Last Thursday I joined the board of our children's school. Oh, and at the meeting that night (unbenownst to me in advance) we were presented with the final proposals of two builders/general contractors that represented the culmination of six years work finding a relocation/build solution for our school. Also, we were to take a vote right now on which proposal to select and don't forget that you are deciding on the school's future in one of the most pivotal decisions in the school's history. But no pressure or anything. Welcome to the board.
The vote was postponed until the next day at five, and then for another reason was postopned again to Monday as we all headed off on our Easter vacations. Emails flew back and forth. Phone calls and passionate, concerned discussions ensued as we all struggled with this pivotal decision and our cumulative desire to make the best and "right" choice.
So I developed acne. I also acquired two cancre sores in the depths of my mouth. Coincidence or stress? Honestly, I don't know. There certainly was pressure I put on myself to make the best decision I could for our school with my one vote. But was it so much that I was manifesting actual physical symptoms?
I don't know. I get acne from time to time and I've got this irritating dry cough that only occurs when I'm laying down which causes my husband difficulty in sleeping and that could be a factor. So it could have been sheer coincidence. I can say though, that that proverbial, "mantle of responsibility" felt as if it were made of lead and dropped from a seven story building onto my shoulders when I walked into that meeting.
But in the whole process, I have gotten to know the other board members and my respect for them has grown. I am also impressed with the overall process the board followed to get to the point of this final vote. After a third vote extension, we cast our final votes by five today to the board secretary and at five-twenty a decision was made by two-thirds majority.
I rather felt like I was holding my breath for six days, hoping we would as a group make a majority decision that indicated we all agreed on a clear choice of one option over the other. It is now done and we have all the work ahead of us. When I think about the fundraising requirements, the tight time-frame for construction and all the challenges we face in our imminent future, I'm not sure I should be breathing comfortably yet...
The Big Boy Update: Disney Ovedrive. Some of the family went to Disney yesterday. My son got up at six-ish and was so geared up for Disney that he didn't nap and didn't get cranky what with all the Mickey Mousing, Movie Cars exhibiting, Finding Nemo riding, visiting with his Aunt Kelly, Uncle Eric and cousin's Kyle and Nicole until he got back into the car after eight at night. Today, he was more testy than usual. Was it because he was catching up from his lack of sleep from yesterday or just that none of us can live up to Disney for excitement or entertainment?
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Please? We didn't know she knew the word, "please" or how to say it until this morning at breakfast when we asked her to say please if she wanted more. She said, "please" in the tiniest little voice you can imagine and then grinned at us all.
Someone Once Said: Anytime a wife thinks she has won an argument, she has lost it.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Cellulack
Cellulite! It's one of those dirty words we as ladies aren't suppose to have. And if we do have it, hopefully we don't select articles of clothing that show off or call attention to the rumbly crumply areas of our affected thighs.
I noticed some time ago, let us say more than a decade back, that I had cellulite. I didn't know how it got there, it wasn't due to being grossly overweight, but it was there nonetheless. I noticed it when I was wearing shorts and had my legs crossed or had pressure on my thighs say at a ballpark on a hard metal seat. It was unattractive.
But I didn't know what to do about it. I saw some commercial one time about a cream that would get rid of cellulite, but that sounded unplausable to me. I just didn't think about it and tried to pretend it wasn't there for the most part.
Then, yesterday at the pool, my husband said to me, "your quads look very muscular." I leaned over, took a look and decided my muscles looked rather like they normally did to me, but wait just a minute, there is no cellulite! Hold the phone people. I had heard you couldn't get rid of cellulite with exercise. Was this a statement by someone who really didn't want to exercise (say, someone like me from a few years back?)
But it's true. The cellulite is gone. Was it that old plan of, "diet and exercise" that made not only the weight come off and the muscles appear, but the cellulite dissapear too?
