Urban Offspring

Ride Like the Wind

That's my motto.  Okay, it's hard to manage that wit kids in tow, but go ahead and try.  We spent the weekend carving pumpkins, walking the poop eating dog and mama ran another triathlon.

The offspring are healthy and happy, aggravating and heart-warming all at once.  Lila is approaching the golden age of reasoning, though she resists bedtime like the plaque.  Raquel is using the limited vocabulary she has to express herself very well.  She's managing the last few teeth that are poking through like a champ.  She's obsessed with Lila, asking for her throughout the day.  She thinks everything in the house is Lila's, however, knows the word "mine"...greaaaaat!

Watching Lila navigate the paths of social behavior is arduous.  She has a little friend at school who she adores and is fiercely competitive with.  She has to do everything first and gets ticked off if the friend is faster on the tricycle.  It's hard to explain that some people are better at certain things.  She is such an emotional bird, screaming and crying over minor infractions.  Thankfully, the staff and parents at school are outstanding role models, offering logical solutions to each conflict.  I would be such a lame parent without the guidance of our co-op.

Reba, AKA poop-eating-dog, earned her keep by cleaning up the poop Raquel left on the floor.  Guilty as charged.  I pretended to be asleep and listened as the storm passed.  Lila told Papi about the mess, Raquel stepped in it, Papi grabbed her to clean her in the tub, where she took a second dump, meanwhile, Reba ate the poop on the floor.  That's it for the doggie kisses.  Don't come near me with that snout!

With Halloween lurking in the shadows, we have spook-di-fied the house.  I like the decor and am considering leaving the decorations up 'til the "Christmas Clues" come out.  Lazy?  Perhaps.  In a similar vein, we have driveway weeds that make our house look abandoned.  Sure, I could pull them, but they add to the haunted mood.  

Today, I ran the Marin Triathlon, placing 5th out of 25 middle-aged broads (35-40).  There were over 400 men and women who competed.  I finished 115th out of the co-ed field.  We raced a fantastic course, only to be rivaled by the incredible weather.  It was an Olympic distance race, 1.5k swim/40k bike/10k run.  I finished in 2hrs33min...with a giant smile!

Ride like the wind!

Victoria Secret Swimwear

Getting out of the house with both kids dressed, fed etc. is a challenge on good days. Today was sub-par.  We were nearing the "go-time", prepping lunch, looking for shoes and socks.  I noticed Raquel had snagged my gym bag and scattered some things in the hall.  I picked up the swim gear and did a quick peak and feel in the bag to insure all was in place.  hmmm.

In the locker room, I realized Raquel ditched the top to my swimsuit.  Stymied!!  Two thoughtful by-standers listened as I told them what our 18-month had done.  Glancing at my bra, I suggested just going with a mis-match look.  They said, "Go for it.  It better than missing the work-out."  Black bottoms and a bright blue Vicky-See's brassier was the look.  This is a place were I teach spinning classes.  Oy vey, could have been a bad decision.

"I'm innocent, I swear."

It's Official...

The little house monsters are trying to kill us. This I know because the blood pressure doens't lie. They nurse who took my blood pressure during a home visit confirmed it.  She too it while both girls were hanging on each arm, crying and screaming about on thing or another. It was 78/140. "Wow, that's high" she said.

I said, "See what they doing to me?"  pointing to our offspring.
"Do you want me to take it again."
"Sure." Then to Papi, "Can you distract them?"
The nest readings were 70/130, the 66/112.

One of them switched out their dad's sneakers leaving him with two left shoes.  I'm still chuckling of that one.  Poor guy had to were bike cleats all day long.

Even though neither one of them watches Sesame Street anymore (or yet), somehow Cookie Monster visited our house because it looks as though he ate an entire roll of toilet paper, chugged a gallon of water then barfed all over our house.  In reality, they decided to make challah with mushy toilet paper.  How it got from the play kitchen to every wall and floor space in the house, I have no clue?

