Trend-Setter

Vanessa has become quite a fashion trend-setter lately.

Granted, I'm usually the one to dress her in the morning, but by the afternoon, she will have removed or added items to her attire. Her hair will go from nicely brushed and pulled back to crazy and wild. Her clean shirt will look like she wiped her muddy hands on it, giving it a new fashionable print design. She can be found walking around the house with two different shoes on; with only one of them belonging to her. Her socks may match, but they may not too. She often adds a headband, or two or three or four; often wearing them in the place of a 1980's sweat-band. And usually, she has found my make-up bag. A little mascara here, some powder there, and a squirt of perfume to go.

Isn't she BEAUTIFUL!

(Sorry for the red eyes in this picture. This is a never-ending problem for those of us with light-colored eyes.)

Lunch in a box

Periodically, we have large boxes from a recent on-line shipment. These boxes usually make their way to the recycle bin, but occasionally, they are claimed by some little girls. With the help of a few crayons and a pair of scissors, what was once a plain box quickly becomes a house. The girls love to express themselves through their drawings on the box and Daddy helps them cut windows and a door. They squeeze in there to play together or hide from me when I’m looking for them. I've even caught Vanessa sitting in there enjoying a snack she took off of the counter without me knowing it. In this picture, they are enjoying a little lunch in their new home. This house was not complete yet at the time this picture was taken, because it now has several more windows and a sunroof…you know, because all houses should have sunroofs.

But he needs it!

I believe the tradition in most families the night before Christmas is to leave a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa Clause. Some families even add a carrot or two for the reindeer. But my family has taken it to a whole new level this year. We started our own tradition. Of course we left some cookies, milk and a handful of carrots for the reindeer or, as Vanessa calls them, Santa's horses. This year, however, the girls felt Santa needed some Pepto. As in Pepto-Bismol. You know, the pink stuff you take for a stomach ache. And he didn't need just one chewable tablet. No, according to Katelyn, that would not be enough for the dozens and dozens of cookies that Santa would be eating that night. He needed 6.

This is a cool bag!

I received the coolest gift in the mail yesterday from Michele – a ChicoBag. ChicoBags are the perfect option for someone looking to replace their store plastic bags with a reusable bag. It is generic in nature; meaning not specific to one store. It is washable and self-folds into its own small pouch. And the best part: it has a clip so that I can attach it to my purse or key chain or diaper bag and never have to search for it. Nor, will I ever be able to use the excuse again that I forgot my cloth bags. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do love my Whole Food and Trader Joe's cloth bags, but this one is just so cool.

I was reading on their web site, http://www.chicobags.com/ , and found some very shocking information:
*The average American uses between 300 and 700 plastic bags per year.

*If everyone in the United States tied their annual consumption of plastic bags together in a giant chain, the chain would reach around the Earth not once, but 760 times!

*According to the American Forest and Paper Association, in 1999 the U.S. alone used 10 billion paper grocery bags, requiring 14 million trees to be cut down.

*Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photo-degrade—breaking down into small toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food-chain when mistaken for zooplankton or jellyfish.

I've already thought of several other uses for this handy bag:
-A Laundry Bag: No longer will Bill have to rely on the hotel's plastic laundry bag to bring home his dirty laundry. He can keep this small pouch in his suitcase, which takes up virtually no room, and use it over and over again, unlike those plastic ones he had been relying on which always come home stretched or riped.

-Library Book Bag: Because this bag can hold up to 20 lbs., you can now easily bring home all of your new reading material.

- Lunch Bag: It's the perfect bag to bring a picnic to the park in: the handles are not going to rip out from under you like a paper one and if anything gets spilt on it, it's washable.

I’m definitely going to order some more…now, I just have to choose which color!

Like the new "do"?

Vanessa had her first haircut today. At 23 months old, I have yet to cut her hair – not even a trim. When her hair is wet, it gets rather curly. Since I have very STRAIGHT hair, how could I cut such a beautiful wonder as the curls of my daughter’s hair? Vanessa does not like her hair in her eyes and, therefore, does not refuse me putting a clip or ponytail in her hair, so it’s never really been a problem. But recently, it has started to look a little…well, um, unkempt. And since Katelyn was going in for a trim, I decided Vanessa could share in this same experience. She acted like a pro - like she had done this a hundred times. She knew which seat she wanted to sit in and sat very still when told too. Not a single tear and was all smiles afterwards.

