tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79601097843357051252024-03-13T06:33:02.551-07:004 Pounds of Trouble: Life with DonovanBecause everyone asks...Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.comBlogger383125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-31162760243383079572012-06-17T21:44:00.000-07:002012-06-17T21:44:04.010-07:00And Awaaaaay We Go!So its after midnight on Father's Day. Tomorrow is Donny's first day of Waldorf Summer camp and I literally had to hold him down to get him to go to sleep. He was all wound up after a good Father's Day celebration with Grammy and Grandpop, plus there is also the fact that tomorrow we are getting a kitten.<br />
<br />
<em>A Kitten.</em><br />
<br />
What the hell was I thinking?<br />
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We have been catless for well over a year and when I heard 9 kittens were being fostered in the neighborhood, I jumped on the bandwagon. Now I'm all nervous that its not the right time, the kitten will grow long fur, Donny and Mike will break out in hives, etc. etc. etc.<br />
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Oh--and lets not forget how fun fur is in July. Which is fast approaching.<br />
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But all that being said, I think Donny and I are both excited and nervous about the big events tomorrow. He could'nt sleep and I can't stop with the Worst Case Scenarios. We will both feel better in the morning.<br />
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I think we are naming the kitten Myrtle. Stay tuned.Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-49818947953745874792012-02-10T21:27:00.000-08:002012-02-10T21:28:38.696-08:00Art in the Neighborhood<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So, yes, its been awhile. And I keep thinking, "I need to update the blog." And I never do. So I'm just going to hop right in so as to Get. It. Done. We can be retrospective later, d'accord?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Terry from the Polish Hill Civic Association very kindly sent a Facebook reminder to me about the Grand Opening party for </span><a href="http://littlehousebigart.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Little House Big Art</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, an art/crafts space located (it turns out) in the fabulous old Emma Kaufmann Clinic building right here in lovely Polish Hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was hoping we could go but had no great expectations as today was not only piano lesson day—it turned out to be the day the bus to the piano lesson NEVER SHOWED UP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That all worked itself out and, to my surprise, Donny liked the idea of going to “a party for an art space” and we just took the 54D straight there after his lesson.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I don’t know enough about Little House Big Art to go into much detail but the little bit I found out, I like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gal who put it together did so with much experience with arts and kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also sounds like she has a good business sense and took the time and effort to make a solid, sustainable business plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which is good, because I want them to be around for a while.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The open house was just that, with the craft supplies and tools being thrown open to any yahoo who came by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were there probably about an hour or so, during which time, Donny made a valentine for my Mom, a birthday card for my sister and three buttons, which you will see him modeling in the photos that follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were other enticing things like stacks of really nice fabric, a sewing machine (“Look!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People can make clothes!”), a huge basket of yarn and a literal apothecary of beads and buttons.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Consider stopping by and checking it out!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are anything like me and are hiding your incredibly shy real self behind both a façade of bravado and a strategically placed adorable child, you will not be called out and you will be made to feel welcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a lovely time.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</div>Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-47280774732067017212011-12-18T19:19:00.000-08:002011-12-18T19:19:19.222-08:00Busted!Yesterday I was puttering around the house as much as my horrific cold would allow when the phone rang. It was about time for the husband to call at the end of his shift so it took my brain a moment when the voice at the other end introduced itself as Donovan's music teacher at school. Apparently, there have been some behavior problems and, with the Big Wintertime Show coming up on Tuesday, he thought the time had come for us to have a talk.<br />
<br />
Ahem.<br />
<br />
So all this ooohing and aaahing about how well Donny has been doing with his developmental milestones and all the while he's playing badass in music class! I had no idea. I promised the teacher I'd speak with him--and I have. I hope he'll behave long enough for everyone to get thru Frere Jacque on Tuesday. I've been having daily sit-downs with him about it since the call but I have this sinking feeling that all he's hearing is "BLAHblahblahblahblah."<br />
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Tuesday. Its coming up soon. Stay tuned.Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-64161087732131819952011-12-17T16:18:00.000-08:002011-12-17T16:18:49.905-08:00Guided by DonovanDonovan has been writing "songs" lately. I use the quotations because alot of them are scales, which he has taught himself to play. I guess he figures he is the first person to discover scales and thus has naming privileges. At any rate, here is a short list of some of my favorite song titles:<br />
<br />
* I read a book to myself<br />
* A new friend: The Friend<br />
* A bee tells its Mom and Dad that it wants supper.<br />
* Your name isn't Frankenstein; its Captain<br />
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Is this how Robert Pollard got started?Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-81254257258338044832011-12-11T20:20:00.000-08:002011-12-11T20:20:10.290-08:00Well Hello There!And the funny thing is? I thought leaving my full time job would give me MORE time! I'm being facetious--it has indeed freed up much time but I havent used it to keep this blog up to date, that's for damn sure. But part of that is thing have been so good and happening so fast...<br />
<br />
So to get to it: Donovan is doing very well. <em> Very well indeed</em>. My last blog post was about how crazy his schedule was but since then he has tested out of work with two of his four therapists (NO MORE HOME VISITS!) and we meet with the other two tomorrow. The way one of them was speaking, she may pack up her worksheets and sign off with him too. Her quote was, "its like he's a totally different child!"<br />
<br />
And he is and he is'nt. He's still silly and sweet and obsessed with his piano. But he also has friends at school that he plays with--can you hear my heart singing? Friends! And that has been, in my opinion, both the chicken and the egg of most of this. Is he more social because he's made friends or does he now have friends because he's more social?<br />
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I like it too because his friends are at his level--some of the kids in his class are older, if not in age in attitude and/or interests. There is, for example, this little subset of boys who play with these fighting tops--beyblades or something. Which is perfectly fine. Donny and his friends play a game they call "Go Down The Slide Without Using Your Bum." And they play it every day. And they hold hands and chase each other and just run, run, run just because they like to run. He seems so much happier. Not that he was sad but he's definitely happier.<br />
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I'm typing this as a break from completely tearing up the house (at 11pm on a Sunday) to prep the front room for the Christmas tree. I realized in talking to Donovan a week or so ago that he has no idea what Christmas was. Not in the biblical sense but in the Write a Letter to Santa sense. I asked him if there were any toys he wanted and he said, "Hmmmm....no." But he's super excited that we are getting a tree and he's pretty much memorized the Charlie Brown Christmas special. He also thinks we should get Grammy Shanley a bike. I suggested he draw her a picture of one instead.<br />
