Notes from the Melody Maker

Ridiculously interesting

Sun, 13 May 2012 19:04:49 GMT

I was recently asked to do a guest blog post on a site I just love: The Museum of Ridiculously Interesting Things. I was delighted to do it because I love the site, and it turned out to be a mutual admiration arrangement because their site admin loves my blog Who Were They? So, the guest blog post is up and I hope you’ll take a second to read it, then browse around the Museum. It’s pretty awesome!

Tanning mom, I just have to say it

Thu, 03 May 2012 19:00:51 GMT

There have been a rash of news articles and coverage of the “tanning mom” who allegedly took her 6 year old daughter to the tanning salon with her. She was arrested and charged with child endangerment I think. All these news stories are so concerned about the child (of course) and trying to get to “the real story” of what happened, but they are all ignoring the gigantic overcooked-bacon-brown elephant in the room.

What the hell is going on with the mom??? O.o.

April showers bring...

Tue, 01 May 2012 21:16:13 GMT

Once again I’m apologizing for not having had much to say in the previous month. I have a lot of great ideas to blog about…as I’m drifting off to sleep or driving home from work. Not really opportune moments to have a quick blogging moment!

We decided to thin down our stuff, getting rid of things we have have moved from one house to the next without ever really unpacking, things we do not need, don’t fit, are worn out, etc. It’s a good exercise and forces me to really consider the need/want motivation behind each item. My sewing room is the worst! It has become a catch-all for historical clothing, craft supplies, research books, and of course an unused crib. Don’t you keep one in your sewing/craft room? I have it listed on craigslist for sale but I doubt anyone is going to buy it. Honestly, it’s the third or fourth time I’ve listed it there with not one nibble. Last week we decided we were done with the ‘temporary’ dining set we bought of the former occupants of our house (in 2005!). I listed it for FREE on craigslist and the only response I got was someone wanting the chairs. Sigh…we wound up hauling the beast – it is very very heavy – out to our front lawn on Saturday morning. Not even 10 minutes into the project, the “free” sign not even hung up, someone was asking about it. Not 20 minutes later, the massive table, 8 chairs and two leaves were gone. We are very happy using our smaller table which gives us a lot more space in our kitchen!

So, if you know anyone who needs a really beautiful, gently used crib, I am selling one. Still. :-)

The April resolution was to read to Melody 3 to 5 times a week. I think I might have hit 3 times a week. Although she loves chapter books, Melody hasn’t been very interested in the ones I tried on her. Alice in Wonderland was not a hit at all, which surprised me. I don’t remember how old I was when my mom read us the Narnia books, but it seems like they might be a little old for her. Anyway, we have been enjoying several books that Aunt Virginia gave to her last year – 365 Penguins, Bats at the Library and Beetle the Bard.

The March resoultion is still hanging in there. I walk 3-4 times a week most weeks. We had a lot of rain recently so that interrupted me, but for the most part I get in my walk whenever possible. I also still have been off fast food for two months, which is a huge accomplishment! The thought of it now is pretty gross and I hope that’s a mindset that stays with me forever. I might have fnally broken this addiction, fingers crossed!

May’s resolution is no TV 5 nights per week. That is really pretty stupid, lol. How about no TV 3 nights a week and if I make it to 5 that’s a bonus?

March resolution recap and...

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:40:15 GMT

I’m pretty late with my March resolution recap. Honestly, I haven’t even turned the calendar from March to April. Does that tell you anything? I really don’t want this year to fly by like last year did, but I guess there isn’t anything that can be done about it.

The resolution for March was to walk,3-5 times per week for 20-60 minutes at a time. That would have totaled 12-20 walks in the month of March. Looking back, I see that I walked 13 times for 20-30 minutes. Usually I do this during my lunch break, so 30 minutes is really the maximum I can do. An evening walk with Melody involves the dog and working in the park somehow, which interrupts the walk. Consequently I tend to avoid the evening walk, even if I can make it a longer walk.

I feel good about that goal and have been continuing to walk during lunch breaks several times a week, upping my tempo as I become stronger. My biggest challenge is my foot, which is still sensitive to overwork. If I push too hard, the foot aches and swells. If I don’t push hard enough, it will never pass the next hurdle of healing.

April’s resolution is reading to Melody 3 times a week. She loves this! We recently read Peter and Wendy, chapter by chapter, and she loved it, so I’m looking forward to reading to her again. She is almost at the point that she can read, just not quite there yet. I’m excited for her to discover that whole world of imagination that was so exciting for me as a girl!

More dirty words

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:41:34 GMT

We have been working hard at keeping certain words out of our language in front of our now five year old daughter. You know the basics, the seven dirty words (note: the actual words are on that page in case you don’t want to read it). I’d like to add a few more to the list.

