Mad Science

When I come home at night, I scan the kitchen table for any urgent school forms, bills to be paid, or daily happenings that need my attention. Mari is fantastic about putting all the kid's school notices in plain sight.

On Monday I came home, scanned the table, saw a piece of artwork from Jack, Nate's lunch box, a few pieces of mail, and worms. Wait what?

Worms????

It took a minute for my brain to process what I was looking at. It was a flyer titled, Caring for your Worms, and directly on top of the flyer was a cup filled with....you guessed it, worms! (Luckily there was a lid on it.)

Now somewhere back in 1984 I didn't have a problem with worms, but as years passed I evolved. In 2011, I can safely say I don't want to see worms on my kitchen table, in the exact spot I eat dinner.

I picked up the flyer and started reading. I was actually curious, how do you care for worms? About half way through the instructions Nate walked up and proceeded to describe all the "important" facts about worms.

"They don't have teeth."
"They breeth through holes in their bodies."
"They live in dirt and come to the surface when they need air." (Pretty sure this one is only half true, but I could be wrong.)

The flyer states that the worms should be set free in two weeks. TWO WEEKS?
Luckily Nate woke up yesterday and decided that two weeks were up! We needed to set them free today! Thank God! (This is one time I'm thankful we haven't reinforced the calendar too much.)

I happily agreed, and proceeded to take them outside to our newly planted garden. Nate said, "They have to be buried deep!
"Oh don't worry about that Nate, I'll put them so far down in the dirt we won't see them for a while!"

Thankfully Jack's handy work over the weekend happened to leave a large hole in the dirt, that was just the perfect spot to dump/free our worms.

I'll be sending a thank you note to the Mad Science instructor, with a special mention to stick to bubbles and volcanoes. I don't have to feed them!

Thirteen Year Later

1998

Thirteen year ago Doug and I had our first Valentine's Day. We had been dating for a few months and he surprised me by taking me to San Francisco. There were two parts to my surprise.

First we went to the Starlight Room, with amazing city views, at the top of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. We had a couple of drinks, and a really good conversation. I vividly remember talking about happiness, and how I felt in that moment.

Next we walked down the street to the St. Francis hotel where he said, "Let's check-in, I need to drop something off before dinner." When we arrived in the room, he had a arranged a private dinner for two in a suite. We ate filet mignon, champagne and creme brulee.

It was a perfect night!

I wanted to recount this story so when I've lost my memory, with our soon to be three kids, I'll remember what life used to be like.

2011

I arrived home to find two very excited little Valentine boys. The third was running a few minutes late, and said he would be home shortly. We had a date planned for the four us.

Our plan....Pizza My Heart and the new G-rated movie Gnomeo and Juliet.

When Doug arrived home, he hurried upstairs to have the boys sign my newly purchased Valentine cards. (I'm always surprised the store has any left.) Nathan handed me the pretty bouquet of Tulips Doug purchased. (I made sure to put my request for flowers in early this year. The Tulips were a surprise.)

As we sat down to eat our slices of pizza, I had a flashback to 1998. The conversation was very different, as were the drinks, but the feeling I had was very much the same.

It was a perfect night!

Thirteen year later Valentine's Day had no major surprises, but these days that's a good thing!

My Little Helpers

I was trying to remember my weekends before kids...and I can't. (I must have watched a lot of TV.) If I did try to accomplish anything, it was done at a casual pace.

My weekends now.....not so casual, and the pace.....it's directly related to the amount of sleep everyone got.

I now prioritize what needs to get done, and what I could realistically get done.... with the boys in tow. The key is to find a project that will keep them occupied long enough that they are interested, semi-helpful, and is achievable in a short time frame ie. 2 hours. The end goal can't be perfection, it has to be "good enough".

Yesterday we gardened!

It started off relatively calm. They both had shovels, and specific jobs. Our goal was to plant three pots of flowers and clear out the weeds.

Right on schedule, at the two hour mark, our timer went off.
After watering the flowers, and the dirt, then came the mud.

Jack and mud don't mix. It was time to evaluate our day's work, and decide the project was over. Our flowers were successfully in the pots, most of the weeds had been cleared out. Yep....it's good enough.

I forgot to mention I had a superhero show up half way through the project.

