Wrong-side Out

I don’t mind folding clothes.   With two children—two messy children—there are lots of clothes to wash and fold.  What  I do dislike though is turning inside-out clothing and then having to fold it.   It strikes me as a wasted step, the whole turning inside-out of the clothes.   It may be easier to pull off a sock or a pair of underpants and put them in the basket.   It’s definitely quicker to take off a shirt by pulling it over your head and turning it wrong-side out, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

I have these “methods” to take off every single items of clothing and have it stay correctly-oriented as I do so.   I have ways to do this with my children’s clothes as well.   I’ve noticed now that my children are learning to do the same thing…some of the time…on occasion…okay, rarely.

The Big Boy Update:  We were getting ready to go and my son had pulled a lot of pillows off the bed and chair.   I said something and before I could finish my son said, “don’t worry mom, we’ll clean it up.”  And so they did.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My husband was shredding paperwork today.   My daughter asked what he was doing and he said, “I’m getting rid of the evidence.”   My daughter looked intently at the shredder and said, “I want to see some of the evidence go down.”

Fitness Update:  Eight miles running after my neighbor’s alarm system went off “basement motion sensor” at 5:25AM, followed by a, “failure to communicate” message.    We don’t know what caused the alarm to sound.   The basement was empty from what we could tell.

Braces

This post has been a year in the making.   I planned this post exactly one year ago, to the day.  I’m not very good at being patient, so to say I’m a little bit  excited about this post would be like saying my dog would be a little bit excited about being given a juicy, dripping ham bone with gobbets of flesh dangling from it.   I’m excited mostly because my teeth are finally finished.

To go back in time, there was the original dentist who retired and then the second dentist whom I didn’t get on with very well and then the third dentist who happens to be my next door neighbor, whom I like quite a bit.   There was the dental evaluation where my teeth were proclaimed, “not the worst I’ve ever seen, but yes, there is work to be done.”   I had lost one tooth at this point and some point not long afterwards there was a whole lot of commotion, root canals, surgeries and the ultimate loss of a second tooth beside the first tooth.

There were cavities, but not many.   There were crowns that were highly recommended and then there was the long, very long, wait to get the implants in place.   While I was waiting for the implant hardware to nestle into my jaw bone and become good, sturdy friends with the surrounding area, we implemented “Operation Braces.”

I had talked to my neighbor about how I was unhappy with my open bite.   When I closed my upper and lower jaws together, there was a gap between my front teeth.   I had had braces when I was younger and I am certain the orthodontist didn’t leave me with a hole between the top and lower teeth so it must be due to thrusting of my teeth over time.   I wore a night guard some of the time.   Some of the time meaning years ago, none of the time or rarely, but as it was apparent I was clenching my jaw, I starting wearing it more.   Bottom line, teeth moved forwards.

So what to do now about the braces.   I had a clear plan and I meant that in the literal sense.   I went with Invisalign braces.   You have a set of clear, retainer like appliances that go over your top and bottom teeth.   They’re tight and they move your teeth ever so little and then hold them in that new position for two weeks.   At the end of two weeks, you have a new set that move the teeth a bit more.

I had only twelve sets, or twenty-four weeks, to get the front gap closed and my teeth aligned.   Here’s a video of the plan from Invisalign;  you can see the missing back two molars on the right.   You might want to click the maximize button on the bottom right because it’s hard to see the twelve steps the teeth moved through in tiny video form.

When you look at the video there are little “buttons” on the teeth.   These are small tooth-colored things that are the shape you see on the video that grip the Invisalign set and help move your teeth.   One of the ways I notice people with Invisalign is those little spots sticking out from their teeth, but unless you know to look for them, most people don’t see them. 

Speaking of not seeing them, I decided to do a test of the true invisible component of the Invisalign product.   I wasn’t going to tell anyone about them.  I would only talk about the braces it if someone  noticed and brought it up to me.   Now mind you, for the last year I’ve had braces in my mouth for twenty to twenty-two hours per day.  Unless I was eating, they were in.    They were in and hardly anyone noticed them.