Stupid – I use it to describe the remote a lot but little girls don’t understand the distinction between inanimate objects and their classmates.

Dumb – see stupid

Fat – you can’t even say “big fat liar” without touching on body size. According to a recent article on CNN, children begin teasing and calling outcasts “fat” as early as preschool.

Diet – dovetailing off “fat” it’s been theorized that children exposed to constant parental dieting can become more self conscious of their body image at a younger age. High school is hard enough, I’m not going to burden her with a negative body image if at all possible. We talk about eating healthy, not about dieting.

Bad – as in “I’m going to be bad and eat this…” This goes hand in hand with the possible consequences of “fat” and “diet.” There are too many ways to screw up your kids!

Crap – she already knows it means the stinky deposits in the bathroom, it’s not much of a stretch to get her to say shit. Let’s just nip this one in the bud.

Shut up – self explanatory

Most religious statements and exclamations, like “Oh my God!” and “Jesus Christ!” and “for chrissakes!” For one because we aren’t religious and for two because a 5 year old saying “Jesus Christ!” might be funny but it isn’t a good thing at school.

Self censorship is pretty dammed difficult, isn’t it?

What, me worry?

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 05:17:40 GMT

This is a post i wrote as a guest blogger when the OC Register had their Mom Blog up and running a couple years ago. The Mom Blog has moved on, so I thought I would share this with you here. The feelings are still the same!

*******************************

I’ve been a mom now for just over two years, and I was starting to feel a bit more confident in my abilities. Until last week that is, when my daughter slammed a door on her foot resulting in an injury that looked a lot more serious than it really was. But, I didn’t know it at that moment.

At that moment, all I wanted to do was hold her and cry with her and make her feel better and not let her know how scared for her I was. Then I got a grip on myself and told her everything was going to be just fine. I stayed strong through the ER visit and the follow up at the doctor’s office the next day, even though on the inside I was crying. I worried she would be traumatized by the whole experience.

Moms in the 21st century really have a lot of worries to consider. Not that I lay awake at night thinking about these things (yet), but I am concerned that one day due to my own ignorance, I will allow my daughter to go to school wearing gang insignia; the school will be shot up while she’s in class; or heaven forbid, she will carry some ibuprofen in her handbag. Will someone snatch her as she skips down the street to visit a friend? Will I be able to handle it if something really bad happens to her?

My parents worried, of course, but there’s a significant generation gap between the things I worry about and the things that kept my mother awake at night. I asked my Mom about her worries while we were growing up in Orange County during the 70s and 80s. She told me she worried about smoking, drinking, our friends leading us astray, teachers influencing us in a way that was not consistent with my parents’ values, a little about drugs, and a lot about education.

Yet, we were still allowed to walk to school, bike to our friends’ houses, and be unsupervised all summer long. My grandparents had even less to worry about comparatively. My Gram worried about my mother crossing the major street that was the boundary of where she was allowed to go (and doled out a serious reprimand when it was discovered that she had), finances, education, religious upbringing, good food on the table, and taking care of their elders. A lot has changed in 70 short years.

But bridging the generation gaps are the little things that just don’t change. They are consistent from mother to mother, generation to generation. We count our babies’ fingers and toes the day they are born and see the future in their eyes. We beseech whatever higher power we believe in for their health and happiness. We hide our fears and tears as best we can in the effort to provide a stable home. We help them with their homework, and in making the tough decisions about which birthday party to attend and how to gently give their regrets to the friend whose party they won’t be attending. We take care of scraped elbows and knees and hearts, and with tears in our eyes we might send them off to college or the military to become the men and women we hoped for on the day we counted their fingers and toes for the first time. Parents, especially moms, will always worry, and my Mom assures me the worry doesn’t end when your children are 21 or 30 or 50, married or single, living right next door or across the globe.

Maybe in the future, I will jump up a little faster when my daughter is playing with a door, or I’ll find a better way to divert her tears as she cries after falling from her bike. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there, but I will feel confident in knowing I’m not the first mom to face that dilemma, and that moms throughout history have felt the same.

Goodbye, February resolution

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 04:54:51 GMT

Well, I could have told you that the resolution I made for February was one of the stupidest resolutions I’ve ever made! You would think that breaking the fast food addiction would be mind over matter, but in reality, it was very difficult. It started with a pizza. Then I was caught out and so hungry, with the only option being fast food. I thought, well, I don’t have to get the worst thing on the menu or do this again. “It will be our dirty little secret, now won’t it…” Next thing you know, I had abandoned the resolution. I made it about two weeks.