The Big Boy Update: "Where's my penis?" In the bathtub he took the red plastic cup daddy was using to rinse their hair and decided to play hide-and-go-seek with his penis. He was very proud to show you he knew where his penis was hiding.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Pool bliss. Daddy, my son, Nana and Papa are at Disney today. My daughter and I didn't go because sixteen months is not the best age to experience Disney. It would be mostly a stroller and car seat day for her and the bits of fun she would have would be separated by long bouts of unhappy and boring. What she did instead this morning was play out at the pool with the water table, the kiddy pools and the hose. After she's been out there a while I just took off all her clothes and sprayed her head to toe with sunscreen. She is white-haired and pale-skinned and I don't really want to know how quickly she could fry in the Florida sun. She had such a good time I predict she's going to sleep for a large portion of the afternoon.
Someone Once Said: A basic proposition of epistemology, bedrock both for the three basic statements of semantics and for information theory, is that an observed fact requires no proof. It simply is, self-demonstrating. Let philosophers worry about it; they haven’t anything better to do.
I noticed some time ago, let us say more than a decade back, that I had cellulite. I didn't know how it got there, it wasn't due to being grossly overweight, but it was there nonetheless. I noticed it when I was wearing shorts and had my legs crossed or had pressure on my thighs say at a ballpark on a hard metal seat. It was unattractive.
But I didn't know what to do about it. I saw some commercial one time about a cream that would get rid of cellulite, but that sounded unplausable to me. I just didn't think about it and tried to pretend it wasn't there for the most part.
Then, yesterday at the pool, my husband said to me, "your quads look very muscular." I leaned over, took a look and decided my muscles looked rather like they normally did to me, but wait just a minute, there is no cellulite! Hold the phone people. I had heard you couldn't get rid of cellulite with exercise. Was this a statement by someone who really didn't want to exercise (say, someone like me from a few years back?)
But it's true. The cellulite is gone. Was it that old plan of, "diet and exercise" that made not only the weight come off and the muscles appear, but the cellulite dissapear too?
The Big Boy Update: "Where's my penis?" In the bathtub he took the red plastic cup daddy was using to rinse their hair and decided to play hide-and-go-seek with his penis. He was very proud to show you he knew where his penis was hiding.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Pool bliss. Daddy, my son, Nana and Papa are at Disney today. My daughter and I didn't go because sixteen months is not the best age to experience Disney. It would be mostly a stroller and car seat day for her and the bits of fun she would have would be separated by long bouts of unhappy and boring. What she did instead this morning was play out at the pool with the water table, the kiddy pools and the hose. After she's been out there a while I just took off all her clothes and sprayed her head to toe with sunscreen. She is white-haired and pale-skinned and I don't really want to know how quickly she could fry in the Florida sun. She had such a good time I predict she's going to sleep for a large portion of the afternoon.
Someone Once Said: A basic proposition of epistemology, bedrock both for the three basic statements of semantics and for information theory, is that an observed fact requires no proof. It simply is, self-demonstrating. Let philosophers worry about it; they haven’t anything better to do.
Monday, April 1, 2013
The Perfect Proportions
This is not a post about the golden rectangle. It is not a post about pizza either, but pizza does play a part in the story. What this post is about is ice cream.
Have you ever had the perfect slice of pizza? Have you gone back to that same place again and again because they have their pizza recipe right? With pizza, and many other recipes, the proper proportions are key to making or breaking a recipe. Pizza, in its essence is only three ingredients: crust, sauce and cheese. Those three ingredients, in the right proportions, can make that perfect pizza slice.
You love cheese you say? Add too much and it overwhelms the sauce. Too much sauce and the cheese slides off. And the taste isn't right, it's not, "how great it was the last time we had it here."
So about that ice cream. We've been making ice cream in my family since I was a small child. I am only familiar with one type of ice cream making machine and that's the one with the ice around the perimiter of the big bucket with the rock salt and the loud, "whirrrr whirrr" for an hour as it churns away. We made two types of ice cream, no wait, three. There was vanilla (the family favorite), mint and peppermint.
Vanilla was the one we made the most often, mint was just vanilla with some flavoring added, and then peppermint, which was the most fun but also the most challenging.
I remember one time we made ice cream and when it was ready found out we forgot to put in the sugar. Then there was the time we discovered the rock salty water had leaked in and the whole batch tasted like a creamy ocean. But the most common complaint was that the peppermint ice cream had no crunch when it was finished.
