camping

Grampa Les and Nana Carrie took the kids camping last weekend. The first time any of the kids has spent the night away (yeah, six years and we're still not ready to vacation without them). They had the best time ever- as you can see from the Joy of S'mores photo.

too tight

So, here's this shirt that I REALLY REALLY want but i know when it arrives I'd just force it over my belly and stretch it all out because some people have patience and i just do not. I do not wait for sales or, go home and *think about it*. If I love it, I buy it. So, this is a problem for several reasons- I don't look at the price, I don't budget, I don't comparison shop, I haven't used a coupon since...ever, I don't recall the price of things in my head so that when you say "that's a cute hat" I can say "3.50 at the thrift store or $350 at Nordstrom." I usually know which store it came from (because I never go to Nordstrom or the mall and it helps that I haven't been inside a store other than a thrift store in like, 8 months, except in Paris). So, chances are...it's from the thrift store or from Etsy. The other problem with me not being able to get this shirt right now ("Daddy, I want a goose that lays GOLDEN eggs!") is that I'm crafty and make things for myself and I'm tempted to just write the phrase on one of my huge maternity shirts with a sharpie...but somehow I don't think it would have the same effect. I can just see us all at Trader Joes me...pregnant and sweaty trying to keep track of what organic goodies are going into the three mini-carts the kids are all pushing...and I'm wearing a shirt with a furiously scribbled "I hate children" on it. No. It's just not the same as the innocent shoppers smiling at me and my adorable brood, striking up a conversation and then taking a closer look at my sweetly embriordered shirt and I get to see their horrified faces. That would be much more fun.

I guess i'll have to *sigh* wait.

So, yeah, i don't price stuff, it's a flaw. But i'm KINDA thrifty cause i really don't go to the mall, or target, and if i must shop i try to go to a little local business, we don't use paper towels (much to the frustration of all our visitors), have never ever paid for cable TV, don't buy garbage bags (we use grocery bags and minimize trash), don't buy much individually packaged food stuffs, the kids don't wear bibs, (this is a really cheap thing i do- slightly embarrassing because i used to be a waitress and would be so ticked if someone did this at my table) me and the kids go to Bennigans for lunch and i order the monte cristo and 4 glasses of water- the kids occupy themselves with moving around the ketchup, sprinkling salt & pepper around the area, and 3 sets of crayons and puzzle menu that our waitress has so kindly provided, they drink from their hard-to-assemble-with-lid children's cup (which they do not need- even Sloane can drink well from a glass) and need refills. Then we all split the monte cristo sandwich and fries, "3 extra plates and mustard, please". Which amounts to a TOTALLY not healthy, oh so irresistible, filling lunch for the 4 of us at less than $10!
Because I am not cheap i do leave a big fat tip. It would just be wasteful to order more food, kids meals or something- I find they are usually a waste. It's much better to split the american sized meal for 'one adult'.
So that's my inconsistent money policy- but I'm sure it all balances out and i know i shop less WAY WAY less than most people i know...but more frequently than my Dad. He hasn't been to store (other than home depot) in the last 12 years...i'm serious.
I haven't spoken to my mom today but i can bet she's been at a store within the last 12 hours. So, that's where I'm coming from...and i have parts of each.
The confession is that I'm REALLY AWFUL about waiting for things- the upside is that i'm rarely late because i wouldn't make anyone else wait. So, at least that's a good thing, right? And it would be really funny if I wore that shirt and that's a good thing...making people laugh is nice.

