I'm flying!

One of the things that Josh invented (which used to appall me because I hate feet) was to lift up our daughters into the air with feet while we lie down. I converted to the dark side because apparently, they like it.

Stay at home stylist

Took the day off from work today and had a wonderful time with my children. I even gave Sadie a spiffy new haircut. Here's a picture of the lovely and freshly shorn locks crawling through a nylon tunnel.

I don't know anyone more stubborn or crazy (except his relatives)

I'm very afraid for my crazy and stubborn husband. He decides in the middle of a nasty poison ivy outbreak to go on a poison ivy hunt around our yard and compost pile, violently anilhilating all the poison ivy he could get his hands on. Despite protests, he went out with regular clothes with very little protection save for surgical gloves which ripped in the process. After he finished the job, he came back into the house raging like a lunatic. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" he screamed at me and the kids. He slams the door to the bathroom. Dazee is excited to see her father and innocently calls for him through the closed door, "Da da da da" in her sweet sing song voice. "GET HER AWAY!" my husband commands. I lift her up and she starts crying in protest. She doesn't understand why Dada won't play with her.
If he gets a second case of poison ivy or spreads it to one of us, I don't think that will be good at all.

Brother, can you spare a penis?

Strapped in her carseat, in the back of the car, with her little sister strapped next to her, Sadie suddenly and proudly proclaims, "I don't have a penis!"
"That's right," I said. "What do you have?"
She grins, "A vaginis."
I tell her that boys have penises and girls have vagin-NAHs. I asked her, what does mommy have?
"A penis," she responds. "Is mommy a boy or a girl?" I ask, trying to lead her to the right answer by using the Socratic method. "A girl, " she says.
So what does mommy have? I ask again. "A vaginis," she replies. This goes on for few rounds and everyone I ask about seems to have a penis to her, her grandmothers, father and friends at school.
Finally, we go back to square one because she says in a rising questioning tone, "I don't have a penis?!"

Guest post: bettering the world

I usually just live my life with my own thoughts and ideals - without really expending any energy to convince anyone else that one way or another is better. I guess I'm used to seeing others do something "wrong" - and I can just think I'm better than them, without worrying about changing them. But I'm starting to think more like a leader: if I want to live in the world I want to live in, or if I'm going to make it a better world, then I need to spread what I believe in and convince others to adopt my ways. Leading by example is good, but better if you're public about it, and try to raise awareness and convince others to see the light. That's how you can impact the world better, and hopefully make it a better place. -JS

Random goals

Here are some things I'd like to get to at some point. Maybe writing them down here will begin some kind of commitment because I surely need some momentum:

1. Clean out the loads of clutter and unpack boxes.
2. Write a book (what will it be about?!)
3. Make the baby books (I'm such a bad mom!)
4. Figure out how to decorate and furnish the rest of my house.
5. Run a marathon before I'm 40.
6. Organize and clean out the 15,000 photos I have of my children.
7. Reduce or eliminate the consumption of animal products, especially meat.

Poison ivy virgin

I've never gotten poison ivy my whole life (and I didn't know anyone who got it growing up). Am I somehow not allergic (are Asians lactose intolerant and poison ivy resistant - does that go like ham and eggs?) or have I lived a really sheltered life?

Guest post from the Poison Ivy patient

On Sunday, when I was doing some weeding next to the house, I saw these long vines, woody stems around 1/3" thick, and maybe 6' long. They had clusters of 3 leaves on them, but the leaves weren't shiny or reddish or darkish, as I thought they would normally look if I should be afraid of them. I knew poison ivy comes in clusters of 3 leaves, but I didn't really think these otherwise benign looking weeds would cause much problem. I tried to pull them out fairly casually to start with just by grabbing and pulling at the vines, but without a great grip on them, I just stripped all the leaves off of them into my hand as I pulled. That didn't work very well; so I proceeded to wrap the vines around my hands to get a good grip on them, and then tried to pull them out - hopefully by the roots. Carrying the crushed leaves, and pieces of vines to the compost pile, along with a pile of other weeds, I started to think that I might be in trouble. I casually washed off my legs and arms with the hose just in case, but as it turns out, I had gotten much of my body in contact with the poison, and even after the hose washing, I was going to have problems.

