ClumberKim

CalConnecting

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:20:00 +0000

Mr C will be taking one less trip next year. He's pretty active in two organizations that meet three times a year, all over the world. Add to that the obligatory trips to the mothership and yeah, you know where all the sleep deprivation comes from. So one less trip sounds nice. Really really nice.

CalConnect is coming to Pittsburgh in May, hosted by CMU. In an interesting turning of the tables, it was my husband volunteering me for something. The opportunity to organize hotels and catering is a little like Christmas to me. It's a lot better than the stuff I typically volunteer him for.

It will be a fun project (even if he's making used a blasted wiki instead of playing with Google Wave) and at the end I'll get to meet some twitter/facebook friends and with any luck, sit in on some sessions and learn something. Or maybe I'll just remember that calendaring makes yer head 'splode.

believe in me

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:32:00 +0000

Oliver has been making up some pretty fantastic stories of late. Over the weekend he concocted an entire soccer league and was able to tell me which teams played and who won, all out of his (over-active) imagination. This started because of a pair of socks sent by Aunt Suzy. He has Penguins socks, Pirates socks, Steeler socks, and soccer socks. One of these things is not like the others.... He wasn't quite sure what to do with socks that were not associated with a team. (Sorry, Riverhounds, but your logo isn't on the socks.) So he made up a league. Makes perfect sense, if you're 4.

Sports at his school have appeared to be over for more than a week, so when he told me on two days ago that there would be a field hockey game tomorrow, varsity vs faculty, I was skeptical. No, I flat-out didn't believe him. To me it seemed just as fantastic as his made-up soccer league.

Imagine my surprise this afternoon when I learned such a game really IS scheduled for tomorrow. I think you know where I'll be.

100 things, part one

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:43:00 +0000

It's about time I do the whole "100 Things About Me" thing, so here we go, 10 at a time, probably on Tuesdays.

1. I am doubting I will get to thing 100.

2. I have lived in five places: Maine, Williamstown, Swarthmore, Walla Walla, Pittsburgh

3. All of my full-time jobs have been with higher education institutions.

4. I hope my next job is not with a higher education institution.

5. I read books and blogs about parenting, hoping to learn how to do it better.

6. My husband is the calm parent. He doesn't need to read books and blogs.

7. I am the kiss of death to television shows. If I like it, its days are numbered.

8. Same goes for Trader Joe's products.

9. When I was seven or eight my goal in life was to be a statistician for the Boston Bruins.

10. In order to get my master's degree I drove a 500 mile roundtrip once a week for two years.

can't pry him away

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:36:00 +0000

Oliver likes school. That may be the understatement of the year. When I picked him up from that first day I asked him if he liked it and if he wanted to go back the next day. "I want to go back EVERY day," was his reply. And he's been unwavering in that sentiment. My problem is that he is putting his money where his mouth is. I frequently have trouble getting him to leave at the end of the day. His latest stalling tactic is to ask what's happening on the athletic field.

The field has been a busy place with practices and games for soccer and field hockey, and Oliver doesn't discriminate. If there are kids on the field, he wants to go watch. Now, suddenly, all that activity is over. The seasons ended, even the playoffs. The field is empty. Oliver doesn't care. I have to go play soccer with him, assuming someone has left a ball lying around (always), or get a little football out of his backpack and let him make me feel inferior because I can't throw a spiral to save my life. He can. Beauties. He's 4 and already running circles around me.

Today the field was empty again but Oliver didn't care. He found a soccer ball and was perfectly happy. Then all the extended day kids came outside and he was in seventh heaven. A small group of fifth graders has kind of adopted him and they started playing football. All over the field minor skirmishes were breaking out (mostly amongst siblings, I noticed), but none in Oliver's group. They played. And played. And played, for nearly an hour and all I heard was encouragement and laughing.

Some days I have to haul him away crying but today when it was time to go the older kids helped me out. There were fist bumps and high fives, and one seriously grinning kid who can't wait to go back to school tomorrow.

dinner in a hurry

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:41:00 +0000

Regulars around here know I'm not a "food blogger." In my dreams maybe, but really I just dabble. Remember, I have been known to classify food as "Bacon and Not Bacon." Classy, no?

