What conference presentations should be...

Or what they sometimes feel like anyway.

"C" is for Cookie

This past weekend we made our annual pilgrimage to Sesame Place. The day before the trip Zoë and I were at the supermarket and I told her to pick out some snacks for the car ride. She picked out one of those boxes with little bags of Cheez-its, Ritz Bits, and mini Chips Ahoy! I was a little surprised at her choice because none of those are her particular favorite, but it was the one she really wanted so we bought it.

In the car I discovered the real reason for her selection -- it was not because she had discovered a love for Ritz Bits from stealing other kids' snacks, but that she wanted the Chips Ahoy! so she could give some to Cookie Monster! He does love cookies so how could I refuse?

On our second day in Sesame Place we had lunch with the characters and there Zoë got her big chance. She was so excited to give him the cookies and I have to give a lot of credit to the person in the Cookie Monster costume because he did a great job of accepting the bag of cookies and then passing them off unseen by Zoë. Plus he acted thrilled to be getting the cookies. It made my day and it especially made Zoe's. For that one moment alone she will go on believing for another year.

Meme Madness

O.K. here's one more from the same source. This time it’s simple. Just go to Google and search for “[your name] needs…”

Marcy needs...

Marcy needs a goatee to help him look older than his graduate students.
Hmmm...no, I don't think I do need a goatee since I am not a "he" and I don't have graduate students. If I did have graduate students I would want to look older than them, but I think I'd pick high heels or suits rather than a goatee to convey my maturity. By the way, I've never heard of a man called "Marcy."

Marcy needs to cancel the PO that was sent in for the softball game.
She certainly does! Marcy hates softball.

Marcy needs two people for a special assignment.
Codename: babysitting.

(There weren't a lot of good results for "Marcy needs..." so I tried "Marcy wants..." and got these additional returns:

Marcy wants him to get rid of it, but he refuses.
The potential "its" are long here. My husband is a pack rat. And then there is the old, dying and quite hard to live with dog... (I know that is mean, but you try cleaning up poop every day and getting woken up at 2am regularly by an old dog who needs to go out and pee.)

Marcy wants to discuss recycling.
I would love to discuss recycling, actually -- especially with those who don't do it. I am a big supporter of recycling. I have a recycling bin in my office and I often wonder if the cleaning people actually recycle the paper or just dump it in with the rest of the trash. I really hope it is the former.

Happy Anniversary -- again

My brother and his wife celebrate 10 years of marriage today!

See last year's anniversary post to read the poem I wrote for them.


Today also marks 10 years that my husband and I are together. We pretty much fell in love on my brother's wedding day -- at the wedding, of course. I believe it was the 5 or 6 Tom Collins that made me vulnerable.

8 Random Things

Taking on another tag from my friend on the sofa here's 8 random things...

1. I love Friday afternoon. The whole weekend is still ahead. It is a wonderful thing to know that work is just about to go on temporary hold.
   
2. I would go to a movie at the movie theater every week if I possibly could. Before I had Zoë, I pretty much did. Renting movies is just not the same for me. I like the whole experience of sitting in the dark theater, the popcorn, the leaving everything else behind for 2 hours or so.
   
3. I had no idea how much having a baby would change my life and I'm glad I never stopped to think about it before I did because maybe I never would have.
4. I would be happy to eat only pizza and ice cream for the rest of my days and if I didn't worry about my weight that's probably about all I would eat. Seriously.
5. I recently got addicted to satellite radio (also known as "radio crack") and I love the station that is all New Wave hits from the 80's, but it was a scary moment when I realized that all that music is at least 20 years old! When I make Zoë listen to it in the car I am basically subjecting her to "oldies."
6. It is harder than it seems to come up with "8 Random Things" that are at all interesting. I actually started this post on Friday and as of this morning I still only had 5. I think this one is kind of cheating and maybe I should change the name of my post to "7 Random Things and One Cop Out."
7. If I shopped less I could probably go on more vacations, but then what would I wear?
8. Speaking of shopping, I sometimes wish I could empty out my house and start over. From sheets and towels to the sofa. It would be so fun to pick out all new stuff. I mean how often do you get to go shopping for furniture for an entire room?
   

