Summer Solstice...

I'm not really a "car person". That title would fit my husband. Despite not living in the United States, having a driver's license, or even having his name on the title of a car until he was 28, he knows cars inside and out. He can take a quick glance at any car we pass on the road and tell me the make, model, and year. What IS that? Is this something that comes attached to the Y chromosome? Is it more fully present the more testosterone one has? One of my favorite stories my dad and I like to tell about my husband is how we took him to a car show shortly after he came to the States, and promptly lost him, only to find him two hours later with two plastic bags filled to ripping with flyers and brochures.

Anyway, I don't know cars like my husband does. But I do like me a few models. Mustangs are cool, if they're the really old ones, or the really new ones. Hummers. They crack me up. Do we REALLY need to drive a vehicle so wide it needs a "WIDE LOAD" warning on the back, and that guzzles so much gas that it funds a small Middle Eastern country? The answer to those questions is, of course, no. But I still think Hummers are cool.

But then today, I got some junk mail from GM. And I saw THIS:



It's a 2006 Pontiac Solstice, and I am IN. LOVE.

Pure consumerism, I know. We have two vehicles, including the requisite minivan for families with children. Actually, we currently have THREE vehicles, because my husband has not yet disposed of the '89 Olds Cutlass that has "fallen asleep" and needs to be towed to that great carlot in the sky. There is no justification for the purchase of such a snazzy car, especially a NEW snazzy car. We always buy used.

But at least for now, the Mustang dream has been set aside. I can just picture myself driving this car, top down, aviator sunglasses on.

(NOTE: If you're having trouble loading the picture, right-click in the box and select "Show Picture".)

Heaven forbid I were a Hilton...

Have you seen the promos for this new reality show? Have you?? I mean, give me a break. We all know that if you want to be a Hilton, all you have to do is:

1. Carry a chihuahua around in your purse and let her get "kidnapped".
2. Go around saying "That's hot."
3. Let someone hack into your cell phone.
4. Allow your boyfriend to videotape the two of you getting freaky so it can get splashed all over the internet.

Oh yeah, and
5. Go commando in a teeny tiny mini skirt, and swing your legs around just far enough while exiting a car to let photographers to verify this commando status with photographic evidence.

Admission to reality TV show not necessary.

Recipe: Brownie Trifle

(Otherwise known as "Heart Attack in a Bowl", or "Die, Atkins, Die!" or "How to Kill Your Pancreas with Six Ingredients, Give or Take")

NOTE: I know I said last time I couldn't believe I was posting recipes. I guess maybe I will be. But only the really, really good ones, promise! And yes, I am still on an *adjusted* low-carb "lifestyle modification". I have lightened this up a little bit, as noted.

I don't know the original source of this; I got it from an online parents message board I'm on.

INGREDIENTS:
* Brownie mix
* Hazelnut syrup (the kind to flavor coffee; I used DaVinci) (NOTE: sugar-free hazelnut may be available, but I did not have sugar-free on hand)
* 2 small boxes chocolate pudding (NOTE: I used sugar-free, fat-free)
* 4 cups milk (NOTE: I used skim)
* 16 oz. whipped topping (NOTE: I used Cool Whip Lite; would have used Cool Whip free, but they were out of it at Walmart)
* 1 large Symphony bar

Prepare a 9x13 pan of brownies as directed on the package. Let them cool for a bit, then while they're still warm, use a fork and break them up in the pan. Drizzle the hazelnut syrup on them. Prepare the pudding with the 4 cups of milk. Chop up the Symphony bar. In a trifle bowl, put in 1/3 of the crumbled brownies. Top with 1/3 of the pudding, 1/3 of the whipped topping, and 1/3 of the Symphony bar. Repeat 2 times, ending with the Symphony bar sprinkled on the whipped topping. You should have a lovely layered dessert that is easy to make and will impress almost anyone. Now you're ready to kill your pancreas!

