Wordless Wednesday VIII

Emma shows off her new hat.

Mystery woman.

Caitlin feeds Logan carrots for the first time.

Note how even she can't resist doing the Ahhhh! thing!

Logan thinks Caitlin rocks! Pass the carrots!

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Enjoy them! Enjoy them! Enjoy them!

"Your family is beautiful," said the stranger at the table next to us as she prepared to leave the restaurant.

"Thank you!" I replied. I then waited for the next foray into twin-driven conversation. Those twins, they are conversation starters. Everyone has something to say. Sometimes it's a flat out denial that they can't be twins (since they don't look alike), or a question: boys? girls? or a confession that they are one of a twin set.

"Enjoy them! Enjoy them! Enjoy them!" she exhorted me and then paused to catch her breath. I smiled and waited for her to continue. "I lost my eldest in an accident a month ago."

Shocked, my brain scrambled to comprehend what she was telling me. I frantically thought of something to say and all I could get out was "I'm so sorry!"

"Enjoy them." She said once more and took a deep breath. I looked up at her from where I sat, holding Emma, and saw the raw pain in her eyes. She touched my shoulder fleetingly as she smiled down at Emma and then turned away. Clearly she needed to share this: that life can be so fragile, so fleeting, that we need to enjoy the moments we have because we never know when they may be over.

So here I am, sharing it with you. These moments fly by. It's not easy to enjoy them during the screaming, crying, whining and late stages of sleep deprivation, but childhood doesn't last. And nothing is forever.

Take a moment to think of this woman, one of many out in the world in the same position, who are waiting for the pain to fade. My thoughts are with her.

Then, squeeze your children, spouses, family or friends close tonight and remember to enjoy them. I will.

A Toy Intervention

Three large lawn and leaf bags, each more than half full.
Three under bed box organizers.
One small toy chest.
One medium sized box.
One wooden treehouse.

This is what I removed from Caitlin's room and stuffed into our garage today. Every single, solitary Webkinz, Barbie and assorted other toy I could find, minus one new bear she just received at a friend's birthday party this weekend.

There were no tears. No wailing. No yelling, screaming or threatening.

What?! you ask, stunned by this huge household happening.

Well...! I asked the owner of the messiest room in the house to go and clean it. This was met by the expression of one who had just been asked to suck on used gym socks or swallowed a lemon or smelled something dead and funky. Not a pleasant expression, but I'm certain that if you have kids, you've seen it before. Since I was calm and somewhat rested (The twins only nursed twice last night! Whoo hoo!), I calmly asked her if she needed me to do it and to remember the consequences of me cleaning up her room: I would get a trash bag and remove all of the toys on the floor and put them out in the garage.

"OK," Was her immediate response. "Just don't take my books."
Flabbergasted, but not wanting her to think I was bluffing, I checked in: "Are you sure? I'll take every toy out of there." I decided to push the envelope: all of the toys.
"You won't throw them away, will you?"
"No. But I don't know when I'll give them back to you."
"Can I keep my books?" I nodded. "You can do it, then."
"Okay then!"

I leapt from my chair, whipped out three huge bags and got to work.

Like I said, I wasn't mad. She wasn't upset. What she is is overwhelmed by all of the stuff in her room. I don't blame her: she has friends and family members that give her toys all the time and that one thing that few others have: a grandparent that owns a toy store.

Sounds great, right? Not when your child breaks down in tears every single time she has to clean her room. Not when you have a small house and five people sharing it. Not when her bedroom is only 10' x 10' and it is stuffed to the rafters with toys, books, school papers, artwork and assorted Caitlin projects that always seem to involve torn up pieces of paper, rocks, a half dozen cardboard boxes and cutouts from magazines. (Just so you know, I'm not mad at any of the toy givers mentioned, either directly or indirectly, in this entry. This is just how it is around here. We have a kid, people give us toys. We have to live with the ever growing pile.)

She is overwhelmed. I am overwhelmed. My house is overwhelmed.

So I've cleared it all out. We are hereby instituting a moratorium on new toys, of any sort, being allowed into the house. Also, in case you were wondering, I am not unaware that her birthday is coming up. Birthdays, as you may have noticed, generally mean a sudden increase in the general toy population.

Not this year.

This year, friends and family, you will need to get creative. What she needs, far more than stuff is your time or attention. A shared experience. A date night. A sleepover. A movie. A hike. A bike ride. A ballet. Cirque du Soleil tickets. Take her to Art Camp for 3 weeks. (OMG! Have I mentioned how much my MIL rocks?! She does indeed!) Do the best thing for everyone involved and give her nothing at all. She doesn't need it and she won't miss it if she doesn't have it. As a matter of fact, inside two days she won't even care that all of her toys, save one, is sitting in the garage.