Weeknight dinners are my most frequent and daunting challenge. We try to eat as a family but it doesn't always work. I always swore I would not be one of those moms who cooked separate meals for the kids and the grownups, but here I am, doing just that, more often than I care to admit. The kids are not adventurous. They eat things that are separate. (Mac & cheese might be the only "combo".) Pasta is not covered in anything. Chicken nuggets are not dipped. Not even a little ketchup for the fish sticks most of the time. Compared to a lot of kids, my kids are good eaters, but it is still exasperating to me, the one who loves sushi and appreciates a well-constructed one-dish meal.

Whether we eat as a family, within 20 minutes of walking in the door, or the grownups eat after kids are in bed (8pm, when I can barely keep my eyes open), quick and easy is critical. My main man and nearby neighbor, Trader Joe, is a master at helping me accomplish this task. Tonight it was spaghetti and meatballs. The pasta took the most time.

Another quick meal that makes people think I worked a lot harder involves TJ's frozen chicken breasts, a jar of TJ's curry sauce (they are all good), TJ's frozen brown rice (I actually prefer Whole Foods' version but only because of packaging that enables better portion control) and TJ's garlic naan. I might cut up an onion and throw in a few other veggies. That's another under 20 minute dinner, but one the kids will not touch. And please don't tell my MIL or SIL this is how curry happens in our house, except on rare occasions when I have time to make as they taught me.

A whole family favorite is TJ's mandarin orange chicken. Oliver will dip things in this sauce. I add the brown rice again and broccoli (usually florets in a bag from TJ's). Voila. Orange chicken and broccoli in under 20 minutes. Kids keep it all separate but the adults mix it up and hope someday the kids will catch on.

I would love to cook everything from scratch. I would not have built my kitchen as I did if I didn't love to cook. But these days, my brain is too fried to do anything that even requires reading a recipe.

What's your favorite really fast, no brain required dinner? Bonus points if it's something my kids will eat.

get the picture

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:09:00 +0000

He got one of these, so I might get the cast-off one of these. We'll still have one of these left over.

Photography is not my strong suit, probably because I have no formal training. Point and shoot is all I've ever tried. Hold me.

picking up speed

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:11:00 +0000

Six months ago, Oliver finally mastered the trike, after nearly two years of trying. And now? He's got a big boy bike with a trade-in program. He'll be ready for Le Tour any day now.

equal time

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:43:00 +0000

I've been a bit too Oliver-centric lately so let's try to give Eleanor equal time, shall we? The trouble is, I hardly see her. Since the big shift in schedule, necessitated by Oliver changing schools and the whole one car thing, there are mornings I leave before Eleanor wakes up. In the evening we get about 2 hours before she goes to sleep. I miss her.

Conversely, I get at least two hours with Oliver in the morning (whether I want them or not...). And some afternoons I am with him for four more hours. I'm not complaining. A lot of that time is just the two of us and it is very special, it is just all out of balance and may not change for about two years.

I got a bonus hour today. Eleanor's school had some open studio time and I jumped at the chance to take her. She adores the studio, especially painting and clay. Today it was all about the clay. We made a snowman, complete with a top hat and a little bag, like the one she likes to carry. It was the best hour of the week so far, without question.

Just look at that face. Who wouldn't want to spend more time with that?

lean on me

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:06:00 +0000

One of the many things I love about Oliver's school is how the older kids treat the younger ones. Since everyone changes classes, even the PKs, they are out and about in the school. It's a small place (600 or so students in PK - 12) so they get to know each other quickly, but imagine a three and a half foot tall PK kid walking the halls frequented by 8th graders. Many of them are taller than I am! The school has some planned opportunities for interaction (5th grade buddies for PK, 8th grade buddies for K) a lot seems to happen outside the lines.

While I would expect a little intimidation, that's not what I am seeing. Oliver walks around like he owns the place, knows many of the kids by name, and they know him. Case in point, an 8th grader he met last summer. She makes him friendship bracelets and helps in his class during a free period. Her little sister is Oliver's 5th grade buddy and I'm certain he couldn't choose between them. The 5th grader drew him a picture today and he got very angry with me when I dared fold it (to fit in his backpack) without his permission.

