Last Sunday Emily Gottfried, the executive director of the Oregon Area Jewish Committee, died unexpectedly from a condition that no one is quite sure of how or why it entered her body and attacked her immune system. Tuesday was the funeral and today was the shivah. I decided to take Rachel because I thought it would be a good cultural and learning experience for her. She and I made chocolate covered toffee bars on Tuesday (I had chorus practice last night) and after I picked her up from preschool, we drove to Emily's house, a beautiful modern ranch-style place in Southwest Portland.
The house was packed and there was a lot of food. Before I realized what had happen, Rachel had attached herself to Emily's uncle, Marcus, who I would estimate is around 62 or so. He swooped her up in his arms and settled her in his lap and promptly announced that he was going to marry her someday. They had quite a nice time together while I got to talk to people including John Moss (the president of OAJC), Oregon's Supreme Court Chief Justice, a friend of Emily's, and various board members from OAJC. Meanwhile Rachel kept sitting on Marcus's lap and when I tried to remind her to say "please" and "thank you" and not spill food on the floor, he kept telling me to stop interfering and not worry, that he had things under control. I winced inside, but, hey, Rachel loved the attention.
Toward the end I noticed that Emily has the same songbook I used to sing Rachel songs out of (and used when I was a volunteer in Africa). Maybe Rachel saw it too; she asked me to sing to her when we drove home. I chose "Roll on Columbia," and she asked me to explain what the line "Sheridan's boys in the blockhouse that night," meant, and I told her about the battles between the whites and the Native Americans and the concept of land-stealing and herding Native Americans onto reservations. (I had explained this concept to her before, so it wasn't completely foreign). When I finished the song, she said, "Let's have a discussion about the whites and the Native Americans all the way home." It was actually a fabulous conversation, and it even touched on the concept of reparations. She concluded that the whites and the Native Americans should all share the land, and back in in the 1800s it was too bad that they didn't have the "Solution Wheel" that she has at preschool, where all the kids are shown different options for resolving conflict -- sharing, telling a teacher, etc. I told her that it's a shame grownups forget about the concepts in the Solution Wheel when they stop being kids.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Rainy Sunday
Today was quite a full one. This morning I interviewed an Ethiopian immigrant who has applied to Northwestern. As a member of the Northwestern Alumni Association, I interview prospective students. He was so impressive, as was the Korean immigrant I interviewed tonight around dinnertime (and, because this is a VERY small town, it turns out that I actually know another person who interviewed the Korean kid -- my friend Sarah Ames, who went to Yale; her husband Peter used to work for the Oregonian and Sarah used to be a spokesperson for Portland Public Schools and had a long talk with me about whether she should got back to law school at age 48, etc. etc. etc. The interconnectedness of Oregon, and Portland in particular, never ceases to amaze me). I'm going to recommend that both of them get in, but of course it's up to the admissions officers in Evanston.
Anyway, after the morning interview Drew, Rachel and I headed to the monthly meeting of our chavurah in Beaverton, where Drew and I separately got into intense conversations with all the parents about school choice options, and whether their kids were really learning what they should, etc. etc. Everyone told me not to stress out, which is precisely what I will do anyway, so it was futile advice. Kindergarten round-up begins NOW, and there are about 10 schools I want to visit even though we'll probably end up at our neighborhood school anyway. I just want to make sure I'm being an involved, savvy parent, y'know?
After my evening interview with the Korean kid, I made beef barley soup and we all sat down to dinner of matzo ball soup and challah. Right before we sat down, Rachel set up a tea party in the living room, complete with blanket, plastic cupcakes, teacups, teapot (thank you AGAIN, Tia Daniella!), her animals, and Sophie (Rachel set up the challah, candles, knife and kiddush cup) -- only to have the animals SEVERELY misbehave. Bunny and Sawyer the Bear gulped their tea, and Sawyer spilled his all over his shirt and stuffed his face with fruit and bread and had to be given multiple timeouts, as did Bunny, especially since they wailed all the way to Rachel's bedroom. When she mentioned their appalling behavior over dinner, I reminded her that she's their mommy and it's up to her to make them behave. She appeared to take me quite seriously.
***
"Are you tired?" Rachel asked me as I handed her the plates to set the table.
"Yes," I said. "How can you tell?"
"You seem mixed up," she said. "When you're mixed up, that's a sign that you're tired."
***
"Don't peel the garlic," Rachel ordered tonight (in fact, the beef barley stew doesn't contain garlic).
"Why not?" I asked.
