Fathers and Sons

So my husband went ballistic last night because I threw away a receipt he needed. Little does he know:

• If I didn't go through his stuff regularly and throw crap away, we'd have one of those houses that just have the little trails through rooms, and Health Services comes in and finds dead cats buried under all the old magazines and gas station receipts.
• I've been throwing away his crap for over six years.

I just slipped up and misjudged on what was trash. I blame the newborn.

Well, so I was all peeved. What's a girl to do? I emailed his mom, of course. She's such a cool m-i-l that I can obliquely criticize her son and she doesn't even care. On the contrary, she responded:

"I can't throw away stuff fast enough to keep up with F-i-l. So just keep up with Dh."

Totally sympathetic. I heart my m-i-l.

I pondered this situation. I'm sure Dh picked up this charming "Leave My Crap Everywhere" trait from his father. Is Ace destined to do the same? Can I, by example, steer him in a neater direction? I hope yes, but I'm betting on NO. I guess I should start now to develop inner peace with the slobs in my life.

Love you, sweetie!

To protest my anger in response to his anger, Dh decided to ignore me for a while. This was quite amusing, as he kept forgetting and talking to me. For instance, this afternoon he nicely greeted me when he came home for lunch. Then he burst out, "Dang it! I was supposed to be ignoring you!" He makes me crazy, but I sure love that man.

There's No Unifying Theme to This Post

Yesterday at church the teacher said, "Ladies, we're still in the hopper!" I turned to EdgyK and asked, "What's a hopper?" EdgyK laughed for twenty minutes straight and then refused to tell me what a hopper is. So annoying! Dh told me when I met back up with him, after church was over. So tell me. Do you know what a hopper* is? Because I sure didn't.

* * *

Miss E has been making me nuts. Getting into everything, making huge messes everywhere, whining constantly. When is this phase over? And don't tell me age 5. DON'T. She has been hitting Ace less often, at least.

* * *

Did I say I loved all the Jack Reacher novels? I take it back. I just read the newest one, Nothing to Lose, and it was dreadful. Awful. Horrible. Stupid. Highly NOT recommended.

* * *

A few days ago I was driving to the grocery store (by myself!). I passed a small grove of deciduous trees. You don't see a ton of those trees here in Oregon, there always seem to be evergreens liberally sprinkled in among them. But this was a grove of just deciduous trees. It reminded me of my parents' town in upstate NY, which I called home for many years. Suddenly I missed New York so badly it hurt. I haven't been back for almost two full years, and I doubt it's going to happen anytime soon. It's so beautiful there, with the hills so close around you, like a big hug, and everything so green and alive. Oregon is green too, but it's not the same. My parents live in a house on five acres, on a quiet street. Nature is all around. My house is on a small plot on a busy street. Nature is miles away. I wonder if I will always feel that way about New York. If I someday move away from Oregon, will I begin to pine for evergreens?**




*In this context, it was apparently the second definition under "Mechanical Parts."

**Like I could resist such a fabulous pun. Puh-lease.

Image credit: Traveling Peter's Flickr. My parents live on a little road much like this one.

Ace, Three Months Old

Weight: 16 pounds, 11 ounces
Length: 25 inches
Head circumference: 16 inches

And yes, he IS on a diet of pure cream, why do you ask?

Grrr

I'd like to take a moment to complain about Gerber onesies. Ace has grown out of almost all of his 3-6 month clothes. Most of the clothes I have for him in the next size up are winter clothes, since I thought he'd be wearing them starting in October. So I bought a 5-pack of short-sleeved onesies yesterday, size 6-9 months. I washed them, and they all shrank. Now they are all TOO SMALL. I am very annoyed. And no, I did not wash them in hot water. I followed the care instructions perfectly.

And Ace had two blowouts today, one in the car seat and one in the swing, soaking both covers. So I've been doing laundry all day.

Recent Pictures

I'm shamefully behind in posting photos.


Dh took this picture and I think it's cool. He's been learning more about his fancy camera, and using Picasa to further enhance his photography skills. This is the view from our backyard. Though I promise we don't actually live in the country like it appears!


Miss E loves oatmeal and eats with great gusto.


"I nakey!" Miss E loves this state of affairs. Fortunately for me, she considers being in just a diaper being naked.