He spotted the 8th grader when we arrived at a recent field hockey match and promptly sat on her, instead of sitting with me in the bleachers. I couldn't pry him away and if she was bothered by him, she hid it very well.

A few days later we were watching soccer, faculty vs varsity. Oliver was getting fidgety and went to kick a ball on the sidelines with some other kids, all older than him. Not only did they welcome him into their play, the middle school goal keeper took all the little kids behind the field and kicked the ball around with them.

In my experience, bigger kids tended to ignore the little ones (if I was lucky) and could be downright mean (if I wasn't so lucky). I see not the slightest hint of that sort of behavior at this school.

Since this is the norm at the school and not in any way exceptional behavior, I am confident Oliver will pay it forward and be kind to the little ones once he is a big kid.

houston? come in, houston

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:58:00 +0000

Do I have any readers in Houston? I need a favor. Kind of a big one, I know, but I have to ask anyway.

Could you go root for the Pittsburgh Angels Rugby Football Club in the Women's Div II national championship on Saturday at the University of Houston? 12:15pm is their first match. I'll also need you Sunday since we know they will be dominating their opponents right to the end. City of Champions, n'at.

While we are loud here in the 'burgh, I don't think they will be able to hear all of their fans from here. Help?

one oh oh oh

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:08:00 +0000

Here it is. Post 1000. I should look back and do a quick review but I really just want to move forward (and drink!). But a bit of looking back is apparently required. I offer here just a little. We're not going to be doing any of that wallowing thing. Ahem.

I started this blog on a whim a couple of months after the birth of my first child. Our families don't get to see the kids much so I thought it would be a fun way for them to keep up with Oliver (and later, Eleanor). It has evolved into something far less focussed than I planned, for better and worse, with more ranting and complaining than I ever anticipated.

Numbers seem to figure prominently around here. I offer just a few examples.

Here we have Oliver's weight chart (of misery and insanity). We were crazy enough to weigh him every day for far too long. Kids, DO NOT try this at home. No breastfeeding woman should have to do this. I was far too wrapped up in how many ounces I pumped and how many Oliver did or did not gain that I felt a lot of needless stress in my life. Once a week or two is plenty. Seriously.

In 2008 I did Blog365 and we experienced the 24 days of Daboo family Christmas. More insanity, on both counts, yet fun. There have been lists like this one, this one, and another one.

So, moving forward (feel free to drink again) is what we'll be doing around here, forward by getting back to where I started. Growing kids wait for no one.

NabloPost 999

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:18:00 +0000

Here we are. November again. Somebody please tell me what happened to October. I seem to have blinked at some point and now it's gone.

I have continued to be a bad little blogger for the last few months so of course, signing up to do NaBloPoMo for the fourth year in a row seems like a great idea. Today, anyway. It seems I'll have lots of company in my misery.

Seriously though, I know what I'm in for and know I can do it. I have all these great ideas for regular features and I'm not going to tell you any of them. The enterprise will be doomed as soon as I hit publish, so I will keep them to myself. Only I will know when I fail.

Here's my annual plea for people to join me in this effort. Come on. You know you want to. And there are prizes! Don't have a blog? Start one! You can even post to the NaBloPoMo site itself if you want. This is not rocket science. (I'm going to say that one to myself as often as possible.)

Come back tomorrow for the 1000th post to my blog. And excuse me now, while I go try to wrap my head around that one.

a gorilla and the best banana ever

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:38:00 +0000

a gorilla and the best banana ever
Originally uploaded by clumberkim

Here's the annual photo of the kids on the front lawn, just prior to embarking on a little Halloween fun. (see also last year's photo, and the year before that)

Once again, Oliver chose the costumes back in August, but I think it is the last year he is going to choose for his sister. For the last few days Eleanor has been telling me she wants to be a spider again and I should put that banana thing in a bag. We had a couple of traumatic attempts to try it on and I was sure she was going to have none of it when the moment of truth came.

Trooper that she is, she let Mr C get it on her, then I took over with some encouragement. I told her how cute it looked and took her up to a large mirror so she could see. Wide eyed, she liked what she saw. I told her she was the best banana ever and she ate it up with a spoon. Just another parenting problem solved.

are you ready for some...rugby?