Oddly, I broke out in an immediate surface skin rash on my arms, but I think/thought this was my allergic response to tomato plant leaves. That's what caused me to take a more thorough shower at that point. And as it turned out, that rash DID go away in an hour or two.

I knew the poison could incubate for a day or two, so nervous as I was, by Tuesday night, I thought I was in the clear.

Then on Wednesday, I started itching a little bit: I tried applying some hydrocortisone, which I didn't think helped very much - maybe it did. I was suspicious, but not convinced that I was f*cked yet. Wednesday night was worse, and then by Thursday morning, I had rashes forming on my neck, part of my face and my arms, and I recognized it as poison ivy, and realized I was going to suffer. I bought some Calydryl, which seemed to help temporarily - maybe for 10 minutes or so per application ... but I knew I wasn't in great shape. After doing some research at work, I read that it generally would last for 1-3 weeks - and I didn't like the sound of that. But I remember when I was a kid having poison ivy really bad - to the point that I could easily cry, and we'd just put calamine lotion on it and deal with it. So I figured this would be dealt with in a similar way. Who'd a thought there are better ways to deal with it that no one in my family would have known about when I was young?

Thursday night was miserable - no sleep even after taking a Tylenol PM (granted it expired in 2001, but I don't think that's especially relevant), and applying the Caladryl (CVS generic) often and liberally (2-3 drops at a time). Friday I went into work, only intending to stay an hour or two - because I knew I was in bad shape. As it turns out, my coworker recommended a scrub that is actually supposed to surround and suck out the urushiol, the toxin responsible for the reaction. Zanfel is the only product claiming to do this, and the reviews were very good. However, whereas Calydryl cost around $1 per ounce, this cost $40, and Duane Reade had no generic! (I later learned that CVS does, for less than $18 per ounce). I cared enough to buy it, which goes a ways to showing how miserable I was - went home and started using it.

Zanfel is an exfoliator (and spermicide and acne medicine - or at least its ingredients include those chemicals), and when rubbed on the affected areas, you become like a maddenned dog scratching more and more vigorously until your muscles are sore from the effort, and your skin is reddened from it too. But it seems to have started working almost immediately. Still, it is difficult for it to penetrate thicker skin (like my hands, which were still getting progressively worse), and it was Friday afternoon, and I was afraid the symptoms might continue to get worse, and then I wouldn't be able to see a doctor until Monday, so I agreed to go when my wife got me a walk-in appointment at the dermatologist. They gave me a shot of cortocortisol (I think), that was supposed to have the same effect as a 14 day declining dose of the steroid Prednisone.

Well, it's Saturday morning, and I look and feel way better. I've been using the Zanfel (and bought a back-up tube of the CVS generic for next time, or for friends and family who get into ivy trouble), and I also bought Technu, which will wash off the urushiol next time I think I may have exposure. I also bought this more topical gel that used to be called Rhuli gel (that is made by band-aid now as anti-itch gel) with camphor (which also appears to be working a little), and I have extras of that for friends and family too.

I don't know necessarily how much benefit I've been getting from the shot, and how much from the Zanfel, but the lesions are retreating, and the itching is much much better, and I only started both these treatments about 24 hours ago. I can function again, and by Monday, I think the healing will be nearly complete.

I have to say a couple things: all the reviews, and even personal testimonial from friends about the shot or prednisone have been impressive, but not strong enough to make me go. Well for anyone who wonders, or if this happens again: Go to the doctor and get the shot - the downside is maybe $35 and an hour going to the doctor, but it works, and I don't see any side effects, and I would absolutely go back if I could do this again. No one was strong enough in saying that to me who had personal experience with it ... just get the shot - it's so worth it (especially considering I spent $40 on 1 ounce of the Zenfel). I would also say that I recommend using the generic Zenfel, in addition to other topical sprays/gels (calydryl and that camphor spray both decent enough for minor applications).