As it turns out, making peppermint ice cream and keeping just the right amount of peppermint candy un-dissolved and therefore available for that satisfying crunch with each bite is a multi-fold problem.
First, you need the right type of peppermint candy. Starlight mints work well as they're slow to dissolve but they only break up into chunks and dust. Peppermint sticks are too porus giving you have a lovely pink ice cream with no crunch. Christmas candy canes are perhaps the best option, but are only available seasonaly.
Second, you need to get the size of the candy right. We always hammered it on the back porch. As a child, this is a fun job, but if you over hammer and make small shards and powder, you're back to fully dissolved candy and a non-crunchy pink ice cream result.
And last, there's the timing for putting the candy in during the ice cream making process. You have to wait until the ice cream is almost done and then add it. Miscalculate and add it too soon and it all dissolves. Add it too late and it's vanilla ice cream with chunks of peppermint.
On the whole, it's more difficult to keep the peppermint from dissolving than it is to have too many chunks. Yesterday for our Easter dinner, my mother-in-law wanted to make peppermint ice cream. in her new ice cream maker. She had candy canes from Christmas, starlight mints and all the ingredients for the ice cream.
As a nice bonus, my mother was here as well and so she asked for our advice on the crushing, quantity and timing of the peppermint. Mom and I, from so many full dissolving failures, each gave her our own advice about not crushing up the mint too much, don't add it in until the end and hey, why not add more. What could be the harm there?
I am here to report my mother-in-law's advisory committee should be fired because hello peppermint crunch. Full dissolution did not happen. What we did have was chunks. Lots of chunks. Excessive chunks. We had peppermint candy with a side of ice cream, My father-in-law loved it.
Don't misunderstand me, it was good ice cream, but it got me thinking about how too much of a good thing from an appropriately proportioned recipe does not necessairly make the recipe better. The good news is, we decided to make more ice cream to see if we could improve on our last batch.
I hear them talking about the peppermint ice cream in the kitchen. I hope there's some left for me...
The BIg Boy Update: Reacting to everything? He started having reactions to food when we arrived in Florida for vacation. He didn't seem to be having any new foods or something we knew he had issues with and yet it seemed to be getting worse. I think, and we're not completly sure about this but it seems to make sense, that the sun, chlorine pool water and heat are causing or bringing out some facial eczema. Combine that with lots of pasta that's acidic and red and gets all over him and it's exacerbating an otherwise regular situation. We've applied cortisone cream and lotion and plan on keeping his skin hydrated to see if that helps.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Up Down. She has integrated the words, "up" and "down" into her vocabulary. She now asks for "down" to be put down. If she's in a high chair she will even ask for up and then down. I'm not sure if this is because she tries one word and then the other when she doesn't get the reaction she wants or if she's just trying words that might convey to you rhat she wants out.
Someone Once Said: Sharpie darling, you are a floccinaucinihilipilificatrix. Is that a compliment? Certainly! It means you’re so sharp you spot the slightest flaw.
Have you ever had the perfect slice of pizza? Have you gone back to that same place again and again because they have their pizza recipe right? With pizza, and many other recipes, the proper proportions are key to making or breaking a recipe. Pizza, in its essence is only three ingredients: crust, sauce and cheese. Those three ingredients, in the right proportions, can make that perfect pizza slice.
You love cheese you say? Add too much and it overwhelms the sauce. Too much sauce and the cheese slides off. And the taste isn't right, it's not, "how great it was the last time we had it here."
So about that ice cream. We've been making ice cream in my family since I was a small child. I am only familiar with one type of ice cream making machine and that's the one with the ice around the perimiter of the big bucket with the rock salt and the loud, "whirrrr whirrr" for an hour as it churns away. We made two types of ice cream, no wait, three. There was vanilla (the family favorite), mint and peppermint.
Vanilla was the one we made the most often, mint was just vanilla with some flavoring added, and then peppermint, which was the most fun but also the most challenging.