The good news is that I have given up fast food again, because I want to. John and I both are on a very strict diet right now because we want to be healthy, so we have gone back to Jenny Craig. While I’m not a big fan of the food, it is better for us in the short term than the way we were eating, and we will definitely lose some weight! Before Melody was born, we both lost significant amounts of weight on JC so I know we can be successful again. The trick will be in keeping it off.

For the March resolution, I selected walking 20-30 minutes, 3-5 times a week. This will work pretty well because the weather is getting nicer all the time and I can walk during lunch breaks. I also count my walking while I grocery shop, because dammit I’m moving! Of course, I’m a week late in starting the resolution but this is one I will need to keep going for weight loss and general health.

Home made chicken nuggets, booya!

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 04:39:52 GMT

Most kids like chicken nuggets, dinosaur shapes, stars, or the weird lopsided rectangles. Those little breaded bits of chicken are famous the world over for satisfying picky eaters and omnivores alike. What I don’t like about chicken nuggets is the whole made sometime last year and stored in the freezer aspect of them. Yes, we currently have a bag of them, but I can’t bring myself to prepare them for my girl any longer. Plus, I keep thinking of the preservatives and I wonder if the chicken in those things is really chicken or if it’s pressed “parts” of chicken. You remember the old saying “parts is parts” right? Shudders…

Tonight Melody and I made our own chicken nuggets. It is so easy, why didn’t I think of this before?! This recipe is from my mother but I don’t remember her making this for us as kids. It’s just a good one! At first, Melody wasn’t real interested in helping, but eventually she saw the fun in dipping her fingers in the flour, egg and breadcrumbs. The goo factor is great for kids, ha ha. When she ate dinner, she was inordinately proud of having made her own chicken nuggets! You could make a double recipe one weekend and have plenty to store in the freezer for the next several weeks.

Chicken Nuggets

1 – 1.25 lbs chicken, cut into 2" squares or rectangles

Italian salad dressing or other marinade*

Flour

2-3 eggs

Panko or regular breadcrumbs

Pour about 1 cup or so of marinade into a large zipper bag. Add the chicken pieces, close the zipper and allow to rest 15 minutes. Take out three plates or shallow bowls. In one, put 3 or 4 tablespoons flour, in the next, beat the eggs together, in the third, put about 1 cup breadcrumbs. Make an assembly line. Once the chicken has fully marinaded, dip pieces in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs. Place them on a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Do this until all the nuggets are nicely breaded. Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes. Once cooled, the nuggets can be frozen and reheated in the microwave for about 60-90 seconds.

*Here’s a Japanese style marinade

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup white wine

3 T sugar

You can also add 1/2 teaspoon ginger if you like

Pay it Forward 2012 - Item One

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:46:40 GMT

On Facebook, I saw a fabulous post a few weeks back – the woman would make an item for the first five people who commented and reposted the meme. I loved the idea but she already had 5 people comment, so I just stole the post and voila, I had 5 people sign up. I wasn’t sure at first what I would make. Food, sure, maybe cookies, very typical. Jewelry, possibly, I love doing that. I sent out a message to my 5 people asking favorite colors, foods, home decor, etc. It’s always easier to have an idea of the person’s environment if you are going to make them something.

Then it got cold. I decided I would make a blanket! I love making blankets because they are fairly simple and wonderful all at once. I visited my favorite discount fabric store and found deliciously soft and warm Minky fabric. It’s that stuff they make baby blankets out of that babies like to pet. I could just run my hands over it for hours. The first blanket I decided to make is for an old high school friend who told me she likes red & black. I found a gorgeous red and black floral that I love and backed it with solid black broadcloth.

But I wanted to make sure the front and back of the blanket didn’t gap from one another, so I pulled mismatched vintage black, red and clear glass buttons from my collection and used these randomly sprinkled to secure the blanket. A little quilt binding and we have a great lap blanket! The fabric is 54" wide so it’s large enough for two to cuddle on the couch, or small enough to wrap over yourself in the recliner. Plus it is machine washable, so if pets like it you can get their hair off pretty easily – which is a requirement in my house.

I have mailed this off to my friend Jodi and even though lately it’s been ridiculously warm for this time of year, my original intention had been to “spread warmth” among my friends. I hope this keeps you and your family warm for many years to come!

The birthday tablecloth

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:41:27 GMT

At the conclusion of Melody’s birthday party recently, guests were shocked when I asked them if their child would like to write on the tablecloth. What? Parents are continually trying to keep table linens nice, don’t encourage kids to write on them! But, this is a tradition that started when I was a little girl. Each guest is asked to write a birthday note, creating a memory for the birthday girl that will last a lifetime.