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More soon and with pictures! Now back to putting the glassware back in the liquor cabinet, which I moved from the front room to the dining room to make way for the couch. Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-81763108373200870372011-10-13T07:39:00.000-07:002011-10-13T07:39:13.601-07:00I Need a Simplicity Coordinator...I'm not sure how much I believe in astrology but I do feel very much like the Gemini I am. I've always felt like the Gemini poster child and part of that is that I seem to be a lightning rod for irony. Sometimes its big, scary irony but usually its just a constant stream of everyday little details that, when looked at thru the Gemini microscope, are ridiculous.<br />
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Take, for example, the fact that I'm signed up for a series of talks on Simplicity Parenting, but that those talks now conflict with Donovan's Suzuki piano group lessons. And speaking of Simplicity Parenting, we got a flyer for the Steel City Earth Scouts and I'm thinking of signing Donny up. Even tho his schedule would end up looking something like this:<br />
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MONDAY:<br />
School, one hour session w/ Ms. Keely at home, practice piano<br />
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TUESDAY:<br />
School, speech therapist visit at school, practice piano<br />
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WEDNESDAY:<br />
School, hang out for an hour an a half with Mom before group piano lesson, Group Piano lesson.<br />
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THURSDAY:<br />
School, visit with occupational therapist at school, one hour session w/ Ms. Keely at home, practice piano<br />
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FRIDAY:<br />
School, private lesson w/ Ms. Kiki<br />
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SATURDAY:<br />
Earth Scouts first Saturday of every month, the occasional playdate and/or visit to museum/library/etc., practice piano.<br />
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SUNDAY: <br />
Only day off with both Mom AND Dad, Church, Earth Scouts every 3rd Sunday, occasional visits to Grammy and Grandpop in Squirrel Hill, practice piano.<br />
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Is this what simplicity is supposed to look like? The kid's not even 5 yet!Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-66089995467384257012011-10-06T10:12:00.000-07:002011-10-06T10:12:47.415-07:00Drinking the Twinkle Kool AidDonovan had his first group lesson for piano last night. He has been taking Suzuki lessons for about 5 weeks now and I will admit to it making me grumpy. First, it took well over a year to get him on their schedule and, when we did, we were relegated to a 3:15 lesson, which was rough because he gets out of school at 3:30. I felt the weekly newsletters left out valuable information (exactly when the parent meetings were and exactly how important they were considered), that sort of thing. It did not help that the parent meeting I went to was out in Carnegie and while the bus service there was good it was a rainy day and the bus stop was literally right on the road, right where there was a puddle the car tires would hit as they sped by. I ended up putting Donny in the corner and standing in front of him to keep him dry--I felt like there was a blue screen behind us and they would photoshop in a raging pterodactyl attack.<br />
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That's all changed now because I got to watch my son ENJOY HIMSELF COMPLETELY last night. There were 3 other kids in the class and they sat in the front row with their parents behind them. Donny was possibly the youngest kid and definitely the newest student--the other kids all had at least a year of lessons under their belts. The class started with each kid playing a piece, bowing to applause and sitting back down. This happened twice and the second time, Donovan sat down and played "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" all the way thru using both hands.<br />
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He had never done that before.<br />
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It was a major breakthrough that he played it all the way thru instead of stopping after each part but the two hand thing completely blew my mind: he saw the other boys do that and that was all he needed. It was also great to see the pure joy on his face whenever he would clap for his classmates or when he would take a bow.<br />
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I'd been holding off writing the check because 1) its a big chunk of cash and 2) I wasn't sure it would work out. Watch your mailbox, Pittsburgh Music Academy--the check is on its way!Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com62tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-28670389505671966142011-09-30T20:15:00.000-07:002011-09-30T20:17:12.140-07:00Fly Away Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ep91ItJVjdg/ToaEmCT204I/AAAAAAAAB84/zh1SA1zZHNY/s1600/IMG00520-20110907-1013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" kca="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ep91ItJVjdg/ToaEmCT204I/AAAAAAAAB84/zh1SA1zZHNY/s400/IMG00520-20110907-1013.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I went home to Ohio for four days, without benefit of the boy or the husband. My goal was to clean my Mom's house and clean I did. Of course the sidewalks get rolled up at night on a trip like that so one of the things I did to pass the time was go thru my phone's picture files. I found this stash of photos from our last trip to the toy lending library. Donovan insisted on wearing this ladybug costume even tho it was just small enough that it sort of acted like a neckbrace. We were there about 3 hours, if I'm remembering correctly, and he was a ladybug the whole time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B5mZ5xW0VgU/ToaDXPxcIUI/AAAAAAAAB8k/ds3EOkKX_H4/s1600/IMG00525-20110907-1016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B5mZ5xW0VgU/ToaDXPxcIUI/AAAAAAAAB8k/ds3EOkKX_H4/s400/IMG00525-20110907-1016.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QdIcwm1rumI/ToaDaKy3EHI/AAAAAAAAB8o/H-yQkJMHRzc/s1600/IMG00527-20110907-1021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QdIcwm1rumI/ToaDaKy3EHI/AAAAAAAAB8o/H-yQkJMHRzc/s400/IMG00527-20110907-1021.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I love that kid.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UEJK1lq8SH4/ToaDckT0WJI/AAAAAAAAB8s/Uni43Euulas/s1600/IMG00532-20110907-1151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" kca="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UEJK1lq8SH4/ToaDckT0WJI/AAAAAAAAB8s/Uni43Euulas/s400/IMG00532-20110907-1151.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div align="center"></div>Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-74187370966584972552011-09-25T20:14:00.000-07:002011-09-25T20:18:36.346-07:00Art Imitates Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_sgU4Q8DMk4/Tn_sGWSo2UI/AAAAAAAAB8c/n4kCcmQ1H1A/s1600/carcrash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hca="true" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_sgU4Q8DMk4/Tn_sGWSo2UI/AAAAAAAAB8c/n4kCcmQ1H1A/s400/carcrash.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is NOT our car and NOT our house. It is, in fact, the house next door to us. And, believe it or not, the lady who was driving the truck apparently walked away. When we got home that evening, we got out of the car and thought, "Oh, the neighbors are up late working on their house." They were, of course, tarping over the damage and doing emergency work to keep everything standing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Donny was impressed with the idea of a car crashing into a building and that scenario has been creeping into the stories he's been telling. Our friend, Kirsten, babysat him for a few hours today and she said that his building of complex houses with his architectural blocks has now been enlivened with reenactments of the car crash using any variety of cars from his toychest. "Imitative play!" was her assessment--and with all due respect to the neighbors and the driver, I'm ok with that!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Kirsten also said that Donovan was telling her about his brothers and sisters. I did'nt get a chance to ask if he included any info on his cats (Gwinty and Linto) or his babies (Lil' Baby MoMo Charnival Shanley or Maestro Faestro Shanley). Tonight he drew a picture of his baby, me when I was a baby, and himself. He was much bigger than either Lil' Baby or me and he had alot of hair. We were all smiling, which was a nice change. I'm hoping the Frown Period of his artistic career is over. I was starting to wonder if CYS was going to come ask why our child only drew sad and angry people.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">*<em>Photo by Zak Orszulak, who posted it on Facebook, but I stole it from </em><a href="http://blogski.phcapgh.org/2011/09/4822/"><em>here</em></a><em> without asking anyone's permission. Let me know if I need to take it down and I will.</em></div>Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-89956131997241456972011-09-22T16:57:00.000-07:002011-09-22T16:57:20.664-07:00Try Not To Squeal......but there are major developments here at Chez Donovan. We ordered a pizza tonight (too much rummage sale prep=me, make supper? You are insane...) and when it came Mike asked Donovan to wash his hands. Donny's response was, "I'll wash my hands <em>after</em> I go to the bathroom <em>standing up</em>." And he did. This is the FIRST TIME EVER he has voluntarily and of his own accord walked into our bathroom and peed in the toilet. <br />
