97 posts from 2006

100 things we didn't know last year

Hat tip to FantasyLibrarian.

#2 I am a part of.
#9 doesn't seem that surprising
#33 is gross
#40 seems to have the most impact on my life lately.
#44 confirms a decision.
#58 is shocking
#72 is encouraging
#84 is my new workout plan

What is one of your addictions?
Submitted by Paperheart.

I need 2 things: coffee and the web.  Though my humorless side thinks its not quite appropriate to call them addictions, since addiction is a real illness, and these are more like strongly ingrained habits.  Anyhow, the only times I go without coffee is when I've REALLY screwed up and we don't have any in the house, or when I'm at the end of pregnancy and taking terbutaline, which makes me plenty jittery on its own.  I hate being without the web.  I can't remember the last time I was off-line for more than a day or so.  I use the web for everything-- directions, information, shopping, keeping in touch with friends... On the whole, I think the web benefits me, but I do sometimes find myself spending too much time online, and not enough time focusing on the "real world".  I won't be joining Second Life anytime soon-- I just don't want to spend anymore of my free time sitting around with nothing to show for it.  I'm hoping to learn to knit this winter.  I have noticed that I spend too much time online when I'm not getting enough time alone (I'm an introvert, I need to be alone to recharge), so my goal is to address that directly, instead of using the computer to pretend I'm alone. 

Show us your loot!

Xmastree

In my defense, these are gifts to and from 12 people.  But obviously we're all pretty fortunate.  My 6 year old told me yesterday "I think I have about everything a girl can have."  She didn't say it in a smug way, she's honestly grateful, so that's something.

Congrats - TIME Magazine voted you "Person of the Year"!  What's your acceptance speech?

I'm guessing this is a product placement QOTD, and vox is getting good money for it.

Anyhow, I like Time's choice-- I am regularly blown away by the amazing breadth and depth of information available on the internet.  We're homeschooling, and part of the reason I feel confident we can do it is that we have the internet available to answer any question (yes, we still use the library).  Then there is the support available from the amazingly diverse online communities--  everything from mothering.com (home of crunchy moms) to the Washington Post's "On Balance" blog, where type A Washingtonians attack each other viciously over their choices, but while that's going on, a group of regulars has developed who honestly care about each other (I just lurk occasionally).  Suddenly even if you're a distinct minority IRL (in real life), you can dip into a deep well of experience and advice online.  Need a second opinion?  Consult WebMD, and double check that your doctor's advice is up to date.  Considering an expensive purchase?  Look for reviews online.  Chances are there is someone out there who is passionate about the subject you're researching and has a blog.

There is one form of "sharing" I don't quite get-- people who share pictures of their kids playing with some toy or baby gadget on amazon.  I assume it helps amazon sell stuff, but what do the parents get out of it? 

We got a new phonebook the other day, and my 6 year old didn't know what it was.  Her experience is that if we need a phone number, I look online.  There are all kinds of hard copy resources I grew up using that my kids will never use-- card catalogs, for example. 

Anyhow, I need to get off the computer and work on a craft with my kids (one that I found online, of course!)

My little guy can pull up to a stand from sitting!  I tried to videotape it, but he's always most interested in the electronics he sees least, so the camera was a big distraction.  He stood up because he LOVES the cordless phone, and I left it on the upholstered coffee table. 

He's done it three times now-- the third time he stopped to smile at me when he was on his feet, and fell back on his butt.   Talk about FRUSTRATING, LOL!

Are you throwing or attending a holiday party this year?  Any ideas/tips to share?

Yep, we're having my entire immediate family and most of dh's over on Christmas eve.  My tips aren't anything terribly original-- I do anything complicated a day or two ahead, and I accept all offers of help.  And I don't get all Martha Stewert-y.  We'll have a nice day, but I'm not aiming for perfect.  We have kids, there's no point in pretending I can control everything!

The hardest part of hosting for me is that I have to actually plan everything-- I need to make sure we have food in the house to feed everyone all the days I don't want to be running out to the store, and that the oven isn't double booked and that we'll have enough time to do everything we plan to do.  I am NOT a planner by nature, but in this situation thinking things through makes for a smoother holiday for everyone.

This is just my second year hosting Christmas eve-- before then we were always at my parents' or my in-laws.  They always made everything look effortless!  It's been eye-opening to take on the task myself.  I do keep things simple and I like doing it, but it's a job.  I can only imagine what my dh's aunts go through when they host 20+.  We're expecting 12, which is a fairly big number, but at least I can cook the entree in one oven, and I only need to double recipes.

With a small amount of help from my husband.

My minivan's battery gave up the ghost today.  There was a kind of warning a couple weeks ago, but I thought it was just that the kids WON'T STOP flipping the switch on the dome light from "door" to "on", and I don't find out till hours have passed.  The switch has been covered with duct tape ever since then, but even so, my engine would turn over this morning.

Unfortunately, I couldn't go with my usual car problem strategy, because my husband was half-dead of the flu, and wasn't available to just take care of it for me.  So, I got out the socket set, and unhooked everything (negative side first, and be careful not to short across the terminals, THAT wasn't good).  Then, since I'm still a weakling, and I was a little rattled by getting shocked earlier, I got my sick husband to haul the battery out of the car.  My 6 year old and I went out to the auto supply store and bought a new battery and recycled the old one.   Then after putzing around a little while reading instructions online (still freaked about getting shocked-- I could have been covered in battery innards), I installed the new battery, and now have a working minivan!

Ha!

Where do you do your online shopping?

In my living room, usually on the sofa (gotta love a laptop and wifi).  Or did you mean what stores?  I shop a lot from Amazon, a little from eBay, and quite a bit from mom and pop web stores.  I am a moderately crunchy homeschooler.  I bought my newest sling from peppermint.com.  They sell a lot of expensive baby carriers; I bought their cheapest option, a Selandang from Indonesia-- I love it.  I buy most of my homeschooling stuff from Rainbow Resource.  It's a homeschooling-family owned business with reviews of most of the products written by the owners (and their kids).  Amazon has started a "homeschool store" but, oddly, they've filled it with stuff designed for parents to do with their kids after school, despite the fact that Amazon sells a fair amount of curricula.  I prefer buying from Rainbow Resource because I want them to stay in business, because they sell such a wide variety of stuff, and because their reviews are more reliable, and mention key facts and differences among curricula (most important is they always point out which science curricula are creationist, and which teach evolution-- we'll be teaching evolution).

I've been watching this over the last couple nights.  It is an amazing show, and I would highly recommend it, except for one thing.  I guess the film maker believes that life begins at conception, because each episode of fetal development begins with a video of animal sex, accompanied with some very explicit descriptions of what's going on.  The rest of the movie is absolutely appropriate for all ages.

The information about conception is fascinating, so I can understand why they include it, I'm just not ready to explain it to my 6 year old.

Further proof elephants were designed by committee:
They use their ears for cooling, and hear with their feet.  Really.