I'm making this for our church's annual Memorial Day picnic (consumed while listening to the Indy 500 on the radio) for the second year in a row. Last year it was almost gone by the time I got to it (I got, like, two spoonfuls). If you don't have a trifle bowl, don't sweat it. A very large glass or clear acrylic bowl will work, but last year I didn't even have that; I just used a plain opaque plastic bowl. It tastes just as good -- just doesn't look as pretty ;) This year...I have the trifle bowl!

Stuff portrait day: Symbols, Shoes (and bags), and Fridge (so much for alliteration)

Here's my religious symbol:




Yup, I've got one of those annoying (to some, anyway) fishes on the back of my van. We have one on another car too (we have three cars right now, but that's another long story). I don't know this for certain, but I have a feeling this fish symbol is very annoying to people who are not Christians, and perhaps even to some who are. Maybe they think it's some "in-your-face" kind of thing that seems to say "look at me, I'm a goody-goody Christian and you're not, na-na na-na na-na." It's not like that for me. For me, it means something similar to what it meant when it was first used. Early in Christian history, it was dangerous to profess one's faith openly, so many used it as sort of a password. If two strangers met, and one was not sure if the other was a Christian, one would draw an arc to make the first part of the fish. If the other was also a Christian, he would follow suit and make the second arc to finish the fish. Today, sometimes I sometimes feel Christians today are still persecuted, not to the extent they were before (at least not here), and certainly some who claim to be Christians do their fair share of persecuting. But when there are some who would like to remove reminders of my Christian faith from the public eye, yes, I feel persecuted. So this fish is on my van to encourage other believers, to show them that I am one of them, just as I am encouraged when I see the fish on another vehicle.

The other cool thing is this fish, instead of having the Greek letters for the word "fish", has the Chinese characters for "Jesus is Lord". You can read more about the history of this Christian symbol here.

OK, enough of the heavy stuff! Moving right along: shoes and "purses".




I have a fair collection of shoes, but nothing to rival Imelda Marcos. Nothing particularly exciting, for the most part. I don't like heels, and own very few truly dressy shoes. So I just took a picture of my favorite shoes, the ones I wear most often. Starting at two o'clock, we've got my everyday tennis shoes. At five o'clock, my Mickey Mouse mule sneakers. At seven o'clock, my loafers; at ten o'clock, my fake Birks (I am way too cheap, and at the moment, too poor, to buy real ones); and finally, at twelve o'clock, just to prove I DO have a few pairs of dressy shoes, some strappy gold heels.




I only have one "real" purse, as you can see. The inside of it is littered with receipts, old grocery lists, and stray coins. I only use it if I'm going to Walmart at the moment. My billfold (not pictured) travels between it, the diaper bag (most often used; I kinda like this one, except for the irritating Fisher Price logo on it), and the black Borders bag, which is used faithfully once a week on my pilgrimages to said bookstore and cafe.

And finally, my fridge:




This is the outside. The bottom is covered with the requisite artwork, and the top with the likewise obligatory pictures. The top would look as untidy as the bottom if Audrey was tall enough to reach the magnets up there. I really need to update both. The only picture on it that includes Aislinn is the one to the right of the picture with the black background; it's me with Audrey, who is holding Aislinn the night she was born (another good long post; both kids were born at home, and I'll post their birth stories on their respective birthdays).




And finally, the inside. We're not nearly as food-less as it looks; Leo cleaned it out recently, and if I were to open the crisper drawers, you would see how much food we REALLY have in there. And my pantry? Overflowing. Do note that we are really into condiments (see the door). About half of them are Leo's, that he uses for Chinese cooking. He makes a mean mian tang (noodle soup).

The Way We Were: Part II

My teammate and I taught two classes together. Leo has told me that he wanted to be the lowest student in the advanced class because he would be able to learn from all the other students. I don't think he was the lowest, but at the beginning of the semester, he was probably close to it. By the end of the semester, he had the top grades, and even if his spoken English was still not the best, he was by far the most improved. Why? Because he got a LOT of extra time with the teacher.