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:29:00 +0000

I renewed my strange and wonderful relationship with rugby yesterday, as Eleanor and I caught the second half of the Pittsburgh Angels' decimation of their opponent in the Midwest Division II tournament. We had to cross two of Pittsburgh's three rivers to get there, multiple times even, but get there we did. Founder's Field is a very nice venue. Much nicer than anywhere I ever played.

I played rugby (badly) in college. In six seasons I racked up a very long list of injuries, including three concussions, and never once scored. I was marginally better in the third half of competition. Let me know if you ever need an anchor for your boat races or a dirty limerick that contains the phrases "concave or convex" or "iambic pentameter". I am definitely your girl.

After graduation I moved to take a job where my boss just happened to be the faculty advisor to the women's rugby club, a club who had been coached by a couple of guys who had just graduated. I wasn't any better as a coach than I was as a player. Fortunately, they didn't really need me. The two captains were outstanding and there was a lot of talent on the team. They needed me to drive and be the grown up. Ha!!!

In the twelve years I have been in Pittsburgh, the only rugby I have seen has been on tv. Going to see the Angels seemed like such an occasion I even got out my old jersey And.It.Fit!!! I will admit it was much baggier back in the day (it was purchased in 1985, for goodness sakes! twenty four years, two babies, and a hell of a lot of nutella ago) but it was comfy, like I remembered.

Many things about the game, however, were very different. What is this business of lifting in the line outs? That was illegal and dangerous in the olden days when I was playing. Now it is normal and, seemingly, expected. There were a few other things that seemed odd (no, not the scrumcaps but I still wouldn't wear one!) but in general, the experience left me feeling awfully nostalgic. I have no interest in ever playing again, unless someone comes up with a wheelchair league, but I'd still be all over that third half. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine....

As for Eleanor, she LOVED rugby. Tonight at dinner she was still talking about it. Maybe love is too strong a word. She loved rearranging the gravel and thought seeing the women running around and clapping for them was cool. I told her she could play some day but asked that she please wait until after I'm dead.

high maintenance

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:25:00 +0000

Every week I fill these boxes. For the dogs. True story.

Though this is the glorious four months of the year when I am younger than Mr C, I still feel ancient on a daily basis. But it's nothing compared to my dogs. Bubba, our rescued Clumber, will be 14 in December. He totally acts like he's 98, sleeping 98% of the time. Penguin will be 12 in January. She's in better shape and if she could see, you'd never guess her age. That is at least in part due to the pills I put in the box. She also gets eye drops and ointments 2-3 times a day.

It's hell to get old.

last gasp

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:05:00 +0000

When I heard frost predicted for tonight I was glad to have taken this picture last weekend. After a few weeks of no daylilies blooming in the yard, this one appeared. It is called Inner View and holy moly, was it enormous. I should have put something in the picture for scale. Those are nasturtiums in the lower left corner, if that helps.

I'm not at all sad about fall's arrival. I look forward to it the other three quarters of the year. Cold will always make me happier than heat and humidity, but I will miss the flowers, especially the surprises my garden tends to throw my way.

I want my, I want my, I want my NPR

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:11:00 +0000

In an effort to break the monotony of Music Together CDs in the car I finally broke down and bought Songs from the Street, a 3 CD set of classics from Sesame Street. It's great, until we've listened to it for two weeks straight. At that point, R.E.M. and Hootie & the Blowfish make me want to scratch my eyes out, even if Eleanor does declare each track her favorite.

But there's one song I don't tire of, probably because Oliver looks so darn cute singing it. He asks for Number 6 on the third disc all the time. (I swear it takes him all of one time through a CD to memorize a playlist.) Unfortunately, I haven't dash-mounted a video camera to capture it. This will have to do.

I look forward to the time when the kids are old enough to tolerate what they call "mommy moosic" (aka WDUQ, our local NPR affiliate), but for now, we'll talk some trash with Steven Tyler & Oscar the Grouch, slide with the Goo Goo Dolls, and sing with the Dixie Chicks.

oh how they tease

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:06:00 +0000

It was a full family assault at PNC Park on Sunday. We bought two tickets (Oliver and the parent to be named later) to eight Pirate games, and bravely bought four tickets to the last Sunday game of the season, hoping Eleanor would be old enough to make it through to the end. Wow, did she surprise all of us.

