Random Snapshots from a Cluttered Brain...

I love my house. It's almost 70 years old, has creaky floors, drafty windows, and is ridiculously fabulous. I waited so long to finally have four walls to call my own. (And a yard! Did I mention the yard?!?!) For a This Old House junky (it's on my DVR list - seriously - Norm, Tommy, Richard, and Roger forever!) who has carefully maintained a box full of sundry architectural and decorating "ideas" since 1990 for if and when I finally owned a home, the wait was excruciating. And worth it. My house is perfect (even before the planned renovations) and I never want to move!


Ellie has decided to add Kung Fu master to her list of things she wants to be when she grows up - along with astronaut, princess, and occasionally ballet fairy. (Incidentally, she needs to "drive" the space shuttle. She doesn't trust anyone else to do it for her.) Did I mention Ellie went to see Kung Fu Panda this week with Dave and LOVED it?


Ginny possesses the verbosity of an Aaron Sorkin character and/or a Gilmore girl. Who knew? Our quiet little angel face suddenly decided to start speaking after nearly two years of relative quiet. (Relative to her sister that is!) And in full sentences. (For a caveman anyway.) While she fearlessly whips out polysyllabic words with remarkable alacrity (my observations are completely unbiased) my favorite remains "whoopsidaisy." I've got to get video on that one!


Boys will be boys....even when they "grow up", have family "responsibilities", and "mature." I realize I am reifying men here and I officially apologize to any and all gender theorists I have encountered over the years. The work of said theorists notwithstanding, there are some things that never change. (Not only have I offended an entire scholarly community, I am doing so with an exaggerated cliche. Nice.) In the interest of full disclosure, I must confess that Dave and Dave alone is my focus group for this study. He took a trip to China Lake to witness the test fire of one of the rockets on which he works, and has yet to come down from the general exhilaration of the experience. Yes, no matter how educated and refined man [read: Dave] becomes, he forever will harbor the desire to see things go boom.


Boys are also fun. We had the incomparable Ben, Mason, and Aidan over for dinner and the annual car show last weekend and the girls loved them! (For further reference, see The Three Bachelors link.) They ran around, but not too fast. They laughed and yelled, but not too loud. They played in the sandbox, but not too rough. It was like Goldilocks had been set up with her ideal playdate on Match.com. The Shaw girls are enamored with the Frank boys and they are welcome back anytime!


Resistance is futile. No matter how long one avoids the uniform of summer otherwise known as shorts, submission is inevitable. After nearly a decade of said avoidance, I recently purchased a couple of pairs. If I am going to spend the requisite hours in our yard with the girls this summer, shorts are necessary. I still have the lovely pasty white skin so prevalent in the Allen clan. At least now that I'm over 30 and the veteran of two pregnancies, I have spider veins to temper the glare.


The Lollipop League (otherwise known as Ellie and Ginny) has notified me that our family needs three puppies. And we are going to name them Underdog, Polly Purebred, and Clarence. Why Clarence? I asked the same question. And the following conversation ensued:
Me: "Why Clarence?"
Ellie: "Because if we named him Shoeshine, Underdog might get confused."
Why didn't I think of that?


And finally, a random confession. My thesis frightens me. This wretched project terrifies me in a very real way. After years of research, note taking, outlining and re-outlining, imagining and re-imagining, and reconfiguring the entire thing about twenty times, I am finally ready to write. A 300-page book. In the next year and a half. Oh to have the writing prowess of David McCullough. I think I need to find my talent....and fast!

