Casa McAustin

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-19T09:20:00.000-06:00

....and I started out with such good intentions!

Oh, well. It's been very busy here, as I'm sure you all have been, and it promises not to slow down until after the first of the new year. Preparations for the holiday and then for our ski trip are taking their toll on my computer time. If I'm not able to get by to wish each of you Merry Christmas, know that I'm sending you well-wishes here!

Have a fabulous and safe holiday, blogging friends!

Santa Baby

2006-12-07T05:54:00.000-06:00

We ran into the mall yesterday to pick up some socks for Lulu using some coupons. Predictably, upon entering the store, the Critter NEEDS TO GO TO THE POTTY RIGHT NOW! The store, of course, has no facilities. So we found the nearest public restrooms. Whilst making our mad dash across the mass of retail-shopping humanity, we passed a display for the Santa visit station. Hmmmm, I thought to myself, I wonder what the line's like at this time of day. After our 'business' was done, we exited the store and headed to the Santa spot. They have a train ride set up there to amuse the kiddos while you wait in line. But really? It's just there to part you with your cashola while you're held captive waiting for your turn to spend more money. Or in our case yesterday, the really kind guy who saw the defeated and crushed look on the boys' faces when I told them we couldn't ride the train because I didn't have any cash, and took $4 worth of pity on us in our cash-less state. Thanks, again whoever you were. You are the embodiment of the Christmas spirit.

Santa was on break, and the "will return at" sign with the little clock hands said that he would be back at 1:45.
It was 1:30.
There was NO ONE in line.
SCORE!

It wouldn't have mattered if the kids were dressed in pj's or nekkid as jaybirds, I wasn't passing up that chance. I knew it would probably be one of those "special" memories anyway.....Lulu is super leery of the big guy in red. Any other stranger on the street, grocery store, cars waiting alongside us at stoplights? Hi! How ya doin'?! I love you! Let me blow you some kisses! But Santa? No, no, no. We got lucky and the girl manning the shutter button was quick on the draw:

About 3 seconds later, Lulu went all 'spaghetti kid' on him, fell to the floor, hit her head, and then screamed even louder....until I gave her the oh, so lovely jingle bell bracelet / choking hazzard to play with. (By the way, thanks so much for those Santa, ....my hearing may never be the same.)

At least I didn't have to sit with them like last year.

For $21.99, I have an essential memory of childhood, fodder for the future therapy sessions for everyone involved, and one more 'must' item checked off the Christmas season list.
Whew.

Balsaman

2006-12-05T06:56:00.000-06:00

My mother was one of "those" people. The person who can do just about anything well, renaissance (wo)man, a Jane. As a child she showed creative talent early, and was playing tunes by ear on the piano by the age of 2. As an adolescent, she was a semi-professional dancer and talented painter. As an adult she was a fabulous cook, composed wonderful music, and played a mean church organ. She painted beautifully, sketched amazingly, and apparently weilded the knife with skill.

The picture above is of a sculpture made from balsa wood that my mother carved. Balsaman, as we named him, stood sentry over our lives during my entire childhood and teenage years on a little display block hanging on the wall above our sofa. Being made from such lightweight wood, it didn't take much for him to topple from his post, and he got knocked off on a weekly, if not daily, basis. His head would break off each and every time, and my mother would very carefully glue it back on and replace him, whole again, upon his block. Another day would roll around, some child would slam the door a bit too hard, and Balsaman would need mending once more. Through the years when she was focused on raising children, working and finishing up a doctoral degree, Balsaman continued to stand for the creative side of her that she always steadfastly held to.

Balsaman is mine now, and he sits in a display box above the sofa in my family room. I have always loved his relaxed and thoughtful pose, as if he is lost in the imaginings of his own soul. There are many days I've felt just like that. He was beheaded again recently, and I made the unfortunate mistake of using "the strongest glue on the planet" on him for the very first time. I learned that Gorilla Glue expands fourfold during the drying process, and now Balsaman looks as if he's dressed for winter in a scarf. I am contemplating 'restoring' him, but I need to do some research into how exactly that should be done. I don't want another 'learning experience' that might do more damage to this treasured item.

My family always encouraged us to pursue and develop any special talents or interests we might have. As a child, I took art lessons on Saturday mornings from the local artiste whose studio was in the unused wing of the local historical museum. I so loved those hours I had to explore the concepts of line, color, form, and also to physically explore that mysterious building. I swam on the local team, dove competitively, took dance lessons, and was a slave to the piano from five to fourteen. I took up the clarinet in middle school, and had thoughts of playing professionally until I decided that eating really was that important to me. I went through a creative dry spell during my working years as I was focused on my career and marriage. In the last 2 years I have been better about making time for creative self, and have found my current passion: digital photography and photoediting. I'm having so much fun with it. I know that this would have made my mother happy, to see me expressing myself and using the talents God has given me. I'm a bit sad that we were never able to share this part of my life.

My mother died in 2001 after a harrowing, year-long battle with lung cancer. Today would have been her 62nd birthday. I'm so glad I have Balsaman as inspiration to hold fast to the creativity that makes me uniquely me, for I am my mother's daughter.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

One.Two.Three

2006-12-03T07:20:00.000-06:00

Those are the ages of my children, for the next few weeks at least. I've been busy, to put it simply, and this has been my longest stretch between posts here. I have been reading the rest of you, but haven't really had the time to comment much. There are many reasons...life intervenes. I would have to say that the biggest reason of all is that little girl up there in the middle of the photo in the new banner(!). Changing nap schedules, newfound freedom in walking, constant vocabulary increase, and just general sassiness have left me without much time on the computer. What time I do get, I've been spending in photoshop and on flickr. They're both just so much fun, and I'm addicted completely. I'm going to try to be better about keeping up here though. Happy Sunday, all!

One Year

2006-11-04T14:46:00.000-06:00

Make photo slide shows at onetruemedia.com

The story.

Stuff Portrait Friday:GBU

2006-11-03T06:24:00.000-06:00

It's not a university...it's the command from Kristine the queen of Friday. She wants to see the good, the bad and the ugly.

Hot biscuits with butter & honey.....GOOD

Halloween Costumes....BAD

(click on the pic to ready WHY)

Cooking Lip Injury.....UGLY

(click on the pic to read HOW)

Did you play?

Have a great weekend!

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T05:50:00.000-06:00

See it larger in flickr.

Stuff Portrait Friday: Easy...

2006-10-19T21:10:00.000-05:00

...or at least that's what Kristine says.
She wants us to show our kitchen sink, something that we will throw away right after we take a photo of it, and something that needs fixing.

The Kitchen Sink...

in reality

and ...

...interpreted.

What I hate about my kitchen sink is that it faces away from the room where everyone gathers during a gathering. What I love about my kitchen sink is the view outside. If I stand on tiptoes (I'm kinda short) I can watch my boys play outside down the hill. If I look straight out I can see the beautful Texas Hillcountry, and every so often I catch a fabulous sunset.

Something I Will Throw Away After I Take Its Picture:

The shells from my lovely hardboiled eggs from breakfast.

Something That I Need To Fix

Whovever thought that popup books were appropriate for 3 year olds was completely nuts. My kids are generally very gentle, but it seems I spend my life repairing these things....

Did you play? I try ( note...TRY) to make it by every one who leaves me a comment.
Have a fantabulous weekend!

Randomness...

2006-10-18T08:32:00.000-05:00

I actually had intentions of playing Way Back Wednesday but TKW isn't doing it. So it will have to be the swill that's been swimming around my noggin the last few days.

~Lulu is climbing everything, and has figured out how to escape from baby jail. Several times over the last week I've found her standing on furniture not meant for standing, and unable to get down. I'm going to have to get some new gates.

~I can't go to Blogger Blowout in Dallas since the date changed, because that is the girl's birthday, and our Preschool fundraiser weekend that I have to attend. Wah.

~Yesterday morning as Little Bit, Lulu and I ran along Town Lake, a man passed us on his bicycle, traveling pretty fast. He had a small toddler sitting on his shoulders, and they were both wearing backpacks, and it appeared they were late on their way to somewhere. Hum.....

~While eating lunch at Costco last week, we encountered 4 little boys playing in the line area of the snack bar. They were extremely loud and were throwing toys - figurines 6-12 inches tall - through the air and the sliding across the floor to retrieve them. There was no adult managing them, or even trying to get them under control, and I couldn't tell to whom they belonged. They hit several people waiting in line to order, and still the mother didn't say anything. My boys even commented that their mama should make them be quiet. You know it's bad whene preschoolers know it's bad behavior. Finally, after 10 minutes or so of this, the manager came and inquired whose kids they were, and told her to get them under control. That is how bad it was. I used to watch those nanny shows and really thought that the people were playing it up for the cameras. Now I know that they are real. Scary.

SPF: Fall

2006-10-13T05:37:00.000-05:00

....and that would be my reason for not updating here in over a week.
The weather has been lovely and we've been out and about every single day.

This week, Kristine wants to see these things: our season changing, the beauty of where we call home, and our favorite part of the change of seasons.
I'm cheating a bit here and combining the first two into one picture:

It's the middle of October, and we're just now getting the first of the color change in the landscape. It's still pretty warm, but I'll take what I can get!

My favorite

Fall to me is all about texture, both outside, and in my wardrobe. I LOVE it when I can finally pull out the corduroy, velvet, tweed, and chunky sweaters.

Did you play?
Leave me a comment and I'll come check out your change of seasons.
Big weekend here with lots of fun planned....
Have a great weekend wherever you are!

Howdy Folks

2006-10-02T15:43:00.000-05:00

We made a totally spontaneous, wildly underplanned, speed-demon dash to Dallas on Friday for the State Fair. Daddy McA is going to be in the Land of the Rising Sun later this month when we had our original trip tentatively planned. So it was this weekend or not at all. Here are a few things I learned:

Little Bit and the Critter do stellar Big Tex imitations.

In an auto show with all vehicle doors unlocked, the likelihood that at least one kid's fingers will get smashed in a door is very very high. Very, very high.

Three hours the the maximum time that my 10 month old will tolerate being in her carseat uninterrupted.

Hampton Inn has come a long way since being bought out by Hilton.

Turns out they CAN fry that. That too.

The train exhibit trains really do stop running at 7 o'clock. on.the.nose.

Rental wagons was someone's really great idea, and priceless for the low, low price of $10.

No matter how much you spend initially, you will have to buy more coupons, probably multiple times.

The slideshow is up on flickr.

Knock, Knock

2006-09-26T13:55:00.000-05:00

I've been neglecting the blogging lately, but I have a really good excuse: FABULOUS weather. It has been absolutely gorgeous here, and therefore, we've been out and about every single day.

And let's talk about that for a minute. When I meet new people, they invariably ask, "Do you stay home with your kids?" My answer is yes, I do....in theory. It seems like we are never actually home! The Critter is in preschool 2 days a week, we all have a Bible study class one day, and then we go to our local gym several times per week. Throw in library day and naptime, and that's the week, gone...poof! Again, I'm just amazed at you people who do it day in, day out. I just don't think I'm organized enough for that.

I'll be back later!

2006-09-22T15:14:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah, so I'm late again. I'm recycling one picture, as the last item hasn't been fixed up yet! (It will make sense when you get down there.)

Here's what Kristine wants to see this week:

Something I've outgrown:

Actually, these fit...because they're new....because I had to buy all new shoes after baby #3.

Something I've overcome:

I used to worry more than I do now, and it accomplished nothing, but to make me a wreck. I don't worry about things over which I have no control. That's someone else's job, and I'm just along for the ride. God set it up that way, and who am I to say I know better?

Something I need help with:
Could someone please add about 6 hours to the day? Or at least slow down the 24 we've got now. It's passing too fast, and there's too much to do.

Did you play? Let me know so I can come check it out!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Touch.Release

2006-09-17T22:46:00.000-05:00

These were the words from OddMix and here's what I came up with.

A mother's touch can make everything better.

And sometimes you just have to release the real you!

We had a fun birthday party this weekend, check the flickr for the other photos.

104.7

2006-09-13T20:41:00.000-05:00

No, it's not a radio station.

It was the reading on the thermometer when I officially became worried.

The diagnosis is Roseola, and the worst- at least healthwise - is over. Now if she can stand the gawkers recoiling in horror she should be ok.

I'm sure we shared our germs with numerous unsuspecting souls, but hey, some unsuspecting soul shared with unsuspecting us. Pass the Motrin.

We got out for some fun for the first time in a week. The top shot was at the beginning. The one below was at the end.

Needless to say, she's still a bit wiped;)

Check the flickr for the other photos.

Remembrance

2006-09-11T15:54:00.000-05:00

Where were you?

That is the question that people ask about that day. I was working in a public school in downtown Dallas, and had just checked on the 5th graders in their special area classes. A teacher came running down the hall yelling "We're at war! Someone has attacked the World Trade Center!" My first thought was to shut this woman up so we didn't have widespread panic and confusion among the impressionable young children within earshot of her hysteria. My second thought was. Oh, my God, please, no.
I will never forget.

We set up a television in the school library workroom so that teachers could come get updates during their off-periods, and got it up and running just in time to see the plane fly into the second Tower, live. I remember feeling that it couldn't be real, but alarmingly, I knew it was. We also watched as both Towers fell, live.
I will never forget.

