happy new year! now make a wish...

Tonight at dinner we dined on our favorite rotisserie chicken from a local restaurant.  Towards the end of the meal I saw the wishbone on Scott's plate so I picked it up and showed it to the kids. Briefly, I explained the process of breaking the wishbone, stressing several times that it's strictly a superstition, but that it might be fun to try it.  Especially on New Year's Eve.

So I told the kids to make a wish. And then I strategically gave Zuzu the bigger half.  (Gage, if you are reading this ten years from now, I'm sorry.  You are clearly stronger and more competitive and I had to give the poor girl a fighting chance.)

So they grasped and they pulled.  And they broke the wishbone.  And Zuzu, surprise!, ended up with the larger half.  

Immediately we began reiterating that it's only a superstition and that doesn't mean that either wish will or will not come true.  Then Zuzu giggled and said, "Oh, mine won't come true.  My wish was just a fairy tale."  And then she proceeds to tell us her New Year's wish.

"I wished that Ariel was my Mommy."

Nice.

So I turned to Gage to ask him what his wish was. "I wished that our family would have two hundred billion dollars (or some absurd number like that... I don't remember exactly).

So I took the larger part of the wishbone from Zuzu and gave it to Gage.

We all laughed for a quick bit. No one took any of it seriously as I was afraid they might and Zuzu accepted the smaller half of the wishbone for her fairy tale wish.

When the giggling subsided I asked Zuzu, 

"If Ariel were your Mommy, then who would I be?"

"An old lady"

Nice.

"How old?"

"Oh, about twenty"

So, the family would have two hundred billion dollars, Ariel would do the actual parenting, and I could just sit back in my twenty year old body and observe?  Well, hell, Happy New Year to me!

But seriously folks.  From our dysfunctional family to yours I wish you a happy and healthy new year.  And as a wise friend just posted on Facebook, "I wish you enough".

ocd vs. I don't really give a rat's ass

We all know our children are unique and that personality traits can vary wildly among siblings. Child rearing 101. But the differences can rear their hysterical heads in the most surprising of moments. Without looking too carefully at the actual gifts (that would clearly give it away), can you match the child with the appropriate pile of Santa gifts? One meticulously laid theirs out, gift by gift in a neat row. The other literally tossed them in the air (albeit appreciatively) and moved on.

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.

and another page has turned...

And then all of the sudden it happens. Without conversation, explanation or celebration, he silently retreats back to his old room. It is as if he never left. There is no hesitation, no fear and certainly no regret. He is even immune to the pleading from his little sister who generously shared her bed for over six months and isn't quite ready for him to move on yet.

He sits patiently in his bed reading his new, big boy chapter books while mom reads to his little sister and tends to her many ridiculous requests in the room next door. And then, when his turn has come, I sit on his bed and HE reads to ME. He tells me he loves me. He lets me wander out. And he goes to sleep.

In his room. In his bed. Alone.

And another page has turned...

our kids are weird

Our kids are weird.

And our dog is weird too.
But my video icon is back!

In case you haven't noticed, I've been unable to upload videos to this blog for some time now. Terribly frustrating but clearly it never became a big priority. Until a few days ago when I mentioned it via blog comment to my most useful bloggy friend, Jill, who found the simple solution for me. Ah, it's nice to have motivated friends.

So now my easy peasy link function is gone, and some of the other frilly new features that I'd been enjoying that you probably could care less about, but the video action is back.
Consider yourself warned.

the fight for the frozen land

It's official.  Our son is a creative genius AND a perfectionist.  What?  You're not surprised?  But why?  His genes hardly lean that way. 
Do they? 

This is a journal entry he wrote tonight in the handmade journal I made this afternoon.  Twice.  (The first journal's pages didn't line up perfectly and it was abandoned and given to his little sister.) 

This copy above is chapter one of the journal.  When you add the intended caps & punctuation it reads, "The GRO is a secret agent team that solves crimes.  It only has children in it.  The secret agent rock star is today's agent.  Today's mission is the fight for the frozen land."  He got the idea from a new series of "chapter books" he's reading entitled Secret Agent Jack Stalwart.  Granted, edition 12 that he's on now is called "The Fight for the Frozen Land" so it's not entirely creative... but still. We all have to get inspired somehow.

Unfortunately, the artwork on the top of the page was discredited by the author and the entire journal was abandoned shortly before bed.  At his majesty's request, I have just spent the last 40 minutes of my evening photocopying, cutting, gluing and binding journal #3.  Wish me luck when I hand it over tomorrow.  It better damn well pass inspection.

it's somehow worse in writing

I got this email today from our local soccer league and I really just want to know (and I almost want to type in all caps but I'll refrain because I really hate that) how I can look forward to another terrific season when our baby is going to be in Second Grade.  Second Grade?  Really?  Noooooooo...

