How Toddlers Exercise

Sometimes I think my daughter is the funniest thing since a water-skiing squirrel...

I just came back from the grocery store, and I had bought milk. We easily go through two gallons a week between the two of us. I left a gallon on the floor in the hallway so I could bring the rest of the groceries into the kitchen. Livers was running around the hallway. J had been (unsuccessfully) trying to get her to poop in the potty, so she was buck naked.

Apparently a gallon of milk is the best play toy EVER, because she saw it and spent the next five minutes trying to pick it up and carry it around. When she first picked it up it touched her bare bum, and she exclaimed, "Ooh, it's cold, in't it!", and "It's heavy, in't it!" She then proceeded to pick it up underneath with both arms and then fall on her hiney, but that didn't stop her! She got it by the handle and bare-butted it into the den, where she tried to hoist it onto her kiddie table, only to fall over again. Still not deterred she picked it up AGAIN and fell on her piano, but in no pain. We finally had to tell her enough is enough, it's time for bath, which she did NOT like. She was carried, kicking and screaming, into the bathroom, crying for her milk.


Oh, the simple pleasures in life....that you inevitably forget to record on camcorder!

All Is Quiet

J has been on a business trip all week. I hate it when he goes on business trips. I get scared in my own house. Every little creak in the house makes me jump. I won't go downstairs at night because I'm afraid people are lurking outside waiting to break in. The dogs used to bring greater comfort, but now if they are barking at something it's probably just an argument over the food bowl.

I always have grand plans of all of the stuff I am going to accomplish when he's on trips. For instance, I said I was going to repaint the two ugly walls of his man cave to match the rest of the basement as a Valentine's gift to him. Does it count that I at least got it taped up??? I went to Michael's with Livers Monday to get beads to make some jewelry, and they are still sitting on a table in my office waiting to become something beautiful. I planned to scrapbook, to organize, to write, and to read, but all I did was watch TV. I forgot to anticipate how tired I'd be from acting as Livers' sole caregiver all day on top of babysitting another baby for two days in a row.

I did get to stretch out in the bed without a fight for covers or kicks to J's ribs in the middle of the night because he snores. However, there is comfort in the annoyance of his snores. It means that I'm safe and protected, and those middle of the night squeaks and creaks fade away like white noise. I did get a little alone time, but that just made the silence of the house once Livers is asleep that much more deafening. There was no clicking of J's keyboard in the kitchen, no calls of "I love you" to break the silence, no back and forth laughter over things we just read on our laptops that we found funny.

J will be home tomorrow afternoon, and even though having a few evenings of peace and quiet can be nice, I much prefer the low din of the evening hustle and bustle and the promise of comfort and protection lying next to me, quietly snoring just a rib poke away.

Can I Get an Amen!?!

While checking out some crafting blogs tonight, I came across this article from CRAFT Magazine's blog:

CPSIA lead-testing law is delayed

This law, though well-intentioned, had me very nervous. For those of you who don't understand what it means, the gist of the law is that all products, from toys to clothing, that a baby or child (under 12, I believe) might use have to be tested for safe levels of lead. As mentioned, the law has good intentions. No one wants children to suffer the consequences of lead poisoning, and this is a wonderful step in the right direction of protecting children.

However, as written the law is very broad and written in vague terms, and because of this the law would adversely affect people for whom it was not intended. It was written mainly to target large scale producers of children's products, mostly overseas (China), who had been producing items with an exorbitant amounts of lead, which forced numerous recalls. Because of the law's vagueness it was to be applied to all producers, from giant corporations to small mom-and-pop ventures and parents who make handmade goods.

The lead testing would not have been a huge deal to a large company like Mattel who has enough money to cover the costs and still make a huge profit. It would be a huge deal to a small establishment like, say, a stay-at-home mom making children's barrettes in her spare time to supplement her income. The cost of testing each and every component of her product (which, as written in the law, is a requirement) would be far too expensive for this type of producer and would far outweigh and even eliminate any profits that stood to be made.