It started out innocently enough. We planned activities with the students, watching videos together, playing volleyball, going out on excursions to parks. Sometimes students would come over to our apartments to visit. Leo and Oliver, his friend and coworker, came for the first time on probably the second day of class. I knew they were both going to be fun because they didn't treat us the way most of our other students did, which is, come over to "practice" their English. Sure, part of our job was to be available for this purpose. But after the 25th conversation that consists of "Where are you from?", "How old are you?", and "How much money do you make?" (no, I'm not kidding, that's perfectly appropriate in Chinese culture), it starts to get old. Leo and Oliver really wanted to get to know us. No, Leo was NOT hitting on us...though Oliver may have been. Leo has told me many times that the way Oliver convinced him to take the class was by telling him about the "beautiful American teachers" they would have. Even so, I knew even then that at very least, I was going to have two good friends to keep in touch with after the semester was over.

I don't really know when or how the romantic attraction started. I started going over to visit Leo and Oliver in their dorm, but that's not really where it started. Leo swears I made the first move. I think he did. Nonetheless, by the end of April, when we were traveling to Changsha with some other students over the International Labor Day holiday, it was clear that something...SOMETHING...was happening between us.

I was terrified, and shocked at myself. He was my STUDENT, for crying out loud! An adult, yes, even a couple of years older than me, but still. I don't really recommend this route. One is always worried that people will find out, and when I say people, I mean LOTS of people. No one knew. Not my teammate. Not Oliver. Not any of our other students. Certainly not the school administration (or so I thought). And absolutely NOT my organization, which had rules clearly forbidding dating locals the first year, let alone ever dating a student.

Further complicating things: I'm a Christian. He was not. My faith is very, very important to me. I had always believed I would marry a man who shared my faith, and did not think it would be healthy to seriously date someone I would not marry. But here it was. I loved him. Was I lonely? Maybe, but it was more than that. I had found someone that I could communicate with on a very deep level. I had gone the whole year without sharing with anyone very deeply, and while you could say that just shows I was lonely, I would counter with this: Our first language was not the same. His English was not great (though improving). My Chinese was still far poorer than his English. And yet, we managed to connect on a heart level. Something about that told me we were meant to be together.

"The number you dialed is busy. If you would like Sprint to attempt to deliver a message..."

Busy, busy. Not much to post, and not much time to post it.

Leo is in a seminar for the next two weeks, and though he's here in the evenings, I'm flying solo during the day...really the first time I've done that for an extended period since Aislinn was born. Yesterday was crazy...two errands to run with two kids in tow. For those of you who are used to such things, it might not seem like much, but it was the first time I'd done THAT too (two errands in a row with both kids). And when one of those kids is a four-year-old who drags her feet... I will absolutely not take both of them to Walmart again, at least until she is much bigger. She would prefer I get one of those extra big carts, with seats for big kids (which I need if she's going to ride if I have the baby, since the baby's pumpkin seat goes in the regular kid seat), but those things are like driving a bus. I always knock something over or run into someone, or both. So she had to walk, and was not thrilled about it.

Aislinn has been trying to change her sleep schedule (in other words, NOT NAP), but I'm dealing with it. I think she might be just having a growth spurt; since she's almost 6 months, it's about time for one. In a few days she'll conk out for 10 hours one night (crossing my fingers anyway). Right now she's laying on the bed, which is pushed up against the wall, and I'm cracking up at her because she's trying to roll over the only direction she goes right now (counter-clockwise), which means she is trying to roll INTO THE WALL. She keeps trying, even though she's already shoved up against the wall. She's so SMART in other ways, I just can't understand it...:)

I'm also trying to get the master bedroom cleaned up. For the past few months it's been a repository for outgrown clothes, for various reasons too complicated to mention here. Suffice it to say that kids just grow fast. I need to get most of these plastic bins out to the shed, but that would mean enlisting the help of my husband...see paragraph one. And between babies that need to nurse and have naps and have their diapers changed, and four-year-olds who need snacks and lunch and help wiping their poopy bottoms (I SWEAR she will get this down before Kindergarten!!!)and MUST show me IMMEDIATELY the cool bug that's crawling around by the swingset, it's been slow going. At least there are no more PILES or BAGS of clothing; I've sorted the hand-me-downs people have given us into the proper bins. But the bins have GOT. TO. GO.