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And here I sit up in the office, listening to my son practice his left hand work on the piano. Piano may turn out to be a dude thing--Mike can get him to practice and I have yet to figure out how to do that. Nevertheless: voluntary bathroom usage and piano practicing without tears.<br />
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If I had champagne in the house, I'd be tempted to break it out!Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-39017683470218075362011-09-21T20:58:00.000-07:002011-09-21T20:58:25.897-07:00TrainingI don't want to jinx it or anything but...so far this week, Donovan used the bathroom at school on Monday and today. Today, apparently, he used it <em>twice</em> without any prompting or coercion from outside forces. We still have miles to go on this issue but this is a major development. And also a major relief!<br />
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We are gearing up for a huge yard sale this weekend. Its been years in the making but was not the type of thing we could ever tackle with both of us working full time. Not having a job has been great for finally getting this all together. There is still much work to be done but today was the first day that I could actually feel the arrangement of the house changing and opening up. And, frankly, it will be nice to have a little extra money. I thought that when I left my big adult job I would easily take the veil, so to speak, and become the type of frugal hausfrau who is so savvy with home economics that she actually saves as much money as she was making. <em>Oooooh</em>, that was a <em>good one!</em> This past month saw very little change in my spending--and, yes, the kid did outgrow the majority of his winter clothes, but still. I guess I've got a long way to go in my training as well.Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-73894923576107492232011-09-19T17:48:00.000-07:002011-09-19T17:53:31.442-07:00Wherein The Apple Falls Right Next To the Tree<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Today was my first day volunteering at Donovan's school. His room already has a lovely and capable "room parent" so I offered my services in the school library (yes, I'm not a librarian, but some of my best friends are...). It was just a Get to Know The Place sort of session and I was done quickly. Mike and I had lunch together and when we got home there was a big box on the porch, a box addressed to Donovan sent from his uncle in Denver.<br />
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It was a record player. <br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RgzvFdKMfgI/TnfhGwbidBI/AAAAAAAAB8Q/9IoOtkVBvmo/s1600/Record+Player+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kebLwK4N3ak/TnffghVGOnI/AAAAAAAAB8M/wd76WeEgxTU/s1600/Pauls4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yr3mHGeM7GQ/TnfjoCZDjsI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/GFUuFlyaaCk/s1600/Record+Player+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rba="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yr3mHGeM7GQ/TnfjoCZDjsI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/GFUuFlyaaCk/s400/Record+Player+004.jpg" width="265" /></a></div> <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">When Mike's nephew, Jack, was born, lo, these 14 years ago, Mike found a "phonograph" for him and sent it to Denver along with some Herb Alpert records. So now the phonograph is back in Pittsburgh along with some Read Along records, Snoopy and the Royal Guardsmen and (inexplicably) the soundtrack to Easy Rider.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1sFZju863i0/TnfhS0TSkBI/AAAAAAAAB8U/-77Q0oABhyM/s1600/Record+Player+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<img border="0" height="265" rba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1sFZju863i0/TnfhS0TSkBI/AAAAAAAAB8U/-77Q0oABhyM/s400/Record+Player+001.jpg" width="400" /><br />
On the way home from picking up the kid, Mike wanted to stop at Paul's CDs in Bloomfield. All three of us went in.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Four of us if you count the monkey.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-07dS__ynPmA/TnffNd6CXFI/AAAAAAAAB8E/ZFKxMFMmhVg/s1600/Pauls3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-07dS__ynPmA/TnffNd6CXFI/AAAAAAAAB8E/ZFKxMFMmhVg/s400/Pauls3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Donovan made himself at home by running laps around the huge island of CD bins. One of ploys to slow him down was to say, "Donny, LOOK--now that you have a record player, you could play ANY OF THESE RECORDS on it!" He liked that idea and immediately started handing me albums, "I think I would like <em>this </em>one. And <em>this </em>one. And <em>this</em> one..." Luckily, the nice guy who worked there pointed out the Bargain Box and we diverted Donny's attention there. He chose a Count Basie album and a 12 inch single of an instrumental on Motown. I forget what and who it is but all Donovan really cared about was that it said "Motown Sound" on the front. I think he liked saying that. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So the vinyl torch has been officially passed. Soon, once we get the skinny room cleaned out enough to stand in, I will make a sweeping gesture towards the shelfset that holds my and my husband's massive merged record collection and I will get to say those words every matriarch/patriarch dreams of saying: "Someday, son, this will all be yours."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"></div>Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-52171957727043943382011-09-18T17:43:00.000-07:002011-09-18T17:44:48.039-07:00Chocolate Pie and Birdseed CakesYesterday, Donovan was a whiney little brat. Today he was a loving and enjoyable angelchild. So goes it in The Land of the 4 Year Olds. Today started off a little dicey as we went to church, which we havent done in a few weeks. If we can manage to go for a few weeks in a row, he's fine with Sunday school. If we miss a month or so, its back to clingy, weepy square one. I stayed with him until it looked like he was involved enough not to "need" me and I left. I don't think he cried in class but he was wearing the <span class="st">Pagliacci</span> face when we went to get him. <br />
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Mike had to run off to work so it was just me and The Boy I'd Done Wrong. I apologized for making him sad and we had lunch. By then, everything was better. I'd thought we'd go to the fancy playground in Regent Square but Donny wanted to go home. So we did and we made a chocolate pie.<br />
