Both of my boys have a fear of fireworks, I attribute that to my idiotic neighborhood that believes from Memorial Day to Labor Day (and other special occasions like at 12:00 am on Jan. 1st and after big Monday night football wins, to celebrate Halloween and maybe after a hockey playoff game or 25!) is actually known as the best time of the year to shoot off fireworks, bottle rockets and any other type of pyrotechnic noise maker at 9pm or so on any random night of the week because well, that's the BEST time to wake up all the just fallen asleep toddlers within a 3 block radius forever scaring the bejesus out of them and in turn giving them a irrational fear of loud booming sounds for ever and ever amen. (holy run-on)
Last night, I put the boys to bed, it was a little later than usual for them. I was cleaning up around the house and outside when for no explainable reason, I heard some shouting and BOOOM! It was loud enough to make the hair on my arms stand up, my leg hair grow and my heart skip a beat. Less than 2 minutes later, same thing, shouting and BOOOM! Almost like that loud noise you sometimes hear at parades, I don't know if it's trucks backfiring or pyrotechnics but it's loud and it's ground shaking and to a unsuspecting child it's quite alarming. I came inside both times to listen for the kids and no one spoke up or made a sound so I let them go.
Well, first question out of Max's mouth this morning was, "Mama! What was that big loud noise last night?" We talked about it, I told him I wasn't sure (because I wasn't and I didn't want to tell him it was fireworks because that would further solidify his fear of them - forever dashing my dreams of watching them with my kids on the fourth of July).... I asked if it scared him, he said no but that he covered his ears in preparation for the next one. He's a smart one! Then he said he fell asleep. Then Andy chimed in with the questions, he was mostly just repeating what Max had asked but I'm certain he heard them too. We all talked about it a bit longer then the topic was dropped and we moved on to Cheerios or something breakfast related.
Fast forward to our conversation this afternoon, I was telling them about how it's June and that means it's lightning bug season, I mentioned that we might stay up late one night to see them since I'm fairly certain that my kids have never seen lightning bugs. They are always in bed before these bugs come out and on the rare occasion my boys would have been up during past lightning bug seasons they would have been very young and would not have really understood what they were seeing. So then Max starts to tell me that he is afraid of lightning bugs because they are noisy (Andy is agreeing) and that maybe the loud noise we heard last night was lightning bugs. (get it? lighting is noisy so lightning BUGS must be too right?) So adorable.... So then Andy chimes in with how if the lightning bugs are out and it's loud and we're scared then we need "umbwewas" and we would need to hurry so we don't get wet and that it might be loud and that we really need to remember our "umbwewas" if we're going to stay up late to see these lightning bugs. And YES, he mentioned the "umbwewas" twice! LOL
I of course assured them that lightning bugs were NOT noisy and that they were only called lightning bugs because they light up when it's dark. I'm fairly certain they have NO clue how to comprehend that... but I sure am excited to share lightning bugs with them one evening this week!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Just the three of us, some hot dogs and a little giving back.
This past weekend was the first of quite a few weeks and weekends through the end of July that Chris will be out of town and I'll be home with the boys. With a packed schedule of traveling and workshops for him that will leave me with LOTS of time to plan play dates, zoo visits and park visits for just the three of us. And I'll tell you what, I'm ok with that.
This weekend (a three day-er) was beautiful. I had planned some fun activities outside of the house for us. They included a visit to Grandma and Papa's for dinner one night and the Better-Than-A-Picnic Picnic with Hebrew National the next day. Saturday, despite the wet forecast, I packed up the kids and some snacks and headed to Highland Park where we met up with the Hebrew National Crew and a few of my local blogger friends from TheMotherhood.com for an afternoon of picnic food and a little community service too.
We got there is it was POURING. I parked, pulled up the radar map on my phone and we waited it out a few minutes. When the rain let up a little we went to our picnic. I had told the kids we would have hot dogs and they were READY to eat! We enjoyed our hot dogs and a few apples and multiple bananas! Then it was time to get to work. The service project was to remove some invasive plants from the park. Much to my surprise, my kids WANTED to weed! We found our plant and went to town! We filled two garbage bags with Garlic Mustard (invasive) and another with trash! Upon our return to the picnic area our friend Amy and her family were arriving. So we visited with them while they ate and then we headed to the playground on the other side of the park together!
