Shoe Friday #16

Kim's shoes.  I love Rampage shoes.  And these are a great color.

Introducing Googley Superhero Dude

And his side kick, a Leopard named, Sushi.

And the panda socks, they are essential.

What exactly his superpower is, we are still trying to figure that out.

DCMM: When Sick Isn't Sick

I got pulled out of a meeting recently with the note from my secretary every working mom dreads.  "Call Michael's school ASAP.  He is sick."  They had called my cell phone, which I left stupidly on my desk, and my work phone, and luckily called my secretary's number which is on my voice mail.  I ran out of the meeting, and before I even called the school, started packing up my office.  Laptop, check, work to bring home, check.

"Michael has a cold and is really whiney.  I think you should get him," the school secretary told me.

So I did.  Except when I got there he was smiling and happy and was acting like nothing was the matter.  He wanted to stay at school for lunch.  He wanted me to sit with him.  He wanted me to listen to the book the teacher was reading.  A cold?  I got called out of work for a cold?

Like any good lawyer would I did my research when I got home.  I looked through the preschool handbook.  A child needed to be picked up at school for a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea.  Says nothing about a cold.  Says nothing about whining.  He's three.  Aren't all three year olds whiney?

Gone are the days where preschool is just something fun for kids to do for a few hours.  For a lot of moms, hey, I would argue for most moms, preschool is also daycare.  To call them out of work for no reason disrupts so many lives.  Luckily I was not in a trial and my job is flexible, but still.

But what was I going to do?  Refuse to pick him up?  Leave when I saw that he was perfectly fine?  I even kept him home the following day because it was easier to just work from home rather than send him to school to get called out again. 

And I've learned my lesson to take my cell phone into meetings.

The Grumpy MeMe

I'm stealing this from Danielle.  I'm normally not so thrilled by MeMes, but to quote her, "it's greatness, I tell you!"

List Five T.V. shows that I will never watch – no, never.

1. Rachel Ray (she is just so annoying)

2. Jerry Springer (trash!)

3. The Hills (stupid, spoiled drama)

4. Anything Ann Coulter is on (she is only around so the Republicans can claim they are not sexist.  Token pretty girl talking head.)

5. Anything with Paris Hilton in it (why exactly is she famous?)


Five foods I HATE and refuse to eat.

1. Any Meat

2.  Chicken

3. Bananas

4. Peanut Butter

5. Sweet Breads

Five places I don’t have any interest in visiting.

1. Iran

2. Iraq

3. Afghanistan

4. Anywhere else there is currently a war

5. My old high school (why would I go back there?)


Five things people at work/in my family do to annoy me.

1. Passive Aggressiveness

2. Lying to cover up a mistake.  Just admit it.

3. Not doing your job

4. Laziness

5. '.Being unhappy about a situation and doing nothing to change it.


Five worst gifts you received.

1. 1 cereal bowl from our wedding registry.  1

2. Bad needlepoint with cheesy sayings.

3. Ugly dried flower arrangement.  As a wedding present.

4. Ugly Wedgewood china platter that I not only didn't register for, it was the exact opposite of something I would have registered for.  (Registries people, look at them.  Also, it was given to me by a recent bride and I'm convinced a regift.)

5.  Christmas Ornaments.  Still a Jew people.

The 3 Little Pigs in 4 Parts

My sister in law gave Michel an adorable puppet show for Christmas.  Since then Michael and Doug have been putting on shows for me.  Every time they do I wish I had a video camera.  (We don't own one.  Yes, we are terrible, awful parents.  Look, I barely ever take real, non iPhone pictures.  I would never use a video camera)  And then I remember I do own a REAL camera that has a video setting.  And by some miracle it was charged.  So look videos.  I'm like a real Mommy Blogger or something.

2 caveats.  This video is in 4 parts because my camera only videos for 30 seconds.  But you get the gist of the three little pigs story.  You miss some crucial parts though.  I can catch you up if you are confused.  And no, Michael is not wearing pants.  I do not know why.  He refuses to wear pants at home.  I don't understand it either. 

And now, presenting, the Jodifur family players.

puppet show 1 from Jodifur on Vimeo.
puppet show 2 from Jodifur on Vimeo.
puppet show 3 from Jodifur on Vimeo.
puppet show 4 from Jodifur on Vimeo.

