Monday, December 3, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Dancing Machine
We finally captured Lauren's sweet dancing skills on Thanksgiving. While shopping for Christmas decorations, Grandma found a snow globe that plays music when you press a button. Of course Lauren liked that. First, the still shots.
Shake it to the left...
...and shake it to the right.
For the finale, the video.
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Shake it to the left...
...and shake it to the right.
For the finale, the video.
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Twelve days of Christmas can be awfully pricey.
While doing my normal morning news roundup, I found this article about what the gifts outlined in the Twelve Days of Christmas would cost if purchased today. First of all, who has the time to come up with this, and who really cares? Apparently I do.
The cost of buying each of the items once would be $19,507, but if you bought them repeatedly like the song suggests, it would add it up $78,100 for all 364 items. I never really noticed it before, but this song has a strange fascination with birds. You'd end up with 184 various birds by the time it was all said and done. And 100 assorted drummers, leapers, dancers and pipers to throw quite a party. I wonder how they'd mix with the birds.
The cost of buying each of the items once would be $19,507, but if you bought them repeatedly like the song suggests, it would add it up $78,100 for all 364 items. I never really noticed it before, but this song has a strange fascination with birds. You'd end up with 184 various birds by the time it was all said and done. And 100 assorted drummers, leapers, dancers and pipers to throw quite a party. I wonder how they'd mix with the birds.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Book Report #1
So, I have the list of books that I'm reading on the right side of the page. I figured I might as well give you at least a high-level report on what I think of them.
I just finished reading The Collected Stories by Grace Paley. I had never heard of Grace Paley until a couple of months ago when she died. NPR had several stories about her, and she sounded like an intriguing woman who was ahead of her time. Another plus is that she wrote primarily short stories, which are much easier to fit into my schedule than a novel. So, I bought The Collected Stories, which is a compilation of three of books of short stories: The Little Disturbances of Man (1959), Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (1974), and Later the Same Day (1985).
The first thing that struck me is how different her writing style is from what I'm used to reading. Call it the "book club" mentality or whatever you want, but I tend to read all contemporary fiction, usually from the bestseller section. I'm a victim of marketing. But Paley's writing style is vastly different. The tone, pace and vocabulary remind me of talking with my grandmother or great-grandmother. It made more sense in the stories from the 1959 book, but even the 1985 stories had the same kind of flow. It took awhile to get used to, but eventually I really liked it. This style was an interesting juxtaposition to the subject matter of the stories. Political commentary is woven throughout, and there are some definite sexual references. I know, women in the '50s thought about these things, but I don't think I've ever seen these ideas expressed from a female writer of that time period. I'm probably just reading the wrong books.
Secondly, it's amazing how much I was able to get to know characters in just a few short pages. Some characters, or archetypes of characters, appear in multiple stories, even in different books. All the stories feature female characters who are strong in their own way. Many are single mothers, many are poor, many are just trying to find happiness in a difficult world. I saw a piece of myself in all of them.
The other thing that intrigued me about this collection is that I really didn't like some of the stories. But that made me like the others that much more. I realized that not every story Paley had to tell would resonate with me, but would with another reader. And most importantly, these stories are rooted in her real life experiences. Some of these I will never have, and will never be able to relate to. And that's just fine with me.
So, my recommendation would be to keep this book around to pick up and read when you have a few minutes or need a break from a current novel you're reading. It's around 400 pages, so you're definitely not going to read it one sitting. Unless you sit for a really long time. Women will probably like it better than men, given the feminist undertones (well, sometimes they're not so "under"), but there are some interesting, if not entirely likeable, male characters as well. I'm glad I discovered this author. Thanks, NPR!
I just finished reading The Collected Stories by Grace Paley. I had never heard of Grace Paley until a couple of months ago when she died. NPR had several stories about her, and she sounded like an intriguing woman who was ahead of her time. Another plus is that she wrote primarily short stories, which are much easier to fit into my schedule than a novel. So, I bought The Collected Stories, which is a compilation of three of books of short stories: The Little Disturbances of Man (1959), Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (1974), and Later the Same Day (1985).
The first thing that struck me is how different her writing style is from what I'm used to reading. Call it the "book club" mentality or whatever you want, but I tend to read all contemporary fiction, usually from the bestseller section. I'm a victim of marketing. But Paley's writing style is vastly different. The tone, pace and vocabulary remind me of talking with my grandmother or great-grandmother. It made more sense in the stories from the 1959 book, but even the 1985 stories had the same kind of flow. It took awhile to get used to, but eventually I really liked it. This style was an interesting juxtaposition to the subject matter of the stories. Political commentary is woven throughout, and there are some definite sexual references. I know, women in the '50s thought about these things, but I don't think I've ever seen these ideas expressed from a female writer of that time period. I'm probably just reading the wrong books.
Secondly, it's amazing how much I was able to get to know characters in just a few short pages. Some characters, or archetypes of characters, appear in multiple stories, even in different books. All the stories feature female characters who are strong in their own way. Many are single mothers, many are poor, many are just trying to find happiness in a difficult world. I saw a piece of myself in all of them.
The other thing that intrigued me about this collection is that I really didn't like some of the stories. But that made me like the others that much more. I realized that not every story Paley had to tell would resonate with me, but would with another reader. And most importantly, these stories are rooted in her real life experiences. Some of these I will never have, and will never be able to relate to. And that's just fine with me.
So, my recommendation would be to keep this book around to pick up and read when you have a few minutes or need a break from a current novel you're reading. It's around 400 pages, so you're definitely not going to read it one sitting. Unless you sit for a really long time. Women will probably like it better than men, given the feminist undertones (well, sometimes they're not so "under"), but there are some interesting, if not entirely likeable, male characters as well. I'm glad I discovered this author. Thanks, NPR!
Almost Thanksgiving
For some reason it doesn't really feel like it's almost Thanksgiving. The weather has gotten colder, we have 14 ft. of leaves in the back yard and Ohio State beat Michigan, but it still doesn't feel like Thanksgiving should be this week. I'm not looking forward to the time suck that occurs once Thanksgiving hits, either. It's like the world goes into some kind of weird time warp making Christmas seem like it's 2 weeks after turkey day.
Since our family and friends are scattered across the country, our Thanksgiving is usually pretty low key. We'll be heading to my mom's house, about 15 minutes away, so at least we won't have to pay outrageous gas prices to travel somewhere. Of course my mother doesn't know how to cook a Thanksgiving dinner for less than 12 people, so we'll definitely have leftovers upon leftovers. I basically gave up on grocery shopping this weekend, knowing we'd be eating turkey and stuffing for half the week.
I'm cooking a few things, but cooking is somewhat of an art form now that Lauren is walking around. She's close to 3 ft. tall, so her hands can easily reach the open flame of the gas burners on the stove. (Don't worry, she hasn't burned herself since her birthday.) She understands most of what we're saying, but she doesn't understand why she can't touch the stove and why Mom and Dad are so mean when they say no to that. Any serious cooking or baking has to be done after Lauren goes to bed.
The last 3 or 4 days have been interesting around the house. Lauren and Chris have both developed a nasty, snotty, cold. I'm not quite sure how I've managed to avoid it. Maybe Chris has been getting more snotty, open-mouth kisses from Lauren than I have. It's probably only a matter of time.
Have a good week!
Since our family and friends are scattered across the country, our Thanksgiving is usually pretty low key. We'll be heading to my mom's house, about 15 minutes away, so at least we won't have to pay outrageous gas prices to travel somewhere. Of course my mother doesn't know how to cook a Thanksgiving dinner for less than 12 people, so we'll definitely have leftovers upon leftovers. I basically gave up on grocery shopping this weekend, knowing we'd be eating turkey and stuffing for half the week.