""Cause I want to help you," she replied. "How's THAT for an answer?"
Perfect, kiddo.
Anyway, after the morning interview Drew, Rachel and I headed to the monthly meeting of our chavurah in Beaverton, where Drew and I separately got into intense conversations with all the parents about school choice options, and whether their kids were really learning what they should, etc. etc. Everyone told me not to stress out, which is precisely what I will do anyway, so it was futile advice. Kindergarten round-up begins NOW, and there are about 10 schools I want to visit even though we'll probably end up at our neighborhood school anyway. I just want to make sure I'm being an involved, savvy parent, y'know?
After my evening interview with the Korean kid, I made beef barley soup and we all sat down to dinner of matzo ball soup and challah. Right before we sat down, Rachel set up a tea party in the living room, complete with blanket, plastic cupcakes, teacups, teapot (thank you AGAIN, Tia Daniella!), her animals, and Sophie (Rachel set up the challah, candles, knife and kiddush cup) -- only to have the animals SEVERELY misbehave. Bunny and Sawyer the Bear gulped their tea, and Sawyer spilled his all over his shirt and stuffed his face with fruit and bread and had to be given multiple timeouts, as did Bunny, especially since they wailed all the way to Rachel's bedroom. When she mentioned their appalling behavior over dinner, I reminded her that she's their mommy and it's up to her to make them behave. She appeared to take me quite seriously.
***
"Are you tired?" Rachel asked me as I handed her the plates to set the table.
"Yes," I said. "How can you tell?"
"You seem mixed up," she said. "When you're mixed up, that's a sign that you're tired."
***
"Don't peel the garlic," Rachel ordered tonight (in fact, the beef barley stew doesn't contain garlic).
"Why not?" I asked.
""Cause I want to help you," she replied. "How's THAT for an answer?"
Perfect, kiddo.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Popular little girl
Rachel had a playdate with her school friend, Giada, today while I worked on a story for the magazine I edit. Apparently they had a fantastic time. Giada's mom, Sharon, is like us -- she cooks on the weekends and then they eat the food during the week; when Drew got there she was making a big pot of chili.
I got an e-mail today from a woman we met at synagogue a couple of months ago when services were held outside. She said her daughter, Naomi, always looks for Rachel at temple events and was wondering when she'd get to see her again (specifically if she'd be at a Tu b'shevat service tomorrow, which we may or may not make, depending on when we get up; I have to interview a prospective Northwestern student at 10:30 a.m. and then our chavurah is meeting at 1 p.m.). Our little girl is so popular!
I spent much of tonight cooking -- gingerbread for the chavurah, challah for us (this is turning into a weekly task), matzo ball soup for the upcoming week. Tomorrow I'll be making beef barley soup with mushrooms and then I think I'll take a break from cooking for a couple of days, except for the salad I take to work during the week.
I need a rest.
I got an e-mail today from a woman we met at synagogue a couple of months ago when services were held outside. She said her daughter, Naomi, always looks for Rachel at temple events and was wondering when she'd get to see her again (specifically if she'd be at a Tu b'shevat service tomorrow, which we may or may not make, depending on when we get up; I have to interview a prospective Northwestern student at 10:30 a.m. and then our chavurah is meeting at 1 p.m.). Our little girl is so popular!
I spent much of tonight cooking -- gingerbread for the chavurah, challah for us (this is turning into a weekly task), matzo ball soup for the upcoming week. Tomorrow I'll be making beef barley soup with mushrooms and then I think I'll take a break from cooking for a couple of days, except for the salad I take to work during the week.
I need a rest.
Shabbat dinner with Rachel
Last night Rachel and I were on our own since Drew was working a Thursday/Friday schedule in Seattle (he'll also do this next week, since I'll be attending a marketing class at Willamette. The students in the class, which I took last year, will we developing a marketing plan for the Oregon Area Jewish Committee).
We went to synagogue, a last-minute decision that I made because OAJC's director, Emily Gottfried, is very ill with a cancer-like disease and it seems as if everyone in Portland is praying for. When Rachel mentioned to Teacher Joe that we were going to synagogue, and Mommy's friend Emily was very sick, he said, "Is that Emily Gottfried?" Turns out his wife knows her. So does the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, with whom I've been exchanging worried e-mails over the last week or so. Sometimes Oregon seems like one large town...
Rachel was wonderfully well-behaved in synagogue, as usual; when she wasn't cuddling on my lap she insisted on turning to the same page in the prayer book as I was, and I pointed out the words and the transliterations to her. In a couple of years she will be reading Hebrew better than I ever could, and she won't need to rely on transliterations like Mommy does.
