I wonder if I'm the only one who gets extremely emotional when in Toy Story 3, Woody mentions that Bo was gone. Maybe I can just relate to Woody, and I think I would be really really sad if Wayne was ever donated to the DI.
That's my quirky and Lizzie-esque intro to a very non-Lizzie-esque blog post.
I don't like to think of myself as a cold person, but honestly, I think I'm sort of a cold person. I'm not warm and fuzzy. I'm very anti-PDA (as in, Public Displays of Affection. I have no problem with iPhones or Blackberries). I've recently realized that I never say "I love you" unless someone has said it first, and even then it's a very quick and reflexive "love you, too", and I'm not even good at little mentions of adoration. I don't know why I'm like this. I was hugged as a child. But I'm not all that concerned with delving into my own emotional framework. I do, however, feel a little guilty that my non-squishiness results in my husband not getting the kind of payback for his awesomeness that he really deserves, and I have a pretty awesome husband.
So I think perhaps it's shout-out time. Here are just a small handful of reasons why I know my husband is super awesome and extra rad and way way more than I deserve:
Wayne never wins a fight. Ever. Ever. Both of us are very mellow, so we hardly ever fight, but when we do, I can say for myself that it's because I know I'm right and therefore cannot and should not back down. If I'm not 100% committed to my side, it's not worth the effort to argue about it, which is why we never fight. But, still, if I look at this from Wayne's point of view, he probably only fights when he's 100% committed as well, and yet the argument never ends until he backs down. That's how awesome he is. He's willing to be the bigger person. Every time. Because clearly I'm not.
Wayne has never raised his voice to me. He's had to do this with the kids occasionally, to be heard over the noise of two fighting children ravaging each other, and the sound of him yelling honestly freaks me out a little bit, because I never hear it. I wish I could say the same about myself, that I've never raised my voice to Wayne, but that's so not true. It only happens once in a blue moon, but it happens. Especially when I'm pregnant, sore, and tired.
Wayne never nags me about anything. I'm pretty close to perfection, but even still, I'm not quite there, so you'd think there were some faults in there he could point out, but he doesn't. Yeah, he puts up with a lot.
And probably the best thing about Wayne is that he lets me think I'm smarter than he is, when clearly I'm not. I forget about his fact, of course, and every now and then -- as I'm walking around with my head held high filled with thoughts that I'm the cool, smart, sophisticated one in the house -- something comes up that reminds me how intelligent Wayne is, and how incredibly good he is at his job. I honestly don't know what his job actually is anymore, he's been promoted so many times, and at this point, what he does is so intricate and technical, it's all way above my head. All I know is that he works very very hard on a whole variety of computer-y, program-y, technical things that keep the company running, plus a whole lot of other stuff and that apparently they couldn't live without him. That's a pretty big deal, and I don't think I give him enough credit for it.
So, long story short, even though I don't really say it and probably don't show it enough, I really really really love my husband. And if he ever gets thrown in the Charity Box, I'll probably jump in there with him.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Objects in Mirror May Be Smarter Than They Appear
Sometimes I wonder if I come across on Facebook as a total idiot. I may come across this way in my regular, everyday life, but that I'm not quite as concerned with. Maybe I should be, but that's a post for another day.
I'm starting to notice a trend in my FB posts where I start out saying "Does anyone know...". Maybe you've noticed this as well. I'm constantly asking the general public (um, consisting of my friends, family, and neighbors, I suppose) the best way to do this, the best best stores to find that, the easiest way to accomplish this, the cheapest brand of that.
I'm a little worried that these constant requests for help make me seem a bit... well, helpless. Like a fragile baby bird sitting in a nest with her mouth open, patiently waiting for someone to regurgitate me a nice meal of workable real-world knowledge. It's sort of a cute image, but also a bit pathetic for a grown woman.
The truth is, I'm perfectly capable to finding the answers to all my questions myself. I could search the Internet for a half hour and then spend two hours in the car driving from store to store to find the best place to buy a Whosey Whatsit. I could go through countless trial and error tests to find the best way to accomplish a Thingamajiggy project. I have an IQ high enough to accomplish all this, yes.
But then what would be the point of having a plethora of knowledgeable, crafty, and talented friends?
Yes, that's right. That's the reason I am Facebook friends with you. Because you are smarter than me. I have surrounded myself with a group of my superiors for a reason. So I can slowly siphon off their knowledge and skills and use them for my own. That's my special skill. I'm like the majestic leech, or the noble tapeworm. I love getting a good deal, or getting a project done in the snazziest, easiest way possible, but I find no pride nor joy in actually being the one to come up with this knowledge. And that is why I am a very fat, happy, well-fed baby bird (just couldn't let that analogy go quite yet).
