Old Feast One Hundred and Eighty Seven

Appetizer

Name a color you find soothing.

I think that blue is a soothing color, like turquoise or sea blue.

Soup

Using 20 or less words, describe your first driving experience.

I drove around the mall in circles, drove up onto a lawn and drove my grandmother's yacht.

Salad

What material is your favorite item of clothing made out of?

Cotton! Anything comfortable!

Main Course

Who is a great singer or musician who, if they were to come to your town for a concert, you would spend the night outside waiting for tickets to see?

Honestly, no one is that important to wait outside all night for tickets. I am not a teenager anymore.

Dessert

What is the most frequent letter of the alphabet in your whole name (first, middle, maiden, last, etc.)?

A

An Aunt Soooz Weekend

Super Aunt Soooz from Yew Nork City came to visit us this past weekend. She brought the beautiful, cooler weather along with her and we enjoyed a relaxing weekend of birthday and family fun. Ian's birthday party was Saturday evening at the park-the official party.

Here is Aunt Cindy's excellent cake creation-this year, a Star Wars Ewok cake as requested by Ian. She also made Trevor a Planet Hoth birthday cake back in March, so it will be interesting to see-if the boys are still obsessed with Star Wars next year at all-she might have to figure out the Death Star cake after all. At any rate, this is a tradition that is so much fun observing her planning process and seeing the final product.

The kids around the cake, vying for the best piece or the character with the most frosting-laden feet.

"I want the sprinkles!" "I want the speeder bike!" "I want the Ewok-not that one!"

My sweet four-year-old, Ian.

Our very own homie, making moves and stalking the cake when he thinks no one is looking. He actually looks like he is busting out a breakdance move. "C to the O to the double N-O-R"

Connor gives Aunt Soooz some assistance.

The next morning, we met Aunt Ginny and Cousin Maureen for brunch at Mimi's Cafe. The boys were well-behaved for almost two hours. We were able to manage some great conversation as coherent adults. The boys were even able to get up and move around without disturbing other patrons. It was brilliant!

Aunt Soooz read bedtime stories to the boys, which they both sat quietly (Ian picking his nose and having a "snack") and paying close attention. She should read books on tape or something-she is a very engaging reader!
"Oh, MAN!" Connor reading "Goodnight, Gorilla"-possibly the most favorite book of both of my boys at this age. Our favorite ad libs include "Oh, NO!", "Oh, MAN!" and "Banana!"
Soooz (sorry, I cannot write her name any other way now!) is one of my most favorite people-yes, I am completely biased. She is a terrific listener, friend, sister-she is honest and loving and she lets you know that life is quirky, difficult, ironic and wonderful for all of us. You cannot help but be a better person around her. We feel lighthearted and uplifted and we hope that she went home feeling as loved and as happy as she left us.

Thanks, Uncle Chris and Aunt Kristen

Uncle Chris and Aunt Kristen, for Ian's birthday, offered to help sponsor one of Ian's activities. They will sponsor a month of karate for Ian and we are all very grateful and excited, since Ian loves karate.

Here is what they get to see: Ian brought three buddies to class during Buddy Week (Trevor, Annika and Daddy) and he got the chance to break a board.

Thank you to Uncle Chris and Aunt Kristen and we promise more karate class action soon!

Ice Pop, The Video

An Old Friday Feast I Didn't Get To

I missed a Friday Feast a while back and there is no feast for this week. So here's the old one:

Appetizer

What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child?

I loved Bugs Bunny. I parked myself in front of the tv every single Saturday morning to watch Bugs Bunny, Smurfs, Scooby Doo and a handful of others. I also enjoyed Tom and Jerry-favorite episode-the ice skating one where they pour water and freeze it all over the kitchen.

Soup

Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it?

It would be NO PETS. Its name would be "Not Yet." Sorry. Harsh, but true.

Salad

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion?

Probably a 7. The worst is finding the dress and shoes. If I could be dressed up with my flip flops, I would be very happy.

Main Course

What kind of music do you listen to while you drive?

1-Backyardigans and various Cars movie tunes while boys are with me.

