Category Archives: Motherhood

Celebrating Fatherhood

Unless you’ve been living under a rock in America, you’ll know that today was Fathers’ day. A day that, thanks to it’s close proximity to U.S. graduation, earned the unfortunate marketing phrase “Dads and Grads.” It’s sad that Dads don’t get their own marketing phrase. Fathers’ Day falls in September in Australia and does not conflict with any other major holidays. I’m sure that’s by design.

But I digress. Today was about celebrating the dad in our life – the Yin to my Yan – the one who makes this whole parenting thing a true partnership and provides balance. The one who makes up for my weaknesses with his strengths.

The man who will get down on the floor and wrestle. Who will talk through an issue when I just want to put them both in time out. Who persists with the bike riding and the T-ball and everything else that I (honestly) don’t have the energy for. That’s what makes this whole parenting together thing so perfect.

Happy Fathers’ Day to the man who helped me bring two wonderful little boys into this world. I truly could not do this without you.

This photo is also my entry in the latest I Heart Faces challenge, “Let’s hear it for the boys.” Ok, now I have that song stuck in my head for the next couple of days…

5 Things Friday: Children’s Books Worth Reading More Than Once (because you always read them more than once)

I became accustomed to reading the same books over and over again with child number one. But then along came child number two and those books that I grew bored with the first time around became just plain painful when reading them for the 80th time. So it comes as quite a treat when, every now and then, a childrens’ book comes along that just begs to be read over and over. And when my children and I find delight in that very same book, it serves as a magical break from those annoying books adapted from TV shows, or WAY too much Dr. Seuss (as much as I love him, his books are LONG and very repetitive).

To honor those special books that I wish my children would choose more often, I present my top 5 – although I could have easily expanded the list to 10 or 20, I’ll save that for future posts. Here’s my personal criteria for a good childrens’ book:

  • Good story – one that is original and clever and will not get old the 3rd (or 5th or 20th) time around.
  • Great illustrations that look like pieces of art – critical because I am Taurus and apparently we are attracted to pretty things.
  • A lesson or moral of some sort – Not absolutely critical, but it nice when the story carries the conversation with my children beyond just the book.
  • Not too long – this criteria alone cancels out Dr. Seuss.

The Top 5

1. The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers. 

I bought this book in Australia a few years ago and it quickly moved Oliver Jeffers to number 1 on my all time list of favorite children’s authors. While all of his books are wonderful and quirky, this one about a boy and a martian who help each other out when they become stranded on the moon is just wonderful. Bonus points for the Aussie/English version that we own because it uses words like Petrol and spanner which are translated in the American version.

2. Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

I am so thankful that Mo Williams decided to release a couple of follow ups to this book because our copy of the original is literally falling apart at the seams. The story of a lost toy appeals to parents as well as toddlers and I love how he mixes illustration with black and white photos of New York. Favorite line of the book: Trixie was so upset “she went boneless.”

3. Zen Ties by Jon J. Muth

Almost every family we know has a copy of Zen Shorts, the first in this beautiful series of three books about a giant Panda called Stillwater. Zen Ties, the second in the series, is my favorite thanks to the appearance of Stillwater’s cousin who speaks only in Haiku. I love the use of Buddhist parables to teach a lesson and the slow, calm  pace of the book. Perfect just before bedtime.

4. I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato, Lauren Child

Charlie and Lola has been a favorite in our house for a long time but this book is a new addition. Charlie is the older brother who is always dealing with his “small and very funny” sister, Lola in wonderfully inventive ways. In this book, Lola is a very picky eater so Charlie tries to trick her into eating things by pretending they are something else (mashed potato is really cloud fluff). Fun books to read (especially when I put on my English accent) and this one earns bonus points for convincing Samuel to eat edamame (green drops anyone?). It’s also worth checking out the adorable TV series that’s available on Netflix, but make sure you buy the books that Lauren Child wrote herself, not the ones adapted from the series.

5. The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

I bought this book as a present from the Easter Bunny because of it’s Spring theme. The story is lovely but it’s the illustrations that really drew me in. Each time we read it together it seems we discover something new in the highly detailed and beautifully colored pictures. I think we’re definitely going to add a few more of Peter Brown’s books to our wishlist.