Being the leech that I am, I am very fortunate to have quite a few very talented and knowledgeable family members and friends to leech off of (because being a leech is pointless if you have no one to suck).
We visited Wayne's brother in Oregon for Thanksgiving this year, just in time to benefit from my sister-in-law's love of finding a good deal. I put quite a tight budget on Christmas this year, because we're working on being smarter with our money, as well as the fact that I wanted to set a precedence for the kids that we don't go crazy-bananas with presents for the holiday (when I think about how much my parents must have spent on my Christmases growing up and how little I truly appreciated it, it makes me sick with guilt). But because of my amazing s-i-l, who knew what toys were on sale where and when, I was able to get the kids everything I had planned on for WAY less than I budgeted (which meant I could get them a few extra things that I wanted to get them but didn't think would fit in the numbers). It's going to be a great Christmas, and I really think the kids are going to enjoy what they are getting and put them to good use for the entire year.
I also have two photo collages in my house that I'm sure would never have been hung if not for the helpful tips from my Facebook friends, not to mention the myriad of project ideas I have waiting to be done for my home that I have craftily stolen from friends and neighbors.
But the person that deserves a special mention is definitely Bethany. Not only is she just generally awesome (this post, with a few details changed, would be exactly how I would describe my feelings about being a stay-at-home mom. Practically the words right out of my mouth. Except, you know, it's better written), Bethany is also super smart and creative (I love this idea for face-out book shelves and plan on doing that in our toyroom one of these days) and a SUPER deal finder. She has a Facebook page called Screamin' Deals, and if you don't already subscribe to it, I highly recommend you get on that as soon as possible. Again, I like deals, but I'm uber lazy. I think Bethany must scan around 2 thousand deal sites a day to find the best offers (and the ones most applicable for moms like her), and those deal sites must get their info from around 2 billion-trillion webpages... So, basically, all I have to do to learn about the best deals from all over the entire internet (yes, I'm being dramatic. It makes this post more titillating) is subscribe to Screamin' Deals, and read my Facebook page. Which I already do. So, technically, all I have to do is live my life normally, and the deal info just falls into my lap. I love it. Today I scored 3 awesome deals for things that I actually wanted/needed to buy anyway, and I didn't even have to get up out of my chair.
In conclusion, to all the friends and family whose knowledge and know-how I am constantly sponging off of, Thank You. And I promise I'm not as dumb as I seem.
I'm starting to notice a trend in my FB posts where I start out saying "Does anyone know...". Maybe you've noticed this as well. I'm constantly asking the general public (um, consisting of my friends, family, and neighbors, I suppose) the best way to do this, the best best stores to find that, the easiest way to accomplish this, the cheapest brand of that.
I'm a little worried that these constant requests for help make me seem a bit... well, helpless. Like a fragile baby bird sitting in a nest with her mouth open, patiently waiting for someone to regurgitate me a nice meal of workable real-world knowledge. It's sort of a cute image, but also a bit pathetic for a grown woman.
The truth is, I'm perfectly capable to finding the answers to all my questions myself. I could search the Internet for a half hour and then spend two hours in the car driving from store to store to find the best place to buy a Whosey Whatsit. I could go through countless trial and error tests to find the best way to accomplish a Thingamajiggy project. I have an IQ high enough to accomplish all this, yes.
But then what would be the point of having a plethora of knowledgeable, crafty, and talented friends?
Yes, that's right. That's the reason I am Facebook friends with you. Because you are smarter than me. I have surrounded myself with a group of my superiors for a reason. So I can slowly siphon off their knowledge and skills and use them for my own. That's my special skill. I'm like the majestic leech, or the noble tapeworm. I love getting a good deal, or getting a project done in the snazziest, easiest way possible, but I find no pride nor joy in actually being the one to come up with this knowledge. And that is why I am a very fat, happy, well-fed baby bird (just couldn't let that analogy go quite yet).
Being the leech that I am, I am very fortunate to have quite a few very talented and knowledgeable family members and friends to leech off of (because being a leech is pointless if you have no one to suck).