2-On my own, I really enjoy NPR and talk radio. Sad but true. I listen to that more than actual music.

3-Ipod playlist.

4-Today, we listened to the Cars "Shake It Up" and a old Scandal song called "Goodbye To You". Ian and I were singing and he says, "Mommy....you ROCK those songs!" Probably solidifying my place as an 80's rock geek.

Dessert

When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it?

I haven't bought a clock in awhile. Terri gave us a kitchen clock that isn't very timely, but it's handmade. I also bought a small clip on timer for keeping track of time outs and giving Ian parameters on when bedtime starts, etc. Does that count??

Ice Pop

Connor this morning:

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Connor?"

"Ice Pop?"

"No, Connor, we are having a waffle for breakfast."

"Ice Pop?"

"Waffle."

"Ice POP?"

"Waffle."

"ICE POP?"

"Waaaffle."

"ICE POP?"

Tom walks in.

"Mommy?"

"I'm Daddy."

"Ice Pop?"

"Daddy."

"Mommy?"

"I'm Daddy."

"ICE POP?"

Stand Tall

You are stronger than you think-remember to stand tall.

Every challenge in your life helps you to grow.

Every problem you encounter strengthens your mind and your soul.

Every trouble you overcome increases your understanding of life.

When all your troubles weigh heavily on your shoulders,

remember that beneath the burden you can stand tall,

because you are never given more than you can handle-

and you are stronger than you think.

-- by Lisa Wrobel

Where Go?

Connor Speak:

"Caaar!"
"Queen!" (Lightning McQueen of Cars movie)
"Mommy?"
"Ice Pop!" (a new favorite, which follows every meal-video to come soon!)
"Cookie!"
"Drink!"
"Where Go?"
"There is!"
"Bubble"


Single words most of the time, but more and more are emerging with sunny disposition and inflection. He has been quiet at daycare much of the day, but happy at home with some tears and disappointment of the toddler garden variety.

Ian, on the other hand, has welcomed in Age 4 contentiously. Last night, he lost book-reading privileges with Mommy and Daddy, then his K'nex building toys for today after hitting and kicking. He announces that "I'm not staying in Time Out" and walks away. Followed by a series of Tom and/or I walking him back to time out. We did this about 20 times going to bed last night, not even time out.

He has been dawdling and purposely avoiding directions. Last night, he chose not to eat his dinner, so we made it clear that he was not getting any snacks or juice for the rest of the night. If he was hungry, he could finish his dinner. (all stuff he eats anyway) And surprise! At 7:30pm, "I'm hungry!" followed by Tom heating up his dinner. That did for Ian. "I just want a treat!"

I am somewhat happy to report that he was marginally better today than yesterday. My mother-in-law calls it the tough love approach and the "love no's". And when we find ourselves actually debating and negotiating with him, just stop talking. Actions speak louder than words.

Friday Feast One Hundred Ninety One

Appetizer

What is the nearest big city to your home?

Phoenix. We technically live in the suburbs of Phoenix, but we basically live in Phoenix.

Soup

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?

I would say an 9. I know that I have had people tell others some of my most personal problems and secrets without my consent and also share my joys before I actually could do it myself. It was honestly very hurtful, so I try to be careful and mindful to remember how that feels if I do that to others. However, I do forget and become human, but I am working on this. But I have also learned not to confide in people as much because of getting burned so much .

Salad

Describe your hair (color, texture, length).

I have some of the worst hair in the history of hair. It is fine, weak and breaks off considerably. It falls out all the time and it is stuck between wanting to be straight and being wavy/curly. I have two horrendous cowlicks that force me to blow dry my hair each day in order to tame them and get them not to create a bald spot. It is oily if I don't wash it every day, yet it is also dry from being in the Phoenix weather. It is originally dark brown with more gray every day. I color it now and I have been coloring it black bordering on shoe polish so that it doesn't look red, which I really don't like red color in my hair at all. It is just about to my shoulders almost a year and a half after cutting it short in January 2007. Did I also mention that my hair grows agonizingly slow?? Sigh!