I remember one time we made ice cream and when it was ready found out we forgot to put in the sugar. Then there was the time we discovered the rock salty water had leaked in and the whole batch tasted like a creamy ocean. But the most common complaint was that the peppermint ice cream had no crunch when it was finished.
As it turns out, making peppermint ice cream and keeping just the right amount of peppermint candy un-dissolved and therefore available for that satisfying crunch with each bite is a multi-fold problem.
First, you need the right type of peppermint candy. Starlight mints work well as they're slow to dissolve but they only break up into chunks and dust. Peppermint sticks are too porus giving you have a lovely pink ice cream with no crunch. Christmas candy canes are perhaps the best option, but are only available seasonaly.
Second, you need to get the size of the candy right. We always hammered it on the back porch. As a child, this is a fun job, but if you over hammer and make small shards and powder, you're back to fully dissolved candy and a non-crunchy pink ice cream result.
And last, there's the timing for putting the candy in during the ice cream making process. You have to wait until the ice cream is almost done and then add it. Miscalculate and add it too soon and it all dissolves. Add it too late and it's vanilla ice cream with chunks of peppermint.
On the whole, it's more difficult to keep the peppermint from dissolving than it is to have too many chunks. Yesterday for our Easter dinner, my mother-in-law wanted to make peppermint ice cream. in her new ice cream maker. She had candy canes from Christmas, starlight mints and all the ingredients for the ice cream.
As a nice bonus, my mother was here as well and so she asked for our advice on the crushing, quantity and timing of the peppermint. Mom and I, from so many full dissolving failures, each gave her our own advice about not crushing up the mint too much, don't add it in until the end and hey, why not add more. What could be the harm there?
I am here to report my mother-in-law's advisory committee should be fired because hello peppermint crunch. Full dissolution did not happen. What we did have was chunks. Lots of chunks. Excessive chunks. We had peppermint candy with a side of ice cream, My father-in-law loved it.
Don't misunderstand me, it was good ice cream, but it got me thinking about how too much of a good thing from an appropriately proportioned recipe does not necessairly make the recipe better. The good news is, we decided to make more ice cream to see if we could improve on our last batch.
I hear them talking about the peppermint ice cream in the kitchen. I hope there's some left for me...
The BIg Boy Update: Reacting to everything? He started having reactions to food when we arrived in Florida for vacation. He didn't seem to be having any new foods or something we knew he had issues with and yet it seemed to be getting worse. I think, and we're not completly sure about this but it seems to make sense, that the sun, chlorine pool water and heat are causing or bringing out some facial eczema. Combine that with lots of pasta that's acidic and red and gets all over him and it's exacerbating an otherwise regular situation. We've applied cortisone cream and lotion and plan on keeping his skin hydrated to see if that helps.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Up Down. She has integrated the words, "up" and "down" into her vocabulary. She now asks for "down" to be put down. If she's in a high chair she will even ask for up and then down. I'm not sure if this is because she tries one word and then the other when she doesn't get the reaction she wants or if she's just trying words that might convey to you rhat she wants out.
Someone Once Said: Sharpie darling, you are a floccinaucinihilipilificatrix. Is that a compliment? Certainly! It means you’re so sharp you spot the slightest flaw.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
The Summer of Toilets
We had neighbors when I grew up that had two sons, one was two years older and one was two years younger than I was. We did lots of things together throughout my childhood and then invariably lost touch as we each went our own ways for higher education and the start of our own lives as adults. I remember one of the last summers before the oldest son, Jeff, moved away to college and his summer job cleaning toilets.
That's right, he was going to clean toilets. And he was thrilled about it. He never struck me as a nature boy, but he had gotten a job at a large natural park in the mountains and the entirety of his duties was to keep the public restrooms clean at one of the camp sites. The best thing about this job, he told me, was that the total amount of work you had to do was low on both time and effort (or at least that's what he had heard.) He told me between the shifts of cleaning toilets, he got to spend all his time in the forest and park areas. And, as the best part he told me, he got to sleep outside, in a tent, every night.
You know how you hear something someone else is excited about and you inwardly shudder because it is so absolutely not something you would want to do or experience? That's how I felt when he told me. Toilets I had and could clean; but selecting a job where I would clean toilet after toilet, every day, all summer long, was something I would run from, not seek out.