We visited Wayne's brother in Oregon for Thanksgiving this year, just in time to benefit from my sister-in-law's love of finding a good deal. I put quite a tight budget on Christmas this year, because we're working on being smarter with our money, as well as the fact that I wanted to set a precedence for the kids that we don't go crazy-bananas with presents for the holiday (when I think about how much my parents must have spent on my Christmases growing up and how little I truly appreciated it, it makes me sick with guilt). But because of my amazing s-i-l, who knew what toys were on sale where and when, I was able to get the kids everything I had planned on for WAY less than I budgeted (which meant I could get them a few extra things that I wanted to get them but didn't think would fit in the numbers). It's going to be a great Christmas, and I really think the kids are going to enjoy what they are getting and put them to good use for the entire year.
I also have two photo collages in my house that I'm sure would never have been hung if not for the helpful tips from my Facebook friends, not to mention the myriad of project ideas I have waiting to be done for my home that I have craftily stolen from friends and neighbors.
But the person that deserves a special mention is definitely Bethany. Not only is she just generally awesome (this post, with a few details changed, would be exactly how I would describe my feelings about being a stay-at-home mom. Practically the words right out of my mouth. Except, you know, it's better written), Bethany is also super smart and creative (I love this idea for face-out book shelves and plan on doing that in our toyroom one of these days) and a SUPER deal finder. She has a Facebook page called Screamin' Deals, and if you don't already subscribe to it, I highly recommend you get on that as soon as possible. Again, I like deals, but I'm uber lazy. I think Bethany must scan around 2 thousand deal sites a day to find the best offers (and the ones most applicable for moms like her), and those deal sites must get their info from around 2 billion-trillion webpages... So, basically, all I have to do to learn about the best deals from all over the entire internet (yes, I'm being dramatic. It makes this post more titillating) is subscribe to Screamin' Deals, and read my Facebook page. Which I already do. So, technically, all I have to do is live my life normally, and the deal info just falls into my lap. I love it. Today I scored 3 awesome deals for things that I actually wanted/needed to buy anyway, and I didn't even have to get up out of my chair.
In conclusion, to all the friends and family whose knowledge and know-how I am constantly sponging off of, Thank You. And I promise I'm not as dumb as I seem.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
I Am No Longer Impressed With All You Losers.
This is the post where I talk a little about what it's like to have lived in Holland, and then to fly over to Italy for two years. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, read this.)
I think it would be an outrageous understatement to say that Lexie was a "late talker". But, she also didn't take to signing before or after she got her Cochlear Implant either, so I think it'd be accurate to say that she was a "late communicator". In fact, at five years old, it's still something we're working on. But to put it in perspective for you outsiders, when Lexie was 3-yrs-old, her teacher wrote in her end-of-the-year report that she was "nonverbal", and had only 3-4 signs that she would actually use. At 4 years, she could say a small handful of 1-2 word sentences. It's been a long, slow road.
Now, throughout this long, slow road, I would watch all my friends and neighbors raise their normal, typically-functioning children with great envy. There were a lot of things that I coveted, but the big one was speech. It was like a knife in the heart every time someone would recall something funny their two-year-old would say. A two-year-old talking?! That was totally unheard of to me. And the stuff some kids would say... it was incredibly impressive. I couldn't believe all these children had such an impressive vocabulary.
Now, it should be noted at this point that the way Lexie learns speech is completely different from how a typically-functioning child does. Lexie is only now just starting to come up with her own sentences. Up until maybe the last couple months (she is 5 1/2 now), every single word, phrase, and sentence in her repertoire is something that was specifically taught to her. She does not soak in the language around her and come up with her own words to communicate her thoughts and feelings. Her brain has been more like a computer program, where you can input certain phrases and tell it when it is appropriate to use them, but the program cannot create it's own content from the inputed information. With a child like this, the only way to help them communicate is to work nonstop every second of everyday inputing as much data into them as you can, over and over and over.