Who'd a thought you didn't have to suffer for at least a week being miserable from the severe itching? The medecines really helped - I didn't know or think they would. I'm very pleasantly surprised ... and I'm happy to tell anyone else who wants to know how to beat the itch. Supposedly this works for poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac too. Medicate! (I feel like this is how the rich do it!) And have a nice day.

-JS

Addendum: note that poison ivy is not contagious either to other parts of your own skin, or to other people, even if it were leaking liquid.

I know best

I've been nagging my husband to see a doctor for his poison ivy. Finally today, I made an emergency appointment for him with my dermatologist and forced him to go. They gave him a shot (I won't tell you where) and he is already feeling better.

Poor Josh

I feel bad for my husband because he got a nasty case of poison ivy. But he's also hard to give some sympathy to because he's been so moody. If I breathe or talk the wrong way, he growls at me. It's been so easy to detonate his temper.

Need contents of wallet: yours

I signed up to run the 5K race to support finding a cure for breast cancer (the Susan G Komen, "Race for the Cure" in Central Park on 9/14/08).

Click here to give me some support by way of parting with some dough.
Thank you and have a nice day.

BTW, I will be running with my husband and I've decided to run it at a leisurely pace since I'm lazy and undisciplined when it comes to speed. The race would be more my style if it was longer, and all uphill. For some reason, I seem to perform better within a bootcamp construct vs. a flat and short race.

One for each of us

Last week, I did a run of about 4-5 miles with my bionic sister in law and husband. It was especially gratifying because I smoked my husband. He was really hurtin' while I was shinin'. It felt so good to beat such a bastion of conceit. Granted, he was under the weather and had nothing to eat (whereas I downed a bagel and orange juice before "competing") but I'm happy to gloat over the win.

A few days later, we went for another run and he really kicked my butt. He said, let's start sprinting; from the moment he said it, I knew I was done...I'm much better at endurance. Anyway, I watched him in awe. He didn't even look human anymore, the way he moved his arms. They were flitting so fast, like hummingbird wings - amazing!

Sadie's birthday party

This morning, we had a birthday party for Sadie at preschool. She really enjoyed licking off all the pink frosting and wearing the birthday crown. Dazee, meanwhile enjoyed sucking her chocolate thumb.

Elements of the birthday party

Goody bags that I made - and one for the birthday girl too.
Cupcakes that Josh and I baked. I did a horrible job with the frosting.

Am I a hater?

I saw this excerpt with respect to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's new twins:

"Fortunately, they already have some household helpers. '[Shiloh] and Z pick out [the twins'] clothes and help change and hold them,' says Jolie. 'It's sweet -- they are little mommies.' "

I think this must be pure bullshit. Most 2 and 3 year olds that I know enjoy clobbering little ones. I can't imagine that they help with child rearing at all. If they truly are making contributions in childcare duties, she should be sued for violating child labor laws.

A tip and a question

Even though I've only been using the sonicare for a week (10 years later than everyone else, it seems), I already have a tip. Before I turn it on, I apply toothpaste to the 4 quadrants of my mouth for even distribution.

I've been really eager to clean all parts of my mouth. Am I going too deep? I'm experiencing a gag reflex when I try to get to all the back teeth.

Sadie and me

With a giraffe in the background.

The third dimension

Dazee has a really thick foot. Unfortunately, children's shoes manufacturers only take two measurements into consideration when sizing for feet: length and width. What about depth? It's very difficult to find shoes that will fit poor Dazee. Our neighbor next door has the same problem with her kid. I bet there is a huge unserved market for children's shoes shaped like a puff pastry.

