mommy bytes

Leaving the Innocence of Family Love

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 02:11:00 +0000

This post originally appeared on BlogHer in February 2009. Thankfully, Dova has outgrown the Disney princess cult since then.

When my daughter was born, my then three-year-old son assumed that he was going to marry her. It was a sweet notion, which someday we would have to dispel. As my daughter grew and started talking, she also claimed that she was going to marry her brother. My husband and I were extremely grateful that they got along so well and didn't take the route of fighting and squabbling. But when do we break this bubble for them?

I remember talking about life in general with my son when he was five. I told him that he would probably go away for college and then move away from home and have his own family some day. The thought of leaving home disturbed him greatly. His sense of security comes from knowing that his family will always be there for him. As a parent, I desperately want to hold on to these days when our children still need us and adore us. I know only too well that the inevitable teenage years will be here before we know it. Where parents suddenly don't know anything, don't understand them, and are totally not cool to hang around with.

I finally had the conversation with my son about not being able to marry his sister when he was seven. I took the scientific tack of the maintaining genetic variation as he tends to be very factual. Being a total boy, he was fascinated with the types of birth defects that could occur. After steering the conversation back to not marrying his sister, he took it in stride and said, "That's OK, I have lots of other girlfriends." As he has no secrets from his sister, he broke the news to her that if they got married and had babies, the babies would have no arms, or eyeballs, or anything else that would get a laugh out of her.

But now that he someday has to search for love outside of our family, what will I tell him about relationships and marriage? At this point, the best thing I can do is to show him what a good marriage is. That a good marriage is built on not just love, but honesty, trust and respect. We always remind our kids that even though we sometimes get mad at them, we always love them. The same goes for our marriage. Just because we sometimes argue, we still love each other.

Our now five-year-old daughter is completely caught up in the Disney princess cult and is always staging weddings for herself as well as her dolls and stuffed animals. This is OK to a point, but Ladyblog explores when the princess fantasy goes too far. It will be much harder to bring her down to the reality of relationships after this foray into princess fantasy land. The Disney movies have gotten better at portraying strong women, but they always end with the happily ever after wedding. She'll have to learn that the wedding is only the beginning of the journey.

Most importantly, we hope that providing the safety and sanctuary of family love will give them a strong foundation for future relationships. Sure, our family isn't perfect, but neither is any relationship. Hopefully, they will learn that relationships, like families, are all different but can be full of love, fulfillment, laughter and fun.

A Day at the Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:19:00 +0000

I've always loved the beach. The sun, the salt water, the waves. But I could do without the traffic and hoards of people. I grew up on Long Island, where we had pebbly beaches on the north shore and sandy beaches on the south shore but with fierce waves. In Massachusetts, I have enjoyed Horseneck beach in Westport for many years, but it is a 2+ hour drive from where I live near the New Hampshire border. We've also gone to the beaches in York, Maine while visiting my in-laws. The water is always freezing cold and there is the dreaded Hampton toll to get through (although now with the high speed EZ-Pass lanes, traffic has been much better this year).

A couple years ago, I went on a quest with Dova to find a closer beach with less traffic and crowds. I headed north on 495 and got off as soon as I saw a sign for "Beaches". I ended up on Rt. 286 and turned right when I hit the shore. I discovered beach heaven.

View Larger Map

The beach is in Salisbury MA, but further north from the official beach. I've always been able to find a parking spot along the road, near a public beach access walkway. There are no lifeguards or facilities, but miles of pristine sand, clear waters and perfect-sized waves. The water is so clear that I've often seen schools of shiny green minnows swim around my feet when I'm waist deep (the one thing that I've never been able to successfully photograph). Most of all, the kids love it. We've had many beach fiasco days, but never when we go to this beach. Here are photos from the Fourth of July, a perfect holiday activity.

$100 BlogHer Question of the Day - Would You Swap Places with Your Partner?

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:35:00 +0000

I'm honored to be the $100 BlogHer Question of the Day. If you haven't checked it out yet, just hop over the BlogHer, answer the question (there's a new one every day), you'll be entered to win $100 in cool cash.

My question was, "Have you ever thought about how your life would be if you swapped places with your spouse or significant other?"