I was told, many many moons ago, that typically-functioning children (unlike most deaf children) soak up the language all around them like a sponge, but I totally forgot about this fact. So, all those years, when I would hear my friends' children say things like "I didn't poop, I just burped in my bum!" (someone's kid said this recently, I just can't remember who. But it's hilarious), I would think "WOW! That mom must be a really good parent if they've worked on speech long and hard enough that they've reached a point where that odd phrase is in their lesson plan". I mean, it took me months of hard work to get Lexie to say "I want milk". I looked at all you parents with your crazy talking children, and figured you must be working even harder than I was. And then I felt like a bad mother, like I wasn't good enough, no matter how hard I was trying. (This is something you may or may not know about moms of special needs children. We need very little encouragement to feel like we're doing a crappy job. We ought to give ourselves more credit)
And now I have a typically-functioning child. OH. MY. GOSH! It is SOOOOO freakin' easy! I had no flippin' idea! I do NOTHING, and Seth is talking up a storm. Okay, so maybe I don't do nothing. I have a lot of speech therapy techniques that are just so ingrained in me after so many years that I'm sure I still do them unconsciously. But still... I tell him "that's a giraffe" one time, and he knows the word 'giraffe'. And he can use it in his own sentence. Or sentences. Wayne and I are always cracking up over the stuff that Seth says, most of which isn't even funny, just because we didn't specifically teach him that phrase. In church on Sunday as I was passing Lexie the sacrament Seth said "There you go, Lexie, have some water", and I had a hard time keeping reverent because I laughing so hard. That's not even funny, but it's just SO different than what I'm used to. I didn't have to sit down for three weeks and repeat "have some water" over and over as I passed him a cup before he said that. He just came up with it on his own from the words and phrases he's heard around him.
I had no idea it was so easy. All those years I thought you suckers were way better moms than I was, I was so wrong! Okay, honestly, you're all probably better moms than in me in a lot of other areas, but when it comes to teaching speech, I am so totally on par.
I think it would be an outrageous understatement to say that Lexie was a "late talker". But, she also didn't take to signing before or after she got her Cochlear Implant either, so I think it'd be accurate to say that she was a "late communicator". In fact, at five years old, it's still something we're working on. But to put it in perspective for you outsiders, when Lexie was 3-yrs-old, her teacher wrote in her end-of-the-year report that she was "nonverbal", and had only 3-4 signs that she would actually use. At 4 years, she could say a small handful of 1-2 word sentences. It's been a long, slow road.
Now, throughout this long, slow road, I would watch all my friends and neighbors raise their normal, typically-functioning children with great envy. There were a lot of things that I coveted, but the big one was speech. It was like a knife in the heart every time someone would recall something funny their two-year-old would say. A two-year-old talking?! That was totally unheard of to me. And the stuff some kids would say... it was incredibly impressive. I couldn't believe all these children had such an impressive vocabulary.
Now, it should be noted at this point that the way Lexie learns speech is completely different from how a typically-functioning child does. Lexie is only now just starting to come up with her own sentences. Up until maybe the last couple months (she is 5 1/2 now), every single word, phrase, and sentence in her repertoire is something that was specifically taught to her. She does not soak in the language around her and come up with her own words to communicate her thoughts and feelings. Her brain has been more like a computer program, where you can input certain phrases and tell it when it is appropriate to use them, but the program cannot create it's own content from the inputed information. With a child like this, the only way to help them communicate is to work nonstop every second of everyday inputing as much data into them as you can, over and over and over.
I was told, many many moons ago, that typically-functioning children (unlike most deaf children) soak up the language all around them like a sponge, but I totally forgot about this fact. So, all those years, when I would hear my friends' children say things like "I didn't poop, I just burped in my bum!" (someone's kid said this recently, I just can't remember who. But it's hilarious), I would think "WOW! That mom must be a really good parent if they've worked on speech long and hard enough that they've reached a point where that odd phrase is in their lesson plan". I mean, it took me months of hard work to get Lexie to say "I want milk". I looked at all you parents with your crazy talking children, and figured you must be working even harder than I was. And then I felt like a bad mother, like I wasn't good enough, no matter how hard I was trying. (This is something you may or may not know about moms of special needs children. We need very little encouragement to feel like we're doing a crappy job. We ought to give ourselves more credit)
And now I have a typically-functioning child. OH. MY. GOSH! It is SOOOOO freakin' easy! I had no flippin' idea! I do NOTHING, and Seth is talking up a storm. Okay, so maybe I don't do nothing. I have a lot of speech therapy techniques that are just so ingrained in me after so many years that I'm sure I still do them unconsciously. But still... I tell him "that's a giraffe" one time, and he knows the word 'giraffe'. And he can use it in his own sentence. Or sentences. Wayne and I are always cracking up over the stuff that Seth says, most of which isn't even funny, just because we didn't specifically teach him that phrase. In church on Sunday as I was passing Lexie the sacrament Seth said "There you go, Lexie, have some water", and I had a hard time keeping reverent because I laughing so hard. That's not even funny, but it's just SO different than what I'm used to. I didn't have to sit down for three weeks and repeat "have some water" over and over as I passed him a cup before he said that. He just came up with it on his own from the words and phrases he's heard around him.