Speaking of Sesame Street, the grouch was looking for more spacious digs, so he moved into my mini-van.  Man, that thing is filthy...tomorrow's chore.

g'night.

Playing with Hummingbirds

Yesterday the coolest thing happened.  I was filling up the new, fancy pool and watering plants while the girls played on the deck.  There was a long stream of water shooting from the hose.   A hummingbird fluttered in and out of the stream, landed on a tree, then returned two more times to play in the water.  These hummingbirds live next door, but spend lots of time noshing on our plants.  They have no fear of us and appear to enjoy our show as much as we enjoy theirs.  What fun neighbors, those little hummingbirds!

Lila is full of wondrous things to say.  Here are a couple...

"Where's my pop-tard?"  Poptard was what she called her leotard for gymnastics, at least until we started kidding her about it.

(about Popsicles), "We bought them at the gross-ie store."

Raquel is starting to acquire new words.  Yesterday she held up a ball and said, "bah!"  She says, mama, papa, lila, reba, gracias, aqui, and shoe.

Our community group, GNG received a huge grant from Fiskar's to finish the Hillside Restoration Project.  They will fly a team of landscape architects, gardeners and publicity crew for the event that is to be held August 26th.  Fiskar's has set aside $75,000 to complete the project in ONE DAY!  They may even have a film crew from The Learning Channel to film a pilot episode for a new program.  Needless to say, our group is thrilled.  Please feel welcome in joining us for the ribbon cutting ceremony at 5pm!

You may have noticed that I have an interest in face painting.  Honestly, my artistic abilities are lacking, but it's fun and the kids love it.  This photo will be the inspiration for the next face painting we do here.  "Lila, why don't you let mommy paint a doggie on your face."

Dog Days in the Park

Since our trip, we've settled into the normal routine, going to the grocery and walking Reba at the park.  She smiles, runs and wags her tail simultaneously.  For all her woes, our dog is a joy to watch running free.  The photo to the right resulted from this form of direction, "Lila, put your foot on this log, prop your elbow on your knee, your chin on your hand and smile."  She's a beauty, but I'm not sure she has a career in modeling.

Onetime at the park, Lila said. "Mommy, I don't belong here." 

Wanting to empower her, I said. "Sure you do.  You belong anywhere you want to go." 

She was taking notice of the 20 or 30 dogs playing all around and realized, "No, I belong in school with
kids."  Perhaps she's getting bored with same ole route and would benefit from a diversion from the norm.  Couldn't we all?

We made the most disgusting mountain of pink and green icing, in the form of a dinosaur.  It was more arts and crafts than culinary experience.  Raquel dined in the buff, while Lila added Skittles for the mouth and feet.  Finding the right consistency with regards to the icing is a challenge. 

With 3 half-days missing from the schedule, we're scrambling for activities.  Gymnastics is one carrot Lila looks forward to each week.  It's just a 50 min. class, but she loves every second.  Raquel doesn't understand it is not a place where she can run and play, so that's tough.  They have a nice little play area, but rope swings, trampolines and tumbling mats look oh-so-much more fun.

The community group that I work with is doing great things for our neighborhood.  Goettingen Neighbors Group (GNG) is working on several grant applications and will hold the second fundraisor for 2008.  The first project we are focusing on is a hillside restoration effort.  We are raising money to install a water meter, obtain landscaping designs and finally to plant the hillside with native plants.

On a more humorous note, some witty punk from BH must have decided to poke fun at the Farmers Market.  All they needed was a can of black spray paint and a stencil for the letter "T".   Sure it's graffiti and it's baaaaad.  LMAO, but this is f@#!ing funny.

tee hee hee!

Fireflies in Yonder Hills

There be fireflies, in them thar hills.  Lightening bugs, cute little insects that light up a forest with their tiny butts.  We used to collect them in jars when I was a youngin', running barefoot in  Kentucky.  We went back to visit family this past month.  It was a wonderful trip, in every way...except too short.  Click the link to see more pictures from our trip down south.