Our friend Bill, whose wife is the executive director of the synagogue, has known Rachel since she was a baby and has always been enchanted by her (he and his wife, Sydney, are expecting their first grandchild any day now). Last night was no exception, especially when Rachel waved to him in her Sleeping Beauty outfit, which she had worn for costume day at school.
***
"I have a idea," Rachel said at dinner, as we were talking about my upcoming chorus competition in Boise (she and Drew and I are doing to drive there and back; it should be a fun family trip, and it will be great for her to watch Mommy's chorus win first place in regionals):
"You can sing at home and you can show Ryan how you sang at home, and then you'll get a more chance winning the next contest!"
***
Rachel is already planning for her wedding. She said the invitations will say this: "I'm going to invite you to my wedding. It's going to be a great ceremony. Love, Rachel and her husband."
***
I was lamenting the fact that soon the current dean, Peter, won't be my boss anymore when the new dean starts in July.
"When he doesn't be your boss anymore, you can always see him again," Rachel reassured me. "It's not like you can't visit him anymore. Peter's a stand up guy!"
Me: "That's true."
We went to synagogue, a last-minute decision that I made because OAJC's director, Emily Gottfried, is very ill with a cancer-like disease and it seems as if everyone in Portland is praying for. When Rachel mentioned to Teacher Joe that we were going to synagogue, and Mommy's friend Emily was very sick, he said, "Is that Emily Gottfried?" Turns out his wife knows her. So does the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, with whom I've been exchanging worried e-mails over the last week or so. Sometimes Oregon seems like one large town...
Rachel was wonderfully well-behaved in synagogue, as usual; when she wasn't cuddling on my lap she insisted on turning to the same page in the prayer book as I was, and I pointed out the words and the transliterations to her. In a couple of years she will be reading Hebrew better than I ever could, and she won't need to rely on transliterations like Mommy does.
Our friend Bill, whose wife is the executive director of the synagogue, has known Rachel since she was a baby and has always been enchanted by her (he and his wife, Sydney, are expecting their first grandchild any day now). Last night was no exception, especially when Rachel waved to him in her Sleeping Beauty outfit, which she had worn for costume day at school.
***
"I have a idea," Rachel said at dinner, as we were talking about my upcoming chorus competition in Boise (she and Drew and I are doing to drive there and back; it should be a fun family trip, and it will be great for her to watch Mommy's chorus win first place in regionals):
"You can sing at home and you can show Ryan how you sang at home, and then you'll get a more chance winning the next contest!"
***
Rachel is already planning for her wedding. She said the invitations will say this: "I'm going to invite you to my wedding. It's going to be a great ceremony. Love, Rachel and her husband."
***
I was lamenting the fact that soon the current dean, Peter, won't be my boss anymore when the new dean starts in July.
"When he doesn't be your boss anymore, you can always see him again," Rachel reassured me. "It's not like you can't visit him anymore. Peter's a stand up guy!"
Me: "That's true."
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Dinner conversation with my daughter
"Why do you love me?" Rachel asked tonight.
"I think the question is really, how can anyone NOT love you," I said. "It's kind of impossible."
"I can't answer that," Rachel said, smiling.
***
Giada, a member of Rachel's preschool posse, had a birthday party at school today and her mom passed out goody bags and cupcakes.
"Know where the lizard in my goody bag is?" Rachel said.
"Lizard?" I replied.
"I gave it to Tessa," she said. "And my ball. I give EVERYTHING to people."
It's that effortless giving away of her things, totally unthinkingly, that takes my breath away. Rachel has such a kind, giving heart. I have no idea how that happened.
***
I'll read any book that Rachel chooses at Powell's, but I absolutely loathe the Care Bears. They have stupid names and the sentiments they express are completely insipid.
"Know why I like Care Bears?" Rachel asked tonight. "'Cause they have nice names! And they're adventurous and they have pretty colors."
Ugh. Whatever you say, kid.
***
"You're the best mommy I could ever have!" Rachel said while brushing her teeth tonight. "Even if Helen was my mom I'd still think you were the best!"
Helen is Tessa's mom and a perfectly nice former colleague of mine at the Oregonian. I was flattered beyond belief.
"I think the question is really, how can anyone NOT love you," I said. "It's kind of impossible."
"I can't answer that," Rachel said, smiling.
***
Giada, a member of Rachel's preschool posse, had a birthday party at school today and her mom passed out goody bags and cupcakes.