You could even consider it your Earth Day gift to her and the planet by not shopping at all. It is totally OK.

Just remember, the best "green" gift is no gift at all!

So what about you? Have you had a Toy Intervention?

Imagine my surprise!

Well, OK. I was completely unsurprised as is anyone that has ever met me personally and dealt with the inquisition!

You Are a Question Mark

You seek knowledge and insight in every form possible. You love learning. And while you know a lot, you don't act like a know it all. You're open to learning you're wrong. You ask a lot of questions, collect a lot of data, and always dig deep to find out more. You're naturally curious and inquisitive. You jump to ask a question when the opportunity arises. Your friends see you as interesting, insightful, and thought provoking. (But they're not always up for the intense inquisitions that you love!) You excel in: Higher education You get along best with: The Comma

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

Via Shannon.

Seven Months

The twins celebrated their seven month-iversary here at Chez Hatchet today.

They rang in the day with a bang, by only waking 3 times last night! After putting them to bed in their side-by-side cribs at 9 pm, they woke at 12:30 am, 4 am and 7am. Eric assures me that Emma woke up a few other times in there, but since I was "off duty" for those, I apparently slept right through them! Um, yay? Well, Yay for me! since I got slightly more sleep and Yay for Eric! for handling the other assorted wake up calls.

In other news, Emma has really been working on her raspberry blowing skills. At Caitlin's after school play, Emma started a continual spray of raspberries. Perhaps it was a commentary on the fledgling acting skills on display or perhaps it was for the horrible dialog. We'll never know.

After practicing for a week, Emma totally has the hang of getting herself into a sitting position. She seems to use it as an alternative to crawling (still no actual crawling going on): she sits, then rolls like a tumbleweed, then sits and suddenly she's somewhere else than where she started and facing in a completely different direction. She never looks startled, so there must be some logic to this form of locomotion.

Every time I watch her do her tiny little push ups, I keep expecting her to keep on going and stand right up...and then fall over again, of course. I'm not in a hurry for that step, mind you, I'm just worried that I might miss it if I look away too long!

Emma shows you her push ups: The view from the back.

The view from the front.

Logan, on the other hand? Still no interest in self-motivating. However, he has yet to meet a food he doesn't like! Thanks to Misty, he and Emma have both been nibbling on Baby Mum-Mums and they really like them. Even Emma, who wants nothing to do with solid food and plans on breastfeeding until possibly middle school, likes these crackers.

"Mmmmm!"

"Yes. I will eat these. Not that glop, though."

I'm kind of wondering when Emma will deign to begin eating solid food or if I should just start smashing up whatever happens to be on my plate. I suppose I can wait, really, if she can. Maybe Logan's just trying to catch up on the weight gain. Or maybe...just maybe...Logan is a Foodie, too.

Carrots down. What's next? I can haz cheezburger yet?

The Queen eats what the Queen will eat. Do not question The Queen!

Heather bows down before the Queen.
Or she might just be chewing on Emma's hand. All depends on your perspective, doesn't it?

The twins continue to hone their musical talent and their sharing skills.

"Emma, you don't play so good. Don't quit your day job."

Did you know that 7 month olds aren't so good at sharing? I bet you did!

Emma is crushed by Logan's critique of her version of Chopsticks. She then executes a withering comeback:

Emma to Logan: "Yeah, well, they don't accept students to Julliard until they can walk! And are potty trained!"

Logan: "What?!"

Emma, casually: "And did you know that some people say that girls are easier to potty train?"

Logan: "Nooooo!"

Logan: "I guess we'd better both keep on practicing."

Tiny fingers.

Tiny fingers times two.

Logan: "Hey Emma, I bet those Julliard students have to eat solid food, too!"
Emma: "What?!"
Logan: "Heh heh heh!"

The future's so bright....

That's what the view from seven months looks like from here.

Now about that sleeping through the night thing...?

Let the Sleep Training Begin!

Heather came by today and put together a second crib for us. Hooray!

Most significant about the timing was that it was one day after I'd sent her a note in which I was clearly losing my ever-loving mind because Emma didn't sleep the night before.

Now when I say, "didn't sleep", you have to realize there was some sleep going on in there. Just none for me.

After being the Champion Sleeper for so long, she completely threw in the towel and decided to start waking every two hours, while Logan has finally started sleeping a little bit longer and is averaging 4-5 hour stretches.