The answers are quite interesting so far. I would say that 95% of people say "No way!" and there is a small segment that would love to swap places or try for a day. Some responses hinge upon roles and responsibilities and some hinge on gender. Here are some great responses that made me laugh out loud.

Hubby and I actually work together doing the same job, so switching there wouldn't be so hard. However, he has to put up with ME and I could never tolerate that.

...see what it is like to live like a man with all that testosterone.

And this response was so touching.

My final partner I met late in life and he was the soul mate I waited so long for, he was an award winning writer and I would not have traded places with him because I loved being his partner and being awed by his intellect, his compassion for others, his empathy with the world's underprivaleged which stemmed from his own poor childhood from which he worked himself up to a DLitt. He died suddenly and way to soon but I am so happy to have had him for the 4 years we were together and would wish every woman could have had such an experience.

I'm so glad this question brought out this response. What a beautiful relationship.

Here's my response. I would definitely like to swap temporarily for a week or a month. In the small crowd of yes comments, many of them had stay-at-home husbands which is the situation we fall into. I've never had the chance to be with my kids full time outside of maternity leave. I'm sure the situation would fall apart quickly because I'm way too much of a control freak. But I love the thought of planning fun-filled summer days with them and six hours of quiet to myself while they are in school. My hubby is currently looking to get back to work, but it would have to be his kind of work and not mine. He would be flummoxed with my software code! When I wrote the question, I was mainly thinking about roles and responsibilities. But after reading the comments about gender, I definitely would want to try swapping so I could be male. I have had dreams that I've been a male and it was very interesting... (don't get me wrong, these dreams have been very rare!).

For your chance to win, head over the BlogHer to answer the question of the day.

WW - Peace Child

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:20:00 +0000

I lent Dova my new peace symbol necklace to go with her new peace symbol shirt. Wearing tie dye shirts recently made me hanker for a nice peace symbol necklace from the seventies. Luckily, eBay is always available to quickly satisfy those cheap whims. So what's peace child to do? Commune with nature of course.

Here is my love child picking raspberries from our yard.

And eat them straight from the vine. Since we do nothing for pest control or even fertilizer, they are completely organic is every way. I've taken to call her moon child (and sometimes Moon Unit) every time she wears this shirt. It fits her perfectly.

Visit by Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes for Mom or 7 Clown Circus (wordful) for more participants.

One of a Kind – Daniel Spirer Custom Jewelry

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 03:25:00 +0000

Back when I was single, I remember perusing the Boston Globe Magazine and eyeing the beautiful custom jewelry. Someday, I thought, someday. When my now husband was contemplating getting engaged, I immediately mentioned Spirer –Somes Jewelers (now Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers). Doug knows that I am too much of a planner to accept a surprise proposal with a surprise ring. Same with my pregnancies, there will be no surprise announcement of the baby’s sex at the time of birth!

As with my kid’s names, I had specific requirements for my ring. No prongs to get caught on things! I wanted a smooth bezel mount. Then I saw this ring.

Actually it was a ring with three diamonds similar to the one shown on the top of this photo.

Image from Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers gallery.

There was no need for Doug to go broke, so we opted for beautiful medium blue sapphires to flank the diamond. That also made this ring completely unique. No one else has a ring exactly like it. The only thing was, each stone had 6 prongs for a total of 18 prongs! So much for my no prong rule. Since then, I have realized that a prong mount allows for light to come through the bottom of the stone, allowing it to sparkle from within. I do get my ring caught on things every so often, but it is well worth the beauty of the ring. I still regularly get compliments on it nearly 12 years later.

And true to form when it comes to rules, when we named Adam, I had to throw out my rule of “no biblical names”. We picked the most biblical one of all! And without Daniel’s mis-writing of Doug’s name, we wouldn’t have had the name Dova at all.

After a few years, Doug and I went back to Spirer-Somes and picked out this ring for Mother’s Day. It is very similar to my wedding ring, except it is a sapphire flanked by two diamonds in bezel mounts.

I finally had my bezel mount ring. They make a very nice complementary pair. If you’re ever in the market for beautiful unique jewelry check out Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers in Cambridge, MA or at his website. He’s quite a character and has a blog as well.

Note: This post was definitely not sponsored as Doug spent the really big bucks for these beautiful rings. Photos were taken with my Canon Rebel XTi with a 50mm lens and 25mm extension tube.