"Know where the lizard in my goody bag is?" Rachel said.
"Lizard?" I replied.
"I gave it to Tessa," she said. "And my ball. I give EVERYTHING to people."
It's that effortless giving away of her things, totally unthinkingly, that takes my breath away. Rachel has such a kind, giving heart. I have no idea how that happened.
***
I'll read any book that Rachel chooses at Powell's, but I absolutely loathe the Care Bears. They have stupid names and the sentiments they express are completely insipid.
"Know why I like Care Bears?" Rachel asked tonight. "'Cause they have nice names! And they're adventurous and they have pretty colors."
Ugh. Whatever you say, kid.
***
"You're the best mommy I could ever have!" Rachel said while brushing her teeth tonight. "Even if Helen was my mom I'd still think you were the best!"
Helen is Tessa's mom and a perfectly nice former colleague of mine at the Oregonian. I was flattered beyond belief.
Our sweet girl
Yesterday when he dropped her off at preschool, Drew said, Rachel's friend Giada rushed up to her and said "Rachel! Rachel! Look what I made for you!"
It was a friendship bracelet with white beads spelling R-A-C-H-E-L.
I was speechless and immediately e-mailed Giada's mom to thank her, tell her that I'm glad our girls are friends, and to set up a playdate for this weekend. It's tentatively scheduled for 1 p.m., and Sharon (Giada's mom) invited me to drop Rachel off for a few hours. Freedom! Hard to believe we've gotten to that stage in life where the kids get dropped off and the mommies and daddies get to roam. Of course, us being us, I'll be working on magazine stuff from home and Drew will take the time to go to Costco and run other errands. Sigh. One of these days we'll manage a matinee....
***
Today Rachel had a dentist's appointment with Mike McKeel, our family dentist, whose wife is on the Multnomah County Commission and whose kids are all very successful in life. McKeel is a jolly, Santa-like guy who is the very picture of a good dentist and Rachel adores going to him. Today, she informed me, she gave him "two hugs and three kisses" and Mike's dental assistant told Drew, "you're doing everything right, and I don't just mean her teeth. She's a wonderful little girl." The assistant also told Drew that seeing Rachel "could be the highlight of my day." I'm always thrilled to hear stuff like that, especially after the hellacious week I've been having at work.
Mike said Rachel's teeth were great. "If all kids' teeth were as good as your, I'd be out of business and their mommies and daddies would be very happy," he said. Love hearing that, too!
***
Rachel was extra cuddly this morning. I woke up early because of stress and also because I had to do a follow-up interview with someone in South Africa at 8 a.m. So, I had time to read to and snuggle with Rachel on the living room loveseat.
She woke up totally on her own at 7:30, which was a relief because it left Drew and Rachel plenty of time to get to the dentist before Drew had to leave for Seattle. I praised Rachel for getting up so early on her own initiative, and she said her stuffed animals had woken her up in the middle of the night because they wanted to go ice sledding.
"Ice sledding!" I laughed. "What did you tell them?"
"I told them, 'Animals!' Rachel said in an exasperated voice. 'We went ice sledding YESTERDAY!'"
I burst out laughing and told her she'll be an excellent mom someday.
It was a friendship bracelet with white beads spelling R-A-C-H-E-L.
I was speechless and immediately e-mailed Giada's mom to thank her, tell her that I'm glad our girls are friends, and to set up a playdate for this weekend. It's tentatively scheduled for 1 p.m., and Sharon (Giada's mom) invited me to drop Rachel off for a few hours. Freedom! Hard to believe we've gotten to that stage in life where the kids get dropped off and the mommies and daddies get to roam. Of course, us being us, I'll be working on magazine stuff from home and Drew will take the time to go to Costco and run other errands. Sigh. One of these days we'll manage a matinee....
***
Today Rachel had a dentist's appointment with Mike McKeel, our family dentist, whose wife is on the Multnomah County Commission and whose kids are all very successful in life. McKeel is a jolly, Santa-like guy who is the very picture of a good dentist and Rachel adores going to him. Today, she informed me, she gave him "two hugs and three kisses" and Mike's dental assistant told Drew, "you're doing everything right, and I don't just mean her teeth. She's a wonderful little girl." The assistant also told Drew that seeing Rachel "could be the highlight of my day." I'm always thrilled to hear stuff like that, especially after the hellacious week I've been having at work.
Mike said Rachel's teeth were great. "If all kids' teeth were as good as your, I'd be out of business and their mommies and daddies would be very happy," he said. Love hearing that, too!