To be fair, we cheated a little. With all the rain we were getting Sunday morning I was sure the start would be delayed a little. We gave the kids an early lunch and got them down for naps. Letting Eleanor sleep until the very last minute meant she got just over an hour for nap and woke up happy. We got to our seats at the start of the second inning. Other than a one-inning wander around with Mr C, Eleanor was remarkable. It was Oliver who declared he was bored at the beginning of the seventh and asked to go to the playground. We held him off though, reminding him of the approaching opportunity to stretch and sing. Good thing, too, Oliver soon spotted Manny loosening up in the dugout, about to pinch hit.

For the second time in a month, we missed a ninth inning walk-off 6-5 victory for the Pirates because we were in line to run the bases, but that's okay. MLB at Bat enabled us to watch the video highlights on the drive home. And the look on Eleanor's face as she ran down the first base line hand in hand with her brother was worth it.

So the Buccos of Suckitude took three out of four from the division-leading Dodgers. They love to tease us into thinking they might actually have a clue. Good thing we know better. Now what ticket package shall we buy for 2010?

enormous changes at the last minute

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:35:00 +0000

I've been a bad little blogger. Not that I haven't been thinking about it. This post has been rattling around in my brain for weeks. It started in late August when I knew the family was in for some schedule changes when Oliver started at his new school. I started trying to modify my sleep schedule, and the universe proceeded to laugh its ass off at my expense. We have yet to miss the 7:25 am bus but it has not been easy or painless. I am not getting to bed early enough and the kids and dogs regularly conspire to interrupt my sleep. This part of the change is not working well but I know that when I do get to bed by 10:30 I feel great. Scary great. I need to do this more.

My work schedule also changed to accommodate picking him up at either 4 or 4:30 pm. I love the extra quiet time in the morning. I typically eat some banana, shared with Eleanor and the dogs, before leaving the house and then have breakfast at work. My drawers are stocked with food (more on that topic later) so I eat at my desk. On Fridays, when most of my co-workers are off, I'm the first one in the office and it's utterly silent for nearly an hour. This part of the change is working really well.

Since I am a glutton for punishment, I went back to Weight Watchers a few weeks ago. I'm also participating in Sarah and Devra's Biggest Loser competition over at Loser Moms. I wish I could say I've dropped ten pounds but no, it's only 4 but I have learned a thing or two about weight loss and my own behavior over the last few years. In a nutshell, perfect isn't possible and imperfect is inevitable. An off day is no reason to get completely de-railed. I'm accepting my mistakes and forgiving them, as quickly as possible. I no longer think, "Screw it, tomorrow is another day." Now I think about the next meal or snack and get back on track faster. I wish I could say this is all my doing but my leader is a genius. She gets me. This part of the change is going okay. Lots of work left to do but moving in the right direction.

Now, for proof I have lost my mind entirely, I said, "yes" when asked to be the Room Parent for Oliver's class. I did not know at the time that I would be responsible for hosting the Parent Social, a parents-only event. At our house. Where my children live. I think we worked that out but it's going to be interesting. The school has also asked me to be a parent ambassador, fund raiser, and a few other things. Love the school but they are trying really hard to occupy nearly every day of my life. I'm learning to say no. Apparently not fast enough, however, since I also said yes to chairing the Finance committee for the Girl Scout board of directors. Thankfully, the third volunteer-y thing I said, "yes" to didn't pan out or I would have been well and truly screwed. This part of the change is definitely a work in progress.

Since I'm changing just about everything, say hello to my new blog look, courtesy of NapWarden who worked her magic for me once again. For someone who had never hear of, let alone seen, a Clumber spaniel until the last couple of weeks, I am insanely impressed.

I made this

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 02:14:00 +0000

photo by Abby, pizza by your's truly from a recipe by Smitten Kitchen -- someday I might even follow the recipe

shifting time

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:39:00 +0000

I'm a morning person. It took forever to figure that out, with it finally being a matter of realizing I don't typically get squat done in the afternoon. Living with a confirmed night owl also helped reinforce this discovery. Lately I have tried to do it all. Get up early with the kids, or to be more specific, get up early with Oliver who is the other morning person in the house, (Gah, that apple did not fall more than a few millimeters from this tree.) AND stay up too late with Mr C. This is where my twitter bio, "testing the limits of sleep deprivation", comes from. Ahem.