Main Course

What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow?

As I get older, I am a much more laid-back driver. I am happy to go the speed limit or just above and sit in the right lane. I don't enjoy passing cars much to my husband's chagrin. He will pass cars just because the car is there. However, I do tailgate and that is a lifelong problem. My mother hangs on for dear life when she rides with me and I don't think I am THAT bad. Maybe I am. I do have a streak of New York driving once and awhile. I do follow other cars really well(probably due to my tailgating skills). Once I successfully followed my father-in-law driving in a three-car caravan in Brooklyn. I also used to drive my professors in and out of New York City during college for money-one teacher lived in Harlem. That was always a fun time.

Here in Phoenix though, I would really love to take out a few of those pedestrians who think they have the right of way no matter what the situation. Another confounding problem for Phoenix drivers are four-way stops and that mysterious water falling from the sky. Good lord, people.

Dessert

When was the last time you had a really bad week?

Um, this week? Last week? Two weeks ago? Every week this month?? The one coming up? We are swamped with sooo much. My house looks like ghetto-zone and I am averaging about 3-4 hours of sleep a night. Tom is about the same. Oh, so looking forward to the end of school. Which is in two weeks.

Birthday Boys

This is from Ian and Tom's birthday night, where Ian was a little unsure about his present at first.

The second one is a birthday present hunt, a bit lamer than I wanted, but it was fun. Ian is doing the potty dance if you watch carefully.

The third one is singing around the traditional ice cream cake. I forgot that it wasn't Connor's birthday-too much people on the same day, I got carried away.

Have fun!

Karatay-Ian Style

Ian in his martial arts class, doing his very best. Enjoy all of them!

We shall find peace. We shall hear angels.

We shall see the sky sparkling with diamonds.

Anton Pavlovich Chekov

Mr. Zimmer, my former boss and my mom's boss at Zimmer Brothers Jewelers, based in Poughkeepsie, New York, has died.

What I will remember about Mr. Zimmer was that his approval and praise was hard-earned and doled out when deserved. He was soft-spoken like me, but he was always asking me to speak up when I don't think that he spoke any louder than I did. He had very high expectations and standards and it is reflected as Zimmer Brothers has remained in good standing business for so long. He even taught me how to wrap gifts the Zimmer way-every bit of attention to detail. He was a curious person and I was always happy to work for him even if he made me a nervous wreck whenever he was there.

I wish him peace and happiness as he moves along to his next journey.

Link to news article

The Last Day of Being Three and a Half

Three is going out like gangbusters! Tonight, I picked up Ian and Trevor after school (Connor got to hang out with Aunt Cindy and Annika for the evening) and took them over to Ian's martial arts lesson.


Mr. Meza is the instructor and we are really pleased with the structure and the principles he applies in class and expects at home, school and everywhere. Ian really enjoys the class-Tom got to take him for the first class, where he was quite animated and talkative. Today he appeared to know what the routine was and followed along well. He has another fan in one of the other parents who continue to comment on his ability to follow directions and stay focused. It was also amusing to watch him favor his left foot and left hand for kicks and punches. ( I am secretly proud of my left-handed, left-footed wonder! Go Left Handers!)

Mr. Meza talked a lot about respect and allow the children to answer how they can show respect in different places. He also was very strict on directions and discipline and the kids responded well since he remained upbeat and kept the activity level moving along well.


Following that, we loaded both boys into the car for a night at Chase Field watching the Diamondbacks vs. the Rockies. Trevor took a nice cat nap in the car while Ian sang Foo Fighter songs. ("Foo Fighters are good guys!")



It was Educator night for several groups-Tom got tickets as a fundraiser for the high school baseball team, so we saw several colleagues in our section. One of my schools was bringing the Student of the Month kids to the game. We had terrific seats, in left field bottom level. It was a little harder for the boys to see the plate and the action, but they had fun nonetheless.


