I didn't even get her feet in the frame. Oh well.

Note that even after three children I still use that high voice that gives people a headache and makes dogs' ears prick up. My first thought was, wow, do I really sound like that?

Anyway, she's been taking as many as four steps at a time before she either falls or decides she's had enough. It must be pretty exhausting work, all this learning to walk. You would think it would help her to sleep better...

Oh Rats!

2008-01-16T15:46:00.001-05:00

The kids and I were headed home from the store this afternoon and while listening to the radio we heard the DJ commenting on a story about how a 2000 lb. rodent fossil was just discovered. I looked into the rear mirror to see David's jaw just about drop to the floor. He's really interested in this sort of thing (ok, what isn't a five year old boy interested in, except "girly" things and cleaning up after himself?) and he was very impressed with the news story. He was taking it all in and it was very quiet in the car. Then he slowly uttered a single word:

"Ratzilla."

At any rate, this one's certainly got the ROUS's beat.

Miles to go before he poops

2008-01-11T19:42:00.000-05:00

Today the kids and I were enjoying the album, "For the Kids Three" I won over at Phil's blog a while back. David and Sofia have enjoyed it immensely and today I was reminded of my nephew Miles when I listened to "The Poopsmith Song". He's well on his way to complete potty training, but as you can imagine he's had a few stumbles here and there, and um, everywhere.

We know you'll get there, buddy, even if your poor parents have to reupholster the entire house. This one's for you Miley!

Primary teeth

2008-01-09T13:04:00.000-05:00

Isobel celebrated her very first NH primary election by cutting her very first tooth. What amazing timing she has. See, even at 9 mos. she has a wicked keen sense of humor.

David and Sofia marked the occasion by having their own mock election here at home. Sofia circled two names on her ballot so I guess her vote would have been thrown out if it weren't for the fact that I'm her mom and I get to make up the election rules. "Everybody's a winner!" I declared since all three of us had voted for different candidates. And I allowed them to vote in both the Republican and Democratic races, but like I said, I make the rules here!

I took David with me to the polls last night and he got to experience standing in line for fifteen minutes. "See? Isn't voting fun?" I asked him. He rolled his eyes. He did like putting the ballot in the electronic ballot sucker. He wanted to know what that other, even longer line was for.

"Those are the people who haven't registered yet."
"Why didn't they register yet?"
"Maybe they thought it would be fun to wait in line, too."

Anyway, easily the biggest turnout I have ever seen. Glad to see people getting out there to vote, cutting their Primary teeth.

Buried treasure

2008-01-07T15:18:00.001-05:00

Leave it to us to start the new year off with an impromptu home project. Ever since we moved into this house almost two years ago I've been threatening to "pull up the carpet" in the living room. The carpet was fine and in fairly new condition. It didn't match the carpeting in the rest of the house and I really just wanted one room with a wood floor. I know it may sound strange, but walking across a wood floor in my bare feet reminds me of my childhood, or at least my childhood home. Also I like the practicality of wiping up spills easily and not having to haul out the carpet stain remover every other day. Or every other hour, depending on kind of day we're having.

So yesterday Ernesto was trying to find the spot in the carpet where an old cable had been pulled up through the floor. We had removed the unused cable when we moved into the house making the hole in the carpet difficult to find. but now Ernesto wanted to run some speaker wires up through it from the stereo below in the family room.

"Well, you could always pull up the carpet," I offered, shrugging. I was quite unprepared for him to agree to do it this time.

"You have to live with whatever is under here, though," he warned me.

We decided to go for it and several hours later we had the job completed (um, Ernesto had the job completed- I had to deal with the kids) and a new (to us) wood floor was laid out before us.

Needless to say it's not in pristine shape, though the area in the center of the room where a rug most likely laid for many years was in near to perfect shape. There are scratches, worn and darkened spots and now lots of little nail holes to fill, and it will certainly need to be refinished as soon as the time and/or money presents itself to get the job done. But I love the look of it and I was thrilled with the herringbone details along the border. Someone went to a great deal of trouble to make this floor unique and I'm so happy we've uncovered it.

And most importantly the kids and I can now take our "socks skating" tournaments out of the kitchen into a larger rink. That is probably a post for another day...

A ruckus of a caucus

2008-01-04T09:03:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed watching the Iowa caucus coverage last night and I actually feel like there could be some presidential-worthy candidates in the race. Imagine that!

But in the past months with all this talk about rebuilding our great nation, bringing an end to division, starting on a new path, not one, not ONE candidate has tackled the real issues that matter most to me. They all claim that if they are elected president they will make a real effort to meet the needs of all the "ordinary" people. And on no occasion have I heard one of them make mention of these crucial issues, that will for me, at least, either seal or kill the deal. Here's what I'm talking about:

* Who among these candidates is willing to get up at 4 in the morning each day and change my baby's leaky diaper? I have thus far heard no mention of how each of them intend to tackle this on-going issue. What a mess.