I'm cooking a few things, but cooking is somewhat of an art form now that Lauren is walking around. She's close to 3 ft. tall, so her hands can easily reach the open flame of the gas burners on the stove. (Don't worry, she hasn't burned herself since her birthday.) She understands most of what we're saying, but she doesn't understand why she can't touch the stove and why Mom and Dad are so mean when they say no to that. Any serious cooking or baking has to be done after Lauren goes to bed.
The last 3 or 4 days have been interesting around the house. Lauren and Chris have both developed a nasty, snotty, cold. I'm not quite sure how I've managed to avoid it. Maybe Chris has been getting more snotty, open-mouth kisses from Lauren than I have. It's probably only a matter of time.
Have a good week!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Forget last weekend, fans of Ohio teams
Let's just say last weekend wasn't so great for fans of pretty much any Ohio sports team. OSU football, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Cleveland Browns all lost. The Bengals won, though, and CC Sabathia won the Cy Young award for the American League. I guess it's not all bad.
I'm getting ready to watch the Jackets take on the Chicago Blackhawks. Cross your fingers...we got off to a good start but have lost 4 straight. Someday we'll have a good team.
I'm getting ready to watch the Jackets take on the Chicago Blackhawks. Cross your fingers...we got off to a good start but have lost 4 straight. Someday we'll have a good team.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Congratulations. You all read at a collegiate level.
You'll notice a new icon on the right side of the screen showing that this blog's reading level is College (undergrad). I can't compete with Insource/Outsource, but hey, college level is pretty darn good for a family blog. (Thanks James!)
Even though I missed a day of posting, I'm still going to try to post daily. I'm not making any promises for Thanksgiving weekend, though. Too much tryptophan won't make for good blogging, although the pictures of Lauren eating her first Thanksgiving dinner will.
Have a good week!
Even though I missed a day of posting, I'm still going to try to post daily. I'm not making any promises for Thanksgiving weekend, though. Too much tryptophan won't make for good blogging, although the pictures of Lauren eating her first Thanksgiving dinner will.
Have a good week!
Monday, November 12, 2007
I'm a failure.
Apparently 10 days was all I could make it. Maybe I'll blame it on my rousing celebration of Veterans Day. Of course that would be lying. I just forgot.
To make up for it, some long overdue Lauren pictures!
Halloween
You may notice that the wings to the angel costume are practically strangling her. It's the only way we could get her to leave them on. The halo also stayed home. We made it to one house.
Getting ready for winter
Chris swears that second picture is Lauren, but I think he actually found a Lauren body double. She doesn't really look like that. Ever. Her hair does look like that most of the time, though. There's too much for it to lay nicely, but not enough to do anything with. Throw a hat into the picture and you end up with Donald Trump. Someday the pigtails will arrive.
To make up for it, some long overdue Lauren pictures!
Halloween
You may notice that the wings to the angel costume are practically strangling her. It's the only way we could get her to leave them on. The halo also stayed home. We made it to one house.
Getting ready for winter
Chris swears that second picture is Lauren, but I think he actually found a Lauren body double. She doesn't really look like that. Ever. Her hair does look like that most of the time, though. There's too much for it to lay nicely, but not enough to do anything with. Throw a hat into the picture and you end up with Donald Trump. Someday the pigtails will arrive.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Lauren's a big girl
I've officially decided that Lauren is no longer a baby and instead is a little girl. It's a little sad to admit it, but at the same time it's pretty rewarding because I must have had something to do with it. Some ways that I know she's not a baby anymore:
Go Blue Jackets.
1. She eats the same food I do.I could probably try to think of 3 more to complete a top ten list, but I'm drowning my sorrows from the Buckeyes' loss, so I'm not going to.
2. She only naps once a day.
3. She wears shoes, and not just because they make her outfit look cute.
4. She points to things and then says what they are. Like the cats.
5. She throws tantrums. I'd be fine if she didn't do this one.
6. She meets me at the door when I come home from work.
7. She tickles me.
Go Blue Jackets.
Friday, November 9, 2007
TGIF
This has been kind of a crazy week at work, so I'm definitely glad the weekend's here. I don't have any plans to do anything other than hang out with Lauren, and that's just fine with me. Oh yeah, and post on here once a day.
Okay, that's the true slacker post. Have a good weekend everyone!
Okay, that's the true slacker post. Have a good weekend everyone!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
I've made it a whole week!
It is kind of satisfying to look at the listings of posts by month on the right side of the screen and see 7 for November as I begin this post. And I actually kind of like taking the time to write a little something every day. It makes me think about what's important and interesting in my life. Like planning for the holidays. I know, I just ranted a few days ago about how it's not time for the holidays yet. But apparently the evil marketing machine is getting to me and I've resigned myself to start thinking about Christmas now.
If you're like me, there's always at least one person you get stuck on, and all of a sudden its December 23rd and you still don't have a gift for them. In an effort to prevent the Bilek family from being your sticking point, below are some things we'd like as gifts. Not that you have to buy us a gift. Cards are fine.
Lauren
--board puzzles, the simple wooden ones with little handles on the pieces
--books! Just make sure the pages don't rip easily. She likes pop-ups, but understand that they will likely be ruined within a month.
--CDs. She's discovered music and dancing. Please no Barney. Please. Seriously.
Dan Zanes is good, though.
--clothes in size 24 months or 2T. She still has chunky thighs, so stretchy is good. I have yet to find a pair of jeans that will fit.
--bath toys
--deposits to a 529 plan
--cash
Chris
--gift certificates to Golfsmith. He would like to get some new clubs for next season, and can use his employee discount.
--black socks
--cash
Deena
--gift certificates to Ann Taylor Loft
--women's business tote that will hold a laptop. Hard to explain, but they basically look like big purses, and are much more stylish than my wheelie computer bag.
--books. I've been reading more lately, so if you have a book that you love, I'd love to read it
--cash
You'll notice that cash is listed for everyone. Some people feel cash is impersonal, but I'm not one of them. Every year Chris and I put together the cash we receive for the holidays to buy one larger gift the whole family can enjoy. Last year it was our new TV. A couple years before it was a digital camera. You get the idea.
So there it is. The 2007 Bilek Family Christmas Wish List. Happy Holidays!
If you're like me, there's always at least one person you get stuck on, and all of a sudden its December 23rd and you still don't have a gift for them. In an effort to prevent the Bilek family from being your sticking point, below are some things we'd like as gifts. Not that you have to buy us a gift. Cards are fine.
Lauren
--board puzzles, the simple wooden ones with little handles on the pieces
--books! Just make sure the pages don't rip easily. She likes pop-ups, but understand that they will likely be ruined within a month.
--CDs. She's discovered music and dancing. Please no Barney. Please. Seriously.
Dan Zanes is good, though.
--clothes in size 24 months or 2T. She still has chunky thighs, so stretchy is good. I have yet to find a pair of jeans that will fit.
--bath toys
--deposits to a 529 plan
--cash
Chris
--gift certificates to Golfsmith. He would like to get some new clubs for next season, and can use his employee discount.
--black socks
--cash
Deena
--gift certificates to Ann Taylor Loft
--women's business tote that will hold a laptop. Hard to explain, but they basically look like big purses, and are much more stylish than my wheelie computer bag.
--books. I've been reading more lately, so if you have a book that you love, I'd love to read it
--cash
You'll notice that cash is listed for everyone. Some people feel cash is impersonal, but I'm not one of them. Every year Chris and I put together the cash we receive for the holidays to buy one larger gift the whole family can enjoy. Last year it was our new TV. A couple years before it was a digital camera. You get the idea.
So there it is. The 2007 Bilek Family Christmas Wish List. Happy Holidays!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Slacker post alert
Sorry, nothing really good to report. Lauren's still waking up about 5:45-6am. I've gone from a relatively respectable 10pm bedtime to a 9pm bedtime, so apparently I should go hang out at the retirement home. And it's cold. Not Minnesota cold, but cold enough that I don't think we should take Lauren outside since we haven't bought her a winter coat or mittens yet. Not that I think she'll actually leave the mittens on her hands, but at least if they're in her vicinity it means I'm not necessarily a bad mother.