I may not get to Stuff Portrait Day this week!

Suggestions, please? I need revenge for a practical joke!

My dad got me good in an e-mail. I need to get him back.

First, here is the e-mail he sent me:

From the "How did we ever live before we had email" department.

Subject: Fw: Spooky Car Commercial - read message first
WARNING - NOT FOR KIDS!!

Subject: Spooky Car Commercial - READ MESSAGE FIRST

This is a car advertisement from somewhere. When they finished filming the
ad the people who made it noticed something moving along the side of the
car, like a ghostly white mist, and an eerie sound that you can barely hear
( must have sound).The ad was never put on TV because of the unexplained
phenomenon. Watch it and about halfway through, you will see the white mist
crossing in front of the car then following it along the road ...

I almost did not catch it the first time. Turn the volume up and look close
as the car passes behind the tree! It IS very weird!!

Attached was a file that I managed to find a link to online, so you can actually see what I saw (WARNING: don't do this late at night, especially if you are alone, because even if you do not believe in ghosts or are not afraid of them...trust me, you will get a shock :) (also, my attempts to make this into a link have made only weirdness...you'll need to cut and paste. Sorry...)

www.kwota.net/crap/werbung.mpg

Heeh...now you understand! Sorry if you fell for it :)

I DID read this late at night, while everyone else was in bed (against my better judgment). This was ten minutes ago, and my adrenaline is STILL racing. So I sent him an e-mail saying I would get him back. But I need ideas. My "you are an idiot" link is not quite right. (Plus I would never call my dad an idiot. This was brilliant, really, even if he did not make it up himself.)

As soon as I figure something good out, I will wait a few weeks, maybe send him some normal links in the meantime, give him a chance to let down his guard. But I need something to get him back.

Suggestions? Please, nothing R- or X-rated.

The Way We Were: Part I

I've been asked to tell the story of how I met my husband; or, how I had to travel half-way around the world to fall in love and get married. This will probably take more than one post!

This starts way back in my junior year of college. I was fortunate enough to get a special travel scholarship, which gave me some money for my tuition and some additional money for international travel, anywhere I wanted to go. There were two other students who received similar scholarships, and one professor who facilitated all this. He suggested it would be a good idea for the three of us, plus him, to all travel together to help our money go as far as possible. We all gave our ideas of where we wanted to go. China was not even on my spectrum. I thought: Communism, Tiananmen Square, gray, ugly, why would I want to go there? (Boy, did I have a lot to learn.) But China it was, in the end. I figured that I could hardly get any farther away from home than that, so it would at least be very different, and ok, probably interesting.

So we went, for two weeks, and by the end of the trip I was in love. No, not with my husband; I was still a couple of years away from meeting him. I was in love with CHINA. The food, the people, the history, the culture, everything. Climbing the Great Wall was exhilarating. Cruising the canals of Suzhou was foreshadowing (I'd later spend a year there). And standing in Tiananmen Square...the beginning of enlightenment.

When I came back home, I began looking for ways that I could go back to China, to spend more time there. I found an organization that would train me to be an English teacher and send me over with a teammate. I left for training the summer after I graduated from college, a little over a year after my original trip. I was in China again that August, standing once again in Tiananmen Square, amazed that I was back.

That first year, I lived in Wuhan. It's a very industrial city, dusty and gray, and the local dialect is much different than Mandarin, the national language. That was OK; I still hardly knew any Mandarin yet. I had an apartment with a living room, kitchen/dining area, bedroom, and bathroom. It had carpet, hot water in the bathroom, a refrigerator, and a phone; this is better than some foreign teachers had it, far far better than many locals lived. But it was COLD. Wuhan lies on both sides of the Yangtze River. North of the Yangtze, buildings are heated. South of the river, you make do with space heaters that are prone to blow fuses if you turn them up too high. Guess which side of the river I lived on?