I told my niece, Nicole, because she had Invisalign and I wanted to know how she coped with the brushing and cleaning and, well, managing the strange feeling it takes a month or so to get over.   My brother-in-law knew because he was there when I was talking about it with her.   My husband noticed on day two and my cleaning lady (who is famous for noticing everything) noticed the second time she saw me.    There were a few other people that noticed, but on the whole, I can say after a year that unless you know the product and expect it, people really don’t notice it. 

There is one story I have to tell though because it was a true test.   We were in Florida in the spring.  I was in the hot tub with my son and father-in-law and my son was being a doctor and finding out what was wrong with each of us.   He checked Grandpa’s ears, his elbows, his nose and his teeth.   He then decided to check my teeth.   I had my trays in and my son said, “mom, you have ABC’s on your teeth.”  My father-in-law came over at my son’s urging to see what was very, very small writing saying Invisalign and some identifying numbers.   My father-in-law looked into my open mouth, probably thought I had blueberry or coffee stains on my teeth and said he didn’t see any ABC’s.   (It is important to note here that children have amazing close-up vision from what I’ve seen.)  

But back to the whole braces process.   After the twelve sets, my dentist sent molds to evaluate what “refinement” would be needed.   This is commonly done to ensure not only that the teeth look good, but that bite function of the teeth is in, “group function” and you’re gliding on your teeth appropriately as you chew food.   Without this in place, your teeth can move over time, you can have discomfort and you could even chip or break teeth.   

Five more sets later and my teeth were done being moved.   I still had those two missing teeth that had those now firmly situated implant screws in place.   I had the implant appliances installed and then had some final crown work to get all the teeth as happy as they could possibly be. 

So where are we?  Cavities: filled.  Crowns: crowned.   Implants: implanted.  Open bite: closed.   Teeth: perfectly aligned.   

I then moved into “retainer wear” for the next several months.   Wearing retainers is just like wearing the main Invisalign sets, only you can be a little less concerned about having them in for twenty-two hours each day.   At three months out now, I wear them overnight and about half of the day.  In another month or two I’ll just wear them at night.   And I like wearing them.   They’re comfortable and I don’t clench my jaw with them in.   I don’t know if that’s because my teeth weren’t well-aligned before so now I naturally clench less, but either way, I like it.  

The final step was to do fifteen days of bleaching and have end photos taken.  This was my idea because I wanted my teeth to look simply fabulous for the final shots.    Here are the before and after pictures my dentist took:

I didn’t expect there to be as much change from the side view as there was:

I am quite happy about the result.  Braces were sort of fun to be honest.   It was a bit of a chore and a lot of discipline, because it is far easier to forget or not put the trays in than it is to keep them in, but that’s the subject of an entirely different blog post.   For today, I love my teeth.   Hell, they look like movie star teeth in comparison to this time last year.   My thanks go to my next-door neighbor who is my dentist for making it all happen.

The Big Boy Update:  I was out to a dinner two nights ago and didn’t see my son go to bed.   Yesterday morning he said, “I missed you last night, mom.”  This is the kind of thing he never says.   I gave him a big hug and told him I had missed him too.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter’s short hair is looking cuter and cuter each day (to me.)   I’m think getting over the sadness of having it cut.  She’s loving no tangles when I brush it.

Fitness Update:  I ran eight miles this morning with my neighbor.   Strange how eight miles seems like just a standard morning’s jaunt now.  

Heart, Notes, Smile, Dinosaur

My children aren’t the best artists.   I’m not sure when children become skilled at holding a writing implement and transferring something onto paper or surface that is easily recognizable as an actual thing, but it hasn’t happened in my household yet.

I was never much for drawing.  I can do this elephant from behind thing that’s cute and curvy and pretty much my only drawing trick.   Other than that I’m lucky if I can get four legs on the dog my daughter has decided she wants me to draw on her paper for her.  