My mother started this tradition for our family. I asked her recently where she got the idea, and back in the 60s there was no Pinterest, so it was either a magazine or word of mouth. My dad thought it was Sunset magazine. She made a pink tablecloth for my sister and a blue one for me. We kids sat at the dinner table for cake & ice cream and pencils would be passed around. During the year following, my mom would embroider over the various little notes, memorializing them for all time. Each year she used a different color, creating a bright and colorful mosaic of birthday wishes. Some names are repeated year after year, others show up only once or twice. After I learned to embroider (badly, I must add) I took over the task of doing the embroidery and I have birthday wishes from my first through sixteenth birthdays.

Of course the cynic in me pictures unfinished tablecloths in the linen closets of America, abandoned when mothers ran out of time or gumption and lacked daughters willing to take over the embroidery task. I can say that I am glad my mother taught me to embroider so that I could complete my tablecloth. I just wish I had taken to it better, but my fingers just couldn’t manage the precise stitches necessary for really good embroidery.

Being seriously all thumbs in the needlework department these days, I knew I wanted to make a birthday tablecloth for Melody, but wanted it to be something practical. We are SO lucky fabric markers were invented! The ink writes directly on the fabric with very little hassle and once washed & dried, it is there forever. I just need to remember to make a note on the end of the tablecloth as to what color was used which year.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN BIRTHDAY TABLECLOTH

The tablecloth is made from 2 yards of 60" wide cotton I bought online. Looking back, I might have gotten a poly-cotton for better wrinkle resistance but I can’t go back and change it now. The center of the tablecloth features “Happy Birthday Melody” in iron on letters which I stitched into place so that when the adhesive eventually gives out the letters won’t fall off. I put in a 1/4" hem, then turned it and hemmed it again. Since I added the ruffle after 5 years, I stitched the ruffle directly to the back of that hem, but if putting it on during the hemming would be easiest and less bulky.

2 yards 60" wide cotton or poly-cotton, tablecloth weight, solid color

Applique letters to spell “Happy Birthday” and your child’s name

7 1/2 yards gathered eyelet ruffle (optional)

Wash and dry fabric & ruffle. Lay out the cloth right side up and place the letters in the center in any formation you desire. Iron in place, then stitch over them. Turn up 1/4" hem and stitch. Lap ruffle over the hem and stitch in place. Finish raw edges of ruffle so they won’t fray. Fray-check is your friend. If you are not adding a ruffle, turn up a second 1/4" hem and stitch in place.

Supply one single color of fabric marker each year. On the end of the tablecloth, write the year in that same color.

Click the pictures for larger images.

Book Review: The Neighbor

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 05:06:44 GMT

I was tired of Stephen King, historical novels and histories of the Civil War. I needed something exciting that I could not put down, and happily I found what I was looking for. The Neighbor, by Lisa Gardner was my entree to an exciting readers’ list of suspense & thriller books. Lisa Gardner has been writing for many years and has numerous titles. However, The Neighbor introduced me to Seargant Detective Dee Dee Warren of the Homocide Division of the Boston Police Department.

This is a contemporary murder mystery with an exciting climax and confusing back story. The way the story unfolds, the wife of a fiercely private man is missing. He is the prime – the only – suspect. He is reluctant for police to question his four year old daughter. His story is clean and tight and he always gets it straight. He knows his rights and that only serves to annoy the police. Throw in a local sex offender and an estranged relationship with the missing woman’s father, and it becomes complex without becoming convoluted.

The book is written in two voices, first person of the missing woman, third person for the detective and all other aspects of the story. It is an interesting method that will draw you through the book at break neck speed, but it doesn’t leave any detail out of place, no loose ends untied. Warren finds herself led along several theories as the story unfolds, some more plausible than others, and while you may find yourself wishing you could step into the conference room and correct her during one of the investigatory team meetings, you can’t and it’s tough to have to sit back and wait for Dee Dee to figure it all out in the end.

Which she does. She is the best detective BPD’s got, after all.

Happily, the book is not overloaded with police jargon and for those who enjoy true crime you will be satisfied that the rules of forensics aren’t ignored in favor of a better story line. It is a gripping read with a satisfactory conclusion which I recommend to those who already love the genre and to those who, like me, are looking for something new.

Book Review: A Stolen Life

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 05:06:21 GMT

I recently listened to the audiobook of A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard, narrated by Jaycee Dugard. To say this book was difficult would be overstating the obvious. If you have lived under a rock for the past couple years, then you won’t know that Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped at the age of 11 and held in captivity by a convicted child molestor until she was 29 years old. At the time she was recovered, she had two children, aged 11 and 15.