By the way, these time periods never overlap. Thus, I was putting them to sleep between 7:30-8:30 and Emma would awaken at 10:30. Then Logan at 11:30 or 12:30. Then Emma again at 1 am, 3 am, and 5 am and Logan around 4 am and then 7 am.

Waking up six times in one night is sheer torture. It's enough to make you crazy. And when I say "you", of course I mean "me". So this is where sleep training comes in.

I love my children: truly, madly, deeply. I also love my husband. And I love sleep. Starting tonight, we will try to synch Emma's sleep schedule up with Logan's. I fully expect it to be a miserable experience for all involved, especially when she wakes him up in the crib right next door. Screaming. My plan is to nurse them both back to sleep and then have Eric do the pat, pat, pat thing during the "extra" nursing time periods. Waking once or twice I can deal with, you see -- it's the five or six times that are four or five times too many!

As Ali said, Cry it On, baby!

If you have a better idea about how to sleep train twins and not lose your mind, let me know in the comments! Advice from the experienced is always welcome.

Attachment Parenting with Twins?

Am I an AP parent?

Is it possible to be an AP parent with twins?

• I don't wear them in slings (Two babies @ 30 lbs + sling(s) = sprained back).
• They don't sleep in my bed (Any more. Ask me about their first 3 months.).
• I fed them formula in their first 6 weeks of life (Before my breasts learned to count to two.).
• I had a planned c-section.

Am I still eligible? Could I be an AP parent?

According to Julie, of course I am!

Attachment Parenting is not about what you don't do. It's about what you do do.

There's a spectrum of AP parenting, if you will, and I am on that spectrum.

• I breastfeed. Twins. On demand. (That's a lotta milk!)
• I'm making their solid food from scratch! (Extra points for effort!)
• They sleep in the co-sleeper next to our bed. Well, one of them does, anyway. The one that is currently the better sleeper. This week it's Logan while Emma gets to sleep in the fabulous room we made for them.
• We carry them around a lot. A whole lot.
• We snuggle them. A lot.
• We don't let them get eaten by sabertooth tigers. Much.
  

There are probably plenty more examples that I could come up with if I wasn't so tired. The twins, they insist on snacks at night and I, being an Attachment Parent, comply.

The cuteness, you see, ensures it.

Emma reaches for Logan's bib after he's finished eating carrots. The carrots are always...errr...oranger? on the other guy.

Emma considers eating solid food. "Naaaah! I stick wif meeyulk."

I am an AP parent. With twins.

And an almost seven year old.

Dual cheek squeezing.

Life is good.

Cross posted at Attachment Parenting International's new blog API Speaks!

Growing Challenge: Tomatoes, Surprises and Seeds

I learn something new every day when I garden.

Well, maybe almost every day. Some days I'm stuck inside, nursing twins and thinking about gardening. Possibly bird watching in my yard. (Two sets of finches are building nests in my yard! One in my Japanese honeysuckle!)

A couple of weeks ago, some of my tomato seedlings were getting pretty crazy leggy, because I was too excited to start planting and not paying an-NEEEE attention to last frost dates and the fact that eventually I would run out of room in my house, because I just didn't care. As far as I was concerned it was Spring! and Spring! means it's time to [Announcer's voiceover:] Starrrrrt Yourrrrrr Plantinnnnng!

So I started pinching back the worst of the lot.

I figured it couldn't really hurt, tomatoes grow rather like weeds, being annuals and all. They'd grow back. Then I tossed the pinched out bits into the compost.

Normal activity. Logical even.

When suddenly I wondered what would happen if I stuck some of those bits into some water? I mean, tomato plants root readily all along the stem, right? So it stands to reason that it should be happy enough to root in water, shouldn't it?

Wouldn't you know it? I was right.

Mystery tomato.

Tomatillos do this, too.

Purple heirloom tomatillo.

A word of warning, though: if you have leggy tomatoes (or tomatillos) and you want to pinch them back, do yourself a favor and label the variety. Otherwise, there you'll be, with a fully rooted Mystery Tomato. Or two. Not that I'd know anything about that.

Haaarumph!

Of course, I then kicked myself for days over having composted all of those other potential tomato plants! Argh! Oh well. Next year!

Moving on to ornamentals, I grew a 'Ruby Moon' Hyacinth Bean Vine (Dolichos Lab Lab for you Latin [plant name] Lovers!) and assiduously clipped off the bean pods before they had a chance to set seed so that it would continue producing flowers. Well, at some point, I stopped doing that and these were the result:

Free seeds!