Miss E loves to unsnap Ace's clothes. And would remove his diaper if I let her.








I don't understand the fascination with Dh's socks.


Baby Einstein taught my daughter to Twist.

In Which I Can't Stand to Be Around the Love of My Life

You might have noticed I've been rather absent. Just a few token book reviews of late. Dh has been on paternity leave for the past two months. On Monday, Dh's paternity leave is officially over. He took off a week right when the baby was born in mid-April, then took off 7 weeks starting in late May. It's been great.

It has also sucked like a mutha.

I'll try not to make this a big complaining session. But I think you should understand. When I tell my friends, or people at church that Dh took paternity leave, the universal response is "Oh, how wonderful." But consider if you will, the reality of paternity leave in the Superhero household.

Good: Dh takes care of Miss E in the morning (breakfast, diaper change <- inevitably a big stinky poo).
Bad: Thinks I am sleeping in while in actuality I am taking care of this second child we now have.

Good: Dh helps clean up the house.
Bad: Dh is by far the messiest person in our family. This completely cancels out the good. The house has been incredibly messy while he's been home.

Good: Dh loves playing with Miss E and takes her places to keep them both entertained.
Bad: Dh has confused paternity leave with personal vacation and complains about lack of fishing trips.

Bad: We have both been getting on each other's nerves like crazy and have been bickering a lot.

And there's just not really a good to balance out that last bad. This past week Dh left for a few days to visit his friend in eastern Washington. He went on his motorcycle and had a great time. And frankly, so did I. The kids were well-behaved. I slept reasonably well. I had a few friends over one night and we stayed up much too late chatting and laughing our heads off (they left my house at 1:20 a.m., to be precise). And when Dh got back, we were both so refreshed from our break from each other, that we have been getting along well ever since.

Paternity leave is a double-edged sword. I am really glad Dh can take time off. He is quite helpful, and made the transition much easier for me. I liked it especially at the beginning, when I was still so nervous about caring for two children. And Miss E was acting out and needed extra attention. But now? I just want him to go back to work, so I can get myself and the kids on a schedule. And the house clean again. So Dh and I can get back to our normal relationship of fun and love.

I suppose you might be just fine during extended paternity leave if you and your husband normally spend everywakingmoment together. But we do not. Apparently that is for a reason. My husband and I have different spheres of activity. And now I know exactly why.

White Bean Chili

Here's a recipe that is delicious, cheap and easy to make. It's part of the Nourishing Frugal Food Carnival over at The Nourishing Gourmet! My husband hates going meatless, but even he loves this chili.


White Bean Chili

1 pound white beans
1 T oil
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz chopped green chilies
2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/4 tsp chili powder
6 C chicken broth
1 C shredded cheddar

Soak the beans overnight, then rinse thoroughly.

Saute onions 10 minutes in oil. Add garlic, chilies, and spices. Saute 2 minutes.

Add beans and broth. Boil until beans are tender. This will be at least 3-4 hours. Add water as needed. Once beans are tender, add shredded cheese.

Garnish with additional shredded cheddar, sour cream, and/or salsa if desired.



Check out the carnival for more frugal delicious recipes!

I Am Way More Holy Than Thou Art

This can't be right. I know I have more pride than this.

Greed:	Low
Gluttony:	Medium
Wrath:	Medium
Sloth:	Medium
Envy:	Medium
Lust:	Low
Pride:	Very Low

Take the Seven Deadly Sins Quiz


...and I expected the wrath to be higher.

Found on Marni's blog.


And yes, that was a fabulous Weird Al Yankovic reference in the title. Go me!

The Store

"Want to go to the store?" I asked Miss E. She loves to go places, so I knew that would make her happy. I put her shoes on her, got together all the masses of gear needed to travel anywhere with a baby. Dh packed Ace into his car seat and buckled Miss E in. We were off! We had to go to Dh's work first; he had to drop something off. This required driving past T@rget, then backtracking.

I drove past the turnoff to T@rget and Miss E started crying. "I want go store now!" I laughed, then reassured her that after we stopped by Daddy's work, we would go to the store.

As I drove, I pondered the implications of the exchange.

1. Miss E considers T@rget to be "the store."
2. She knows the turnoff to T@rget.
3. She is excited to go there.

To Dh, the implications were simpler: "You go to T@rget too much."