Tis the Season for a Recital

Here's a picture from the previously mentioned recital starring my niece, Sophia. (The handsome guy with her is my brother.)


And here's a photo from Zoë's recital held last night. It was adorable.

Hey Jealousy

It is so interesting (and sometimes annoying) to witness the open jealousy of children. Zoe is not afraid to admit when she is jealous -- which is something I encourage in her because I think it is better for her to talk about it than to go around biting or something similarly violent or destructive. Most frequent bouts of jealousy occur when I am holding someone else's baby. There fore there was nothing surprising about yesterday's attack of the green-eyed monster except that it came up so late in the day. We went to see my niece's dance recital and Zoe sat quite well through the hour plus show. She only got fidgety in the last 15 minutes, but by that point I think everyone was feeling that way. She seemed genuinely excited to see her cousin perform as well as watch all the other performances. I was waiting for the jealousy to strike and was surprised when it didn't come.

After the performance we all went to lunch and that is when the attack came on suddenly. I was not expecting to look over at her and see she was crying -- apparently because she wasn't sitting next to me. At that point there was no way to move seats so she could be next to me -- rather than just across from me. My husband and my brother did their best to try and draw her out of it, but she would not budge from her pout. It wasn't until she got taken to sit in the car with my husband that she finally came out of it.

It was a divided moment for me. On one hand I felt for her, but on the other hand I was incredibly frustrated by her. I think it is important that she learn that it is not all about her all of the time, but I know that is a hard lesson.

Google humor

Go to Google, enter "New York to London", click maps. Look at step #21.

He does exist!

Fresh from Disney World...Zoe and "the real Eeyore."

Happy Mother's Day

It's kind of a funny day, isn't it? You're obligated to do something nice for your mother today. I think I'd prefer that sort of thing came naturally. Maybe it's just me, but even now that I am a mom myself, I still don't really get Mother's Day. I tend to think it is just a big ploy designed by the phone company and the florists. I'm not much for flowers or chats on the phone, I guess. Guilt does amazing things for capitalism.

Seriously, however, I do now appreciate what a difficult job it is to be a mother and I do feel that mothers everywhere deserve recognition and appreciation. Its just that I feel they deserve it on a daily basis rather than annually. And curmudgeon that I pretend I am, I must admit that it was nice to be together with my family today and enjoy time with my nieces and nephews especially. :-)

I don't want to go/I don't want to leave

Every weekday morning I drop Zoë off at school and she almost never wants to go. Her behavior ranges from putting on a brave face to the rare, but never-the-less traumatic mini-tantrum as I try to leave and go to work.

Every afternoon after work when I get to school to pick Zoë up she doesn't want to leave. Her reaction at seeing me ranges from excited, but distracted to out and out disappointment.

Bath time is the same routine. She will do nearly anything to get out of taking a bath, but then once she's in the nice warm bath and splashing around with all her toys, she doesn't want to get out.

What is that? Seriously.

My theory is that it is a kind of training for having a teenager, but then again maybe it is just a special torture that only 5 year olds know how to inflict.

The Bookish Meme

I am finally getting around to responding to my official "tagging" from my friend "Musing from the sofa."

What's more diverting than a little survey of sorts about books!?

Hb, trade pb, or mass market pb?
Frankly, I prefer mas market pb because I like the way they stack up on my book shelves. It is an edition that is harder and harder to come by in books I want to read, however.

Amazon or brick and mortar?
I am all about Amazon. My cart is my running list of books I want to buy. It makes for a very handy log. I also love buying used books through the "marketplace" for $1.00. It amuses me to pay more for shipping than I do for the actual book. I love being able go book shopping or browsing at any time of the day or night. That being said, I do enjoy a leisurely trip to Barnes and Noble -- especially the one in Union Square and most especially when I am there with my husband.