I had no idea it was so easy. All those years I thought you suckers were way better moms than I was, I was so wrong! Okay, honestly, you're all probably better moms than in me in a lot of other areas, but when it comes to teaching speech, I am so totally on par.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Just Checking In
((Author's Note: I have been trying to post this for DAYS, but blogger won't let me publish it for some reason. Groan of annoyance...))
I have many blog posts planned in my head, but I've had little time to actually write them. But, they are coming. In the meantime, I just wanted to let everyone know that, based on the feedback, I will be offering my amazing babysitting skills for service exchange. Unfortunately, Wayne is now in the middle of a few of his own pet projects, so it will be a while before a cool fancy website is up to organize everything. So, if you need someone to watch your kid(s), the best way to get a hold of me is through email (let me know in a comment if you don't have it), or through Facebook. I enjoy cookies. : )
I have many blog posts planned in my head, but I've had little time to actually write them. But, they are coming. In the meantime, I just wanted to let everyone know that, based on the feedback, I will be offering my amazing babysitting skills for service exchange. Unfortunately, Wayne is now in the middle of a few of his own pet projects, so it will be a while before a cool fancy website is up to organize everything. So, if you need someone to watch your kid(s), the best way to get a hold of me is through email (let me know in a comment if you don't have it), or through Facebook. I enjoy cookies. : )
Monday, November 15, 2010
... because this is as entrepreneurial as I'm ever gonna get.
I was reading an old friend's blog last night, and she posted pictures of this amazing pirate ship cake she made for a neighbor as part of a service exchange. My first thought was "WOW! I would love to be able to make a cake like that!" But of course that thought was quickly followed by the realization that, considering I get frustrated making box mix cakes -- without frosting, the ludicrous idea that I might actually be able to pull something like that off isn't even worth fantasizing about. My second thought was "Okay, I would love to exchange service to get a cake like that!". Now, this was a more legitimate thought, as I happen to know several ladies in the neighborhood who are very talented cake decorators.
My friend noted in her blog that she makes her neighbor's cakes in exchange for family pictures. Not only am I not a photographer, but the only camera I own is the one on Wayne's iphone. I am also not a seamstress, a scrapbooker, a pastry chef, a home decorator, or a craftmaker in any shape or form. This is where I hit a road block in the whole "service exchange" idea, which is an idea I really love. A cool, fancy cake for one of my kids' birthdays is something that I would love to have, but I don't really feel like, for me, it's enough of a priority to actually pay to have one professionally done. Now, I know I'm a little hung up on the cake idea -- because I'm pregnant and I happen to be fantasizing about cakes as of late -- but I really like the idea of exchanging service for any number of skills that my friends and neighbors have that I do not and would otherwise have to pay for or live without.
After a long night and morning of contemplating, I have come to the conclusion that I really only have one real skill that would be appropriate for a service exchange: child care. Now, I'll admit, at first, this seems pretty pathetic, and not exactly marketable. But I'm going to give myself a little credit: It may seem simple, but not everyone is good with kids or enjoys hanging out with them, and not only that, but I've already made use of this skill to help contribute to the family income while still staying at home with my own children (for those of you who don't already know this, I take care of an adorable 3-yr-old girl during the week while her mom goes to work). Plus, after all the training I've received over the years from Lexie's multiple teachers and therapists, I do have a few more child-caring qualifications than your average mom. So, I'm going to wear my "really good babysitter" badge with pride. And after a good deal of thinking, I've figured out what I think is a good way to use this skill in a service exchange:
How often do things come up that would be easier to be done without bringing your kid(s) along but aren't really worth paying a babysitter for? I'm thinking things like running multiple errands, Christmas shopping, doctor check-ups, meetings with an older child's teacher, etc. Those kind of things are always harder with a little one around (or two or three), but it doesn't always feel like a big enough deal to actually pay someone to babysit or drive 15 minutes out of the way to drop them off with Grandma (if that's even available). But... would it be worth a plate of cookies to drop your kid off with someone just down the street? Or what about those days where you just really need an hour without kids to have a break, or a nap, but feel guilty about taking up an offer of service just because you're a little tired. Would you feel less guilty if you could pay with a jar of homemade jam from that batch you already made? Well, that's exactly what I'm proposing.