Dear Kristi,
Gage has successfully enrolled in the club's 2010 recreational soccer season.
•••
Currently, we have Gage in the Second Grade - Coed age group.
•••
Please contact me ONLY if the information above is in error.
With approx. 1,350 players already signed up, we’re looking forward to another terrific season.  I’m glad you’re a part of it!
Best regards,

pardon the interruption

We interrupt a month's worth of silence for a very important announcement.

We have a loose tooth!!!

Being the youngest in his class Gage is the only one of his friends with all of his teeth.  It's been a long painful year of Gage shouting, "I have a loose tooth!" only to find that the tooth is rock solid.  But this week the moment finally arrived and the tooth is most definitely loose.

As you know, I rarely take "posed" pictures of the kids but today I forced Gage into a wide, tooth filled smile...as it may be one of the last.  And that kinda makes me cry.

The following shots of Zuzu have nothing to do with her teeth.  They were taken simply because she likes to pose.  And she's damn good at it.

three's a cupcake

In a last ditch attempt to alleviate this...

But when the prospects of painting or puzzles just weren't enough, I resorted to the sure thing. Cupcakes. She made the batter and licked the spoons. I baked and frosted. She sprinkled...

The result? Two very happy boys...

One very happy girl...

And four dozen mini cupcakes. OK, we're down to about three dozen now but still. Anyone hungry?...

club penguin

We officially joined Club Penguin 30 days ago.  In all honesty, I'd been forcing the kids to play without the membership until Grandma arrived.  See, Grandmas typically give in a tad bit faster than Mommies.  If you are not familiar with Club Penguin, it's an online Disney enterprise.  An interactive penguin world where kids (and quite possibly some very bored adults) gather together.  Think the Sims in penguin suits. 

Each penguin gets his/her own igloo which you decorate to your comfort level (Gage got a disco floor today).  You also dress & accessorize your penguin.  Furniture & costumes are acquired by purchase with Club Penguin coins which you earn by playing games.  You can also buy *puffles* which are essentially pets.  You must monitor your pet to make sure it's had enough food, rest and energy or it just might run away.  Yup, they high tail it out if you don't take proper care of them.  Sadly, I think Gage is more attentive to his puffles needs than his actual dog's.

There is also a *special agent* feature.  Needless to say, Gage has been anxiously checking his membership for his special agent qualifying status every day since we joined.  Then miraculously yesterday it appeared. You would have thought that a Toys R Us with no cash registers flat out fell into our backyard.  The kid was hysterical with joy. 

"Mommy, I love you so much!" (it's ok, I'll take it when I can get it)
"This is my best day!" (really? damn.  I've failed)
"I feel like I'm famous!" (whatever works to build self-esteem, right?)

So Gage's special agent penguin is now permitted to enter the security headquarters and have access to a special agent phone.  He goes on special missions and has the unparalleled responsibility of monitoring the behavior of the other participating penguins.  So please, be careful what your children say while playing because he takes this very, very seriously.  I'm almost embarrassed for him.  But not.  Because secretly I know he's learning to read by anxiously watching all of the other penguins conversations.  At least that's what I continue to tell myself.

But lookout.  I fear his little sister just might hit secret agent status tomorrow. 

valentine success

Well that was like pulling teeth.  The project started out super fun HERE.  But it turns out that our kids are just as sensitive to the expanding class sizes as we are.  At least as it applies to handmade valentines.  Seriously never thought Zuzu would complain about putting sparkles on ANYTHING.  Another first.

I'm happy with the way they turned out and the share of the apparently arduous task that the kids were able to shoulder.  Gage punched and signed all his own heart cards and styled all the paper wraps with the twine & cards.  The kid really has a talent with color. 

Zuzu, the director, didn't really do much more than punch her heart cards & stick on sparkles...oh and eat candy.  She's good at that.  We opted against the loose candy that we used last year due to the unwelcome abundance of flu germs in our schools this year.  Instead we filled the matchboxes with one large chocolate heart wrapped in red foil...which I neglected to photograph...but Zuzu taste tested and overwhelmingly approved.

happy halloween!

No, I haven't completely lost my mind. Yet. You see, it's pretty much Halloween year round in this house. There are two closets and a rolling ottoman overflowing with costumes and "the silver box" where mommy used to stash her chocolate somehow became a candy free for all one day. But, it just wouldn't be Halloween if we didn't discuss (two months ahead of time) what we wanted to be and then order our favorite (expensive) costumes on line. And this week, we're celebrating the arrival of those costumes.

This post, will serve as a reminder of what the children ordered to wear on Halloween which we will inevitably refer back to when I post pictures of what they actually do wear on Halloween. I can assure you that at least one of them will be different. In fact, one of them already is.

Zuzu has chosen Little Red Riding Hood. Now, I've never actually read this story to her but somehow she knows all about Grandma & the Wolf. Could have been the ride at Lego Land or maybe they are actually teaching them something at pre-school. Who knows? Needless to say she is the cutest damn Little Red Riding Hood you've ever seen. And no, I'm not just saying that because she is my child....