Little Girl, Big MIT

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:41:00 +0000

When Adam was 6 years old, I sent him for a day of kid's activities at MIT for my 20th reunion. I didn't attend myself because Dova was only 3 years old and I didn't want to get full days of babysitting. It turns out that MIT reunions are quite family friendly and have many family friendly activities even for young ones. I remember thinking that Adam was such a big kid at 6 years old and it was time to start brainwashing him into thinking that MIT was the best and only place to attend college. He loved it of course and has followed hook, line, and sinker into thinking that he should be going to MIT. This year, I had the opportunity to meet up with a friend having his 25th reunion, so I brought Dova along. She looked so little against the big architecture of the ‘tute.

Dova outside of Lobby 7 under a massive column.

Under the windows to the entrance of Lobby 7.

Against a vast wall.

In the infinite corridor (3rd floor).

Even though she is the same age as when I first brought Adam to MIT, I still think of her as a baby. Apparently she is no longer running around at my knees, but she is getting quite tall! Here we are on the third floor of Lobby 7 against the top of one of the columns.

And according to plan, she has also been brainwashed into thinking that she too should be going to MIT. Excellent!

Live to Chat, Chat to Live

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:15:00 +0000

Adam with his mop top.

The first time I chatted with someone on a computer was over Unix talk in the mid 1980's. It was really cool, but invariably with someone within close proximity (think huge terminal lab at MIT), so it was more of a novelty than anything. It wasn't until the late 1990's when a co-op student showed me AOL Instant Messenger at work. He used it to chat with his friends from school. Soon, most of my friends and I were on it as well (I was the pioneer pushing it onto many skeptics). A technological communications door that I always had imagined had just been opened. Not as disruptive as a phone call and not as slow as email.

Instant messaging was used so prevalently at my last job, it was perfect for tele-commuting because people didn't know whether they were chatting with someone in the next cube or at home. When I started at my current job, IM simply wasn't allowed. I did it on the sly with my old friends but slowly, all the ports for AIM and MSN Messenger were closed down. The only thing left is Skype now. There is corporate IM for work, which is helpful, but not used to the degree that I had in my previous job.

When Adam was born, I couldn't wait until he was old enough to use the computer so I could chat him from work. Maybe by age 6, I thought. But as he got older, I became more and more wary of subjecting him to the good and evils of the internet. I have yet to give him an email address to spare him the pain of spam. He does not need to know about penis enhancements and Nigeria! Besides, he needs to learn how to talk properly with his friends on the phone first. But on the computer, he has fallen into the world of online video games which he plays with his friends, real and virtual.

Yesterday, for the first time at age 9 1/2, I installed Skype on his computer and we finally had our long awaited chat. I enjoyed it immensely. (Screenshot edited slightly for clarity and privacy.)

I was impressed by his nearly perfect spelling and punctuation. I broke him in with my casual IM way. Since I always refer to him with the (emo) emoticon to Doug, I had to share it with Adam.

Me: this is you

Adam (later): you are

He is still the sweetest boy ever, even on chat. Does my heart good.

WW - Wind in her hair

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 02:42:00 +0000

While we were parked one day, Dova decided to pose on the back deck of my car.

What a lounge lizard!

Part of the reason I wanted a convertible was to feel the freedom of the wind in my hair. I love throwing my arms up in the air while I'm driving. But sitting on the back deck reminds me off two movies with awesome convertible scenes.

First Terms of Endearment with Jack Nicholson. I didn't care for the movie, but there is one scene I love where Jack is driving on the beach, sitting on the roof of a 1978 Corvette, steering with his feet.

Image from Alert the Media.

"Wind in the hair. Lead in the pencil. Feet controlling the universe. Free love at the helm."

The movie clip is awesome if you haven't seen it.

And then there is Thelma and Louise. The movie would not be the same without the Thunderbird convertible.

Image from StarPulse.

Image from here.

I will not be trying either of these stunts with my car!

Visit by Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes for Mom or 7 Clown Circus (wordful) for more participants.

A Study in Flip-Flops

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:43:00 +0000

Last month, I let Adam try on my heels. Look at those sexy legs!

I dare say that his legs look better than mine. Here I am in those shoes, snapped by Dova.