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The chocolate pie is very specific: Donny is still obsessed with <em>Down At The Zoo</em> and one of the songs on it we all like is called, <a href="http://soundcloud.com/downatt/we-are-the-tigers">"We Are The Tigers."</a> Its a song about how tigers like to sleep, roam around and eat chocolate pie. It was a rare moment that we had graham crackers in the house for the crust and damn, if we did'nt have all the ingredients! So we made a Chocolate Chiffon Pie in a Graham Cracker Crust.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JGVscqaEnYM/TnaGhbOyysI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/SfIb_EZQ2i0/s1600/We+Are+The+Tigers+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" rba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JGVscqaEnYM/TnaGhbOyysI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/SfIb_EZQ2i0/s400/We+Are+The+Tigers+011.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> That is the crust. I forgot to take photos of my child beating a bag full of graham crackers with a rolling pin<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cm9oO3u1nyc/TnaGq3kxk1I/AAAAAAAAB7U/2sk86CsDk3o/s1600/We+Are+The+Tigers+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" rba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cm9oO3u1nyc/TnaGq3kxk1I/AAAAAAAAB7U/2sk86CsDk3o/s400/We+Are+The+Tigers+001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The recipes for both crust and pie filling were from The Fanny Farmer Cookbook. Its one of those cookbooks where you can find a basic recipe for basically anything. The filling had a custard base to which you add...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3z96fZaV-to/TnaGz5s-xwI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/4x7IoCZcm0U/s1600/We+Are+The+Tigers+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rba="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3z96fZaV-to/TnaGz5s-xwI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/4x7IoCZcm0U/s400/We+Are+The+Tigers+007.jpg" width="265" /></a></div> ...6 TABLESPOONS OF COCOA! Notice the glee with which my son is anticipating making a mess. Actually, he did quite well with the spooning, which is good because cocoa is pretty easy to scatter.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fwhBVAG3Z_Q/TnaG9EY8E2I/AAAAAAAAB7c/kveLz8Xvq_Y/s1600/We+Are+The+Tigers+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" rba="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fwhBVAG3Z_Q/TnaG9EY8E2I/AAAAAAAAB7c/kveLz8Xvq_Y/s400/We+Are+The+Tigers+010.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After we got the filling into the crust, we cleaned up a bit and made some new birdseed cakes. This is a little craft Donny and I started doing over a year ago and its been a really great thing for us. For a boy who is pretty freaked out by animals, feeding the birds and watching them thru the window is a nice way to make a connection to animals. This is a recipe that is NOT in Fannie Farmer so I am providing it here. I stole it from somewhere off the internets but tweaked it a little bit so hopefully I won't get my ass sued:</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Recipe for Basic Bird Seed Cakes</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">• 3/4 cup flour</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">• 1/2 cup water</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">• 3 tablespoons corn syrup</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">• 4 cups bird seed, any type</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In large bowl mix all the ingredients together.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_EAyxx37snI/TnaJqzxufbI/AAAAAAAAB7o/DmBKmeNkNIU/s1600/We+Are+The+Tigers+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" rba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_EAyxx37snI/TnaJqzxufbI/AAAAAAAAB7o/DmBKmeNkNIU/s400/We+Are+The+Tigers+015.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jXk-JU2Od7M/TnaJglXtJ-I/AAAAAAAAB7k/iX_UPgj1URg/s1600/We+Are+The+Tigers+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rba="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jXk-JU2Od7M/TnaJglXtJ-I/AAAAAAAAB7k/iX_UPgj1URg/s400/We+Are+The+Tigers+014.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> To mold, pack into small bowl and turn out onto parchment paper lined baking sheet. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EvoTdQ4f4X4/TnaJz0QM_qI/AAAAAAAAB7s/6fXixCFM1cg/s1600/We+Are+The+Tigers+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" rba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EvoTdQ4f4X4/TnaJz0QM_qI/AAAAAAAAB7s/6fXixCFM1cg/s400/We+Are+The+Tigers+019.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cjSYjEA90FM/TnaJ7g0uRVI/AAAAAAAAB7w/QFsIkBTocgk/s1600/We+Are+The+Tigers+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" rba="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cjSYjEA90FM/TnaJ7g0uRVI/AAAAAAAAB7w/QFsIkBTocgk/s400/We+Are+The+Tigers+020.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r1_TB8uzCb8/TnaKGMuVosI/AAAAAAAAB70/CJRkFQVysgo/s1600/We+Are+The+Tigers+023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" rba="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r1_TB8uzCb8/TnaKGMuVosI/AAAAAAAAB70/CJRkFQVysgo/s400/We+Are+The+Tigers+023.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Put in warm oven for a few hours—remember to turn heat off: you're not baking them, just helping them to dry out. Also, you should flip them after a couple of hours so the bottoms don't stay damp. Hang in plastic mesh bags (they type used to bag lemons etc.) so the birds have a place to hang from while they eat.</div><br />
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I asked Donovan what the birds would say when we put these out, and he said, "'Thank You! We needed that!'"<br />
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Mike got home, we had dinner et voila! We unveiled the chocolate pie! I will confess to thinking it would not work structurally. The crust was not easy to shape and it seemed like it needed one more binding ingredient: it did not. I should have known not to doubt Fannie Farmer. She's always right.<br />
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And, if I do say so myself, the pie was much better than I thought it would be. It was seriously good. Plus, it was a dream to cut and serve, which is not something you can say about alot of pies. <br />
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So it was a wonderful, sweet Sunday with the added bonus of pie. Now the kid is taking a bath to get all the pie off of him. Good end to a great day.<br />
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Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-8897640873469201072011-09-05T10:03:00.000-07:002011-09-05T10:03:44.898-07:00And So It Ends......Summer, that is.<br />
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Today is Labor Day and here in the Burgh, its raining with no signs that it will stop. That's fine with me--I'm not a summer person by any stretch--but it does mean that I need to find one more day of stuff for Donovan to do here at home.<br />
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Mike's been out of town at a conference so its just been me and the boy since Friday. For the most part its been a good time but Saturday night I suddenly hit a mental brick wall. Part of that was the aftershock of getting stuck in Oakland for THREE HOURS, first because Pitt closed one of the streets in Oakland be did'nt bother to put up any signs at the bustop where our bus would'nt be stopping and, second, because it was so hot all the buses kept breaking down.<br />
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But today, all I have to get thru is today. And I'm trying to come up with good things for us to do, landlocked as we are. In case you find yourself in a similar situation, here is a list of Youtube videos that Donovan asks for on a regular basis:<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y881yjtFluQ">The Little House, Walt Disney.</a><br />
Anyone who knows me knows I am violently anti-Disney. This is one, however, for which I will make an exception.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imOL1gImZb8">The Water Babies, Walt Disney</a><br />
Please see above. Also: early Disney humor is largely butt-based: Discuss.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaWs79v0ugE">Bring On the Dancing Horses, Echo and the Bunnymen</a><br />
Good song, good video AND, if you know your history, you can play Hey, Is'nt That Sort Of Like All Those Dadaist/Surrealist Theories and Games? Yes, that's what I'm foisting onto my 4 year old.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lnq9Add25M&ob=av3e">I Spit Roses, Peter Murphy</a><br />
Speaking of foisting... Donovan likes the octopus that changes color and he likes "The Bad Guy." The Bad Guy does not refer to Peter Murphy, who I am trying to get Donovan to refer to as, "Petey." So far, no luck.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ7z57qrZU8&ob=av3n">Weapon of Choice, Fatboy Slim</a><br />
No Donovan Top 5 List would be complete without, "The Guy." The Guy, of course, is Christopher Walken, and about a year ago Donovan would insist on watching this multiple times in a row. It was a good set up when I needed an extra 20 minutes to fold laundry but I have to wonder about the long term implications of letting Christopher Walken babysit my child.<br />