And that sleeping outdoors thing? Sure, nature is nice, but I wasn't ever a campy person. I suppose it's because my family vacations never included camping and I wasn't born from camping stock, but either way, the thought of being away from air conditioning, television and the comforts of home seemed like punishment, not a fabulous summer job opportunity.
I haven't thought about Jeff or his younger brother, Joey, in a long time until our long car trip two days ago. We stopped at a large rest stop and as I exited the very nice, clean public bathroom area I saw the person who was coming in to clean the ladies room That's when the memorie of Jeff and his huge smile came back to me as he told me about his summer job so many years ago.
The Big Boy Update: Anything that moves. He can hone in on a vehicle faster than a cheetah that hasn't eaten in a week. Daddy got a remote controlled boat for the pool in my in-laws back yard in Florida. My son is enamored with driving it and talking about it and putting passengers and driver mini people in it, He also wants to put the control box in the water too, which would end the whole remote control component of the fun.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: The curls. Her hair is growing and we've gotten to a point now where we're putting her through Baby Bow Bootcamp so that she'll leave a bow in her hair which is needed to keep the longer locks out of her eyes. Also, it's getting more curly. I expected it to get longer, I didn't expect it to develop such cute curls.
Someone Once Said: I don’t give a damn what The Oxford English Dictionary says! As long as I am head of this household, language used in it will conform to my notions of propriety!
That's right, he was going to clean toilets. And he was thrilled about it. He never struck me as a nature boy, but he had gotten a job at a large natural park in the mountains and the entirety of his duties was to keep the public restrooms clean at one of the camp sites. The best thing about this job, he told me, was that the total amount of work you had to do was low on both time and effort (or at least that's what he had heard.) He told me between the shifts of cleaning toilets, he got to spend all his time in the forest and park areas. And, as the best part he told me, he got to sleep outside, in a tent, every night.
You know how you hear something someone else is excited about and you inwardly shudder because it is so absolutely not something you would want to do or experience? That's how I felt when he told me. Toilets I had and could clean; but selecting a job where I would clean toilet after toilet, every day, all summer long, was something I would run from, not seek out.
And that sleeping outdoors thing? Sure, nature is nice, but I wasn't ever a campy person. I suppose it's because my family vacations never included camping and I wasn't born from camping stock, but either way, the thought of being away from air conditioning, television and the comforts of home seemed like punishment, not a fabulous summer job opportunity.
I haven't thought about Jeff or his younger brother, Joey, in a long time until our long car trip two days ago. We stopped at a large rest stop and as I exited the very nice, clean public bathroom area I saw the person who was coming in to clean the ladies room That's when the memorie of Jeff and his huge smile came back to me as he told me about his summer job so many years ago.
The Big Boy Update: Anything that moves. He can hone in on a vehicle faster than a cheetah that hasn't eaten in a week. Daddy got a remote controlled boat for the pool in my in-laws back yard in Florida. My son is enamored with driving it and talking about it and putting passengers and driver mini people in it, He also wants to put the control box in the water too, which would end the whole remote control component of the fun.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: The curls. Her hair is growing and we've gotten to a point now where we're putting her through Baby Bow Bootcamp so that she'll leave a bow in her hair which is needed to keep the longer locks out of her eyes. Also, it's getting more curly. I expected it to get longer, I didn't expect it to develop such cute curls.
Someone Once Said: I don’t give a damn what The Oxford English Dictionary says! As long as I am head of this household, language used in it will conform to my notions of propriety!
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Totally Not Board
My life got significantly more controversial, complicated and exciting on Thursday. If I had any concerns that I might become bored without the challenge of a full-time, high-stress, hopefully high-paying job because of my recent career choice as an at-home mother of two, I can confirm there is no chance bordom will happen here. As of Thursday, I was sworn in as the newest member of my children's school's Board of Trustees.
I went to a quickly called meeting that was scheduled for two hours the day before Easter vacation began. I expected to hear that our current board director was stepping down, that I was being added and we'd hear some miscelaneous business.