But I digress. This post is about flip-flops (a.k.a. thong sandals) after all. When I was a kid, I didn't wear flip-flops. My parents somehow convinced me that they were bad and besides, whenever I tried them on, that piece between the toes was never comfortable. I was perfectly happy wearing regular sandals, with and without a back strap. When the original Dr. Scholl's (I'm dating myself) and Birkenstocks were in, I was in heaven (of course I only wore the cheap knock-offs). When I met Doug, he liked wearing flip-flops so I decided to give them another try. Here he is in a cheap pair that we later found out were manufactured by the same company who made the nasty Walmart flip-flops.

For extra cuteness, here is Dova when she was three years old, wearing Dad's flip-flops.

I started with cheap $1 flip-flops which irritated the space between my toes to no end. I mostly wore them to the pool or the gym shower. If I had to walk more than a few hundred feet, I would be cursing them. My kids however, took to flip-flops like they were born with them on and couldn't understand what my problem was. Last year, I finally found a pair with cloth instead of rubber between the toes and they made a world of difference. I could finally wear flip-flops! Good thing too, because you are hard pressed finding regular sandals at a store like Target. They have an entire wall filled with flip-flops and hardly a handful of sandals. I finally felt like part of my family of flip-floppers. Here I am with Dova in my new flip-flops:

Dova has extra wide feet, so finding shoes and sandals to fit her is quite the chore. Flip-flops don't care how wide your feet are, although there are some straps that are too tight for her to get her feet into. Since her feet were so wide, I wanted to see if I could fit my feet into her kid size 13 flip-flops.

OMG, I could actually fit my feet into her flip-flops! Heels hang off the back a bit though .

Now back to Adam and my shoes. Those heels actually fit him pretty well. How is that possible? He's only nine years old! He wears a size 6 and upon investigation, that's the same as a women's size 7. That's pretty darn close to my shoe size of 8! So I decided to try on his flip flops.

Wouldn't you know it, they fit just fine. He has HUGE feet.

Now that I've gotten used to wearing flip-flops, I can even wear the one with the rubber straps now. But most happily, I have opened a new world of fashionable footwear for myself. I just picked up this pair of scarf flip-flops from Target.

Don't they match my work carpeting well? But really, they are so cool, funky, hippy, dressy, so me! Hooray!

WW - Perfect Balance

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 03:42:00 +0000

Dova has officially given up all sports except for gymnastics. (Hooray or boo hoo, my soccer coaching career is over!). I think her best apparatus is balance beam. Ever since she was a tot, she has had amazing balance, whether it be on a beam, on skates or on skis. Here's her routine:

We're so proud of you, Dova!

Visit by Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes for Mom or 7 Clown Circus (wordful) for more participants.

Entertaining the Old and Young

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 02:40:00 +0000

At a family gathering last month, I was fortunate to capture my kids at their most charming. Dova has always been quite precocious when talking to adults; she speaks clearly and eloquently beyond her six years. I often forget that she is different from other kids because I see her every day. When I go away on a trip however, she amazes me the first few minutes after I come back. Talking to her is like talking to a pint-sized adult, often outspoken and amusing. She sizes up situations and puts together complicated relationships lightning fast. Nothing gets past her, nothing is ever forgotten, and she is never afraid to speak her mind. Here she is patiently and happily conversing with her 88-year-old great uncle.

Adam is much more shy around people, and preferred to play with his baby cousin who turned one year old.

The one year old birthday girl had the special lotus flower fireworks candle on her cake. This is the first time I was able to fully capture the shooting sparks on camera.

I had my hand at entertaining both my uncle and baby cousin with my piano playing as well. That is until my uncle said, "I think you should stop now, your children are jumping on the furniture." This is modus operandi at our house, but apparently they don't realize that it is not acceptable behavior in other people's homes! So much for charming kids.

Mother and Daughter Pumas

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 01:56:00 +0000

After going to the BMW Performance Driving School, the one thing that I absolutely wanted was a cute pair of driving shoes. So shortly after returning, I found these Puma shoes that fit the bill.

They are seriously cute.

I purchased these in April in the beginning of Dova's soccer season. She needed a new pair long sport pants, and we found this cute Puma suit on sale at Macy's.