that's my girl

This morning Billie was in the hammock with her book- which is actually a children's encyclopedia...because normal people just read encyclopedia's...don't they? and that's something bill and i spend at least 1 hour a day doing...reading in the hammock. Bill and I do not read while we are swinging, though...maybe we do...but we don't usually swing superman style. i just had to snap a picture. and then there is Sloane...wandering the yard while pouring bubbles on her dress (it's early so she wore that for a full half hour before dumping something on it- and i swear she really does have a nice face...when she's not doing a toothy fake camera grin).
i am so happy with the way the kids rush home from the library and we just have an hour of silence while they both head to their chairs, couches, or spot on the floor with their new books. They can't wait to dive into them all and see what the stories will be about. there was a time when we'd come home and they'd both be asking for the video we'd chosen from the library...now they never do that.
books are so much fun right now...and that's especially good because i'm not one of those 'active' moms at this point. I'm a bench mom at the park; reluctantly dragging myself up only to catch Sloane from perilous heights and distant wanderings (i'm cool with heights that could cause only minor injuries and wandering within 200 ft- hey, it's the third kid...you can't be that concerned for 7 years straight).
I really want to write about(and photo showcase) my crafty projects but i'm trying to fill you all up with kid- information so that you might be able to stay awake while reading it.
at least bill is active- he's been biking to work and hitting up the gym several times a week...even drinking water...so you know that's drastic and he's determined to get in shape. I, on the other hand, am hoping to loose at least 10 lbs at some point in August and i gave Sloane a ride in the wagon last Tuesday- hopefully that will tide her over for 8 more weeks because i am NOT doing that again for a while!!! things that involve movement are so beyond me at this point. it's not like i don't get enough sleep. lights were out at 9:30pm last night...yeah, i'm ready to have a baby and not a belly!!!

disturbingly distended

Here are some, slightly disturbing photos of my belly- taken by Billie and the reason we do not own a full length mirror. I guess this is why people keep assuming that I am due this week.

exposed

something is up with blogger- i know, i know...you've been telling me that for weeks and i've been too busy laying in the hammock to do anything about it. maybe i'll change to a cooler blog site....one day when it's rainy or something.
we're all good. baby Sprout is all good and has about 10 more weeks to grow before making an appearance outside the womb.
Sloane is cute and dirty. I love sewing dresses for the girls and we are reading Tik Tok of Oz and swimming all the time.
as you may have noticed (especially if you look at the last picture) one thing i have avoided teaching the kids is modesty. neither of them have any idea that people aren't supposed to see you running around nudey booty. When we were in France, in the metro, all the billboard ads are right at eye level so you can't avoid them and there was this lovely one at least 30 times at each station of a mom and daughter tanning on the beach- the mom was laying stomach down on the sand and her sweet little girl was laying on her back, thereby rendering her mother's attempt at a golden back tan ineffective, the little girl was spending her beach day in her undies. The ad made me want to go to Greece and seemed like a happy beach vacation. But i only thought of that after i was shocked to see a 'revealing' ad so life size of a child. That's my inner American prude.
What is the deal with everyone acting like a 4 or 6 or even 8 year old has some bits and pieces they have to keep under very close wraps. Though I do cringe when Billie goes down the playground slide wearing a dress and hangs one leg over each edge...I haven't been willing to tell her to keep her dora the explorer underpants out of sight. I mean, who is going to be scandalized by seeing some dora undies? That's my bikini hang up. Why do little girls need a bikini top? And why do their moms bother to do all the adjusting it takes to keep 'covered' after every jump in the pool. A kid hops out of the pool with her bikini top around her neck and her mom rushes to her as if she's janet jackson at the superbowl or paris hilton at...well, anywhere!
puh-leez.
so, that's just something i was thinking about.
on the other end of things though- i wouldn't let my kids wear a belly exposing shirt, or a shirt that said something skanky like FLIRT that i've seen other 6 year olds wearing, and i wouldn't let them wear pants that had something written across their bottom so that attention would be drawn to look there. is that contradictory behavior? i don't know...i'm sure i can reason that into sounding like i have a principle that makes sense.
i'll be better at keeping up with the blog. lately it's just been more doing and less blogging about doing.
Ha! Isn't it appropriate that i follow up my last blog about stuff i won't let my kids do with more stuff i won't let my kids do?! i did that without even thinking about it. basically, i'm just all in love with my little world where the kids don't go to school so Bill & i spend more time with them than anyone and they get to learn what i think is important. (they're brilliant, artists, be kind, be polite, earth worms, building, imagination, reading, math, science, nature, art in all it's forms, bugs, geography and all the fun stuff)