Instead, I was quickly sworn in and a six-hour meeting occurred that ended only because the restaurant had been closed for some time. I came onto the board the very day we were hearing final proposals for the relocation of our school including the purchase of land and consruction plan proposals for the new site.
To say that I am impressed with the work that has been done to get us to the point we are today to this final decision would be an understatement. It has been a six-year project that must be, due to some timing constraints, decided now. And here I am, a board member for less than a day and I'm involved.
The decision has not yet been made, but we are workign over the weekend, during holiday days and coordinating with board members who are travelling to make the most informed decision for what will be a pivital decision for the future of our school.
I have also been impressed that every board member has been completely inclusive of my opinion. Many have contacted me to not only share their thoughts (in a fair and unbiased manner) but to solicit my thoughts as well.
I feel the weight of this decision. I hope we'll make the best choice given the options. Time will tell.
The Big Boy Update: After dinner tonight he walked to the potty without anyone saying anything, went, flushed it (missed a bit when he dumped it, but he got most of it), pulled his pants back up and came back out to play.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Up and Down. She knows what up and down are. She held a toy up and said, "up" and then she put it back down and said, "down." So she understands the words as well as can pronounce them. Sixteen months is an exciting time.
Someone Once Said: Correction. Not ‘steal.’ If you copy from three or more authors, it’s ‘research.’
I went to a quickly called meeting that was scheduled for two hours the day before Easter vacation began. I expected to hear that our current board director was stepping down, that I was being added and we'd hear some miscelaneous business.
Instead, I was quickly sworn in and a six-hour meeting occurred that ended only because the restaurant had been closed for some time. I came onto the board the very day we were hearing final proposals for the relocation of our school including the purchase of land and consruction plan proposals for the new site.
To say that I am impressed with the work that has been done to get us to the point we are today to this final decision would be an understatement. It has been a six-year project that must be, due to some timing constraints, decided now. And here I am, a board member for less than a day and I'm involved.
The decision has not yet been made, but we are workign over the weekend, during holiday days and coordinating with board members who are travelling to make the most informed decision for what will be a pivital decision for the future of our school.
I have also been impressed that every board member has been completely inclusive of my opinion. Many have contacted me to not only share their thoughts (in a fair and unbiased manner) but to solicit my thoughts as well.
I feel the weight of this decision. I hope we'll make the best choice given the options. Time will tell.
The Big Boy Update: After dinner tonight he walked to the potty without anyone saying anything, went, flushed it (missed a bit when he dumped it, but he got most of it), pulled his pants back up and came back out to play.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Up and Down. She knows what up and down are. She held a toy up and said, "up" and then she put it back down and said, "down." So she understands the words as well as can pronounce them. Sixteen months is an exciting time.
Someone Once Said: Correction. Not ‘steal.’ If you copy from three or more authors, it’s ‘research.’
Friday, March 29, 2013
Grandparents and Special Friends Day
Yesterday and today was Grandparents and Special Friends day at our children's school. It's a special time to invite your child's grandparents or other special friends or family to come and see what the school campus is like, visit with the staff and administration, see demonstrations and presentations by some of the students and most of all, visit with your children in their classrooms.
It's been a lot of work to put this in place, but it was fun. I helped out throughout the process but possibly the most fun was just spending time on campus talking with other family members and friends and hearing stories about their children or experiences at the school.
The staff and teachers at our school are nice. But they're also fun, and funny so standing around being bored just never happens. Wait, what? You need big tables moved out of the tent and a hundred chairs set up, stat? Sure, we're on the job. Pitching in and helping has made our school feel like a home.
The Big Boy Update: "Greyson poopie." My son wouldn't come down for dinner two nights ago no matter how much we talked about his dinner and how delicious it was and how we were going to eat it if he stayed up there and other psychological tricks that normally work but were failing completely at the time. He was on the bridge on the second floor watching us eat, not moving. When he finally came down a few minutes later, he announced, "Greyson poopie." Oh, now I understand.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Potty. She can say potty. And pee pee. And pooh. Well, at least it sounds like pooh when she says it. She is most pleased when she has produced something in said potty and can then tell you what it is.