The kids had fun, I had fun, we didn't let the weather hold us hostage at home and that felt great! The kids seem to have turned a corner too. More and more they are able to stick nearby and entertain themselves a bit while I have a conversation or two and that is quite liberating! They are also interested in more "big" kid activities like weeding! They wanted to follow the trail and help with trash too and that was a lot of fun! I'm looking forward to taking them to a few new parks solo this summer, a task that was quite daunting prior to this Spring because they weren't interested in sticking together at all. Consistently, one would always run one way and the other would run the opposite...and that is WAY to stressful for one parent to manage.
I've got some fun and exciting things planned for the next few weeks of my solo parenting gig! I'm sure I'll blog about some of them too! We're headed to a Splash park within the next two weeks and I'm looking forward to it!
This weekend (a three day-er) was beautiful. I had planned some fun activities outside of the house for us. They included a visit to Grandma and Papa's for dinner one night and the Better-Than-A-Picnic Picnic with Hebrew National the next day. Saturday, despite the wet forecast, I packed up the kids and some snacks and headed to Highland Park where we met up with the Hebrew National Crew and a few of my local blogger friends from TheMotherhood.com for an afternoon of picnic food and a little community service too.
We got there is it was POURING. I parked, pulled up the radar map on my phone and we waited it out a few minutes. When the rain let up a little we went to our picnic. I had told the kids we would have hot dogs and they were READY to eat! We enjoyed our hot dogs and a few apples and multiple bananas! Then it was time to get to work. The service project was to remove some invasive plants from the park. Much to my surprise, my kids WANTED to weed! We found our plant and went to town! We filled two garbage bags with Garlic Mustard (invasive) and another with trash! Upon our return to the picnic area our friend Amy and her family were arriving. So we visited with them while they ate and then we headed to the playground on the other side of the park together!
The kids had fun, I had fun, we didn't let the weather hold us hostage at home and that felt great! The kids seem to have turned a corner too. More and more they are able to stick nearby and entertain themselves a bit while I have a conversation or two and that is quite liberating! They are also interested in more "big" kid activities like weeding! They wanted to follow the trail and help with trash too and that was a lot of fun! I'm looking forward to taking them to a few new parks solo this summer, a task that was quite daunting prior to this Spring because they weren't interested in sticking together at all. Consistently, one would always run one way and the other would run the opposite...and that is WAY to stressful for one parent to manage.
I've got some fun and exciting things planned for the next few weeks of my solo parenting gig! I'm sure I'll blog about some of them too! We're headed to a Splash park within the next two weeks and I'm looking forward to it!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
A New Hobby or Lifestyle - Running
I have joined the bandwagon or herd or pack shall we say, I've started running. I know I know! I am not sure how many times I have said it in the past, "I can't run!" "My body just wasn't made to run." or "Running? you have got to be crazy to run!" yeah... I said that. I also said, "I will NEVER drive a mini-van! EVAH!" yeah, you can see where that got me (proud new owner of a Mazda5 A.K.A. mini-van)....
For the past few months, I've been watching friends update their facebook pages about their running endeavors. I would read their comments and their blogs about running and think, 'wow, ya know, she has four kids and still manages to find the time to run' or 'her schedule is much like ours CRAY ZEE and she finds the time too and hot damn she's looking great in those jeans'. Pile those on top of a few others who modestly were running and mentioning it here or there and then add that to the running hype up that happens in the months and weeks prior to a local marathon or race. On a very regular schedule I had one or two friends posting updates about their marathon training or race running. That was enough for me to catch the bug and I started the couch to 5k running program a few days before the Pittsburgh Marathon.
I just completed week 4, which means I'm a little behind on the schedule. I had some major knee pain during weeks 2-3 that slowed me down, I gave myself a few extra days in between my runs to recuperate and it seemed to do the trick. I woke up one morning with NO pain and I was ready to run again.
C25K is a 9 week program that starts the runner out by running in short 60 second spurts between brisk walking. Each week the running portions increase in time. So far at the end of week 4, the longest time that I've run has been for 5 minutes straight. Next week that jumps to 8 minutes and then to 10 minutes and then to one 20 minute run all in the same week - it's going to be challenging but I am confident that I can do it! In fact, I'm actually a little excited about the challenge. Who the heck? I don't think I've EVER EVER been excited about a physical challenge! HA! Something has changed folks... something.has.changed.
