8.31.20 - My Favorite Things

(Rhyming "things" is harder than I expected.)

Epic Rap Battles and treasures at thrift shops
Paying off debt and listening to rain drops
Relaxing and drinking on my dad's porch swing
These are a few of my favorite things

Well written villains and proper citations
Monty Python, Diet Coke carbonation,
Chris Pratt as Peter Quill makes my heart sing
These are a few of my favorite things

Prepping for Halloween, fall weather changes
Calvin & Hobbes, secret Santa exchanges
Childhood snow days and Erin's earrings,
These are a few of my favorite things!

When there's COVID, when there's shut downs,
When I'm feeling trapped,
I simply remember my favorite things
And that helps me to adapt

Tank tops and flip flops and ponytail holders
Laughing at TikTok lifts weight off my shoulders
My kids becoming friends gives my soul wings
These are a few of my favorite things!

When there's fire, when there's heat waves,
When I'm getting pissed,
I simply remember my favorite things
And that helps me to persist

8.31.20 - Kid snippets: get married some more

Clara and Jane want all three of us to wear flowers or bows in our hair right now. They both believe that all you need as a woman to get married is a flower or bow in your hair. Just a note that I am currently wearing all black and they picked out a light pink flower for me.

Clara: You can have this flower!
Me: Ok, thanks
Clara: And now you can marry Dad!
Me: But I already married Dad.
Clara: But it's ok, you can marry him some more. We can stay with [respite care provider] while you go on a date and get married!

8.30.20 - Kid snippets: Girls play make believe

The girls are playing pretend together.

Clara: Jane we have a lot of construction! We have 100,000-50,000 dollars of construction.
Jane: okay let's look at the math! *Holds her hand out as if to show Clara something.
Clara: *examines Jane's hand
Clara: ok!
Jane: Hey! Let's go to the playground!
Jane: This is a sponge! *Pretends to clean the office chair with a pile of toy magnets
Clara: here, cut this! *Holds out a bed sheet
Jane: *pokes the bed sheet with some toy pliers

Then Clara asked me for some juice. I gave it to her and then she told me it was her coffee. Also now her name is Mrs Beaver.

And as a bonus the whole time Calvin is playing peacefully on the floor next to them with an empty bowl.

Taken the same day - girls playing with their baby bears

8.29.20 - Kid snippets: They know they're smart

Jane is completing a more difficult puzzle without any help and I'm impressed.

Me: You guys are such a smart kids. Did you know that?
Clara, matter of fact: Yes.

8.28.20 - Joy status: date night with new respite provider

We have now had a respite care provider for about two and a half weeks and the kids have gotten used to her, so tonight for the first time we left them with her and went on a date. In order to expand outdoor dining, most of the restaurants along the street had set up canopies with additional tables in the street itself (which is currently closed to traffic) as well as cool misters, which felt awesome. There was plenty of space to sit and still be distant from others. But it was also nice to be outside and around other people, even at a distance.

Also once we finally did get home all of the kids were doing just fine and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Strangely emmpty inside of Burgers & Brew

Street closed to traffic to allow more tables outdoors for the restaurants to use.

After dinner we drove by the (still closed) movie theater and noticed the posters are outdated and worn out. It's bizarre to see it so empty.

8.23.20 - Kid snippets: Clara is pampered

I'm letting the girls eat popcorn and drink juice in cups with straws and cuddle in their blankets while watching their favorite episodes of non-educational TV, which is the height of luxury for them. As if that weren't enough, Clara just dramatically informed me that she needs help because her chair doesn't have a cup holder for her juice.

8.22.20 - Kid snippets: Jane hushes Calvin

I have the kids by myself this weekend which is doable but a little exhausting. Tonight I finally got them all into bed, and when I shut the nursery door Calvin started fussing loudly. Before I even had to think about reacting, though, Jane loudly and in a reprimanding tone said "Hey! Hush!" ...And it actually worked. I was both amused and a little grateful.

8.21.20 - Kid snippets: mini Gozilla and microwaved potatoes

I was cleaning the kitchen. Jane pulled her stool to the sink and stood next to me watching for several minutes, then said "Mom, you a good helper!"

The girls were playing with our Brio trainset but it was becoming too much work for me to prevent Calvin from destroying their track creations. So I got out a rarely used electronic toy (it's like an oversized calculator with sound effects) to distract Calvin. It worked for a minute, but the girls were so envious of the toy that they volunteered to let Calvin play with (aka destroy) their train tracks if they could take turns together on the toy. Now the girls are sitting peacefully talking to each other on the couch while they play with the calculator, and Calvin is a mini Godzilla to the small train village in our living room, but everyone is happy so okay.