***
Rachel was extra cuddly this morning. I woke up early because of stress and also because I had to do a follow-up interview with someone in South Africa at 8 a.m. So, I had time to read to and snuggle with Rachel on the living room loveseat.
She woke up totally on her own at 7:30, which was a relief because it left Drew and Rachel plenty of time to get to the dentist before Drew had to leave for Seattle. I praised Rachel for getting up so early on her own initiative, and she said her stuffed animals had woken her up in the middle of the night because they wanted to go ice sledding.
"Ice sledding!" I laughed. "What did you tell them?"
"I told them, 'Animals!' Rachel said in an exasperated voice. 'We went ice sledding YESTERDAY!'"
I burst out laughing and told her she'll be an excellent mom someday.
Monday, January 21, 2013
MLK Day
Drew and Rachel had MLK Day off, but I didn't (Willamette is a private school), but I did go to an MLK Day breakfast in Portland this morning for the Oregon Area Jewish Committee and decided to work from home. It was lovely to be able to take the bus downtown and back; it made me realize how much I miss public transportation.
I spent most of the day working on my Africa story and even managed to grab a quick swim at the community center, which had limited lap time because of the holiday. Drew and Rachel went grocery shopping and met a friend of hers, Devin, at the Children's Museum. Rachel has been clamoring for a sleepover with Devin, so hopefully they can schedule one soon.
Apparently when the playdate was nearing an end, Devin started fussing a little and Rachel said calmly, "It's okay, Devin. Playdates end and that's what happens and you can't be greedy for more. Besides, remember how happy you were at the beginning of the playdate."
Devin stomped toward the door and Linda, Devin's mom, told Drew, "I don't know if Devin's buying that."
I told Rachel tonight that I was so proud of her for saying that to Devin. Really, it sometimes feels as if we're living with a 68-year-old grandma.
I spent most of the day working on my Africa story and even managed to grab a quick swim at the community center, which had limited lap time because of the holiday. Drew and Rachel went grocery shopping and met a friend of hers, Devin, at the Children's Museum. Rachel has been clamoring for a sleepover with Devin, so hopefully they can schedule one soon.
Apparently when the playdate was nearing an end, Devin started fussing a little and Rachel said calmly, "It's okay, Devin. Playdates end and that's what happens and you can't be greedy for more. Besides, remember how happy you were at the beginning of the playdate."
Devin stomped toward the door and Linda, Devin's mom, told Drew, "I don't know if Devin's buying that."
I told Rachel tonight that I was so proud of her for saying that to Devin. Really, it sometimes feels as if we're living with a 68-year-old grandma.
Ralph's house
Our cranky old neighbor, Ralph -- the one who burned garbage in his fireplace to keep warm, who had two ancient, rusty cars in his garage from the day he moved in, who once parked a moldy, moss-covered RV in front of our house and only sold it after we called the city to complain -- died recently. He apparently had no children, and after a cleanup crew hauled away most of the junk, they had a garage sale.
Drew and I had been dying to go inside, and just our luck the sale was on Saturday as we were leaving for Seattle. We decided to go anyway, especially after Bruce, our neighbor across the street, knocked on our door and told us he was going. "We're right behind you," I told him.
It was an interesting, if sad, journey through that house. I would estimate it was built in 1950 or so, and there are touches -- a certain style of brick and of wrought iron -- that are signs of a local architect's work. He built several houses throughout Irvington. The house was much bigger than either Drew or I had suspected, and very dated -- whoever buys it will have to gut it and rebuild from the inside, or tear it down completely and put something else up (hopefully not a multifamily dwelling). My fantasy is that some nice Jewish family with kids around Rachel's age will buy it and fix it up and we can run in and out of each others' houses on the weekend.
Anyway, the collection of ephemera in the house was staggering. Books about living abroad and learning German, women's clothing from the 1950s (Ralph's wife died before he did), tools, Corningware, ugly furniture...it was all there, but Ralph wasn't. And there weren't any heirs to claim it. It made me wonder what Rachel will do with all our stuff when we die. Will she just end up hauling it away in a dump truck, or will some of it have meaning for her? Hard to tell.
Oh, we did manage to buy something -- four exquisite renderings of ballerinas, in pastel colors on soft pink paper. Definitely from the 1950s, and as soon as I spotted them I showed Rachel, who gasped in delight, and I knew we had to get them. They were only $10 total, and I know they'll look beautiful framed in black against her bedroom wall.