We allowed the boys to stand on their seats during home runs and exciting parts. They got some excellent math skills in adding up the runs and also working on some addition and subtraction between the scores of the teams. (because you can learn while you are having fun and plus Aunt Terri would be proud) Trevor was very interested in counting the runs and was becoming impatient when the D'backs continued to have seven runs but not eight. Ian was concerned as to why Trevor's hat had a "D" on it and Ian's had an "A" (Arizona).

A rare photo of me! Surprise! Tom bought the boys some Cold Stone ice cream and that sealed our fate of leaving early (which we completely planned on doing-the boys did last longer than anticipated!). The sugar rush and the small quarters were enough and so we headed out along with all the rest of the parents with young children. The boys were terrific-well-behaved, fun and they sang and chatted the entire way home.


At 10:00, we discussed with Ian that his birthday would be in 2 hours. "TWO HOURS??!!" He chose dino nuggets for his birthday dinner, Tom chose spaghetti or tacos and they both agreed on ice cream cake.

And before he went to bed tonight, I hugged and kissed him for the last time that he will ever be three. And while we joked about it and laughed, it felt bittersweet and breathless. To think that I cried when he was finally a toddler and not a baby. And now he is not a toddler, but a preschooler and a young boy.

I still have 12 minutes left of age three. I think I'll give it one more kiss goodbye.

Busy Days Abound

My days are consumed with business....the business of children, the business of school, the business of business and birthday business too.

I am about to put my feet up for the night, but not before saying that all is well--just a monster two weeks ahead!

We are going to the baseball game tomorrow(Ian, Tom, me and Trevor) and so I should have some good pictures and stories to include. When I will actually include them is the question!

Snooze! Off to bed!

I Knew He Was Funny, but I Didn't Know He Could Write!

I am going to take a few moments to encourage you to stop my friend Bob's blog. He is not writing nearly enough and I think he should write more, since I personally enjoy reading his entries. Hop around and you will see some good entries.

Bob is Tom's childhood friend and they are still good friends. Bob is honestly probably the funniest person I know and we love hanging out with him, his wife and adorable little boy when we are home. Meaning we do not see them often enough. But one of those friends where the passage of time doesn't alter the state of the friendship.

Anyway, because he doesn't write often enough, he needs a few more people over there in his fan club.

I will not get to write much this weekend myself. I have a lot of work to do and so I'll probably do the Wordzzle and call it a weekend. I think I should be back on my blogging feet by next week. I have 5 Kindergarten performances in the works at school, plus a 6th grade performance, the 5th graders perform on Monday, I have grant panel review on Monday, a board meeting following that, two very special birthdays coming on Wednesday, a toddler birthday party to plan that got postponed due to my own crumbling list of things to do. And Mother's Day....right, Mother's Day. I probably will be blogging after all, but we are not technically celebrating as Tom is working all weekend, but he is taking me to look at bikes on his few hours off today. I feel as harried as I actually am with this ridiculousness, but there is an end in sight in three weeks.

Off to the next thing.... a shower! :)

Friday Feast One Hundred and Ninety (on Saturday!)

Appetizer

When someone smiles at you, do you smile back?

Yes, usually. Not always. I try to smile a lot too.

Soup

Describe the flooring in your home. Do you have carpet, hardwood, vinyl, a mix?

We have ceramic tile in kitchen and both bathrooms. We have laminate in the main rooms and down the hallway. And old apartment nasty carpet in the bedrooms. Someday, we'll do the rest. But not now.

Salad

Write a sentence with only 5 words, but all of the words have to start with the first letter of your first name.

Linda likes lemon-lime lipsmackers. (not really)

Main Course

Do you know anyone whose life has been touched by adoption?

I don't know anyone personally, except my husband's aunt. But I have known many, many students who have been adopted.

Dessert

Name 2 blue things.

My son is wearing blue clothes and also my car is blue.

WHOOSH!

I asked loud the other day if it is possible to order a few more hours in the day.

Today, I took a day off to visit the Piper Foundation here in Scottsdale for the Chorale, with my good friend Julie accompanying me. We learned that the Piper Foundation gives money to a variety of non-profits, many with tremendous community outreach programs. As we formulate a plan to write a grant for some funding, I just wonder where the blankity-blank I will scrounge up some time for writing.

