The corrections

When the girls were infants, I remember reading that parents/caregivers should not speak to their babies in "baby talk," nor should they repeat words and phrases back to their children in baby-speak, as the baby him- or herself has just spoken the words/phrases. Instead, the adult should continue to clearly enunciate so that the word is correctly heard by the infant.

Done and done. Speaking in baby talk was not an issue for us. As cute as it often was, we continued to properly enunciate.

These days we are working on proper sentence structure and correct use of terms... you know, all of that. Some of the phrases are so endearing that I know I'll miss them when they are gone. When we corrected "wait to me" with "wait for me," I was surprised that "wait to me" was simply gone in the blink of an eye. Therefore, I am considering some of these phrases endangered:

1) "I can't like it."
2) And, the equally forceful, "I can't want it."
3) Finally (this is a three part series), there's the "I can't know!" that Lauren hit Gracie with one day when Gracie was grilling Lauren with questions about a Barney plot. After about the fifth question of why "B.J." was acting in a certain way, Lauren said, "Gracie, I can't know!!!"
4) When food smells good: "Mmm... that smells like tasty!"
5) When procrastinating, "I'll do it next day."
6) Or, when excuse-making, "I did it last day."
7) "I do it mysepps!"
8) Finally, "I not in trouble?"

We'll continue to correct grammatical errors, even though some adorability evaporates each time they outgrow a phrase.

4

So far, this is the only compelling argument (for me, anyway) for the iPhone 4.

Plant update

I purchased several plants in April, and thought it was time to check in to see how they are doing. Unfortunately, I did not take a "before" picture (I never remember to do that), but the plants were very small (all of the herbs I purchased were packed/transported into/via one banker's box).

Here's how they are coming along so far:



Even the Sago palm, known for its volatility, is thriving so far. In fact, it has an entire new layer of fronds:



Lovely!

Finds

Some random internet finds to relay good cheer on an ordinary Monday morning.

Update: I'm not sure why the videos are not fully shown (the screen is cut off), but if you click on the picture while it is playing, you will be linked to YouTube to view the video there.

1) Mukhtar's birthday



via Mighty Girl.

2) Taxonomy of the Apple iPhone from Ben Millen.

3) Skip has been referring to all mini vans as "Swagger Wagons," and I finally looked at the YouTube video of the Sienna ad that was the impetus for his obsession:



Have a great Monday.

Camp Mom: Summer activities for toddlers

The post over at Kelly's Korner could not be more appropriately timed because I am starting to feel like an activities director on a cruise ship, what with trying to come up with activities each week.

In the spring, we decided to take the Be Outside challenge from the National Wildlife Federation and committed to spending even more time out of doors.

The heat has been our biggest hurdle this summer so many of our activities have included water. We have the obligatory children's pool, of course, but we have also discovered the simpler things in life... the lawn sprinkler. I have incorporated the sprinkler into our regular outdoor play by simply having the sprinkler connected, and our girls simply play in or around it with their regular toys to stay cool.

I thought about upgrading our sprinkler to this lovely oversized beach ball from Pottery Barn Kids, but then I read a lot of reviews that pointed to some functionality problems. Many of the reviews stated that they returned to their lawn sprinkler so that is what we are sticking with for durability.

But, admittedly, this is much prettier:



... maybe I'll paint our sprinkler pink to jazz it up a little.


We have also discovered the conveniences of the library for a host of indoor (read: air conditioned) activities (movies, crafts, stories, shows), and we further recommend any facilities through the parks and recreation department (i.e., pool, splash pad, etc.) Lastly, many towns have movie night at the park where a feature movie is shown at sundown. So far that has been past the girls' bedtimes, but we are looking forward to attending at some point.

Lastly, don't forget your local YMCA for pool access.

I soooo welcome additional ideas and look forward to perusing everyone else's posts! Have a great weekend!

In love

I am so loving the 50mm 1.8 lens...

Friday's quote

"If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person's point of view and see things from his angle as well as your own."

Henry Ford

Camp mom

Summer continues with these activities:

1) Total rest and relaxation (Monday) following VBS at our church.

2) We scheduled a trip to the splash pad. However, Gracie had an absolute meltdown (M-E-L-T-D-O-W-N) in the parking lot so we returned home and hopped in the pool

3) Story time at the library, with this week's feature: a "Wild, Wild West" show, followed by errands to Wal-Mart and the bank.