My children are interested in drawing things recently, though.   I don’t know if I should give them instructions (in which case I’d better start an online class to get some remedial skills myself.)  They draw in sort of loops and squiggles now that they can describe in either great detail or dismissively brief monosyllables but to an adult, it just looks like random, frenzied marks with a crayon.

My children are getting good at repeating something if you help them or give them an idea though.   Some time back my husband helped my son draw people via the stick figure method.   My son draws little stick figure-esque guys all the time now.   My daughter is good at tracing her hand and putting fingernails on the resulting handprint because Mimi showed her how.

My son recently came over to me with a drawing he was working on.   I asked him what he’d drawn and he said, “that’s Daddy and that’s Reese and that’s Mommy and that’s me.”  I asked if I could draw a little heart on my shirt (or the center-region of the blocked stick-figure he’d drawn,) because I love him.  He said sure.

Then he asked me if I could draw musical notes on his sister, because she sang all the time.  I did so and then he asked if I could draw a smiley face on Daddy’s shirt and I did that.   Then he thought and asked if I could draw a dinosaur on his shirt.   I drew a very tiny representation of a Brontosaurus and he was happy with that as well.

The next day he came home from school and he’d brought a drawing, which is somewhat uncommon for him.   I asked him what the drawing was of and he had re-drawn the entire family, including an attempt at the heart, notes, smile and dinosaur.

The Big Boy Update:  Pahmer Sighting!   That’s right folks, we now know what Pahmer looks like.   My son was eating his breakfast when I heard him exclaim, “hey, Pahmer looks like this.”   I went over to check it out and it turns out Pahmer looks just like Barney Rubble.   Thanks to the Flintstones Vitamins people for helping us figure this out.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter showed up downstairs a few nights ago for some reason in the middle of the night.  I’m not sure if she was cold or scared or lonely but I let her get in the bed.   We don’t encourage the children to sleep with us in general, but a frightened or lonely child needs to be comforted and we never mind that.   About five minutes later she said, “I’m going back to my bed.”  She got up, walked herself back up the stairs and went back to bed until morning.

Fitness Update:  I walked around the block for two miles today while listening to an audio book and catching up on email.   Nothing like getting three things accomplished at once.

When Are Hugs Over?

At what age do children stop wanting to be hugged for comfort?   I suppose we never completely get past the need to have another human being comfort us with a hug, but children seem to have a need that goes beyond comfort and into a level of dependance.  

Children need hugs regularly to make them feel safe and secure.   Hugs can keep them on a level keel.   Hugs help stop the crying and dry the tears.    Children yearn for hugs for the human contact of being with you, their parent,  relative or very special friend.

So at what point do general, everyday, anytime, “I want to give you another hug, Mommy” hugs go by the wayside?   At what point do children become confident and independent enough to not need a hug unless there’s a specific reason like a parent leaving for a trip?

I know it’s gradual, but I suppose I should start preparing myself for the day I become less-needed from a hugs-standpoint.    I don’t know when it will ultimately happen, but I’ll enjoy the hugs while I can.

The Big Boy Update:  On the way to school yesterday my son told me he was feeling car sick.   That’s okay, I told him because I was pulling into the Starbucks drive through and the motion of the car would slow down.    About two minutes later my son said in a very surprised voice from the back seat, “wait, I’m not car sick, I just had to burp!”

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  We haven’t done much with mazes on paper with the children so the other day at a restaurant I watched my daughter work through a maze on the kids menu.   She was able to easily look ahead, moving by short dead end sections.   For the longer sections, she was able to back track to the last junction and resume her forward progress.   It was interesting to watch her work through the maze with her finger alone.

Fitness Update:  I ran seven miles with my neighbor this morning.   After taking the children to school I biked to the shopping center near us for seven miles of biking and then I visited the fitness room to get in my twenty-three weekly minutes of upper body workout.   I’m hungry so it’s a good thing I’m going out to dinner with friends tonight.