I didn't meet Leo until my second semester in Wuhan. By that time, I had already decided I was coming back for a second year. My students that first year were all adults. When Leo walked into the interview that all of our students had to go through, I could tell by the mischievous glint in his eyes that I was going to have to keep an eye on this one. I figured he'd be a prankster I'd have to watch out for. He was that, but little did I know...

Stuff portrait day: Relaxing, Medicating, and Reminiscing

My relaxing place:




It's as ugly in real life as it looks in the picture. I've had it since I came back from China in 1996, and it was owned by at least two other families before me. It's the only sofa we own, at least until we move and can get space for another one. Why don't we just get a new one NOW and leave this one out in the front yard, free for the taking, you ask? Because there is NO better place in this world to take a nap, my friends. And if I'm having trouble sleeping at night, I just come out here to lie down, and within 10 minutes, BOOM! I'm out.

My "medicine cabinet":




Yes, it's under the sink. No, we don't have one behind the mirror in the bathroom. Why? Because when we moved in, the mirror above the sink was already there, and it did not have a medicine cabinet. So I bought some plastic drawers and stuck 'em under the sink. They work.

Best souvenirs from a great trip:




I lived in China for three years after college, teaching English to college students and adults. One of the adults later became my husband. He, and the two precious treasures pictured with him, are by far my most valuable souvenirs from the most awesome adventure I ever had.

Want to get in on "Stuff Portrait Day"? See Random and Odd for details.

Her fate is decided...

On April 4 I posted about my worries about kindergarten for Audrey next year. She turns five just a few days after the cut-off for enrollment. She's already so smart it scares me, and truth be told, she could probably not do half bad in FIRST grade. But I'm not THAT pushy of a mother (only slightly pushy), so I settled for applying for early enrollment for kindergarten. She went through the battery of tests they run for all the incoming Ks, and though I haven't got the results yet, I'm not worried. I knew the real problem was numbers. There are SO many kindergartners in our rapidly growing district, it would depend on if there was room, the principal told me. I didn't expect to know until August.

So tonight I got a phone call from the principal telling me SHE'S IN!!! Apparently the numbers were SO big already, they decided to add another class, which made the principal confident enough to tell me already that there would be space for her.

Audrey was so excited when I told her!

SPD: This is me

I got a cool baby carrier "wrap" for Christmas. I can use it so many different ways, carry her in front, on my back, etc. Yesterday was the first day I successfully got her onto my back. I used a sling with Audrey, in front only, so this wrap thing has taken a little longer to get used to. But I like it better; it's easier on my back, and look at it! It's gorgeous! :) My goofy grin is from bouncing to get Aislinn to smile for the picture.

Haiku: For the kid next door

Thumping, pounding bass
Ska rhythms in the backyard
Please turn it off. NOW.

Thai Curry Chicken and Vegetables

(Edit: I changed the link to go to the correct edition of this cookbook. AND...this dish is a little spicy. If you are not used to hot food (or your kids aren't) you might find it VERY spicy. My four-year-old took one bite and would not take another. If you want your bland-food-loving child to eat this, go easy on the red pepper!)

I never thought I'd be posting recipes, but this was so GOOD! It's from the Pillsbury Best of the Bake-Off cookbook, from which I photocopied a few recipes last year. This is the first time I made it. It's so simple and yummy that I definitely will be making it again.

Thai Curry Chicken and Vegetables

2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/2 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon MSG (SKIP THIS! IT'S BAD FOR YOU AND TASTES GREAT WITHOUT IT!)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chicken broth
3 teaspoons curry powder
2 tablespoons rice vinegar or vinegar
1 (14-oz.) can coconut milk (not cream of coconut)
1 (1-lb.) pkg. frozen broccoli, carrots and water chestnuts
5 cups hot cooked rice

Heat oil in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until hot. Stir in five spice powder, salt, MSG (NOT!!!), garlic powder, ginger, pepper, ground red pepper and soy sauce; blend well. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 to 8 minutes or until coated with seasonings, lightly browned and no longer pink. Add broth, curry powder, vinegar, and coconut milk; stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add vegetables to skillet; bring to a boil. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Serve over rice.