you can do anything you want...except THAT

it's been a while. i know...i know...but we had REAL stuff happening here. Auti Di had a medical scare and family came in from all over, cousins, grandparents and great-grandparents. There was a quick recovery and the fun family meals ensued.
So, what I've been thinking about lately (because Nanna Pat is here and my friends have been talking about their parents) is why daughters & sons turn annoying with parenthood. we're all "No McDonalds! No candy! No soda! Car seats! Organic apples! No movies, no TV and absolutely no soda! Stop giving them too many toys! and for the love of pete don't offer them caffeinated beverages"
My one friend told me her Mother-in-law said she felt criticized when she told her she didn't want her son to have the Easter Egg kit that comes with wheels and excessive accessories (how many accessories does an egg need after all) that turn your eggs into cars, trucks and fire engines. She just wanted him to have fun coloring eggs, hiding them, seeking them, mixing colors, turning his fingers blue and being creative. "He already has cars and trucks...why does everything have to turn into a car or a truck?" she asked me.
We are all so fascinated with a traditional, simple holiday. We've grown up with so many choices that just plain old regular sounds pretty fun. I myself have tried the purple glitter option and now non-glitter sounds nice. You can do more with a paper doll you made yourself, get inventive with colors & egg designs, come up with amazing stories to act out when it hasn't already all been done for you in the boxed kit from the store.
When we were little they had us in riding around in back of the hatchback with our friends (seatbelts? who needs 'em?), we didn't wear bike helmets, who cared if our shoes gave us blisters- you 'broke them in', we listened to Michael Jackson & i, for one, knew all the words to Like a Virgin by Madonna. We saw people smoking on TV, saw our Moms smoking (gasp!), we had Barbie role models and knew our Moms were on diets, Dad went to work just like Mom and mostly everyone's parents got divorced. (That's a word we s-p-e-l-l so that the kids don't even know a thing like that happens sometimes). That's how protected my kids are. A few times they've asked how I have 'two Dads' and we sort of gloss over it. Bill has told the kids that a step-Mom is a Mom who lived on the stairs in the olden days. We'll tell them when they're older and we can afford to send them to therapy for all the damage we've caused in providing them with this 'happy bubble' for their formative years.
I do think our generation is a little TOO kid focused and I totally feel like I'm on the super-lenient side of letting things slide with the grandparents overlooking our 'rules' because I'll look the other way during candy in the morning rituals, let them see an un-approved movie (not repeatedly on video or anything- but once, as a special treat...it won't stick in their head if they only see it once right? Jackson is watching Stuart Little as we speak which has to be the WORST kids movie ever with more demerits for having the same name as a super fun book which it does not resemble at all, the adoption story is DISTURBING and there are lines like "are you ready to handle his 'uniqueness'?...we don't usually encourage adoption outside of your own...species" like, what IS that? but i'm just going with it...see, how laid back i am??? i don't mind if they roll around in the mud...just don't tell them about d-i-v-o-r-c-e...and don't mention that Santa Claus isn't real...and pick them up when they cry...and don't inhibit their artwork by showing them how to draw a stick figure 'correctly'...and do NOT give them soda...and yes, you do have to bring a carseat...and make sure they say please and thank you...and get them a healthy snack...and don't say that you're putting on make-up so that you can look 'pretty'...and don't make them pick up their toys, i don't care about that...and don't give Sloane juice because she'll have diaper rash...and she needs her white noise machine to have a good sleep...
well, i guess there are a few rules. so, this blog is dedicated to Nanna and Nannou- who have to deal with them most of all. Bob takes them to whatever movie he wants, Dad is a hippie so he has more rules than i do, and George lets us be the guide and shrugs it off. (is a blog dedication even a thing?!-- let's pretend it's something special...for Mother's Day, ok? you're with me right?)

Nanna and Nannou- thanks for putting up with Bill and I. Thanks for being wonderful and finding a way to get past all the 'no's' and make sure the kids fall magically in love with you so that they have all the fun I had with my doting Granny, Paca, Grams and Gramps. Geez, I loved those summers when I would get anything my heart desired and was loved no matter what I did.