All Things Girl

Five and half years of "All things blue" really did a number on my girly disposition. Of course I wouldn't expect anybody to say I was a true "girly girl". I didn't wear tutus, or any colorful bows in my hair. I primarily played Soccer and preferred anything denim, although I wasn't a true tomboy either. I like to wear skirts, jewelry, and get dressed up, but don't consider my decorating style anywhere close to Shabby Chic.....

until this past weekend!

After we had the baby's room painted green, to match the new crib bedding, I went on a quest for sheets, and a comforter for the twin bed. What I found was something that I never in a million years thought I would have chosen. Let's just say, I took the girl gender stereotype to the next level. The bedding is filled with all sorts of flowered ruffles of pinks, and greens and yellows. I purchased accent pillows with the same color coordinating ruffles. When I got home and proudly showed my clan of 3 boys the new bedding, I didn't get the same reaction I felt in the store.

My reaction in the store: "It's perfect. Exactly what I've been looking for!!!!!"

Their reaction at home: "Wow...that's a lot of ruffles!"

Originally, I was worried that my mom and sister might buy too much pink to compensate for the 14 years of blue, but now I'm not so worried about them...I'm more concerned about ME! I've unleashed the inner girl in me. I can't stop looking at bathing suits like this.

I'm not going to post a picture of the bedroom yet until it's entirely finished. I"m not ready yet for the big reveal!

I think this girl thing is going to be really fun!

A Clear Warning

Now that the paint is dry, it's time for the real test....sharing a bedroom.
I was planning to leave Nate in his old room for a few weeks until we had a chance to set up both rooms, but he had a different plan.
According to Nate the new baby's room is now too girly for him. (He doesn't know what he's in for.) He insisted Doug move his bed into Jack's room tonight.

Nathan broke the news to Jack, and warned him about how the night should go. This is what the conversation sounded like:

Nate: "Jack- Trust me, you don't talk or anything tonight when we go to sleep."
Jack: "Yeah"
Nate: "If you do, I'll be super mad."
Jack: "Yeah"
Nate: "Do you understand me?"
Jack: "Yeah"

When it was time to go to bed. Nate was very proud. He posed on his bed for a formal picture, and insisted on taking a picture while sleeping. Jack on the other hand wasn't as cooperative, but he did climb in to bed and pretend to sleep.

The room is so nice and clean with the new blue walls, it's going to be hard to put the toys back. That's next weekends project.

Nesting Season

Well, I've finally done it. I've taken on a few too many things, and I'm going to blame it on a very powerful force...."nesting".

Nesting - the tendency to arrange one's immediate surroundings, to create a place where one feels secure, comfortable, or in control. (They forgot to add, totally insane.)

I underlined the three most important words, none of which are in my vocabulary today.

Now that I'm six months pregnant, I feel I have swallowed a ticking time bomb. Not for the obvious reason you would suspect. My time bomb has more to do with the ability to bend time in space or lack there of as the big day draws closer. For me, one of the most frustrating parts of being pregnant is not being able to keep up with the same physical pace my life is accustomed to. I pride myself on accomplishing 20 things before breakfast, and moving heavy furniture whenever I feel the urge. I know that after 30+ weeks, my belly will seriously limit my movement. I'm 25.5 weeks...hence the time bomb.

The past two weeks kicked off the official "nesting" season. Here is what I've taken on.....and the reasons why I don't feel secure, comfortable, or in control.

Decision ONE - The playroom - I couldn't take the clutter of toys any longer. Hanukkah and Christmas pushed me over the edge. I decided I needed cabinet doors to hide the plastic jungle.  I quickly found out a cabinet sale online is dangerous. Of course the cabinets arrived sooner than expected. Doug put together one set last weekend, and decided the other set would have to wait until today. (That conversation didn't go so well.) In the process of moving all the toys out of the current cabinets, we created a make shift playroom in the Living Room and it now looks like a tornado ripped through it.
Highlight of the week - I sold the IKEA wall unit a day after I posted it online. Decision ONE...DONE

Decision TWO - Move the boys into one room. This is not even close to being done, but I did measure the walls and sketched out furniture placement. Doug doesn't believe I do this, because whenever he asks if something will fit, I say, "Yeah, I think so". (Sure enough...it always fits.)