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Here's hoping this list will provide you and yours with some new things to look at and think about. Especially if you are held captive by Dora. We have thus far been able to escape the Napoleonic like Dora invasion but many of my closest friends have not been so lucky.<br />
Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-47979369503796596012011-08-31T05:56:00.000-07:002011-08-31T05:57:51.201-07:00First Trip to the Zoo, or, They Can't All Be Winners<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8i_c4CcVvMg/Tl4r88Y8CqI/AAAAAAAAB64/Xzel9OLs5TE/s1600/Zoo+2011+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8i_c4CcVvMg/Tl4r88Y8CqI/AAAAAAAAB64/Xzel9OLs5TE/s400/Zoo+2011+003.jpg" width="400" xaa="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Where did I go wrong as a mother? Why does my son not like animals? I loved, loved, LOVED animals when I was a kid--what connection are we not making?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We took Donovan to the Zoo for the first time on Monday. All weekend he was looking forward to it; "Are we going to the zoo today?" "MONDAY we are GOING to the ZOO!!!" Within 5 minutes of getting there: "I want to go home. I want to go home. Let's G-O." He said he was afraid of the animals, which I believe--I can't even get him to pet the neighbor's cat, but I thought just looking at the animals from a long way away would be alright: Nope.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was a tough time--he was pushing all my particular buttons and I was not being the patient mother I strive to be. Part of it was that I was hot, part of it was all the walking, part of it was HOW FREAKIN' LOUD the zoo was (on that part, Donny and I agreed). Also, it was very expensive. Everything cost money. Everytime I reached for my wallet I thought, "Leopard Chow: you are paying for Leopard Chow."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I will say we made the rookie mistake of not starting at the Kids Kingdom. And if you don't start there, you sure as hell can't get there unless you walk the whole zoo. Or unless you pay to take the tram.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He did like the elephants. And the aquarium. And the Merry Go Round ($3 for 2) and the kiddie rides ($.50 and $.75, respectively) at the end.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We need to work on this animalphobia. If I think about it too much, it makes me incredibly sad.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TwZ_fce3pEY/Tl4sOh9NBHI/AAAAAAAAB68/dnOJU8emrfw/s1600/Zoo+2011+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TwZ_fce3pEY/Tl4sOh9NBHI/AAAAAAAAB68/dnOJU8emrfw/s400/Zoo+2011+004.jpg" width="400" xaa="true" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iM0TSh4OsD4/Tl4sh4avg8I/AAAAAAAAB7A/mrF6SRs9pAo/s1600/Zoo+2011+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iM0TSh4OsD4/Tl4sh4avg8I/AAAAAAAAB7A/mrF6SRs9pAo/s400/Zoo+2011+006.jpg" width="400" xaa="true" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R_ow9WyEjp0/Tl4snfrmtUI/AAAAAAAAB7E/rO84YqpXTmI/s1600/Zoo+2011+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R_ow9WyEjp0/Tl4snfrmtUI/AAAAAAAAB7E/rO84YqpXTmI/s400/Zoo+2011+009.jpg" width="400" xaa="true" /></a></div> I tried to get a good photo of him in the Aquarium. As long as the animals were encased in both glass and gallons of water, he was fine...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YrvYiid9fK8/Tl4sytfqsNI/AAAAAAAAB7I/xe4C6wcRFb8/s1600/Zoo+2011+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YrvYiid9fK8/Tl4sytfqsNI/AAAAAAAAB7I/xe4C6wcRFb8/s400/Zoo+2011+011.jpg" width="265" xaa="true" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uSVhZOmmHXM/Tl4s9AoPGdI/AAAAAAAAB7M/3Oy9w9aBR_4/s1600/Zoo+2011+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uSVhZOmmHXM/Tl4s9AoPGdI/AAAAAAAAB7M/3Oy9w9aBR_4/s400/Zoo+2011+012.jpg" width="400" xaa="true" /></a></div>Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-87279681684060671432011-08-25T19:34:00.000-07:002011-08-25T19:34:46.181-07:00Pure ImaginationIn the past week or two, Donovan has started playing with his stuffed animals. We have a bunch of them in his toychest downstairs and a bunch in a basket next to his bed. As a kid, I was way too butch for dolls and my early world revolved around Ted the Bear, Simon the Kitten and a cast of supporting stuffed characters. I would gladly spend big bucks on stuffed animals for my child 1) if I had big bucks and 2) if he paid them any attention. A couple of years ago, despite the fine array of stuffed animals procured for him by his loving mother, Donovan's best friend was an empty yogurt container--when I moaned to Sheryl about it she suggested I draw a smiley face on the damn thing. It gets funnier the more you think about it.<br />
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Since it's summer, we've been letting Donovan wake himself up so the past few mornings when I've gone to check on him all the animals are on his bed having a birthday party. So far Giraffecow, RayRay and Puppy have had birthdays (Giraffecow does not like chocolate cake, apparently, but had a strawberry one instead). Donny has also been building elaborate houses out of his architectural building blocks and then taking his Flowers (the generic term for a set of wooden play figures he has that are based on flowers and trees) and placing them in the house: "Bluebell is talking to Acorn about food. Little Baby Mushroom is sleeping on the roof--that's where his bed is" and "Bluebell is their mama and Redbell is the sister and Buckeye is the sister and there are THREE BROTHERS!"<br />
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Love, love, love it. Imagination: I hope it never stops.Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-41709930201578846052011-08-23T08:38:00.000-07:002011-08-23T08:38:07.343-07:00And Then, Kennywood...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MjQa10gdlKM/TlPBPV8mUUI/AAAAAAAAB54/HbBwqhI4rzg/s1600/Kennywood+2011+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MjQa10gdlKM/TlPBPV8mUUI/AAAAAAAAB54/HbBwqhI4rzg/s400/Kennywood+2011+001.jpg" width="265" /></a></div> Yesterday, we went to Kennywood. We were planning to go all summer but, suddenly, it was really the very last day we could go before their fall schedule and our fall schedules got all wonky. That seemed to be the case for everyone else as it was pretty busy for a Monday. Donovan, of course, was all keyed up about going--he's been doing this thing lately when he gets excited where he jumps up and down with this grimace on his face, going, "YEYEYEYEYE!" Its as if he's so excited he might explode. The first ride he went on was The Jackrabbit. He did so well on the Rollo Coaster at Idlewild, we thought it might work. It did'nt--but he was a big boy and did'nt cry or anything. Mike said, right before the double dip, Donny turned to him and said, "I'd like this to go a little slower, please." Poor kid.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R3a0Jxtq94E/TlPBaTVXOVI/AAAAAAAAB58/a7om5lvSOP4/s1600/Kennywood+2011+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R3a0Jxtq94E/TlPBaTVXOVI/AAAAAAAAB58/a7om5lvSOP4/s400/Kennywood+2011+002.jpg" width="265" /></a></div> We tried to rebalance him with a stop at the Merry Go Round. Kennywood is really marketing the fact that they are going to have events in December. That could be why the Merry Go Round was playing "Silver Bells." I took it very personally, in a good way, however, when they went into Bach's Toccata and Fugue and then into The Addams Family Theme.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GzDMQ9hiORg/TlPBqmURNcI/AAAAAAAAB6A/IWvoQd_XUFU/s1600/Kennywood+2011+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qaa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GzDMQ9hiORg/TlPBqmURNcI/AAAAAAAAB6A/IWvoQd_XUFU/s320/Kennywood+2011+004.jpg" width="212" /></a></div> From there it was onto Kiddieland. You'd think you could be in and out of Kiddieland in an hour or so. You'd be wrong.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xTZhUGxJUFk/TlPB8xpE7iI/AAAAAAAAB6E/PHInJIG92L4/s1600/Kennywood+2011+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" qaa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xTZhUGxJUFk/TlPB8xpE7iI/AAAAAAAAB6E/PHInJIG92L4/s400/Kennywood+2011+006.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> Donny wanted to take full advantage of all the rides there, which is why we came. It was just crowded enough, tho, that it made for sloooow going. He was just fine with it all but Mom and Dad were a little irritable by the end.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G-x1zjs5F28/TlPCet0mAuI/AAAAAAAAB6I/BwduL59v2-Q/s1600/Kennywood+2011+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" qaa="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G-x1zjs5F28/TlPCet0mAuI/AAAAAAAAB6I/BwduL59v2-Q/s400/Kennywood+2011+007.