Just let that sit there in your mind for a moment. She was kidnapped at age 11 and when she was recovered she had a daughter who was 11. But Jaycee at 11 had been on her way to school when kidnapped and her own 11 year old daughter had never been to school. Ever. She had rarely been outside the backyard of her captor-father. Jaycee was younger than her 15 year old daughter when her 15 year old daughter was born. Her children had never been to the doctor, had never been to school, had not known the normal growing up that the rest of us Western families take for granted. They never played with friends next door, organized games of stickball or hockey in the street, didn’t have crushes on the cute boy in class, nothing.

I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to cry for Jaycee and her daughters while listening to this book. As a woman, a mother, a grown up girl, her story is horrifying. It is beyond comprehension that someone could be forced to endure the tortures and abuses that Jaycee endured. What is almost more incomprehensible is that Jaycee Dugard came through that experience with a seemingly positive outlook on life. She explained that she had some dark times, but the overall impression at the end of the book was one of an amazingly strong woman who just survived and did the best she could for her daughters.

That strength inspires me to do the best for my daughter when push comes to shove in my life. Frankly, I am a queen in a palace compared to Jaycee’s experience, and it really puts my complaints into drastic perspective, but if Jaycee can be strong, loving and optimistic for her daughters, then I can do my very best too. Each of us mothers – who feel strong enough in the first place – could benefit from a read through of A Stolen Life. It will cause you to realize that your shitty life really isn’t all that bad after all, but not in a way that makes you feel riddled with guilt and shame.

Stereotypes, or, puppies are just fine

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 03:17:06 GMT

When I was a teenager, my parents had this couple friend, Mike and Katie. They were super nice people and they had a really sweet dog named Sparky. I can remember that Katie was older than Mike by two years and at the time, I thought that was different, against the norm, weird. Somewhere along the way I had picked up the social programming that the husband was to be older than the wife. I don’t think it was explicit or from any one source. Maybe just through observation I knew that in my family the husband was older than the wife. Years later, I am the one two years older than my husband so clearly this bit of social programming did not sink in very deeply. Really, you love who you love.

But I got to thinking about social programming recently, and examining where we collect our views and biases from. Everyone knows that the kid who is a bully at school is probably bullied at home. Racism, elitism, and so many other -isms are all learned behaviors, and most often the teacher is a parent. This is one of those “everyone knows it” bits of knowledge, but I had a first hand experience with this at – of all places – the birthday party for a five year old.

There were a lot of kids and the family had gotten a…what would you call this…makeup artist? The lady painted on tattoo-like pictures in glitter paint. So, I guess she is a temporary tattoo artist. Anyway, they had gotten this lady to come and put glittery flowers, crowns, butterflies, skulls, snakes and dragons on the kids’ arms. Lots of parents got them too, she was pretty good. One little boy, maybe 1 1/2 was at the display with his dad and they were looking at the various stencils. The little boy wanted a cute little puppy. His dad pointed at a snake. The little boy pointed at the puppy. His dad pointed at a dragon. The little boy pointed at the puppy. I laughed and said to the dad – in that conspiratorial voice of parents everywhere – “well, I guess he wants the puppy” ha ha ha, expecting the dad to give in and let his little guy get the puppy.

The dad said rather crossly, “he’s not getting a dumb puppy. You’ll get the skull.” Then proceeded to get a red and silver flaming skull for the little guy.

His son was in tears.

To say I was shocked would be overstating the matter. I was disgusted. Why force a little kid still in diapers to have a flaming skull painted on his arm? What was accomplished other than teaching the boy that his father will not listen to what he wants, will force him to accept things he doesn’t want, and is probably severely homophobic. Is there some inadequecy that the father was unconciously trying to overcome by making his tot more “manly”?

Before Melody’s birthday party I polled a large group of moms I know, asking “if their boy was invited to a party where feathers were offered, would they be upset, offended, not care, etc.” Overwhelmingly, the moms said that if their boy wanted a feather they would let them get it but some were more cautious, saying their husbands might not like it. I think in particular with kids who aren’t in grade school yet, this is a time to let kids just explore. I tell people that Melody is an equal opportunity “player” meaning that she loves Cars as much as she loves My Little Pony. Buzz Lightyear has married every one of the Disney princesses several times and Evel Knevel pops up in the Barbie world from time to time.

Little boys like many of the same things little girls like. It is parents who teach them that rainbows and puppies are gay, that flaming skulls and dragons are acceptable, and that sports are the only way to express themselves. Certainly I am generalizing here, but work with me. Similar things happen with girls, only having to do with self confidence, body image and “knowing their place” in society. We parents are the ones who teach our children how to approach situations in an appropriate manner and if “appropriate” to us means to put down others who happen to like rainbows and puppies, well we reap what we sow.