Gage chose GI Joe Snake Eyes. Not because he has any idea who GI Joe Snake Eyes is, but because the costume looked cool and came with a super long sword. It was also one of the hardest costumes to find in stock. Go figure. I guess he has good taste. The costume that we ordered looked like this....


I do not, however, have a photo of him in it yet as he has already dismissed the costume for Halloween. He has now announced that he will be a football player and will sport his new San Francisco 49ers jersey that he got on Sunday and has worn all but one day since. And, as you can imagine, that laundry day did not come easy....


Alas, I will keep you posted. Stay tuned for more Halloween photos throughout the next 38 days....

artsy fartsy

Rainy days and Sundays always get me down...or force me to get creative!
This post is basically for the Grandparents but if you happen to appreciate it then hugs to you too...

garage art. acrylic on canvas by Gage...


garage art. acrylic on canvas by Zuzu...


portrait of a lego tank & jet. marker on paper by Gage...


happy travelers. marker on paper by Gage...


bed time letters. pen on paper by Gage...

but I'm allergic to mangos

Every year, in charming Coconut Grove, Miami, people gather for a satirical parade of sorts that pokes fun at current events and political figure heads. And yes, this year was full of people to poke fun at. The King Mango Strut originated 27 years ago when two men were denied participation in the Orange Bowl Parade. Instead of feeling bitter about it, they concocted quite an amusing display of talent. Nothing is sacred here. This year there was a Joe the Plumber Drill Team, a moose hunting Sarah Palin, a Foreclosure Fairy & of course, a barrage of shoe throwers. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any of this because somehow I managed to get the honor of riding on the Little Miss Mango float with my little Miss & Little Mr and THE most annoying man in the world. I cringe even typing about it.

Talk about doing damage to a child with words. My sister in law was with me and I think we came to the conclusion that the man in question was NOT the father of the Little Miss Mango he accompanied. That is the only good news I can provide. See this little girl was dressed to the nines. Princess costume, wand, jewels, ballet slippers. The works. He was on that float for over an hour before it started to move to secure the best possible seat. (OK, this float, as you can see from the pix below, is a junky flat bed truck. There are no good seats.)

Anyway, the premise of this float is to judge the best Little Miss Mango. Each kid gets a crown, a wand and a sash. And then there is no judging and everybody wins. Even their five year old brothers. It's a joke. Like everything else in the damn parade.

Needless to say this man thought his little lady was the best thing since sliced bread. Really, he was as bad as that analogy. He was telling her things like.... "Oh, baby, everybody is here to see you. You are making everyone here so happy. You are definitely going to be on TV...look, you are on TV again. What do you want to wear when this is over?..I'll buy you anything you want so you can look pretty all day. Next year we'll bring my Mercedes and we'll lead the parade." Yeah. He did. And did I mention that she was about four and a half years old? Talk about the damage parents can do to their kids. It was like watching a really bad movie. Really bad.

pre-high-school musical

Missed any of the High School Musical movies? (there have been three) Well never fear, Gage & Zuzu bring it all to you right from Gage's very own bedroom. Sans pants, of course.

happy friday

Hope your weekend is equally as joyful!

welcome to kindergarten!

And so we usher in a new era. Gage is off to kindergarten and rather indifferent about it although I was greeted at the end of day one with, "I had a great time, Mommy!" (Then today it was more like, "Can we go home and have a snack?") In this photo, the family is saying good morning to the class rat. Yup, rat. Her name is Bailey.


Quick. Find Gage.
There is an abundance of blonde (big)haired, blue-eyed boys in this class. It's really quite remarkable.


And, as should be expected, Zuzu is already anxious to graduate pre-school (after three long & grueling weeks) and join big-brother on the big carpet.

"that is amazing"

Is this a result of my learnings from 'siblings without rilvary' that I started practicing yesterday or is Gage just a really good actor? I'm thinking it's a little of both. I'd love to publish more of this three minute video but the lack of clothing proved to be slightly prohibitive.

hide & seek

We enjoyed a very spirited game of hide & seek today. Gage, Zuzu, Grandma & I took turns hiding. Two at a time. Grandma and I got a kick out of the innocence and naive approach to the game that the kids exhibited. We are so accustomed to speaking to them like grown-ups and it's so easy to forget that they are 2 and 4.

At one point, Zuzu found a "great" hiding place behind the sheer blinds in the master bedroom. Gage was anxious to join her so he sent me and Grandma on our way to count. But not without hollering after us, "but you guys, you need to look more places 'cause you know we're here."

I hope this isn't one of those 'you had to be there' moments because we were rolling with laughter...

siblings without rivalry

So I started reading this book (again) last night and I'm determined to get through it this time!