Drew and I had been dying to go inside, and just our luck the sale was on Saturday as we were leaving for Seattle. We decided to go anyway, especially after Bruce, our neighbor across the street, knocked on our door and told us he was going. "We're right behind you," I told him.
It was an interesting, if sad, journey through that house. I would estimate it was built in 1950 or so, and there are touches -- a certain style of brick and of wrought iron -- that are signs of a local architect's work. He built several houses throughout Irvington. The house was much bigger than either Drew or I had suspected, and very dated -- whoever buys it will have to gut it and rebuild from the inside, or tear it down completely and put something else up (hopefully not a multifamily dwelling). My fantasy is that some nice Jewish family with kids around Rachel's age will buy it and fix it up and we can run in and out of each others' houses on the weekend.
Anyway, the collection of ephemera in the house was staggering. Books about living abroad and learning German, women's clothing from the 1950s (Ralph's wife died before he did), tools, Corningware, ugly furniture...it was all there, but Ralph wasn't. And there weren't any heirs to claim it. It made me wonder what Rachel will do with all our stuff when we die. Will she just end up hauling it away in a dump truck, or will some of it have meaning for her? Hard to tell.
Oh, we did manage to buy something -- four exquisite renderings of ballerinas, in pastel colors on soft pink paper. Definitely from the 1950s, and as soon as I spotted them I showed Rachel, who gasped in delight, and I knew we had to get them. They were only $10 total, and I know they'll look beautiful framed in black against her bedroom wall.
Seattle weekend
Well, we had a total blast in Seattle (probably because I managed to suppress most of my worrying about my boss and about the magazine). Some highlights:
--We got up there in time to meet Amanda, Jenn and their friend Bill for a nice dinner before they went to the hockey game and Drew and I saw "Les Miserables." We wanted to see "Lincoln" but we just couldn't make the times work. Anyway, I had two drinks at dinner and, man, that was enough to get a nice buzz on -- nice enough to make it through the histrionic "Les Mis," which actually wasn't a terrible film, it just didn't translate that well from stage to screen. Rachel was very well-behaved at the hockey game; she managed to acquire a miniature stuffed version of "CoolBird," the mascot of the T-birds (the hockey team) and she even got her picture taken with the real mascot!
--On Sunday morning, by some miracle, we all got up, showered, dressed and left in time to meet Anne, David and Grandma Jean at Maltby Cafe, a famous breakfast place we try to visit whenever we're up there -- their cinnamon buns are great and although it's very crowded, it's worth the wait. What was nice about this visit was Rachel spent a lot of time with Auntie Anne, crawling into her lap and just hanging out with the women in the family (I had begun getting worried that Anne and Jean would be offended that Rachel was so tied up with Uncle David). I spent a lot of time doing fairy stickers with Rachel in a fairy sticker book I bought her a while ago. There's something very soothing about picking out outfits for various fairies to wear. You should try it sometime, even if you don't have a little girl in your house.
--Then we drove to Seattle Community College to see "Bye Bye Birdie" -- an all-kids version of the play by the Broadway Bound kids theater company for whom Jenn does the books. She was able to score us free tickets -- thanks, Jenn! -- so we couldn't say no, and Rachel seemed to enjoy the production (although I ended up needing to explain a lot). We promised we'd bring her back for "Shrek: The Musical," and "Aladdin," two productions they're doing in the next couple of months. The kids' acting skills were quite impressive!
We got back quite late, so we went to a kid-friendly brewpub and had a light dinner before unpacking and settling in to bed. All in all, a fabulous weekend! We are so lucky to have family in the awesome city of Seattle! I can't wait until Rachel is old enough for an all-girls weekend up there with Mommy....
***
Right before we left for Seattle, Rachel said this unexpectedly at breakfast:
"I wish you could only be an astronaut at 4 1/2 and up!"
"Why?" I asked.
"I just want to be a astronaut to go up in space and see Venus," she replied.
--We got up there in time to meet Amanda, Jenn and their friend Bill for a nice dinner before they went to the hockey game and Drew and I saw "Les Miserables." We wanted to see "Lincoln" but we just couldn't make the times work. Anyway, I had two drinks at dinner and, man, that was enough to get a nice buzz on -- nice enough to make it through the histrionic "Les Mis," which actually wasn't a terrible film, it just didn't translate that well from stage to screen. Rachel was very well-behaved at the hockey game; she managed to acquire a miniature stuffed version of "CoolBird," the mascot of the T-birds (the hockey team) and she even got her picture taken with the real mascot!
