Who Bought This Again?

A creepier toy than this, you will never, ever find.

And I can prove it...

See?

Now, where to keep this thing when we're sleeping? (The kids won't let it be upstairs...)



Happy Birthday, Jack!

The holiday season is jam packed with fun (and wrapping paper) at our house.  First we have Grammie's birthday and then Christmas.  Right after that Jack's birthday arrives, and then mine brings up the rear.  You get a lotta bang for your holiday buck at our house this time of year. Whew!  We are partied out.

Jack  is now TEN.  Ten years old.  Double digits, folks.  He's starting to make that familiar shift that kids make in their fourth grade year.  Little kid silliness still exists (a lot) but here and there, Jim and I question ... "Whoa.... who's this mature person living in our house?!"  Quick wit and easy sarcasm pop out at the most unexpected times.  It's a weird sensation to be the parent, in this case, instead of just the teacher observing the 9 to 10 year old transition in a classroom.  You'd think I would have been better prepared.

But no.  I just marvel.  When Jim needs help with the Christmas lights, Jack is right there, up in the attic, on the roof, HELPING.  Not just being in the way.  When Jim has to think about how to best get the new Christmas up into the attic, Jack has ideas.  And real solutions.  And Jim takes his advice.

When dinner needs cooking, Jack is willing and able to help.  And remembers how to cook it himself the next time.

 Jack, master of mac and cheese. 

And when Jack argues with his mom and dad, suddenly he has a logical argument that he's much less afraid to deliver right back to you.  When you're caught unaware, his viewpoint.... it's suddenly much more thought out and valid. 

This is a weird concept.  Alien Jack.  Alien and cool Jack.

Here's Jack's birthday interview:

1.   Favorite song:  Sleigh Ride

2.  Favorite cereal:  Lucky Charms

3.  Favorite color:  Blue

4.  Favorite outfit:  Short sleeve shirt, shorts, bicycle gloves, and fluffy slippers  (??? )

I've never seen him wear the outfit mentioned above... but this one is equally flashy.

5.  Favorite holiday:  Christmas (because my birthday is close)

6.  Favorite friend:  Kyle

7.  Favorite snack:  Snow ice cream  (this answer really confused me because... we've... um... never made snow ice cream.)

8.  Favorite thing to have for dinner:  Mac and cheese

9.  Favorite movie:  The Polar Express

10.  Favorite game:  Playing with the parachute in P.E.  (oooh... that's a good one, Jack.)

11.  Favorite toy:  Woody  (remember this?)

12.  Favorite fruit:  Strawberries

13.  Favorite animal:  Mouse  (Mouse?  Mouse?  I'm pretty sure he's just making stuff up now...)



Happy Birthday, Jack!  And thanks for the sweet birthday wishes right back at me.  You make me smile, kid.

Just Dance 2013!



It's become sort of a New Year's tradition for *friends to gather at our house on New Year's Eve.  We eat really unhealthy foods and play a few group games... but I think mostly people just gotta dance and/or cheer (heckle) the dancers once the midnight hour rolls on by.

The award for Best Overall again (no surprise) goes to Andrea Schlager!  Her funk is unbeatable.

Artsy, I know.

Even if we conspire, and then go and rent a brand new dancing game with surprise choreography/songs that Schlager has never seen, we are defeated. This year we tried the X-Box's  "Just Dance 4" just to throw her off, but her internal beat is rock solid and steady.

Best Modest Claims Not To Be Able To Just Dance... but then Heyyy, Never Mind.... I Might As Well Be An English Boy Band Stand-In :  Andrea Pullan! 

Cutest and Most Rhythmic Newcomer Under 4:  Chloe Pullan! 

Most Impressive Is-This-My-Child Newcomer Over 9:  Jack Hoodenpyle! 
Best Rock Lobster/Obliging 4th Grade Teacher:  Danavee Long!

Most Physically Exhausted:  Danavee Long!  (Double Winner!)

Sleepiest Observer:  Emma Hoodenpyle! 

And Best Tender Embrace/Homage to Patrick Swayze:  Andrea Schlager!  (Double Winner!) 

Thank you, Schlager... I did, in fact, have the time of my life.

 

 

Sorry, ladies, there are no trophies for the superlative winners this year.  But... if there were, they'd probably look a lot like this:

 



Happy New Year!