*Who is going to baby-proof this house? If I cannot have secure borders within my own home and the baby is able to just sneak on up the stairs without anyone taking any notice at all, well, I just don't know what that says about our government. Unbelievable.

*What about the budget?? I mean, have you seen my grocery bill lately? Completely out of control! Who, tell me WHO is supposed to pay for all this cheese???

*Oil prices are completely out of control. I want whomever is elected president to personally come and lug in and chop up all this firewood because I am NOT turning up that thermostat, do you hear me? I'm tired of having to wear a sweater all the time!!

*Lastly, this next president needs to help create better paying jobs. This is ridiculous. I've been in this position almost six years now and I have not seen a single paycheck. How am I supposed to live like this??

For all their talk and promise making, I just don't know how these issues have yet to be addressed. Now the race is on here in NH and the next time one of these campaigners drops by the house, which could be any minute now, I'm going to give them what-for.

And probably a cookie.

Happy Belated Christmas!

2007-12-31T11:01:00.001-05:00

Isobel Opens Her Stocking
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

Yes, I've been stuck in the time warp that is the Christmas season...preparing for the big day, traveling, cleaning up the aftermath of the big day, dismantling the Christmas decorations and so on and so forth...

Well, the house is finally clean, things are mostly put away and the children are enjoying more than enough toys and books, puzzles and games and all things good. They have played quietly together for more hours than I could have ever dreamed. We're all getting a break from school but as ever, still learning.

This Christmas was really nice. I was very anxious during the days leading up to it, as I usually am, and then a couple days prior this calm overtook me and I felt great. I enjoyed visiting with family and friends and relaxed. And I am more than ever convinced now that a phony Christmas tree might be the way to go. I would be breaking with a long held tradition of a fresh fir or other evergreen each year, but heck, even my own mother has a pre-lit, store bought beauty that honestly, is pretty darn spectacular looking. So I'm not a purist. Who knew. It's just that I'm still sweeping up needles from last year's tree and that's not for lack of sweeping on my part.

Anyway, here is a pic from Isobel's first Christmas ever. I think she had herself a merry old time.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

December break down

2007-12-19T17:42:00.000-05:00

Seems like lately things have been falling apart on me. It's funny, but I had a dream in which a broke a big mirror and someone reminded me that was bad luck, and since everything I touch seems to fall apart. Of course I also dreamed I was a martial arts expert and could beat up bad guys with a flick of my wrist. So needless to say my dreams don't usually come true.

So first the lights on the tree stopped working and I had to replace them. Now half of the lights on the new strand are out as well. Do you think I'll replace these as well? Hell no! If the tree wants to be all moody like that it's fine with me.

Then my windshield wiper broke. No big deal.

Now the washing machine is broken. REALLY broken. Broken to the point of "it will cost over $400 to fix this" broken. And I got to shell out seventy bucks for the privilege of having a surly man tell me that. But hey, when it gets too cold outside for the kids to play in the snow they can just sled down the growing mountain of laundry in my basement. It's soft and warm, if not a little covered in baby spittle. See, I can always find the silver lining, I just have to dig down really deep.

On a much brighter note, my mom came to visit and cooked us a fabulous meal as she always does upon arrival and then the next night Ernesto and I got to go out for another fabulous meal while she watched the kiddos. A couple glasses of wine and some foie gras can really help you forget about all the dirty laundry you'll have to do on Christmas Eve.

A pleasing paralysis

2007-12-16T22:25:00.000-05:00

What better way to spend a Sunday blizzard than to sit inside in front of a warm fire, drinking wine with your neighbors while snacking on homemade brownies? Well that's what I did. I could have spent the day shopping and freaking out about how much I have left to do before Christmas but instead I looked out the window, realized I wasn't stepping foot outside all day and resolved myself to a day of leisure. I played with the kids, did some baking, drank some wine, watched some science program, drank some more wine...hmmm. I forget what else I did after that. Perhaps I need some more wine.

Being house bound isn't so bad when you've got the right elements at hand. If only every day were a snow day.

When it rains, it pours...

2007-12-13T15:09:00.000-05:00

...and when your washing machine is broken you can pretty much count on your cat to accidentally get trapped in the family room and have a raging case of the runs all over the couch, leaving you unable to wash the cushion covers.

David discovered the mess first, declaring that the baby had "pooped on the couch". I'm generally pretty good about keeping a diaper on Isobel so I was certain it wasn't baby poop he'd found.

Anyway, it was pretty gross. And then we discovered more of it, in other places. All in all, not a pleasant ending to the day.

Then today I re-strung a new set of lights on the tree since the set we've had for over six years finally decided to die two weeks after we put them on the tree. It's really hard to take lights off a tree without removing all the ornaments in the process. And knocking the tree down. Yes, it's been a banner couple of days.

On the bright side I've taught the kids to sing the "Twelve Days of Christmas" and they are doing splendidly. They make up their own lyrics, like most people tend to do. I overheard something about "Five golden big butts" and "Three French doofus heads" or something similar.

We are all doing our part here in the Burden household to make Christmas just a little bit brighter.