Yield: 10 (1-cup) servings; 340 calories, 20 g protein, 34 g carbs, 14 g fat, 570 mg sodium

Who knew...???

...that a few simple strength training exercises* can** reduce belly fat by increasing your metabolism?




...that two simple pages from a magazine and a couple of five pound dumbbells could cause SO. MUCH. PAIN???

* exercises in pain, that is

** "can" does not mean "will", because I don't know if I can hack it.

Computer geek-in-training

I can hardly believe my four-year-old knows how to operate a mouse. When I was four, I had never even heard the word "computer", I don't think, let alone seen one or OPERATED one.

I love how she's so tiny that she has to rest her feet on the place where you're supposed to put your knees. I love that, like her mama, she keeps a drink handy while she's working on some important project. (Blogging, coloring a 'net picture, they're both important). And I especially love that HER drink is in a sippy cup so if she knocks it over (also like her mama often does), it won't drip all over the keyboard and/or CPU. (especially since that is my dad's computer and not mine).

Chai and Yo-Yo Ma

Tonight was the first night that I've had an evening to myself (all to myself!!) since Aislinn was born 5 1/2 months ago. You first must understand that I am an introvert (not necessarily shy, but inward-focused). Being around people, even people I love, drains me, and being alone recharges me. So you can well imagine what motherhood can do to a seasoned introvert like myself. I've had an hour or so to go grocery shopping once a week or so, and I did have a date with my husband that was about two hours long, and yes, that was nice! But tonight I had three, count 'em, THREE solid hours of alone time. This is happening far sooner with Aislinn than it did with Audrey, as Audrey was an every-hour-and-a-half nurser for many months, and didn't even usually go more than two hours at night (thank goodness for the family bed, is all I can say for that). Aislinn can and often does go for three hours by now without nursing, sometimes even four, and Aislinn sleeps. Oh yes. She sleeps. Not "through the night", but she gives me enough consecutive hours that I'm not falling asleep in my breakfast the next morning.

So anyway. My night out. This is a weekly ritual I've had since Audrey was old enough to go a few hours without me (let's say about 3 1/2 years). I have more or less the same ritual every week: I go to Borders, buy a magazine, and sit in the cafe munching on a cinnamon scone and sipping chai. I'm a regular there by now; some of the baristas know me by name. I've got a Borders tote bag and a Borders travel mug (15% discount, don'tcha know!). Sometimes I'll journal a little bit, often I'll browse my favorite sections (parenting, travel, and China). But mostly I read through a favorite magazine, either Real Simple or Mothering. I let the magazines inspire me and the caffeine invigorate me. By the time I leave, I feel refreshed and ready to take on whatever challenges my kids throw at me for the coming week. And if a week goes by and I don't get my "mom's night off", my whole family bears the brunt of it. I need that time alone. It took my husband a while to get this (he's an extrovert, of course), but once he realized it makes me a better wife and mom, he did his best to make sure I get this time to myself. Until this week, I'd been taking Aislinn with me, but tonight I decided to try it alone.

Even though Aislinn does sleep pretty well, occasionally she does wake up an hour or two after I put her down. Sometimes she fusses for a few seconds, and soothes herself back to sleep, but sometimes I have to go in and nurse her again. My main concern this evening was that she would wake up, perhaps hungry, and Mama wouldn't be there. I left a bottle of milk I pumped yesterday, but that is not necessarily a solution, because she rarely agrees to drink from a bottle (and I can't blame her, really...even if it's the tasty stuff from Mama, I'm sure she'd rather get it from me than from sucking on silicone). But last Monday I went out for a couple of hours with a friend, and left a bottle...and she actually drank two ounces of it. So I had hopes that she would take some tonight if necessary. Turns out she apparently hasn't even woken up yet. When I came in, Leo was asleep in the bed, Aislinn next to him, and no bottle in sight. I checked the fridge; it's still there where I left it. Big sigh of relief.