Dazee and me at the NY Botanical Garden

Some animals we saw at the Bronx zoo

Mommy kangaroo

Me, happily carrying over 50lbs!

Giggles all around from leg wiggles

Josh wiggled his skinny legs to get these great expressions out of us.

The 4 cousins!

Clouds!

These were the storm clouds just before it started pouring.

Perfect storm

Look at these fabulous pictures I took of my niece and nephew just minutes before a nasty rainstorm. It was raining horrendously hard and the house became pitch black in the middle of the day! Oh and credit goes to me for hairstyling too!

Achoo!

I have a summer cold. Summer colds are the worst!

How to be happy longer

What's the secret to long lasting happiness? I asked my lunch companions. Short term happiness seems pretty easy...I remembered being very excited when we first bought our house or sometimes when I get something I really like, like the monogrammed towels. The excitement has worn off in both situations. Am I supposed to buy another house or get new towels to inject some joy into my life?
I thought about what I read once, that happiness is a pretty stable factor. They took two groups of people, measured their levels of happiness before and after a really happy event like winning the lottery or a really tragic event, like becoming a quadriplegic. Surprisingly, after some time has passed, the levels of happiness was the same after the initial high or low of the unhappy or happy event.
So except for short bursts of excitement and sadness, I'm pretty much doomed to my current levels of happiness regardless of what I do?

Irresponsible hydration

Does anyone actually believe that Vitamin Water is good for you? I'm drinking a nice looking light pink concoction called "formula 50" with the subtitle "grape (50% daily dose)". The sub-title is very confusing to me because in the ingredient list, I can't find the word "grape". I do see "cane sugar", "crystalline fructose", "natural flavor" among the top ingredients, leading me to proclaim, the product is a piece of sh@!!

I'm behind the times

As it turns out, everybody and their mother-in-law is using a Sonicare or like product. WTF have I been?!
Now I'd like to know what the best/most effective model is and why...in my husband's typical style of spending, I'm pretty sure I got the cheapest model possible. Wonder if it's refurbished?!

Not to be outdone

Here's Dazee, 22 hours old in her best hospital garb.

Blast from the past!

Well not so so past...Sadie, about 16 hours old.

Today rocked!

Today was a great summer day that I'd like to try to repeat. Generally, I've always tried to take it easy..."scheduling" only one activity a day or we would mostly stay home and relax in the yard.

Today was so action packed. Instead of being stressed out, I think we all had so much fun. In the morning, we took our kids to the zoo with another couple and their child. In the late afternoon, we took them to the beach.

Being out all day in the sun lifted my spirits and as a bonus, it tired my kids out. By ten to eight, both babies were sound asleep, rewarding me with some much needed personal time!

WTF? Tell me what you like

We've been using a really cheap (and in my opinion crappy) Kraft (ew!) Parmesan. I tried telling Josh that we can do better, but my spendthrifty pleas sound are so whiny and frequent that they often go unheeded. Recently my husband found out that his parents have been consuming $13/lb Parmesan cheese, so he got very upset. It's not what you think though. Because his parents are generally thrifty people (the apple does not fall far from the tree), if they are willing to splurge on a product, then it must be good. He felt cheated. He learned to get cheap cheese from them, if they've moved on, why didn't they clue him in? Thinking about how many times they've stayed at our house and ate the crappy cheese without sharing their opinions on how things should be done makes my husband fume.
There're plenty more stories like this, the basic gist is that someone's figured out something good or likes a certain product AND they know what you're using/eating is crappy but they keep mum. I used to think my husband sounded like a pretty whiny nerd to get mad over this, but then it happened to me.

I've been complaining for ages about my crappy teeth. Anyone who's listened to me while using/owning an electric toothbrush makes me angry. Why didn't you say anything?! Now that I have one, I feel obligated to tell others who would benefit from knowing this information.