So there you have it – a few of my favorites. Please share your own in the comments and help me build our library. I’m on a quest to phase out the Thomas the Tank Engine book that plays music and every new addition gets me closer to my goal.

A shocking turn of events

My boy is about to commence his last two days of Pre-K. OK, so maybe I’m more shocked than anyone else, but I can’t believe that my baby is on the verge of beginning Kindergarten, which is called Prep where I come from. You see, in Australia, prep marks the beginning of elementary school (primary school) and I CAN STILL REMEMBER PRIMARY SCHOOL! (Thank you, Miss Fraser).

How did my child get so old? How did I get so old? Why is this happening to me?

Before I know it he’ll be six, and then seven…and then nineteen! It just doesn’t seem right.

And I am completely unprepared. Not only because I am in (a little) denial about the fact that my child is going to be an adult one day (too soon!), but also because his experience of school is going to be so completely removed from mine and I am going to be learning right along with him. I went to Primary school and High School. That was it. There was no middle school, no cafeteria lunches, no fraternities and sororities (ok, maybe I’m getting ahead of myself). My point is that it’s all foreign to me from here on out. I may as well be living in a different country (wait…).

So I have about three months to get used to the idea that I am soon to be the mother of a KINDERGARTNER. Rest assured, I’ll be taking lots of deep breaths and drinking a few glasses of wine to get used to the idea.

Oh, and here’s my photo entry for this week’s I heart faces challenge – bright and vivid. A photo of Thomas (my soon-to-be-kindergartner) taken on the last day of Samuel’s baby daycare before he moves into the pre-pre-K class.

June is really not a good time for mothers…

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.

And He Doesn’t Look a Day Over Two…

My baby turns three years old today. It many ways I wonder how we got here so quickly. In many other ways I wonder how he can ONLY be three. It feels like we’ve had him forever – and sometimes he behaves well beyond his years (in good ways and in challenging ways).

At three Samuel is… funny, expressive, smart, pushy, obstinate and loving.

He likes… playing with his brother, annoying his brother, running (the kids runs everywhere), jumping, coloring, hugging and kissing (mostly just his family, thankfully – and we love it), saying “I love you”over and over again.

He is one very bright spark in our lives and I couldn’t imagine our family without him.

Happy birthday baby.

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.

Birthday 2011: Requesting a Do-Over

I had big plans for my 36th birthday – and by big plans I mean a couple of days off from work, doing just what I wanted to do. No schedule, no appointments, just a couple of days by myself with the opportunity to walk around and take  a few photos.

Well, apparently life doesn’t quite work like that.

Tuesday (my birthday) turned out to be a day with Thomas. But not my healthy, happy Thomas. Instead I found myself looking after a sick child who was recovering from the stomach bug that Samuel kindly shared with us last week.

We did the grocery shopping (Trader Joe’s AND new Seasons), spent a lot of time watching TV and generally hung out for most of the day while I carefully monitored his every move to make sure he wasn’t going to throw up.

It wasn’t quite like I had planned but, actually, it was nice. It took me back to those days when we used to spend time together before Samuel was born. Just the two of us.

By the time Kei and Samuel got home at around 5pm, Thomas had perked up enough to agree to a birthday dinner of sushi (for me and Kei) and Soba noodles (for him and Samuel).

And this is the part when I realize just how important it is for me to take photos… While the events of later in the evening dampened my entire perspective of the day (more to come on that), these photos show me just how wonderful and special my birthday really was.

At first Samuel was all cranky and refused to let me take his photo so I said “please let me take a picture… for my birthday…” I honestly didn’t think t would work but then I got this…

And even this…

And then another reminder of that how he and I are genetically linked with the tongue-sticking-out-thing.

After a delicious sushi dinner we headed across the street to pick up a little dessert from the food carts. Thomas treated me to a couple of my favourite photos of him ever.

And then the boys ate cookies while I watched them eat. Strange – I didn’t feel dessert (more to come on that later).

Nothing commands their attention quite like the promise of food.