I did make a couple of purchases tonight (books and CDs are my biggest shopping weakness), including a Yo-Yo Ma CD. I don't know why it's taken me this long to buy one of his CDs. I love his music; I've listened at the listening stations in Borders before, and always thought to myself, "I need to get that." Never did. Tonight I did: Silk Road Journeys: Beyond the Horizon. I listened to it in the car on the way home. Fabulous. I will be buying more, though he's so prolific, I could run myself bankrupt trying to buy all the old ones AND keep up with his new releases.

SPD: South Park Andrea

I actually had a real picture of me (though not with bedroom eyes, SORRY!) that I took last week, BUT I CAN'T FIND IT!! Booger. So anyway, I saw some people playing with this South Park stuff yesterday, and decided to use this as my SPD, even though THEY DIDN'T TELL WHERE THEY GOT IT (come guys, you need to share! :) I googled a bit until I found the place to make my own.
No, I don't really have an iPod...but I want one soooooo bad, even more than I want a D70 (probably because I know my chances of getting an iPod are way better).

The winner of the "Name This Post" contest is...

mrtl!

Thanks for playing; maybe I will try this one again another time.

El Condor Pasa

[EDIT: I forgot to link back to marybishop at Tchotchkes, who is the one who tagged me. Sorry, Mary!]

The rules are simple when you're tagged. Choose 5 items from the list to write about. Tag 3 other people when you're done.

The theme is, as you can see, "If I could be..."

If I could be a scientist

If I could be a farmer I would grow only organic produce and raise hormone- and antibiotic-free livestock fed only organic grain, so I could afford to feed my family the kind of healthy food I'd like to.

If I could be a musician I would be able to play the piano and sight-read any music, or better yet, play by ear so I could play for myself and my friends and family.

If I could be a doctor
If I could be a painter

If I could be a gardener I would be able to actually GROW flowers without killing them like Greenthumb, and I would have a beautifully landscaped Chinese garden.

If I could be a missionary
If I could be a chef

If I could be an architect I'd design my own log cabin in the woods of Brown County, Indiana.

If I could be a linguist
If I could be a psychologist
If I could be a librarian
If I could be an athlete
If I could be a lawyer
If I could be an inn-keeper
If I could be a professor
If I could be a writer
If I could be a llama-rider
If I could be a bonnie pirate
If I could be an astronaut
If I could be a justice on any one court in the world
If I could be married to any current famous political figure

If I could be a world famous blogger I'd be able to justify the cost of purchasing the drool-worthy Nikon D70.

I'm tagging lawbrat (the REAL one), mrtl (take your time, sweetie, I know you're busy at the moment!), and mel, who I think are the only remaining regular visitors here who have not yet been tagged by other people.

Not So Good Vibrations

{Thank you, mrtl, for the winning title!}

She sits on my lap, sweet as can be, just up from her nap in a fresh diaper. I surf the net, deftly pushing the keyboard out of the way of her curious fingers ("But I want to BANG on it, mama! It's something that needs BANGED on!")

Without warning, nay, without so much as a cautionary grunt or toot, a poop explodes in her diaper, the diaper I changed less than a minute ago, reverberating on my bare leg. I jump and gasp, startled, and then turn to laugh at her. She looks at me for a moment, with a look that says "What in the world is so funny, woman?", and then smiles patronizingly at me, amused with this mommy who even laughs at this. ("Well, you put it into me, silly, did you expect it wouldn't come out eventually?")

Low-carb update

I didn't post anything about my progress last week because, well, there wasn't any. I didn't lose any weight last week. I was disappointed, but realized I still had some modifications to make, specifically in portion control. Because, just because raisins are a healthy snack does not mean I can scarf them down without reserve.

I did allow myself some treats last week; white chocolate mousse (with berries) at a retirement dinner last week was one. A chunk of a chocolate chip cookie (a sample!!) at a coffee shop was another. And a smallish serving of chocolate pudding cake my mom made yesterday was the last. I had the most reservations about this last one, and I probably gave into temptation a bit too much. But it was indeed a smaller portion than I would have had were I not paying attention to this, so it still was something of an accomplishment.