Wild, wild west from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

Hmmhmm. You betcha.

I'll leave you with one final thought on the western show. Although the temperature outside was 96 degrees, I saw a fellow mom there dressed in denim cover alls -- pants, not shorts. She's either insane, or a much better mom than I am.

4) I'm not sure you can handle this morning's activities without becoming uncontrollably jealous. We played in the pool this morning, but mostly spent our time with the sprinkler. Skip asked if I was billing Thursday's activities as "White Trash Thursday," which admittedly is both apropos and funny.

Summer sports drink

Updated: No, we do not serve this to our children.

For anyone who enjoys sports drinks, the below is an awesome drink that rivals one of the more popular drinks on the market:

Recipe:

1 pack orange Kool-Aid
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions: Mix above with two quarts water. Chill and serve.

Easy peasy.

(Disclaimer: I actually do not like this drink, but I do not like Gatorade or any of the similar sports drinks. Skip, however, loves it.)

Weekend update

This past weekend brought Vacation Bible School at our church and three marathon sessions, beginning Friday night, all day Saturday and two sessions on Sunday. The girls had a blast, but were understandably wiped out by late Saturday. They managed to make it through Sunday's events, and we spent yesterday having a quiet day to recover.

Fathers

Three examples of how fathers are sometimes so much cooler than moms:





Happy Father's Day!

Friday's quote

"Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. They're either speaking or preparing to speak. They're filtering everything through their own paradigms, reading their autobiography into other people's lives."

Stephen Covey

Activities: Camp Mom

We had another big score at "Story Tales" this week with a live performance. She had instruments and belted out some good tunes. Here is a video of some audience participation:

Mighty Jungle from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

Update

Thanks so much to everyone who prayed for Sarah, Skip's cousin (see here and here). I have thanked several of you in person, but I wanted to be sure that it was said here as well, in case we have missed anyone. The prayers have been so very appreciated. We sure hope that you will continue to remember Sarah and her family in prayer. Specifically, pray that there is no recurrence and that all of her tests continue to be negative.

I am so happy to be able to point you to her new blog to see how she is doing for yourself. In true Sarah spirit, she has picked herself up by her boot straps and is choosing to express gratitude instead of despair. So many of you have thoughfully asked, "How is Sarah?" and "How is Skip's cousin?" Thanks so much for your caring concern. Please meet Sarah, and see for yourself how wonderfully she is doing.

The dent-tist

We had our inaugural dental examination yesterday. Granted, I have put this off for a while, but I am convinced that if we had attempted seeing the dentist sooner there would have been inconsolable crying, biting and who knows what sort of involuntary physical reactions.

After dreading "dentist day" for months, if not years, we went yesterday, and it was... fine. The waiting room delay and the accompanying restroom trips (more on that in a later post) actually caused more stress than the examination itself. The latter was a breeze due to prayer and an experienced hygienist.

The waiting room, as I said, was a challenge. There had to be a hundred different magazines scattered throughout, and those types of periodicals do not usually fare well with us. I was distracted while completing some surprisingly voluminous paperwork (in duplicate). That opportunity was seized, and the wait area was ransacked. In between efforts to curtail negative behavior and redirect to positive ways to pass the time, we had a couple of bathroom trips. Since it took so long to complete the paperwork (imagine filling out forms while being attacked by monkeys), a couple of people arrived, and we found ourselves at the end of the 10am rotation. Therefore, we had an additional 30 minute wait in the waiting room --- with all the magazines. At one point, I even tried purchasing/downloading some Sesame Street episodes to my iPhone, but lacked the ability to do it (no WIFI). The wait was long and peppered with requests to "go home".

We were finally called back, and Lauren bravely hopped to her feet and marched into the room. Gracie had the good sense to be alarmed. Lauren volunteered to "go first," and Gracie settled into a chair to wait. When asked to climb into the exam chair, however, Lauren reneged and said, "No, Gracie, YOU go first!"

Lauren settled into the chair, and from there it was a breeze. I cannot believe it was so simple and uneventful, and it seems absurd that I have been dreading it. As I said, the hygienist was quite good. First, she wore a pink mask and had a pink watch. Score! Naturally, the girls thought she was their kind of people. Second, a lot of the gear itself was pink. Third, the hygienist let the girls carefully examine all of the instruments prior to the exam.