I am the Very Model of Modern Productivity

This morning I needed to call the Office of Financial Aid at CU and discuss a mix up with my application. Yes, I am still on the "take" as it were to fund my education. (Not for long, however. May 2010 I am DONE. Mark your calendars!) Being the responsible human being that I am, and realizing that the "to-do" list for today won't allow for such frippery as phone calls securing my educational funding, I was on the phone when the office opened at 9:00.
Things were going swimmingly. I didn't have to wait too long to speak to an advisor (relatively speaking - 10 minutes is nothing!) and we were off and on our way. That is until the mom thing imposed itself over the student thing. First Ellie needed some help in the bathroom. (I shall spare you the details.) Then Ginny began to wail when she couldn't find her Bink or her stuffed monkey named Bubbles. (The name has nothing to do with Michael Jackson and the monkey has everything to do with the fact that her sister has one.) In the midst of potty issues, finding various pieces of clothing, locating said monkey and Binky, and trying to keep the general din to a minimum, I lost the call.
I am ashamed to admit a momentary lapse of composure ensued (yes, I shouted at my children to be quiet) while I tried to reconnect with said Office of Financial Aid. This time around, however, the wait had inexplicably doubled. Those extra minutes were put to good use as I needed to offer a contrite mea culpa to my girls for the aforementioned outburst, replace a piece of toast usurped by a younger sister, find a comfy pair of panties (not for me, incidentally), and remove an "icky bogey" from Ginny's nose. (We started calling them bogeys because we thought it would be a more charming and therefore less disgusting way to refer to them. I'm not sure why we thought that.) All the while I carefully cradled my phone as if it were the Holy Grail itself. I was NOT losing the call again.
After the better part of a half hour, we finally achieved success. I managed to reconnect with the necessary people regarding my financial aid, we straightened out the problem and I was able to turn my attention to my veritable novel of a to-do list. Let it not be said that life isn't interesting at the very least. And now if you'll excuse me, I have yet to find the Dora panties without the "creepy monkey."

Two Weddings, a Picnic, and a Bee Sting...or Ten Epiphanies from a Crazy Weekend

What a weekend it was! Ellie finished her first year of preschool (a surprisingly emotional moment), Gramma and Poppy were in town and staying with us, and we had many a family function to attend. To say it was a whirlwind would be cliche but true. Now that the dust has settled and we are starting to dig out from a weekend spent ignoring the usual routine of house cleaning, yard maintenance, and general organization I have the chance to reflect on the life lessons we learned. So without further ado, I offer the following ten epiphanies from a crazy weekend!

1.) Never underestimate the power of a dollar store stuffed monkey. No kidding. Ellie's teacher gave each of her students a little monkey with arms that Velcro together, allowing the monkey to hang from the child's neck. (Let's just ignore the choking concerns for now, shall we?) These monkeys became quite the status symbol. Every kid at the end of year picnic wore one with transcendent pride. They were the monkey people. And nothing - not food, not playground equipment, not a near by hill ideal for haphazard rolling - nothing could detract their attention from the coveted monkeys. That is until the cookies were unveiled. At that point, forget monkey solidarity. It was every man for himself.

2.) Princess pajamas and a Snow White dress constitute perfectly acceptable attire for a school picnic. Considering Ginny insists on wearing this combo nearly every day, I'm not sure this counts as a true epiphany. Nevertheless, the fact that she will not consider any alternatives even for a public engagement warrants mention. Besides, I can think of few sights more adorable than a mini Snow White running around a playground while delicately lifting up her skirts like a proper princess. All together now...aaaahhhhhh!!!!!

3.) A little civil disobedience now and then can be healthy - even for a three-year-old. After nine months of faithfully wearing her proscribed uniform to preschool every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Ellie decided to assert her individuality on the last day of school. On Friday morning, with tremendous excitement she announced that on this, her final day at her current school (she will be attending a different preschool next year) she was going to wear pink. Considering her general willingness to don her uniform all year, and her giddy excitement over the very idea of spending her last day awash in a rosy hue, how could I refuse?

4.) According to pre-K set, weddings are really an opportunity for their own floor show. Never mind the bride, the groom, or the fancy decorations for that matter. Weddings mean people. And for my girls, an audience for whom they can exhibit their dancing prowess. Yes, much to our chagrin, Ellie and Ginny spent all of their time at the reception of Dave's cousin twirling, curtsying, and generally entertaining the masses. (To be honest, it was hilarious and ridiculously adorable!)

5.) Belle (i.e. the princess from Disney's Beauty and the Beast) is alive and well, and is a member of our extended family. If only I had my camera when Ginny laid eyes on Dave's cousin Rebecca in full wedding garb. Rebecca's hair was spot on for Belle's during the iconic ballroom scene - complete with a pearl tiara. Between the hair (which was even the correct shade) and the "poofy" dress (Ellie's apt description), Rebecca embodied the aforementioned princess. And Ginny was mesmerized. Every few minutes, my little girl would run up to Rebecca, say "Belle" in hushed and reverent tones, and dance away in sheer delight. (Incidentally, Belle is far and away Ginny's favorite princess!)

