Category Archives: Family

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday: Five Minutes Before He Disappeared

Meet Wicket, Thomas’ beetle that he grew from a meal worm for a school project. You can imagine my joy when they sent him home so we could continue his upbringing.

This photo was taken just before Thomas decided to let Wicket explore his toy castle.

How a black beetle disappeared so quickly in the space of five minutes left us all stumped. Despite a thorough search, it seems Wicket is now roaming free somewhere in our house. I wish him the best in new life and hope he doesn’t fall victim to the suction of the vacuum when the cleaners come tomorrow.

 

A Sad Goodbye to a Wiggly Shirt

This is the story of one very much loved shirt/singlet/tanktop and it’s sad, sad demise.

You see a few years ago before our household developed obsessions with Star Wars, Fireman Sam, Yo Gabba Gabba and every other childhood pop culture phenomenon from a seemingly endless list, we were DEEP into the Wiggles. So deep in fact that I walked hundreds of precarious steps from the top of the Rose Garden Arena right down to the floor level while 6 months pregnant, just so we could see the Wiggles do their thing LIVE, right here in Portland.

And I encouraged this obsession for the following reasons:

  • The Wiggles are Australian
  • The music is not too annoying (sometimes even catchy)
  • They were one of the reasons I once heard my child say car with an Aussie accent (as in, Toot toot chugga chucca big red “CA”).
  • Grandparents in Australia = lots of access to Wiggles-related paraphernalia that we can’t buy here (and easy suggestions for birthday gifts)
  • The Wiggles are Australian.

Alas, the obsession came to an end at about the same time that Star Wars started taking over our lives (and our house).

But one little thing remained – an obnoxious little Wiggles tank top.

While I cursed the shirt’s existence every time I had to bribe my child to take it off so I could wash it, I admit that I appreciated this one small constant in the ever-changing world of toddler pop culture.

Of course there did come a time when, inevitably, Thomas outgrew the shirt and it was ceremoniously passed down to Curious George. He then enjoyed wearing it for a couple of years, including during at least one trip to Australia – a “coming home” of sorts for the shirt.

But then a couple of months ago the shirt began to show signs of impending retirement. First a small rip led to a bigger rip, and then this…

Even George couldn’t wear it any more. I thought Thomas would be devastated and, to be honest, he was a little sad when he realized that he would have to say goodbye, but after a couple of days I put the shirt aside and, like most things out of immediate sight for a five year old, it was quickly forgotten.

I held on to it for a while though, mostly because I wanted to take one last photo but, if I’m honest, it was partly because I was going to have a tougher time saying goodbye.

Last week I took a final photo and threw the shirt away (buried in the rubbish so a curious five year wouldn’t drag it out again). There were no tears, just a few small pangs of sadness from a mother who had to say goodbye to something more than just a shirt. (OK – I admit that was a little dramatic).

But now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure Samuel hasn’t yet seen every Wiggles episode that we have on DVD. I see a family movie night in our immediate future. I’ll have him saying “CA” in no time… “Beaudy Mates.”

Have a great weekend. I’ll be enjoying some sunshine and holding on to a little childhood.

Five Random Things Friday

It’s Friday, it’s sunny and I am looking forward to the weekend. This week has been busy with a mini birthday celebration for my little man, then a sick birthday boy. And of course there was work, lots and lots of work. I need a glass of wine and a little time in the sun – I just hope the Portland weather holds out for just a few more hours so I can enjoy it to its fullest.

To kick off the weekend I thought I’d share a few random things that I came across this week. They made me laugh, feel inspired and remember that there is a life out there waiting for me when I manage to peel my eyes away from my inbox. These things make me happy.

1. Bossypants. Loaned to me by a friend and I’m half way through. Tina Fey is the kind of person I would want in my circle of friends. If this excerpt doesn’t make you want to buy the book right now then I recommend borrowing it like I did. Either way, you need to read this book.

2. A door sign that makes me want to sing.

3. When my 5 year old likes getting his picture taken.

 

4. Creatively sharing your POV. Saw this guy on a Hawaiian cruise a few years ago but didn’t know who he was (true story). Turns out he’s quite famous and very funny and clever – and all in support of a cause that I stand behind.

5. This photograph of my three year old and taking photos from under big umbrellas while we walk in the rain (although that’s not an invitation for the rain to come back…)

Have a great weekend.

Mothers: Celebrating a Brand Spanking New One

I was granted an extra special gift just before Mothers’ Day – I became an Aunt for the 6th time. That’s nephew number 6 – apparently we’re strong with the boy genes on both sides of the family.

I love all of my nephews but the birth of this one was extra special. He was the first one born on my side of the family (and therefore likely sharing a few genes) and the very first one where I was able to experience his birth as it happened. And when I say “as it happened” I mean within the same day. And when I say “experience” I mean by email and phone. But I’ll take it. 🙂

Honestly, I didn’t expect to feel this connected to a child born on the other side of the world… and I didn’t expect to feel so removed from the celebration. Still, I know that this child and I are going to be tight. I mean we share a birth month, an astrological sign AND a chinese year of birth. Oh, and I may have had a little input on his name thanks to a well-timed phone call with my brother just before they made the big decision. See? We’re connected.

I have also never been so grateful for modern technology as I was tonight when we all had the opportunity to see him on the computer screen. Not quite the same as holding him but a lot more interaction than we would have had just a few years ago.

Introducing Charlie Benjamin… As you can see, he was happy to meet us too.

Congratulations Ben and Emma. We love him already.

Winds of Change

I need to get back to blogging. The last few weeks have been so crazy that I have been struggling to put two thoughts together, so typing something down on the screen has been particularly difficult.

I don’t know why it’s been so hard. I suppose I could blame the LONG winter here in Portland that seems to suck the energy out of me or my husband’s new job or changes Samuel’s new daycare or just the day to day grind of working full time while trying to keep the house on track. The truth is that I feel as though I’ve been living in a fog. While I’ve been here in body, my mind has been absent and I am desperate need to find some motivation to move and get connected to something beyond work. I need to make a few changes – do some Yoga, spend more time outside (as soon as the rain stops), eat better, go to bed earlier, find some time to exercise and spend more time just enjoying life.

This week’s I Heart Faces challenge is “Wind”. I took this photo on Sunday while the boys and I enjoyed a sunny day outdoors. We painted, the boys burned some energy chasing each other around  the yard and Samuel found a dandelion. Winds of change perhaps? Let’s hope so.

For Japan With Love

My heart hurts for Japan and my soul worries family and friends who remain in such a dangerous situation.

With rolling blackouts limiting her activities, my mother-in-law in Yokohama is spending time cleaning out her closets and sending anything she doesn’t need to the people up north who have nothing. We offered to have her come stay with us but she wants to remain in her home and help in the best way she can.

Here’s how YOU can help:

Japan.

This week has been rough, with car accidents (thankfully minor), falls (literally and figuratively) and a couple of near misses. So it seemed tragically appropriate that it should end with an earthquake – if only to fully jolt me into the understanding of what’s truly important in life. Universe, I got the message.

We confirmed this morning that my mother-in-law and other family in Yokohama and southern part of Japan are all safe. We suspected they were but it’s always nice to have confirmation (bless you modern technology).

The earthquake hit the prefecture and town where I lived for a year and where I met my husband. So, of course I’m thinking about the many teachers and students (all grown up now of course) who have been affected by this tragedy and sending them strength and courage as they deal with what this all means and pull the pieces back together.