Clara helped me make some microwave potatoes. I showed her how to break the eyes off the potato and rinse it, and then how to get it out of the microwave with a fork instead of oven mitts. She was excited to add the salt and pepper and cheese and to get a subsequent potato out of the microwave herself with her own fork. Once the first one was ready, she ate it happily. I said I was glad she liked it because potatoes are some of my all-time favorite food and she said they are her favorite food too. She paused for a second and added, "I love our home." ❤️

Calvin watches Clara play with trains from a spot where he can't destroy the tracks.

8.20.20 - Kid snippets: Calvin unplugs things

The other day I showed Clara and Jane the chess board we have and tried to teach them the names of the pieces. They both really enjoyed it. Just now Clara said "It's time to do the board game! Of the Chex!"

From 8/17/20 - Clara reviews the cheat sheet I made her

Clara has also suggested that for Jack's birthday we should get him more pieces for the kids' Brio train set.

Jane says "either" instead of "too" and "anything" instead of nothing, eg "What are you doing??" "Anything!"

There are two power strips under the dresser in the kids room. Calvin likes to pull them out and turn them off even though he's obviously not supposed to. The other night I was in the room changing Jane's diaper and so couldn't intervene immediately. Calvin flipped the switch on one of the power strips which turned the light off. I reprimanded him and he turned it back on. Then with a completely serious face and without breaking eye contact with me at all, he slowly moved his hand until he found the other power strip, moved his hand to find one of the major plugs in it, and even as I told him "Don't you do it!" he stared right at me while slowly pulling the plug out. And I 100% could not keep a straight face. I started laughing so hard, so I'm sure now he's going to be pulling plugs out of everything all the time.

The face of a troublemaker.

And then there was this convo:

[Calvin making goofy fussy noises and staring at my Diet Coke]
Me: Calvin you can't have that! That's my drink, you little monkey
Jane: He's not a monkey!
Me: What is he?
Jane: He's a boy!
Me: Oh and what are you?
Jane: ...I'm just anything.

8.17.20 - Joy status: The Little Mermaid with the girls

Tonight I watched all of The Little Mermaid with my kids (mostly the girls as Calvin kept finding other things to do). This is a major movie from my childhood and it's been nostalgic to watch it with them. I don't think they've sat and watched it all the way through because they weren't sure what was going to happen. They were riveted, especially Clara. When it was all done Jane said "Wasn't that so fun to watch?" We are re-listening to "Under the Sea" which Jane has informed me she particularly likes.

8.16.20 - Kid snippets: Jane cuddles, Calvin hits me

I laid down on the floor to stretch out, and Jane immediately grabbed a pillow off the couch and brought it over to tuck under my head. Then she got her own pillow and laid down next to me to cuddle. She said in her soft shy voice, "Mama? It fun to lay down." So sweet. Then Calvin crawled over and bashed me in the mouth with a hard plastic toy.

Checking out a puzzle together

8.14.20 - Kid snippets: Calvin stands and beams at Jack

Calvin is starting to try standing up without holding on to anything. The other night I turned the laundry basket upside down to let him pull himself up on it. He very very slowly and carefully stood himself upright. Jack was genuinely impressed; he grinned hugely at Calvin and said "Wow, look!" Calvin beamed with pride and for about 10 seconds they just stared at each other and grinned and grinned. It was adorable and hilarious.

Of course Calvin gingerly lowered himself back down before I could get a picture, but here's a different pic from last night when he was practicing again.

8.13.20 - Joy status: desktop pics of the kids

I created a folder of a bunch of my favorite pictures of my kids and now use it to automatically rotate my work desktop every 30 minutes. So all day I get to stop and look at my desktop and think how cute my kids are and it makes me pretty happy.

8.12.20 - Joy status: break from the heat

My lab is far enough south from where I live that it gives me a welcome reprieve from the oppressive Sacramento summer weather. It's typically at least 25° cooler, often more, and there are a lot more clouds, which I really like. Nice to have a cloudy day here and there even though in Sacramento it probably won't be that way until at least late October. Now if it would just rain...

8.8.20 - Joy status: new pants

Yesterday I went to buy some badly needed new pants without realizing that everyone's dressing rooms are closed. So I bought two pairs without trying them on figuring I would just have to return them if it didn't work out. But when I got home and tried them, they both fit perfectly. That *never* happens! So I got to be excited about the convenience and excited about some new pants haha.

8.7.20 - Kid snippets: Clara and Jane love each other

Clara was upset about something and crying. I asked Mimi to get her a tissue but Jane wanted to do it. Instead Jane walked up and very gently wiped Clara's nose. I told them they are both very good sisters to each other. I asked Jane if she loved Clara and she shyly said "Yes..." I asked Clara if she loved Jane and she smiled and silently nodded. And then she seemed to feel better. ❤️

Taken the same day at the playground

8.5.20 - Joy status: fitting into old clothes

Joy Inventory: being able to fit into certain clothes for the first time since having Calvin.