6.) Bee stings hurt, but constitute an unparalleled PR opportunity. Poor Ellie experience her first bee sting at Dave's uncle's wedding party on Sunday. She was innocently enjoying a beautiful spring afternoon when the cursed creature imposed his will - and stinger - on our girl. After the initial pain of it all, Ellie quickly learned that bee stings garner tremendous sympathy from anyone within earshot of her shrieks and cries. All the way home, all she could talk about was the fact that so many people love her and are worried about her. Ellie still cannot fathom how the bee mistook her for a flower - "I don't even have petals!" - but she is very relieved she survived.

7.) Walgreen's sunglasses are the height of summer chic. In the wake of the chaos inherent in getting two grandparents, two parents, and two little girls dressed, fed, and ready to attend a wedding, Dave forgot his sunglasses for the trek down south. Once we arrived at the wedding site, Dave ran into a neighboring Walgreen's to pick up a replacement pair of shades. He walked out in the grooviest pair of aviator sunglasses - with fabulous reflective lenses. I haven't seen glasses like these since the early days of Beverly Hills Cop. They were cool. Various relatives remarked that Dave could pull them off. We are still unsure if that is a fabulous compliment or a profound insult. We shall ponder on while we bask in the electronic stylings of Axel F...

8.) Uncle Matty rocks! On the way home from Rebecca's wedding on Saturday, we stopped by my brother Matt's restaurant for dinner. Now, Uncle Matty is a bit of a celebrity in our home. He was on a local news program last summer doing a cooking segment on barbecue ribs and Ellie couldn't get enough. We watched the tape ad nausium. To see him in person, in action, at his restaurant was beyond words. Not only did he comp our dinners (I'm still arguing that the preemptive refusal was not necessary in this case!), he took Ellie back to the kitchen to see the cooks at work. Ever since Ratatouille, Ellie has been nuts for cooking. To see a real professional kitchen was a mind blowing experience. Upon her return to the table, she was ecstatic. She clapped her hands and enthusiastically proclaimed "Uncle Matty believes in me! He made all my dreams come true!" Not bad for a Saturday evening at Famous Dave's Barbecue.

9.) October cannot come fast enough. Our cute and very generous Gramma and Poppy are taking our family to Disneyland this fall. For five days! And we are staying in the Disneyland Hotel. The girls can hardly wait for Peter Pan, the various princesses, and, of course, ride Dumbo until they cannot see straight. It's the subject of daily conversation and has been since the trip was scheduled in January. As a self-admitted Disneyland fanatic, I must admit to sharing in their excitement. (To this day, I harbor a not-so-secret desire to live in an apartment above Fantasyland!) While Gramma and Poppy were among us, the girls talked non-stop about the trip, and even made the family watch our Disneyland souvenir video so we could see what we are going to do. If they are this enthusiastic in June, I shudder to think what they will be like when September comes to a close. No kidding. October cannot come fast enough!

10.) I am no Donna Reed. Like Ginny's obsessive wearing of her Snow White dress, this doesn't qualify as an epiphany per se, but it was reiterated again and again this weekend. I am perfectly capable of having a clean house, a well-kept yard, and clean laundry - just not all at the same time. At least not if I want to see the light of day, play with my girls, or attend any kind of social function, not to mention getting any work done on my thesis. In spite of my best efforts, the upstairs bathroom was not clean upon the arrival of my in laws (for the record, it was spotless within a few hours), I still have overflowing baskets of clean clothes (at least they were clean!) in my laundry room, and I didn't manage to finish mowing the lawns until Monday afternoon. I never did wash the girls bathmat. Nevertheless, we had a fabulous, if exhausting weekend. This experience leads me to wonder if staying on top of my myriad domestic responsibilities truly is necessary for my sense of well-being and happiness. I'll have to think on that one. In the meantime, I'm off to fold some clothes. The laundry situation has been out of control for long enough and it's driving me insane!