*Not in attendance and sorely missed:  Nancy Doubrava and Ashley Boschen.  Mark your calendars and bring your babies next year.  We start the schooling early 'round here!

Emma Turns 5!

I'm a little late with this post's annual birthday interview.  (Emma's actual birthday was the last day of November... better late than never.)    Anyway, you can brush up on Emma's answers from last year's interview here.  One change for this year... some questions were video recorded, as requested by my good friend, Schlager.  Wish granted!

In the videoing of my 5 year old, I quickly learned that some sessions go well.  Aaaand other times, you have to stop recording and change locations if the picking at her toenails distracts her from even the easiest of questions. 

Emma.  Come on now.  

Take two goes so much better...

 

 

 

And take three even continues to go well... until I laugh at her and she pulls out her best evil eye.  Do not laugh at Emma.  Just don't.

 

 

Other questions that I asked weren't caught on tape, but here were some of her answers:

 

What's your favorite cereal?  Froot Loops

 

What's your favorite outfit?  What's that outfit where the shirt attaches to the shorts?  (Me:  A romper?)  Yeah!  I like my romper.  Can I put it on?  (No, Emma.  It's winter.)  Groan.

 

Who's your best friend?  Addy, Sabella, and Skyler.

 

Other questions I can't believe I forgot to ask!

What's your favorite holiday? 

What do you want to eat for dinner on your birthday? 

What do you want to be when you grow up? 

 

Shoot.  I will do better next year...

 

To make up for it, I've included a few video bloopers: 

 

 

 

This one is called,  "Please don't ask me really deep, higher order thinking questions.  I'm five."



 

 This one is called, "I have a cold."

 

 

This one is called, "Please don't talk to me right now."
 

 

 

 

In a year's time, Emma hasn't changed much in a handful of areas.  She still loves to sing:

 

 

And draw:

 

And sing some more:

 



 

 

Happy birthday to my sweet, beautiful, hilarious, sassy, tough, stinky, and dramatic little baby.  I love you muchly...

 

 

 

What a girl.

Blog Therapy

Whoa.  It's been so long since I've blogged that I'm all discombobulated.  I just tried logging into the blogger website... and I actually had to THINK for a minute about what my user name and password was. 

As you can tell, I remembered.  But just LOOK at this place.  The format for entering a post is all different.  I don't even recognize the screen.  Shaking my head.  Things have gotten all modern-y and stuff while I've been gone.  It's not like it was  (back in April--- date of last post) when I used to walk 10 miles to school barefoot in the snow. 

Geez.

At least there's still a bright orange, hard to miss PUBLISH button.  I think I can still remember how to do this.

I miss this place, different as it may look now.  I remember when I felt clever and funny, and this was the place to be me.  I could make myself laugh and laugh and laugh with posts about nothing and everything. 

I've been REALLY REALLY grumpy lately.  It occurred to me that I haven't had a "just me"day in quite awhile.  Maybe this is part of the problem.  I'm sort of that person who needs to just walk around the mall by myself and not talk to anyone for an hour in order to feel recharged.  That has not happened.  I'm trying to devote a few minutes of just sitting here, in this spot, writing.  I don't have much to say, but maaaaaybe my mood will improve if I just force myself to ramble.  I want to be fun to be around again.

School has started again.  Duh.  It's October.  I have a great class, and while we have our fun, I sure wish I could have as much fun as Emma when she goes to school. 

Or at least as much fun as that kid rolling around on the ground behind her.

Jack is loving school - but what else is new? His teacher is my best pal and twin from whom I was separated at birth (of course overlooking that fact that we look not much alike at all and... um... that we were born in different years.)  But anyway, we think it's funny that Jack is in her class.  I get to hear Jack stories from a whole new perspective.  And sometimes I get to hear that he's not at all what I imagined as a student...  and I mean that in a good way.  Well.. crap... how can I mean that in a good way when it sounds like I'm saying that I previously imagined him in not a good way? That's not what I mean to say... having.trouble.describing. 

I guess I just imagined Jack a little daydreamy and shy.  Danavee reports that he is well-liked, pretty darn with-it, and can even be a bit of a ham.  Weird.  I like hearing Jack stories though.  It's fun as the Momma across the hall.