Decision THREE - Paint the kids' rooms. This was a lot harder than I thought. I knew I couldn't do it myself with paint fumes and all, so I decided to save my pennies and hire a painter. When I say "pennies" I mean hundreds and hundreds of them. I'm for sure in the wrong business. After I received a few quotes, I seriously considered hiring my children to paint four walls. I ended up finding a man who gave me a bargain.  I hope the saying, "You get what you pay for" doesn't hold true. He showed up today, bought the paint and has been working hard ever since. Decision THREE... half way done.

Decision FOUR - Purchase furniture for the baby's room. I've decided that any piece of future furniture we bring into this house has to last for at least 10 years. I'm tired of buying and selling furniture. My first purchase....a very girly dresser which was promptly delivered today to the upstairs hallway. We quickly realized that we also need a bed, for the very late nights we'll be experiencing shortly. Purchase number two....a cute white bed. And of course along with the bed a pink rug, pink sheets....etc etc....Decision FOUR - DONE. (Exception - All new furniture scattered throughout our home unassembled in HUGE boxes.


You'll see from the pictures that having a dresser in the middle of your hallway, a crib blocking your laundry room, a train table in your bedroom, and bins of scrap paper....I mean "art work" blocking your hall closet, somehow kill the feeling of security, being comfortable and in control very quickly!  Hopefully Nesting season, doesn't last as long as Hunting Season.

We Attract Crowds

It seems that we've won the lottery in the crowd department lately. A few weeks ago Disneyland closed it's doors when the crowd hit 80,000 people.

We were there!

Today, we innocently tried to take the Pier 41 Ferry over to Tiburon at 12:30pm. Apparently, a record breaking crowd of 40,000 people had gathered at the exact same time to "Walk for Life" an anti-abortion rally.....which shut down the Embarcardero.

We were there!

What normally would have been an hour door to door, took two! Needless to say we missed our Ferry and our Brunch reservations. But this wasn't going to stop us. I was determined to celebrate my birthday.

We put off lunch for a few hours, and hoped for the best. We booked the 2pm Ferry and bought the boys some nuts to tide them over.

The boys love their first boat ride, Nate a little more than Jack. Luckily it was only 25 minutes, because Jack started asking to get off after about 15. I think he was looking for the music and dancers from It's a Small World, the only other boat he's been on. Apparently the amazing views of the Golden Gate and Alcratez aren't as appealing to a two year old.

On a separate note, I have to mention the Ferry is a little over-rated. The last time I took it I was 24 years old, single and heading to a bar across the Bay. Today, I am 37, pregnant, with a husband and two little boys. Everybody else was still 24 and heading to a bar.  I just don't remember the Ferry smelling as bad 13 years ago.

We still had a great time. Ate a yummy lunch at Sam's cafe, and took the next Ferry home. The boys wanted ice cream so we stopped at Pier 39 and each had a cone. What was supposed to be a 3 hour trip turned into 8 hours. (Now I know how Gilligan felt.)

I will always remember turning 37. My stomach-flu, anti-abortion rally, 6 months pregnant, boys first boat ride birthday extravaganza!

Birthday (Take Two)

I have high hopes for 2011. I know it will be a good year....but last weekend, not so much.
For the past few years, we've taken the boys to Ghiradelli Square and celebrated my birthday. We would eat at Lori's Diner (amazing city views), and then have ice cream sundays at the chocolate factory. This year we were going to change it up a bit.

Jack 2009 (Chocolate Factory)

Nate 2009 (Lori's Diner)

The boys have never been on a boat , so our plans WERE to take the Ferry across the Bay and have brunch on the water.
On Thursday Nate threw up.
On Saturday Jack threw up.
On Sunday Lori threw up (my actual b-day), and......
On Monday Doug threw up.

 It took until today for all four of us to eat a full meal again.

So this weekend I demand a re-do. Since I'm not married to the Cake Boss, I kicked off the weekend making my own cake. I've been watching the show the Next Great Baker, and thought, "how hard can that be?" Well, after spelling Happy Birthday Lori, I had a kink in my neck. I'm clearly NOT the Next Great Baker.

My Masterpiece

Amazing how fast they grow in two years!

I'm convinced Jack thought it was his birthday.