I’m not advocating that children should be raised genderless like the two families recently in the news. Personally I think that is pretty stupid. But, when you look at the gear that is available for children, the stereotypes are there before the little peanut even has a gender – boys in blue and girls in pink. I’m lucky my daughter likes pink. I always tell people that prior to the 20th century, boys were more often dressed in pink because pink is a derivitive of red and is a stronger color; girls were in blue because it was the weaker color.

All this social programming can be confusing for children as they get into preschool and gradeschool. They learn one set of acceptable behaviors from their family and all of a sudden they are thrown into the melting pot with all sorts of kids with all sorts of behaviors. I feel bad for the teachers, honestly. That little boy who wanted the puppy opened my eyes to what an enormous impact everything I say and do can have on my child.

So please, if you find yourself at some function where little kids are getting temporary tattoos or whatever, let the boys get puppies and let the girls get skulls. It won’t harm their psyche if they get something less manly or less girly, but it will boost their self confidence and trust in you, their parent because you love them just the way they are.

How to exhaust your parents

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 05:43:31 GMT

As I write this post, my feet are aching, my back is throbbing with a sciatica flare up, and all I really want is to go to bed! Why, you ask? Today we hosted a party with 17 kids 7 and under for my daughter’s 5th birthday party. From 11:30 to 4:30, this house was full of pint sized speed freaks. They ran, screamed, laughed hysterically, shouted for “mommy” just to have three or four parents come running, and bounced, bounced, bounced! I have to say, the party was a resounding success, but you can ask my friends, I have been stressing about this thing for two weeks.

I do not like to throw parties, even though I paradoxically enjoy entertaining. I know, weird. I have a deep seated fear that no one will show up, and when I only had 5 responses after the invitations had been out a week, I was getting a few gray hairs I’m sure. But, during the past five days the responses started rolling in and I actually doubled my food order. It is always better to have too much than not enough, in my book. I quit worrying about whether people were coming and began worrying about whether the goody bags were good enough, whether the party would get boring, whether the parents would rather be anywhere else than at the party, etc.

The bounce house was again a huge hit! We got one with a slide on the side and a basketball hoop inside and there were a couple boys who barely came out long enough to have cake. We had a “pin the braid on Rapunzel” game and each child decorated a crown to take home. In addition, my friend Samantha brought her magical box of feathers and beads and put feathers and fun stuff in all the girls’ hair and even worked in a couple colored mohawks on the boys.

This party could not have run as smoothly as it did with out the help from a couple people. First, a huge thank you to my mother-in-law Marie! She is so good to me. Even though I intentionally had paper and plastic plates and silverware, Marie went around and made sure things were picked up and the food was handled. Secondly, my sister Kathy was there to help with the games, help put crowns together or back together, take notes of who gave what presents, and make it so John and I could enjoy the party too.

After the last kids left, the house was bizarrely quiet. We didn’t actually know quite what to do. So we just sat there. :-)

On Monday February 13, we will celebrate the best, most amazing and fullfilling 5 years of our lives. It is funny how you think to yourself “I’m successful, have a decent car, a little money in the bank, life is good.” Then you have a child and everything – literally every aspect of your former life – begins to pale in comparison. I could go to the mall whenever I wanted? Sure, but why would I want to do that when I can feel the warmth of my daughter’s kiss on my cheek after she tells me she loves me.

From this

to this, in five short years.

Happy birthday Melody! More pictures in the gallery.

Vintage photos

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:11:22 GMT

My sister told me about this great application for the Mac called VintageScene, a program that has preset filters that make your modern photos look aged and vintage. Of course, John commented that we have progressed so far from the early cameras and their print quality, only to create apps that make photos look old and worn. I think that goes to show that the early photographers were artists, while today any Tom Dick or Harry can take a snapshot with their phone. Here are a few of the aged photos I created.

Here a stand of cannon and an ammunition wagon.

Next, our friend John Smolley as Jefferson Davis, President of the CSA.

This is Logan B., who has grown up so very fast, and now he’d rather march with the Army than play in the parlour, sigh…

I created an album in the gallery called The Vintage Scene where there are a few more aged photos. I will continue to play with this because it’s lots of fun!

Slow food, here I come!

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:55:36 GMT

Well, I certainly need to eliminate fast food from my diet, and maybe this is a resolution I can make last for more than one month. You may have noticed that this resolution is in the shortest month of the year, so 29 days to go and hopefully I won’t slip up!