All this fabulous no sleep-ness is about to change in a very big way. On August 31, Oliver will have to be at school by 8:15. (For comparison, we've been taking an 8:20 bus most mornings. Sometimes 8:10 or 8:40, but usually 8:20.) Google's handy transit mapping feature tells me I have a number of options, none of them what I would call "fun." We can leave at 7:05 and get the bus that takes us right to school in time. Not bloody likely. The other options involve varying lengths of bus rides and walks, with the best one having us on a 7:25 bus and a 10 minute walk at the end. It's the shortest bus ride (about 10 minutes) but the walk isn't a short one, especially since I will have a 15 minute walk to get to work once I leave Oliver's school. It will be especially challenging in bad weather.

Another contributing factor is that I'm changing my work schedule to enable me to pick Oliver up by 4pm most days. See, tuition only takes us to 2:30. For 9 bucks he can go to the after school program until 4. That jumps to $20 if he stays longer. Not to mention the 8:15 arrival means an awfully long day for a 4 year old. Fortunately, my job is cool with the change.

Obviously my late nights are quickly coming to an end and I'm anticipating a few problems. I like reading blogs in the evening, and a few nights a week there is tv I really like. We don't have TiVO or any sort of DVR. I have a feeling Hulu and I are going to become very tight, though I have no idea when I will squeeze in actually watching the shows I am going to miss.

I'm not worried about falling asleep. Lately that has not been a problem. At.all. It's the waking up part I struggle with, especially when Oliver decides 5:45 is a fine time to ask for an update on baseball scores or to decide he's starving and can't possibly sleep any longer.

On the bright side, I am hoping to squeeze in exercise before we leave in the morning and that all that walking will contribute to some weight loss. I know I need to do more, but every bit helps, right?

If you're faced with a time shift yourself, or you just want to be an earlier riser, check out Zen Habits for some suggestions I will be trying to follow (especially the part about making getting up early a reward, not a punishment!). Hell, check out Zen Habits anyway. It's jam packed with good info. I was surprised to discover Dumb Little Man had nothing to say on this topic, though it does have a number of good articles on sleep (and is another just plain smart site).

So tell me, have you changed your sleep schedule? How did you do it?

candlesticks always make a nice gift

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:24:00 +0000

To badly quote Bull Durham, we're dealing with a lot of shit. Nothing major has hit the fan but there are lots of little piles contributing to the mess and the stench. Nothing I can't clean up. Eventually.

Here's a quick and dirty list of the piles making their presence felt in my little life:

Summer is nearly over. Classes start Monday. I'm not ready. Starting this job last summer in July was like trying to work with one arm tied behind my back. Now I know it doesn't make any difference. The extra month doesn't matter one little bit.

Summer is nearly over. I didn't get a vacation. The one I thought I was getting in September isn't happening either. When I think about it, there is no way it was going to be a vacation anyway. Two small children, four flights, two of those flights in the 7-8 hour range. Yeah. Not a vacation.

Summer is nearly over. No new show dog. Harrumph.

Summer is nearly over. Oliver starts pre-K in less than two weeks. It's only pre-K but it's at a real live school, the one we hope he will attend for the next 13 years (and his sister too). Ho-ly.... I was feeling a lot better about it until the magic teacher switcheroo the school played. I don't get to meet his teacher until next Friday and he starts three days later. Not feeling at all good about that. I adored the teacher we thought he would have. On the up side, there are 8 kids in the class, not the 16 we expected. A tiny little bright side effect of the economy. Very, very tiny, in the grand scheme of things. I would trade it if all my unemployed friends could have jobs and all my uninsured friends could have good, affordable health insurance.

Summer is nearly over but it's too effing hot. I know it could have been like this all summer instead of just two weeks of it. It's my blog and if I want to bitch about the heat and humidity, that's exactly what I'm gonna do.