When I got home that afternoon I, my husband, and a friend of ours walked to the local 7-11 to pick up the special edition of the Dallas Morning News that had all the photos, and the latest updates. There were dozens of people milling around outside waiting for the issue to arrive. What struck me was the the absence of planes overhead, which was unprecedented. The quietness, the somberness, and the general peacefulness of our little neighborhood in the midst of this tragedy was deafening.
I will never forget.

My mother was in the last stages of her battle with lung cancer at the time, and I remember feeling so sad, and a bit angry, that her last months on earth were marked by the experience of such misery all around. She died in December, and the Trade Center attacks were still front page news. She had become addicted to CNN, as had many others, and every time I saw or spoke to her she was upset by the needless misery spoken about and the vivid images broadcast.
I will never forget.

My husband had a business trip to New York in late November of that year, and came back with amazing stories and pictures of the cleanup efforts. We had planned a trip to the city to visit friends for New Year's Eve before the attacks and before my mother's death. We kept our plans and had a nice time. The city was very subdued, and there was an anxiousness to people on the street, just under the surface. It was, and still is, a changed place. It was a very emotional trip for me personally, and I got immensely drunk on Sangria at a Spanish restaurant the night before New Year's Eve.
I will never forget.

My husband and I have a tradition that whenever we travel somewhere, we always purchase something indigenous to the area to bring back to display at home. The art piece pictured above was created by John Suchy, an artist born and raised in Brooklyn. This was our memory piece from that trip.
I will never forget.

I pray that on this 5th anniversary, each person who has been touched by this tragedy is beginning to find some measure of closure and peace.

I will never forget.

SPF: War of the Worlds

2006-09-08T06:06:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Friday, Stuff Portrait Friday to be specific.

Kristine's directions are to hunt down and snap photos of the following things:

This is a ‘thinking’ SPF. Yes, no kids…no dogs…no cats.

1. Your Freedom
2. Your Hope
3. Your Wish

Keep in mind, it’s ‘Your World’.

I followed the directions.....mostly;)

My Freedom

One of the things no one tells you about being a parent is that you will never be alone, ever again...or at least until your kids realize what a dork you are, and want nothing more to do with you. I llooooovve my time alone. I used to really enjoy the commute to my job because it was quiet, I could think, and I was alone. I adore my kids, but I really miss being in my car by myself. To look in the rearview mirror and see 3 empty car seats is my view of freedom.

My Wish...

...is that these are not the only two colors I see this fall and winter. After 3 years of harsh summers, very mild winters, and practically no rain, I long for true seasons. Maybe this year?

My Hope

...is that my children will grow to be productive, faithful individuals who possess the warmth of the glow, the steadfastness of the flames, and the knowledge of the power being in community with others. I'm reading this book, and it's having a profound effect on my thinking.

There are no pictures of kids, dogs, cats, so technically I followed the rules. My family is a huge chunk of my world, and to cut them out completely discounts the real me.

Did you play?

Skewered

2006-09-06T06:57:00.000-05:00

That's how I feel now that this Beta thing is in the works. I can't comment if you're not Beta or don't have anonymous comments enabled, and Blogger won't allow me to set up a non-Beta account.

So all you Blogger people, it's time to take the plunge....into the Beta pool. It's really easy, and fairly painless.....well, except for Cara...and she's such a smart girl I know she'll get her fancy template figured out in no time.

You're gonna have to do it sooner or later, and I miss being able to leave comment!

Numbers

2006-09-05T05:38:00.000-05:00

3 children up, dressed, fed
1 dog, fed
4 bags/backpacks
3 drinks
1 bottle of formula
1 lunch
2 snacks
3 extra sets of clothing
4 diapers-size 4
4 diapers-size 5
1 completed emergency contact info sheet including 'codeword' (!)
483 million raindrops (niiiice timing...)
1 golf umbrella (broken)
2 B*lues C*lues rain panchos
2 kiddos dropped off at gym childcare
1 last-minute dash into the grocery
1/2 cup broccoli florets
2 preschool teachers
1 Critter
6 classmates
26 pictures
1 worn out Mama
9 a.m.

With each and every new step down this road of motherhood, I am increasingly and utterly in awe of all you working parents who do this every.single.day, and at the literal crack of dawn. I am also acutely aware of how lucky I am to have the option of staying home with my kids.

It was a good day.

Baby/Boy

2006-09-03T21:59:00.000-05:00

2-9-03: almost 4 hours old; 9-2-06: almost 4 years old

My Critter starts preschool on Tuesday.

I'm really looking forward to the new things that he will learn, and the new friends he will make, and the new experiences he will encounter.

But....

...my baby starts preschool on Tuesday.

Beta

2006-09-02T15:59:00.000-05:00

GAAAHHHHH!!
This beta mess is ticking me off. I've been trying off and on for two days to leave comments for you beta-switching-people who're all technical and computery, and the blogger-beta-b won't let me.

Do I have to make the switch to be able to comment on yours? The FAQ doesn't say a word about it.

SPF: Return

2006-09-01T14:37:00.000-05:00

Family, preschool, funerals, trips....yada, yada, yada. I'm sure there are actual stories in there somewhere, but the creativity has gone on hiatus. I'll work on it.
Today, however is Friday, and that means it's Stuff Portrait Friday, where I don't have to come up with my own stuff....I can let Kristine do the thinking, and I just take the photos....or dig them out of the archives.

As so often happens, I read the directions wrong....one of these days I'm going to get this whole reading thing figured out for good, but for today, this is what you get: my own version.

My support

Emotional, financial, parental, sometimes physical. This man provides them all well. Here he is sitting in front of his two computer monitors, where he can be found 95% of all his waking hours.

My sacrifice

I willingly did this to my body 3 times. It will never be the same, I know, but it is slowly regaining a bit of its former look. (And those who will tell you that "9 months on, 9 months off" thing? They lie. After 35 it's much harder, and it takes longer.) Oh-so-worthy, but definitely a sacrifice.

Something red.

Lantana from my backyard. It's supposed to be 'sunset' which is a mix of red, orange, yellow and fuscia, but it's still pretty.

Better late than never, that's my motto.
Did you play?
Have a wonderful weekend.

Consumer

2006-08-22T08:09:00.000-05:00

And now for something completely different...

There are those who will tell you that the place to buy retail is New York City, L.A., Paris, or London. They are wrong. The retail capital of the world is Dallas, Texas. There are more retail offerings per capita in the DFW metroplex than anywhere else in the world. If you can't find it, and find it cheap, in Dallas, you have no hope of finding it anywhere. I'm not what would traditionally be called a shopper, I don't just go to browse, and I don't buy that often. If I need something, I look for the best deal and buy it, and in Big D that was really easy. When we moved from Dallas to Austin, I had to readjust my shopping expectations, as there just isn't the volume or variety here. Consequently, whenever I visit I have a list of stops I must make before coming home to Austin. Since the ICU visiting hours ran with 2 hour gaps throughout the day, I found myself with time to burn, so what's a girl to do? Shop, of course.
Following are the highlights of my hunt.

Off Price Shoes is the greatest place ever. Actually, it's vaguely dingy and always crowded, but the prices can't be beat. At the most expensive, all shoes are $9.99, and the sales are just insanity. They are currently having their end-o-summer clearance....all shoes $4.99. For $35 I got the seven (!) pair in the photo. And they're cute. Many of the shoes they carry could be described as.......eccentric....but many are really cute.

Ladies with littles: the Kelly's Kids Outlet is closing in December. It's a sad, sad day in children's wear bargain hunting. Everything in the store is $5.99. I got several adorable outfits and dresses for Lulu for next summer, but they didn't have much in 3-4 boys. The selection is much better in larger sizes for boys, but I hate to buy too far in advance for them, they spurt so weird. The clearance just started last Wednesday, but word will spread fast. If you live in the area, get there ASAP.

Chocolate Soup is having their 40th anniversary sale on top of their annual summer clearance. Everything in the store is green-priced, which is 1/3 to 1/2 of regular price, then on top of that all spring/summer stuff is an additional 66% off, and fall items are an additional 40% off. I got tons of stuff for the boys there for cool weather, as well as for next summer. The most expensive thing I bought was a madras plaid short/polo shirt set (with hat!) for $16. I got some polo shirts for $2.25. I love CS. If you love good prices on unique stuff, that's the place to go.

I didn't have time to make it to Sam Moon, but my friend got a really great purse that looks alarmingly similar to a Birkin bag for $12.99. Next time.

This concludes the McAustin Shopping Update.
Have a wonderful day.
Go shopping!

Turn, Turn

2006-08-21T20:27:00.000-05:00

It is a fearful thing to love what death can touch.

Friday afternoon I received a call from my cousin telling me that my aunt* was in serious condition in the hospital ICU , and it was uncertain how long she might live. I drove up to Dallas early Saturday morning, and spent the weekend with my aunt and the rest of the family who had gathered. She is waging a mighty struggle with an aggressive form of multiple myeloma, which basically means she has a type of cancer that is eating away her bones from the inside out, and destroying her white blood cell production in the process.

This is one of the kindest, most considerate, giving people I've known. She is also exceptionally fierce, is capable of holding an intense grudge, and is an amazing cook. She is among the funniest of humans ever to draw breath, and raised 4 fabulously fun-loving and clever people. I'm always left with the sense that I don't want the time to end when we're all together. That is intensely true now.

My grandfather died in 1993.
My mother died in 2001.
My grandmother in 2004.
My uncle died in 2005.

I'm weary of saying goodbye to people I love. More than that, I'm so sad that this cherished part of my family has to go through this pain.

This week's Weekend Words Challenge, sponsored by OddMix fit my situation perfectly this week. The words for this week are fantasy and reality.

My fantasy is that this earthly vessel God has loaned us would stay as beautifully flawless and perfectly healthy as this sweet baby's....

...but the reality is that we all will wither and die, just like the leaves on this tomato plant. Animal, mineral, vegetable, none are immune.

Sometimes it's hard to look past the hurt to the hope. I'm still working on that.

For everything there is a season,
And there is a time for every event under heaven
A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Hug your old people.

Kiss your babies.

Tell everyone that you love them.

We never know when the season will turn.

*She is not really my aunt. She is my mother's cousin, but the families were small, and very close. I have always considered her my aunt, and she is also like a second mother to me. She is currently holding steady, and will get some test results back today to determine the next course of action.

Stuff Portrait Friday: Show Me the Supplies...

2006-08-18T06:50:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Friday, the day that the lovely Mrs. Kristine Baland gives us a laundry list of photos, or in this case, it's a supplies list honoring back to school: our bag, our supplies, and the grown-up version of the cubby: our mailbox.

The summer bag, a Mother's Day gift from the littles. A little whimsical, a lot of fun. I have red hair, so I have TONS of lime green in the closet, so it goes with just about everything.

In my previous life, I was in the field of education: teacher and administrator. While I loved my job, I really enjoy staying home with my kids. However, every year at this time, when the aisles of the stores are filled with fresh school supplies, backpacks and lunchboxes, I get a bit nostalgic. I've always loved the whole back-to-school bustle, even as a kid myself. I always buy myself a new box of crayons to use while the kids are working with theirs. This is last year's box. Time to get some new ones!

The mailbox. Bottom of the hill, at the curb. Not too exciting, but I love that it's huge, and it's soooooo much better than the listing, old metal one that we replaced.

Did you play? Let me know so I can come check out your supplies.

Have a great Friday!

Flickritis

2006-08-17T07:35:00.000-05:00

I had never heard of flickr before I started blogging. It took me a year to get past the hangups I had about public photos, tagline searches, etc. before I joined. Truth be told, if Blogger picture uploading was more reliable, I never would have signed on. But, it isn't, and I did. Since that time, I've become utterly addicted, wholly and without regret. I find such amazing images and mind-blowing talent, both of which inspire in an incredible way.

Yesterday I uploaded this picture of Little Bit that makes me smile every time I look at it.

It made Explore/Interestingness, #361.

That sound you hear? Me doing the happy dance:)

Have a great day!

The Devil Wears Prada Glasses

2006-08-16T18:00:00.000-05:00

Hello, again.

It was about time.

(Oh, Geez...now I'm going to have to go fix that moonglow right arm jumping out in the profile pic...)

(ok, all done.;)

Way Back Wednesday: Water, Water Everywhere

2006-08-16T09:25:00.001-05:00

The Kept Woman says that today it's all about the water. It's been a while, but I was up at an uncharacteristically early hour (even for me) and decided to while away the hours by scanning in some old photos.

Summer 1971, rockin' the matching bro-sis swimsuits

Case of the Mondays

2006-08-14T15:53:00.000-05:00

Mucho Nacho....really, that's what they're named...

What's going on with Blogger? I saw some recent posts this morning, but then later it reverted back to stuff from earlier last week. I also couldn't see what I'd posted. This is a test to see what happens.

I'm so easily confused... really, this isn't fair.

mmmmm.....

2006-08-12T13:53:00.000-05:00

You asked for it....they're dangerous!

Chocolate-Coconut Bars

(similar to Hello Dollies)

3 c finely ground cookies (12 oz.)
1/4 c sugar
3/4 c unsalted butter, melted
1 c chopped pecans
1 c chocolate chips
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 c sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375. Line a 15x10 rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter until combined. Evenly press mixture onto the parchment and up the sides. Bake, turning halfway through, until firm, about 10 min. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Sprinkle cooled crust evenly with pecans and chocolate chips. Pour condensed milk over top, spreading to cover completely, but make sure it doesn't go over edge. Sprinkle with coconut.