I just thought I should add- it's not just to be bratty. I really AM trying to teach them love, respect, avoid advertising, keep them from getting cancer via bovine growth hormone, trying to let their imagination be their best 'toy', letting the world be their classroom- learning happens all the time here, and helping them not to judge others based on the way they look or just because they don't have a Britax car seat (though, I'm pretty sure everyone who reads this does). Mostly just love, it's a holistic approach.

something interesting

my kids are so funny. billie is SUCH a teacher's pet type and all her motives are selfish ones but she really wants to please everyone and earn compliments so she does it all in a very clever (sneaky so that you don't realize you're turning into her personal slave) way. this is how she asks for things "Would you be so kind as to fetch my shoes for me, Jackson? I think they're downstairs....thanks."
Jackson does not care if you like him and he certainly doesn't want you calling attention to him with compliments about his gorgeous eyes or anything else embarrassing like that. If he doesn't want to do it...he's not going to do it just to make you smile. He is not out for number one and often thinks of others and comes out of nowhere with really kind things and ways of helping me, Sloane, and of course...his sister (the queen) Wilhemina. but for God's sakes don't point that out or he'll stab you with his sword and flash off to another room where he can study his comic book heroes without the nuisance of fans.
Then there's Sloane who I thought had maxed out at cuteness at 4 months. She's STILL irresistible x 10. She waves and smiles at everyone, blows kisses and makes you think she's sweet. Until she wants something or you try to pull a 'trade' on her. Some people might refer to this as the 'ol switcheroo'. She's NOT falling for it- this shovel is way better than the crap you are offering her and she will hold on to it for dear life no matter how many things her brother and sister bring to her alter as offerings. She has the heartiest chuckle and always wants to play. I vaguely recall there was a time when she wasn't up to the play level of her older/wiser siblings. Now she rules them and they can often be heard out in the backyard pleading with her. "Please Sloane...please! I'll give you a ride in the wagon? Pleeeeeeeeeease share, Sloane!" i
thought B & J were smart but Sloane has just blown them out of the water with her signs and games and all the astute things she recognizes in the world.
Here she can be seen doing a 'posed camera smile'...isn't it nice that she learned that so ealry?! ugh!!
digging up the yard and installing our new climber and taking her place among the kids to check out the Daniel in the Lions Den painting at the National Gallery of Art (yes, we do go there once a week!)

did i say i'd write something interesting?! and you believed me?? ha! what i meant to say was "I promise next time I'll write something." period.
interesting things can be found here and here.
If you're into that sort of thing.
I like to set myself apart by being un-interesting and having NO life outside my children so there.

by the way- did you spot billie in the museum group shot? she's the one wearing 20 times the colors and patterns in her clothing. isn't she just perfect?!! oh how i dread her finding out that things are supposed to 'match' and look 'pretty'.