I do not at the time produce any sort of goods of this nature for sale, nor do I purchase a lot of handmade goods for my daughter, but I would like to increase the amount of handmade goods for Livers in the future. The things lovingly produced by smaller companies and indiviuals are far more unique and have more character than the mass produced ones of larger companies (in my opinion), and I wouldn't like this option removed for myself or anyone. We are a nation who believes in the American dream, and this law would have squashed that for A LOT of people.

The law is by no means repealed, but time has been bought for the handmade movement to see possible modifications to it that would still make the choice to go handmade profitable and possible for those who go that route.

As an aside, I have been spending more and more time recently on Etsy, a large handmade site, for ideas of things I can do and for things I can purchase for myself and family, and I was starting to see things like this creep up:

CRAYON LISTING ON ETSY


In case the above link is removed:


"Beginning February 10th, 2009 the Consumer Product Saftey Improvement Act (CPSIA) will require that each and every item intended for children under the age of 12 be tested for lead and phthalates. Congress is enforcing the belief that ALL children's items are toxic until proven otherwise. This includes clothing, bedding, toys, jewelry, car seats, etc.

The cost of this testing is astronomical and will decimate the handmade/small business community unless the act is reformed. We believe in protecting our children. With a few small changes this law can be effective AND practical!

♦This adorable set of 6 crayons (composed of 4 regular crayons each) is broken down in the following way:

24 components x $70 = $1680 for Lead testing
24 components x $350 = $8400 for Phthalates testing
Cost of original set: $4.95
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Grand total: $10,084.95

Please help save handmade! For more information visit: http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/

♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥
Based on availability you may receive six of the following: Reds, Oranges, Yellows, Greens, Blues, Purples, Browns, or Black/Grays.

Each crayon:
♦ Is made with 4 Crayola® crayons
♦ Can be made in any color combination!
♦ Measures approx. 1½" x ½", the perfect size for little fingers!!

Your set will arrive packaged in a clear cello bag ready for gift-giving, or for the perfect rainy day treat for your little one!

These would also be prefect as a healthy alternative to candy for school valentine's! Simply use a contrasting color to write each child's name on a crayon. The possibilities are endless!

♥If you would like your order customized in any way please contact me! I am happy to individually wrap each crayon for a nominal fee. Larger quantities are available.♥

Each crayon is handcrafted, actual product may vary slightly! Children under 3 should be supervised to prevent choking."

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Though this looks like a joke--who would ACTUALLY pay $10000 for a bunch of handmade crayons?--if the law had gone in effect on February 10th as intended, this would be the price the producer would've HAD to have charged for his product in order to have made a profit recouping the cost of lead testing.

My sincere hope is that in the next year lawmakers can spring into action and make the necessary adjustments to this law that would allow it to still target corporations who produce shady products while protecting the small-scale producer (and consumer).

Budding Personality: Livers at 2

As sad to me as it can sometimes be to see my little baby slowly growing up, it is also amazing to see this once teeny tiny newborn developing her own personality, opinions and tastes. I always wanted a little girl. I'm not a girly girl at all, really, but I love the idea of having a little girl like me running around. Well, she certainly doesn't look much like me. Just see her dad if you don't believe me. However, her personality is in many ways mine, from our loud voice to our love of music, books, rainbows, and strawberries with whipped cream. I'm sure that she has picked a lot of her tastes up from watching me, and that's just fine. She's done the same with her daddy, hence the love of anything techie, football and basketball games, and the Food Network. It's so neat to watch her grow into this real little person with her own likes and dislikes, quirks, sayings, and sense of humor.

This is a snapshot of Livers' tastes at two:

1. The outdoors. She loves to go to the lake and pick up rocks, shells, and little treasures we find on the ground. If she'd not put them in her mouth she'd get to keep them. :) Tomorrow we're going to have a little Mother/Daughter day, and she requested we go there. How cute!
2. Playing with blocks. I must hear, "Mama do some blocks" a half dozen times during the day. She absolutely loves tearing them apart and making new things and telling me what she thinks she's made. We make an awful lot of mailboxes, leaf blowers, and crosses.
3. Puzzles. I don't know which she likes more, this or blocks, but it's a tight race. And I have no idea how good a 2-year-old is supposed to be with them, but she's quick. We'll probably need to pick up a few more on our M/D day tomorrow.
4. Painting, particularly watercolors. I probably need to do this with her a whole lot more than I do, because how will she ever get to express her creative side if I don't let her? It's fascinating to see some of the color combinations she comes up with by dipping her brush in all 8 paints and to watch her budding technique. I probably end up hindering her by hovering to make sure she doesn't dump all of her water out (or drink it) or eat the paint (which she does).
5. The Wiggles. All I have to say is let this be a passing phase. Don't get me wrong, the songs are far more tolerable than some stuff for kids out there, and the show is definitely cute. But not when she wants to listen to the soundtrack to Racing to the Rainbow all.day.long. I can only listen to "Here Comes the Chicken" and "Chew Your Food" so many times without going nuts. It is cute to listen to her sing the songs, and kinda funny when it gets stuck in HER head. :)
6. Dress up. This is new to our list. She had been just taking any clothes she left around and putting them on. I even got her a cute dress-up dress for her birthday which she completely ignored. Then last week Daddy put it on her, wings and all, and she has been wanting to wear it a lot. It's a little big, but she doesn't mind at all. She wanted to wear it on our walk around the block today but I thought it a bit much. :) She also LOVES to wear sunglasses. Whenever we're in the car if the sun gets the least bit in her eyes she requests my huge pair.
7. Reading, and subsequently memorizing the books. She loves to read, and as a result we have read a lot of books so many times that we can recite them. She's on a bit nursery rhyme and I Love You Because You're You kick right now.
8. Cooking. One of her favorite things, like many kids, is pretending to cook. Earlier today I found a frying pan in her oven, and she had set salt, syrup, and a lemon in it to cook. I don't know what she was intending to make, but at least it's creative!

It'll be interesting to see if she still likes the same things at three of if these are just a passing phase on her path to figuring out who she will become.

Mid-week Musings...

1. Why is it that the mornings where you are actually sleeping really well are the ones that you HAVE to get up early?
2. I like the smell of Indian curry...when I'm going to be eating it soon. Not when it's the first smell to greet you when you walk in your kitchen in the morning.
3. Cloudy rainy days make me sleepy.
4. J thinks I'm weird because of this, but when the temperature outside doesn't match the season (aka 70 degrees in the middle of January) it makes me depressed. However, I'm less so when it's unseasonably cool in the summer.
5. I'd like to move to my in-laws but only for the snow. No offense to my family, but western Ohio is kind of boring otherwise
   
6. Society has it coming to them if they call Jessica Simpson fat. I hope I do a good enough job raising Livers to love herself for herself rather than focus in on her body image the rest of her life. I could've saved a LOT of time and tears if I'd gotten over myself years ago.
7. I'm way too addicted to my computer. For poor Livers' sake I need to learn to stop.
8. Not all baby feet are cute.
9. There is something so peaceful and calming about a sleeping baby on your chest, even if it isn't your own child.
10. New LOST tonight. I'm giddy with excitement!
11. Why are babies such magnets for dog hair? I'm waiting for Livers and Little Man to crap out a little black dog. Really.
12. Why do delivery people have to schedule things during nap time? Mama's tired, too ;)
13. Wet dog smell is the worst. Especially in my nice, clean office.
14. The best? Your daughter calling out, "Give Mama kiss," to you as you lay her down for nap.
15. There's just something about Nancy Pelosi that makes me want to punch her in the face. I don't know why.
16. The voice that comes out of Rick Astley (aka "Rick Roll") astounds me to this day.

OK, that's enough randomness for one day. :)

P.S. Tonight's LOST was A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!! I can't wait to waste some time on Doc Arzt's Lost Blog or Lostpedia tomorrow! (If you're a LOST-nerd like me, check them out.)

Week in Review

As writer's block stretches into another week, I figure that one way to get some sort of idea out into the world might be to write one of my favorite types of posts: lists. I think one cause of my writer's block is not having a whole awful lot of importance to write about, and rather than make every post like a Seinfeld episode I'll just do a brief "Week in Review."