Bake until coconut is toasted, 10-15 min. Transfer to rack, cool completely. Trim edges, if desired, and cut into equal-sized bars.

***I'm a low-sugar freak.....I used whole wheat animal crackers(the only cookies in the house) for the cookies, and added a bit of cocoa powder;I cut out the sugar for the crust completely, and substituted unsweetened coconut. With the s.c.milk, it's still veerrrrryyyy sweet.

SPF: Titles

2006-08-10T21:17:00.000-05:00

Kristine's gone a bit crazy, or creative...whichever....I had to think waaaaayyyyyy too hard for this. It was 107 here today, and the only word I have as a descriptor is parched. Creativity, landscape, energy....all parched.

Here goes....
Book: Curious George (or in this case Georgina)

Lulu is into e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.

No really,

and literally,

and s.e.r.i.o.u.s.l.y.

Even with the gates. Even with the child-proofing. Either she's gonna die, or I'm gonna go crazy.

Song: The Cat's in The Cradle

Meet Mimi. She doesn't play well with others, she runs with scissors (claws) and she's completely antisocial, but she really wants to be different. Doesn't that look just say it all? Daddy McA. says that someday we'll have a real cat....

She naps every morning on the sunny spot on Lulu's changing chest, her cradle.

Movie: Chocolat
(see post below....it's late. And I'm lazy. And have company coming in, and a half full bottle of wine that needs draining. Sue me.)
Have a fabu weekend, all!

Arrggg!

2006-08-10T06:30:00.000-05:00

When you can't blog, bake...

Well, I spoke too soon. The recently returned, not-so-trusty laptop was apparently not repaired completely: it worked for about a half hour and then just stopped. So, back to the hole I go....

We went to our library yesterday, and guess who we ran into? Lucky Lum and Cara brought their adorable littles to the story time. It's a privilege to pair the actual human being with their precious pictures we see on their sites.

We had a bit of excitement yesterday. Our neighborhood is currently fighting off annexation by the City of Austin, and it's become quite the controversy. Well, only if you live here, or are an environmental nut. Daddy McAustin is president of our neighborhood association, and was interviewed by the local all-news station about the upcoming public hearings at Austin City Hall. They broadcast the piece on their evening news. Superstar!

That's all folks!

Speedy

2006-08-07T21:32:00.000-05:00

I write this sitting at my breakfast table with my recently returned, newly repaired trusty laptop, complete with new hardrive. I still have to rebuild all the bookmarks, so bear with me.

Bad Mothering Moment of the Week

I left the room at 2:54 (I checked) to go to the laundry room to switch out a load. Returned to the room mere minutes later, and Lulu was nowhere to be found. I checked the clock, it was 2:59, she can't have gotten far, I thought. The gate to the rest of the downstairs was closed, so she couldn't be in there. I went up the 1/2 flight of stairs to the kitchen, no Lulu. A scan of the dining room proved the same. I proceeded to the staircase to the upstairs, still no Lulu. Up the stairs I go, calling her name; I hear a faint giggle, and then her trademark squeal. Up to the upstairs hall, into the master bedroom, around the hairpin turn into the master bath, and there she is: standing IN the jacuzzi tub. Empty of course, but still. She was very proud of herself, and laughed at my worry.

I was wrong last week when I said it would be the 3 year old that would kill me: it will be this baby.

Moral of the story: Speedy McAustin goes in baby jail every time I leave the room. Period.

August?

2006-08-07T09:42:00.000-05:00

Hold on. Where did July go? It seems I blink, and it's a new month, every month. Geez, it's practically the holiday season!

Lulu had her 9 month well check...still healthy, still Amazon at 29 inches tall, still huge-headed. But growing along the curve, so no worries. I must say that the earliest appointment of the day is definitely the way to go: less traffic, no waiting, in and out in 45 minutes. Sweet.

This weekend, my oldest friend came to visit with her 4 year old twins in tow. We spent the entire weekend trying to find engrossing activities for the kids to do so they wouldn't bother us:). Hit the park, the museum, etc. and we had a great visit.

The main exhibit at our local children's museum is all about air, and the kids LOVED it. Tons of stuff to turn, push, spin, twirl. Good times.

Have a great Monday.

Spicy SPF

2006-08-04T06:20:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Stuff Portrait Friday!Today the lovely Kristine has asked us to play with our toys. She asked for some other stuff too, but I had so much fun playing with Photoshop, I ran out of time for the rest of the assignment. (And here I will plug the beauty that is a good wireless connection paired with a working laptop, both of which have been sadly absent here this week. With the laptop winging its way to the computer convalescent home and the only other computer tucked into the home office, screen time has been scarce for Mama.)

No more time for playing for me today, as I'm off with Lulu to her well-check (9 months! 9 months!), and we have houseguests coming in for the weekend.

I offer 3 photos today, all in the 'spice up your photo' category. To see a larger version, click on the picture to get into my Flickr.

I hope you played, because it sure was fun!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Learned

2006-08-02T14:24:00.000-05:00

I learn something new every day. It's not always something that anyone else would ever even want to know, and often is something that I wish I could have learned different way. Even so, here are some of my latest learnings.

Three years old is waaaaayyyy worse than two ever was. At least at my house. The lippiness! (not even sure that's a word, but it really fits) The contradiction! The just-barely-toeing-the-line between right and wrong. One of us may not make it long enough for him to make it to 4.

It takes concerted, focused effort to wear out the 3 year old enough for him to nap. This in turn makes me more tired, but I'm a master at getting more done in 1 1/2 hours when everyone is asleep than I can do all afternoon with anyone awake.

We must spend mucho time outside to accomplish the above.

I need more time by myself than I get when the child doesn't nap, therefore I must get up even earlier. I'm a nicer person. And he gets to keep all his teeth.

The older I get, the more I seem to feel the heat. What's up with that?

They make me laugh every single day.

SPF Violence

2006-07-28T15:59:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday, and welcome to Stuff Portrait Friday, the day that Kristine gets what she asks for. This week: Something mean looking, our weapon, and our hiding place.

Something Mean-Looking

This is a flowering vine in my backyard. It's beautiful, and colorful, but there's something vaguely menacing about it.

My Weapon

The bentwood rocker in my living room serves as the 'thinking chair' (a.k.a. time out) for my boys. They h.a.t.e. being alone.

My Hiding Place

During these sweltering days of summer, I hide from the heat in the cool of the air conditioning, fans, and random refridgeration units in grocery stores.

Did you play?

Have a great weekend!

Milestones

2006-07-25T20:44:00.000-05:00

Climbing stairs.
Two new teeth.
Standing unaided.
Cruising around furniture.

These are the things that my 8 1/2 month old has accomplished this week. She has also developed some sort of radar for unattended drinks, preferably belonging to a brother, that is simply uncanny. I don't remember my sons being into EVERY flippin' thing quite the way she is. I had to haul the gates back out, so the house has been returned to petting zoo status. The boys are beside themselves, and Little Bit has deemed himself her personal watchdog, which just makes her so angry she could spit, causing her to SCREAM AT THE VERY TOP OF HER LUNGS. That in turn is driving me to the very edge of sanity.

I'll leave you with a little math problem:

This:

Yeah, that's how my week's been. And it's only Tuesday....sigh....

So, how you doin'?

Correspondence

2006-07-20T14:29:00.000-05:00

Dear Brodie Lane HEB:

Hello. I do my weekly marketing at your store, sometimes multiple times during a seven day period. I have yet to make it out of your doors after a trip for less than $150, many times more. But that is not what this letter is about, as you really do have the best prices in town, and I love so many things about your store: dedicated 'shopper with child' parking, carts holding up to 3 children, clean floors, fresh produce, the list goes on and on.

Back to those shopping carts. We were very excited over your recent purchase of the new carts with the bench seat holding two children. My sons deemed them 'more comfy' than the old, red plastic carts. I'm sure you are aware that anything that makes the trip more pleasant for them trickles down to me, the one with the wallet. I understand that those old red ones were recalled for some reason or other, but if you insist on taking them out of service you really should purchase more of the new ones. Or at least get some hourly worker with a screwdriver to fix the 6 broken ones that Ramon, your friendly parking lot attendant, reported were in the back of your store. Yes, I asked, and that's what he told me. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
Mama McAustin, who will check the parking lot next time, and move on to the NEW store if there aren't any appropriate carts available

To Brodie Lane HEB customer #1:

Good afternoon. I would like to compliment you on the restraint toward your sons that you exercised while grocery shopping this morning. I'm not sure I would have been quite as patient (read: oblivious) with your boys as you were in the store today. I noticed your two adorable sons as they were pushing and shoving each other to get onto the bench seat of the shopping cart in the parking lot. I imagine it's hard to shop while having to constantly chase after a 5 year old who is in pursuit of his 7 year old brother. I got tired just watching. I also got tired of telling my 3 year old that we couldn't use your cart, even though no one was riding on it. I was however, very happy you were able to secure a cart that provided a comfy place for them to rest once they were worn out from wreaking havoc in the aisles. Those new carts are really nice, aren't they? I hope the rest of your afternoon runs a bit more smoothly, and that those grape jelly stains from jar that your younger son broke come out of the seemingly-new white tennis shoes he was wearing. Have a great day!

Sincerely,
The mother of the 2 year old your older son knocked over

To Brodie Lane HEB customer #2:

Hi, do you remember me? I was the woman with the two toddlers and the infant whom you were walking behind in the parking lot. On the way into the store, at around 11 this morning? Hello, again.

I really appreciated it when you told your pre-teen son to "Hurry! Go get the last one!" and sent him running past us to snag that final cart built to hold multiple children. Yeah, I heard you. I realize that at 10 it's really taxing to walk through an entire store using your own steam. Also, I'm sure the infant you had with you just adored the straight back and hard seat on that cart. I just wanted to let you know that my shopping trip went well, and I was able to get almost all the groceries on my list despite having to spend more time in the store doing things other than getting groceries. My dog really needs to lose a few pounds anyway, and my sons thoroughly enjoyed helping me choose items and put them in the cart.

Another thing. Yes, I was laughing at your embarrassment when your son threw that complete and total screaming hissy fit tantrum when you wouldn't buy him those gummy worms in the checkout lane because he hadn't finished his flaming hot Cheetos. I'm fairly certain that was God getting you back for your inhospitable actions earlier in the day. And also? Maybe if he wore shoes, he wouldn't get the shards of glass from the broken jar of grape jelly in his feet.
Have a wonderful afternoon.

Cordially,
the HEB shopper who shopped the entire store directly in front of you

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

2006-07-19T08:32:00.000-05:00

I'm back! We had such a great trip. It was relaxing, invigorating, and restful all at the same time.
I have to admit that it took a day and a half into it before I missed the kiddos, but then? I REALLY missed them. I flew into San Francisco to meet Daddy McAustin, we shopped around for a bit, and then had a fabulous dinner at a tapas place. After staying the night there, we woke up and drove north to hike the John Muir Woods National Wilderness. From there we headed North up Highway 1 along the coast, which is one of the most beautiful drives there is on this continent. We ended up in Mendocino, where they were having a music festival and it was Big Band Night. Too much fun. The next day we drove south along 128, which is my favorite stretch of road ever, just gorgeous! W headed back to Sausalito to the Alta Mira Bed & Breakfast, which was lovely in every way. Monday saw us heading to the airport and back home to the searing heat.

Some pictorial highlights:

The view from our hotel room in SF as the fog rolled in.

Tall redwoods in JMW.

The beautiful coast along Highway 1 south of Sea Ranch.

We spotted this California Red Tailed Hawk at the Sonoma Coast State Park. He was HUGE, about 18 inches tall.

A really mean goose in Mendocino who kept trying to attack my camera.

Doesn't this look so soft?

Daddy McA. relaxing on Sunday morning in Mendocino with the Times.

Our room in Sausalito at the Alta Mira. We had a what would have been a fabulous view of the city across the bay, or it would have been had there not been such thick fog.

It's always great to go, but it's nice to be home.

Have a great Wednesday.

Sum-sum-summertime

2006-07-12T09:51:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to get everything ready to leave for vacation in San Francisco. The kids are staying home with a beloved babysitter, and I'm out of here until Tuesday!
I did take some time out from my preparations the other day, and took the kids for a picnic at the park with some photogenic friends . Enjoy the pics.

mmmmm....p b & J....

Lulu has decided that standing is the only way to be. And Little Bit apparently believes that since she can stand, she should be able to dance too! He grabs her hands and starts to boogie, which sends her into fits of ecstatic laughter... and then she topples to the ground. I'm glad I got this pic before she got the blue goose egg on her left eyebrow.

99 degrees in the shade + no breeze + 60% humidity = sweaty headed kid

J says "cheese"

Sweet Baby E.

Voyeur

2006-07-01T20:31:00.000-05:00

I still use the baby monitor that I received at a baby shower for my first son in the room he shares with his brother. Yes, he's almost 3 and a half, and the younger one is almost two and a half, but I like being able to hear them. Our bedroom on the opposite side of the house via two different sets of stairs: i.e. a long way off. And also, I get to hear the conversations between the two of them that I wouldn't normally be privy to, and that makes me smile.

When Lulu was born, instead of transferring the existing monitor to her nursery, we bought a new set. I really didn't anticipate having to use it for long, and since I was footing the bill, as opposed to the gift-giver at the pre-Critter baby shower, I went cheap. It's basically a POS, but it does the job in a minimal sense of the word: if she's in distress, I can hear her in my bedroom. It does however,do a stellar job of picking up stray noise and interference. Mostly random cb radios and Nextel-type intercom phones.