just pictures

loof toof

Billie has been looking forward to age 6 for a long time, not for any normal reason (why would Billie do anything ordinary?!) but because she wants mo' money in her piggy bank via the tooth fairy. Promptly a week after turning six she has worked a tooth loose and is THRILLED...like, this is way better than a Nimbus 2000! She's devised a plan to eat corn on the cob tomorrow "because sometimes, if you're six, when you're eating corn on the cob your tooth suddenly pops out!!"
And, just in case you were wondering what's up in the latest of our relentless adventures as Prof. McGonigall, Hermione, Harry, and Neville Longbottom (Sloane plays Neville, because he's hopeless at getting anything right and requires constant supervision). (I know how this is probably one of the things you're always thinking about...the Solley's who attend all their regular museum trips; this week to view all the Bible story paintings, playgrounds, a science musical at the library, story time and the grocery store, in character). As we came into Chapter 10 of book 3 (beware of chapter 10 and beyond!!!) things get especially creepy with goblins that suck the soul right out of you so that you wander the earth as an empty shell until death and Harry replaying the moment of his parents murder in his head hearing his Mom scream "Have mercy! Save Harry and take me!!" perpetually...i mean...sheesh! There's only so much a protective mom can take!! I like my children safe in their little bubble of emotional well-being where no one ever dies and the biggest problem one can imagine is losing the privilege of choosing a new library book that day. Yes, the imaginary world of wizards is very fun and exciting but I think we'll take a break for now.
I made calculated moves to steer us elsewhere as I read the remaining chapters without emphasis and changing "Harry was filled with so much rage he wanted to kill" to "Harry was really REALLY mad." Right now we are reading: A Series of Unfortunate Events, The BFG, and Captain Underpants (3 chapter books all at once) and our listening ears are tuned to Winnie the Pooh audio books at night so that we can think of all the silly, happy doings at Pooh corner as we fall asleep. I have had to fend off requests for book 4 but the kids are totally caught up in the BFG by Roald Dahl and I think the Lemony Snicket stuff has a lot of the weird, creepiness of Hogwarts...hopefully with less of the death/fear factor. If all else fails I can get the video of Unfortunate Events and that's sure to peak their interest.
Of course, every book we read is about a kid with no parents...what IS up with that as a theme in children's literature?!
I have to admit...I'm a little worried that both kids will learn to read major words next week just so that they can start on book 4. Billie did make that tooth loose by sheer willpower. What can a 6 year old not accomplish when she sets her mind to it?
I promise next time I'll write something at least slightly interesting and not just kid stuff. really, i'm not a total loser...i do stuff...like knitting...and also picking up shoes off the floor, and knitting outside, and learning how to knit and I build forts too.

Nannou fun

We had a great time with Nannou here. Billie turned up the brattiness for a few days and that was met by no less than 3 gifts per day. Billie: "Jackson! Stop it...you're the rudest boy ever and never touch my new strawberry shortcake doll without asking me!!" Jackson: "Thanks for the power ranger Nannou...can we go get ice cream?" Nannou: "yes!" Billie: "Fine. But I'm having Strawberry and I'm not even going to share any of it with you Jackson...NOT EVEN A BITE!" Nannou: "okay, let's go and then I've got another suprise for you after we have ice cream...I got you each new videos, we can watch them this afternoon while Mom is at her ultrasound." Billie: "Well, we're watching MY choice first!"
Okay...this isn't an exact recorded conversation...but this would not be an exaggeration of the spoiling or of Billie's 'tude.
So, apart from Billie we all had a WONDERFUL time with Nannou visiting. As for my ultrasound...we are not finding out if sprout is a boy or a girl. More motivation to push in the delivery room. But...while we're on the subject...I would put my money on boy...I've got a feeling and I'm putting it in writing. It is important to note here that I thought Sloane was a boy too, but I didn't feel this strongly about it. The ultrasound tech, who said he "could have done my Mom's ultrasound when I was in her tummy" (when I blurted out my age in defense of being 'too young' to have my 4th kid). Really, things are getting silly now...I thought I had a lot of comments when I would go out with the 3 of them. Seriously, the comments are getting a little outrageous...the other day at the library, a man asked me "Are you mormon?"

A Wizarding party

A picture says a thousand words and most of them are 'Wah!" on the subject of Daddy getting on the plane to travel for a week (doing work stuff) and missing my Harry Potter 6th birthdayparty!

These picture says "I love my American Girl Doll- Molly, who I've wanted for a year"

This is us making magic wands at my harry potter party- flick and swish!

In potions class, the drinks were experimental (all juic and non-soda, of course). Using droppers to mix until the flavor was just right...or totally gross...depending on your tastes.
It was magical! I wish you all could have been there!

princess gardening

Well, here i am all dolled up; ballet shoes on, a tu tu over my outift and my tiara is in place...what should i do now? go roller skating & plant seeds in the garden and get very muddy? yes! that sounds good!