I was cleaning up my deck and found the pods and seeds scattered in the corner and thought What the heck! So I thought I'd try scarifying them (rubbing them against sandpaper until I could see a little of the white pith), soaking them (for about 24 hours, with a few water changes) and then planting them. Considering that I bought twelve seeds in a packet for something like $3 or $4, I had a fistful of them on the deck for nothing other than a little time.

They plump when you soak them.

Then I had a look around for where else I might have some seeds and found the dried up husks of Moss Rose (Portulaca) and gleaned a whole lotta seeds from them as well.

Teeny tiny, obnoxiously small seeds.

They should be Peppermint - light and dark pink striped ones like these. However, we'll see what we get. I planted a whole lot of them and they've already come up (Three days!). I didn't know if they'd be viable, since they sat outside all winter, but they all appear to be fiiiiine.

Gardening is funny that way: nothing risked, nothing gained.

While I may be kicking myself for not planting this, or planting that other thing waaaay too soon, I have to remember that there are plenty of fun surprises to be had like rooting tomato clippings and "found" seeds and discovering interesting new "weeds" or "volunteers" in my front yard.

I have a lot of work to do to get my garden ready for the spring/summer season. At this rate, it will be full on summer before I've gotten anything significant finished. Then again, Nature is patient and will do as she will, as she does every year. It is just that I am impatient and want to get my Gardening Groove on!

Oh well. Must be time to start some more plants from seed....

They don't call it Spring Fever for nothin'!

It Figures

It figures

On the one night
when both are sleeping
my brain rebels
and spins and spins and spins
and will not stop
I lay in the dark and think of gardening
planting plants, making compost
dreaming of delving in the dirt

Finally
I cannot take it any longer
and get up
four a.m.
I shuffle past bedrooms of sleeping babes
take 3 IB and 2 cookies

A migraine
pressing my brain infernally
squeezing out sleep
squeezing out a poem
for you

but now
a dance partner awakes
and I must flee
back to the darkness
and wait for sleep

-- I blame Alessa and her Poem A Day prompts for how this came about.

Wordless Wednesday VII

Two things that make every day a little brighter:

Tea and Muffins.

Blood orange herbal tea. Because some people react poorly to caffeinated tea.

Orange and raisin muffins. Yum!

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The not so Wordless portion of the day:

Orange Muffins
From the Colorado Cache Cookbook

1 c sugar (It can be a lot less if you want the dip to be less sweet.)
Juice of 1 orange (about 1/2 c)
1/2 c butter
1 c sugar
3/4 c sour cream
2 c flour, sifted (I just stir it with a whisk, because really! Do I have time to sift flour for muffins? Neh! For a cake? Sure! But not for muffins.)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp grated orange zest/rind (The recipe calls for 1 teaspoon. That's waaaay too little!)
1/2 c raisins (To plump up the raisins, boil some water and add raisins, extra orange zest and/or orange juice and let it steep together while you make the muffins until you need the raisins. The longer, the better. As a matter of fact, consider this your first step!)
1/2 c chopped nuts (I left these out due to Caitlin's allergy. I bet they'd taste good toasted, though!)

1. Combine raisins, boiling water to cover, some orange zest and some orange juice in a dish. Let soak until step 5.
2. Mix sugar and orange juice. Set aside for dipping after muffins are cooked.
3. Cream butter and sugar.
4. Place dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add sour cream alternately with dry ingredients to creamed mixture.
5. Fold in orange zest, drained raisins and nuts. This is a stiff batter, try not to over mix.
6. Use well greased muffin tins. (Original recipe calls for mini muffin tins, but I don't have those, so I just used regular ones. Works just fine, but the time to bake increase to about 20 minutes here.) Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.
7. While still warm, dip in reserved sugar-orange juice mixture and cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Colorado Recycles CFLs

Happy Earth Day!

Almost missed it, but look what came in my inbox! (Thanks Heather!)

I've been using CFLs and was a little worried about how to dispose of them, but no longer.

Read on!

Entities Team Up for Compact Fluorescent Light Recycling

Recycle bins available at all 104 Colorado Ace Hardware stores

DENVER – Coloradans now can drop-off their used compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and mercury-containing thermostats for recycling at any Ace Hardware store in the state. The recycling program is a collaborative effort of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Xcel Energy, EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., Platte River Power Authority and Ace Hardware Stores in Colorado.

Energy Star qualified CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than typical incandescent light bulbs. However, CFLs contain small amounts of mercury and must be recycled appropriately. ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostats help save energy when used properly and are mercury free. However, manual thermostats contain mercury and must be recycled.

