and I quote.

 I often have great one liners that seem worth sharing with the family but, at the same time, hardly constitute a blog post.  However, since I seem to be posting pretty erratically these days, I figure what the hell.  

Introducing "and I quote." Check back regularly for the latest and greatest gage & zuzuisms.  Here to start you off...

mommy: i love you, now go to sleep, I'll come back and check on you after I get ready for bed.

 zuzu: ok, but when you come back to check on me will you please wake me up?

we {heart} our daddy

We {heart} our Daddy more than ice cream...

and toys r us...

and funny songs with potty words in them...

and hand held electronic devices...

and princesses...

 and play dates.

And that's really, truly a lot.

Happy Father's Day!

Love, Gage + Zuzu

happy father's day!

This is my Daddy looking over his little girl in 1986.  So explains the exposed shoulders and bad earrings.   But fortunately, not much else has changed.  My Daddy is still looking out for me now.  And yes, I still call him Daddy.

Daddy,

I love you and I wish you were to here to celebrate Father's Day with us today.  But know that even though you are way across the country, you are here with us in spirit.  Plus, your delayed arrival has given me more time to compile my "Daddy Do List" before you do get here!  

I hope your day is perfectly uneventful.

xo

summer math

Today I asked Gage to do some math homework.  I know, I'm a terrible, cruel mother to do this less than 48 hours after school ended for summer.  But I did.  

Now, I'm not going to go into the whole story about how he got 99 out of 100 correct in 6 minutes and 45 seconds when there were a full 10 minutes allocated to the test, and then proceeded to throw a complete tizzy fit because of his utter imperfection.  Or that the problem he missed was 9+8=16 when just three lines above he got 8+9=17 correct.  Or that we had JUST spent a good amount of time reading his report card and discussing that the smartest and most accomplished of people make mistakes.  And then learn from them.  And that one of his goals for next year is to understand that making mistakes is acceptable and even encouraged.  And I'm definitely not going to get into how this all makes me pull my hair out because I wonder if it's something that we've done to make him such a damn perfectionist or if he simply inherited that inescapable gene from his whack job parents.  (No offense to his father).

Nope, I'm not.  Instead I'm going to teach you the math that was not on the test but we learned just a few hours later.

child #1

+ summer vacation day #2

= positive strep diagnosis in 2010 #3

How's that for some math?

urgent - missing south florida woman

So I know this is generally a happy place, and I also know that I don't get all that many hits here, but I feel compelled to write this post tonight.

I met Lynda Meier in 1987 in Oxford, England.  I lost touch with her many, many years ago but facebook reconnected us just a few weeks ago.  I learned today via facebook that she went missing on Friday, last seen driving out of her Hallandale Beach apartment in her red 2007 Cadillac Escalade. A day later, two women were photographed by a security camera using Meier's credit card at a Wal-Mart in unincorporated Miami Dade County near Miami Lakes.  No one has heard from her since Thursday night.  She is a single, 40 year old woman.

I'm not sure what I hope to accomplish here, and I honestly don't know much about Lynda's current life.  I just know that if I went missing I would hope that everyone I had touched in my life did SOMETHING to help find me.  Anything.

This is the most recent sun sentinel article about her disappearance.  Please share it in any way you feel comfortable.  Thanks!

two boys and a menorah

It all started when Gage's brand new friend, who's family just moved here from Texas, spied our something shiny on the bookshelf.  

friend: What's that thing on your bookshelf? 

me: Which thing?

friend: That gold thing?

me: That's a menorah.  It's a traditional candle holder in the Jewish religion.

friend, turning to gage: You're JEWISH?

{mind you, have you seen our pasty white, blue eyed, toe-headed son?}

gage:  Yes, I'm Jewish.  My dad is Jewish.  And my mom is.... 

{even he is stumped}

friend: Christian?

gage: yeah, Christian

me : {quiet while we all assess the situation}

friend, to gage: So do you believe in Jesus?

gage, without pause: Who's that?

me: {wanting to say... honey, people can believe in Jesus in many different ways. But reminding myself that he is SIX YEARS OLD and his parents are NOT HERE... and not knowing what in the world else to say} honey, we don't really talk so much about religion in our house.  CLEARLY.

They moved on.

Case closed.  

But is it?

Our children hail from two very proud, and very different backgrounds.  Their ancestors and grandparents are followers of both the Jewish and Christian religions.  

They have been to services for the High Holy Days (of course the local Temple holds their chidren's services in a nearby Church... go figure) and have partaken in Passover dinner. They've lit the candles on the menorah and can sing the blessing.  The hunt for Easter eggs and their stockings get filled by Santa on Christmas Eve.  But they've never been taught religion.  Just tradition.

Now please, do not judge.  Because, you see, I do not judge you.

But I did start to evaluate our children's exposure to religion and why our son has no idea who Jesus is.  It seems we've talked about God and all of the possibilities that go along with life on earth.  We've talked about inequality and injustice and, in a manageable sense, the persecution of the Jews.  But I'm thinking that's pretty much as far as we've gotten.  (Other family members feel free to raise hands if this is incorrect.) I suppose, in all fairness, I should say, that's as far as I'VE gotten.

We have good friends that observe Shabbat every Friday and attend Hebrew School.  Others that would never miss Church or Bible study on Sunday.  But no one really talks about it.  And I like that.  No, I love that.  Is that so terrible?  I love that my friends are all different and that no one gives a damn.  I love that my life and my social interaction is not influenced by the God I choose to worship.  Or not.   But I think we've just been thrown a curve ball.  

Like I told Gage's friend, we don't talk about religion in our house... but maybe we should.  Give our children the tools that they need to take the spiritual path that's right for them when the time is right.  Because clearly, mom and dad aren't driving that carpool.

my incomplete life. by gage.