Happy Birthday Mama Anderson!

Happy birthday to you
(cha-cha-cha),
happy birthday to you
(cha-cha-cha),
happy birthday dear Mama Anderson...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!
(cha-cha-cha)

We hope you have a wonderful day filled with love. May all of your birthday wishes come true.
And yes, we will have some chocolate on your behalf ;-)

It always amazes me...

It always amazes me what people say. People that I don’t even know will completely shock me with their opinionated comments. Their comments are almost always negative or demeaning or hurtful, whether they know it or not. Do these people not ever think before they open their mouth to speak?

I grew up in a family where you never openly made comments about others. Of course, in the privacy of our own home, we perhaps would talk about someone, call it gossip, but never were these comments malicious and never would we say such negative comments directly to one’s face. Even today, we try to live a very respectful life by not saying demeaning comments about others. Even if that person is not in the room, we try not to make comments that could be considered hurtful, as perhaps others overhearing the conversation would be offended too.

The other day, the girls and I went out to run a few errands. While I was finishing up at the first store, Vanessa started having a complete melt-down. I’m not talking about standing next to me crying. No, that would have been lovely. Instead, she was laying on the floor, first on her stomach, then her back. Kicking. And screaming. And crying. Oh, and flinging her body all around. It was a beautiful sight. I just wanted to finish paying and then leave and if I took the time to get down on her level and handle the situation “properly”, we would probably still be there. You see, she wanted my purse and she wanted to empty it all over the floor. I didn’t really feel like having my entire life exposed to all of the passer-bys, so decided to hold onto my purse instead of giving it to her. So, this is what caused her tantrum. In the middle of this ear-piercing scene, the clerk next to me decided to open his mouth, saying “Hey little girl, don’t you know Santa’s coming? You better be good.” REALLY? Santa is coming? Here? Now? Are you kidding me? Seriously, does this guy think that a one year old, in the middle of a full-blown tantrum, gives a care whose coming? A one-year old who doesn’t even know who Santa is? NO. I just looked at him, grabbed my stuff and headed for the door, leaving Vanessa crying on the floor. I wish I had the guts to say something to him, but that’s just not me. Did he really think his comment was supportive, to me – the mother of this screaming child? NO, again.

Our next run-in with positive comments was at the next store we visited, again with my clerk. This time, both girls were in the basket separated from me by the clerk and the counter. Vanessa HATES this. She always gives me a panic look when she, in the basket, goes down on side and me the other. But, I always reassure her and often reach to hold her hand, being that we are just a few feet apart. I keep her in the basket, or should I say that I TRY to keep her in the basket, during checkout because it is so much easier for me to complete my end of the purchase having my hands free to swipe a card, dig for cash and loose change, etc. Fortunately for Vanessa, Katelyn was sitting next to her in the basket this time. Katelyn doesn’t mind being in there, as she is just a little social bug. As well, Katelyn can help reassure Vanessa and translate language if needed. The clerk had asked the girls a question and both girls responded. Although when Vanessa talks, 97% of the world’s population cannot understand her. She uses approximations, gestures, finger pointing, and ASL to communicate her needs or have a conversation with you. And I FULLY understand that the majority of the world does not understand ASL or want to take the time to carefully listen to an approximation (which if you do, you can often translate accurately). When the clerk started talking to the girls, I wish I were a stronger person and could have stood up for my daughter. Instead, I, again, finished my checkout and left the store fuming at her for her hurtful words. “What are you saying? Why are you talking like that? You are a monster. Why don’t you talk normally? Scary.” I am NOT exaggerating here at all. She was calling my child a monster because she was not using words that this clerk could understand. And no, she was not joking around. Not at all.