Which also goes well with Doug's new M track jacket. Aren't we all just so sporty?

I hadn't seen the Puma brand since I've been high school. Looks they are making quite a comeback!

Silly Bandz Fever!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 02:48:00 +0000

Several months ago, Dova and I were in a store where she stopped dead in front of a display of Silly Bandz. I had no idea what they were and immediately said no.

Silly Bandz Fun Shapes

Shortly after that, she started coming back from school with a variety of Silly Bandz on her wrists. She had won them from the prize jar from school for good behavior. Every day she came back with a different set of Silly Bandz that she had traded with her friends.

Here is a sample from that day. They've all changed since!

I didn't catch the fact that she wore them for her soccer portrait.

In the latest school newsletter, we got this note about Silly Bandz:

Silly Bandz are colorful silicone/rubber band bracelets that come in different categories of shapes (animals, geometric shapes, alphabet, princess…) and have become very popular with some children. In school, while some are satisfied with wearing one or two on their wrists and enjoying this latest fad, others have become over-zealous with this new fashion. This includes pressuring others to trade; efforts to buy/sell; using them as rubber bands
to shoot at each other; wearing excessive amounts that interfere with writing/school work; taking them off to count or play with; finding/losing them;…and other examples that distract our children. Teachers are dealing with these problems according to their different grade levels; however it is clear that there have been problems in some classrooms. Please speak to your child if you feel that this might be a problem. Thank you for your cooperation.

I had no idea what an obsession this has become with the Kindergarten set! Lately she has been begging us to buy more Silly Bandz. Yesterday, I went to our local Rite Aid and asked whether they carried them. They did, but they were out and was receiving a shipment today. When we went again today at 7pm, they were sold out again. Dova was crushed. So much so that she holed herself into her room crying. Such begins the first of many fads in her life. Lets hope that they are all this cheap!

Better Than a Picnic Memorial Day

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:44:00 +0000

The hosts of Boston's Hebrew National Better-Than-A-Picnic Picnic, Christine of Boston Mamas, Audrey of Mom Generations, Christy of Quirky Fusion, and Jodi of Mom's Favorite Stuff put on a fantastic outing at beautiful Artesani Park in Boston on Memorial Day.

Dova was pretty skeptical at first and spent time being shy and grumpy.

She barely broke a smile watching me ride the mechanical bull. No one else in my family dared to have so much fun. Adam was a great photographer though.

Dova finally warmed up at the card making station for military service members sent to the Boston VA and Operation Gratitude. Thank you service members!

Adam learned to play volleyball with another family. He speaks the universal sports language so he had a blast.

Doug won the latest Peter Frampton CD, Thank You Mr Churchill, from 105.7 WROR.

And I got another Asian Invasion photo with Sandy (Momisodes) and Christine (Boston Mamas).

Last but not least, the lovely Christy (Quirky Fusion) took this photograph of our family before the kids ran off again. Thanks Christy!

Thanks to the wonderful hosts, Boston Mamas, Mom Generations, Quirky Fusion, Mom's Favorite Stuff, Hebrew National and WROR for making it a great day!

Hosted by Cecilyand Krista

Some Bathrooms Never Change

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 28 May 2010 10:43:00 +0000

Last year, through some cosmic déjà vu, I found myself working at the facility of my old company. I was laid off five years ago, but my new company had entered an agreement with my old company (they have since broken up and now we treat them like an old boyfriend). I found myself testing our new instrument in their labs, right back at my old facility.

The biotech instrumentation field in the Boston area is quite close knit and you will most likely know everyone within two degrees of separation. This can be good or bad, but it mostly means that you can’t burn any bridges because you’ll never know who you’ll have to do business with in the future.

The first time I walked into the building my old company after three and half years, the lobby filled me with memories of good years with great co-workers and fun, often stress-filled projects. I felt a strange sense of familiarity yet I could see that things have changed. The cafeteria and stairwells were updated. There were new faces as well as old. It was great to catch up with some of my old colleagues, some of whom I had worked closely with. Although I ran into many familiar faces, all of my closest friends in R&D were laid off eventually.

But nostalgia didn’t really hit me full force until I walked into the bathroom. It was exactly the same as when I first walked into this building for the first time 15 years ago (when I say that, I feel really OLD!). Nothing had changed. The tile, sinks and walls were exactly the same. Even the door to the handicap stall was hanging crooked like it always had been.