Nate was in a crabby mood, so he stood on the sidelines sulking. He wasn't allowed to eat cake because he boycotted dinner, so he refused to sing too. Jack was more than happy to cover for him.

I won't let that ruin the start to a perfectly healthy weekend!

It's supposed to be beautiful tomorrow, close to 70 in San Francisco, so we've booked our Ferry tickets, and made reservations for Brunch. Wish us luck.....

Happy Birthday to ME!

End of Year Recap

I'm about three months behind on a few posts that I've wanted to write for a while.  Since I officially checked out from life due to "all day" sickness, from September to November, I'm going to catch up on several fun family outings.  Think of this as my year end recap.

September - We took a plane ride to OC for our last summer hoorah. During our previous flight we spent an hour on the tarmac while Jack chanted "I go home now". We took a short hiatus before flying again, and this was our maiden voyage. I figured it had to be better than 6-8 hours in the car. My plan worked. I prepared for the worst, and hoped for the best. We got an easy flight, no delays, and no chanting.  We had a terrific weekend, swimming, and soaking in the warm last days of Summer before the school juggle started.

The flight attendant stood on some seats in order to get an arial view of the family.

This is one of my favorite photos because of the light reading Nathan is doing in the background. As Nate would say, "Safety first!"

Nate and Grandma - great buddies

Are the bags coming?

What you didn't see were the hours of coaxing it took to get Jack in the water, and when he got in, he LOVED it!

  

October - All four of us came down with Giants Fever. Oddly enough it hit me the worst. I found myself splurging on end of season tickets, just to get one last glimpse of the team. Call it mother's intuition, or just crazy luck, but I think I purchased the best tickets of the year. We headed to the city to watch the Giants clinch the NL West Division. Other than wanting to puke at the smell of hotdogs and garlic fries, I will admit it was the best baseball game I've ever been to. It was an incredible day in SF, warm, clear and perfect for baseball.

Decked in Giant's gear. Even ready with a glove!

About this time is when we started to notice our two year old has quite the ham in him!

October Part 2 - Morning sickness got worse, but somehow I found a way to muster up enough energy to celebrate Halloween. (Let's not forget it's my 3rd favorite holiday.) We headed to our friend's house for a group trick-or-treating. Nate was Hans Solo, or as some commented a creepy Bank Robber, and Jack was a Fireman.

November - Pictures started to slow down, as did any adventures outside of the house. By the end of November I was feeling better, and we hosted Thanksgiving for 16 people. I lost my camera at some point during this month, and didn't have enough energy to find it until December...hence no pictures of Thanksgiving this year!

December - The biggest news to hit December was Baby Girl Willbank's ultrasound. We have now officially named her Baba ---pronounced Baybah! It's Nate's choice, and I told him he could have it for the next four months at which point we will rename her. (And it won't be his second favorite name, Sledgeborg.)

Outside of the Big Reveal, we managed to fit in Hanukkah, Christmas, a trip to G-ma and G-pas, New Year's at the Johnson's for Danny's big 10th birthday and Disneyland with 80,000 people. Needless to say it was a very BUSY month.

I feel the need to comment on our day at "The Happiest Place on Earth". We considered it Jack's first time, since the time before he spent sleeping in a car seat. (6 months old.) Although the park sold out in under two hours, and the lines were at least 60 minutes long, somehow it still maintained the Happiest Place on Earth status. Here is my theory. Having children prepares you for a sold out day at Disneyland. Because you live in chaos, and noise everyday, the lines don't seem so bad. It will take you 30 minutes to walk across the park, but honestly some days it takes us 30 minutes to load the car. So in weird way....we were prepared!

And when the going got really tough, there was nothing a churro couldn't fix. We even waited in 30 minute lines for the churros, but somehow life was still great. Maybe it was the smell of popcorn they pump in through the streets. Whatever it was, the smile on Nate's face and the sugar on Jack's made it all worth it!

Jack had to have these hands. I think he actually believed he was Mickey for a few moments.

That's all for my 2010 recap. Phew...I feel like life is back on track. Now I just need to get my thank you cards in the mail. If you are reading this Aunt Sophie, Marla and Aunt Marcie, thank you for your generous gifts, the kids loved them, and your thank you cards will be in the mail very soon. 

Happy 2011!  The year of the baby girl!