We first stopped in Nashville, flying non-stop (yah-HOO).  My bubbas are jet-set babies, proving themselves to be manageable in both the terminal and at 40K feet.  The trick? Pack the carry-on with lots of  DVD's, bribes, snacks and general over-indulgence.  

My sister, BIL and our niece welcomed us into their comfy home.   We talked, shopped, ate, talked, ran, ate and said farewell.  Next stop, Terrapin Hill for a music festival.  Unlike most the ones we've gone to this was quiet, down-home fun.  The kids had a blast and it was a safe place for us all to unwind.  I visited with my favorite girlfriends, longtime pal,  Mz Leo and Capers (they have seen my worst and still like me :-).  We tossed back a few cold beverages and watched three different bonfires burn.  Other than the typical tee-pee shaped pile of wood, the had two trunks that were lit from the inside.  The one that was horizontal resembled a dragon with flames and smoke billowing from it's mouth.  The other trunk was positioned upright.  After a few hours, the flaming tube opened up showing a wall of red-orange embers. 

During the trip I managed to feed the girls some yummy food.  Sliders were the perfect fit for their petite hands.  Raquel showered herself with a Wendy's Frosty on  the way to Louisville.  (sorry Dollar Car Rental).  My aunt made chicken and dumplings, soups beans and cornbread, so I felt right at home with her and Grandma.  My grandma is 84 years old, living with Parkinson's desease, but she's still sharp as a tack.

Mom is now set-up for video calling.  She was online when Lila and Raquel's neighbor friends were here.  It was mayhem caught on camera.  At least with the help of MSN Messenger, Nashville doesn't seen so far away.

 

A Wild Hair Gone Ary

Ya know when one of those wild hair type ideas goes south?  That's happened the other night.  All was right, the stars alig
ned. etc.  Papi was out-of-town, but the little house monsters were pretty good.

While we were winding down, I got the bright idea to bathe Reba.  Why is it most of the drama in the family involves the hairy bestia?  I thought it would be a Kodak moment and Reba would appreciate the warmth of an indoor bath.  We were due to clean the tub, so what the hay?

Raquel must have thought I was torturing Reba.  She was wailing to the high heavens.  Recalling the technique of some of our parenting peers, I put her in the crib.  She freaked.  I brought her in the bathroom again.  She freaked.  I laid down with her in the bed.  Finally, she went to sleep.  She was tired to begin with, probably the real source of her discomfort.

Reba was spazzing out, which didn't help at all.  Lila was a champ, wearing her listening ears all the time.  She waited patiently while the commotion died down.  We started to go to town on Reba, only to hear screaming Raquel again.  AGH!  I went to her, finally got her to sleep again, and rinsed and dried the bird dog.  What a fiasco!   At least the dirty dog smell is gone.

Raquel had her first Haircut.  She was hesitant at first, but found comfort in the tiny car chair.  For the past few months, I've been meaning to jot down some of the funny things that the girls say/do...

Lila, eating the last bits of popcorn, "look mommy, i found a unicorn"

We were walking in the park, when Lila picked up a stick and said, "Mommy, hold on to this stick, we'll be like a train.  The stick is a "per-na-ner".  The "per-na-ner" attaches two people.  Who knew?

Raquel says, "good dog", "gracias", "hi, lila", "caca", "mama" "papa" "poo-poo", "abu & ali" and a flam-a-lama-ding-dong.  lots of gibberish

  

Thong panties send the wrong message to little girls.  I don't know what to do about it. (notice the lacey blue-green undies beneath the blue dress)  I feel the need to wear them w/ certain things.  Lila was wearing her undies backwards, so I told her the small part goes in front, the big part goes on the booty.  She must have sensed the inconsistency in what mom wears and what she says is the "right" way.  On our recent camping trip to the giant sequoias, she decided to put on some of my undies, Borat-style, because she wanted to "look pretty".  She also found lipstick in the van.