Even with these treats, I managed to lose two pounds last week, bringing me to 137. I did break down and weigh myself Friday because I was going crazy with worry that I was not going to lose anything THIS week too, and on Friday I was 136. So the chocolate cake on Mother's Day probably cost me a pound. Or maybe it didn't; I didn't remember to weigh myself until almost lunchtime today, so perhaps if I'd done so before breakfast like I usually do, it would have still been 136. But what if resisting the cake might have meant I could have been 135?? Forget it, I'm not going to think about it anymore!

I'm pleased that the weight is actually starting to come off. But changing habits that have been a part of my life as long as I can remember is proving very hard. (I didn't think it would be easy, though!)

Happy Mother's Day

As marybishop once posted in my comments, God bless all the mothers, because we do the hardest work for the least pay.

Whether your babies are still babies or all grown up, or if they are still a dream in your heart, or if they are already in Heaven as some of mine are, know that your work as a mother, for however long or short it is, is never in vain.

Helping Daddy type

(Don't ask about his hair. He has long been searching for a hairdresser that understands wiry Asian strands.)

I just have one thing to say...

...and I'll make it clear.

When all this @%$# crankiness and crying stops in a few days (and it WILL stop, because you are supposed to be my easy child), you had better have some teeth to show for it.

Real world readers: yea or nay?

Sorry for not posting for a couple of days. Lots of reasons why: Monday I was getting busy for my first hot date with my husband (read "just the two of us, sans baby") since probably November. My favorite professor from college is retiring, and the college had a nice dinner for him Monday evening. So I got to get all dressed up and put perfume on and everything. Unfortunately, we had to leave about 2/3 through because Aislinn (unsurprisingly) did not want to take a bottle. Neither my husband nor I have ever gotten her to take more than half an ounce from a bottle, and I suspect that half ounce did not even end up in her stomach, but all over her chin and the front of her clothes. So anyway, we had to leave early (but not before the white chocolate mousse with berries!! I was perfect for two weeks, I decided to reward myself). To my delight, the baby actually did drink an entire OUNCE AND A HALF of expressed breast milk from the bottle. Amazing. Maybe there is hope. I'm starting her on solids sometime in the next month anyway, so that will probably help too.

Then yesterday I was busy out the wazoo. Had a doctor's appointment, then took Audrey to her kindergarten screening. It's still uncertain whether there will be room for her, since her birthday is several days past the cut-off date for enrollment, but the principal said they could see her for the screening anyway. Mommies aren't allowed in the gym for the screening (probably to prevent pushy moms like me from coaching), so I don't know yet how she did; we get the results in the mail in a few days. But knowing Audrey, she did fabulous. It will all come down to numbers in the end. After the screening, my husband was on the computer when I got home and remained that way more or less until the evening, when I realized I was probably developing mastitis. For those who don't know: mastitis happens when nursing ta-tas get clogged up, and turn into a throbbing, painful mass. Mine was only on one side, thank you God!, but it was accompanied by fever and chills that rendered me done for the day. I'm feeling much better this morning, thank you (and thank you, Aislinn, for being willing to nurse on that side more than usual to help the clog pass through).

Anyway, those are my excuses for not posting for the last couple of days.

Dad Gone Mad's recent post about someone in his real life discovering his blog got me thinking. I wonder how many people with blogs would be horrified if someone in real life stumbled on it? I know mrtl has expressed this, and Susie has hoped people in her church don't find hers. I also prefer that people in my real life don't know about mine. I mean, my husband knows I have one, and I occasionally show him a post I've written, but he doesn't know how to "find" it, and has shown little interest in doing so.

It's also interesting to me that my blog is public: that is, I don't mind if complete strangers come and read my blog (well, some of you aren't strangers anymore, but I don't know you in real life!), but isn't it strange that I don't want people I know to read it? Would love additional feedback on this. How would you feel if people in your real world found your blog (anyone, or people in particular, like parents)? And how do you justify this with making it public?