Bins are in place behind the counters of the 104 Colorado Ace Hardware stores so residents can recycle their used CFLs and thermostats. To prevent breakage, store employees will take bulbs and thermostats from residents and place them into the bins. When the bins are full, a store employee will ship them to be recycled. The entire CFL bin will be recycled – contents and container included – ensuring no mercury will escape.

“It's important to support consumers making smart energy choices, and the recycling program is a great way to do that," Gov. Bill Ritter said. "Anything that makes it easier for people to improve efficiency will make a difference for the environment and our energy needs.”

Jim Martin, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said, “The department is excited to have such great partners that will make it possible for people throughout Colorado to easily recycle used compact fluorescent light bulbs and mercury containing thermostats. We always have encouraged the use of energy-efficient lighting and now that they have become widely used, we are making it convenient for people to recycle their used bulbs.”

The bulb-recycling program is for CFLs only, not fluorescent tubes, and is intended for residential use, not for businesses or the commercial industry.

Energy users who replace one incandescent bulb with an Energy Star qualified CFL can reduce their energy bills by up to $30 over the life of each 60-watt equivalent bulb and protect the environment. The department estimates that each CFL reduces the Colorado region's carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 180 pounds each year and 1,270 pounds over its lifetime, compared to the use of a 75-watt incandescent bulb (based on Energy Information Administration 1605(b) Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases, assuming operation hours, regional emissions factor and a lifetime of seven years).

Used CFLs and mercury-containing thermostats should not be disposed of in household trash receptacles. If a CFL or thermostat breaks, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has advice at: http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hm/mercury/index.htm