Several weeks ago, I was ripped from my dreams by hysterical toddler screaming. It is extremely rare for either of my sons to wake in the middle of the night, and so when they do, it's because something is really wrong. I immediately jumped up and ran for the stairs. When I got to the boys' room all was quiet, and they were both sleeping like the proverbial babies. I was thoroughly confused. I then thought that I must have misheard, and that it was Lulu, so I checked on her. She too, was out like a light. As I made my sleepy trek back across the house I had almost convinced myself that I'd dreamed it, when I heard a toddler talking. And then an adult talking. As I neared the kitchen I realized the sound was coming from the second set of receivers for the monitors I keep on the kitchen counter. With the mystery solved, and my mind at ease, I went upstairs, turned down the sound on the receiver in my bedroom, and went to bed.

Ever since that night, we now get crystal-clear reception for these other people who apparently have the same monitor we do. We have overheard the daily arguments between parents and children over clothing choices, the fights between siblings, and the late night drinks of water and eternal bedtime procedure. Since that night 3 weeks ago, I've been awakened in the wee hours 6 times by children not my own. Daddy McAustin and I have had discussions about the late hour at which these kids go to bed, and the frequency that back-talk is tolerated.

I was fairly certain that these were people who lived on the next cul-de-sac over from us. We don't know them, I've just heard of them from a neighbor we have in common, and know that they have two kids roughly the ages of my sons.

Last night, however, it all changed. As I was getting ready to go bed at 11:30, I heard the child and parent talking about the next day, and why the child had to go to sleep. The parent then began singing a song, and the child joined in. At that point, another voice was heard. A very distinctive voice. A voice belonging to someone I know. This was an entirely different family from what I had originally assumed: I know these people. And I never would have guessed that all that went on in their house. You just never know what goes on behind closed doors.

It also made me wonder what they've heard from us on the other end of that airwave. I wonder if they were shocked by what they heard.

I turned off the monitor. I don't think I want to hear anymore.

Stuff Portrait Friday: Shaun Style

2006-06-30T09:02:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Stuff Portrait Friday, the day we go on the photographic scavenger hunt. Shaun wants to see:
a photo with a story behind it, a random&odd add-your-own caption photo, and something borrowed.It was a bit too taxing for my already over-taxed brain, so I only did the last 2/3 of the assignment.

A Random & Odd photo....
add your own caption.

Something borrowed:

My wedding dress was my mother's. It's mine now, but at the time it was borrowed.

Did you play?

Ducks...

2006-06-26T14:25:00.000-05:00

(The theme from Elmo's World plays... and Elmo sings in his gratingly-high-pitched voice:
"La-da-di-da, La-da-di-da! Elmo's World! La-da-di-da, La-da-di-da! Elmo's World! Elmo loves his goldfish, his crayons too!......That's Elmo's World!!!)

"HI! Welcome to Elmo's World! Elmo's so happy to see you! And so is Dorothy. Say hello, Dorothy."

(Pan to the fish): 'glub...glub...'

"Guess what Elmo's thinking about today?"

"YA TA TA TAAA! Ducks! Yes, Ducks. And Elmo's friend Critter helped Elmo learn all about them. Let's watch. Turn yourself on TV."

"This weekend the Critter went to feed the ducks with his family. It was a really hot day, and the Critter and his daddy and brother stopped to climb a shady tree.

Don't they look like they're having fun? Their sister Lulu was enjoying the fun, too.

They were very near the pond and could see the ducks, but they wanted to feed them, so they kept going. They went down a hill, and there it was! The pond, and the ducks were swimming right there in the middle. Can you see them? There were lots and lots of lilly pads in the pond with frogs on them, too.

The Critter's Daddy brought bread for them to feed to the ducks, and as soon as they pulled it out, the ducks started swimming toward them. The Critter and his little brother tore off pieces of bread and threw them for the ducks to eat. And in no time, the bread was almost gone...

OH NO!! OH NO!!!! What's happened to the Critter?!? The Critter fell into the pond! Get him out! get him out!

The Critter's Mama, who was taking the pictures, threw the camera down and ran to help the Critter's Daddy get him out of the pond. It was very slippery, and they almost fell in too, but luckily, they got the Critter out first.

Poor Critter! Now he's covered in stinky, slimy pond water, and the ducks all swam away. Oh, well, better luck next time Critter! Thanks for sharing!"

Camera pans away from T.V. and focuses on Elmo.

Elmo really liked seeing the ducks, and Elmo's so happy the Critter's ok.... And now Dorothy wants us to sing the Duck Song, are you ready?"

(Elmo bangs out the Jingle Bells tune on the piano and sings...

"Ducks, Ducks, Ducks. Ducks, Ducks, Ducks. Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, Ducks, DDDUUUUUUCCCKKKSS. Ducks, Ducks, Ducks. Ducks....." )

"Bye Bye! See you next time! And remember, Elmo loves you!"

"....That's Elmo's Wooorrrrllllddd!"

GRRRRRR!!!!

2006-06-26T14:01:00.000-05:00

Has anyone else had trouble uploading pictures the last few days?

I have a post all typed up and ready to go, but it just won't be the same without the pictures!

Again, grrrrr......

SPF: Don't Drink and..... Write?

2006-06-22T22:48:00.000-05:00

It's Friday, and that means it's time for SPF. This week Kristine is apparently dreaming of getting drunk and running off with all the new wedding gifts without writing thank you notes....or something. Anyway, she wants to see:
1. Your Drinking Glasses.
2. Your Address book/Stationery (remember that stuff we used BEFORE email?)
3. SOMETHING NEW

Glasses for drinking the official beverage of summer here at Casa McAustin:

Maragaritas!

Stationery:

Basic Crane's embossed ivory

Something New:

A classic sterling rattle given to my daughter.

Can you see us in the reflection?

Did you play? Leave me a comment so I can come check out your Stuff.

Have a great weekend.

Doubt

2006-06-21T22:12:00.000-05:00

All these new blogger babies put me deep into the nostalgia. I think about how I felt when I was doing those things with my kids.

Molly will be bringing home her new little angel soon. I remember just after the Critter was born the doctors wanted to send us home a day earlier than I'd planned on and I completely lost it. What the heck am I going to do with this tiny thing? I don't know what I'm doing! NO! I have to stay one more day! There were tears, there was wailing. And then I took a shower and felt better. The feeling of panic left as swiftly as it came.

MRTL hasn't been around much lately, and I hope things are going ok with the adjustment to having two kiddos. I am reminded of when I discovered that I was pregnant with Little Bit when the Critter was just 4 months old. I had serious doubts about how I would manage. My initial thought was that there would be no way to leave the house ever again. But then I realized that people do it all the time, and 8 months later when he arrived I was confident that I could do a good job. Despite some bumps here and there, it went well. Truth be told, my expectations were so low that I was pleasantly surprised that having two children just over a year apart wasn't as soul-crushingly excruciating as everyone assured me it would be.

Gerah is adjusting to life with her new baby boy. Her story reminded me of the time I lost my mind when Lulu was 7 weeks old, and the walls came crashing down, buried under a pile of dirty laundry and Christmas gifts that never got gifted.

Motherhood was something that I always felt very natural about, and I'm good at most of the motherly-type things: planning, comforting, organizing, cooking...etc. It's a role that I've always been comfortable with, even before having children. After my babies were born most things came relatively easily, and even when they were hard I knew it would get better: this, too, shall pass, and all that. Mostly, my hardest parenting events have been similar to the ones I mentioned earlier.

And then came potty training.

I put it off until the very last moment. Why? Because it scared me. I don't know why, maybe all the stuff you read about how you can irreparably damage your child's self-esteem and doom them to a future of bedwetting? Maybe. Whatever it was, I was daunted, and our beginning did nothing to help me out of my funk. The early phases of training did not go particularly well.

My biggest downfall as a human being is patience, or lack thereof to be specific. Throw messiness into that mix, and I'm not a very nice person. I know this, and did my best to counteract that: I sent up little prayers for added patience throughout the day, and counted to ten scores of times. I cognitively understand that all children figure it out eventually, but that was cold comfort as we were trailing a yellow river in a mad dash for the restroom at the grocery store that day. I seriously had doubts about whether I could see this thing through: I almost had myself convinced that he would indeed be the first freshman in the history of time wearing Goodnights in his dormroom. And all these people that told me about their kid who was completely trained in two weeks? They lie! Or they just can't count.

Once the Critter mastered the liquid version, then there was the sitting versus standing issue. (Pee like Daddy! Come on! It's fun!) Then there was the aim issue, which is still not perfect, but definitely improved. To be fair, I know grown men who don't hit the bullseye all the time. Then there was the "solid" issue, and his outright refusal to have anything to do with that involving a toilet. Then there was the cleaning issue when he decided that having poo in the Pull-up at naptime just would not do, and so he would take it off. And put it in a drawer. And then use four trillion wipes to try to clean up the mess. Yes, he's helpful like that. But then? Put them back.in.the.box. Um. Yeah. His bedroom still has a faint odor, but I'm certain I found them all...mostly.

That brings us to today.

I am happy to report that it's been a month now of total toileting here at Casa McAustin. Not a single accident , and he's dry upon waking 95% of the time.

I can now say with a great deal of certainty that he has conquered the toilet.

Thank God.

This I Know

2006-06-19T08:59:00.000-05:00

Here are a few things I have learned thus far in this motherhood gig that nobody told me. If they did, I either wasn't paying attention or didn't believe them.

I have bought more ketchup in one year with children than I ever bought all the previous years of my life combined. And I never intended for ketchup to even pass the sweet lips of my child .

The perfect gift on any child's first birthday should be a cow. This is because milk is ALWAYS on my grocery list. No, really: ALWAYS. If I had a cow at home, think of the gas I'd save.

Most of those multiple hundreds of dollars I spent on childproofing the home when the Critter became mobile was rendered completely wasted once he was toilet trained.

Silence from a room with multiple children usually means that something is drastically wrong.

The love really does grow exponentially.

Thanks to my sons' obsession with all things mechanical, I can identify each and every type of truck, all pieces of heavy equipment of any sort, and am able to spot them at 200 yards. I also feel compelled to point them out to unsuspecting adult passengers riding with me, or to the air if I happen to be alone. I have found this equally true if I am in own car or in someone else's: "Look! A skid steer!"

They really are all different.

Contrary to what you would think, the person you know who is toilet training a toddler will have the cleanest bathroom in a one-mile radius. This is because that bathroom will have to be cleaned completely after each and every trip the child makes to the facilities.

'Shoots a little left' will have a whole new meaning for you, if you have boys.

What I have on my plate, MUST be better than what is on a child's plate, even if it is the exact.same.thing. I have yet to figure out what age my children must reach before I will be able to eat all of my own meal again.

The days I wake up early, feeling good, and get up to steal some time for myself or to get a jump on the day are invariably the days that at least one child wakes up 45 minutes earlier than normal.

Some days seem so very long, but my babies are growing up faster than I ever imagined possible.

SPF: Riddle Me This...

2006-06-15T21:28:00.000-05:00

This week, the lovely Kristine (who is still a bit wacked out about her upcoming wedding) wants to see our puzzle, our best___?___ , and something old.

My puzzle:

Sudoku. Love it.

My best:

These three. The best things I have ever had any part in, hands down.

Something old:

A 1907 picture of my grandmother as an infant.

Bonus: The actual "something old" from my own wedding:

I wore this penny in my shoe. The same penny that my grandmother (she of the above pictures) wore in her shoe on her wedding day in 1927.

Did you play?

Pardon Our Dust!

2006-06-13T16:20:00.000-05:00

Casa McAustin is currently under renovation.

Please watch out for falling photoshop projects, and kindly excuse any misplaced sidebars or mismatched colors.

It's a work in progress...

as is everything else around here come to think of it...

Baby, It's Hot Outside

2006-06-08T09:46:00.000-05:00

Splish.

Splash.

The best $6.99 I ever spent.

And on to a splash of a different sort...
Lulu's baptism pictures.

Today at Casa McAustin you get two votes! How many times in life does that happen? They didn't come out exactly like I wanted (focus is a bit soft, and some funky shadowing in spots), but I'm not sure I want to go to the trouble of re-shooting them. So the question is: do we do another session to try to get 'the perfect shot' or stick with what we've got already? Tell me what you think.

Vote 1: Tell me which round 1 photo/photos you like.

Vote 2: Re-shoot or no?

BW 1

BW 2

BW 3

Color 1

Color 2

Color 3

Blogger won't let me add this one, and I'm at my frustration limit from dealing with this all.day.long; it's like the #3bw only in color

Stuff Portrait Friday: Contrast

2006-06-02T07:15:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Stuff Portrait Friday, the day where Kristine gives us direction for what she wants to see. Up this week:

Something sparkly

Diamonds (which, it turns out, are VERY hard to photograph...didn't have time to really make it come out the way I wanted)

Something dull

My knives. Time to get to the knife sharpist.

Something colorful

My new indoor/outdoor placemats.

Did you play?

Leave me a comment so I can come check out your contrasts.

Have a great weekend!