The trees were amazing, emphasized even more by a conversation I had with my soulmate in the wee hours as we drove into the park.  We were watching the stars and talking about the universe, space and time, so the next day waking to giant trees seemed to complete the conversation.  Beautiful.  Magestic those tress are.  Old and as wise as a Jedi warrior.  Yoda would have been moved by the giant forest.

Dude, Someone Stole Your Car!

Seriously, Saturday night I watched from our window as someone jacked Papi's white Altima.  I asked, "Are you parked up the hill?"

"Yes"
"Dude, someone just stole your car."

The car backed into a blue mini-van parked in the opposite direction.  This other car was not familiar to me and also had someone in the driver seat, who just drove away after the thief backed into them.  (sustect?)

I called 911.  There was a brief hold time before they answered, enough time I imagine that the person could have been a mile in any direction.  It's strange to see your car being driven off like that. Anyway, the police came, took a report.  The car had Lowjack, a GPS anti-theft device.  After a car is reported stolen, the system is activated.  An alert signal sounds in a patrol car that passes. 

The police caught the perps and hour or two later.  Two women.  They had us come to the location of the car and identify what was missing or broken.  They broke in the little tiny window that is behind the passenger-side back window.  They had the shade of a tree and the cover of the blue van (i think that was the other person).  I only witnessed them pulling away, not the break-in.  They used a generic key to start the engine.  The police say that some people find a blank key, whittle it down to a generic size and start the engine that way.

Here's the part that's weird.  They loaded the car with duffel bags, ditched our car seat, threw a jogger stroller in it's place, then lit up a cigarette.  Maybe not in that order.  I think there was In-and-Out wrappers in there too.  Man, they really set-up shop quick!

This morning, we recieved a follow-up call from the police presenting the case in court.  They found needles and heroin on the woman they are charging.  Strange the cops didn't tell us this while we reached in bare-handed to empty the car.  Lila's doll was in there.  uh!  Everything feels all dirty.

She walks!

Raquel weebles and she wobbles but she doesn't fall down.  Well, kinda.  She walked across the  carpet several times tonight, so I doubt it is a fluke.  Game on.  Oh, no!

She was thrilled with herself.  It was a beautiful milestone to witness.  We are all so happy for the little mover and shaker.

photos to follow...

Running Free Like a Bird Dog

Spring is in the air and the ole bird dog is on a tear.  She jumped out of the window today.  No, not the one in the house.  It was the minivan window.  The youngest of the youngins, Reba and I ventured out to Crissy Field today. I knew Reba would love it, what with the smell of sea birds everywhere.  There is an estuary where all kinds of birds rest, feed and play. 

We are well aware of Reba's limits, her attention to the command "come" and "stay".  Most of the time, she responds well.  I let her off leash just before her brush with the law.  No problems.  She was out a little too far, but returning to check in.  We took the beast back to the car, where I rolled down all but one of the windows a crack.  It was pretty hot today.  So I thought that she'd be more comfortable if one window was WAY open, enough for her to stick her head out.  Well, the temptation was too much. 

Meanwhile, Raquel is dozing on my back and I'm browsing through Sports Basement when I hear the page.  "If there is a customer with a white dog that likes to attack wildlife, he's off his leash running wild in the estuary.  Please go get him."  Oy Vey!  Here we go...

I mosey on up to the counter drop my things and say, "I'm sure it's our dog.  If I'm not back for these things in a 1/2 hour, restock 'em.  Sorry."  (mad dash out the door)   Luckily, the first person I approached to ask about the huntress was a good Samaritan.  She offered to help me catch her, before the rangers caught her. 

So the 3 of us hike into prohibited territory to call a dog who will not listen when water and birds are involved.  We call, she runs, fakes us out a little and is off again.  Cue Johnny R. Lawman.  Thanks Reba.  Luckily, he is nice and the good sameritan assured him that she bolted out the window.  The park police let us off with a verbal warning, but said if it happens again, it's off to the pokey with the ole bird dog.