Ace Hardware Locations in Colorado

ACE HARDWARE 611 MAIN ST ALAMOSA
RALSTON ACE HARDWARE 9447 W 57TH AVE ARVADA
SHERIDAN ACE HARDWARE 5017 W 64TH AVE ARVADA
ACE HARDWARE OF ARVADA 8031 WADSWORTH BLVD UNIT ARVADA
ACE HARDWARE AT WESTWOODS 15530 W 64TH AVE STE G ARVADA
ALPINE ACE HARDWARE 300 PUPPY SMITH ST ASPEN
HOFFMAN HEIGHTS ACE HDWE 644 PEORIA ST AURORA
STRAIT LUMBER COMPANY 11150 E COLFAX AVE AURORA
ACE HDW AT BUCKLEY SQUARE 17190 E ILIFF AVE AURORA
MOORE LBR & ACE HDWE 5195 COUNTY ROAD 64 BAILEY
VALLEY LUMBER COMPANY 55 SUNSET DR BASALT
GREATWOOD LUMBER & HDWE 1555 S 1ST STREET BENNETT
BERTHOUD ACE HARDWARE 525 3RD STREET BERTHOUD
ACE HARDWARE BOULDER 2486 BASELINE RD BOULDER
AMERICAN PRIDE ACE HDWE 55 W BROMLEY LN BRIGHTON
FARM & HOME HARDWARE 122 CUSTER ST BRUSH
HERMAN LUMBER INC 1298 MARTIN AVE BURLINGTON
SONNY'S ACE HOME CENTER 3090 E MAIN ST CANON CITY
ACE HDWE OF CARBONDALE 1011 HIGHWAY 133 CARBONDALE
BIG JOHN'S LUMBER CO 200 S.W. 2ND STREET CEDAREDGE
CHEYENNE WELLS LUMBER 170 E 2ND STREET CHEYENNE WELLS
COLLBRAN SUPPLY INC 203 MAIN COLLBRAN
GARDEN OF THE GODS ACE HD 4201 CENTENNIAL BLVD COLORADO SPGS
BON ACE HARDWARE 2300 N WAHSATCH AVE COLORADO SPGS
ACE HARDWARE UINTAH GRDNS 1830 B W UINTAH ST COLORADO SPGS
CIRCLE ACE HARDWARE 1225 N CIRCLE DR COLORADO SPRING
COMMERCE CITY ACE HDWE EAST 69TH & HIGHWAY 85 COMMERCE CITY
ASPEN PARK HARDWARE INC 26572 BARKLEY RD CONIFER
CHOICE BUILDING SUPPLY 525 N BROADWAY CORTEZ
M.J.K. SALES AND FEED INC 288 RANNEY ST CRAIG
CRIPPLE CREEK HDWE & SPLY TELLER ONE HIGHWAY CRIPPLE CREEK
DELTA HARDWARE INC 121 W GUNNISON RIVER DR DELTA
PERL-MACK ACE HARDWARE 7041 PECOS ST DENVER
NINTH AVE ACE HARDWARE 1030 E 9TH AVE DENVER
12TH AVE ACE HARDWARE 2640 E 12TH AVE DENVER
TAMARAC SQUARE ACE HDWE 7777 E HAMPDEN AVE DENVER
UNIVERSITY HILLS ACE HDW 2500 S COLORADO BLVD DENVER
ACE HARDWARE-ALAMEDA STAT 417 S BROADWAY DENVER
CHERRY CREEK ACE HDW 1417 S HOLLY ST DENVER
MAIN SUPPLY 235 NORTH MAIN DOVE CREEK
KROEGERS ACE HARDWARE 8 TOWN PLZ DURANGO
POULSEN ACE HARDWARE INC 151 S OAK AVE EATON
EDGEWATER ACE HARDWARE 1719 SHERIDAN BLVD EDGEWATER
A&A TRADIN POST ELIZABETH 175 W KIOWA AVE ELIZABETH
A & A TRADIN'POST HDWE 4509 S BROADWAY ENGLEWOOD
ACE HDWE OF ESTES PARK 561 LONE PINE DR ESTES PARK
ACE HARDWARE OF FIRESTONE 8258 WELD COUNTY RD 13 FIRESTONE
FLAGLER ACE HDWE & BLD SP 423 MAIN AVE FLAGLER
POUDRE VALLEY COOP 225 NW FRONTAGE RD FORT COLLINS
DOWNTOWN ACE HARDWARE 215 S COLLEGE AVE FORT COLLINS
CLAYS' ACE HARDWARE 1001 E HARMONY RD UNIT B FORT COLLINS
ACE HDW OF FORT LUPTON 201 S ROLLIE AVE FORT LUPTON
MR. D'S ACE HOME CENTER 1000 EAST PLATTE AVENUE FORT MORGAN
FRASER VALLEY ACE HDWE 425 ZEREX FRASER
CO-OP COUNTRY 1650 HIGHWAY 6 AND 50 FRUITA
B1G JOHN'S BLDG/HOME CNTR 1210 DEVEREUX RD GLENWOOD SPGS
COUNTRY ACE HARDWARE & LU 627 W AGATE AVE GRANBY
VALLEY LUMBER COMPANY 432 NORTH AVE GRAND JUNCTION
ACE HARDWARE ON REDLANDS 2140 BROADWAY UNIT A GRAND JUNCTION
ACE HARDWARE OF CLIFTON 569 32 ROAD #4 GRAND JUNCTION
OFFEN ACE HARDWARE 1722 9TH ST GREELEY
ACE HARDWARE OF GREELEY 2626 A 11TH AVE GREELEY
ACE HDW OF GREELEY 3540 W 10TH ST GREELEY
ACE HDW CHERRY HILLS MRKT 5910 S UNIVERSITY GREENWOOD VLG
FULLMERS ACE HARDWARE 820 W TOMICHI AVE GUNNISON
VALLEY LUMBER COMPANY 210 AIRPARK GYPSUM
SMITH WHOLESALE HARDWARE 125 S COLORADO AVE HAXTUN
HIGHLANDS RANCH ACE HDWE 9579 S UNIVERSITY BLVD HIGHLANDS RANCH
ACE GAMBLES OF HOTCHKISS 121 E. BRIDGE STREET HOTCHKISS
JOHNSTOWN ACE HARDWARE 9 S PARISH AVE JOHNSTOWN
TRI-RIVER ACE HARDWARE 720 TYLER AVENUE KREMMLING
LA JARA TRADING POST 16555 STATE HIGHWAY 136 LA JARA
LA JUNTA TRADING CO 202 SAN JUAN AVE LA JUNTA
LAFAYETTE ACE HARDWARE 900 S HIGHWAY 287 LAFAYETTE
GREEN MOUNTAIN ACE HDWE 12035 W ALAMEDA PKWY LAKEWOOD
LAKE RIDGE ACE HARDWARE 2563 KIPLING ST LAKEWOOD
TNT HARDWARE 346 5TH ST LAS ANIMAS
PRONGHORN COUNTRY LTD 21761 HIGHWAY 40/287 LIMON
KIPLING ACE HARDWARE 5914 S KIPLING ST LITTLETON
LITTLETON ACE HARDWARE 6905 S BROADWAY STE 159 LITTLETON
BIG TOOL BOX 8080 S HOLLY STREET LITTLETON
COLUMBINE ACE HARDWARE 6720 S PIERCE ST LITTLETON
ACE HARDWARE LONGMONT 1727 MAIN ST LONGMONT
ORCHARDS ACE HARDWARE 269 E 29TH ST LOVELAND
VALLEY HARDWARE 401 E MARKET ST MEEKER
MONTE VISTA CO-OP 1901 E HIGHWAY 160 MONTE VISTA
ABEL'S ACE HARDWARE 22 S TOWNSEND AVE MONTROSE
INDIAN PEAKS ACE HARDWARE 74 HWY 119 SOUTH NEDERLAND
CO-OP COUNTRY 995 MAIN NUCLA
CIRCLE T LUMBER ACE HDWE 12 GOLDMINE DRIVE PAGOSA SPRINGS
TERRY'S ACE HARDWARE 525 NAVAJO TRAIL DR PAGOSA SPRINGS
CO-OP COUNTRY 205 W 8TH STREET PALISADE
VALLEY LUMBER CO 221 W 2ND ST RIFLE
BIGHORN ACE HARDWARE 1241 BLUE RIVER PARKWAY SILVERTHORNE
ACE HARDWARE 2155 CURVE PLZ STEAMBOAT SPRIN
MR. D'S ACE HOME CENTER 1350 W MAIN ST STERLING
STRATTON EQUITY CO-OP 341 - 1ST STREET STRATTON
TIMBERLINE ACE HARDWARE 200 E COLORADO TELLURIDE
MISSION TRACE ACE HDWE 3851 E 120TH AVE THORNTON
VAIL VALLEY ACE 2111 N FRONTAGE RD W VAIL
VALLEY ACE HARDWARE 1 ENTERPRISE DR WESTCLIFFE
WINDSOR ACE HARDWARE 1245 MAIN ST WINDSOR
QUALITY FARM & RANCH CENT 333 DEXTER ST WRAY
QUALITY FARM & RANCH CTR 700 E 8TH AVE YUMA