Since I'm already taking care of another child every week day, I'm pretty much always available and willing to have another friend (or friends) come over to play for a little while, even if it's last minute. For those of you like me who don't "make" things, honestly, a little plate of cookies (or brownies or rice krispie treats or whatever) the next time you make a batch for your family would be a wonderful payment for babysitting. I hate to bake, so that's a service I would totally exchange for. For those of you who decorate cakes, or make home decorating items, or sew, or make headbands/bows/flower clips, or anything else, you could decide how much babysitting would be an appropriate exchange for your service (since you know better than I do how much time, effort, money, and skill goes into your craft). Say you decide that one of your flower clips is worth 3 hours of babysitting: I can watch your kid(s) for three hours at once, or if you only need me for an hour then that time can be working towards your flower clip, adding up more time whenever you randomly need some childcare.
(I'm also a big fan of using husband services. If anyone's husband does landscaping, I would totally watch your kids throughout the fall, winter, and spring to work towards some service in the summer. Or if your husband can get discounts or coupons for different things through work, that be a great exchange as well)
So, that's my service exchange idea. It might be dumb, which is why I'm writing about it here, so people can tell me honestly whether this is something they would want to do or not. If enough people are interested, Wayne's hobby is making websites, and I'd have him make one where you could propose your service and how much you think it is worth, keep track of service hours, and a calendar to show when I'm available and when I'm already booked. But, of course, if nobody wants to do this, I don't want to make him go through the work of making it.
Basically, I'm just looking for a way to get cake. ; )
My friend noted in her blog that she makes her neighbor's cakes in exchange for family pictures. Not only am I not a photographer, but the only camera I own is the one on Wayne's iphone. I am also not a seamstress, a scrapbooker, a pastry chef, a home decorator, or a craftmaker in any shape or form. This is where I hit a road block in the whole "service exchange" idea, which is an idea I really love. A cool, fancy cake for one of my kids' birthdays is something that I would love to have, but I don't really feel like, for me, it's enough of a priority to actually pay to have one professionally done. Now, I know I'm a little hung up on the cake idea -- because I'm pregnant and I happen to be fantasizing about cakes as of late -- but I really like the idea of exchanging service for any number of skills that my friends and neighbors have that I do not and would otherwise have to pay for or live without.
After a long night and morning of contemplating, I have come to the conclusion that I really only have one real skill that would be appropriate for a service exchange: child care. Now, I'll admit, at first, this seems pretty pathetic, and not exactly marketable. But I'm going to give myself a little credit: It may seem simple, but not everyone is good with kids or enjoys hanging out with them, and not only that, but I've already made use of this skill to help contribute to the family income while still staying at home with my own children (for those of you who don't already know this, I take care of an adorable 3-yr-old girl during the week while her mom goes to work). Plus, after all the training I've received over the years from Lexie's multiple teachers and therapists, I do have a few more child-caring qualifications than your average mom. So, I'm going to wear my "really good babysitter" badge with pride. And after a good deal of thinking, I've figured out what I think is a good way to use this skill in a service exchange:
How often do things come up that would be easier to be done without bringing your kid(s) along but aren't really worth paying a babysitter for? I'm thinking things like running multiple errands, Christmas shopping, doctor check-ups, meetings with an older child's teacher, etc. Those kind of things are always harder with a little one around (or two or three), but it doesn't always feel like a big enough deal to actually pay someone to babysit or drive 15 minutes out of the way to drop them off with Grandma (if that's even available). But... would it be worth a plate of cookies to drop your kid off with someone just down the street? Or what about those days where you just really need an hour without kids to have a break, or a nap, but feel guilty about taking up an offer of service just because you're a little tired. Would you feel less guilty if you could pay with a jar of homemade jam from that batch you already made? Well, that's exactly what I'm proposing.
Since I'm already taking care of another child every week day, I'm pretty much always available and willing to have another friend (or friends) come over to play for a little while, even if it's last minute. For those of you like me who don't "make" things, honestly, a little plate of cookies (or brownies or rice krispie treats or whatever) the next time you make a batch for your family would be a wonderful payment for babysitting. I hate to bake, so that's a service I would totally exchange for. For those of you who decorate cakes, or make home decorating items, or sew, or make headbands/bows/flower clips, or anything else, you could decide how much babysitting would be an appropriate exchange for your service (since you know better than I do how much time, effort, money, and skill goes into your craft). Say you decide that one of your flower clips is worth 3 hours of babysitting: I can watch your kid(s) for three hours at once, or if you only need me for an hour then that time can be working towards your flower clip, adding up more time whenever you randomly need some childcare.