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Barnes & Noble. When they built that massive 4-story B&N in Union Square and I was living walking distance from the place it was the beginning of a long love affair. I actually met one serious boyfriend there. (Keith, that's you if you're reading this.) I tend to think of all other B&N stores are good, but miniature imitations of that store and it brings back good memories. Even though I can currently walk to a Borders I find their organization a little confusing, but Zoë does love their children's section. That has saved many a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Bookmark or dogear?
Dogear?! Who would do such a thing? Please.

Alphabetize by author, title or random?
Random by general category (fiction, poetry, etc.) and then size. I alphabetized once, but then Zoë got to be about 14 months and started to enjoy pulling the books from the shelf and throwing them. It got too hard to always put them back in order. I've learned to live with a little more disorder in my life since having a child.

Keep, throw away, or sell?
Keep by default, but I have sold a few disappointments on the Amazon marketplace. Occasionally, I just give away when I am starting to run out of shelf space.

Keep dustjacket or toss it?
Keep, but remove while reading.

Short story or novel?
Both. I love short stories and in a way a good collection of short stories can feel like the experience of reading a novel. I'll take either.

Collection of short stories or anthology?
Collection, for sure. Especially for the reason expressed above -- I love a cohesive collection.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Neither. I haven't read either and I have no plans to do so. Unless, of course, Zoë discovers one or both which I suppose is inevitable. Ask me again in 3 to 5 years.

Stop reading when tired or chapter breaks?
When tired. I usually give up when the book falls on my face because I have fallen asleep reading it. That is usually after several re-reads of the same two sentences. I have never been able to force my way through the tiredness no matter how much I wanted to keep reading.

"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"
"Once upon a time." I'm not a big mystery fan. I find I either figure them out early on or miss the mystery all together because I wasn't paying enough attention while reading.

Buy or borrow?
Buy. I love to own the book. I don't mind lending, but I prefer to read my own copy of something. I am not a good library patron either.

New or used?
Either. I love buying new books, but there is something romantic and ecological feeling about getting a used book. I often wonder about who else read the same book.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse?
Book reviews or browse. I don't know what it is about recommendations that frequently turn me off. It is a strange character flaw.

Morning, afternoon, or nighttime reading?
Anytime I get the chance, but my newest favorite time is in the morning when I just wake up and it isn't time to get out of bed yet. That is a very relaxing way to start the day.

Favourite series?
I can't say I really have one. I am not a big series reader. I can't even think of one that I liked right now besides the "Little House on the Prairie" books I read as a kid.

Favourite children's book?
As stated above the "Little House on the Prairie" books, "Bridge to Teribithia", "Madeline", "Click Clack Moo" and "The Giant Jam Sandwich."

Favourite books read last year?
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Jane Eyre (re-read)
Pride and Prejudice (re-read)
Wicked

Least favourite book finished last year?
My Name Is Red

What are you reading now?
All the King's Men. I cannot wait for it to be over. I would give up, but it is for book club. Talk about verbose!

What are you reading next?
Not sure. Probably some chick lit as antidote to the above selection.

My Little Pony vs. Superman

The other night we were at the supermarket which happens to have a toy/kid's books and movies aisle. (How come our local Grand Union didn't have that when I was a kid???) Zoë asked if she could get "something" -- her desired "something" being a book. Pleeeease.

She's been into those $3.95 "My Little Pony" books lately and they had a few that she was looking at until she saw the Spiderman book.

She clutched the book to herself, she turned to me, "Mom, can I please, please, please get this Spiderman book?" she begged. Of course, I said yes. It's an incredibly watered down version of the plot of the new Spiderman 3 movie that is coming out.

Looks like Spidey trumps Rarity and the gang in Zoë's book and it's just one of the many, many things I love about her.