In both of these situations, I wish I could have left a positive-criticism with each of the clerks. Perhaps to the male clerk in the first store, I could have replied back that my child was on over-load, or having a hard day, or almost TWO. I wish I could have told the lady clerk that I was not open to comments about my child’s language development. I would have wanted my comment not to be hurtful to her, but rather educational and a “lesson-learned” type of comment. If she was this open with her comments about a child that “looks normal”, then what is she going to say to someone with a physical need?

No matter where we are or where we’ll go, we are always and will always be surrounded by people. People will forever make comments and I am learning to let them in one ear and out the other. If I can lead by example for my daughters, I will. If I shoot back a negative comment, the girls will think that it’s acceptable to be rude. But it’s not. Life is too short to go around being negative, hurtful, and mean-spirited. And you never know when a negative comment will come back to bite you in the butt, or perhaps you’ll actually need that person for some assistance – will they want to help you? What will their impression of you be?

Thoughts for the New Year

“But history will judge you, and as the years pass, you will ultimately judge yourself, in the extent to which you have used your gifts and talents to lighten and enrich the lives of your fellow men. In your hands lies the future of your world and the fulfillment of the best qualities of your own spirit.”
Robert F. Kennedy

Plastic Bag Challenge: A few things for you to know…

Costco has their own reusable bags. They can be found, at least in my local Costco, in the aisle of paper and plastic items (like paper plates, plastic cups, etc.). A two-pack of these HUGE plastic-type bags costs less than $2.00. These bags are great because it makes shopping at this enormous warehouse a tad bit easier. No longer will items roll around in the back of your car or will it take 7 trips to unload your purchases. These bags are huge, so you can really fill them up. Since they don’t use bags to begin with, you will not get any type of discount for using them, except you’ll no longer have to dig under your seats to find all of your lost items.

Trader Joe’s offers a variety of reusable bags, starting just under $1.00 for plastic-type smaller ones to just under $3.00 for canvas ones. They even offer an insulated version, although I’m not sure how much they cost because I figure I am usually headed straight home if I purchase refrigerated items anyways. For every bag you bring in, (whether their bag, another store’s, or even a paper one) they will give you a ticket per bag. The tickets go into a basket for a weekly drawing of a $20.00 gift certificate to Trader Joe’s…not too bad, if you ask me!

Safeway and Target both offer cloth reusable bags as well. The cost for their bags will run you approximately the same at any other store. I have yet to purchase Target bags, because, to me, they felt thin and like they would not last long. Yes, I am an embarrassment to my husband, as I usually bring in another store’s cloth bags. I’m sure I’ll be “forced” to purchase their bags eventually; after all, I would like to continue to share a bed with him. I have not checked to see if Target gives you a discount if you bring in your own bags. Does anyone know? If so, e-mail and let me know. And don’t forget, Safeway does give you a discount per bag, regardless of which type or brand of bag you bring in.

It is so easy now; almost every store offers their own version or you can even bring in generic canvas one or a random paper one from home.

My cousin Amy has pledged her support with this challenge, saying she’ll try her best in 2008. She says she mostly shops at Trader Joe’s and will use their handy reusable bags. It looks like she’s playing for a chance to win a gift certificate there!

Who else is in? Shoot me an e-mail and let me know your goal.

Word of the day

Katelyn came home from school recently with a new word: poop-po-head. I just laughed when I heard her say this (not in front of her of course), because she has really no idea what she is saying. It’s rather funny because she’ll just insert it into any sentence, whether it makes sense or not. She never uses it in a mean-spirited way, but more rather as a descriptive term. She has never before known such creative words and I contribute this new addition to her language database to one of her lovely little classmates.

It is completely natural for children to create these descriptive new words, or potty talk. In reality, that is what it is. At school, even though they have individual bathroom stalls, small groups go in at one time (and we wonder why as adults, females go to the restroom in groups, or at least a pair). So it is common for them to hear each other’s business and naturally carry some of those “bathroom words” into their normal conversations. And here at home, since we are in the beginning stages of potty-training with Vanessa, we are using these "potty" words more frequently (and often in a cutesy-manner, along with a clap and cheer).

Even though she is saying it with a joyful tone, I told her I did not like the word and that she had to go throw it into the trash can. She played along, getting up and going to the trash. She opened the door and said “poop-po-head go into the trash”.