(I'm also a big fan of using husband services. If anyone's husband does landscaping, I would totally watch your kids throughout the fall, winter, and spring to work towards some service in the summer. Or if your husband can get discounts or coupons for different things through work, that be a great exchange as well)
So, that's my service exchange idea. It might be dumb, which is why I'm writing about it here, so people can tell me honestly whether this is something they would want to do or not. If enough people are interested, Wayne's hobby is making websites, and I'd have him make one where you could propose your service and how much you think it is worth, keep track of service hours, and a calendar to show when I'm available and when I'm already booked. But, of course, if nobody wants to do this, I don't want to make him go through the work of making it.
Basically, I'm just looking for a way to get cake. ; )
Thursday, November 11, 2010
The Psychology of Food
I dated this guy in high school who used to start each meal by piling as much food onto his plate as humanly possible. I remember the first time we ordered a pizza, he opened the box and took out two connected slices, deposited them on his plate, and then proceeded to grab another two slices and stacked them on top of the first two. I stared at him in quiet disbelief before politely asking him what the freak he thought he was doing.
"Um, getting pizza?" he replied. (This is, of course, just a general idea of what was said. It's an interesting memory, yes, but I'm not in the habit of perfectly memorizing every single converation I ever have to be recalled ten to fifteen years later)
"You're going to eat four slices all at once?!" I think at this moment I was suddenly questioning the relationship.
"No," he responded simply, "I'm going to eat them one at a time."
It should be noted that during this entire exchange I was still looking at him like he was an insane person. Because he was. Normal, sane people take their pizza slices from the box one at a time, maybe two if the box is going to be placed somewhere other than where you're eating and you want to avoid having to get up a whole bunch of times. It was at this point that he explained that in his family, they had four boys, and if you didn't claim your food right away, it might end up on someone else's plate. It wasn't even that they didn't have enough food to go around... they did. But it was a competition. In fact, in this particular incidence, he might not even want all four slices of pizza, but he took them, just in case.
(You know, in case his 97 pound girlfriend might gobble up the rest of the pizza and leave him empty handed. *rolls eyes*)
It's kind of a pointless memory, except for the fact that this was the point in which I started to become interested in the psychology behind the way people eat food. This is something that has fascinated me for years. I have all sorts of theories about my own eating habits, but that's maybe a little more than I want to share in a public setting. I think I'll save my self-analysis for my children's future therapists.
I bring this up because this morning Wayne and I were discussing this very subject during breakfast. It's a well-known fact within certain circles that the Tomlinsons eat their meals at an inhuman speed. Seriously, they sit down for a family dinner, and it's done in five to seven minutes, max. Honest to goodness, Thanksgiving dinner (what we can all agree is the premier meal of the year), they can stretch it out to maybe fifteen minutes, tops. The story goes that, before I came along, my sister-in-law's husband Tom would always be left alone at the table to finish his meal while every one else was up cleaning the dishes, turning the game back on, etc. Tom has always said that he's grateful that I joined the family so he has someone to eat with. In their defense, it should be noted that my in-laws do not throw food back, shovelling it in like a crowd of backwood heathens. They all have excellent table manners and eat in a perfectly polite and acceptable way. Just at super-human speeds.
What has always bugged me about this is that I cannot for the life of me figure out why they do this.
This was brought up this morning as Wayne finished the last bite of his waffle while I, having started eating at the exact same time, was still only 1/3 of the way through mine. Wayne joked, adding a theatric sniffle for dramatic effect, that maybe they all eat really fast because growing up they never knew when there was going to be food on the table again. *rolls eyes, once again*. While that's SO not true, it's not a bad theory,psychologically speaking. The only other one I'm working on is that, for some unknown reason, my mother-in-law would beat the children with a stick if they took too long at the table. When I suggested this to Wayne he simply deadpanned "Yes. Yes, that's it."
So, until I can come up with something better, I'm going with that one.
"Um, getting pizza?" he replied. (This is, of course, just a general idea of what was said. It's an interesting memory, yes, but I'm not in the habit of perfectly memorizing every single converation I ever have to be recalled ten to fifteen years later)
"You're going to eat four slices all at once?!" I think at this moment I was suddenly questioning the relationship.
"No," he responded simply, "I'm going to eat them one at a time."
It should be noted that during this entire exchange I was still looking at him like he was an insane person. Because he was. Normal, sane people take their pizza slices from the box one at a time, maybe two if the box is going to be placed somewhere other than where you're eating and you want to avoid having to get up a whole bunch of times. It was at this point that he explained that in his family, they had four boys, and if you didn't claim your food right away, it might end up on someone else's plate. It wasn't even that they didn't have enough food to go around... they did. But it was a competition. In fact, in this particular incidence, he might not even want all four slices of pizza, but he took them, just in case.