Tough day at work

2007-11-29T20:26:00.000-05:00

Today was rough.

It started out rough, was tough through the middle and didn't get any easier by the end. Most of my days with the kids have highs and lows throughout, but it's been a while since the whole day was just off.

Well, I take that back. We received "The Sword in the Stone" through Netflix today and the kids really enjoyed it. I don't remember ever seeing the whole thing, though parts of it were familiar so I most likely had seen it with my nephews when they were little. As David pointed out, though, it really should be called "The Wacky Adventures of Little Arthur and Merlin" because they mostly just romp around in various animal forms throughout the film and little Arthur doesn't yank old Excalibur until the end of the film. It was cute though, and held Sofia's attention and she's pretty critical of TV and movies in general.

But the rest of the day was like the world was whirling all around me and I was trying to run through molasses. I couldn't keep up with anything, couldn't motivate, couldn't keep my train of thought for more than a minute. Isobel is up frequently during the night and she is only napping in 15-20 minute sessions. Also, she has learned to crawl, stand and climb up a couple stairs, all in the last week, so her little baby world has exploded and no doubt she is going through quite a time. She also won't lie still to let me change her diaper or clothes, so she and I have little patience for one another right now. Despite this difficult stage I am just as smitten as ever with her, so I don't know why I am even complaining about it. With David and Sofia I was always so anxious for them to reach that next developmental stage but I would like Isobel to slow down, even go back a few paces if she could. Not because I don't want to see her grow and change, but because I feel like time slips by too quickly and I can't savor these days enough.

Well, not this day, though. This day can kiss my big butt. I'm glad it's almost over. I'm happy we all got through it, but I'm happy to put it to bed. I'm hoping to wake with renewed energy and enthusiasm and a positive outlook on the day.

Okay, I'll just be happy if I don't get more than six ounces of spit-up on me and that I get to use the bathroom by myself, just once. That would be a really swell day.

Little geeks in the making

2007-11-27T19:56:00.000-05:00

I have implemented a daily ritual since beginning homeschooling with the kids and that's our "word of the day". Every day I either think up, or look up a word that the kids wouldn't necessarily learn through day to day life. Some of the words are useful and some are less so. Some are hard to pronounce and they aren't likely to remember them, even though I try and find ways to use the word throughout the day. I'm just trying to give them some idea of how immense the English language is. How you could study a new word everyday and still not learn them all.

I was wondering yesterday if it was a silly thing for me to be doing, but then I overheard Sofia say to Isobel's lullaby Glow Worm toy, "You're just a somniferous little bed time toy, aren't you little guy?" and she had him respond in her best Glow Worm voice (which is similar to a Gremlin's) "I sure am!!"

Well I'll be.

It's not that my preschooler is using the word "somniferous" in a sentence. It's the pure shock of learning that once in a while my kids actually listen to me.

Prodigious, isn't it?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T09:20:00.001-05:00

bucket o' baby
Originally uploaded by Ernesto and Kristen Burden.

Put on your best pilgrim hat and enjoy the day! God bless you all!

The secret lives of boys and why I hate doing laundry

2007-11-15T17:05:00.001-05:00

Still working through this blasted cold. Baby's got it, kids both had it and now seem to have another one. Hoping and praying this is not a foreshadowing of the upcoming winter season. And today I did laundry and little else. Lots and lots of laundry. I'm not certain where it all came from and I'm pretty sure half of every pair of Isobel's socks fell through some worm hole in the space/time continuum and may have ended up in someone else's washing machine. If you happen to find an assortment of mismatched pink, purple and otherwise very girlie baby socks, they might belong to us.

On a high note, last weekend I reunited with my long lost childhood pal John and his lovely wife Michelle. We met through my cousin Mike when we were wee little children, growing up on the mean streets of pseudo rural Massachusetts. Because my parents always sent me over to my aunt's house (my aunt had two boys and no daughters at the time, so I think she was ok with it) I was always surrounded by my two cousins and their friends. So essentially it was me and a bunch of boys. But Mike and John were fun and always included me in their play or discussions, even if I wasn't up for Dungeons and Dragons or engaging in their "Star Wars" debates. Mostly I was just happy to hang out- a change of pace from my two older sisters. I got an inside glimpse into the life of boys. I learned that they aren't very mysterious and they won't let you win at anything, just because you are a girl. But they WILL insist on being the hero and rescue you during a re-enactment of an episode from "The Hulk".

Well, John and I are no longer kids and it's nice to see that our adult selves aren't too old and crabby just yet, and our memories are not so riddled with holes that we can't reminisce properly. Ernesto, the kids and I all had a great time visiting with them and can't wait to do it again. I meant to write about this sooner but with all the noses to wipe and laundry to do I didn't get to it when I would have liked. Both John and Ernesto beat me to the punch.

And since I haven't give her a plug in a while, Isobel is now crawling with great might and swiftness which means the house is officially unsafe. She has also whacked her noggin on more than one wall or bookshelf or something hard during her newly discovered mobility. I am considering buying her one of these for Christmas.

I know. I'm a terrible mother.