Someone Once Said: Men need us but can just barely stand us; every now and then they have to discuss our faults. I think that’s why they shut us out.
It's been a lot of work to put this in place, but it was fun. I helped out throughout the process but possibly the most fun was just spending time on campus talking with other family members and friends and hearing stories about their children or experiences at the school.
The staff and teachers at our school are nice. But they're also fun, and funny so standing around being bored just never happens. Wait, what? You need big tables moved out of the tent and a hundred chairs set up, stat? Sure, we're on the job. Pitching in and helping has made our school feel like a home.
The Big Boy Update: "Greyson poopie." My son wouldn't come down for dinner two nights ago no matter how much we talked about his dinner and how delicious it was and how we were going to eat it if he stayed up there and other psychological tricks that normally work but were failing completely at the time. He was on the bridge on the second floor watching us eat, not moving. When he finally came down a few minutes later, he announced, "Greyson poopie." Oh, now I understand.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Potty. She can say potty. And pee pee. And pooh. Well, at least it sounds like pooh when she says it. She is most pleased when she has produced something in said potty and can then tell you what it is.
Someone Once Said: Men need us but can just barely stand us; every now and then they have to discuss our faults. I think that’s why they shut us out.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Gonna?
Is "gonna" a real word? We say it all the time. And by we, what I mean is many people, to the point of saying most of the English (or American) speaking population I know. For example, do you say, "We're going to go in just a minute". Or do you say, "We're gonna go in just a minute"?
In written form, gonna looks strange. But in casual speech, "going to" seems to get combined into the single word, "gonna." Is it slang any more so than using accepted contractions?
And what about, "hafta?" Okay, I have no idea how to even spell hafta. I could look all this up online and I'm sure I'd get a head full of what's correct, accepted or slang, but not until I finish this blog post; you know my rules.
I say, "We have to brush our teeth before bedtime." But I also say things like, "we hafta wait our turn."
I think I'm gonna hafta pay more attention to what I and others say and see if there are other words that aren't true contractions but function in the same manner that may, or may not be grammatically correct.
The Big Boy Update: Helping his sister. This morning before we went to school, not once but twice he offered to help bring his sister over. He brought her by holding her hand to get her jacket on and then he brought her back to get in the car, again holding her hand.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: So sleepy at school. Today was Grandparents and Special Friends day at school. My parents came to visit the classrooms of both children today but she was a little too tired to enjoy the visit. Tomorrow, Uncle Jonathan visits them in both classes. Maybe she'll be peppier tomorrow.
Fitness Update: Last day with our trainer before spring break and our family visit to Florida. He made us work this morning, which is good, because we needed it.
Someone Once Said: The Commodore never rejects anyone for failing; what she despises is not trying.
In written form, gonna looks strange. But in casual speech, "going to" seems to get combined into the single word, "gonna." Is it slang any more so than using accepted contractions?
And what about, "hafta?" Okay, I have no idea how to even spell hafta. I could look all this up online and I'm sure I'd get a head full of what's correct, accepted or slang, but not until I finish this blog post; you know my rules.
I say, "We have to brush our teeth before bedtime." But I also say things like, "we hafta wait our turn."
I think I'm gonna hafta pay more attention to what I and others say and see if there are other words that aren't true contractions but function in the same manner that may, or may not be grammatically correct.
The Big Boy Update: Helping his sister. This morning before we went to school, not once but twice he offered to help bring his sister over. He brought her by holding her hand to get her jacket on and then he brought her back to get in the car, again holding her hand.
The Tiny Girl Chronicles: So sleepy at school. Today was Grandparents and Special Friends day at school. My parents came to visit the classrooms of both children today but she was a little too tired to enjoy the visit. Tomorrow, Uncle Jonathan visits them in both classes. Maybe she'll be peppier tomorrow.
Fitness Update: Last day with our trainer before spring break and our family visit to Florida. He made us work this morning, which is good, because we needed it.
Someone Once Said: The Commodore never rejects anyone for failing; what she despises is not trying.
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