(You know, in case his 97 pound girlfriend might gobble up the rest of the pizza and leave him empty handed. *rolls eyes*)
It's kind of a pointless memory, except for the fact that this was the point in which I started to become interested in the psychology behind the way people eat food. This is something that has fascinated me for years. I have all sorts of theories about my own eating habits, but that's maybe a little more than I want to share in a public setting. I think I'll save my self-analysis for my children's future therapists.
I bring this up because this morning Wayne and I were discussing this very subject during breakfast. It's a well-known fact within certain circles that the Tomlinsons eat their meals at an inhuman speed. Seriously, they sit down for a family dinner, and it's done in five to seven minutes, max. Honest to goodness, Thanksgiving dinner (what we can all agree is the premier meal of the year), they can stretch it out to maybe fifteen minutes, tops. The story goes that, before I came along, my sister-in-law's husband Tom would always be left alone at the table to finish his meal while every one else was up cleaning the dishes, turning the game back on, etc. Tom has always said that he's grateful that I joined the family so he has someone to eat with. In their defense, it should be noted that my in-laws do not throw food back, shovelling it in like a crowd of backwood heathens. They all have excellent table manners and eat in a perfectly polite and acceptable way. Just at super-human speeds.
What has always bugged me about this is that I cannot for the life of me figure out why they do this.
This was brought up this morning as Wayne finished the last bite of his waffle while I, having started eating at the exact same time, was still only 1/3 of the way through mine. Wayne joked, adding a theatric sniffle for dramatic effect, that maybe they all eat really fast because growing up they never knew when there was going to be food on the table again. *rolls eyes, once again*. While that's SO not true, it's not a bad theory,psychologically speaking. The only other one I'm working on is that, for some unknown reason, my mother-in-law would beat the children with a stick if they took too long at the table. When I suggested this to Wayne he simply deadpanned "Yes. Yes, that's it."
So, until I can come up with something better, I'm going with that one.
Obligatory Introduction
I've always thought that creating a blog purely for the purpose of voicing one's thoughts requires a certain amount vanity and egotism that, quite frankly, I do have, but would never want to openly admit. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for family blogs, the type that let out-of-town family and friends keep up with the daily going-ons that happen with your little ones. We have a blog like that (and this is where I don't mention that I have not updated that blog in about a year...). But the kind of personal blog that seems to have a foundation of "I'm an amazing person with amazing thoughts that everyone will want to read" has always been a bit of a turn off for me.
This is where I start getting a little hypocritical. Or a lot.
For a while now I've toyed with the idea of starting this blog, and today I decided to just do it. I love to write, and I think that having a journal-like forum for me to vent my daily/weekly thoughts might be cathartic for me (as it is for a lot of people). Plus, it's been a while since I've been involved in a major writing project, and I feel like in the time off my skills have dwindled. I have ideas for a couple of different projects, but at this point I'm fearful to start them and have them turn out to be, well, crap. So, this is a place for me to not only let it all out, but to practice once again putting thoughts into words into well-formed sentences, and so on. I'm making it public for two reasons, 1) the idea that someone might possibly read this is motivation to keep the writing as high caliber as possible (for me), and 2) because a few people have told me that, for some odd reason, they enjoy my facebook updates, and I'm slightly curious as to whether or not I can still entertain in more than 420 characters.
I'm not promising a whole lot of quality here. And I certainly have no ambition to create a blog that will change the world. But, you know, if it does, I probably won't complain...
This is where I start getting a little hypocritical. Or a lot.
For a while now I've toyed with the idea of starting this blog, and today I decided to just do it. I love to write, and I think that having a journal-like forum for me to vent my daily/weekly thoughts might be cathartic for me (as it is for a lot of people). Plus, it's been a while since I've been involved in a major writing project, and I feel like in the time off my skills have dwindled. I have ideas for a couple of different projects, but at this point I'm fearful to start them and have them turn out to be, well, crap. So, this is a place for me to not only let it all out, but to practice once again putting thoughts into words into well-formed sentences, and so on. I'm making it public for two reasons, 1) the idea that someone might possibly read this is motivation to keep the writing as high caliber as possible (for me), and 2) because a few people have told me that, for some odd reason, they enjoy my facebook updates, and I'm slightly curious as to whether or not I can still entertain in more than 420 characters.
I'm not promising a whole lot of quality here. And I certainly have no ambition to create a blog that will change the world. But, you know, if it does, I probably won't complain...
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