Have a good day!
Have a good day!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Nigerian scams and a tired baby
Hmm, which to start with first. I'll keep you waiting on the Nigerian scam.
First up, the time change. Usually I love "falling back." It seems like you get an extra hour of sleep, which is awesome. However, someone forgot to tell Lauren about that. This is the first time we've gone through a time change that's really affected her. She's aware enough now to know when it's time to get up and when it's time to go to bed. For the last few months you could set a clock to her nighttime sleep pattern: in bed at 7pm, out of bed at 7am. While 7am is still kinda early, especially on the weekends, we didn't really think we should complain since it was 12 continuous hours of sleep, something that seemed impossible about a year ago. Then the time change comes. Now we can't get her to stay awake until 7pm, and she's up at 6am. I suppose we should have started easing her into the change a few days ahead of it, but nobody told me that. None of my books, no websites, not the news, nothing. Argh. So, Chris is having fun trying to make her stay in bed until 7am, and I'm having fun trying to keep her awake until 7pm.
Last night it was actually pretty funny. Apparently when she gets really tired she likes to run laps around our kitchen. Then every once in a while she'll stop and just stare off into space, rubbing her head. It's like stopping makes the tired start. So then she's off running again. She also found it pretty entertaining to dig in Chris' belly button. Chris didn't appreciate it so much.
On to the Nigerian scam. You may have read about these, offically known as advance fee frauds. In a nutshell, you get an email from some guy in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, etc. offering to give you a portion of his fortune for helping him move it to an offshore account. What really ends up happening is you have to send money to some scammer and you never get the fortune. I had always heard about these and couldn't believe people actually fell for them. There are even people who have a hobby of messing with the scammers and getting them to do really crazy things. Turnabout's fair play, I guess. Well, one showed up in my junk mail box today. Woo hoo! I've officially been targeted. Sorry, Brooks Fung, you'll get no money from me. What scares me is that these freaks now have my email. Oh well, I guess they'll just deleted along with all the offers for Viagra I get.
First up, the time change. Usually I love "falling back." It seems like you get an extra hour of sleep, which is awesome. However, someone forgot to tell Lauren about that. This is the first time we've gone through a time change that's really affected her. She's aware enough now to know when it's time to get up and when it's time to go to bed. For the last few months you could set a clock to her nighttime sleep pattern: in bed at 7pm, out of bed at 7am. While 7am is still kinda early, especially on the weekends, we didn't really think we should complain since it was 12 continuous hours of sleep, something that seemed impossible about a year ago. Then the time change comes. Now we can't get her to stay awake until 7pm, and she's up at 6am. I suppose we should have started easing her into the change a few days ahead of it, but nobody told me that. None of my books, no websites, not the news, nothing. Argh. So, Chris is having fun trying to make her stay in bed until 7am, and I'm having fun trying to keep her awake until 7pm.
Last night it was actually pretty funny. Apparently when she gets really tired she likes to run laps around our kitchen. Then every once in a while she'll stop and just stare off into space, rubbing her head. It's like stopping makes the tired start. So then she's off running again. She also found it pretty entertaining to dig in Chris' belly button. Chris didn't appreciate it so much.
On to the Nigerian scam. You may have read about these, offically known as advance fee frauds. In a nutshell, you get an email from some guy in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, etc. offering to give you a portion of his fortune for helping him move it to an offshore account. What really ends up happening is you have to send money to some scammer and you never get the fortune. I had always heard about these and couldn't believe people actually fell for them. There are even people who have a hobby of messing with the scammers and getting them to do really crazy things. Turnabout's fair play, I guess. Well, one showed up in my junk mail box today. Woo hoo! I've officially been targeted. Sorry, Brooks Fung, you'll get no money from me. What scares me is that these freaks now have my email. Oh well, I guess they'll just deleted along with all the offers for Viagra I get.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Who am I?
I'm spending my day today pitching my project at work to senior leadership, meaning VPs and above. It's kind of weird because I'm not really asking their permission to continue the project, but I still need their blessing in order to be successful. I have to be assertive and confident so that it doesn't appear that I'm asking whether I can do it, but deferential enough to show that I value and respect their opinions.
As I listen to myself in these meetings, I sometimes wonder how I've turned into the corporate robot I appear to be. Here are things I heard myself saying today:
"We've worked hard to make sure our cross-functional team is aligned across all touchpoints so the messaging is consistent."
"I appreciate your feedback on that point. I'll make sure I touch base with (insert name here) offline to make sure we address it."
"We'll just be covering the first 17 pages of the deck I sent this morning. The remainder is an appendix for your reference."
What? Do I really talk like that? I'm like a bad version of The Office or Office Space. What's worse is that's what's expected. Nobody can actually come out and say "Different departments worked together for once so we don't seem like idiots." Or, "Oh crap, I forgot to address that. I don't want to talk about it now, though." Or, "I could only get an hour on your schedule so we can't talk about everything I know about this, but I still want you to know it."
And I'm not even 30 yet. Oh dear.
As I listen to myself in these meetings, I sometimes wonder how I've turned into the corporate robot I appear to be. Here are things I heard myself saying today:
"We've worked hard to make sure our cross-functional team is aligned across all touchpoints so the messaging is consistent."
"I appreciate your feedback on that point. I'll make sure I touch base with (insert name here) offline to make sure we address it."
"We'll just be covering the first 17 pages of the deck I sent this morning. The remainder is an appendix for your reference."
What? Do I really talk like that? I'm like a bad version of The Office or Office Space. What's worse is that's what's expected. Nobody can actually come out and say "Different departments worked together for once so we don't seem like idiots." Or, "Oh crap, I forgot to address that. I don't want to talk about it now, though." Or, "I could only get an hour on your schedule so we can't talk about everything I know about this, but I still want you to know it."
And I'm not even 30 yet. Oh dear.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
When did November 1st turn into the day after Thanksgiving?
Did I misplace my calendar? Did Congress pass some new act changing the date of Thanksgiving from the 3rd Thursday in November to November 1? Kind of like messing with the time change? Please tell me. Because I'm about to boycott Christmas.
Case #1:
It all started on October 30. Being the procrastinator that I am, Chris and I took Lauren to Target to buy her Halloween costume. I figured we'd get some good deals since we waited so late. We get to what used to be the Halloween section, only to find that it was now a tree farm. All Halloween stuff was moved to the endcaps (the things on the ends of the aisles), and all the Christmas trees, stockings, lights, snowmen, etc. was now in its place. In October. Even their website is holiday-fied.
Case #2:
I went to lunch at Olive Garden with my mom on Friday, November 2. Yummy salad and breadsticks. All was fine. Then the bill came, with the little Andes mints. I love those, so I snatched mine right up. Until I saw the wrapper. It had holly leaves on it and said "Happy Holidays."
Now, if the graphic was a pumpkin and turkey, it might not have bothered me, but holly leaves are a sure sign of Christmas.
Case #3:
On the Today show yesterday morning, they had a segment on how to find the right type of coat for your body. I know, earth-shattering news. When the models came out, they were standing in front of white Christmas trees.
"Winter Wonderland" was playing in the background. I suppose you could argue that "Winter Wonderland" is technically not a Christmas song, but when combined with traditional Christmas decor, I think it is. I turned the channel to SportsCenter.
I could go on and on. Maybe I'm oversensitive due to my past life working in retail, but I think it's gotten ridiculous. Stores had sales this weekend that are supposed to rival those of the traditional Black Friday. It's just not fun anymore.
I haven't made up my mind yet whether or not to boycott all things Christmas, such as card sending and gift giving. Maybe I'll just refuse to actually buy anything and just regift or hand make my gifts. That sounds like a lot of work, though. I'll keep you posted...