Website of the Week (or there abouts): True Mom Confessions

True Mom Confessions

It's like a real life version of taxi-cab confessions. Some of them are hilarious, some of them I can click the "me too" button for and some are kind of sad, but they're all interesting to read.

What's your confession?

M.O.

M.O. also known as Mommy Only.

Seems like most kids go through it a few times at different ages. M.O. is when the only person in the world who can do whatever is required, who can possibly soothe or feed or read to is, of course, Mommy. M.O. means lots of crying, clinging, separation anxiety and "no Daddy." It can truly be exhausting.

But secretly, deep down (really, way down) most Moms will admit that M.O. is also the ultimate confirmation that Mom really does know best.

5 years/50,000 miles

Zoë had her 5 year-old check up today. She is, as expected, the picture of health. Not short, not tall; not skinny, not fat; can hear and see, no curvature of the spine -- all that good stuff.

I actually came to the appointment prepared with a list of questions:
Q - Are the night time leg pains growing pains? Is there such a thing?
A - Yes, they are growing pains.

Q - She writes some letters backwards, but inconsistently. Should I be concerned?
A - No. That's normal -- especially for letters like "S."

Q - Should she take vitamins?
A - Only if you think so because she doesn't eat enough fruits and vegetables. (Can someone introduce me to the kid who does?)

Q - Is she ready for kindergarten?
A - She's so ready she will be the mayor of the school.

Gotta love that last answer -- especially coming from Zoë's doctor. He's more than a doctor and its hard to explain what I mean unless you've brought your very sick baby to someone and they have both helped you and her feel better.

O.K. I promise to move on to acceptance, but let me just say one last time that I can't believe Zoë is 5 already.

From this...


To this...


In only 5 years!

The effect was slight

Certainly the spin on this story in today's NY Times will not be using this quote from the second paragraph:

The effect was slight, and well within the normal range for healthy children, the researchers found. And as expected, parents’ guidance and their genes had by far the strongest influence on how children behaved.

I find it infuriating that the rest of the article goes on in a very biased manner to say that children who go to daycare are simply poorly behaved. The level of that misbehavior is barely described and the actual affect on the classroom is not even mentioned.

Daycare is a fact of life. And as far as I am concerned, some amount of preschool should be mandatory. My reaction to this is that teachers need to develop modern strategies to deal with the behaviors instead of relying on 60 year-old concepts where kids were largely coming from no previous experience with a school setting.

What were you doing five years ago?

Zoë's birthday was yesterday. She's five years old now. Five! Damn time flies.

I got a well-timed email from a friend yesterday who said, "Trivia question: What were you doing five years ago today?"

Ouch! Did that ever bring back some painful memories. Zoë was born at 3:42 PM and the time stamp on the email was 12: 37 PM. That meant that five years ago at that moment I was just about to start 3 hours of pushing. Yes, 3 hours. That was definitely not the fun part -- especially when they turned off the magic epidural.

---

On a lighter note...I am getting great amusement out of Zoë's list of birthday presents. They are:

1. Fisher Price Mega T-Rex
   (this was a specific request)
2. Make-up (for kids)
3. An electric pencil sharpener
4. A flashlight that you have to shake (no batteries)
5. Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera
6. A book on reptiles
7. A compass
8. A purse with butterflies embroidered on it
9. Rubber snakes (which promptly found a home in the above purse)

She has quite diverse tastes, huh?

Does it suck?

Wondering if that new cell phone you're thinking about is cool or not? Thinking about going to a movie, but aren't sure if its any good? Well, then this new site is for you! It is sucks/rocks.

When you enter a search term, sucks/rocks searches the web for several positive and negative phrases using that term. The score is the fraction of positive results to the sum of positive and negative results, normalized to 10. You can stack up results next to each other so if you wanted to decide what movie to see you can enter the titles of 4 or 5 movies and see which one got more positive ratings.

I'm not sure how scientific it really is, but it is cool none-the-less.