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cFT89BejLdo/TlPCuCNMbdI/AAAAAAAAB6M/HkClhBXz_Eo/s1600/Kennywood+2011+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" qaa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cFT89BejLdo/TlPCuCNMbdI/AAAAAAAAB6M/HkClhBXz_Eo/s400/Kennywood+2011+010.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R2x_rclOR1A/TlPC9FPyE7I/AAAAAAAAB6Q/G3cXetAM7AA/s1600/Kennywood+2011+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R2x_rclOR1A/TlPC9FPyE7I/AAAAAAAAB6Q/G3cXetAM7AA/s400/Kennywood+2011+011.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mnpn3Ksl3Rg/TlPDLcFP62I/AAAAAAAAB6U/KwcImd4UXzM/s1600/Kennywood+2011+013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mnpn3Ksl3Rg/TlPDLcFP62I/AAAAAAAAB6U/KwcImd4UXzM/s400/Kennywood+2011+013.jpg" width="265" /></a></div> Meet my son, the Lion Dentist.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z5vahK0pkPw/TlPDcb7eF3I/AAAAAAAAB6Y/qGwakmsA4DM/s1600/Kennywood+2011+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" qaa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z5vahK0pkPw/TlPDcb7eF3I/AAAAAAAAB6Y/qGwakmsA4DM/s400/Kennywood+2011+014.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>From Kiddieland, we went over to Lost Kennywood, where the only ride Donny could really go on was The Whip. Luckily he loved it. It didnt hurt that he got to sit in a RED CAR that had a RED SEAT and also had HIS FAVORITE NUMBER ON IT. All the stars came together on that one.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-69Pwwzt0swI/TlPDn2SMkzI/AAAAAAAAB6c/w3iC_O4RTwU/s1600/Kennywood+2011+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" qaa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-69Pwwzt0swI/TlPDn2SMkzI/AAAAAAAAB6c/w3iC_O4RTwU/s400/Kennywood+2011+015.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> Finally, as we were leaving, I caught a whiff of one of my favorite smells: burnt sugar. Turns out there was a little cart where someone was actually making FRESH cotton candy! I put FRESH in all caps because buying a bag of cotton candy is no problem at Kennywood but if its not fresh, why bother? I immediately got in the long line and took Donny with me. He was fairly crabby as he did not want to leave Kennywood--which is a completely normal response but still hard to deal with when its your kid and its time to go. When we got close enough, I held him up and showed him the gal making the cotton candy:<br />
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D: What's she <em>doing?</em><br />
Me: Making Cotton Candy.<br />
D: But what <em>is</em> that?<br />
Me: Clouds. She's putting sugar in the big pot and she's making clouds.<br />
D: <em>We're</em> going to eat <em>clouds?</em><br />
Me: Yeah--pink ones! <br />
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That was all the kid needed. The magic was back. And, damn, fresh cotton candy: the first 5 minutes before the air calms it down; its like heaven. Sticky, sticky heaven.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sdUAzrp9emA/TlPDxrfHVRI/AAAAAAAAB6g/9nmPMNO8THU/s1600/Kennywood+2011+017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sdUAzrp9emA/TlPDxrfHVRI/AAAAAAAAB6g/9nmPMNO8THU/s400/Kennywood+2011+017.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t_KnGEcL0RE/TlPD8DChFrI/AAAAAAAAB6k/8olxYvuO6XQ/s1600/Kennywood+2011+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t_KnGEcL0RE/TlPD8DChFrI/AAAAAAAAB6k/8olxYvuO6XQ/s400/Kennywood+2011+019.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6MmoJKPxBEE/TlPEFeptvOI/AAAAAAAAB6o/N88j8iZpTiY/s1600/Kennywood+2011+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" qaa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6MmoJKPxBEE/TlPEFeptvOI/AAAAAAAAB6o/N88j8iZpTiY/s400/Kennywood+2011+021.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> While we ate our clouds, the All Marching Band And Float Parade started. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jzBJZbjDmZ4/TlPETzVjzlI/AAAAAAAAB6s/JUjOeRSllxQ/s1600/Kennywood+2011+022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" qaa="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jzBJZbjDmZ4/TlPETzVjzlI/AAAAAAAAB6s/JUjOeRSllxQ/s400/Kennywood+2011+022.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> We watched a little bit but then we reallllly had to go. Donovan very much liked that the heart on the way out said, "Good Night."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rCygkcLDUIU/TlPEcRORPcI/AAAAAAAAB6w/cVMzhTvsgTA/s1600/Kennywood+2011+023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" qaa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rCygkcLDUIU/TlPEcRORPcI/AAAAAAAAB6w/cVMzhTvsgTA/s400/Kennywood+2011+023.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> Good Night, Kennywood. Thanks for the clouds and the good times. See yinz next year!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jhEYWhk7OlI/TlPEkhdKWtI/AAAAAAAAB60/s74IU7C4VS0/s1600/Kennywood+2011+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jhEYWhk7OlI/TlPEkhdKWtI/AAAAAAAAB60/s74IU7C4VS0/s400/Kennywood+2011+024.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-91114831524636064712011-08-21T19:10:00.000-07:002011-08-21T19:10:41.971-07:00And We Had A Grand Time!Last week we took what will probably be our Big Family Vacation for the year--we went to Ligonier and stayed overnight at a Ramada so we could go to Idlewild Park two days in a row. <br />
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Sometimes I take the trouble to check who is looking at my blog and why--two entries tie for top honors: if there is anyone checking in from another country, chances are the entry I entitled "Define Baby" will be what brought them there. The other big hit is my entry from two years ago about Storybook Forest. Storybook Forest is part of Idlewild Park and I was very surprised two years ago to find out there wasnt a webpage for Storybook Forest. After this year's visit, I've decided that was less an oversight and more a component of an Idlewild Park plot to just ignore Storybook Forest until it goes away. I know times are tough for all businesses but the condition that part of the park is in was heartbreaking. Seriously, Idlewild employees, its an historic site. Get your act together, hire someone to write you some grants and do some restoration work! Also, your giftshop: maybe you'd want to, oh, I don't know, SELL SOME BOOKS. Product tie in and all. I would'nt be so pissed off if I did'nt love that place so much. <br />
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But enough of that and onto the photos. We spent the first, rainy and drizzly day in Storybook Forest and the next lovely, sunny day in Idlewild. Being a cemetery historian I know just enough about landscape architecture and the history thereof to be easily offended. Most historic amusement parks have long forgone their original designs of gardens and shade and flowers and trees because those things get in the way of the New In Your FACE rides they have feel they have to add every summer (I'm looking at <em>you,</em> Cedar Point...). Idlewild has not made that particular deal with the Devil and their grounds are green and lush and lovely. That original design really gives a nice placement for their rides. There is an actual Kiddieland but there is also a non-Kiddie specific area and Donovan was able to go on alot of those rides, including the Rollo Coaster. It was his first real roller coaster ride and, at the end of it, he was so excited and happy he was actually vibrating. He insisted on riding it about 6 more times, alternating between Mike and I as his partner. <br />
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It was a wonderful getaway and we all had a great time. We will probably do it again next year and now that we understand how Ligonier is laid out, we will have lunch at a nice little cafe and not drive all over nowhere to come back to the hotel for Chef Boyardee pizza.<br />