The first time I walked into the ladies room at my current job, I was surprised by the light pink color on the walls. Now I've gotten used to it. But if I leave this job and then come back to visit, I'm sure that color will immediately jump out at me again.

In my new bathroom, there are auto flushers. So when I was travelling back to my old facility, I would use the toilet and stare at it wondering why it didn’t flush. It’s a work bathroom, they should all be the same right? Somehow I can’t get around the fact that they were two different workplaces. Even after spending a year working at my old facility part time, I couldn’t get used to the two different toilets.

From an old PostSecret.

Since the break-up, I’ve been back to pink auto-flushing bathroom. But the break-up has just been another way my old company has screwed me over. I had worked there for 12 years and was well on my way to becoming a lifer despite an hour-plus commute when they sold and then closed up their R&D shop. Now with the break-up, it looks as though my days at my new company are numbered as well (hopefully by choice). Good thing I haven’t burned any bridges. As far as I know, most people would be willing to work with me again. There are just some people that I would refuse to work with unbeknownst to them. Because you know, some bathrooms never change.

WW - Time for a New Table

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 19 May 2010 02:35:00 +0000

In a passing spring thunderstorm, our table toppled over. Partly because I always leave the umbrella open.

So this:

Became this:

The glass shards were quite beautiful but a huge mess to clean up. Thanks Doug!

Visit by Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes for Mom or 7 Clown Circus (wordful) for more participants.

Rainy but Wonderful March for Babies

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 14 May 2010 03:51:00 +0000

Last Saturday, I ventured out in the rain with Christine of Boston Mamas, Christina of Fairly Odd Mother and their kiddos to walk in the March for Babies. I was very pleased to raise more money than my goal. It's not too late if you would still like to donate! Just click the banner above.

The weather was dismal. I thought I came prepared wearing my Disney World poncho, but one step into a puddle and my feet were soaking wet for the day.

We started out at the Hatch Shell where the Boston Pops performs on the Esplanade in Boston. Enza Youkilis, wife of Red Sox Kevin Youkilis, spoke with her charming son Michael, who was born prematurely at 29 weeks.

As the walk started, the rain let up. Here's the bridge to the Arthur Fiedler statue.

We walked down the Esplanade across the river from MIT. I got a photo McCormick Hall where I had an awesome dorm room with a view.

At the end of the walk, I finally took off my poncho after checking the weather radar on my iPhone. It turned out to be a fine day!

Since I rarely get to Boston without the family, I decided to park at Alewife in Cambridge and take the T (subway) into Boston. I hadn't realized that parking had gone up to $7, or else I would've just tried to find parking in town. The T fare was also up to $1.70! But without that, I wouldn't have run into this character who looked like a cross between Jason Lee and Ryan Gosling.

Hooray for people watching on public transportation!

Please consider donating to my Relay for Life team as well.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

WW - Water Balloon Fight

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 12 May 2010 03:04:00 +0000

Since it took me 15 minutes to figure out how to tie a knot on a teeny tiny water balloon, I had to make the best of my finger-shredding experience by capturing a few photos of the water balloon fight.

It is nearly impossible to catch a water balloon exploding, but I did capture the spray and a little piece of balloon stuck on Adam's back.

Adam threw his balloons with vigor. So much so that Dova got red welts on her back.

Dova only got that one shot, so for her last balloon, she cracked it over his head.

Visit by Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes for Mom or 7 Clown Circus (wordful) for more participants.

Please Support American Cancer Society's Relay for Life

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Tue, 11 May 2010 05:10:00 +0000

Last weekend I had wonderful experience of walking for the March of Dimes with the Boston Mamas team. We raised over $7600 and I beat my personal goal of raising $500. Thank you to all who donated to help moms to have healthy, full-term pregnancies.

Next month I am walking for my company's American Cancer Society Relay for Life team. From their website:

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.

One of the most touching and emotional part of the event is the Luminaria Ceremony.

As the sun sets over campsites and darkness falls, the night is brightened by the glow of illuminated bags called luminaria, each bearing the name of someone who has battled cancer. Some celebrate cancer survivors, while others help us honor and remember those gone too soon.