In other Jack news, he thinks he can whistle now. 

Not quite, buddy.  But... almost.  Maybe.

In Emma news, she's learning to read some very early beginner books.  That's so fun.

 

In cat news, Cookie was locked in this closet for the entire day today.  Her meows even sounded hoarse from what I imagine was her calling out "I'm in here and shouldn't be!"  to an empty, empty house for 10 hours straight. 

Cookie had an awful day.

In fish news, Blue is feeling blue.  He lays on the rocks at the bottom of his tank most days,  refusing most food and interaction.  I can't quite figure out what's wrong with him.  The Internet says he may have something call fin rot.  (The medicine I administered did nothing to perk him up, unfortunately.)  So I consulted the Internet again, and another suggestion says that maybe he just needs a fish lady friend. 

Come on, Blue.  This house can't take a fish death.  Not allowed, young man.

While our pets have seen better days, Emma's Bill Cosby impression has never been better.



No.  Emma is not imitating Bill Cosby.  But I'm onto something, right?  Right?!

Jack.  Holding a 2012-13 school picture of Jack.  This kid's cute.

I'll wrap up now.  Maybe I'll just tell Blue that he needs to take up blogging.  It makes ya feel better, I'm tellin' ya.

Age 9

The age at which the froggy ride quits being fun. 
And starts getting embarrassing.

That Kind Of Girl

Recently my nine year old has been participating in an after school running program. The kids stay after school and train with teacher training partners/role models in preparation for an upcoming local 5K race in May. Jack has been doing well with it, and he's having fun each and every week that the group has assembled.
Last Monday, one of my esteemed coworkers (who was running alongside Jack) asked, "So, why isn't your mom out here running with us?" And an honest Jack replied, "Well.  She just isn't the running kind of girl."

Wow.  What a true statement!  I so want to be the running kind of girl, but...  shaking my head.

But that got me thinking and reflecting.  What kind of girl am I?  Certainly not the health conscious, active, and fit kind in my kid's eyes.  And gosh, and I'd so like to be.  Jim more than makes up for what I lack in this image of a parent.  But still.  I'd like to bring something to the table here... for myself just as much as for my family.

And so last night, the stubborn part of me stuck out my jaw and did some spontaneous exercises with the kids.  It was fun.  And I'm a good kind of sore today.

And that was a small thing.  So I wanted more.

"Maybe," I thought to myself,  "I'll try to break some of my unhealthy eating habits."  The spinach smoothies were a new venture and made me feel sort of temporarily proud of myself.  I looked on Pinterest, again, for some inspiration. 

And so I found that the 'Greek yogurt advocates' caught my attention.  I'd never tried Greek yogurt before, and this wasn't the first time I'd heard about how wonderful this stuff is supposed to be for your health.  Anyway,  they convinced me, and I went out to buy some.  The Pinterest folk said that if I just "mixed in a package of dry ranch dressing, it would replace the taste of my ranch dips and cut out all that unnecessary fat." 

"Okay," I thought.  "Perfect.  Let's do this."

And so I did. Here's my Greek yogurt all mixed and yummy looking.  Carrot ready!

And then I tasted it.  It was okay.  But something just wasn't right.

Was it sort of sweet?

Yes.  I tried it again.  This was definitely sweet.  And it would never, never do.  A few more carrot bites.  I quickly began to get grossed out.

And so I went back to my computer.  Greek yogurt.  It said it right there on the screen!  Plain Greek yogurt!  They promised me this would work!  Liars!

And so I went back to the kitchen to look at my Greek yogurt that was pretty much breaking my heart.

Wait just a cotton pickin' minute. 

I'm apparently not a label reading kind of girl.  I'd purchased vanilla.  Not plain.  And this reminded me of the time I'd tried to make my friend, Andrea's, amazing salsa.  But instead of regular diced tomatoes, I'd come home with:

Basil, garlic, and oregano flavored diced tomatoes... that DO NOT replicate Andrea's amazing salsa in any way shape or form.  Trust me, I've tried it.

Sigh.

The Greek vanilla/ranch yogurt was promptly deposited in the appropriate place.

And out of disgust, I fixed myself some health conscious dinner.

I'm going to have to change my kid's image of his mother some other day.   

And you can just bite me, carrots.