So if you haven't yet picked up CFLs because you were worried about how to dispose of them, worry no longer my friend. Go get some and do something good for the planet and yourself. It's Earth Day, after all!

A Musical Interlude

Now that the twins are more stable while sitting, they are a lot happier about playing by themselves or near one another instead of needing to be constantly entertained by an adult (who would really rather be playing with plants). While they don't technically play with one another, they are more than happy to steal the other one's toy or smack the other one about the head with said toy.

This is where it's a really good idea to get toys that can't be lifted up as easily and swung around.

Emma works on her rendition of Chopsticks.

Musical toys are a good idea at this stage; music soothes the savage breast, after all and so long as it is the babies that are making the music and not a toy that plays Itsy Bitsy Spider in an infinite, tinny, electronica loop until you are driven to jabbing yourself in the ear with a awl...I'm perfectly fine with it.

Logan works on his Creativity skill.

Note how Logan isn't smashing Emma in the head with the piano or the stuffed turtle. Isn't music great?!

Logan and Emma perform a duet. Emma sings an aria from Carmen while Logan plays masterfully.

Hey Swistle, you'd better sign Henry up for those violin lessons soon!

Newsflash! Houston: We Have Mobility

Emma just sat up and scooted!

I was in the room with her and she was on all fours, practicing her Down Dog and then left for a moment. When I came back, she was sitting up and closer to the box she's been "talking" to for the last 5 minutes!

Figures!

Then, while I watched, she leaned over from her sitting position and pulled herself closer to the box. Scootching! The Down Dog position helped her to figure out how to sit back up from all fours. Awesome! All the while she's been saying da-da-da and blowing raspberries. Also a first. (She started saying da-da-da on Saturday.)

She just did it again!

Eek!

You know what this means: it's time to set up some barriers to mobility. Isn't that obnoxious? Hooray! You've figured out how to roughly get from Point A to Point B! Now that you've learned how to move around, we have to contain you.

Ahhh, parenting!

Weekly Winners IV

For your delectation, (Mostly*) Naked Babies.

"Hey Emma! Whatchu doin' down dere?"

"Some yoga stretchin'. I'm gettin' limbered up, Logan."

"Dis is da Foot in Mouf position. Opens up your chakras or somfin. Is impor'ent to be flexible..."

"When you want to do dis!"

Emma shows us that she's going to skip right past crawling and go straight to standing up. Either that or she's just showing us that she knows how to execute the Down Dog position.

More Weekly Winners here.

More of my Weekly Winners here.

*For those of you that are curious about why the babies are (mostly**) naked in the middle of April in Colorado: it was eighty degrees out on Tuesday. Eighty. Eight-oh. 80.

And then the very next day?

It snowed.