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And without further ado:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9T2fRD7AGGs/TlGzk23pjKI/AAAAAAAAB4Y/iLo8GeJW6W4/s1600/Idlewild+2011+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" qaa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9T2fRD7AGGs/TlGzk23pjKI/AAAAAAAAB4Y/iLo8GeJW6W4/s400/Idlewild+2011+001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> The rain drove us into the Jumpin' Jungle part of Idlewild and that is where Donovan discovered the Amazing Floating Balls. All of us could have stayed there and played with them All. Day.<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Iq-WTqQOL8/TlGzywK4u9I/AAAAAAAAB4c/gTFjM0AUucc/s1600/Idlewild+2011+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Iq-WTqQOL8/TlGzywK4u9I/AAAAAAAAB4c/gTFjM0AUucc/s400/Idlewild+2011+002.jpg" width="265" /></a></div> This is the Entrance to Storybook Forest. You walk into a Huge Book and Mother Goose is waiting to greet you. I love the book and did'nt have the heart to take a full photo of it as it looks really shabby.<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GndbHQ6GGvY/TlGz-tLFRBI/AAAAAAAAB4g/WkVhV0pZeX4/s1600/Idlewild+2011+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GndbHQ6GGvY/TlGz-tLFRBI/AAAAAAAAB4g/WkVhV0pZeX4/s400/Idlewild+2011+003.jpg" width="265" /></a></div> Not sure what nursery rhyme the anthropomorphic dog is from.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c2TRs6315bQ/TlG0Iwq2BKI/AAAAAAAAB4k/hxn7rgDofOg/s1600/Idlewild+2011+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c2TRs6315bQ/TlG0Iwq2BKI/AAAAAAAAB4k/hxn7rgDofOg/s400/Idlewild+2011+004.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QmJ0WWokfs8/TlG0ahFf02I/AAAAAAAAB4o/wmMAWhGngI8/s1600/Idlewild+2011+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QmJ0WWokfs8/TlG0ahFf02I/AAAAAAAAB4o/wmMAWhGngI8/s400/Idlewild+2011+005.jpg" width="265" /></a></div> The Little Engine That Could was full of bees. They must be nesting all the way thru it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mys5aizpVrc/TlG0l1DP9qI/AAAAAAAAB4s/wM3gzGtRbSo/s1600/Idlewild+2011+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mys5aizpVrc/TlG0l1DP9qI/AAAAAAAAB4s/wM3gzGtRbSo/s400/Idlewild+2011+008.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fZ4ihQIOwzQ/TlG00whBpqI/AAAAAAAAB4w/9f67MI_qFF8/s1600/Idlewild+2011+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fZ4ihQIOwzQ/TlG00whBpqI/AAAAAAAAB4w/9f67MI_qFF8/s400/Idlewild+2011+009.jpg" width="265" /></a></div> Mike lifting Donny up to see the Papa, Mama and Baby Bear beds in the House of the Three Bears.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CkJjRroYyKg/TlG08eVjIjI/AAAAAAAAB40/FVJV9gkzihg/s1600/Idlewild+2011+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CkJjRroYyKg/TlG08eVjIjI/AAAAAAAAB40/FVJV9gkzihg/s400/Idlewild+2011+010.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CiQiN9CKsFM/TlG1MsWQSWI/AAAAAAAAB44/pIonhBIwODk/s1600/Idlewild+2011+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CiQiN9CKsFM/TlG1MsWQSWI/AAAAAAAAB44/pIonhBIwODk/s400/Idlewild+2011+011.jpg" width="265" /></a></div> My Son, the Third and Most Wistful of the Piggies.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--znFwAl-ygY/TlG1VzF8pEI/AAAAAAAAB48/6PWn5yyUHPA/s1600/Idlewild+2011+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--znFwAl-ygY/TlG1VzF8pEI/AAAAAAAAB48/6PWn5yyUHPA/s400/Idlewild+2011+014.jpg" width="265" /></a></div> Completely crashed out the next morning after a night of jumping on the beds and dancing around the room.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VSd1ZKRjfYw/TlG1dGD9RrI/AAAAAAAAB5A/hWh56WQyVko/s1600/Idlewild+2011+017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" qaa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VSd1ZKRjfYw/TlG1dGD9RrI/AAAAAAAAB5A/hWh56WQyVko/s400/Idlewild+2011+017.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> The Idlewild Merry Go Round plays The Pennsylvania Polka (also known as <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0EkRoR7lU0">The Steelers Fight Song</a>), <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGiaPK3eA_o&feature=related">Alley Cat</a>, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdAOi-DE9NI">Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pq8DkJRjnw0/TlG1n7R3EwI/AAAAAAAAB5E/Kf2zqTIQJNM/s1600/Idlewild+2011+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" qaa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pq8DkJRjnw0/TlG1n7R3EwI/AAAAAAAAB5E/Kf2zqTIQJNM/s400/Idlewild+2011+019.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WuqsPgOaEPg/TlG1wPbc4HI/AAAAAAAAB5I/5LX6xn-Pm4o/s1600/Idlewild+2011+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WuqsPgOaEPg/TlG1wPbc4HI/AAAAAAAAB5I/5LX6xn-Pm4o/s400/Idlewild+2011+020.jpg" width="265" /></a></div> We ended our second day in Kiddieland. Adorable Kiddieland. Could'nt be any cuter.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zMQarT2kY98/TlG1_tPajFI/AAAAAAAAB5M/X50Mm0jgHgU/s1600/Idlewild+2011+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zMQarT2kY98/TlG1_tPajFI/AAAAAAAAB5M/X50Mm0jgHgU/s400/Idlewild+2011+021.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yxbXPgLXotM/TlG2Ncj6tNI/AAAAAAAAB5Q/E3QDjVgRC7o/s1600/Idlewild+2011+022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qaa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yxbXPgLXotM/TlG2Ncj6tNI/AAAAAAAAB5Q/E3QDjVgRC7o/s400/Idlewild+2011+022.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RGj9lKGxw2Y/TlG2Wc7FZzI/AAAAAAAAB5U/stpLn4Pj3T8/s1600/Idlewild+2011+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" qaa="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RGj9lKGxw2Y/TlG2Wc7FZzI/AAAAAAAAB5U/stpLn4Pj3T8/s400/Idlewild+2011+024.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WtdC-NWrD_A/TlG2gVSDLAI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/lRKdV_RCrEg/s1600/Idlewild+2011+026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" qaa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WtdC-NWrD_A/TlG2gVSDLAI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/lRKdV_RCrEg/s400/Idlewild+2011+026.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jAHZByfvhVY/TlGxcGTU-HI/AAAAAAAAB4U/9TjX8317rdI/s1600/Idlewild+2011+027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" qaa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jAHZByfvhVY/TlGxcGTU-HI/AAAAAAAAB4U/9TjX8317rdI/s400/Idlewild+2011+027.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-70113479831039072032011-08-17T07:16:00.001-07:002011-08-17T07:16:43.144-07:00Whistler's Mother, 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GlEEmpyKtnA/TkvNAXtSY4I/AAAAAAAAB4Q/AXPtj36MbhM/s1600/Mama+Portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" naa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GlEEmpyKtnA/TkvNAXtSY4I/AAAAAAAAB4Q/AXPtj36MbhM/s320/Mama+Portrait.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>"I'm going to draw a picture of you, Mama...I'm going to draw you with a mad face...you're wearing a dress. Its nice because you can touch it." Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-18842591166668737302011-08-15T01:53:00.000-07:002011-08-15T01:53:17.174-07:00Completely Demoralized: Well, That Did'nt Take Long...It is 4:40 am. After [stops to count] 9 hours of having a weeping child hurl himself around the room gripping his genitalia, I went downstairs to the storage room and dug out a pack of "GoodNights" pull ups for "big kids" that we got in the mail about 3 months ago. Thank god I never throw out a sample.<br />
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Its no wonder the kid can't pee in a toilet--we spent all week last week counting down the days until he was Too Big For Pull Ups and it only took 9 hours for me to completely undermine our authority and mix that signal. I will only say two things in my defense: the kid had not peed since FRIDAY NIGHT so there were health risks to consider. Second, it was not until I said, "Donovan, if I found you a pull up, would you pee in it?" that he actually looked at me with something close to understanding/recognition. Up to that point he had been either inconsolable or completely feral.<br />
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Mike is currently asleep on the couch. I am typing this while Donovan (hopefully) is sleeping in his bed. He was in our bed to start with but after about 40 minutes of sleep, the flailing and wailing started again. Tomorrow we are slated to go to Storybook Forest. I have a nasty feeling that we will be packing Pull Ups.<br />
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Twice in those 9 hours of awfulness, I broke down and cried. Both times, Donny stopped his own crying and came over and hugged me. The first time, he even patted me on the head. My kid may never be potty trained but at least he's got a heart.Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-20698457313692287872011-08-14T17:16:00.000-07:002011-08-14T17:16:08.284-07:00Postcard from Boot CampToday is Day 2 of Potty Training Boot Camp Redux. Yesterday was the first day and it went very well: Donny was very excited about not wearing pull ups any more. He did'nt ask for one and was happy to wear big boys to bed.<br />
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Its all so easy. Once you decide you're never going to pee again.<br />
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That seems to be his strategy and its been over 24 hours. He's been very insistent that he will NOT sit on the toilet. So much so that Mike and I reverted to our old tactic of giving him a sucker just for sitting there. Sit there he did and nothing happened. Wasted a perfectly good Charms Sweet Orange sucker on that willful, willful child.<br />