By the way, the Piper Foundation has 600 million dollars to extend to Maricopa County. Do I hear a collective WOW?

At the meeting during the introductions, we sat alongside a woman who does literacy and reading non-profit and also happens have a Caribbean steel pan ensemble that she works to bring into local schools. Julie noticed my eyes grow like saucers and I mentioned we HAVE to talk to her afterward. Tom would love that!

Then the next lady works for Autism Speaks organizing the Phoenix race in November. I think I acted pretty cool, but I am sure Julie probably knew that I would be stalking this lady as well. It took a lot of energy not to stalk these ladies during the meeting and I did wait until afterward to talk and get their cards. Of course, Julie created awesome business cards for me that I tend to leave at home during moments like this, so I didn't have anything great to leave with them.

We followed up with a great lunch at Grand Lux Cafe (banana chocolate-chip bread pudding, anyone?? With carmelized bananas?? ) We stopped at Old Navy to admire t-shirts that we didn't buy (realizing that I am not a 20-year old person anymore-sigh) and got Ian some new socks. We ducked into Cost Plus and did NOT buy anything.

I followed that by getting the boys, heading home for therapy (at the park today!) and then home for dinner. Back out to the grocery store. Back home for much-needed baths and now my oldest is awake, stalking me in the hallway at 9:22pm.

I wish I could be home and write all day long. Write the grants, write something introspective, write something fun. Sitting the Piper meeting and hearing how they want concise applications-I know I can do that and do them well. So, getting my foot in the door -it's there. Next Monday, I get to be a lead panelist for the Arizona arts-in-ed grants and I am excited and ready to go.

Until then, I'll continue to feel the days go WHOOSH! as we get into the weekend. Oh, and work on my business card-carrying skills.

Autism Awareness, the Sequel

A few bloggers are hoping to continue autism awareness past its official month of April.

I don't know that I will continue writing each day on Autism, but perhaps a weekly entry instead to highlight some issues, ideas, research or personal experience. In all honesty, I am working very hard to not be consumed by life, so I think another month of serious writing would be difficult as I finish the 5 Kindergarten programs, the 6th Grade production, math tutoring, testing and grades by the end of the month. (and that is just school-not Chorale, therapy, etc) Thank you to all who asked me to continue.

That being said.....

Right now, we are struggling with treating Connor as an equal rather than allowing him to skate by on things we expect Ian to do. Like cleaning up toys, eating dinner and putting his plate away, reading books, brushing teeth. It is easy to give him a golden ticket out of things, but it is such a disservice. Where Ian is a master negotiator (I should have taken a debate class in college, good grief), Connor simply melts down at the thought of doing something he is not completely invested in doing.

So, what to do? We make him do it anyway. He might not clean up quite as many toys as Ian can, but he's in there helping. Even if we are working hand over hand with him. Some people have questioned our approach and that is fine. I expect a lot from my kids, no matter how old or what is right or wrong with them. I expect them to be good citizens and to be well-mannered. I know it's harder for Connor sometimes, but it doesn't mean we don't try.

I Love Yew Nork

It has always bothered me on some level that my children are not native New Yorkers like Tom and me. I love being from New York, although many people are incredulous to find out that
A) I am a New Yorker
B) I come from somewhere other than "the City"
C) Subsequently ask where our accents and our knives are. Seriously.
D) Why we don't act like New Yorkers. ("Wow, you guys are actually nice!")

Regardless of the NY stigma, we love being from the great state and our children have the classic "I Heart NY" shirts (you know the one) in the hopes that some New Yorkness will leach into them. Ian is in a phase where he must wear that shirt. He loves "Yew Nork" as he proudly exclaims while getting dressed. And who lives in "Yew Nork"? His grandmas! He has two!

He also has some very cute turns of phrase for an well-loved appliance in our house. The refrigalater and the frozer are very important. Too bad we are having a juice-free week here, so the refrigalater isn't getting the love it usually does. And the most disappointed person for juice-free week.....Tom.