This was followed by a little activity to work off some of that chocolate. I know this next photo has the wrong focus and Samuel’s head is in the way, but I adore it anyway.

We ended dinner with a walk around the neighborhood where I finally had my opportunity to take a few photos of Spring.

The rest of the evening had a lot of promise – Glee night with the girls, wine and cupcakes. It started well but I had to leave a little early. Seems the stomach bug had not passed me over and I was destined to lie on the couch for the next 24 hours while Thomas (who wasn’t quite over it either) was forced to keep himself entertained with Lego and TV (LOTS of TV).

So, I am looking forward to my do-over next weekend even though in retrospect it wasn’t all that bad. Still, there’s no harm in trying to make it absolutely perfect and extend my birthday celebrations in the meantime, right? 🙂

Sunshine and Artistry

The sun came out for a few minutes a couple of weeks ago so Kei had the brilliant idea to set the kids up in the backyard to do a little painting. I’m looking forward to more of this as the weather continues to warm up – although right now it feels as though Portland is teasing us with warm, sunny skies one day and hurricane-force winds the next.

Still, we are without a playroom for the next few weeks so I suspect we may have to brave the outdoors regardless of the weather. (more on the reason we’ve lost the playroom coming soon).

Oh, my poor youngest child. You have no idea how much teasing I have endured over the years due to an uncontrollable need to poke out my tongue whilst concentrating. I’m sorry that I passed it on to you, but I promise to protect you from your grandparent’s inevitable comments as much as I can.

At this point I’ll mention how wonderful it is to see Thomas painting with color. For a long time every single picture that came back from school was a black and white drawing of a Storm Trooper or Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker. Now, we still get the same pictures of Star Wars characters but sometimes they come in lovely jewel tones.

Samuel has recently declared that his favorite color is blue. Must drink from a blue cup, wear blue pants, shirts and socks, eat with a blue spoon – you get the idea. Conveniently there is no shortage of blue in the boy’s clothing department.

I think it’s safe to say that we’re all excited with the prospect of a little more sunshine, a little more paint and a lot more blue.

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.

Spring Change

The Portland sun came out for a full hour or so on Saturday – just enough to spur a burst of energy so powerful that I went for a run. Those who know me will be able to appreciate just how much of a big deal that is.

And it didn’t stop on Saturday. Each day since, I have been motivated to power up the Wii and spend 15-30 minutes with my virtual trainer to do a little yoga and a few toning exercises. It’s not as much as I would like to do, but it’s the most I can accomplish in the brief allotment of time that I have between walking in the door after work and when Kei brings the boys home. The upside of all this movement is that I feel a little more energetic and the stiffness in my joints has eased up. The downside is that it hurts when I sneeze and, thanks to Spring allergies, I am uncomfortably reminded of my new workout commitment many times throughout the day.

The emergence of Spring has also brought with it a few changes for the Ishidas. Samuel started at a new daycare this week – a big shift given he started at his other daycare way back when he was four months old. Thomas is also attending the new daycare for Spring Break and, so far, they both seem to be having a wonderful time making new friends and engaging in new experiences. I was told this morning that Thomas has quickly brought the other kids of his age up to speed on the full Star Wars saga and that Samuel is nearly up to full chatter capacity after a couple of shy days. Yes, it seems they’re settling in nicely.

And, finally, one more big change coming on Thursday. My date with the laser is imminent. I’m a little nervous about the whole CUTTING INTO MY EYE thing, but looking forward to  some Xanax and the promise of 20/20 vision. More to come on that soon.

For the moment I leave you with a few photos from our brief, but wonderful, sunny Saturday. Oh, and note to the ice cream vendors of Portland – next time can you wait until the temperature rises above 50 degrees before you start trying to cash in on the families coming out of winter hibernation? I don’t need to hear Greensleeves while I can still see my breath.

This mischevous look captures my youngest child perfectly.

I like to think that Samuel was pretending to be asleep, but I think he was actually playing dead. The joys of role play with a two year old.

Thomas was just shielding his eyes from the blinding sunlight (OK, it wasn’t THAT bright). And, honestly, he looks a little uncomfortable lying on the sidewalk. What won’t a cruel mother do for a photo?