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So now its almost bedtime. Last night was TERRIBLE and I'm fully assuming tonight will be the same, with the added bonus of an inevitable "accident" in the bed. Still, despite it not going the way I wanted it to, I do think progress is being made. We have three weeks until school starts, just me and the kid for most of it, so here's to Getting. Over. The. Damn. HUMP.Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-4147227094219263642011-08-13T06:11:00.000-07:002011-08-13T06:11:04.465-07:00Today, You Are a Man.I totally stole the title of this entry from a flip comment Mike made on his way out the door to work. The comment refers to the fact that today will be Donovan's first day without pull-ups. This is also the first day of three weeks where he is in between Waldorf Day Camp and being back to school at Montessori. Thus, we have 3 weeks to work on the No Pull Up thing.<br />
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The thing about the No Pull Up thing is this: by the end of the school year, Donovan was not potty trained but he was also not having accidents at school. He was just "holding it" until it was time for bed, at which time we would change him into a pull up. The initial idea for the bedtime pull up was that asking a 4 year old to navigate 2 flights of stairs to the bathroom in the middle of the night was unrealistic. But what it resulted in was the I'll Hold It Because I Know I'll Be In A Pull Up Eventually mindframe.<br />
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Over the summer, Donny has worked with some really great counselors from The Barbour Center. Based on their advice and also on advice from the folks he works with from Early Intervention, we decided we would set a date on the calendar and he would cross off the days until No More Pull Ups Day. Which is today. I'm sure everything will be fine today--at least until around 7pm or so. Please light the appropriate candles for us starting at around 6pm EST.<br />
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And now that 3 weeks of summer break is stretched out before us, I'm realizing I did'nt do much planning. I should have done some planning.<br />
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Ooops.<br />
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Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-65007507539649353302011-08-09T18:06:00.000-07:002011-08-09T18:06:50.159-07:00So Much Catching Up... ...to do here on the blog! Hard to believe its August already--harder to believe that this is Donny's last week at the Waldorf summer camp. As always, I must go on record as saying Waldorf is EX. PENS. IVE. Having said that, so is everything else kid related and it was a really great program for him. First, it was a small group of kids, alot of whom he already knew. Second, it was all about PLAYING. Not reading or writing or anything scholastic. Third, alot of the folks involved in the program were from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z-deCi_UGE">The Zany Umbrella Circus</a>, so the kid got to juggle, play with hula hoops and the like. Also, being Waldorf, there was lots of singing and Donovan has been singing the Blessing song and the Follow Me song constantly. Seriously: <em>constantly</em>.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So the next three weeks will be Donovan At Home With Me. And with Mike but mainly with me. I'm plotting and planning a wide variety of fun and games for us but it will also be Year 2 of Potty Training Boot Camp. We have been working with his therapists from Early Intervention and, with their help, we have him crossing off days on the calendar to this Saturday when there will be NO MORE PULL UPS. Thank God that Target opened up in East Liberty as we are going to need a buttload of prizes to encourage his participation. Stickers, please, yes, and light up glow stick bracelets! Dozens of them! Stay tuned for carefully edited progress reports.</div><br />
Also, we make a long overdue trip to Ohio to see my family. I was hoping for a longer trip but that will have to come in the future. At least we got the boy home to see my Mom. That was worth the stay at the nasty ass hotel where we lost our reservation to someone in the Northern Ohio Eastern Star Convention (which I really can't argue--if I was working the desk and had to choose between me and about 200 lady Shriners dressed to the nines in white satin...).<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Also, also: our porch is being worked on and I have hopes it will be done in time for an end of the summer Porch Warming.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>We've taken a whole lot of photos this summer but, really, the best two are right here:<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TdDdl7-h7ME/TkHYLXSkGPI/AAAAAAAAB4I/mOQ5DWcwDRQ/s1600/Elyria+Summer+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" naa="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TdDdl7-h7ME/TkHYLXSkGPI/AAAAAAAAB4I/mOQ5DWcwDRQ/s400/Elyria+Summer+024.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Fa0Kgut9kQ/TkHYT22Jw-I/AAAAAAAAB4M/Ql5FxBEkwJs/s1600/Elyria+Summer+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" naa="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Fa0Kgut9kQ/TkHYT22Jw-I/AAAAAAAAB4M/Ql5FxBEkwJs/s400/Elyria+Summer+025.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-47870781731974708872011-07-29T06:24:00.000-07:002011-07-29T06:24:46.393-07:00Random SelectionsI've been keeping a running list of things to add to this blog and while part of me thinks its because Donovan is going thru a "talking phase" right now, I'm starting to think part of it is that I'm going thru a "listening stage." Meaning, underemployed as I currently am, I have the time and attention span to listen to him and talk to him in ways that I havent really done before. Chalk that one up under Big Advantage/Major Blessing<br />
<ul><li>The night before last Donny was fussing and crying and fussing and crying when he should have been asleep. Usually I wait for him to just go to sleep but he did'nt show any signs of slowing down. I went up to check on him and he was inconsolable. I asked him what was wrong and after much crying and snuffling he said, "I wrote D-A-D in my bed." "Why? Do you miss Daddy?" Mike was out with a friend from out of town that evening. I tucked Donny back into bed, went downstairs, and the fussing started back up. I was ready to let him work it out until he started saying, "Mama! Hold my hand, <em>please!"</em> So up I went again and the kid was out of his bed standing by the window. "Mama, hold my hand, please! I'm waiting for Daddy." Yep--kid was looking out the window towards Gooski's, waiting for his Dad to come home. At 11:30 at night.</li>
<li>Last night I was in the office working and could hear from Donny's room next door: <em>Thump</em>, "Almost!" <em>Thump</em>, "Almost!" I went in to check and the kid was laying on his bed with his stuffed animals strewn all around him. His comment is the punchline, "I can only juggle 3 balls at a time!"</li>
</ul>There are others I can't quite conjure up now but he's been alot of fun as of late. Now I just need to figure out what he and I are going to do tonight when Mike works late. Probably something involving the sprinkler.Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7960109784335705125.post-2256571048410294502011-07-27T17:23:00.000-07:002011-07-27T17:23:22.536-07:00My Son SybilDonovan told me a long story tonight about how it was Alex's birthday and there were cupcakes that said "Happy Grandson" and each one had a G on it and Donny was allowed to dance so he spun around and jumped and "kicked [his] heels together" and all the kids who did'nt dance before danced with him and it was Alex and Leo and Lily and they danced to the music and the music was churchbells.<br />
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That same angelbaby is now pitching a HUGE, We've Never Seen The Likes Of It With Him Before Tantrum because Mike filled the watering can half full instead of all the way full. I'm hoping the Terrible Twos Donovan chose not to cash in have not accrued interest.<br />
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Also, when he was being sweet tonight, he pointed to our lovely purple hydrangea and told me that those flowers were called "Dandipierogies."<br />
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Dandipierogies. I guess I won't give him away just yet.Jennie B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11943256494796182526noreply@blogger.com1