Case #1:
It all started on October 30. Being the procrastinator that I am, Chris and I took Lauren to Target to buy her Halloween costume. I figured we'd get some good deals since we waited so late. We get to what used to be the Halloween section, only to find that it was now a tree farm. All Halloween stuff was moved to the endcaps (the things on the ends of the aisles), and all the Christmas trees, stockings, lights, snowmen, etc. was now in its place. In October. Even their website is holiday-fied.
Case #2:
I went to lunch at Olive Garden with my mom on Friday, November 2. Yummy salad and breadsticks. All was fine. Then the bill came, with the little Andes mints. I love those, so I snatched mine right up. Until I saw the wrapper. It had holly leaves on it and said "Happy Holidays."
Now, if the graphic was a pumpkin and turkey, it might not have bothered me, but holly leaves are a sure sign of Christmas.
Case #3:
On the Today show yesterday morning, they had a segment on how to find the right type of coat for your body. I know, earth-shattering news. When the models came out, they were standing in front of white Christmas trees.
"Winter Wonderland" was playing in the background. I suppose you could argue that "Winter Wonderland" is technically not a Christmas song, but when combined with traditional Christmas decor, I think it is. I turned the channel to SportsCenter.
I could go on and on. Maybe I'm oversensitive due to my past life working in retail, but I think it's gotten ridiculous. Stores had sales this weekend that are supposed to rival those of the traditional Black Friday. It's just not fun anymore.
I haven't made up my mind yet whether or not to boycott all things Christmas, such as card sending and gift giving. Maybe I'll just refuse to actually buy anything and just regift or hand make my gifts. That sounds like a lot of work, though. I'll keep you posted...
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Go Bucks!
OSU's still undefeated after beating Wisconsin 38-17 today. It wasn't the most impressive win this season, but a win's a win. Lauren had a little party at Grandma's house today, so Chris and I are enjoying a night off (Thanks Grandma!)
That's gonna be it for today. This posting everyday thing is hard.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Day 2, still going strong
Woo hoo! I'm posting for my second day in a row. Something tells me this will get harder as the month goes on.
Today I'm going to brag on Nationwide for a bit. Nationwide is the title sponsor of the PGA's Nationwide Tour, a sort of minor leagues for the real PGA Tour. The Nationwide Tour Championship is being played at the Barona Creek Golf Club this week. That's in San Diego. Unless you've been living under rock, you know this area of the country was devastated by wildfires, started by some kid playing with matches. This is what Nationwide's doing about it:
So there you go. Instead of trying to actually make money off the Tour's biggest event, the PGA and Nationwide are basically forgoing any profit and donating the money to charity instead. I think that's pretty cool.
Today I'm going to brag on Nationwide for a bit. Nationwide is the title sponsor of the PGA's Nationwide Tour, a sort of minor leagues for the real PGA Tour. The Nationwide Tour Championship is being played at the Barona Creek Golf Club this week. That's in San Diego. Unless you've been living under rock, you know this area of the country was devastated by wildfires, started by some kid playing with matches. This is what Nationwide's doing about it:
Nationwide and the PGA TOUR created "Birdies for Relief," a program that will donate a minimum of $200,000 to the Red Cross Fire Relief Fund, established to provide direct support to victims of the recent wildfires. For every birdie made during the event held at Barona Creek Golf Club, Nationwide and the PGA Tour will donate $100 each, for a total of $200 per birdie. Both organizations have committed to a guarantee of at least $100,000 each or $200,000 total. The four-round championship begins on Thursday and ends on Sunday.
In addition to the donations made through the program, Nationwide donated 40 Pro-Am playing spots in support of local relief efforts. The Championship, via the Century Club of San Diego, which is managing the Tour at Barona Creek, extended invitations to San Diego firefighters to participate in the Barona Pro-Am. Twenty-eight will be participating, along with eight junior golfers from San Diego's First Tee Program, the Pro Kids Golf Academy. Each firefighter will be paired with a member of the Nationwide Tour.
The Century Club of San Diego also announced the decision to grant free admission to the Tour and encourage spectators to make a donation to the Red Cross Fire Relief Fund at the gate in lieu of a ticket purchase.
So there you go. Instead of trying to actually make money off the Tour's biggest event, the PGA and Nationwide are basically forgoing any profit and donating the money to charity instead. I think that's pretty cool.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
NaBloPoMo
What the heck is that? It's National Blog Posting Month. So, in an effort to spend every last minute of my day doing something other than working, playing with Lauren or watching TV, I'm gonna try it. Basically the goal is to get bloggers everywhere to post once a day for the entire month. Why? I don't know. It's the Internet. What this means to you is that you're probably going to learn more about the Bilek family than you ever wanted or needed to know.
On to family news, since it's been awhile. Last night was Lauren's first official Halloween. I don't count last year since she couldn't really do much other than eat, sleep and fill a diaper. This year didn't really count either. Yesterday Lauren decided she wasn't going to sleep much, so by the time 6pm rolled around, she was reallllllly crabby. We still stuffed her into her angel costume (purchased at Target the night before) and took her to the neighbor house across the street with her little plastic pumpkin. We had to practically glue the wings to her, and the halo had evil pokey things on the headband so we gave up on that. I'll post some pictures later tonight. She was sufficiently cute, even if she did scrape her knee on the driveway.
We also went to Tenzin's first birthday Oktoberfiesta over the weekend. The weather wasn't the greatest, but the food and company were. I've decided that first birthdays are really just preparation for what goes on Christmas morning.
Alright, I better stop before I run out of things to write about tomorrow.
On to family news, since it's been awhile. Last night was Lauren's first official Halloween. I don't count last year since she couldn't really do much other than eat, sleep and fill a diaper. This year didn't really count either. Yesterday Lauren decided she wasn't going to sleep much, so by the time 6pm rolled around, she was reallllllly crabby. We still stuffed her into her angel costume (purchased at Target the night before) and took her to the neighbor house across the street with her little plastic pumpkin. We had to practically glue the wings to her, and the halo had evil pokey things on the headband so we gave up on that. I'll post some pictures later tonight. She was sufficiently cute, even if she did scrape her knee on the driveway.
We also went to Tenzin's first birthday Oktoberfiesta over the weekend. The weather wasn't the greatest, but the food and company were. I've decided that first birthdays are really just preparation for what goes on Christmas morning.
Alright, I better stop before I run out of things to write about tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Will she ever stop growing?
Lauren's 12-month checkup was today. The latest stats: 28lbs. 11oz. and 32 3/4" tall. So let's see, in her first year of life she's gained 20.5 lbs. and has grown 12 3/4". If she continues at this pace, she'll weigh over 90 lbs. and be almost 6 feet tall when goes into kindergarten. Doesn't sound very attractive to me, although the average runway model is 5'9" and 110 lbs. Ick.
Anyways, Lauren is now the height of an average 21-month-old and the weight of an average 33-month-old (yes, that's almost 3 years old). No wonder we have problems finding pants to fit her. Her belly and badonka donk need a size 2T, but she only needs a size 18 month for length.
In other big news, we can now switch her off formula and on to whole cow's milk. Thank god.
How do I hate formula, let me count the ways:
1. $$$$$. Sure, she breastfed until she was about 3 months old, but then it was on to the regular Similac which ran about $24-26. At about 10 months we switched to the Similac Go & Grow, which was only $20. Yay. Figure that one can lasted less than a week, and you can see how it adds up.
2. The smell. I don't even know how to describe the hideous smell of baby formula. Let's just say that if I had to smell that every time I ate, I'd probably weigh about 50 lbs. less.
3. The powder. This powder sticks to everything.
4. The clumps. It never actually dissolves like it's supposed to, which means you end up with really gross clumps in the tip of the nipple.
5. The bubbles. The Go & Grow especially foamed up so much. And it's a weird foam that doesn't really move. Who knows what the crap is actually made from.
