The Door to the Year

Ah.  January.  Sometimes I think that New Year's resolutions stem from a tradition of trying very hard to focus on something during long nights and cold days of January.  It's difficult to leave the indulgences of the Christmas season behind.  It's an anti-climax we find ourselves stuck in every year.


What did we do this January?

We stayed up way too late on New Year's.  I finally told the kids that I was going to bed.  I just couldn't do it anymore.

Bailey participated in his last pinewood derby.  He's going to miss pinewood derbies.  He loves building the cars.  This year's car sported a Red Tailed Hawk.

We bought a new vacuum.  The last one lasted 6 years, 1 year longer than the first one.  Let's hope this one gets us through Bailey heading off to college.

Filed our taxes, got a return, which is awesome.

Planned a crazy three and a half week road trip almost all the way across the country, visiting just about every National Park between here and there.

Threw out the crazy road trip and decided to fly and rent a van (thanks to overpaying our taxes this year and a work bonus).

Survived a two week long visit from a stomach bug that showed up suddenly, left just as quickly as it came and then snuck back in a few days later just to linger around a little.

Spent a Saturday at Ikea.  Ikea is not a good place to go on Saturday.  Tuesday, yes, no people and kids eat free.  Saturday, no, tons of people and kids don't eat free.

Cleaned up our bike area to allow for early training for this year's biking craziness.  Perhaps this year, I'll be able to do the full century.  But something tells me it is going to be a few more years of metrics.

Reorganized my sewing/knitting stuff after the younger two decided that it all needed to be reorganized.  At least I think that's what it meant when I came down stairs and saw all the stuff on the floor.

I made three hooded towels for baby showers/friends that are having babies.  They are the best present ever and last for a very long time.


Today was a beautiful ending to January.  It was warm, the kids played outside and I vacuumed my van out (something I refuse to do when it is cold).  I talked with neighbors and got some much needed sunshine.  What a way to finish and otherwise cold and gloomy time of the year.

#2 The True Meaning of Smekday

by Adam Rex

Jamie heard a review of the audio book on NPR, and sounded excited about it, so I used an audible credit and downloaded it.  Perhaps it was the anticipation that ruined it for me, but I'd like to think that there were some flaws with the book.
I think the story would be fun for the kids, but it contains a huge literary annoyance; the use of euphemistic swear words and in this case, apologies for mild swear words.  Trust me, I'm okay with a lot of things being in stories, if they are central to the plot of the story moving along, but this was just ridiculous.  They didn't need to be there.  They didn't add to the story or to anyone's characters.  My issue is not a prudish one, its about use of words and language to convey meaning.  Swearing, like any other literary device should be thought through before throwing it around in a story in a willy nilly fashion.
The accents on the aliens were weird.  I know, you only have so much to go on when creating a very foreign accent, but I found the VERY hispanic accent on the main alien character annoying.
It took them FOREVER to figure out how to defeat the aliens, it was pretty obvious and hinted at over and over again.  If I were in the middle of it, it probably would have taken me longer to figure it out as well, but that plot could have been moved along, much, much faster.
The jabs at our national history were a little over the top.  Some were funny one liners, but they really didn't fit in the story.  Yes, they were relevant to the story, but more like Rex was trying to add built in cliffs notes to the story.  You can write a satire without handing the satire over to the reader on a silver platter.
In the end, it was a fun non-ceribral listen, but could have benefited from a good editing session and a little more subtlety in the satire.

#1 Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

I've struggled writing a review for this book. I think Amy loves her children and is an amazing woman. She has inspired me to do better, to support my kids more. Her dedication to her daughters' lives is amazing.  She got up early everyday to make sure they practice, found the best tutors for them, pushed them to be good students, and drove crazy distances so they could audition and train on their instruments.  I admire her tenacity and dedication to parenting.
I see a lot of myself in Amy.  I expect a lot from my kids and sometimes my methods of pushing are the same as Amy's.  But, I differ in one major way.  Amy brushes off the western ideal that childhood have some sense of joy, and I believe that she balks at the idea that life should have a measure if joy, even as an adult.  I want my kids to succeed, yes, but my measure of success comes from how they feel about what they did.  My kids aren't going to be the best pianist or violinist.  They aren't going to be the top of their class.  That is, unless they want to be.  I'll be there.  I'll be supportive.  I'll research opportunities for them. I'll pay for lessons and equipment that they need.  I'll remind them to practice.  I'll help them with their homework.  I'll explain that if you do well in school you have many more opportunities than if you don't.  But I don't want to push them so hard that they don't own their accomplishments.
It was and interesting read.  It got me to reflect about my parenting, and made me realize that although Amy's daughters were amazing, Amy didn't let them own their accomplishments, not fully, they were as much if not more Amy's than theirs.

Adventures in Raising Seth

Episode 1:
Yesterday Seth came running upstairs to my room yelling "Mom there's a fire.  It's in the laundry room."  For an instant I thought that I needed to get everyone out and call 911, but the rest of the kids were down stairs and I hadn't heard them screaming and the fire alarms hadn't gone off, so I decided to investigate.  "Seth, can you show me where the fire is?"
"Yes." he responded and grabbed my hand, practically dragging me down the two flights of stairs to our basement.  He opened the laundry room door, walked over to the furnace and proceeded to show me the flames of the gas burning.
After giving a sigh of relief I said "Wow, you did find a fire.  That is what keeps our house warm."  And went about my business.  A few minutes later Seth informed me that the fire was off and that I needed to restart it.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get him to understand that a furnace doesn't need to run all the time to keep a house warm, but he handled it pretty well (i.e. he didn't throw a fit about it like he is prone to do when there is something he wants a certain way and it isn't that way) and kept checking periodically through out the day, giving me updates as the state of the furnace changed.
It's nice to have Seth to let me know that our furnace is functioning properly.

Episode 2
(This is an experience with Jamie, so hopefully I get it mostly right.)
Seth has been potty training in ernest for about two months now.  We are still dealing with frequent accidents, but he is making progress.  A few weeks ago, Seth was in the kitchen with his dad and said, "Dad, I need a towel."
"Did you spill some water Seth?"
"No."
"Did you have an accident?"
"No."
"What do you need the towel for?"
"Pee."
"Why don't you go to the bathroom?"
At this point Jamie moves over to him to take him to the bathroom.
"No! I want to eat my yogurt!!!!!"
Seth figured that by sitting on a towel, he could pee and keep eating his yogurt.  At some level I think this means he is getting it, but that he is missing the whole point of potty training, that you should pee in the potty.