I'm totally incensed that people don't do enough sharing. Everyone knows word of mouth is powerful testimonial so why are people so loath to doing it? Is politeness the main reason to stay quiet? Because privately thinking someone's an idiot when you can help change the situation sounds pretty rude to me. I'm not asking you to spew non-sequiturs left and right, inundating all conversations with recommendations but if the subject does come up, you happen to know something about it, connect the dots, do some good for the world, goddammit and tell me what you know. You can try to balance "to each his own" with "share your knowledge", but when you are hanging out with me, you can always err on the side of letting it all hang out - please!
Josh and I are like missionaries for all the things we like. Here's a list of some stuff we think are great, please add your words of wisdom here. Quickly, for Christ's sake, you've made me wait for too long!
1. Eurofoam mattress
2. Pulltap corkscrews
3. Down pillows
4. Ralph Lauren towels from Horchow
5. Lands end rashguards for kids
6. Menstrual cups (this one's just from lil 'ol me)
7. GPS unit
8. Mach 3 razor blades
9. Cheap knives that are frequently sharpened
10. Cuisinart multiclad as an economical substitute to All Clad
11. San Marzano tomatoes

My teeth

A recent trip to the dentist revealed two more cavities. At the rate I'm going, I need to put on a down payment now for my set of false teeth.
I nagged my husband to get me an electric toothbrush. Last night I used the sonicare. My teeth felt so clean but it does take some getting used to. It hurts and tickles; the two minute timer seems like forever torture.

Dazee

I sometimes get accused of publishing more pictures of Sadie, so here are some cute ones of Dazee. She kind of looks like a really cute boy.

I'm a menstrual activist

This is not the long-awaited menstrual cup sequel I promised a while back but it is a little nugget to get you excited (or disgusted) by what's to come.
I just can't stop singing the praises of using one. Formerly I had major leakage problems.

STOP HERE IF YOU CAN'T TAKE THE HEAT...





I've leaked on everything imaginable, mattresses, chairs at work, cars, etc. etc. For the first time in my life, I feel secure in knowing that my underwear and surrounding furniture is safe.

Kids can be so mean...what should I do?

Sadie frequently pushes her sister out of the way or knocks her down if she thinks Dazee is getting too much attention. Dazee doesn't really know what's going on. If she takes a fall on her butt, she just gets back up again. But if she takes a fall on her head, she cries and an adult comes to her rescue and Sadie gets a reprimand or "time-out".
This weekend, the tables were turned on Goliath but not by David, but even bigger Goliaths. We had a big family reunion in the country - 12 adults and 6 children. Sadie was one of the youngest and got picked on by the older kids. "Get out of here, we're going to kick you in the ass!" they scream at her. They take away her toy and make her chase them to get it back, but it's impossible, they have a 3 year lead. "POOOPY HEAD!!!" they taunt. But she continues to follow them around like a lovesick puppy. I don't know if she's fully processing that they're mean to her. "SHUT UP!!!" they command her. Then they play "jail" and lock her in the closet. We had to rescue poor Sadie from her tormenters twice.
What's a parent to do? It seems hardwired for kids to pick on the smaller or younger. When do I intervene and when do I turn a blind eye? Is there a difference between bullying borne from envy versus one borne from carrying out hard-wired instructions to pick on those smaller/weaker than you?
I noticed that parents of the older kids tend to ignore more than me. I don't know if that's a result of personality differences, experience or energy level. Maybe it's a gender thing too? The boys seemed so much more active and physical than the girls. My heart just goes out to poor little Sadie when she gets picked on. It's like I'm watching Animal Planet and I know the gazelle's going to get eaten by the lion. Should the camera people intervene?!

3 year old baby

Sadie insisted on wearing one of Dazee's "onesie" or jumpsuit today. We're supposed to dress her in a bathing suit for camp, but she refused. I tried all kinds of bribes and chicanery but nothing convinced her of taking off her baby sister's outfit. She looks silly and the camp people might get mad that we didn't follow instructions and send her in wearing a bathing suit. I guess we should tell them we don't care if she "swims" in her "regular" "clothes". Sigh....