Have I mentioned summer is nearly over? I would like to flip it the bird and send it on its way now.

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:59:00 +0000

Borrowed from my child rearing hero and woman of many superpowers, Mary P.

A – AVAILABLE: Not so much.
B – BIRTHDAY: Jan 23
C – CRUSHING ON: a couple of adorable 4 year olds in Oliver's class. I wonder if their parents would entertain a trade.
D – DRINK YOU LAST HAD : Coffee
E – EASIEST PERSON TO TALK TO: JT
F – FAVORITE SONG: Accidents Will Happen, or anything from Imperial Bedroom.
G – GUMMY BEARS OR GUMMY WORMS: If I have to choose, bears but neither one thrills me.
H – HOMETOWN: Auburn, Maine
I – IN LOVE WITH: CD
J – JUGGLE: Kids, spouse, job, dogs, house, and volunteer work. Something hits the floor and makes a mess regularly.
K – KILLED SOMEONE: Only in my dreams.
L – LONGEST CAR RIDE: Pittsburgh to Worcester, MA with a 2 year old and a 9 week old. Definitely not my idea of a good time.
M- MILKSHAKE FLAVOR: Vanilla. And don't mix any junk in with it.
N – NUMBER OF SIBLINGS: 2 of each
O – ONE WISH: An unlimited number of wishes.
P – PERSON YOU CALLED LAST: Tika
Q – QUICKIE: Yes, please.
R – REASON TO SMILE: My daughter made me smile this morning. She's adorable and silly first thing in the morning. I have usually been up more than an hour by then and am not at all adorable.
S – SONG YOU LAST HEARD: I Love Trash, the Steven Tyler version
T – TIME YOU WOKE UP: Which time? Dog got me up at 3:15, then a kid at 5:20 (to ask if about baseball scores), then the same kid at 6:15.
U – UNDERWEAR COLOR: Black but it's decidedly not the least bit interesting.
V – VEGETABLE(S): Mushrooms
W – WORST HABIT: Lateness
X – X-RAYS YOU’VE HAD: Fingers, teeth, ankles, knees. I should have been glowing before I got out of college.
Y – YOYOS ARE: fun! Pass one over. I'm not at all skilled though.
Z – ZODIAC SIGN: Aquarius

recovered

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:34:00 +0000

Much as I wanted to hold them hostage in my backyard (with beer, of course), Sarah and Devra went on their merry way to Canton this morning. Last night's meet up at AlphaLab, hosted by iTwixie with produce donated by Isidore Foods, cupcakes from kdiddy, blueberry zucchini fabulousness from Abby, and pastries from....I dunno. The HoHos and lemon meringues must have put me into a sugar coma.

Having my own private little BlogHer actually helped to ease some of the bitterness. I didn't have to fret about packing, what to wear, who I was or was not seen with, or which parties to go to. I got swag, and the only cute shoes I thought about were Eleanor's.

As we walked to the bus stop this morning Oliver was asking why our guests were getting in their car. "I want them to stay for 10 years!" he said. Me too, Bunny, me too.

INCOMING!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (ClumberKim) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:09:00 +0000

Crawling out of my ~~foxhole~~ kitchen just briefly to update you on a little get together scheduled for tomorrow in Pittsburgh. Two fab bloggers, Devra and Sarah, are visiting us as the first stop on their roadtrip to BlogHer. (I'm not bitter. I'm not bitter. I'm NOT bitter.)

In less than 72 hours, kdiddy and I organized a little meetup/tweetup for them, tomorrow at 6pm. We have an awesome host, iTwixie, and got some wonderful fresh produce donated by Isidore Foods, and the terrific AlphaLab is letting us invade their space on Carson St in the South Side.

My kitchen is in high gear, especially since I have two short windows of opportunity (aka Kid Nap Time) to get it all done.

If you're in Pittsburgh, you really want to join us. This is NOT an event just for MommyBloggers. These ladies are entrepreneurial bloggers operating in the stratosphere. We have a lot to learn from them. And I have it on very good authority that Sarah likes beer.

So join us. Let me know with a comment, an email, a smoke signal, a tweet...whatever method you want to use.

[UPDATE: Someone else is cooking for the meetup too. And she's bringing Twister!]