Sorry, Similac, time to find someone else to make money on!
Her next appointment isn't for another 4 months, so you'll have to wait until then for the next official update.
Anyways, Lauren is now the height of an average 21-month-old and the weight of an average 33-month-old (yes, that's almost 3 years old). No wonder we have problems finding pants to fit her. Her belly and badonka donk need a size 2T, but she only needs a size 18 month for length.
In other big news, we can now switch her off formula and on to whole cow's milk. Thank god.
How do I hate formula, let me count the ways:
1. $$$$$. Sure, she breastfed until she was about 3 months old, but then it was on to the regular Similac which ran about $24-26. At about 10 months we switched to the Similac Go & Grow, which was only $20. Yay. Figure that one can lasted less than a week, and you can see how it adds up.
2. The smell. I don't even know how to describe the hideous smell of baby formula. Let's just say that if I had to smell that every time I ate, I'd probably weigh about 50 lbs. less.
3. The powder. This powder sticks to everything.
4. The clumps. It never actually dissolves like it's supposed to, which means you end up with really gross clumps in the tip of the nipple.
5. The bubbles. The Go & Grow especially foamed up so much. And it's a weird foam that doesn't really move. Who knows what the crap is actually made from.
Sorry, Similac, time to find someone else to make money on!
Her next appointment isn't for another 4 months, so you'll have to wait until then for the next official update.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Maybe I'm the travel idiot?
So, I'm going through security at the Houston airport and put my computer bag through. It gets a second inspection. They ran it through the x-ray a second time in Columbus, too, so I was wondering what the deal was. The TSA guy says, "Do you have a bottle of water in here?" I say, "No, not that I know of." Then he pulls out this:
He's holding it like a gun, and his eyes get all big and he says, "What is this?!?!?!" After I recover from thinking the TSA guy is robbing me, I calmly explain that it's an extra battery for my laptop, despite it's gun-like appearance. Here's the good part. Then, still holding it like a gun and waving it overhead, he yells over to the other TSA lady sitting about 45 feet away, "Hey, look at this!" She about falls out of her chair, and he got a good laugh out of that. I said, "Just remember, you're the one joking about it and not me." I was having visions of dying in handcuffs at the Houston airport, all because some idiot TSA guy thought my laptop battery was a gun.
Note to self: don't take that extra battery on the next flight. The nice thing is that I managed to inadvertently sneak a bottle of hand lotion, courtesy of the Hampton Inn, in my computer bag. He was too preoccupied with my "gun" to notice :)
Oh, and I did sit next to bare feet guy on the way back to Columbus. I don't know what it is with men and not wearing footwear on airplanes...
He's holding it like a gun, and his eyes get all big and he says, "What is this?!?!?!" After I recover from thinking the TSA guy is robbing me, I calmly explain that it's an extra battery for my laptop, despite it's gun-like appearance. Here's the good part. Then, still holding it like a gun and waving it overhead, he yells over to the other TSA lady sitting about 45 feet away, "Hey, look at this!" She about falls out of her chair, and he got a good laugh out of that. I said, "Just remember, you're the one joking about it and not me." I was having visions of dying in handcuffs at the Houston airport, all because some idiot TSA guy thought my laptop battery was a gun.
Note to self: don't take that extra battery on the next flight. The nice thing is that I managed to inadvertently sneak a bottle of hand lotion, courtesy of the Hampton Inn, in my computer bag. He was too preoccupied with my "gun" to notice :)
Oh, and I did sit next to bare feet guy on the way back to Columbus. I don't know what it is with men and not wearing footwear on airplanes...
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Air travel tips for idiots (or everyone I seem to get stuck with on an airplane)
My recent flight to Houston reminded me of how frustrating traveling can be. Here are some of my most basic, common-sense recommendations for anyone getting on a flight:
1. Do not wear strong-smelling lotions, perfumes or colognes. Examples: patchouli, rose-scented lotion, any cologne or perfume that you can smell on yourself. (This is true: if you can smell your own cologne or perfume after you put it on, you're wearing too much). Not everyone is as much of a fan of Windsong as you are.
2. Keep your shoes on, unless specifically requested to remove them by a member of the Transportation Safety Administration or other law enforcement official. No one wants to smell that "perfume" either.
3. Don't bring strong-smelling meals on a plane unless you plan to share with the rest of us. Items such as Indian food, sauerkraut, etc. are not recommended.
*I apologize for the emphasis on smells. On the way down, I had all three of these at once (well, it wasn't bare feet but two German women sitting next to me, but it's pretty much the same idea).
4. If your "carry-on" luggage won't fit in the overhead compartment, give it to a flight attendant to gate check. Do not:
a) empty the entire bin of everyone else's appropriate sized carry-ons
b) repeatedly slam the door to the bin trying to make it fit
c) ask for help in cramming it into a space where it was never designed to fit.
Chances are it's not actually carry-on luggage, and you're just too lazy to go to baggage claim.
5. If you are traveling with many carry-on items and will take awhile to recover all of them, wait for the rest of the passengers to deplane. Do not hold up everyone from rows 6-25 so you can get all of your bags.
6. Go to the restroom before boarding the plane. For a normal adult, there is no reason to use the "restroom" on an airplane during a 1 hour flight.
7. Respect your fellow travelers' privacy. If they respond to your conversation starting attempts with nothing more than a smile and nod, or one-word answers with no eye contact, do not continue trying to start a conversation. They don't want to talk to you.
I thought about adding some tips regarding children, but that's a whole different ball of wax. Maybe some other time...
1. Do not wear strong-smelling lotions, perfumes or colognes. Examples: patchouli, rose-scented lotion, any cologne or perfume that you can smell on yourself. (This is true: if you can smell your own cologne or perfume after you put it on, you're wearing too much). Not everyone is as much of a fan of Windsong as you are.
2. Keep your shoes on, unless specifically requested to remove them by a member of the Transportation Safety Administration or other law enforcement official. No one wants to smell that "perfume" either.
3. Don't bring strong-smelling meals on a plane unless you plan to share with the rest of us. Items such as Indian food, sauerkraut, etc. are not recommended.
*I apologize for the emphasis on smells. On the way down, I had all three of these at once (well, it wasn't bare feet but two German women sitting next to me, but it's pretty much the same idea).
4. If your "carry-on" luggage won't fit in the overhead compartment, give it to a flight attendant to gate check. Do not:
a) empty the entire bin of everyone else's appropriate sized carry-ons
b) repeatedly slam the door to the bin trying to make it fit
c) ask for help in cramming it into a space where it was never designed to fit.
Chances are it's not actually carry-on luggage, and you're just too lazy to go to baggage claim.
5. If you are traveling with many carry-on items and will take awhile to recover all of them, wait for the rest of the passengers to deplane. Do not hold up everyone from rows 6-25 so you can get all of your bags.
6. Go to the restroom before boarding the plane. For a normal adult, there is no reason to use the "restroom" on an airplane during a 1 hour flight.
7. Respect your fellow travelers' privacy. If they respond to your conversation starting attempts with nothing more than a smile and nod, or one-word answers with no eye contact, do not continue trying to start a conversation. They don't want to talk to you.
I thought about adding some tips regarding children, but that's a whole different ball of wax. Maybe some other time...
Monday, October 1, 2007
Is three days of birthday enough?
From a parent's perspective, yes. From a child's, of course not! The birthday festivities are over, the Bileks are en route back to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and Chris and I are sleepily dragging ourselves to work. Something about a birthday party just wears you out. Here's the day by day rundown of the Bilek family visit/birthday party/golf outing.
Day 1: The Actual Birthday, Thursday, September 27
Let's actually start at Day 0. As luck would have it, I had to travel to Cincinnati for work on Tuesday and Wednesday. Great timing. Nothing like being out town before guests arrive and when you have a party to plan. It does make for a good excuse to take time off work, though. I took the afternoon off to put a couple of finishing touches on the house and be there when the Bileks arrived around 3pm. We hadn't eaten yet, so we went to Red Robin for some linner (lunch and dinner, come on people).