Life Lessons

2006-05-31T16:53:00.000-05:00

There is much talk of sharing in our home. With two toddlers who inevitably need exactly the same thing at precisely the same moment, which also happens to be exactly right now, this is a constant occurrence. Here's a bit of today's installment:

Snack this afternoon consisted of apple slices and low-sugar oatmeal cookies which were still warm from the oven. Little Bit, having polished off his cookie immediately, voluntarily asked the Critter if he would like some of his apples. Being the apple fanatic that he is, the Critter said "Yes, please!" and "Thank you!".

Little Bit waited (for what to him I'm sure seemed an appropriate amount of time) for the Critter to reciprocate with his oatmeal cookie. When no offer was forthcoming, he quietly got down from his chair, walked around the Critter's chair, ever-so-delicately reached into the Critter's plate, snagged the cookie, and proceeded to take a big bite from it while going back to his own chair.

Cries of "Hey! That's mine!" ensued, and the stolen cookie was retrieved. We then had to have yet another conversation about how sharing must be agreed upon, and not just when we want someone else to share with us - they must want to share with us as well. Even when we share something first.

Little Bit then went through the proper procedure to ask politely if he might have some of the Critter's cookie, half of said cookie was proffered, and the Earth resumed spinning on it's axis.

He's a slick one, that Little Bit.

Ouch

2006-05-29T06:46:00.000-05:00

Little Bit's First Stitches

Sat. May 27, 2006

11 a.m.

Q: How'd he do it?
A: Standing still...
...and then bending down to pick up an RC car, consequently slamming his noggin into the corner of the train table that has rounded edges to prevent accidents (I'm pretty sure that last part was written on the box it came in.)

Q: How many?
A: 2

Q: How long did it take?
A: In and out in just under 3 hours.

Q: Were there tears?
A: He was fine, I only cried once.

Girly Girl

2006-05-24T16:02:00.000-05:00

We're going to have to cut the mullet off soon.

But the mohawk can be put into pigtails!

edited to add: Little Bit just woke up from his nap, walked into the kitchen, took one look at Lulu, and said, "You've got cocktails!"

Out of the Box

2006-05-18T09:23:00.000-05:00

I look at my life sometimes and can hardly believe the difference between now and the past. Several years ago as I was filling out my new patient paperwork in my doctor's office, I got to the part that asks you to check the box that matches what you do: student, professional, retired, self-employed, other. As I scanned the list of options it struck me for the first time that I didn't have a box.

We moved to Austin when I was 6 months pregnant with our first son, and since we had decided that I would stay home with him, I hadn't gotten a job in Austin. That marked the first time in my adult life that I hadn't had a job and for the first time ever I didn't fit any of those boxes. For a long time when I was single and early in our marriage, I could check off "professional". I checked "student" for an even longer time before that. At that moment I had something of an identity crisis as I looked at the "other" box that I'd settled on and pondered over what to fill in on the line given. I didn't yet have a child, so I wasn't a mother, and the only thing I could say that I did was "housewife". I always wanted to stay home and raise my children, and am immensely grateful that I have that option, but at that moment I felt like I was stuck between worlds with nowhere to belong. The Critter was born and then things got really busy.

When I started this blog back in July of last year, I had to list hobbies on my profile page. After I stopped laughing, I put down what I always had put down: gardening, cooking, photography, outdoor activities. I then took a closer look at that list and picked it apart: I couldn't remember the last time I'd done anything involving something green that actually grew, and cooking was for necessity. The only photographs I took were of my kids.

Kristin Armstrong, ex-wife of Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, recently wrote a piece for Glamour magazine in which she talks about her realization that she had morphed into someone she didn't recognize as a result of throwing herself wholly into her marriage and motherhood. She writes that she felt that she had become someone else, a personality which didn't ring true to the self she had cultivated into young adulthood. She discovered she had sacrificed her own personhood to become Mrs. and Mom. She writes:

Here is the truth as I see it: Marriage has the potential to erode

the very fiber of your identity. If you aren't careful, it can

tempt you to become a "yes woman" for the sake of salvaging

your romantic dream. It can lure you into a pattern of pleasing

that will turn you into someone you'll hardly recognize and

probably won't like. I am warning you because I only wish

someone had warned me.

While I'm certainly no "yes woman", and I'm not romantic in any sense of the word, I do believe that growing up is hard, change of any sort is harder, and living a grown-up life with all that it entails is more difficult than it seemed when I was a teenager. The sheer number of hours and minutes of every day that it takes to complete the tasks of wife, mother, household engineer, chief cook and bottle washer, etc. take more time and way more energy than I ever imagined. And hours just don't grow on trees. The time to do those wholly essential tasks that are joyful on the best days and drudgery on others leaves little room for "the pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation", which is Merriam Webster's definition of hobby. I do not believe I have been untrue to myself or become what Kristin refers to as inauthentic. I do, however, miss the part of my being that engages in hobbies.

And that, my friends, is where I've been: finding that part of my soul...in my back garden. Or at least what will someday be my garden. The house we bought when we moved here was used by the previous owners/builders as storage, and as such they saw no reason to do anything at all to the property surrounding the house. Summer before last we sunk all our home improvement budget into a 7K fence. Last year, the landscaping duckets got buried with the new sprinkler system. The boys got a playscape from Santa this Christmas. I can now get started on the fun stuff, but the Texas heat, she is brutal, and the window of opportunity to get those pretty plants established before they are singed by the century mark on the thermometer is short. Couple that with the fact that Lulu is now at the stage where she is on an opposite napping schedule from the boys, which translates as someone awake all day, leaving me with not a smidge of time alone. Thus, the time I'm not either outside or tending to someone's boo boos is being spent on other essential stuff like, say, showering.

My affair with the garden will end, probably sooner than later, as the mercury read 95 at 11 a.m. here in the middle of May, and Lulu will eventually grow into a more manageable schedule. But for today, I will happily check the "other" box, and fill in "gardener" on the line.

And before you ask, no there aren't any pictures of what I've been doing....yet. I 'm no where near coordinated enough to dig in the dirt AND handle a camera at the same time.

Mullitohawk

2006-05-01T14:11:00.000-05:00

Q: What do you get when you cross a mullet, a mohawk and a baby?

A:

Mullitohawk

Whew!
We're back from our All Church Retreat. All seemed to go well, the speaker was thought-provoking, everyone seemed to have a great time, and the weather could not have been more beautiful. It was, however, so busy that I wasn't able to take a single picture. Daddy McAustin did get some really pretty shots of the facility from the top of the hill as he was touring his parents around. And how nice was it of Nana & Papa to come on a church retreat with a bunch of people they didn't know, just to help us out with the kiddos?

In addition to the mountain of very dirty laundry, 3 extremely tired children, and hardly a scrap of food in the house, I now have to contend with an almost-6-month-old who has two new teeth and is crawling. Yes folks, it was a big, big weekend for Lulu.

SPF: Brought to us by the letters L, E, M

2006-04-21T06:56:00.000-05:00

This week the lovely Kristine wants to see our initials:

L

Lulu's lashes

E

Easter eggs

the letter M-n-Ps (constructed at lunch yesterday by the Critter, age 3)

Did you play?

Happy Friday!

Let's do the numbers...

2006-04-19T15:22:00.000-05:00

...in chronological order.

14 spots Mimi the cat horked up ORANGE Meow Mix on my WHITE carpet
7 separate rooms affected by the Meow Mix
3 stories of my house that need steam cleaning as a result of the Meow Mix
8 gallons of water sloshed on my bathroom vanity during a water fight between boys
3 loads of laundry
2 boys with no nap
1 pair of soiled Elmo undies
4 volunteers recruited for All Church Retreat events
12 ounces of lemonade spilled down the front of my clothes last night at church
75 people witnessing the spilling
15 minutes elapsing between the spilling and my preschool board position interview
12 minutes we spent in the Ladies Room while the Critter did his business
5 minutes I had to eat dinner
3 children in bed late at 8:45
1 glass of port
10 the hour I started sneezing uncontrollably

Today has to be better.

Mirror, Mirror...

2006-04-18T20:51:00.000-05:00

I realize that everyone believes their baby to be the most beautiful. But really, can you argue with me? Go on, try. I dare you.

I read this post and could completely see myself in a few years. To borrow Chris's term, let's talk about an aspect of "boyness". (And yes, I too, believe it is a word; Wikipedia, take note.) It's something I struggle with more and more lately: knowing how rough is too rough, what is the dividing line between boys roughhousing and beating each other up?

In my family it was just me and my brother, and he wasn't the physical type, so I have zero frame of reference. Daddy McAustin has 2 brothers, but they were 4 & 6 years older, and weren't really contemporaries. I don't want my boys to grow up with memories of me as that woman who was always screeching "Stop that!" and "That's too rough!". I do however, want them to make it into adulthood without permanent emotional or physical scars wrought by their supposed loved one. Don't get me wrong, they aren't really violent with one another, and it's never done in a spirit of meanness, but they do play rough together.

Our rule currently is that if someone says "stop", "no", or is obviously NOT having fun anymore, then the play is over. (You know, when they make that wailing sound, and tears are streaming down their face? That usually means the situation has lost its joy for them, and they would like you to quit doing whatever it is you're doing that's making them feel that way.)

I am noticing, however, that as they get older, it is usually me who gets uncomfortable with the situation and make them stop. And them? They are still having a ball and would happily continue without my intervention....until the laughter turns to tears, which it inevitably does.

And so, to go with the theme I've got going here, I present you with the boys' latest version of the little game we here at Casa McAustin like to refer to as "E.R.: The Dress Rehearsal":

...and again here...

The object of the game (apparently) is to see just how fast you can roll/spin/turn/stop abruptly before the hitchhiker flies off, sailing across the deck to land with a sickening thump in a teary heap. Bonus points for blood.

So my question is this: what's your 'line' for rough play?

(How's the font looking on your screen? Too small? Did you know that if you Hit CTRL + mouse wheel it changes the font size on most any web page? Coooool!)

(DOH! Except of course, on MINE!)

Easter Recap

2006-04-18T05:56:00.000-05:00

Here's the condensed version:

We dyed the eggs on Saturday....

... such pretty colors....

Little Bit asks "Are they ready yet?"

Drying...

The finished product, ready for the Easter Bunny to hide.

On Sunday morning we were ALL ready to go and in the car by 7:30 and at church 10 minutes later, a new collective personal best for the family McAustin. After the service we headed to brunch....and had to wait until the place opened. The boys devoured their pancakes and fruit, and walked out wearing most of the syrup.

Next up: Easter baskets and the egg hunt.

The baskets had all sorts of wonderful stuff in them: markers, stickers, chocolate covered pretzels, stuffed animals, kazoos, racecars, and a few pieces of candy.

The Bunny made some good choices!

The boys check out Lulu's basket.

The great egg hunt...in 90 degree heat.

"I found one!"

"Here's another one!"

The Easter Bunny brought finger paint.

Part of the aftermath...

We hope everyone had as much fun as we did.

"ph-thump, ph-thump, ph-thump, crrunchtk!!"

2006-04-06T14:33:00.000-05:00

What was that?

Oh, THAT.

THAT would be me. fallingassoverteakettletotheverybottomofthestairs.
Taking down the vacuum with me, because I knocked it over with my head.

My first thought was of the 4 (yes 4!) children in my den. (I have an extra two-year-old today while her mother resolves nanny issues.More on her later.) What will the EMS people do with them when they load me into the ambulance? Who will feed the baby? They better remember to get extra shorts, shoes, and Elmo undies for the Critter, because to NOT have backup is guaranteeing problems.

As I lay there whimpering and taking stock in all the parts that hurt to see if I could still move them, I heard a small voice ask "Are you OK, Mama?"

Uh, yeah, I think so.

I thought I might have broken my right thumb, and I have some righteous rug burn all down my left leg, but I can walk without limping now, and I think I'll live.

Back to the extra kid. So we're up in my bedroom and I was brushing my hair. Happy Girl comes in and wants me to brush her hair. This is one of the things I'm looking forward to with Lulu: playing beauty shop.

I get out the brush, a few hair bands, and go after it. I gave her two pigtails over her ears. Very cute. While I was doing this the boys come into the bathroom and ask what we're doing, and I say "I'm giving Happy Girl pigtails", wherein they both insists that they need them too. Only they don't say "pigtails" but rather "cocktails." As in "I need 2 cocktails!" Now these boys have short hair, so a regular hair band won't work on them. I dug around in the hair accessory drawer and found some of those baby clips from several years ago (you know the ones shaped like butterflies that you'd wear like a headband? yea, like those, but not butterflies) and give them both "cocktails". This sends them into fits of ecstasy, yelling "We've got cocktails! We've got cocktails!"

My body hurts. I wish I had some cocktails right about now....but the real kind.

Take One!

2006-04-05T14:14:00.000-05:00

Well, crap.
As you can see, I've been messing around with my template. I lost all my links, even though I used a test....Obviously this will be an ongoing project, stay tuned for 'take 2'.

In other breaking news, we have to have a 'take 2' for the annual bluebonnet picture. Found the perfect spot, actually ironed the kids' clothes (I know! Me, iron!), got all the proper equipment loaded, made it to the site, got everyone arranged,......

and Little Bit started crying.....

and the Critter started picking his nose...

and Lulu was only interested in trying to snag a pretty flower to put in her mouth.

Even though I knew it wasn't going to get any better, I just kept clicking away, and 78 shots later, still had nothing remotely usable. I'm just glad I wasn't paying someone else to take the picture. But I did get one winner, albeit of a different sort:

Behold!

The one frame! That has everyone! Engaged in their inappropriate photograph behaviour!

At the same time!