--On Sunday morning, by some miracle, we all got up, showered, dressed and left in time to meet Anne, David and Grandma Jean at Maltby Cafe, a famous breakfast place we try to visit whenever we're up there -- their cinnamon buns are great and although it's very crowded, it's worth the wait. What was nice about this visit was Rachel spent a lot of time with Auntie Anne, crawling into her lap and just hanging out with the women in the family (I had begun getting worried that Anne and Jean would be offended that Rachel was so tied up with Uncle David). I spent a lot of time doing fairy stickers with Rachel in a fairy sticker book I bought her a while ago. There's something very soothing about picking out outfits for various fairies to wear. You should try it sometime, even if you don't have a little girl in your house.
--Then we drove to Seattle Community College to see "Bye Bye Birdie" -- an all-kids version of the play by the Broadway Bound kids theater company for whom Jenn does the books. She was able to score us free tickets -- thanks, Jenn! -- so we couldn't say no, and Rachel seemed to enjoy the production (although I ended up needing to explain a lot). We promised we'd bring her back for "Shrek: The Musical," and "Aladdin," two productions they're doing in the next couple of months. The kids' acting skills were quite impressive!
We got back quite late, so we went to a kid-friendly brewpub and had a light dinner before unpacking and settling in to bed. All in all, a fabulous weekend! We are so lucky to have family in the awesome city of Seattle! I can't wait until Rachel is old enough for an all-girls weekend up there with Mommy....
***
Right before we left for Seattle, Rachel said this unexpectedly at breakfast:
"I wish you could only be an astronaut at 4 1/2 and up!"
"Why?" I asked.
"I just want to be a astronaut to go up in space and see Venus," she replied.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Shabbat!
One of the nicest things about driving home after a long, long, loooong week at work is having a nice hot meal waiting for me at home (courtesy of Drew), a cold hard cider and Rachel's sweet face waiting to greet me, usually accompanied by "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" as if she's been waiting ALL DAY to see me.
Have I mentioned that I feel like the luckiest mom on Earth?
Tonight, just before we lit the Shabbat candles (and Rachel, as usual, said all three prayers perfectly), she announced in a loud voice:
"Everybody! Today is Shabbat! It's the most wonderful day of the year! So be proud, be proud of Shabbat!"
Honestly, I don't make this stuff up.
***
Drew seems to be getting over the awful chest cough that has made him miserable and hard to live with these past two weeks, if only because I've felt guilty making him talk. So, of course, I'm starting to feel tired, yucky and mucus-filled. I told Drew that I simply cannot get sick until mid-February; I've got the magazine to put out, plus three interviews of prospective Northwestern students, a trip to Seattle this weekend, people we need to invite for dinner....
Because I've been mucus-filled, I haven't felt like eating yogurt for breakfast, so I haven't HAD any breakfast the last two days. I mentioned at dinner tonight that I was disappointed I didn't get to swim at lunch, but I was so hungry that I decided to eat instead of exercise. Drew reprimanded me for skipping breakfast (his pet peeve).
"Mommy, you have to eat breakfast and lunch. You have to stay healthy," Rachel said sternly. "I mean, if you want to get a cold, that's fine with me."
That kid's got my number, all right.
Have I mentioned that I feel like the luckiest mom on Earth?
Tonight, just before we lit the Shabbat candles (and Rachel, as usual, said all three prayers perfectly), she announced in a loud voice:
"Everybody! Today is Shabbat! It's the most wonderful day of the year! So be proud, be proud of Shabbat!"
Honestly, I don't make this stuff up.
***
Drew seems to be getting over the awful chest cough that has made him miserable and hard to live with these past two weeks, if only because I've felt guilty making him talk. So, of course, I'm starting to feel tired, yucky and mucus-filled. I told Drew that I simply cannot get sick until mid-February; I've got the magazine to put out, plus three interviews of prospective Northwestern students, a trip to Seattle this weekend, people we need to invite for dinner....
Because I've been mucus-filled, I haven't felt like eating yogurt for breakfast, so I haven't HAD any breakfast the last two days. I mentioned at dinner tonight that I was disappointed I didn't get to swim at lunch, but I was so hungry that I decided to eat instead of exercise. Drew reprimanded me for skipping breakfast (his pet peeve).
"Mommy, you have to eat breakfast and lunch. You have to stay healthy," Rachel said sternly. "I mean, if you want to get a cold, that's fine with me."