** For those of you wondering why they are wearing disposable diapers: We have cloth diapers (Bum Genius 3.0 - one size!) on order (because Lotus said they were fab and so did some other folks.). Whee!

Lesson Permanence

"It's not my fault!" she screams at the top of her voice as breakfast is canceled since she's about to be late for school. Dawdling when she should have been brushing her teeth, feeding the cats and getting dressed. But it's not her fault.

No. It's the fault of the tooth brush, the pants and the hairbrush. Clearly they are all conspiring against her to make her late, to get her in trouble, to steal her breakfast.

"Take responsibility for your actions." say we obnoxious parents. This is a lesson best learned early. She can't keep blaming inanimate objects for making her dawdle or making her late.

"It's mommy's fault!" she insists. Better than a hairbrush, I suppose. We never establish exactly how it is my fault, except that in this house I play the role of the Heavy. The Bad Cop. It was I who announced breakfast was canceled when she was down to the last 5 minutes before she had to walk out the door and go to school.

This scene, or a close facsimile of it occurs almost every day. When will she learn this lesson?

Babies exhibit the concept of object permanence around 8-9 months of age. When does lesson permanence occur?

My friend and I were talking about how her daughter always asks/begs/demands a treat from the vending machine at the local rec center every time they visit, even though the answer is always no. She's starving and will absolutely expire on the spot if she can't have an over-priced, over-packaged, heavily salted or sugared food-like item right now.

Her mom says no, just like last time.

When will she learn this lesson?

When I ask my daughter to turn off the DVD player or go get ready for bed, she is continually surprised by having to endure negative consequences for lack of compliance. Then, when the Hammer of Mom Justice is brought down on her the really repellent bratty behavior occurs: screaming and whining about how it's all so unfair! and how I'm being mean.

Yup, I'm mean alright. I'm teaching you a lesson.

I'll stop being mean just as soon as you learn it.

What has happened to my brain?

When I talk about Locavores and "serious" issues:


When I talk about gardening:

When I talk about babies:


Says a lot about me, doesn't it?

Growing Challenge: Yardwork

The only real downside to being a gardener is that gardening is a gateway drug to...more gardening.

Oh yeaaaah, it starts off simply enough. All you want is a small space to grow a few flowers.

The back garden, with relocated crabapple tree, March 2008.

Then you start thinking about tomatoes or perhaps cucumbers (Note: Just started a pot of green onions, spinach, fingerling carrots and cilantro.). Perhaps you decide to start gardening organically and composting. At some point you begin obsessing over the lawn and determine that it's just a waste of time and resources, so you start ripping that out in large chunks.

Front yard, late March 2008, pre-cleanup.

Front yard, as of May 13th, 2007.

After that, you're stuck in a never ending cycle of enlarging, detailing, journaling and trialing of new plants (Can I kill this one fast or slow? Let's find out!).

You might even decide that you need to specialize in a certain type of plant or garden. Do you like agastache a little too much?

'Heather Queen' agastache, along with honey bee.

What is all the hooplah over xeric gardening? (It's all about reducing your water use and time spent in working on your garden. Mine can fend for itself, which is essential these days!) What if you decide you want to register your yard as a backyard habitat? Suddenly you have to take the needs of wildlife into account and provide them with food, water, cover and a place to raise young.

Hello! I must be going!

You find yourself with a burning need to buy binoculars and bird books. You're buying feeders and hulled sunflower seeds. You may even find yourself in a cold war with squirrels and raccoons.

Next thing you know, you're justifying purchases of trees and shrubs as being "for the animals". You rip out old, unsatisfying plants and replace them with new, exciting, possibly multi-seasonal plants. Your neighbors look on and shake their heads, bemused by your annual antics.

Some people find that gardening in the ground isn't enough for them anymore and they start gardening in containers.

Big bowl o' sedum.

They read all manner of books about gardening in pots, arranging colors and sizes of plants and pick up such obscure terminology as Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers. Suddenly you find yourself purchasing enormous pots that you know you can fill with flowers.

You grow your own food. You grow your own food and a little extra for your friends, maybe even your neighbors.

My raised beds with survivors on the left and leftover plants on the right.

Finally, because you just don't have enough "space" or your growing season is "too short" you start thinking about "raised beds", "season extension" and "hoophouses". You start thousands of seedlings indoors, under lights.

Shoplights and shelving and soil, oh my!

Eventually, the gardening disease goes terminal and you're woodworking.

Space for new raised beds, in line with the old raised beds. You know, in my (Read: Eric's) copious spare time.

Stop now before it's too late!

Save yourselves!