Lauren was first up. Wearing the blue bib:




Using the suction:



Examining the mirror:



Enjoying a good cleaning:



Gracie's turn! Wearing the bib:




Examining the mirror:



Using the suction (their favorite part):



Whew! That was a breeze! Why did mommy pack a flask in her purse?



The girls received great reports. Overall, it was a great first visit.

Summer hair

Last Friday I cheated. I had a day to myself, and while running a few errands in the morning I ducked into a new hair salon for quick trim. Although I have been seeing my current stylist for four years and have followed him to a second salon (evidencing tremendous loyalty; I don't usually follow), I requested a quick trim, but ended up with a slightly new cut. Nothing radical, mind you. In fact, I doubt most anyone would notice -- except my stylist.... at which time I will need to have an explanation ready.

Other summer hair developments include lots of natural highlights (for the girls) and a daily request for a pony tail.

Life really is simpler when we're young.

Friday's quote

"If you can dream it, you can do it."

Walt Disney

Shades

We finally saw the movie "Crazy Heart" a couple of weeks ago.

Now (and probably forever), whenever I see an indoor wearer of sunglasses, I want to call him/her "T Bone," in homage to T Bone Burnett.

Activities: Camp Mom

Oh, the activities that summer brings! The girls' energy levels are at an all time high (hahaha! The parents of children over the age of 3 are LAUGHING at what is in store for us!), and there is, indeed, a limit to how much time can be logged at the playground in 90+ degree heat. The HEAT! Have I mentioned the unbearable HEAT?

So far, the week has included:

1) A visit with Grammy, during which time Gracie rode on the tractor with Uncle James. Sadly, there is no pictorial documentation of that event. We understand she was thrilled, and she certainly talked about the tractor for days.

Lauren said she would ride the tractor "next time," which is her response for anything she has no intention of doing, i.e., "I'll do it tomorrow."

2) A trek back to the splash pad. As I have mentioned, this will be a weekly occurrence until Labor Day (see above references about the heat, please):



3) Traditional story time at the library. YAY!




4) Critter time through the library where they saw a monkey, a very large lizard, a boa constrictor, a fox, an 8 week old lemur and a very talented parrot (and a few other animals, but I forget what they were). We wanted to put that tiny lemur in my purse and bring her home.



Next week's activities are shaping up nicely... stay tuned!

New addition

We have a new addition to the family. We have invited Charlie Brown, the cat, to join our family.

When we first met Charlie, at the end of winter, he was very well fed and appeared to be a family pet. In fact, I purposefully avoided feeding him because I did not want to create confusion. And, he was quite chubby, as seen here. I grew suspicious that he might be more of a street cat, and I finally attempted to feed him. He scoffed at the Frisky's we provided and did not eat a single bite. Therefore, I assumed he was "all set" on the food front.

We didn't see him again for several weeks, and when we did it was at a distance. Three weeks ago he appeared on our deck, very thin and covered in ticks. It was 8:00pm and too late for a visit to the veterinarian. Instead, Skip went to the store and returned home with a flea/tick collar, some spray and cat treats. We fed him and somehow managed to thoroughly cover him with the flea/tick treatment. He enjoyed the treats. He spent the night on our deck -- not in the box I provided him, but he stayed nonetheless. He meowed when the sun came up, and we did not see him again for a few days. (We assumed he was miffed about the spray.)

He reappeared a week ago. He settled into a routine of appearing in the morning and late afternoon for food. We're still devising a plan to get him to the vet soon, but he is making progress. Charlie is quite feral, a street cat, and I don't think he will willingly enter a pet carrier.

The girls love him. There has been very limited interaction so far, but they talk to him all the time.

"Hey, Charlie Brown..."
"Hey little buddy..."
"Want some food?"

Although he still pulls a disappearing act every few days, he is spending more and more time on our deck and porch. We consider him ours now unless or until someone claims him (and takes responsibility for his welfare).

Welcome home, Charlie!

Oh, the love!

Read about it here.

The heat

I know I say this every year. But... the HEAT! It's simply unbelievable. We went to the park yesterday, and it was so hot I couldn't even think. I have never been too cold to think, but 15 minutes in the Alabama heat makes me practically impaired.

Dress up