I'm supposed to learn from a pathological sleep averter?

Many times I hear people say we need to get in touch with children or we need to think and feel the world like children. How they have such a keen sense of being in the moment, how they take risks, fully trust and how they are full of self esteem etc. etc. This is all true but I can't help but think of a situation when I don't understand children and certainly do not want to emulate them.

Each night, my children put up the biggest fuss as they resist going to bed. How can I get my children to sleep easily and quickly? I know they're tired. Why are children so pathological? Instead of screaming and crying why don't they just close their eyes, relax and go to sleep like normal human beings?

Take a breather

I'm in the middle of executive training and the instructor tells us to
take a break. What do we all do? Everyone reaches for their Blackberry
or cell phone. It's kind of funny because I self consciously reach for
my Blackberry to follow the herd but when I first heard take a break,
I was thinking about zoning out.

SOS SMS

Because I'm not on a text message plan on any work or personal devices, I'm totally clueless about texting. I just discovered like 20 texts, sent in the last year on my Blackberry. Most of them seem to be either junk mail or automated notifications from my service provider. There is one from a friend asking, Where is your office located again? I did eventually meet him for lunch (this took place a few months ago), so he did figure where to meet me. How come he never mentioned my SMS snub?

French Toast Recipe using whole wheat bread

I made some delicious French toast today, so I'd like to share the recipe. The crushed cornflakes idea comes from Ari who had it at EAT.

4 eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (you can substitute regular flour, I'm sure, but this is what I used)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
crushed corn flakes
6 slices thick whole wheat bread (ours was the slightly sweet kind, I think it has honey in it)

1. Combine the first seven ingredients in a bowl.
2. Heat a skillet with some butter.
3. Dip each piece of bread (I cut them in half) in the mixture, making sure to cover each side well.
4. Coat both sides with crushed corn flakes.
5. Cook each slice in the hot buttered skillet, maybe about 4 minutes per side.
ENJOY!!!
We had ours with maple syrup, blueberries, strawberries and yogurt.

Eagle eye Josh

3 Gutenberg Bibles, published around 1450 are on display at the Morgan! Really interesting and cool exhibit. The Bibles are gigantic (20" X 30" closed), beautiful (hand illumination and decoration), written in Latin with barely readable thick Gothic type setting. I tried to make out some of the words but it was impossible. Until Josh poked me and declared, "Look! I can make out the word labia!" I rolled my eyes and dismissed him. But, he was right!
I recall vividly seeing Et labia after he pointed it out. After we left, he asserted that he saw Et labia majora, which I am refuting. Even though I didn't read past the word labia, I'm quite sure there are no lines in the Bible equivalent to what I think Et labia majora translates to.

How we were meant to celebrate the 4th of July

By pure coincidence, at the Morgan museum, I saw a letter, written in 1779, by our founding father, George Washington . In it, Washington orders his general to fire 13 cannons at 1PM to commemorate the 3rd anniversary of our Declaration of Independence. Because they were in the middle of fighting the Revolutionary War, Washington notes that the reason for doing is to "exhilarate the troops" since we "can not afford rum". Finally in the post script of the letter, Washington specifically notes that they use the "damaged" gunpowder (just enough for 13) to fire the cannons.

Washington was frugal like my skin flint husband!

Can you imagine if a less frugal person was in charge? Instead of fireworks on the 4th, we'd be getting drunk in the afternoon.

Graft and cronyism: a work perk!

I'm mad as heck and if I hadn't witnessed it for myself, I would've never believed such a thing could exist...an institutionalized form of corruption. Preferential treatment for those in the know...please read on.