Adjectives and Metaphors

I was having lunch with my mother’s long-time best friend one day some years ago and we got to talking about writing.  I’m not sure if I was writing this blog at that point, but seeing as I’m something like thirteen-hundred posts in at this point, there’s a good chance I was already dabbling in writing here.    She told me something I have thought about many times since then.   I think I’ve thought about it enough times that this may well be the second post I’ve written about this very topic.   She said, “writing is all about the adjectives.”

I’m not sure that’s exactly what she said, but that’s the essence of her point.   She told me about a professor she had in college from which she was taking a creative writing course.   He had mentioned the thing about adjectives and she had endeavored to put some descriptive, evocative and creative ones in her writing.   She had done a good job apparently, because he told her about how colorful and vivid her writing was, by virtue of those very-important adjectives.

That may not be how the story actually went, but there was a course and a teacher and a discussion about adjectives and my friend’s ability to select with precision just the right ones to use to make her story something the reader could connect with in a way “good” adjectives wouldn’t have done.

I write a lot and I think about adjectives and I use some here and there that I’m proud of, but for the most part I get down to my computer at the end of the night and bang out a blog post so I can go get in a hot tub before bed.    That’s not fair really, I suppose.   Some days I make an effort to make this post illuminating and inspiring to read (or at least entertaining and mildly funny.)  But for the most part, I’m not writing a book and I’m not critiquing the little ditties I write here to a particular standard of literary quality.

Let me get back to the adjectives thing though because it’s on my mind a lot when I listen to audio books.   I listen to books and I think, “those are some spectacular adjectives he’s using, no wonder this book is so popular.”   Because the way it seems to me is most stories that have been expanded into enough words to become an entire book have a whole lot of adjectives.    If you take out the adjectives and tell the story in a sort of monotone collection of words, most stories can be distilled down into something rather short.   That’s what the Cliff Notes people did.   They could take a good story and make it into a fast and boring read.   But a fast and boring read in which you got the plot and could pass the quiz the next morning.

The other thing I think I want to add to my, “must haves to write well” list is the ability to come up with creative metaphors.    Sure, anyone can say, “it’s raining cats and dogs” but to come up with a metaphor that gives the reader an exact understanding of what you mean while at the same time causing the reader to think, “I would have never thought to compare it like that, but now that you mention it, that’s an exceptionally mentally vivid way to describe it.

My ability to come up with metaphors is one in which I have a dreadful time.   Even now, faced with the goal of coming up with one, single interesting metaphor, or just one mediocre metaphor and my mind is as blank as, well, dammit, I can’t come up with something clever at all to compare it to.   You see my problem?

The good news is I’m not setting off to write a book at this point.   This little blog has me occupied enough, thank you very much.   But were I to decide to write a book—and this would necessitate having a story to tell in the first place—I am going to have to learn how to wrangle up some metaphors and nail down some usefully creative adjectives.  

The Big Boy Update:  My son told my husband, “I can jump from North America to China. But I don’t want to do it.”  My husband asked, “why not?”  To which my son said, "because I will break my bones. I did it once when I was a baby.”  My husband asked him what happened and he replied, “I broke my leg.”

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  We were waiting for lunch to arrive yesterday.   Apparently it was taking longer than my daughter expected because she told me, “I’m still getting hungry.”

Fitness Update:  I biked eight miles today.   It was hot and I wasn’t very motivated so I came home.

Him and Her

Tonight is about “him,” my son and "her," my daughter.

The Big Boy Update:  
My son has been somewhat interested in learning his letters (or sounds as they refer to them in Montessori.)   By somewhat, I mean every so often he has an interest in something but for the majority of the time he doesn’t care much about them.

Montessori schools don’t worry so much about what the letter is called, “W” for example is a mouthful of syllables, but what the letter sounds like.   They refer to them as “sounds” because when learning how to read, you need to know what a letter sounds like in a word, not what the name of the constituent letters are that make up that word.