I am considering fast food to be any of the major franchises and pizza delivery. Make at home pizza will be on the white list should I decide to make it. Also on the white list are normal restaurants. Mostly, I want to eliminate all the preservatives and mystery ingredients that have come to light in recent months in fast food items. If you want to ditch fast food, a google search for “McDonalds pink slime burgers” may help. Gah!

There’s a photo circulating on the internet right now of a fast food burger that has been left to sit on the counter in a doctor’s office for over six months. No mold or bacterial growth. No breakdown of the meat. It looks the same as it did when it came through the window and that’s what I’m trying to use as inspiration right now.

Fast food is also addictive. Your body begins to crave the high amounts of saturated fat and perservatives after a while. Maybe if I can get through this month I won’t have to worry about this addiction in the future.

Wish me luck!

January Resolution: New Food

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:36:06 GMT

As I mentioned a while back in the month, I will be sticking to one resolution per month this year, and January’s resolution was to try new food. Specifically, I resolved to try something new each week. I would not say that I am not an adventurous eater, but I can’t try things that just sound inherently dangerous or outright gross. So puffer fish and chocoate covered ants were just out. This was a bit of a cheat for me because I had voluntarily tried brussel sprouts within the first week of the month, before I put together my resolutions for the year, but I hope you will just forget that.

Each week I considered what my food adventure would be. I did not limit myself to just produce – although that is where my failings lie – but I did try a bit of this and a bit of that.

Week 1 – Brussel Sprouts – brush with a bit of olive oil and roast; I will try these again.

Week 2 – Cinnamon Chicken – ever since I saw a Little House on the Prarie episode where Laura switched out the cinnamon for cayenne pepper before Nellie Olson made cinnamon chicken for Almanzo Wilder, I have wanted to try this dish. I posted on Facebook for food ideas and my friend Brianna sent me the recipe. It was quite good! More savory than sweet because there is no sugar.

I served it with brown rice and green beans and it was a nice change to our regular fare of “chicken something” and veggies. It takes two tablespoons of cinnamon, so poor Almanzo having to politely eat chicken with two tablespoons of cayenne pepper on it!!

Week 3 – Pineapple Melon – I have seen these in the grocery store and wondered about them. Since it was something I doubted I would ever try unless under duress, I purchased one and Melody and I tried it a day or so later.

I sliced it, not knowing what the inside would be like, but somehow not expecting what I found:

This thing is seedy and around the seeds is a gelantanous goo. This wasn’t looking good. I pried out a small piece and put it in my mouth…and immediately spat it out! This thing is horrid! I can only liken this fruit to the consistency of the inside of a tomato (and you all know how I feel about THAT) and bitter, sour, unpleasant. Yuck! Melody tasted a bit and enjoyed pulling the seeds out more than eating it. I threw the whole thing in the trash and shudder when I recall the taste.

Week 4 – Graham Cracker Cake – In an attempt to redeem my tasting tribulation of the previous week, I made a vintage recipe called graham cracker cake, except I didn’t have graham crackers, so I crushed Nilla Wafers. This cake was very good though I think I might have not baked it long enough. It acted a bit like a sponge or angel cake at first, but soon fell while it was cooling. The recipe card didn’t indicate how long to bake it, so next time I’ll try it for longer. It’s worth a second attemp and yes, we did eat it all even if it was a bit messed up.

With a bit of whipped cream, it redeemed the new foods resolution completely! I didn’t mind trying the new foods and I will continue to try to work more foods into our dietary routine. I’ve got a turnip or two in my fridge right now and I’m actively looking for preparations, plus I’ll be trying some new recipes for my sister site Gram’s Recipe Box as the months progress. All in all, I’d call January’s resolution of new foods a success!

Book Review: Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:31:28 GMT

You know how sometimes you read in the paper about some person accused of murder who gets away scot free? For whatever reason, either the case isn’t prosecuted, or heaven help us it is adjudicated and the jury cannot find them guilty. Don’t you ever think to yourself “someone will do us all a favor and take ’em out”? In real life that rarely, if ever happens. The acqitted person goes on a book tour or gets a reality TV show and we are all disgusted by the twist of fate that let them loose to potentially kill again. Well, in the book Darkly Dreaming Dexter, there is someone who does equalize the situation.

Thankfully, Dexter is just a character in a fiction novel, because he’s a bona fide psychopath. He has difficulty understanding people and social situations, he lacks deeper feelings like love and compassion, does not understand what motivates humans to do the things they do, and does not even consider himself human. He knows he is flawed, with a big empty spot where everyone else has a conscience. But Dexter hunts the bad guys. He is a serial killer, and a prolific one, taking out Miami’s garbage. He only kills the killers, though, and he must have proof of the ultimate badness of his quarry, otherwise, his code will not allow him to act.