I'll toss in a disclaimer for those not from New York. Your state rocks too. Maybe not as much as Yew Nork, but I am sure it's close. (that includes Texas, Nora!)

Getting To Know You Meme

The Rules:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 or more people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answers.
5. You don't have to randomly italic or bold answers, as Blogger has done for me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

I was preparing to run in the New York City Marathon that summer, running across the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge on Saturdays. I had also become engaged that summer, so Tom and I were planning to be married the following summer. We lived in Poughkeepsie, in our Village Crest apartment with our two cats, both teaching full-time.

2. What are 5 Things on my To-Do List for today:

1. Do this meme.
2. Hang out with Connor while Ian and Tom are off to pick up percussion at Symphony Hall.
3. Clean the microwave.
4. Laundry.
5. Apparently this is important enough to put into italics: work the Chorale concert tonight.

3. Snacks I Enjoy:

Let's first of all say that I enjoy all snacks really. Top faves include:
1. Chips and Hot Salsa and fresh Guacamole (Tew's version always come to mind when Jesse, Tew, Tom and I would eat bowlfuls of it while watching tv.)
2. Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
3. Any snacks that my sister-in-law Terri makes are great-she is the Appetizer Queen.

4. Things I would do if I were a Billionaire:

1. Get out of all debt. Pay off the loans and house, cars.
2. Buy a new and bigger house for us-not too big, but rooms for all of us and a percussion studio for T.
3. Percussion galore for T. Vibes, gigging marimba, the works.
4. Vacation Fund for all of us.
5. College for Boys, plus a savings account if anything happens to us, they can afford expenses and if they are little, for someone to take care of them well.
6. I'd go back to school and work on writing or arts administration. Really.
7. Cover my mom's retirement and get her a new place to live.
8. Help family and friends with what they need.
9. Donate to our favorite arts organizations, maybe start a foundation. Also to cancer research.
10. Research and fund special needs daycares for children ages birth to 3. Siblings could also attend.
11. Plant more trees.
12. Be as generous as people have been to us over the years.

5. Three Of My Bad Habits:

Only three?
1. I am an email and blog checker. I don't feel as bad since I am not the only one!
2. Staying up late when I need to get some sleep.
3. Talking very mumbly and softly to Thomas, which he really doesn't like.

6. 5 Places I have Lived:

1. Wappingers Falls and Poughkeepsie, New York for 30 years!
2. Potsdam, New York for college
3. Tempe and Mesa, Arizona currently
4. Binghamton, New York for my first teaching job.
5. A few summers on Long Island with my future in-laws while I went to grad school.

7. Jobs I Have Had:

1. A shoe salesperson for Thom McAn.
2. Zimmer Brothers Jewelers, Poughkeepsie in sales, repair and office alongside my mom much of the time. She is still there.
3. Teaching general music -1 semester in Binghamton for a Catholic middle school, 6 years at Gayhead Elementary in the district I grew up in, almost 7 years here in Arizona at various schools.
4. Executive Director of the Sonoran Desert Chorale, a job I love very much and hope to have more time to dedicate to this coming year.
5. Grant Writing-various artists, teachers. I love this and wish I could do it more often.

8. 5 People I Want To Know More About:I Am Tagging:

1. Cindy
2. Julie
3. Bob
4. MinnesotaBlue
5. Laura

Wordzzle 11

The words for this week's ten word challenge were: cranberry sauce, amber, laundry list, coffin, morning glory, shalom, mystery, sparrow hawk, pumpernickle, stained glass And for the Mini Challenge: margarita, gum wrapper, spring fever, Darfur, lace

Living in Darfur as a reporter for the last few months, my spring fever upon returning home was palpable. The morning glory in my garden, pumpernickel bread on my lace placemats, cranberry sauce with my turkey sandwich with an icy margarita on the side. Darfur felt like a gum wrapper carelessly tossed out the window, such a mystery to uniting a region and even the laundry list of celebs unable to stop the nails in so many coffins. We wait for Darfur to rise into the amber sky like a sparrow hawk, whispering “shalom” and hoping to go back to our stained glass houses sooner than later.

Unagi