I know you're all jealous of my mad photograpy skillz. Stay tuned for another go at it, hopefully a more successful one.

As I vacuumed our bedroom this morning, I had to take note of the nastiness that comes out of our carpet. I vacuum somewhere every day, but since I started going bald, I do so even more often in our bedroom and bathroom. I had just emptied out the cannister yesterday: it's the kind made of clear plastic you can see into, and after just one vacuuming it was half full again with the most disgusting mix of, of.........all the lovely stuff we've been walking on, and my kids have been rolling around in, etc. It's kind of like a car wreck: I can't NOT look, even though it gives me the willies.

I just got all the kids' winter clothes boxed up and stored...whew! Having sets of both winter and spring/summer stuff in multiple sizes for all three kids crowding the closets was driving me crazy. Now maybe that twitch will subside...

As I was putting the boxes in the attic I thought about what a huge job it's going to be to sell all the kids' stuff when the time comes for that. I've always used empty diaper boxes to store their clothes in: I always have several, they're free, sturdy, of a uniform size, and there's no mistaking what's inside. With 3 kids, the stack has now grown to about 30.

Too much to do....family picture on Friday, egg hunt Saturday, house guests Saturday night, Daddy McAustin's birthday on Sunday, my handbell choir plays Sunday, church retreat meeting Sunday afternoon.....

I'll be back...at some point.

Stuff Portrait Friday: Fluff, Fold, and Flower

2006-03-31T15:12:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Stuff Portrait Friday, the day where we go on the photographic scavenger hunt, as directed by Kristine. This week she wants to see:
~ Your Washer and Dryer
~ Your Robe (if you don’t have one of these…wait, how can you live without a robe? NO ONE should ever have to live life without a robe! GO BUY ONE!)
~ A flower (it’s sposta be spring remember?)
And since it's been a few weeks since I've had time to play, I have extra credit pictures!

The washer & dryer

The house where we lived in Dallas was ooolllldddd, and had the 'laundry room' (and I use that term very loosely) in the kitchen, behind a set of bifold closet doors. We needed more food storage space, and got an upright deep freezer, and that only left room for a stack unit. We had to cut out upper cabinets when we moved to the current house, because I wasn't getting rid of the awesome Maytag front-loading stack unit.

The robes...

The cozy waffle weave is from Ten Thousand Waves, the red silk is for recreational purposes, and the cotton geometric print was swiped by my hubs in some hotel in Japan. That last one is actually my favorite, and the one I tend to wear most.

The flower...

Here's where my bonus points come in:The impatiens in the hayracks on my front porch

.
And bluebonnets...

because it's spring here in the Texas Hillcountry, and also our state flower.

Did you play? Let me know and I'll come see your stuff over the weekend.
Have a great weekend.

Enquiring Minds

2006-03-30T15:45:00.000-06:00

Q: "So how big is his head, really?"

A: Big enough to need an adult bicycle helmet.

Yes, that big. But! He's back on "the chart" with all the other kids....albeit on the very last line that still counts as "on" the chart, but still!

(Actually, I shouldn't say 'back on', but rather just 'on', as his 2 year checkup marks the first time he's actually been "on" ever.)

We always knew he would grow into his head....someday.

Yeah! We Got The Beat!

2006-03-27T15:26:00.000-06:00

Last night we revisited junior high...

...but in a good way, if that's possible.

We went to Stubb's to see the Go-Gos. It was really good, and those gals have really kept the pipes up. They also still look pretty good, too. No false advertising there!

There's always some controversy or other going on here in the blogosphere, no?

Say What?

2006-03-24T17:48:00.000-06:00

Oh, how my world has changed since having children...

The boys were playing outside while Daddy McA. was doing yardwork. I was feeding Lulu in the kitchen near the open door and heard Little Bit yell "oooowww!!, Mama!"

He came upstairs and said: "It hurts. Kiss it please?"

Me: "Show me what hurts."

Little Bit: (turning around and pointing to his rear-end) "Here, Mama. Kiss it and make better."

wait...(as I looked at him with what I'm sure was a "you've got to be kidding me" look)

wait...(as he looked at me with those big greens with a look that said "I know you love me and this will make it all better")

Little Bit: "Thank you, Mama!"

Yeah, I did it.

He happily returned outside to resume his play.

Not the first time someone has told me to "kiss my a$@", but definitely the sweetest.

Way Back Wednesday: Play that Funky Music...

2006-03-22T09:57:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Way Back Wednesday, the day where The Kept Woman gives us a theme involving past events and we are to dig through our albums and post the pics. Today's suggestion comes from Texas Mom and is all about 70's fashion. I was born in 1969, so my entire childhood is a study in bad 70's fashion. I literally could have found a sutiable shot with my eyes closed. I give you some of the highlights:

Let's start with the person who was responsible for all these groovy togs, my Mom.Here she is in the summer of 1970, when I was just 4 or so months old. Why couldn't I have gotten the skinny gene?

Easter 1972. Kinda cute, actually. Lovin' on the white patent leather shoes on the brother. (I actually have white saddle oxfords for my boys for this year...what goes around comes around and all that.)November, 1973. My 4th birthday. I think the look on my face sums it up nicely.

And finally, the best for last:

Easter 1974. I think Howdy Doody was popular then or something....

I could go on and on....

Did you play?

Bits & Pieces

2006-03-20T08:38:00.000-06:00

Busy, busy....

I haven't had much time to feed the blogging addiction lately. It seems the only time I can even sit down in front of the laptop is when I feed Lulu, and then I can only read, as my hands are full...literally. Time for typing new posts of my own and commenting on others' is in short supply for me right now. I hate not leaving comments, but that is the way of my world for the time being, and that's ok. I'm so thankful that so many of you have your s%*@ together enough to post daily so I have something entertaining to read!

I got many thoughtful and thought-provoking comments about my last post. Parenting is such a complex issue and is so subjective, and therefore is an extremely controversial topic. Like it or not, our children are a reflection of our values walking around in the flesh. My ultimate point was not about the kids in the scenarios or kids like them, be they mine or yours, because we've all been to Tantrum Town and will certainly visit again. Rather, my point was aimed at parents and taking action, whatever your choice may be in regard to the situation. Every interaction with a child ends with that child walking away having learned something. As parents it's our responsibility to try to make that something good. Parenting is a full contact sport! And I know I'm not the only one who harbors fantasies of living on a desert island without the influences of today's society - tongue-in-cheek, people, tongue-in-cheek...

Lulu Update : She is now 4.5 months old, and recently went in for her checkup. The fabulous pediatrician tried to get me to admit that she really wasn't born in November, but rather in September, as she's measuring about average for your run-of-the-mill 6 month old: 16.2 pounds, 26 inches tall and with the ginormous noggin that has come to be expected from all McAustin kiddos. All this puts her at greater than 95th percentile for all areas as a 4 month old (having been born in November... which she was....I was there, I remember). She rolls both directions, scoots across the floor on either her back or her belly or by rolling repeatedly, and has started the constant consonant babbling. She also has become quite the rice cereal aficionado. Behold, our first attempt:

YUM!

This past week was the South By Southwest Film/Music/Interactive Festival here in Austin.We got to see some great films, some fabulous music, and the boys got in on the action at the interactive site with the "Lego Playpen".

What could you make with enough Legos to fill a 20 by 20 foot area about a foot deep? Little Bit and the Critter thought a car was in order. They searched in vain for wheels, only to discover that in all those Legos there were none. We learned later that they'd used the StarTrek and Spiderman sets which apparently have no wheels.... Still, good times for boys.

Hopefully I'll have something better than bits and pieces later in the week....maybe chunks and parts. We'll see.

Have a great Monday.

Me & My Soapbox

2006-03-15T15:49:00.000-06:00

The toddler boy was approximately 2 years old, and was obviously excited to be at the petting zoo. He repeatedly slapped the animals near him, and finally his mother picked him up. He then hit her in the face and on the arms and yelled at her until she set him back down on the ground where he returned to terrorizing a goat.

We were at Cabella's. The little girl was around 5, and she looked directly at her mother, who was watching her, and purposefully dropped her jacket on the floor, and then stomped away. The mother went behind the child, picked up the jacket and tied it to the strap of her own purse, while saying something to the child. Child then ran over to mom, and slapped her on the arm, hard, folded her arms across her chest and stomped off. Both parents watched this happen, and did nothing.

Both of these children appeared to be normal kids at appropriate developmental stages for their approximate ages. Neither of them appeared to have any visible neurological problem that would cause this sort of behavior and they seemed to interact with their siblings appropriately at other times during the time we observed them. Both of these children had both mother and father with them at the time these incidents occurred. Both of these children are preschool age.

Both of these children have won in their households.

A while back someone asked me why I didn't have my kids in any sort of mother's day out type program. My "official" answer was that I didn't believe that they needed it as yet: they have each other to play with, we read, play, sing, paint/draw/color/sculpt every day, and we're saving money for the days when they will attend a quality preschool program. For the Critter that will be next September, for Little Bit, the year after. My private answer? Because I don't want my kids to be around mean children who have not been taught what appropriate behavior is.

Notice I wrote 'not been taught' as opposed to 'haven't learned'. There is a difference, and it is a big one.

I worked in public schools for 15 years, working with age levels spanning pre-k to college, and occupying various positions. Every year when I worked in elementary schools, a new crop of Kindergarteners would enroll, and you could tell right away which kids had not been taught appropriate behavior. When I worked in secondary schools you could point them out with ease still, and in college there were some people on the cusp of adulthood who obviously hadn't been taught the rules of the sandbox. We here in the blogging world see it in full-grown adults who leave nasty anonymous comments.

They don't just wake up one morning as pre-schoolers/pre-teens/young adults gone wrong, and it's not about socio-ecomonics or stay-at-home versus daycare. They all started out as innocent babies, and it's the adults who screw them up.

Children really aren't that complicated, but they do learn what we teach them. And all too often, what we teach them is entirely by accident, omission, or inaction. I would hope that no one would ever purposefully teach a child that hitting is appropriate, but by not acting when it happens, we have done just that.

(And why is it that they learn the negative things after seeing/hearing/experiencing it just once, and I'm still reminding the Critter 'no elbows on the table' after two years of 3 daily meals? ... but I digress...)

Yes, it's easier to not deal with it, and hope the behavior will go away.
Will it? No.
Yes, it takes time and patience to correct children.
It is easy? No.
Yes, there are are some children that are more 'challenging' or 'spirited' than others.
Does that mean we can NOT do our best to teach them? Absolutely not.
Do I always do it right? God, no.
Do I pray every single day that I have more positive moments than negative? Absolutely.

No one said that it would be easy when we signed on for this parenting gig, and by bringing these children into this world we have placed the responsibility of being their first teacher squarely on our own shoulders.

So suck it up, quit your whining, get off your lazy tush and do the right thing.

If we teach them that whining is the way to get what they want, they will whine from that day forward.

If we teach them that hitting is appropriate problem-solving, they will employ that solution from now on.

If we teach them that people who look different from them are bad or wrong, they will go into adulthood with those attitudes.

Conversely:
If we teach them that it's friendly to use good manners, they will use them.

If we teach them how to be patient and talk out their problems with others they will do it.

If we teach them to be tolerant of others' differences and that everyone is God's creation, they will live that attitude.

Those kids? Those are the kids I want my babies to hang out with.

Maybe I'll invite them to visit us on our private desert island once in a while.

SPF: Junk, Trunk, Trash

2006-03-10T06:43:00.000-06:00

It's time for Stuff Portrait Friday! This week Kristine wants to see:the junk drawer, the trash can, and the trunk.

Junk

Full of junk of all sorts. It's a constant battle to keep it under control, so I clean it out every couple of weeks. Looks like it's that time again.

Trash

A butterfly can from Simple Human. Love.It. I would rather not see a trash can at all, but with 3 kids, a small one just isn't practical. See how nicely this one slides right into that space? It holds a ton, and takes regular tall bags. It's taken us 4 years to find the perfect trash can. Sad. And as it turns out, you really DO get what you pay for.

Trunk

HA! You've already seen the "trunk" (a.k.a. cargo area) of the 'Burban, so this time you get the trunk of a tree in my front yard.

Did you play? Let me know so I can come check out your junk.

"I'm Melting! I'm Melting....."

2006-03-08T13:06:00.000-06:00

Oh, no, wait. It's only ketchup. All over his face ...and hair ...and place at the table....and chair. This is what happens when the world's messiest eater is left alone for 2 minutes at the end of a meal. When I came over to see what was wrong, he continued to yell "my eyes! my eyes!" while smearing the lovely acidic stuff on. I swear he really isn't brain damaged.

Today, we continued our quest for appropriate grooming with another episode of "Hair Salon Home Edition" and the results were quite nice. It took almost an hour, but my new strategy is to go V-E-R-Y slowly and use the scissors a lot, in order to try to maintain what little hearing I still have. The screaming wasn't quite as epic as in past editions, and I actually am happy with the results. Could we be making progress?

In another completely unrelated matter, I have a question for all you bloggers out there. Do you find that friends IRL don't talk to you or email you as much as before you started blogging? It seems like mine don't, but to be fair, I don't either. I think part of it is that they read the blog and feel like they have talked to me, sort of. They know what we've been up to, see the kids, and listen to me rant, and therefore what else is there to talk about. Or maybe it's just me...

I didn't play Way Back Wednesday, because I could not find a single picture of me wearing any of the multitude of bows I owned back in the 90s. Go figure.

