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.
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