Thursday, March 31, 2011

Keep Shining

Tomorrow is our last day of skiing. Dan and I are skiing all day with Shef. Do you have any concept of what this means?

It means tree trails and jumps and moguls and other things that thirty-somethings ought not do.

Assuming we're still alive at the end of the day, I'll post a pic of our adventure to begin the APRIL IMAGES CHALLENGE.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Hey, So

Another day, another blog. I'm pretty sure it's time for an APRIL BLOGGING CHALLENGE.

Blogging BFF Lee proposed an idea I think I want to try. I'm assuming she still wants to do it, but I can't be sure.

The challenge idea is about IMAGES. This is really mostly going to be a challenge for me, as I'm wont to go weeks without posting a picture, illustration, video, or other item of visual interest. Other bloggers like Lee take beautiful pictures and draw compelling illustrations on their iPads. I suck at doing these things, but I'm determined to improve.

I think the rules will be that you have to blog most days and post an image each day? Is that right??

I really want to do well in the challenge. I have a persistent need for success, praise, and encouragement. This is a flaw, but it's a flaw I've embraced.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Baby In The Corner

I just realized I vowed to blog every day on Spring Break, and now I'm stuck and I have to do it.

Luckily, I've just finished my hundreth viewing of High School Musical 2, so I can mention right here that I know a ridiculous amount of information about this "film."

One time, I saw a special version on The Disney Channel with helpful pop-up insider information. Need-to-know facts like "Bet On It" was the favorite song of the cast. Also Taylor McKessie didn't know how to swim, but she had to learn in order to jump into the pool in the last scene, even though that particular part didn't make the final cut.

I've also watched every single behind-the-scenes learning-the-dances featurettes, which is how I know that Zac and Ashley worked the moves out together for their "Music in Me" number. I also know that the confetti cannons could only fire once during the filming of that number, so they had to get that part right on the first try.

I've also read the Wikipedia and IMDB pages for additional trivia information, so I know that director Kenny Ortega burst into tears during the filming of the final dance number "All For One" because the cast had reached such an amazing level of excellence. They also had to hurry up with that dance number because it was getting dark. You can even see the shadows advancing over the mountains in the background.

I think we can all agree that I know an exceptional amount of information about High School Musical 2.

When Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure gets released on April 19th to DVD, I'll probably memorize it learn the dance moves. I may also get a Yorkie to match Sharpay.

Monday, March 28, 2011

ZOMG

Mac had his first day on skis yesterday in this little thing called the Micro Mouse program.

He had a miserable day at day care by all accounts EXCEPT for when he was a Micro Mouse:



Today he refused to do the program, but he only cried a little bit in the morning. He also did not run into my arms with tears in his eyes at the end of the day proclaiming, "Mom, I have been missing you a LOT!"

Instead he announced proudly to Dan, "I had fun at my school!" Great, Mac!

The moral of the story is: you can never tell with a 2-3 year-old. You just have to take it an hour at a time.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Turn the Radio Up

I am going to blog every day of spring break. So here I am. It's the first night of our vacation in Vail, and I'm blogging.

Here's what I learned today: Shef is almost a better skier than I am. For sure, he's already better at moguls.

Dan took this video to prove it. Shef is in the middle of the frame, above the snowboarder who is also in the middle. You might have to watch it twice to really see where he is. When you figure it out, you'll probably be impressed.



I'm so lucky there's no video of me doing this same run.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Hot Time In The Old Town




I don't know how Mac got the idea to do this pose or where he's seen it before, but it's probably something to do with having an older brother.

Having an almost-seven-year-old brother is also the reason I had to explain how Mac knows "California Gurls" by Katy Perry when I was at his conference last week.

"He has a really good ear," his teacher told me. "He sings songs he must know from the radio?" And immediately I pictured him doing his "bikinis on top" number during Montessori work cycle.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Still More Blog

Today, my friend Elizabeth and I gave a presentation to the teachers at school. I think we did a pretty good job. I mean, only maybe five or six people were grading papers during our presentation, and no one asked any mean-spirited questions.

Later, I taught Shef how to ride his bike and also made enchiladas.

Mom of the Year, or what?

Monday, March 14, 2011

More Blog

Here's a little story from the other day:

"Mom," Shef asked, "when they say 'take it in the nuts' does that mean the penis or the butt?"

And that's how I got to explain about the scrotum and testicles.

"OH!" Shef said, after several clarifying questions. "It's the BALLS!"

You got it, kid. It's the balls.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Slacks

Last night, our mother-daughter book club went to hear Gail Collins in celebration of International Women's Day. Gail wrote a cool book about the women's movement, which I will now read.

During her talk, Gail mentioned that almost every woman she knows who was working outside the home in the 1970s has a "slacks story" - sometime when she was yelled at or not taken seriously because she wore pants in public. My mom is about Gail's age, and she was nodding along knowingly during this portion of the talk, which I found ironic.

I found this ironic because she sent me to an all-girls school where there were very strict wardrobe restrictions. There were uniforms. Uniforms with knee-length pleated skirts (no more than two-inches above the knee! They measured!) and boxy button-downs and v-neck monogrammed sweater vests.

"Mom!" I said. "You sent me to a school where I wasn't allowed to wear slacks in the NINETIES!"

"I know!" she laughed.

Hahaha! That was feminism at its finest. Especially when the head of the upper school lectured us ladies about the honor and privilege of taking one's husband's last name.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Mundanery

Well, here I am again with nothing much to say.

The kids' latest favorite television show is Dinosaur Train. In the show, a family of pteranodons (I think these used to be called pterodactyls. What's up with that?) rides around on a train meeting other types of dinosaurs. The family has adopted a sunny little T-Rex named Buddy. Buddy hangs out peacefully with his sibs talking about how he likes meat, while the rest of his family likes fish.

"I have sharp teeth!" Buddy exclaims from time to time.

"I don't have any teeth!" says his sister Tiny.

Dan and I think the whole dynamic is hilarious. Of course, Buddy should be eating Tiny and the whole family. We make up our own little dialogues about this when the kids are out of earshot.

"Of course, when I grow up, I'm going to eat you, Tiny!!"

Apparently that's all we need for entertainment around here. It doesn't take much.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Back in the Saddle

It's time for me to start blogging more again. I vow not to be deterred by the fact that I have nothing to say and no contests to run and no blogging challenges in which to participate.

I'm going to force myself to think of something to say, and I'm going to say it. Here goes:

I planned a lesson on Langston Hughes today, and the kids in Mass Media were pretty productive. Later, I returned library books and had a dinner by myself at Bruegger's. One problem is that I can't find a book that Mac checked out called Danny is Done With Diapers. It's a crazy book with pictures of kids pooping in potties. And we can't find it. I'll die if I have to pay for that book.

Good times; good times.

I bet you're really glad you read that. Tomorrow's blog might be better.