For the past few months, I've been watching friends update their facebook pages about their running endeavors. I would read their comments and their blogs about running and think, 'wow, ya know, she has four kids and still manages to find the time to run' or 'her schedule is much like ours CRAY ZEE and she finds the time too and hot damn she's looking great in those jeans'. Pile those on top of a few others who modestly were running and mentioning it here or there and then add that to the running hype up that happens in the months and weeks prior to a local marathon or race. On a very regular schedule I had one or two friends posting updates about their marathon training or race running. That was enough for me to catch the bug and I started the couch to 5k running program a few days before the Pittsburgh Marathon.
I just completed week 4, which means I'm a little behind on the schedule. I had some major knee pain during weeks 2-3 that slowed me down, I gave myself a few extra days in between my runs to recuperate and it seemed to do the trick. I woke up one morning with NO pain and I was ready to run again.
C25K is a 9 week program that starts the runner out by running in short 60 second spurts between brisk walking. Each week the running portions increase in time. So far at the end of week 4, the longest time that I've run has been for 5 minutes straight. Next week that jumps to 8 minutes and then to 10 minutes and then to one 20 minute run all in the same week - it's going to be challenging but I am confident that I can do it! In fact, I'm actually a little excited about the challenge. Who the heck? I don't think I've EVER EVER been excited about a physical challenge! HA! Something has changed folks... something.has.changed.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
CD Review: One eskimO
For my loyal readers and for those of you who may have just landed here for the first time today, I wanted to introduce you to a new feature of my blog. The REVIEW feature. From time to time, I'll be blogging about music, products and services. All of the opinions you read here will be my own. I will merely be reviewing said items with my own thoughts and feelings about them. I will always tell you upfront that what you're reading is a review and I will always include information regarding my compensation in order to comply with FCC regulations for bloggers.
I was selected to review a self titled CD from One eskimO and let me tell you, this CD has now been officially placed into my own HEAVY ROTATION category for my own music listening pleasure! One eskimO is a band of four guys from the UK (I have a thing for music from the UK).... their sound is quite mellow which I really like! I think it's the perfect soundtrack for warm weather chillin' on the deck with a drink, preferably beer or wine and being in the company of someone you kinda dig ;) Currently they have a hit song called Kandi and you can see the video here:
I don't want to compare One eskimO to any other band but I will name a few that come to mind when listening to their album... the use of saxophones and horns makes me think of Dave Matthews Band, the same goes for their melodic and happy vocals. Another band that comes to mind is Oasis although, I'll be honest, I'm not sure why, maybe it's the mellow factor here? They really do remind me of music I listened to quite a bit in college but I still have a place for them in my mp3 player these days too (Jamiroquai also comes to mind here too). Aside from who they remind me of they really do have a sound that is all their own. It's modern and fresh without too much of one thing or too little of another. This CD can be rated G from what I can tell and that means it is safe for the under 18 crowd. My toddlers have heard parts of the CD in the car and around the house and they too seem to enjoy it, they are slightly picky with their musical tastes and prefer to listen to Humpty Dumpty or Dave Matthews... I'm trying to help them branch out a bit. LOL!
One eskimO has just launched their Spring/Summer tour, check out their site www.oneeskimo.com to see if they are visiting a city near you. You can also get a free download of their song "Astronauts" via Twitter. They can be found on Facebook too!
I received a full copy of One eskimO's self titled CD in order to listen to their music and write this review.
I was selected to review a self titled CD from One eskimO and let me tell you, this CD has now been officially placed into my own HEAVY ROTATION category for my own music listening pleasure! One eskimO is a band of four guys from the UK (I have a thing for music from the UK).... their sound is quite mellow which I really like! I think it's the perfect soundtrack for warm weather chillin' on the deck with a drink, preferably beer or wine and being in the company of someone you kinda dig ;) Currently they have a hit song called Kandi and you can see the video here:
I don't want to compare One eskimO to any other band but I will name a few that come to mind when listening to their album... the use of saxophones and horns makes me think of Dave Matthews Band, the same goes for their melodic and happy vocals. Another band that comes to mind is Oasis although, I'll be honest, I'm not sure why, maybe it's the mellow factor here? They really do remind me of music I listened to quite a bit in college but I still have a place for them in my mp3 player these days too (Jamiroquai also comes to mind here too). Aside from who they remind me of they really do have a sound that is all their own. It's modern and fresh without too much of one thing or too little of another. This CD can be rated G from what I can tell and that means it is safe for the under 18 crowd. My toddlers have heard parts of the CD in the car and around the house and they too seem to enjoy it, they are slightly picky with their musical tastes and prefer to listen to Humpty Dumpty or Dave Matthews... I'm trying to help them branch out a bit. LOL!