But, I think maybe it escaped. Or one of poop-po-head’s relative.

Well this has been fun (to be read with A LOT of sarcasm )

I haven’t posted in a few days because we’ve been testing out a new crash diet; it’s called the flu. Last week, Katelyn woke up from her sleep and started vomiting. Normally, I would have said that she just had a stomach bug and after she got it out of her system, she’d be better. Two hours later, she still wasn’t better. She was quickly becoming lethargic and could not keep sips of water down.

Into the ER we went, where Katelyn was given an IV. Three and a half hours later, they finally had to give her anti-nausea medicine. Since she couldn’t even keep the IV fluid down, and had now been vomiting for 5 ½ hours, she was becoming extremely dehydrated. The hospital will not discharge you until you can keep fluids down, so after they gave her the medicine, they still had to monitor her. Another 1 ½ hours later, we were finally able to go home.

That night I went to bed at a quarter to 5, as in 4:45 AM. The last time I was up “all night” was probably at a slumber party in junior high. And this time, I was not awake due to my own accord. I would have rather being spending most of my early morning hours painting nails, sharing gossip, eating junk food and watching movies. But instead, I was treated to a germ-filled, sterile and foul smelling ER room.

Bill and I had planned months ago to spend Saturday night in San Francisco and then catch Cirque Du Soleil on Sunday with his family to celebrate his mom’s birthday. Since our time together has been very limited lately, we both were looking forward to some quality uninterrupted time, taking in the holiday decorations in the City, getting some last minute shopping done and eating at a fabulous restaurant. My parents were still willing to take the girls, even Katelyn who was no longer vomiting, but still not well.

Saturday was a beautiful crisp day in the City. There wasn’t a cloud in the bright blue sky and it was wonderful to bundle up in a jacket and scarf, although that sounds completely odd since it was a blue sky. That evening, we had an “adult” dinner out; we dressed up (meaning, wore dry-clean-only clothes) and went to Greens (http://www.greensrestaurant.com/). It was FABULOUS! Our table was located right next to the large windows overlooking the marina and we each enjoyed our meal, consisting of items chosen from a pre-set menu. Who knew food could look so beautiful and taste so incredible without a hint of meat? Now, this was my kind of food, which is exactly what I told our Irish-accent waiter.

Driving back to the hotel, I started to not feel so well. I kept telling myself that it was the rich food, but a few hours later, as I was flushing my wonderful dinner down the porcelain throne, I knew I had caught Katelyn’s flu. What a bummer that was! But on the other hand, I got to enjoy a wonderful meal without keeping the calories. The rest of the evening was spent running between the bed and the bathroom...all while Bill slept peacefully.

I am almost fully recovered, but get tired easily and still have a low appetite. Katelyn is still not well: very low energy, almost no appetite, and now sinus congestion. She hasn’t been in any of her classes since last Wednesday and probably won’t be for the rest of this week. Needless to say, we are watching a lot of Clifford, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph. I never thought I would be so tired of those old Christmas classic movies.

A night of Christmas memories

The girls and I, along with my parents in tow, attended Katelyn’s school Christmas performance. Yes, they even have these things for Preschool! Last year, being new to the school, I had no idea what we were in for. By chance, I happened to put Katelyn in a holiday-looking dress, but was not aware that she would be up on stage singing. We showed up just before it was to start and sat in the back. I had the camera, but only because it goes everywhere with me, but not the video.

This year, I was prepared. The girls had on their new Christmas dresses that Daddy had picked out, bows in the hair and pretty black shoes. The camera was ready and the video camera was sitting upon the tripod. I have posted some pictures here and as soon as I figure out how to download the video off of the video camera, I’ll post some video from tonight’s events.

At the beginning of the Early Preschool class’ performance, Vanessa ran up on stage. There was a group of children and several teachers sitting there, so I guess she decided to join them. There was no way I was going to be able to stop her without making a huge scene, so watched her as I clamped my jaw tightly shut. She sat down next to one of the teachers and acted like she belonged in the class. She clapped when everyone else did and looked interested in what was going on. She lasted a few songs until she came to find me.