Lauren wasn't so excited about the food, but did have fun with my bracelet and jump drive. Really, actual toys are overrated.
Lauren gave me a little present in the car seat on the way home, resulting in an early bath. Lauren opened a few presents from the Bileks and the Turnipseeds, and then she was off to bed. After a few drinks with the Bileks, we were all pretty much done. Kind of anti-climactic for the actual birthday.
Day 2: The Prep Day
Now the work really started. I did all the grocery shopping, made the food, and began my journey to create a hand-decorated monkey cake for Lauren. Remember, the kid really likes monkeys. Chris and his dad worked on filling in our patio. After we were all ready for a break, we went for a nice family dinner at Buca. Again, Lauren was nice enough to give me another present at the restaurant. Let's just say there's nothing like changing a yucky diaper in a restroom with 15 ten-year-old girls running around playing hide and seek/peek-a-boo in the restroom stalls. Joy. We came back home, made more food and crashed.
Day 3: The Party
There were really 4 important parts of the day.
The Cake
Thank god for the internet! I found a picture of a monkey cake online, complete with suggestions for how to make it. And I didn't completely mess it up. I guess all those years of helping my mom decorate cakes actually sunk in. Now, I didn't actually eat any of the cake. The gallon of buttercream icing that I ingested while decorating it pretty much filled me up.
The Birthday Girl
Apparently she feels pretty in a dress and a flower headband. I thought for sure that headband would be trashed before anyone actually arrived. Lauren did sample it, but I think she liked wearing it better than eating it.
The Birthday Girl and the Cake
Enough said. Except for one minor detail. We narrowly averted some serious burns due to Lauren's fascination with fire. Her fingers did go in the flame, but we managed to rescue them without too many tears. It's a wonder what cake can do to dry up tears.
The Presents
Everyone was way too generous. Our house looked like Christmas morning with all the toys and wrapping paper around.
We spent the rest of the afternoon playing with her new toys, and then watched the Buckeyes beat Minnesota. Sorry, Bileks!
Day 4: The Golf Outing
A visit with the Bileks wouldn't be complete without a round of golf for the men to finish out the weekend. Luckily I got to hang around the house with Mom Bilek for a more relaxing day, which was much needed after all the festivities. I hear the golfing was a little scary, but the weather was beautiful.
So, we're back to our normal lives. Although I'm writing this while I'm sitting in the airport waiting to fly to Houston. So, I guess it's not so normal after all. It was great to see all our family and friends there to share in Lauren's special day(s). Only 3 months until we go to Minnesota for Christmas!
UPDATE: More pictures in the Kodak Gallery!
Day 1: The Actual Birthday, Thursday, September 27
Let's actually start at Day 0. As luck would have it, I had to travel to Cincinnati for work on Tuesday and Wednesday. Great timing. Nothing like being out town before guests arrive and when you have a party to plan. It does make for a good excuse to take time off work, though. I took the afternoon off to put a couple of finishing touches on the house and be there when the Bileks arrived around 3pm. We hadn't eaten yet, so we went to Red Robin for some linner (lunch and dinner, come on people).
Lauren wasn't so excited about the food, but did have fun with my bracelet and jump drive. Really, actual toys are overrated.
Lauren gave me a little present in the car seat on the way home, resulting in an early bath. Lauren opened a few presents from the Bileks and the Turnipseeds, and then she was off to bed. After a few drinks with the Bileks, we were all pretty much done. Kind of anti-climactic for the actual birthday.
Day 2: The Prep Day
Now the work really started. I did all the grocery shopping, made the food, and began my journey to create a hand-decorated monkey cake for Lauren. Remember, the kid really likes monkeys. Chris and his dad worked on filling in our patio. After we were all ready for a break, we went for a nice family dinner at Buca. Again, Lauren was nice enough to give me another present at the restaurant. Let's just say there's nothing like changing a yucky diaper in a restroom with 15 ten-year-old girls running around playing hide and seek/peek-a-boo in the restroom stalls. Joy. We came back home, made more food and crashed.
Day 3: The Party
There were really 4 important parts of the day.
The Cake
Thank god for the internet! I found a picture of a monkey cake online, complete with suggestions for how to make it. And I didn't completely mess it up. I guess all those years of helping my mom decorate cakes actually sunk in. Now, I didn't actually eat any of the cake. The gallon of buttercream icing that I ingested while decorating it pretty much filled me up.
The Birthday Girl
Apparently she feels pretty in a dress and a flower headband. I thought for sure that headband would be trashed before anyone actually arrived. Lauren did sample it, but I think she liked wearing it better than eating it.
The Birthday Girl and the Cake
Enough said. Except for one minor detail. We narrowly averted some serious burns due to Lauren's fascination with fire. Her fingers did go in the flame, but we managed to rescue them without too many tears. It's a wonder what cake can do to dry up tears.
The Presents
Everyone was way too generous. Our house looked like Christmas morning with all the toys and wrapping paper around.
We spent the rest of the afternoon playing with her new toys, and then watched the Buckeyes beat Minnesota. Sorry, Bileks!
Day 4: The Golf Outing
A visit with the Bileks wouldn't be complete without a round of golf for the men to finish out the weekend. Luckily I got to hang around the house with Mom Bilek for a more relaxing day, which was much needed after all the festivities. I hear the golfing was a little scary, but the weather was beautiful.
So, we're back to our normal lives. Although I'm writing this while I'm sitting in the airport waiting to fly to Houston. So, I guess it's not so normal after all. It was great to see all our family and friends there to share in Lauren's special day(s). Only 3 months until we go to Minnesota for Christmas!
UPDATE: More pictures in the Kodak Gallery!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Happy Birthday Eve!
It's hard to believe that one year ago today I went to Riverside Hospital to kick my kid out of my belly. In case you can't remember a year back, I had to be induced since Lauren was apparently perfectly content being a parasite. My original due date was 9/19, and a week after that we took matters into our own hands (well, my doctor's anyways). 20 hours later, Lauren arrived and my life hasn't been the same since.
To put things in perspective, here's Lauren(with Tenzin) when she was a little over a month old...she's the one with the bow on the shirt:
Now, here's Lauren last weekend:
In the first picture she couldn't do much of anything, except eat, sleep and fill a diaper. Now she's walking. It's amazing that someone can change so much in such a short period of time.
We're really excited that Grandpa and Grandma Bilek are arriving tomorrow to begin 3 days of birthday festivities. They haven't seen Lauren since Memorial Day, when she wasn't even crawling yet. I can't wait to see how much they have with the wee one.
I'll post more after the monkey-themed birthday party on the weekend. Wish me luck in decorating a cake shaped like a monkey...I haven't used cake decorating tools in many years, so it will be an adventure!
To put things in perspective, here's Lauren(with Tenzin) when she was a little over a month old...she's the one with the bow on the shirt:
Now, here's Lauren last weekend:
In the first picture she couldn't do much of anything, except eat, sleep and fill a diaper. Now she's walking. It's amazing that someone can change so much in such a short period of time.
We're really excited that Grandpa and Grandma Bilek are arriving tomorrow to begin 3 days of birthday festivities. They haven't seen Lauren since Memorial Day, when she wasn't even crawling yet. I can't wait to see how much they have with the wee one.
I'll post more after the monkey-themed birthday party on the weekend. Wish me luck in decorating a cake shaped like a monkey...I haven't used cake decorating tools in many years, so it will be an adventure!
Monday, September 17, 2007
No stories, just pics
Sorry, I'm too lazy to come up with something witty, funny and cute to say about Lauren. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. If a picture's worth 1,000 words, this post is 7,000 words long.