You see, Dexter was raised and coached by a cop. His adoptive father Harry realized that Dexter was missing “that thing” other people have, and helped him to shape his need to kill into righteous vigilanteeism. Harry created a code, rules that would help Dexter survive in a world he did not understand; rules that would keep him out of the eye of the police and out of jail. Part of Dexter’s cover is to work for the police as a blood spatter analist.

The best predators hide in plain sight, and that is Dexter. He has learned, like many psychopaths before him, to play the role, say the witty sayings, and pretend to feel the feelings, that normal people expect. And while you might think Dexter is a bad guy himself, in this book, he is the “hero” protecting the city from those other murderers who cannot be proven guilty and preventing them from committing their heinous crimes again.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter is the first in a series about Dexter and was the inspiration for the popular Showtime television drama “Dexter.” If you are a fan of the show, be prepared for the book to have its differences that might not make you happy. The key characters are there: Dexter, Deb, Angel Batista, LaGuerta, Doakes, Masuka; but they are the originals as imagined by Jeff Lindsay, not the screenwriters. Dexter himself is as weirdly lovable in the book as he is in the show, and that is part of the guilty pleasure. You feel like you really should not like him, but you just can’t help it.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter is not terribly long, yet the pages turn at an enjoyable pace, drawing you through the story arc and toward a climactic ending that feels a tiny bit rushed. Did Lindsay come up against a deadline? I would have liked the ending to be developed a bit more, but otherwise this is a very good book. I will be seeking out the next installment soon.

Nothing tastes as good

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:32:41 GMT

I remember probably from the 80s a Weight Watchers commercial starring Lynn Redgrave. She wore this frumpy muumuu and talked about her dieting success, then at the end of the commercial she declared “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels!” as she whipped off the muumuu and showed off her newly trim body. As far as marketing campaigns went, this was a good one considering I still remember it twenty years later. Lots of women responded to the slogan and spat out mouthfulls of chocolate, cookies, cake and donuts in the quest for what skinny feels like.

As someone who has never as an adult been anything close to resembling “skinny” I have never been able to identify with this slogan. Certainly, I have been thin and maybe when I was 10 I could have been considered skinny. However, my body type and genetics provided me with curves long before my straight framed peers had them, leading me to believe I was never thin enough. Anyway, looking back on my life, I have come to realize that I quite often was in a state of “not fat” meaning I was attractive, healthy and happy. Maybe I could have lost 5 pounds or so to drop a dress size, but at some of my happiest moments in life, I was healthy and looked good.

So, I plan to take this well worn slogan and adapt it to mean something for me: nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.

I know what healthy feels like. I know that when my body feels healthy it does not fit onto the BMI charts that were put together in the late 60s. I will never be considered skinny, and if you find me in a state of being skinny get me to a doctor quick because it’s not a healthy weight for me. I can be trim, healthy, comfortable, fit. Never skinny. I have also come to realize that trying to live up to someone else’s expectation of what skinny looks like will never work for me! Skinny to me means narrow frame, flat chest, no butt, no curves. Unless I plan to lop off a couple pieces, that will never happen to my body.

So, friends go forth and remember that nothing tastes as good as healthy feels. Be healthy, eat right, exercise. Do not deprive yourself for something unattainable.

Unless you are one of those skinny bitches who populate the pages of fashion magazines. Then can you just eat a couple cheeseburgers after midnight please? You are giving the rest of us a complex.

Birthday party planning again

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:18:16 GMT

My daughter is going to be 5.

HOLY SHIT WHERE DID THE LAST FIVE YEARS GO????? [Runs around the room screaming and pulling out hair] AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Ok, I feel better. So Melody will be five on her next birthday and we are starting the thinking and planning process for her party. She really wants some sort of princess theme and I’m thinking Rapunzel. She loved the movie Tangled and there are a lot of really fun crafts the kids can do at the party, making crowns is one of them. We also will be having my friend Samantha over to put feathers in the little girls’ hair and do colored gel for the boys. Bring on the blue and red Mohawks!

In case you are not aware, you can’t just wander over to Parties R Us and pick up Rapunzel invitations. The movie was incredibly popular but for some reason either Disney hasn’t licensed the images for the ubiquitous birthday decorations, confetti and napkins (completely out of their character) or my local party store is lame.

What’s your guess?

So, in the next few weeks I will be searching online for Rapunzel birthday invitations. Oh, and creating some sort of Rapunzel pin the tail on the whatever game. Pin the hair on Rapunzel? Pin the chameleon on the tower? Pin the crown on the princess? This may be a stretch of my creative abilities.