I have a luminaria for my father who died of brain cancer in 2005 and plan to walk the luminaria lap. Since this event is 18 hours long, I also signed up to walk for two hours in the middle of the night.

If you'd like to donate, please visit my Relay for Life page. You can also honor or remember someone with a luminaria during the Relay For Life Luminaria Ceremony. No donation is too small, please help. Thank you!

Schleimscheiss - Boot Licker - Anissa!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Tue, 11 May 2010 03:06:00 +0000

Awesome photo from CrazedMommy of Anissa of Free Anissa and Hope4peyton.

A few weeks ago, one of my co-workers wrote a bit of a brown-nosing email to a company in Germany.

Thank you ... for the part numbers, descriptions and outline drawing. Several of us here are very refreshed by your response. It will be great to work with your organization again - this comes from many of us here at [my esteemed company].

To which he got a one word response from the CEO of the company:

Schleimscheiss…

Of course we had to look this up and found that it meant "boot licker" in German. He printed out a sign with the word "Schleimscheiss" on it, took a picture of the sign over his head, and sent it back with the message:

Thanks [esteemed CEO] - I deserve this very much!!

Later, we went to google images of "boot licker" and look who popped up, Anissa! I saw her on the screen and said, "I know her, it's Anissa!" My co-workers looked at me in disbelief. How could I know a person coming up in a random image search? Sure enough, I proved them right.

As many of you know, Anissa suffered a stroke last November and is making a remarkable recovery. You can follow her journey at Free Anissa and Hope4peyton. May is stroke awareness month. My father experienced two strokes before he passed. Always always always call 9-1-1 if you have symptoms of a stroke:

Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

Anissa, we love you! Hope this post brings a smile to your face.

Asian Invasion photo by Angie (A Whole Lot of Nothing) with Sandy (Momisodes), Anissa (Free Anissa) and myself.

Biking to Work - Infinity MPG

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:19:00 +0000

Infinity MPG from Threadless.

Back in my days of college and grad school, a bike was a necessity to get around. In 1987, I bought a new bike in California for grad school. It was my prized possession.

Here's a bonus shot of me and my bike in 1989.

But the 5.4 miles from my apartment in Oakland to the UC Berkeley campus was a killer on a bike. There was a hill on Linda Ave, where I always felt like I was going to die. Sometimes I hopped off and walked to the top. Going to school was a gradual uphill for 3 miles (thanks to Google, I determined this was about 300 ft). I would arrive in class with my hands shaking so badly, I couldn’t take notes. On rainy days, I would take the bus and eventually I bought a moped to zip to school.

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In 1993, I had a job in Cambridge, MA which was bikeable from my home in Winchester, MA. But this commute was through heavy city traffic, and there was hill at Teele Square which was a tough. Every time I went up it, I would be on the verge of hopping off and walking. I thought it would get better as I rode more and got in better shape, but it never did. I hate hills! The 7.9 mile ride took about 35 minutes, which was nearly the same time as by car with all the traffic.

View Larger Map

For 10 years after that, my commute was 34 miles, which was definitely not a biking distance for me. When I started my current job in 2005, I had a dream commute of 9 miles, but also kids to pick up from daycare before and after work. So I brought my bike into work and rode around 12 miles at lunch on a nice flat bike trail near work. No hills, no traffic, good temperatures, good tunes and podcasts on my iPod, it was cycling heaven for me.

But I always had that nagging feeling that it wasn’t very green to be driving to work and riding my bike just for exercise and not for transportation. Sure, I wasn’t driving to the gym and using gas, but it still bugged me. In reality, I was afraid of this hill that I couldn’t find a decent detour around.

This is a major road with a pretty narrow shoulder, lots of traffic and cars going around 40-50 mph. I wasn’t sure I could even make it up the hill, let alone negotiate the cars and the shoulder. I’m 43 now and not in my 20’s anymore!

This section of road was also riddled with potholes which made it even more dangerous. They paved it a few weeks ago, and I finally took the plunge and rode to work last week. Miraculously, the hill wasn’t too bad. I didn’t even have to get into a standing position. It was over before I knew it. Once off the main road, it was smooth sailing to the bike trail and to work. I made the 10.7 miles in 44 minutes, at an average speed 14.4 mph. I couldn’t believe I made it!