Today, I Become A Grown Up

I am attending a parent teacher conference today.  In fact, I am attending TWO parent teacher conferences today.  Why an almost 4 year old needs TWO  parent teacher conferences is an entirely different conversation, but apparently he does.  And of course school is closed to do this.  And of course there is no child care.  And Doug wanted to attend, so my mother was mobilized.

I have to admit, I'm a little nervous.  What will they tell me about my child I don't already know?  Yes he is stubborn.  Yes he doesn't always listen.  In fact he rarely listens.  But he is also incredibly bright.  And eager to learn.  And eager to please. 

I want to know that Michael's teachers see him, that they "get" him.  I remember feeling in school, particularly in second grade, that my teacher didn't like me very much.  What a terrible year that was.  In fact she told my mom I "asked too many questions."  And I see that trait in Michael as well.  But isn't being inquisitive a good thing?

I suspect it would be unrealistic to expect 100% glowing reports.  And I really do love Michael's preschool although sometimes they can be a little too touchy feely for my tastes, like parent teacher conferences for 4 year olds, and talking to me about his bad day of not listening.

So, my husband and I are going to meet with my son's teachers.  Why does this make me feel more like an adult than buying a house, or getting married, or having a baby?  And why does the school not offer child care?  Don't we all have children?

Desperately Seeking Balance

As working moms, we all want the same thing, balance.  Time for ourselves, time for our jobs, time for our children, time for our spouses.  Actually, I don't even think you have to be a working mom, I think you just have to be a mom.  Or maybe even just a parent.

Balance is hard.  For me, when I get busy or stressed out, the first thing to go is my gym time.  And ironically that is the thing I need to the most.  To work out.  Working out for me is not just about losing weight or how I look, it's the whole mind/body thing.  I feel better when I work out.  It's my me time.  It's my hour to myself where no one bothers me.  And I really need to stop answering emails on the elliptical.  One downfall to the whole iPhone is my iPod thing. 

The same can be said about blogging.  Blogging is my therapy.  It's my time to say what I need and what I've been thinking about.  What I somehow can't tell my closest friends but I can tell the Internet.  Blogging keeps me sane.

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by BOCA.

Shoe Friday #15

Fellow MamaPoper Miss Banshee.

What Is There To Do At The Beach On A Cold Winter's Day?

We had a lovely long weekend. Even though it was cold and snowy, the beach yielded itself to a ton of indoor activities. We took Michael bumper bowling for the first time ever, and he had a blast. What could possibly be cooler than bowling shoes? 

Even with all the instruction in the world, he still insisted on kicking the bowling ball down the lane, which resulted in much laughing from everyone around us. 

And lying down to watch the very, very, very slow descent to the pins.

 

And I have to be honest, I suck at bowling. Which is ironic, since my father wanted to be a professional bowler. And both my parents bowled in leagues for years and are fabulous bowlers. I even went to BOWLING SCHOOL when I was little. Which really was just something you could do with your small child when you bowled but still, I should be good at it, it's in my genes. Bumper bowling on the other hand, I rocked at. Check out the score!

And then we played underwater themed indoor mini golf. Which I also happen to suck at.

But guess who got a hole in one and a free game of golf?

Yep, me. Totally rockin' the kids games.

I'm One Of The Few Who Have Not Mentioned The Inauguration

And It's not because it did not matter to me.  It did.  Oh it so did.  I've written about Obama here and here, and I believe this Inauguration was a long time coming.  In fact, I wanted him Inaugurated the day he was elected, or the day after, like they do in the British system.

We listened to the speech on the radio driving back from the beach, and as much as I would have liked to have seen it, listening to it felt right somehow.  It seemed old school, like FDR's fireside chats.  The speech was brilliant, everything we have come to expect from Obama's rhetoric.  And I loved that he did not deny that we had problems in this country, that not everything was Jim Dandy.  But he vowed to help be part of the solution.

After Michael went to bed I got on my elliptical and worked out to the video on CNN.  And watching it was just as moving as listening to it.  Tears mixed with the sweat on my cheeks and I no longer knew which was which.

I could not be prouder of my country, of my president. then I was at 12:10 p.m on January 20th, 2009 listening to Barack Obama take the oath of office as the 44th President of the United States.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

You can read the full text of the speech here.