One eskimO has just launched their Spring/Summer tour, check out their site www.oneeskimo.com to see if they are visiting a city near you. You can also get a free download of their song "Astronauts" via Twitter. They can be found on Facebook too!
I received a full copy of One eskimO's self titled CD in order to listen to their music and write this review.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
See PA in a Chevy
Saturday morning we woke up bright and early so that we could get the kids packed up and ready to spend the day with their grandparents again. Yipee! Why? Because Chris and I had a date with some local women bloggers and four BRAND spankin' new Chevy's and party of their See PA in a Chevrolet blogger initiative.
We left the kids with my parents and headed to Watson Chevrolet in Murraysville where we met up with two wonderful representatives with Chevy and our host Anne Fleming. Anne founded Women-Drivers.com in 2008 her site helps to connect women and families with certified Women-Drivers Friendly™ car dealerships. If you have had a good or even bad experience at a dealer as a women please head to her site and review the dealer. We recently upgraded my vehicle and our experience was very positive, I will be submitting a review of the dealer used this week, it is on my long list of things to do.
First things first, we were introduced to the cars. Our fleet for the day consisted of four Chevrolet vehicles, the Traverse, Equinox, Malibu and a Camaro which Chris lovingly dubbed "the bitchin' Camaro". There were six bloggers including me and our guests. We all were able to drive all of the cars since our trip was purposely broken up a bit by stopping for a break, then lunch at Seven Springs then we continued on to tour Fallingwater.
Each of the cars were fun to drive and ride in, roomy, functional, comfortable and fun to drive. Here are a few photos from the day.
Chris and I both really enjoyed getting to know the cars and our time at Fallingwater. BIG Thanks to Chevy as they provided transportation for the road trip, meals and free tickets to Fallingwater.
Photography credit: All photos from this post were provided courtesy of StartPoint Media, Inc.
We left the kids with my parents and headed to Watson Chevrolet in Murraysville where we met up with two wonderful representatives with Chevy and our host Anne Fleming. Anne founded Women-Drivers.com in 2008 her site helps to connect women and families with certified Women-Drivers Friendly™ car dealerships. If you have had a good or even bad experience at a dealer as a women please head to her site and review the dealer. We recently upgraded my vehicle and our experience was very positive, I will be submitting a review of the dealer used this week, it is on my long list of things to do.
First things first, we were introduced to the cars. Our fleet for the day consisted of four Chevrolet vehicles, the Traverse, Equinox, Malibu and a Camaro which Chris lovingly dubbed "the bitchin' Camaro". There were six bloggers including me and our guests. We all were able to drive all of the cars since our trip was purposely broken up a bit by stopping for a break, then lunch at Seven Springs then we continued on to tour Fallingwater.
Each of the cars were fun to drive and ride in, roomy, functional, comfortable and fun to drive. Here are a few photos from the day.
Eric, the professional car trainer, WOW! He was really PASSIONATE about the cars!
Chris driving the bitchin' Camaro!
From left to right: Me, Emily, Courtney @courtsilvagni and @ChevyPA, Kirsten @TechDivaKirsten, Kim @Craftymamaof4, Mary @Marybabysteps, Beth @beth_a_caldwell, Anne @womendrivers, Linda @webbizgirl and Carolyn our GM rep. Not pictured because he was behind at least eight different cameras was Chris @StartPointMedia.
Chris and I both really enjoyed getting to know the cars and our time at Fallingwater. BIG Thanks to Chevy as they provided transportation for the road trip, meals and free tickets to Fallingwater.
Photography credit: All photos from this post were provided courtesy of StartPoint Media, Inc.
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