Over the summer we’ve tried to remember to work on the letter sounds with both my son and daughter, mostly my son though, due to his eleven-months seniority on his sister.   She’s a lot more interested in the sounds, but she’s also not mentally where he is and then there’s the whole attention span (or lack thereof) and it’s not been a very productive summer as far as letter sounds goes in this household.

My son does know there are letters and he knows that together, they spell words.   Any time I spell something to my husband or anyone else, he immediately asks what word I spelled.    Sometimes I tell him, since he’s shown he is paying attention in many cases when I think he is definitely not even aware I’m talking.  

When Star Wars started earlier this week, we read for him the introductory text that scrolled off the page.   He listened and then watched the movie.   At the end of the movie, the credits started rolling and my son excitedly said, “can someone read the words to me?”   We explained what movie credits were and how lots of people helped to make the movie.

We’ve started letting him know if he would like to read <insert thing he just showed interest in> we could help him with his sounds.    So far, he hasn’t been that interested.  

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:
My daughter is charming.   She’s friendly.   She’s pleasant and even thoughtful.    I have come to realize only recently that she’s also devious and she’s known darn well she’s been so for some time.

She can say, “I’m sorry” with such an air of sincerity that I’ve missed that she most likely wasn’t that sorry, but has learned saying so in a soft, contrite voice will get her out of potential trouble.  

Recently, she’s even caught herself doing things she’s not supposed to do—saying “poop”—and said, “I said poop, sorry, I won’t say it again” with a smile on her face.    And I’ve been buying these stories.  

She has mastered the knack of acting like she’s not really heard what you’ve said because she’s so happy singing a little diddy of her own (off key) that she’s gotten out of a reprimand her brother might have gotten no matter what he was doing.

In short, through wielding her powers of cute, she’s gotten away with a whole lot of things she shouldn’t have gotten away with from the start.

I am wise now.    I have the power of “Mom who expects well-mannered and disciplined children” and my powers trump hers.   (Until she figures out her next super power I’m not expecting.)

Summer Days

We’ve had a week of just summer.   It’s been nice summer weather and we haven’t been over scheduled so much that we’ve felt like we were running around from one activity to the next.   We’ve have whole sections of days where we didn’t have a single thing planned and we figured out smoothing just beforehand.   It’s been relaxing.

My parents came into town today to see everyone.   They joined us for dinner tonight and tomorrow we’ll get to spend a lot of time with them.   My mother asked what a good time would be for them to come over; I looked at my calendar and told her, “we have nothing on our calendar other than to be with you all, pick your time.”

Next week the children have camp again, but next week starts the countdown to our New Jersey vacation in which we go visit my brother- and sister-in-law and their two children.   That’s a summer week worth waiting for.  For now, I’m just enjoying the easy-going days while I can before school starts back.

The Big Boy Update:  “Oil bath”   My son has seen Star Wars exactly two times now.   He’s seen it over the last week and tonight he asked if we could watch Star Wars again.    We decided this time we had a chance of my daughter staying awake for the full movie so we said sure.    We were about fifteen minutes in when my son suddenly said, “oil bath.”  As I looked up, it was right when Luke had gotten the new droids and was about to walk inside and offer C3PO an oil bath.  

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My children weren’t exactly getting along the other day so I decided maybe an assistant on my trip to the grocery store would give them some space for a while.   I didn’t care which one, so I asked, “who wants to go to the grocery store with me?”   My daughter and son ran by me as my daughter replied, “no one.”    I went to the store alone.

Fitness Update:  I’ve been trying to wedge in some sort of cardio here and there while my children are with me over the past week.   The Apple Watch has made it easier to tell if I’m doing a good job of this.   I’m doing okay on the exercise front.  Now, if I could just get into the “not wanting to eat everything in sight” mode, I think I’d have a calm and relaxing life.