I am completely stunned by Vanessa, as she joined in the activity and sat with the other children during their performance. It obviously took a lot of risk for her to be up there, but it also shows her comfort level at the school and with the teachers. And of course, she knew where her reassurance was located: sitting in the second row.

Katelyn’s class entered next and performed several lovely songs. She actively sang most of the songs, with an occasional nail biting in-between (hey, at least it wan’t a finger up the nose!). She looked beautiful with her reindeer antler hat on.

Then there was a visit from Santa. For the last few years, Katelyn has repeatedly told me that she does not like Santa. I have never forced the issue with her; after all, it is a rather strange custom that we have accepted: have your child talk and sit on the lap of a stranger. Every other day of the year we tell them not to talk or go with strangers. Yet, at Christmas-time, we force them too, and often pay money to the stranger too. And we wonder why they get confused!

From the moment Katelyn saw him, she was in my lap. My dad kept encouraging Katelyn to at least go talk to Santa and slowing they made their way closer to the stage. Katelyn and Vanessa were called to have a visit with Santa. Vanessa promptly refused, but Katelyn stood timidly in from of him for a few seconds. The next thing she knew, Santa had picked her up and she was sitting on his lap. She had a bit of a surprised and shocked facial expression, but that was immediately wiped clear with the question he asked her, “What do you want for Christmas?”

I am completely shocked that Katelyn had a visit with Santa. Personally, this isn’t a custom that I will continue to push. However, I am extremely proud of her tonight because she overcame her fears and went up to talk to him. You see, every time we see him, such as in the malls, she will make a wide circle to go around him, leaving a good 50 feet barrier between her and the man in the red suit. And what’s even more thrilling is to see her courage level double-over during this process. On the way home, she was telling Daddy how brave she was for sitting on his lap. And you know what, she was very brave.

Tonight was filled with wonderful memories and several firsts. I am always astonished by how fast the girls are growing and amazed when I look at the world through their eyes.

Up for a challenge?

I would consider my friend Michele green. No, she is not green as in the color. But she is “green” in how she lives her life. I would put her in the upper bracket of being "green", where as I’m still fumbling around trying to understand what being “green” means. I’m working on it; trying to use Earth-friendly products, being more alert to the recyclable items that I put into the trash bin, buy organic products when possible, and using cloth shopping bags instead of plastic.

These changes are not just for the benefit of our Earth, however I would like it to be around and healthy for as many generations as my bloodline leads too, but for the well-being and health of my family. We use to think that having a house smell of cleaner meant it was REALLY clean. But what was breathing all of those chemicals doing to our insides? Organic products sometimes cost more, but do I really want to be putting harmful chemicals into my daughter’s bodies? And yes, getting the plastic grocery store bags is so much more convenient than bringing my own, but where do these plastic bags end up?

Recently, Michele put up a challenge (http://tellme.typepad.com/fabulous_finds/ ): To limit the number of plastic bags that you will bring home from stores this next year. Her goal is no more than 14 bags. I have decided to join her in this, setting my goal of no more than 20 plastic bags in 2008. And just to let you know, I have no shame. I will bring my Whole Foods bags into Safeway or any other store. I know my husband is not going to like this at all. Store’s cloth-bag-loyalty is out the window for me; I’m hoping just to remember the have the bags with me! But I learned the secret the other day when I brought home 4 plastic bags for my small $30 purchase (apparently, my grocery bagger had yet to figure out how to best fill them)…keep the cloth bags in your car at all times. That means, when you are finished unloading the groceries at home, put the cloth bags into your car (not under the sink next to the old plastic ones like I had done).

Another perk to bringing your own cloth bags? It saves you money! For every bag that you bring into a store, a few cents is taken off of your total bill. I don’t know if this is true at every store, but it seems like at most. Every store does it differently: Safeway automatically takes $0.03 per bag off your total and Whole Foods will either take it off of your total or allow you to donate that money directly to one of their charities.

One footnote: Just because I am being a little more Earth-conscious does not mean that I'll be giving up my SUV anytime soon. I may opt for a hybrid version in a few years, but in the meantime, I'll at least group my driving trips to cut down on fuel waste (not to mention saving a few bucks).

What will your goal be?