Yesterday, I rode shotgun with a friend of mine. At one point, she obviously and blatantly ran a red light. Within seconds, we saw flashing lights behind us; dread settled in as we prepared for our encounter with the cops. My friend politely handed over her license and registration and then casually made a comment, "Oh my boyfriend's a cop" while handing over a leather portfolio that contained some plastic PBA cards as well as a miniature badge with the number of the cop who gave it to her. Why couldn't you stop the car, interrogated one cop. My friend blurted out with a ridiculous fib, Oh because I was afraid the groceries were going to hit us. I had to really control myself to not burst out of laughter over this and the fact that she told them her boyfriend is a cop. How is that relevant?! I marvelled.

As we sat alone while the cops took the documents back to their car, my friend started telling me about how she got out of at least 6 other sticky situations (speeding, not stopping at a stop sign, etc.). She was optimistic that we would not get a ticket. I don't know where her hubris came from and I tried to quash it, "We're definitely getting a ticket. You ran that red light, no question."

The cops came back, gave her a lame warning and even politely informed her one of her brake lights were out. They exchanged a few pleasantries and my friend got off the moving violation!!! I was shell-shocked. My friend explained to me that cops don't "mess with their own." The "silly" portfolio she handed over, with the PBA cards and badge was actually a get out of jail free card!!!

Since then I've spoken to a number of people and did a little Google search and I've learned this:

NY/NJ cops are given a small number of badges/tokens that they can give to their closest friends and families. When these "friends" are stopped for a traffic violation (or are parked illegally, risking a parking ticket), they can show their "credentials" and the vast majority of the time, instead of getting a ticket, they'll get a: "Have a nice day". (Of course these days many people sell the cards, so I don't think it's unusual for an officer to call the cop who the card originated with to see if it's legit.) In fact, most police organizations discourage their officers from writing tickets to friends of the police - and they're public about it!

They even have a euphemism for it -- PC (professional courtesy). A cop from NY wrote on a Michigan police message board asking if Michigan police would extend PC to NY PBA badge/card holders.

I'm incensed and outraged!

I've been reading a lot of message boards on the debate/discussion about the ethics of this situation. The logic that people employ to condone this is that you wouldn't give your mom a ticket. I think that this is legitimate because you know your mom. But to not give someone else's mom a ticket so that they won't give your mom one is going a step to far. Josh tells me to suck it up as a fringe benefit of cops.

Side note: My apologies for the poor organization of this post. I wanted to spend a lot more time on this post, elaborate a lot more and maybe even submit it to a paper or something but my husband insists that it be extremely brief and that I get it out to my dear readers as soon as possible because they would be interested in this kind of information.

Fireworks - bah humbug

I was never a fan of fireworks. My first memory of it was around the time I was in grade school. My mom went through a lot of effort to get us from Queens to the fireworks on the East side; she really hyped it and got us all excited for them. Once I was there, I was terrified of the crowd, of getting lost and of the noise. When the fireworks were in full effect, as many people hooted and cheered, I could barely breathe. My heart was pounding in my throat; I feared that the fireworks would come down and burn me. I kept asking my mom for reassurances that this couldn't happen. As recent as a few years ago, I turned to my trusty source for scientific truths and asked Josh if the fireworks could descend upon me and burn me. He assured me it couldn't happen.
Why am I not enamored with fireworks like most people? Not liking fireworks, especially on 4th of July makes me a lame, unpatriotic party pooper. I don't know why people don't think about how much energy, time and money is lost in something so loud and stupid.
Now, as a mom, I hate fireworks even more because they spook my children. Every year, I dread the 4th, knowing that my children will be frightened from their peaceful slumber by ear piercing noises of illegally acquired burned gunpowder by sketchy neighborhood teens. Last night Sadie remarked to me, "Thunder! Mom it's going to rain." I had to explain they were fireworks but she couldn't comprehend the concept of them. Just like me, she couldn't understand why anyone would make loud noises for fun?
I'm sure when she grows up she'll like them just like the rest of humanity. As me for me, I'll never get it.

My first kiss

Hug me Dazee, hug me

Sadie begs for a little love.