Gotta run, I'm off to abuse Lulu with *gasp* a bath!
I know! Haircuts for boys and a bath for Lulu all in one day? I must be a glutton for punishment.

Have a great afternoon.

**edited at 1:50 to add
No crying! No screaming! No flailing! I guess the immersion (not into the water, rather into the process) technique of 'face your fears' works with this little one. In the last 3 months I've given Lulu baths almost daily, and finally, a day without the drama. I can only pray it lasts.

Sometimes Love Hurts

2006-03-05T21:28:00.000-06:00

Just because you want to give her a kiss,
and you can't reach her lips
because she's lying on her belly on her Boppy,

NO,

it's not ok
to pull her head up
by her hair

so you can reach her.

No pictures now, my hair's still a mess. And seriously, you've got to do something about the hair pulling...

SPF: Freckles, Photos & Jeans

2006-03-03T09:12:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Stuff Portrait Friday. Go see that cool California chick Kristine for the directions.

Freckles: being a redhead, I have TONS, everywhere. So here's the biggest.

On the arch of my left foot.

Photos: on the computer...and in a few other scattered spots.

Jeans: I've never been much of a jeans girl, more of a chino chick, so I don't have favorites of my own.

But these? I love them! My older son looks adorable in his Talbots slim 3Ts.

Did you play?
Have a fabulous weekend.

To Little Bit on the Occasion of Turning 2

2006-02-28T09:31:00.000-06:00

Two years ago, on February 27, 2004 you were born at 3:14 in the afternoon. It was a Friday, 8 days after your due date, and you were expected to be BIG. Since you apparently had no intention of leaving your cozy home on your own, we had to use some pharmaceutical encouragement. You came out screaming, and you've not been quiet since.
You and your brother have had a mutual fascination for one another from the beginning, and you are still the best of buddies.From the start, you were a good sleeper, although it took FOREVER for you to learn how to put yourself to sleep. It is a challenge for you still : every night while trying to settle into sleep, you put on "The Little Bit Variety Show" complete with singing, clapping, and nursery rhymes. You smiled and laughed very early on, and rarely seem unhappy to this day. You came out with tons of personality, and it just continues to deepen.
You are our comedian, and it's nearly impossible to stay angry with you for anything.

I'm fairly certain you know this.

You are a lover of animals of all kinds. You delight in giving Pascal 'teats', and are the only family member Mimi allows to touch her.
You are the consummate 'little brother'. If the Critter is able to do it, playing with it, or going to it, you steadfastly believe you should too, and you give it your all.

You were always a great eater, and eat most anything edible and a few things most of us don't consider to be. It still takes you an eternity to finish a meal, and then it takes us another eternity to clean up the mess you've made. You are our little monkey, but we are glad you've branched out from eating just bananas to other fruits including all members of the berry family: "black babies", "rass babies", "staw babies" and "blue babies".

You are an extremely affectionate child, and love to give and receive big hugs and kisses. No one can leave your presence without getting both. You really seem to enjoy having a younger sister, and play with Lulu very gently. You were an early talker, and have been speaking in complex sentences for several months now. You still have trouble with consonant blends, and this sometimes raises eyebrows in public when you're talking about your favorite subject: trucks.
You are passionate about everything you do, and I'm sure you'll take the job of being a two-year-old very seriously.

Happy Birthday Buddy, I love you!

Mama

SPF: Bedside Manner

2006-02-24T06:52:00.000-06:00

This week Kristine is dreaming of relaxation and wants to see the drawer in bedside table, our favorite lamp and a good book.

The drawer:

a bunch of lotions, chapstick, vitamins, pens & pencils, Sudoku book and my Lakehouse Spa gift certificate that I haven't used yet.

The lamp:

One of a matching(ish, as they're handmade) set of Tiffany lamps on our bedside tables. Love.them.

The book (haven't read it yet, but it awaits me):

Did you play? Leave me a comment so I can relax with you vicariously.

Have a great weekend.

I'd be a wealthy woman...

2006-02-23T10:07:00.000-06:00

...if I had a dime for every one of these our freaky cat has destroyed.
Lulu doesn't even like them that much, but I like to have them around for those times that nothing else seems to satisfy. I am so sick of finding them in pieces.

Little Bit was a 'pacifier baby' as soon as he started teething. He LOVED the things, and I was CONSTANTLY buying new ones to replace the ones the cat ate. We never went anywhere without at least two of the things, as sometimes that's all that would comfort him. I'm still finding 'his brand' stashed here and there, kind of like finding the secret JD stash of an alcoholic.

I once was watching an episode of one of those nanny shows, and one of the kids was a paci-addict, and I saw our future if we didn't do something about Little Bit's addiction immediately. About that same time, he decided that he simply couldn't live without the things. I had been working up to the idea of breaking the habit, and about a month before had started confining them to the bed only. I would hide that one under a blanket and not call attention to it when bedtime arrived. He would ALWAYS dig around until he unearthed it, pop it in his mouth and happily drift off to sleep. After watching that episode where the kid was FOUR and still using the thing, I decided it was time to go cold turkey then and there. He was almost a year old, and that was the hardest week of bedtimes ever, before or since. As it turns out stubborn really is his middle name, and there were several nights when I almost gave in. Daddy McAustin was traveling so I was alone, and I just wanted the screaming to stop. I held firm however, and after the fourth night he didn't cry at all.

I worried when Lulu came along that he might start up again using hers, but he has never shown any interest in her pacifiers. But you better believe when I find one of 'his' it goes immediately into the trash without him ever setting eyes on it.

If only the cat problem was as easily solved.

Random Stuff

2006-02-22T13:15:00.000-06:00

A random day of answers and questions.

As I look through the photos from the Blogger Blowout, I am struck by how completely and perfectly photogenic some of you ladies are. Gorgeous! It just doesn't seem fair. Carrie did a fabu job of compiling most of the photos (with names!) into one spot, go check it out here. And go eat something.

One of the things that makes me sad about the toilet training thing is that we have to say goodbye to one-piece outfits. This saddens me immensely. My Critter looks like such a ....BOY...in pants and shirts, it makes me cry. And those rompers are just too cute!

Several people have asked about or commented on my hair. It's naturally curly - a good thing here in Austin, and also naturally red but got darker with my first baby. It gets a bit of color help since. Also? A complete and utter pain in the tush, and I've always dreamed of having lovely, glossy, straight-as-a-board hair like Asian women do. For the record, I can force it to be straight: give me less than 30% humidity, 1850 watts of hot air on a round brush for an hour....yes, an hour..., and a very hot Chi, and I can work miracles. As you can imagine, this doesn't happen often with the three 3 and under around here. I am also personally responsible for Bed Head/Tigi's great stock prices. Curly or straight, it takes TONS of product to get it to behave.

And finally, in addition to this affliction, I have been infected with "pretty girly clothes" syndrome. This rep sees me coming and starts counting on that new car she's been eyeing. I am a sucker for the smocking, and it is a disease, and I know I must refrain.....
...but could you, when she looks this adorable?

Recipe for a Happy Nap

2006-02-21T13:21:00.000-06:00

Start with one drizzly and gray February day.
Combine with the following:

one 12 pack of economy paper towels
1 stir-crazy Critter

1 energized Little Bit

Stack gently, then knead, pound, battle and roll.

Let simmer for at least an hour.

Garnish with a little Lulu practicing her mad head-holding and weight-bearing skills.

These tired children will be out the rest of the afternoon. I'm off to tackle the laundry....
Happy Tuesday!

Hi! Who Are You?

2006-02-19T14:35:00.000-06:00

That was the way most conversations began at the Austin Blogger Blowout last night. Despite the frigid weather, last minute emergencies, and changes in plans, a good-sized group of ladies showed to do the meet and greet and snap pictures with all the fabulous gals from inside the computer.

It's funny, really. I went not really knowing anyone, and having met just one person IRL prior to last night. We share so much online about our lives: our families, what stresses us out, our senses of humor, our problems, etcetera. We've seen the insides each other's cabinets, know whose kids have had diarrhea lately, and gotten a peek at many of you half nekkid. But as I was walking in I realized that we really don't know one another, not really. Some were exactly as I expected, others were a surprise. It was kind of like a blind date with a room full of mutual stalkers, albeit very lovely stalkers! I wish I'd had more time to talk to most of you, and was disappointed that I never got around to meet others of you. I left feeling like I want to get to know you all better online, and IRL, also.

Bottom line: we all should crawl out from behind our monitors and socialize again soon.

I'll bring the nametags.

Enjoy the photos.

2006-02-17T13:42:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Stuff Portrait Friday!

Go see Kristine for the directions....
This week she wants to see:under the bed, the pots & pans and the stereo.

I cook a lot, so I have a lot of pots and pans:

The ones I use most are on a rack...
...these are for the grill and cornbread...
...and finally the double-boiler and crepe pans.

Under the bed we have....

...a few fallen Duplo blocks, and a random sock stolen by the cat.

And finally, the stereo/tuner.

All the tv/dvd/music stuff goes through here.

Did you play?

Happy Austin Blogger Blowout Weekend, y'all!

Lost in Translation

2006-02-16T13:36:00.000-06:00

Overheard:
"I'm so proud of you!"
From the Critter to Little Bit when LB finally climbed up the playscape using the "hard ladder". This makes my soul smile. I say this to the Critter every time he uses the toilet or his good manners.

"GO AWAY!!!"
Uttered by one brother to another (the initiator changes). This makes me cringe. I say this to the dog, in the same nasty tone of voice coincidentally....or not.

They all can't be winners, but I must remember that my little pitchers do have big ears.

Way Back Wednesday: Cheesy Love

2006-02-15T08:04:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Way Back Wednesday, the day where we take direction from The Kept Woman and dig up photographic history. Last week she cast a depressing pall on the entire World Wide Web, and so this week she has switched to a lighter topic: cheesy love.

This is the only picture I have scanned in, and don't have time to go dig, so you'll have to make do with this one you've already seen. And I won't be getting any extra mullet points.....

He was a senior, I was a sophmore; it was definitely cheesy, but also a ton of fun.

The Princess and the Peeved

2006-02-14T06:11:00.000-06:00

You're gonna put me WHERE?

Settle in now, it's time for today's story.....

Once upon a time, in a land called Texas, there lived a little girl named Lulu with the cutest smile, the unruliest hair, and the most uncanny ability to spit up what appeared to be gallons of...well... spit up.

Lulu was such a good baby! She naturally fell into a fantastic napping and eating schedule, and slept for 11 hours at a stretch overnight when she was 12 weeks old. She was a great eater, very flexible, and almost never cried.

EXCEPT.....
...when she had to have a bath.

Those early sponge baths seemed to be quite enjoyable, and when Lulu graduated to 'real' baths, she seemed to like the shower just as well as the baby tub or big tub with her mother. And then, one day, an evil spell was cast by the Wicked Witch of Kohler, and she suddenly HATED baths of any sort.

Little Lulu's mother thought maybe it was the echo in the shower that first time she freaked, so when it was next time to de-spit-up-ify Lulu, she used the baby tub. Screams and crying ensued, and did not cease until Lulu was safely ensconced in a towel far, far away from the evil water.

Maybe it was a bit too cool? thought Lulu's mother. So prior to the next bath, the bathroom was preheated to the toasty temperature that makes Lulu's mother sweat buckets whilst bathing the little lass, but alas, the results were the same: an extremely unhappy, but clean, Little Lulu.

Maybe too much water in the tub? Water too hot/cool? Maybe too close to naptime? Too close to mealtime? Following each torture session an alteration was made in the process to try to figure out what it was about the bath that reduces the child to a lip-quivering, appendage-flailing, bundle of tears and screams. But to no avail.

The conclusion? She HATES having a bath. Period.

The End.

Yeah, I look cute now, but you should have seen me 10 minutes ago!

Happy Valentine's Day from Casa McAustin!

Happy Valentine's Day....hand over all your cash!

2006-02-13T06:46:00.000-06:00

Today I have a commentary on price-gouging for dining on holidays.

So we went out to dinner on Saturday for our Valentine's Day date, as Daddy McA will be traveling on Tuesday. He had made reservations at a local, well-reviewed spot which we had not previously been to, and was told there would be a special Valentine prix-fixed menu. OK, fine. I would expect there to be a special menu, and prixe-fixed seems to be the theme for holiday dining lately.

We get there, and notice that the parking lot is remarkably empty, save just a few cars - one being a Rolls - that should have been our first warning. We enter, get seated, and are handed our menus. They did the gentleman/lady menu thing where the prices are only on the man's. Interesting note: every couple that came in that I could see switched menus so the woman could see the prices. Too funny!

YIKES! Can you say sticker shock? We were tempted to get up and leave, and probably would have if we had been paying for babysitting (thanks! Nana & Papa!). They were asking an exorbitant amount of money for a 4 course meal, and didn't even offer wine pairings.

We witnessed several couples come in, get seated, and then leave. After a while we noticed that the waiter was handing out regular menus along with the holiday menu. A smart decision on the part of the management, but we felt jipped! We would have ordered from the regular menu, had we been offered one, but were unlucky enough to be some of the first people in. I know why they do this - because they can....I guess we're the poster children for the over-priced-prixe-fixed menu....but it still chaps me.

Despite the outrageous prices and the fact that we felt like we were robbed, the food was excellent. All except for the dessert, which was too dense, and we were too full, but everything else was really good.

The moral of this story? Reservation-maker beware! Ask the price of that special menu.