4.5 XW
Hmmm, is that the latest version of Adobe Acrobat? The strength of the last earthquake to hit Indonesia? No, it's just Lauren's shoe size. Since she's starting to walk, I figured it was time to get her a proper pair of shoes. Of course she hasn't worn shoes in roughly 3-4 months, so she wasn't overly thrilled with this new development. I had no clue what size shoe she wore, so we went to Stride Rite to have her officially measured. After managing to get Lauren to stand on the foot-measuring device long enough for the salesperson to figure it out, we landed on 4.5 XW, as in Xtra Wide. I think Lauren's feet are basically squares. Anyways, being so well-endowed in the foot department severely limited our shoe selection. Still, we ended up with these.
I think they'll look smashing with her pink OSU jersey and gray bootleg leggings. But not so great with her new birthday dress. We're still working on that.
I think they'll look smashing with her pink OSU jersey and gray bootleg leggings. But not so great with her new birthday dress. We're still working on that.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Lauren likes monkeys
And chimpanzees, and gorillas. Especially this one.
It's kind of hard to tell from the picture, but it's from a book called Touch and Feel Baby Animals. It's part of a box set of Touch and Feel books I bought for her awhile ago. The pictures on each page have portions that are texturized to feel like the animal. So, a lion has a big furry mane, and this gorilla is fuzzy, too. She likes this baby gorilla so much gives it big, sloppy, open-mouthed baby kisses whenver she sees it. Same with the chimpanzee in Beaky's Jungle. And the stuffed gorilla the Thornburgs got her for Christmas. And the little stuffed monkey that she's not allowed to play with anymore because it's so crusty. You get the idea.
Here's what I think is cool. She somehow understands that all of these different types of animals are in the "monkey" family. They all look very different, but she loves them all the same. She's turning more and more into a little person instead of a big blob of goo every day! Here she is reading a different book. Sorry, no cute pictures of monkey kissing. You know how that goes...
It's kind of hard to tell from the picture, but it's from a book called Touch and Feel Baby Animals. It's part of a box set of Touch and Feel books I bought for her awhile ago. The pictures on each page have portions that are texturized to feel like the animal. So, a lion has a big furry mane, and this gorilla is fuzzy, too. She likes this baby gorilla so much gives it big, sloppy, open-mouthed baby kisses whenver she sees it. Same with the chimpanzee in Beaky's Jungle. And the stuffed gorilla the Thornburgs got her for Christmas. And the little stuffed monkey that she's not allowed to play with anymore because it's so crusty. You get the idea.
Here's what I think is cool. She somehow understands that all of these different types of animals are in the "monkey" family. They all look very different, but she loves them all the same. She's turning more and more into a little person instead of a big blob of goo every day! Here she is reading a different book. Sorry, no cute pictures of monkey kissing. You know how that goes...
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Lauren's first Buckeye jersey
I couldn't bring myself to put Lauren in an OSU cheerleader outfit, but a pink football jersey works just as well, in my book.
Not that she could watch the game. It was on the crappy Big Ten network, which 2 of the 3 cable providers in Columbus don't carry. I won't go into details, you can read for yourself. She won't be watching it this weekend either since the long-awaited matchup between OSU and Akron is again on BTN.
Next step: work on O-H-I-O.
Not that she could watch the game. It was on the crappy Big Ten network, which 2 of the 3 cable providers in Columbus don't carry. I won't go into details, you can read for yourself. She won't be watching it this weekend either since the long-awaited matchup between OSU and Akron is again on BTN.
Next step: work on O-H-I-O.
Daycare for stay at home parents. Hmm.
That's kind of how Mango's Place describes their service. No, it's not a daycare run by Chris Kattan. Thank God.
Mango's Place is a drop-in daycare, targeting stay-at-home parents who need someone to watch their kids while they go to an appointment, run errands, sleep, etc. I didn't know these places existed in Columbus until yesterday. We are very fortunate to have my mom in town to provide excellent child care services at very reasonable prices (read: free). But sometimes she has schedule changes, or Chris needs some time on his days off work to handle some stuff. I think we've found our solution. Mango's will watch your kid for up to 4 hours. You just pay a yearly membership fee, plus an hourly rate.
We went to check it out yesterday, and it looked like a great solution. All the kids seemed to be having a great time and the people were really nice. So, it looks like we have a new child care option.
Pray for us all.
Don't worry, we're all fine. Except that Lauren is.....WALKING!!!!!
I have a feeling some really bad falls are coming up. She thinks she can go faster than she can, so she's taken a couple of good headers. I don't understand why she doesn't bruise, though. Is that some freakish baby thing? Maybe they fall so much the body's like, "Eh, no point in causing alarm. Many more to come." The only exception is her knees. Since she's started crawling, she has perma-bruises on both knees. I guess that's our own fault for having hardwood floors instead of carpet. They don't seem to bother her, though.
Back to the walking, though. She's been standing and cruising really well for several weeks now. She'd do a sort of controlled fall from one piece of furniture to the next, but would never try to take a step away from anything. Then the Thornburgs came over on Labor Day. Obviously time for Lauren to show off. So, she was standing holding on to her pack and play. Then she let go, and got this look on her face that seemed to say, "Okay, I'm gonna do it. Are you watching? No, really, are you watching? I'm really gonna do it this time!" She looked down at her feet, and took two steps straight into the middle of the room. Then she fell. Of course we were all clapping and making ridiculous parent noises, so no crying. We thought it was a fluke.
Then yesterday I got a call from my mom, who was watching her while Chris and I worked. I picked up the phone, and practically before I could say hello she said, "Your daughter took eight steps! All the way from the couch to the TV!" That's when I knew it was over. All night she kept trying to walk, but kept falling flat on her face. I think she was tired, so her coordination wasn't so good. And she thinks she can run the 100m dash in about 4 seconds, but her feet don't know that.
This is what our living room looked like when she was just crawling.
I can't really imagine a worse end result, but I'm sure Lauren will figure something out.
I have a feeling some really bad falls are coming up. She thinks she can go faster than she can, so she's taken a couple of good headers. I don't understand why she doesn't bruise, though. Is that some freakish baby thing? Maybe they fall so much the body's like, "Eh, no point in causing alarm. Many more to come." The only exception is her knees. Since she's started crawling, she has perma-bruises on both knees. I guess that's our own fault for having hardwood floors instead of carpet. They don't seem to bother her, though.
Back to the walking, though. She's been standing and cruising really well for several weeks now. She'd do a sort of controlled fall from one piece of furniture to the next, but would never try to take a step away from anything. Then the Thornburgs came over on Labor Day. Obviously time for Lauren to show off. So, she was standing holding on to her pack and play. Then she let go, and got this look on her face that seemed to say, "Okay, I'm gonna do it. Are you watching? No, really, are you watching? I'm really gonna do it this time!" She looked down at her feet, and took two steps straight into the middle of the room. Then she fell. Of course we were all clapping and making ridiculous parent noises, so no crying. We thought it was a fluke.
Then yesterday I got a call from my mom, who was watching her while Chris and I worked. I picked up the phone, and practically before I could say hello she said, "Your daughter took eight steps! All the way from the couch to the TV!" That's when I knew it was over. All night she kept trying to walk, but kept falling flat on her face. I think she was tired, so her coordination wasn't so good. And she thinks she can run the 100m dash in about 4 seconds, but her feet don't know that.
This is what our living room looked like when she was just crawling.
I can't really imagine a worse end result, but I'm sure Lauren will figure something out.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
**UPDATED**--with pics
Well, I think we've officially survived the summer. After checking my calendar, it appears that we have nothing else planned until Lauren's birthday, over a full month away. Thank goodness!
We spent some time catching up with Chris' sister Brea and her husband Steve over the weekend. They stopped down after visiting some family in Illinois. The nice thing is that we really didn't do anything except sit around and laugh at Lauren for two days.