Please tell me I'm not the only mother that takes notes when her child goes on a wild rant?  I honestly had NO idea where this was going to end up but when he started with "my life is just not complete" I just started typing.  Apologies for any typos.  He talks fast and, truth be told,  I really just don't feel like editing right now...

my life is just not complete

I mean, every day I feel that i don't need my life perfect ... but it's not complete
I don't need everything.
I just need everything I want
it just doestn't feel complete
maybe i just feel like I'm missing like two things in my life

me: what are those two things?

maybe just one

me: what is that one?

my life is just not complete without one thing
it's not really something in my life
well it's half something in my life and half something to relax in
it's not a toy
I won't be able to get it
some day I will feel my life is complete
I probably will never be able to get it
Well maybe some day

me: what is it?

i don't want to tell you
all i would do is give you hints and you would say no, you're probably not going to get it

me: is it a phone?

no, that's not important in my life
you kind of need a computer
do you need a computer?
you don't need it but it's good.  it helps you with a lot of stuff
that was like... remember when i was deciding between 1 or 2?
a computer was #2
then I decided what's specific in my life that I am missing
what am i missing in my life?
i bet you don't understand
well if I didn't have a house that would be the #1 thing I'd be missing
if i didn't have a family that would be #1
i'm talking about nature and stuff that i'm missing
not like a phone
do I need a computer?
i'm just too embarassed to tell you what I'm tihnking of
i mean you can guess but...

me: you want a pet elephant?

mommy!
not something specific

me: you want love?

have you ever heard me run out of my room saying i want a pet elephant?
i already have love

me: i know you do

what do i need?
i mean it's not really something i need
i'll give you one hint
oh i can't tell you it will give it away
oh nuts
there is so much hints  i could give you but it would give it away
and i don't know if you would say yes

me: try me

what? try you?

me: just tell me straight out. don't give me a hint.

I'll spell it out for you but you can't say it even if you know it
i might spell it wrong but I bet you'll get it
I'll just spell the first word
T.R.E.E

me: is there any place at daddy's house to put one?

he doesn't have any trees
I was going to say that there is a TV show that has one - you know on arthur - it's not in their back yard - it's in a place that's close to their houses

me: but that's a cartoon and we can't just build a treehouse in a park. we'd get in trouble by the police.

{minor intermission while he babbles and I neglect to type}

if we had a tree house it would change my life.
it would because when my friends came over instead of saying, let's go in your room and play legos,
they'd say c'mon gage lets go climb up your tree house.
that's like the only word I've thougth of somebody letting me hear but I've never heard it.

{now he starts looking out the dark window plotting where to put it. he wants to start by planting the tree...}

it wouldn't change my life at all, it's just something i always wanted

me: it's not something you always wanted, it's a new want

I know but it's a big want
it's not like I want a pencil or something
it's like I'd have two houses
well actually three houses
mommy's, daddy's and my treehouse
it would add one more whole box in my life
like if I had a treehouse {teary} when i made my heart at school I could have put the treehouse in it
see that's why it's something I'm missing.

{fake sniffle}

me: do you know what I think? I think you are the most special boy in the whole world
 

{ignoring me} it would just be so cool to wake up and come out here and see the whole yard, and the pool, and a treehouse
see, I've been seeing all of this in my brain
it's not funny to me

me: do you know what I'm typing?

something about my treehouse?

wordless wednesday

Oh, what a terribly boring three day weekend that was.
I don't think the kids had any fun whatsoever.

the next generation

I got an email from my mom today with a tale about her trip to the Apple store today.  It was too funny not to share.  These are mostly her words (with just a few edits) taken directly from the email...

I went to ATT today to find out why I couldn't get an internet connection on my iPhone.  An 'older' gentleman came in while I was being helped.  His phone wouldn't ring. Only vibrate.  This happened to me two weeks ago and I finally remembered the little button on on side of the phone that turns the ringer off.  I showed him while she was checking my phone.  Then I called him and it rang. He left happy and when I was in the car my phone rang. It was him. He said, 'This is Marsall did you call me?'  He didn't realize he was looking at the call I'd just made in the store!

the power of a mother

I had the strangest dream this morning.

I was taking a trip.  I was with another woman but the person is still not clear.  I think it was my mom at one point but not throughout the entire dream.  We had stopped at an airport cafe for a snack in between the second and third legs of our flight.  It was crowded.  I was holding one of two twin babies.  The other woman was holding the second baby but we were not standing together.

I saw a girl that I went to camp with when I was about 10 across the shop.  (Why she entered my subconscious is waaaayyyy beyond me.)  She was calling my name and it was taking me a while to place the face.  There was a lot going on around me.

All of the sudden I realized that the man squatting with his back towards me at my feet was trying to steal the baby from my arms.  I was having a hard time holding on to the baby.  It was not mine but I had to save it.  I tried to fight him off with my right arm but he clamped down on my hand with his teeth.  I tried to scream "HELP" multiple times but nothing was coming out of my mouth.  No one around me noticed what was going on.  The man turned back to look at me with this look of, "yeah, you're fucked" on his face when I screamed on the top of my lungs "HELP!" one more time.   But the difference was this time I did it out loud... and in real life.  I woke myself up as I was screaming.  Fortunately I didn't wake the kids but it startled the heck out of me.

I think that was the first time ever that has happened to me.  Like many people, I frequently dream that I'm trying to run but I can't get anywhere, trying to scream but nothing will come out.  But this time, the feeling of protecting that infant was so strong that I finally got the word out.  I have to say I was a little proud of myself.  And somehow... I managed to fall back to sleep.

Analyze that.