To the Critter on Your 3rd Birthday:

2006-02-09T10:31:00.000-06:00

Today you are three years old. At 9:54 p.m. on Sunday, February 9th, 2003 you entered this world screaming your big pointy head off after 12 hours of labor and 2 1/2 hours of HARD pushing. I wasn't sure I could do it! We had a mirror set up so I could see you and I stared at a coaster-sized circle on the top of your head that kept appearing, disappearing, then re-appearing over and over and over again. But finally, you arrived, and you were perfect.
You have come so far in 3 years. From rolling to sitting to walking to running to jumping, riding a tricycle and using the toilet, all those standard physical milestones you hit along the way.
You also learned to do some things that don't always make it into those charts: sorting EVERYTHING into categories, saying "please" and "thank you" most all the time, and making sure to know who everyone is so you can call them by name.
You can match pitch perfectly and repeat songs that you've heard just once. You are also quite the daredevil: you love coasting down the steep hill in our backyard on the tricycles fast enough to run into the fence on the opposite end....and successfully steer clear of the stone retaining walls and trees in the process.....at least so far!
You love your brother and sister so much! You kiss Lulu practically everyday, give Little Bit big hugs, and are always concerned whenever anyone cries. You have such a good heart.
You still hate haircuts with passion, love broccoli and blueberries, and delight in deviling your little brother on occasion.

This year your world will widen: you will start preschool next September, and spend part of the week away from me. You will experience so many new things, and grow in many ways I'm sure I'm not even aware of yet. But one thing I am certain of:

You'll always be my baby.

Happy 3rd Birthday, my boy! I love you,

Mama

Way Back Wednesday: Gone...

2006-02-08T09:01:00.000-06:00

"Gone but not forgotten...a more serious tone this week as we share our pictures of ourselves with loved ones we've lost (either through death or lost touch with over the years)"
These are our instructions from The Kept Woman for our photographic time capsule.This ia a picture of me with my mother and her mother, my grandmother, at my wedding. These are the two women who influenced me the most. My mother was one of the funniest and creative people ever. She had a very dry wit, and could do most anything artistic, and do it WELL. I also learned from her that most important of skills: know when to keep your mouth shut because you know you'll never win...even if you are right. She died on December 12, 2001, after a harrowing year-long battle with lung cancer. (Shameless PSA: it's a horrible way to die, if you smoke, stop.) When my parents divorced, my mom moved us back to her hometown to be near her parents. We always lived within 6 blocks of them, sometimes with them. We ate dinner together every night.

My grandmother was known as "Deda" to all her grandchildren. She outlived her husband and both of her children to the ripe old age of 96. She witnessed more social and industrial change than I have time to chronicle here. She was the wisest person, strongest woman and the best cook I have ever known. She died on June 12, 2004 of age related illnesses.

Definitely not forgotten.

Commentary

2006-02-07T20:12:00.000-06:00

It's bad when it comes from your wine bottle....

Happy Tuesday Night!

SPF: Games People Play

2006-02-02T20:39:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday! Today's the day we take direction from the lovely Kristine to take and post pictures of specific items. This week she asked to see: "A game YOU play, Your Games, and Your family game".

Let the GAMES begin!

A game I play:
LOVE IT! Completely mindless, in a logical sort of way.

Our family games:

Lastly, our family game: ROULETTE

What? Not what you expected to see? Hmmmm. How about this one! I KNOW we're not the only ones who play THIS:

Still not what you had in mind? Well, let me give you a hint, and I'm sure you'll know the rules. Garage Door Roulette. Gas Tank Roulette. Whose games do you suppose these are? Um, yeah. But we always seem to end up playing as a family, in MY car.

And that's the end of the game, my friends. Did you play? Let me know so I can come be a spectator at your games.

Have a great weekend.

Half-Nekkid Thursday...

2006-02-02T09:33:00.000-06:00

...and Wednesday, Tuesday, and Monday, too.

We're finally making some progress! The Critter was doing the go-go dance this morning after breakfast, and I made the suggestion we go try. This time using the big toilet with an adapter seat. Ka-ching! He screamed "I'm doing it Mama!!! I'm doing it now!!" over and over. We then had a celebration wherein we all danced, sang and pranced around shouting "yea, Critter". Then we called Daddy at work. We are beyond excited. Keep your fingers crossed. On a semi-related note, we are having more unseasonably warm weather, and how happy am I about that? We can play outside in the half-buff during this process. Nothing says "freedom" like being naked in a hammock on a warm afternoon.

While we're talking milestones here's a Lulu update:
She has fallen in love with the red puppy on the side of the swing. They have riveting conversations lasting for ages, and apparently he's quite witty, as she spends much of the time giggling hysterically. She is also grasping objects, people! This has prodigy written all over it. I believe she may have gotten that same OCD gene that the Critter has. She spent the better part of her play gym time yeterday willing her right arm into just the right position to grab the toys. It was like she was operating a crane....a little further to the right....more....more....almost there....YOU GOT IT!! Such control! Such precision! Such determination!

And so darn cute!

Spawn

2006-02-01T14:56:00.000-06:00

No, not my sons. The pretzels.
(But our toilet seats are still in pristine condition, thanks for asking.)

I am hopelessly addicted to them. They are completely yummy, and taste EXACTLY like hot wings. How is this possible? I really don't think I want to know, and purposefully have not read the ingredient list because I'm sure it would make me cringe. They are trans fat free, and I suppose if it's a choice between these and actual wings, well then these come out looking pretty good.

I would like to thank everyone for your great comments and advice. We have broken our self-imposed toileting quarantine because we needed to go grocery shopping. Or else eat frozen corn and chicken broth with pickles for dinner tonight. We will continue to do the nudist colony thing while we're home, and hope for the best. I'll have to shore myself up mentally for the real underwear thing.....and go buy MANY more pairs.
...and plastic bags
...and paper towels
...and air freshener
...and steam cleaner soap
**sigh**

Have a great Wednesday.

Payback

2006-01-31T14:27:00.000-06:00

I'm sure of it.

I have been blessed with 3 of the most easy-going, mild-mannered, compliant (mostly), soundly-sleeping children ever to draw breath. While friends struggled with toddlers who still had yet to sleep through the night, mine slept through between 8 and 12 weeks; while others had screaming tantrums of epic lengths, mine blew over relatively quickly; while others experienced what seemed to be never-ending separation anxiety, mine rarely looked back. But now? God is getting me back for all those easy times.

I have spent the entirety of 4 of the last 7 days in one of these two places: sitting on the floor in my sons' bathroom as they sit on their toilet seats or sitting on the carpet in my den watching my bare-bottomed sons like a hawk for 'the signs' of needing to go. "Helping" Elmo use the potty. Pulling down "big boy diapers". Singing every toddler tune known to man and making up several new ones no one but my sons will ever hear. Pushing liquids on these kids as if I were a drug dealer looking to hook a couple new customers. Reading aloud every single book in their library four frillion times. Playing untold number of games of "I Spy" and building more train scenarios than I care to remember. Getting NOTHING done around the house.

Willing these children to 'go'.
Wondering how much liquid a toddler can ingest before exploding or their eyes begin to float.
Witnessing not one single drop make it to the exit.

Except, of course, on the den rug during those 6 seconds I turned my back to answer the one phone call I had to take.

Elmo is mocking me.

If any of you have hints/tricks that worked for you PLEASE let me in on the secret. I understand that it doesn't happen overnight, nor do I expect that, but I really think that if we could get started, they would get the hang of it fairly quickly. They both are "ready" in the sense of all the signs. A positive: I don't think I've ever spent this many uninterrupted hours playing with them! We've had a lot of fun, and they should at least have good memories of that.

It was an experiment, really...

2006-01-30T09:14:00.000-06:00

Did you ever wonder what would happen if you shoved a wedge of lemon in a 3 month old's mouth?

Little Bit has the answer: she will give the appearance of choking, turn a violent shade of red, spit the lemon wedge out, and then spew every ounce of milk she's ingested in the past twelve hours.

But really? He was just sharing what he considers a special treat with his little sister whom he loves dearly.

SPF: Showoff

2006-01-27T07:33:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Stuff Portrait Friday! This is the day that the lovely Kristine asks us to scurry around taking pictures of specific things to post. Up this week: your eyes, your toys, and your secret.
My eye(s):

I'm only talented enough to get a shot of one...

My toys:

I 'play with' handbells every Monday night, and many Sundays in church.

My secret:

My stress exhibits itself in my skin, currently around my eyes. Redness, puffiness, flakiness, itchiness....

There you have it! Did you play ? Let me know so I can come see you show off.

Have a great weekend.

Way Back Wednesday: Affliction

2006-01-25T15:04:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Way Back Wednesday, the day where The Kept Woman asks us to find pictures from our past that fit in with a certain theme. This week she want to see us when we were sick. I can't find any of those, so I give you evidence of my most recent affliction.....from this morning after my shower:

Don't know what that is?

Come on, all you gals who've borne wee ones! YOU know what it is!

(humming the Jeopardy theme....)

THAT'S RIGHT!!!

Post-Pregnancy Hair Loss !

It started this morning. If I didn't know what it was I would be making an appointment with any doctor that would see me. The books all tell you that this is to be expected, but what they don't say is that you will lose enough hair during one shower that your husband will have to remind you to be sure to pick up the dead animal out of the shower drain when you're done. Yeah, that much hair. I guess it makes sense: I supposedly didn't lose any during the 9 months of pregnancy. I just hope my daughter appreciates that I will look like a candidate for Rogaine for the next several months.

That is my affliction.

Did you play? Let me know so I can come commiserate.

15 Minutes

2006-01-24T15:38:00.000-06:00

Kristine has had another fabulous idea! Check out the new button in the sidebar to the right for her Bloggers in the Spotlight site (that I figured out how to do all on my own with my recently-post-pregnant brain)
Go on and check it out; listen for that satisfying 'click' and be assured that if I can do it, so can you!

I'm Back!

2006-01-23T13:33:00.000-06:00

My weekend away is over, and it was fantastic.

I thoroughly enjoyed my ride to the camp, and listened to my iPod using the 'travel gift' iTrip Daddy McAustin got for me. He also left me the sweetest card in the front seat of the car along with a 'best of the '80s' cd. Isn't he fabulous?

The theme of the weekend was "Women: the Thread in God's Tapestry", and we had a speaker from Tennessee who was wonderful. I slept until 8:25 Saturday morning, was out the door in time to eat a lovely breakfast of migas and fruit. (My roomates had both gotten up, showered, and left without me even stirring:) Saturday afternoon we had free time, and we went hiking, and then cut friend A's hair. She's been needing a trim, and we convinced her she should donate her excess to Locks of Love. She has the most gorgeous hair to begin with, and now it looks twice as thick!

As with any gathering of women discussing sensitive issues there were a few revelations, many tears, and no shortage of laughter. At this point in my life, things are going fairly smoothly, but sometimes it takes hearing the heartbreaking stories of other women to make me remember to be thankful for that smoothness.

I came home to a clean house, and a family who was very happy to see me.
It's good to be missed, and to have someone to miss!

Have a great Tuesday.

Happiness Is...

2006-01-22T21:08:00.000-06:00

...the sweet smile of this baby after a time away.
It's good to get away, but it's so good to be home.

SPF:Scrub-A-Dub-Dub...

2006-01-20T22:27:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday!
Here's the drill: Kristine gives us a list...we do the photos....we post the pics....we stalk everyone else who played. This week.....le bain...

Your lotions
Your towels
Your toothbrush

The lotions: Lavender (doesn't really matter which brand, love them all); evergreen from Ten Thousand Waves; and basic Neutrogena. (I didn't show you the jar of Eucerin creme that sits in my nighstand...and the one in the console of the car....and the one in the drawer in the kitchen....and the one in my purse...., of which I SLATHER my hands MULTIPLE times per day, as Daddy McA. was sleeping and not feeling well...Yeah, I've got a 'thing')

The towels currently used by short people :

Said short people wearing the towels:
The towels we NEVER use:
The towels we use everyday:
My toothbrush:
The Sonicare original (bought as a sample at the dentist 2 cities ago...)

Did you play? I would love to come see your "stuff" and maybe I will after my weekend. I wish everyone as restful a Fri-Sat-Sun. as I will have!

Recharge

2006-01-19T14:25:00.000-06:00

"... life is only in the days that make up a year, in the moments that make up a day. We have to live them as fully and well as we can — nothing else makes any sense."
-Catherine Newman

That said, let me just say how happy I am that I will be leaving my children in the capable care of Daddy McAustin for the days of this weekend while I "recharge".

That's right! I'm escaping here for the weekend to attend my church's annual Women's Retreat. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to miss my family. I'm looking forward to getting to chat with actual adult women about things other than potty training, preschool waiting lists and infant feeding schedules. I'm looking foward to being alone in the car listening to whatever I want to - or simply the silence - on the drive up. I'm looking forward to having multiple times over several days to go to the bathroom without an audience. The fact that there is only the very remotest of possibilites that someone will vomit on my clothes excites me.

Yes, there will be 'spiritual development' and 'bonding', but I'm pretty sure the highlight of my retreat experience will be the 2 consecutive nights of uninterrupted sleep and eating meals that someone else will prepare and clean up.

The reason?
I need to recharge periodically for these 4 people. They deserve a wife and mother who's truly "in" those moments, days, and years that make up life, not just a woman who's "getting through" them.