Seriously, the kid is funny. She's started playing games on her own, now. For example, "Where's Lauren?" Ever since she was a couple months old we'd put a burp cloth over her head and say, "Where's Lauren?" in the required syrupy baby talk voice. We'd keep saying that until she pulled it off her head, and then go, "There she is!" Wow. Thrilling. But it always got a big smile out of her. Now, she'll start the game on her own, and she'll leave the burp cloth or whatever on her head until someone starts saying "Where's Lauren?"
She also has this thing about holding toys she likes at the back of her neck and spinning around in circles while sitting. She's also discovered that there's space underneath things, and lays down on her stomach to look under the couch, pack and play, etc. She's found things that I've been missing for months! And I swear she did the splits yesterday. She's also officially a professional stair climber. So much so that we broke down and bought a baby gate last night. So much for my adult decor. I've decided that my life has gone through design phases, something like this:
1. High School: who cares? I never spent much time in room.
2. College: Monet, Georgia O'Keefe, or any other famous artist, all in paper poster form attached to concrete block walls with putty. I also "checked out" art from the local library. They had framed artwork you could check out for 3 months at a time. Pretty cool, actually.
3. Post-college: non-ripped posters from college, hand-me-downs, whatever wass cheap enough for my first place.
4. Adult, pre-children: Chris and I put our individual styles together to come up with something we really like. We've watched enough design shows on TV to be able to really put a room together. Awesome!
5. Adult, with small children: all decorations, knickknacks, etc. at least 3 feet off the floor; high chairs, pack'n'plays, etc. in the least baby-like pattern possible, but I'm still not fooling anyone; smattering of brighly colored, loud toys throughout the general living space.
6. Who knows what's next?
One of the perks of babyproofing is that I got to take some of Grandma Bilek's pottery in to work. It definitely brightens up my day.
I'll work on getting some pictures and videos to add to this post. Of course this likely will not happen due to Murphy's Law of Parenting #1: nothing cute will ever be caught on film. James has had luck defeating this law so I may seek his guidance.
Update: I still haven't defeated Murphy's Law of Parenting #1, so I cheated and just put some pictures in. Who wants to read a whole page of text?
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Confessions of a Grown-up Sorority Girl
I'm not sure which part of that title is more surprising..."grown-up" or "sorority girl." I suppose that would depend on who you are. For me, neither one is that surprising anymore. Many of you probably don't know that I am a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. Yes, it's a sorority, or to be more historically accurate, a women's fraternity; the word sorority was not coined yet when Theta was founded in 1870 by the four women pictured below. Pretty hot, eh?
Every year around this time I delve back into my days as a student at Albion College and resume my duties as the Advisory Board Chair for the Gamma deuteron chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta at Ohio Wesleyan University. Whew, that's a mouthful. Officially, it means that I help guide the President of the chapter in her duties. What it usually means in reality is that I get to relive my college days a little, and realize how the drama of college life never changes. It's amazing for me to hear about the trials and tribulations, think back to how devastating they were for me when I was 20 years old, and then laugh at how I wish those were my biggest problems now.
Right about now you're probably saying, "Wait, you're almost 30 and you still do stuff with you're sorority? You're crazy!" And that's what Chris says most of the time. Don't even get me started on James and his snide comments. But here's the thing. Without getting into the "if I told you, I'd have to kill you" kind of information, no promise I made when I initiated had a time limit on it. The women of this chapter, as well as the hundreds of thousands of other Thetas across the country, are my sisters, and I'll do whatever I can to help them. Always.
So, yes, I'm a sorority girl. And I love it. Will Lauren be a sorority girl? Judging by her Theta bib and the box of Theta stuff I've already started for her, it just might happen. Just don't tell her dad...then he'll have two sorority girls to deal with.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Our Michigan Vacation in Top Ten Form
Rather than the usual rundown of how our vacation went told in the narrative, I've decided to use a Top Ten format instead. Because I'm lazy.
For reference, here's an aerial view of the lake our rented cottage is on. Note the lack of anything really resembling a city. Although you may notice a golf course directly to the northeast of the lake. Chris was happy.
Top Ten Great Things about our Michigan Vacation
1. Being unreachable by phone or email. Because the cottage didn't have a phone, we couldn't get cell phone service, and the only people we knew with internet only had dial-up access.
2. Standing on a dock in the water and feeling like you're moving instead of the water.
3. A 5 year-old catching her first crayfish with a Barbie fishing net.
4. Another 5 year-old running from a crayfish screaming "Crab!"
5. Buying 24 jars of baby food carrots for $1 at the Gerber Factory Store.
6. My husband and brother-in-law fishing on the lake in their trusty watercraft, "The Mackerel." However, I never actually saw any fish.
7. Bonfires with various family we haven't seen in 4 years.
8. S'mores.
9. Beer.
10. Wildlife I don't see in Columbus. Like buffalo, wild turkeys, and large herds of deer behind fences on a deer farm.
Top Ten Not-So-Great Things about our Michigan Vacation
1. Being unreachable by phone or email. Because the cottage didn't have a phone, we couldn't get cell phone service, and the only people we knew with internet only had dial-up access.
2. Driving 6 hours with a 10 month-old baby.
3. 37 mosquito bites in one night.
4. Poison ivy (just Chris, thankfully).
5. Wet sheets, floors, pillows, furniture, etc.
6. Lauren's first cold/allergy attack/snot geyser.
7. 7 people in one 2-bedroom cottage for 3 days.
8. Packing. Note: this is not unique to the Michigan vacation. Packing always sucks.
9. Staying in a hotel on the way back with two different wedding parties in the same hotel, complete with two different Bridezillas.
10. Only getting one hour to soak up some rays due to crappy weather and other various commitments.
All in all, it was a good time but I was exhausted by the time I got home on Saturday. Give me a year and I might be ready to do it again.
And no, I don't have any pictures. Refer to #8 on the Not-So-Great list.
For reference, here's an aerial view of the lake our rented cottage is on. Note the lack of anything really resembling a city. Although you may notice a golf course directly to the northeast of the lake. Chris was happy.
Top Ten Great Things about our Michigan Vacation
1. Being unreachable by phone or email. Because the cottage didn't have a phone, we couldn't get cell phone service, and the only people we knew with internet only had dial-up access.
2. Standing on a dock in the water and feeling like you're moving instead of the water.
3. A 5 year-old catching her first crayfish with a Barbie fishing net.
4. Another 5 year-old running from a crayfish screaming "Crab!"
5. Buying 24 jars of baby food carrots for $1 at the Gerber Factory Store.
6. My husband and brother-in-law fishing on the lake in their trusty watercraft, "The Mackerel." However, I never actually saw any fish.
7. Bonfires with various family we haven't seen in 4 years.
8. S'mores.
9. Beer.
10. Wildlife I don't see in Columbus. Like buffalo, wild turkeys, and large herds of deer behind fences on a deer farm.
Top Ten Not-So-Great Things about our Michigan Vacation
1. Being unreachable by phone or email. Because the cottage didn't have a phone, we couldn't get cell phone service, and the only people we knew with internet only had dial-up access.
2. Driving 6 hours with a 10 month-old baby.
3. 37 mosquito bites in one night.
4. Poison ivy (just Chris, thankfully).
5. Wet sheets, floors, pillows, furniture, etc.
6. Lauren's first cold/allergy attack/snot geyser.
7. 7 people in one 2-bedroom cottage for 3 days.
8. Packing. Note: this is not unique to the Michigan vacation. Packing always sucks.
9. Staying in a hotel on the way back with two different wedding parties in the same hotel, complete with two different Bridezillas.
10. Only getting one hour to soak up some rays due to crappy weather and other various commitments.
All in all, it was a good time but I was exhausted by the time I got home on Saturday. Give me a year and I might be ready to do it again.
And no, I don't have any pictures. Refer to #8 on the Not-So-Great list.
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