I was a little concerned about the ride home since the ride in was so easy. It was definitely harder. The hill on the way back was tougher and occurred 35 minutes into the ride. But I made it without feeling like I was about to die. In fact, the second time I rode back from work, I did it in 45 minutes, nearly the same time as the easier ride in. Could be that I’m actually in better shape than before?

At least now I can proudly wear my Infinity MPG shirt for finally commuting to work on my bike. By the fall, I will definitely be in awesome shape!

Yes, this is the very same bike from 1987. It’s held up so well for me, why get a new one (yet another green move)? OK, it’s ancient, but at least it has index shifting.

Take Those Naked Photographs Before It's Too Late

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Thu, 06 May 2010 03:16:00 +0000

One of my favorite corner's of the internet is PostSecret. "PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard." PostSecret, is intimate, anonymous, and voyeuristic. Many secrets are sad, some are funny, and there are always one or two that hit right home. I've always imagined creating a PostSecret and mailing it in. But I've never been able to decide upon a secret that I was willing to part with. Besides, most of my secrets have already been posted in one form or another.

Back in January, I happened upon a PostSecret that was simply a text email, and not even a postcard. It said, "I wish I had taken a naked picture of my husband, back in the day when he was a hard body and looked like Bob Seger. He is gone now and I miss him." For some reason this has really stuck with me.

So on our annual trip to Newport this year, I made a point to take some nude pictures of Doug and myself. Regardless of how my mommy body looks. Doug has one of those (extremely annoying) metabolisms that has left him at the same weight for 30 years. So his photos came out fantastic. Mine? I can barely look at them. But no matter what, these will probably be better than any photos we take in the future. The moment is now!

And you can't beat these knowing smiles (fuzzy because it is cropped way down - the rest is not for public consumption!).

For more on naked families, check out my BlogHer post.

Hosted by Cecilyand Debi

WW - Guest Photographer Adam

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 05 May 2010 02:36:00 +0000

It's been a while since I've let Adam use my camera. That would be this 9yo boy here.

He took portraits of Dova and me.

As well as silly candid shots.

I love this shot of me basking in Dova's hug and kiss and the golden hour sun.

Dova doesn't mind posing either. It's been nearly a year since she's lost those teeth and still no sign of permanent teeth yet!

Adam pretty much was snapping non-stop. I had to whittle down over 100 photos. In the end, I had to get mad to get my camera back.

Visit by Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes for Mom or 7 Clown Circus (wordful) for more participants.

PSF - BMW Performance Driving School

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 03:26:00 +0000

Wanna know what makes me really happy? Driving someone else's BMW M3 around an autocross track. I had the honor and pleasure of taking a course at the BMW Performance Center in Greenville, SC with a bunch of fantastic ladies a couple weeks ago. Of course it helps to be a BMW enthusiast, but I think just about everyone would enjoy and benefit from this type of event.

"Don't forget to breathe", especially when looking at that beautiful new Z4. On the other side of these banners were the BMW slogans, "Pure Passion, Pure Performance, Pure Joy". It truly was. I was in car heaven.

Besides the autocross track, we also practiced a lane change maneuver. Here we are checking out the course, by driving slowly through it.

We also drove an off road course with the X5.

By far my favorite course was the skid pad. Having had some previous automobile and motorcycle courses, the other track work was very similar. But I had not experienced the skid pad. Coming from the snowy and icy streets of New England, taking to the skid pad with an instructor in a safe environment was a thrill as well as educational. Spinning out on a street is deathly scary. Spinning out on the skid pad is a total rush. Learning how to gain control of a skid is total enlightenment.

Check out these hot laps around the skid pad with the instructors. Woo hoo!!!

Hosted by Cecilyand Caitlin

Note: This is not a sponsored post. I paid te big bucks myself to be part of this ultimate BMW experience.

WW - Wisteria and Tulips

noreply@blogger.com (Angela) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 03:19:00 +0000

At the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, the wisteria was in full bloom. It was gorgeous.

During this time, the tulip garden was also in full bloom.

Instead of taking this shot with my point and shoot, I held up my DSLR with one hand to take it. Quite a feat!

Visit by Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes for Mom or 7 Clown Circus (wordful) for more participants.