1. To celebrate a good friend's passing of her teaching National Boards we went to the Grove Park Inn outside of Asheville, NC, for brunch. Let me tell you, that is some seriously good food. Minus the way-too-strong-for-Sunday-morning mimosa of which I had approximately one sip. I told J that I need to come back here the next time I'm pregnant to really get my money's worth, because there's so much food and so many options that you end up making yourself sick trying to get it all in. Really. And it would be really fun to watch a pregnant woman shovel it in. :) Here's a shot from inside of the restaurant. More might come :)
2. I paid for the gluttony of Sunday morning well into Monday afternoon. At least it was the King's birthday and J had to day off to help watch Livers.
3. I didn't have to babysit Little Man, which was nice because I wanted some down time at home anyway.
4. I spent approximately 25,000 hours on Etsy looking at things (mostly rainbow-, jewelry-, and cute hat-related) I would like but really can't afford. I did, however, purchase an "I'm having a horrible hair day" knit hat and a shirt I've wanted for months and months.
5. I watched two movies that I liked, one more than the other: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (loved, loved, LOVED) and The Duchess (also loved, but not in the same way). I love myself a good period piece, and J was gracious enough to sit through it with me. TCCOBB (I'm not typing that twice) was spectacular, and my favorite movie by far of this short year. Last year my favorite movie was watched early on (Juno), and it might be the same in 2009.
6. NOTE: I need to post my 2008 Movie Rankings sometime soon. Just a little bit of anal-retentiveness on my part, but it is interesting to look back over a year's time and see what you thought was wonderful and what just sucked. Juno, Into the Wild, and Atonement: rocked. 1408, Smart People, and the Strangers: sucked. It's also neat to look back and see just how many movies I've watched.
7. We FINALLY get our new couch. We've been slowly making J a Man Cave in the basement, and we ordered a couch for it the day after Thanksgiving and it's coming on Wednesday. Just in time for a new LOST! As we've taught Livers to say, "Dude, that is sweet!"
8. I got to go out for my first girl's night out in forever. I don't have a whole lot of gal pals (that's a post in and of itself), but it was so much fun! We went to a really nice sushi/Japanese style restaurant and were there for 3 hours. I had some really good food, like a Soba Noodle Salad, which seemed questionable when I saw them bring it out but was divine, a boat of vegetable tempura, and a Tempura roll (I like it fried--I'm Southern); some delish plum wine, and mediocre tiramisu (one of my sweets of choice). We then went out to a local bar, and in true I'm-getting-older style I was home by midnight.
9. I watched and listened to more Wiggles than any one person should be allowed in their life time. That'll be another post...
10. I let the clean laundry sit in its basket for a week and counting...
11. I didn't do a single digital scrapbooking layout or read a single page in a book. I have GOT to change that, because these are things I love to do.
12. I did, however, end up mutilating my poor thumbnail. It split and I couldn't leave it alone, and it's going to be over a month before it looks decent again. Great image, right?
13. I watched LOST and loved it! I have since spent far too much time on the internet reading reviews, theories, and opinions about it, and it couldn't be more fun.
14. Hurricane Hissyfit finally passed. We should be back completely into calm seas by Tuesday. Thank.The.Lord.
15. Livers cut herself her first 2nd year molar. Wouldn't have even known it if I hadn't have peeked into her mouth while brushing her teeth to see what was going on. She is the best tooth-cutter EVER, because we have had nearly zero trouble with any of the 17 she's cut, even molars.
    

It can be really hard to look back at a whole week and figure out what I did/what happened! Maybe I SHOULD do this weekly, for posterity's sake at least.

Hopefully my writing brain will return full force this week, because having less than ten posts in a month is kinda pathetic. And if it doesn't, then see you next Sunday! :)

Get LOST!!!

No, this is not some sort of ill-tempered follow-up to yesterday's post.

Tonight marks the moment that I've been waiting for for what seems like the last

4 years, 8 months, 15 weeks, 16 days, 23 minutes, and 42 seconds.

If you don't get it by now, then run over HERE and get yourself very quickly acquainted with only the BEST show in the universe.

Here's to hoping that I can get Livers to bed early so I won't be watching my 3 hour extravaganza until 1 in the morning!

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