travel

so, we're back and thank goodness it's 70 degrees and it was homeschooler park day yesterday or we'd do nothing but sit inside and miss Nanna and France. it's not Paris but the playground is free and full of friends. flights and airports all went smoothly with only one low point in desperate parenting when there were NO children's movies available on the 8 hour flight and we let Jackson watch the Ben Stiller film "A Night in the Museum" and Billie paid attention to every detail of "Marie Antoinette" by Sofia Coppola- which is funny and a great flick by the way. Sloane did cry and call out but not for more than 10 seconds at a time (we've never had to do a crying baby on a plane before but i guess it could have been worse). So, like i said, it was fine...up until the very end when Jackson urped up all of the candy, chips, and other usually-forbidden junk food he'd eaten all that day on the shuttle bus between airport terminals as we returned to DC. blech.
And now we're back and I'm reading The Suprising Power of Family Meals, inspired by Pat and the French way of enjoying your meals (less food shoveling, more talking between bites). Dinner time as a family is going to be my new mission (trimester 2 is 'mission mode' and the only 3 month stretches of time in the last 6 years that I'm actually productive and able to complete a project from start to finish that entails more than slathering on sunscreen and packing snacks for the beach).
well, i've got two kids in a wagon waiting for me outside and one in roller skates. we're heading to the library- maybe over a mile away so we'll have to stop for snacks at a less-than-cool-non-patisserie along the way but it's WAY too nice outside to drive!
Here's some Paris memories: us in Monet's garden, reading about Monet's garden, catching ladybugs in Monet's garden, climbing trees in Monet's garden and at Monet's grave.

Well, a diaper change in the Louvre, break-dancer-veiwing and my belly at the Eiffel tower. things are a little crazy in Paris. There's family drama and fun everywhere. Imagine having Bill, grumpy with an achy back, kids who are sometimes hyper and sometimes whiny, frequently loud and running, sloane who is always wanting to walk when it's a good time to be held, and wanting to be held when our arms are tired, then throw in me, with a baby who has to have a pain au chocolat every fifteen minutes when we're on a walk to stave off being as whiny as billie, and has to fill up a water bottle at each stop, (which then leads to a stop at the W.C. every 10 minutes because the baby is pushing on my bladder)- then throw in jet lag and no one sleeping well. Why would there be any drama? don't you just want to invite us to stay with you?!
Well, how we're having so much fun during all this is beyond me...but we're off to the science park today!

the price of fun

visited the Luxembourg gardens yesterday and the kids played on a superfun playground that had and entrance fee and high gates to keep out the rif-raf...it's like the stay-at-home Mom version of a hot spot. it's a swap from the night club life i imagine one would have living in Paris before having kids. the kids love riding the metro, which is how we get around (we even did it without our resident expert yesterday). Nanna Pat is being very gracious about the cheerios and apple bits all over the floor of her elegant Paris apartment. Here's us at the Louvre pyramid and in the Toulieries garden. we've hit up several patisseries in an effort to find something aside from pain au chocolat that the kids are willing to eat (i'm the only one willing to eat anything containing tomatoes). it's a rainy morning now so we slept in, i'm doing laundry (see above photo for how filthy the kids got yesterday at the playground) and catching up on the blog. trying to survive the morning without a walk to the bakery for fresh baked croissants....
really i'm just mentioning laundry and rain in an effort to make you poor readers who aren't in Paris right now feel not so bad about it.
P.S.- i can't figure out how to switch pictures on the new blogger. Sloane has slept with her head back in the hood through most of the exciting sight-seeing, she likes to wake up for the metro rides and snack time. These are swings with the price for a 5 minute ride!!!

c'est la vie

we're here and it's WONDERFUL. Pat has this amazing apartment and we can walk to cafes and markets. Yesterday we woke past Noon and did the Eiffel Tower. Bill and Pat are noticing fancy scarves on all the men but I can't get past all the coats and boots. Everyone...EVERYONE has a lovely winter coat (except me, Bill, Pat and the kids). I haven't seen one person in sweatshirts and sweatpants- not one. Not one person without gel in their hair, or some form of hair-do!
I'll try to put up a picture.
i wish we had an airport picture. everyone kept wondering what on earth this family with 3 little kids was doing getting on a long-distance flight. those kids are such good travelers and we did make it with one suitcase, plus two backpacks for carry on.