That kid's got my number, all right.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Rachel wisdom
All the marvelous, lovely sleep I caught up on after I got back from Africa -- when I would, without apology, head to bed at 10 p.m. because, for Pete's sake, I was jet-lagged -- is being leached away, bit by bit, as I rush toward deadline for the magazine and worry about whether my new boss is going to like me and fret about all the things I'm not getting to, like writing up another book proposal or searching for more catering opportunities. Yeah, I'm a real joy to live with these days.
Anyway...Rachel and I were having a conversation about sleep at dinner. I told her that when I don't get enough sleep at night, I get cranky and tired and sad (depressed, really, but I didn't want to go into an explanation of what it means to be depressed).
"Sad about what?" Rachel asked.
"Sad about life," I replied.
She seemed to think for a second, and then said calmly:
"Sometimes life is not easy and that's how the way life works. Sometimes you're cranky, and sometimes you're not. So it's not a fair fight."
I don't even know what that means, but all I wanted to do at that very moment was take her in my arms and hug her and kiss her into staying the exact same age she is now.
***
When I get tired, I'm not as patient as I should be with Rachel. I never yell at her (or, God forbid, hit her), but sometimes I'm a little short. And I tend to nag her to finish whatever task she's doing. This morning as we were getting ready for school, she had to say, "I'm DOING it! PATIENCE, Mommy!" I was ashamed of myself. So who cares if we get to preschool later than I want and I get to work at 10:30 instead of 10? In the end, will it really matter?
Tonight I kept nagging her to finish dinner (a task I hate, but I was determined to give her a bath and get her to bed before, oh, 10) and at one point I had to raise my voice a little and say, "RACHEL. EAT. NOW."
A year ago she would have burst into tears but tonight she took it in stride. I guess that's progress.
I put her in bed at 9:15, went into the kitchen and started making my lunch, an elaborate salad that takes time to prepare and lasts a week. I started thinking about how our night had gone. Then at 9:30 I walked into her room.
"Hi, Mommy," Rachel said.
"Sweetie, you are the best daughter in the whole world," I explained. "Sometimes I'm tired and short with you, but it doesn't mean I don't love you. It's really important you understand that, OK?"
She reached out and gave me a hug. I hope she remembers this.
Anyway...Rachel and I were having a conversation about sleep at dinner. I told her that when I don't get enough sleep at night, I get cranky and tired and sad (depressed, really, but I didn't want to go into an explanation of what it means to be depressed).
"Sad about what?" Rachel asked.
"Sad about life," I replied.
She seemed to think for a second, and then said calmly:
"Sometimes life is not easy and that's how the way life works. Sometimes you're cranky, and sometimes you're not. So it's not a fair fight."
I don't even know what that means, but all I wanted to do at that very moment was take her in my arms and hug her and kiss her into staying the exact same age she is now.
***
When I get tired, I'm not as patient as I should be with Rachel. I never yell at her (or, God forbid, hit her), but sometimes I'm a little short. And I tend to nag her to finish whatever task she's doing. This morning as we were getting ready for school, she had to say, "I'm DOING it! PATIENCE, Mommy!" I was ashamed of myself. So who cares if we get to preschool later than I want and I get to work at 10:30 instead of 10? In the end, will it really matter?
Tonight I kept nagging her to finish dinner (a task I hate, but I was determined to give her a bath and get her to bed before, oh, 10) and at one point I had to raise my voice a little and say, "RACHEL. EAT. NOW."
A year ago she would have burst into tears but tonight she took it in stride. I guess that's progress.
I put her in bed at 9:15, went into the kitchen and started making my lunch, an elaborate salad that takes time to prepare and lasts a week. I started thinking about how our night had gone. Then at 9:30 I walked into her room.
"Hi, Mommy," Rachel said.
"Sweetie, you are the best daughter in the whole world," I explained. "Sometimes I'm tired and short with you, but it doesn't mean I don't love you. It's really important you understand that, OK?"
She reached out and gave me a hug. I hope she remembers this.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Mommy and Rachel day
Drew had to work yet another @#!*%! weekend shift in Seattle, so at 11:30 a.m. off he went. Rachel and I spent a lovely time coloring in a great "Doodles for Princesses" coloring book that Drew got her the other day; it really encourages kids using their imagination by designing, say, a tiara and earrings, a flower in a garden, the kind of house you'd want to live in, etc. We each took turns with a page, and I was surprised at how much fun it was for me (and how little imagination I have. Geez, I'm old). I had to get Rachel to fix my tiara drawing because I just couldn't render on paper what I imagined in my head, and she did a terrific job.
Then we headed to the Southwest Community Center for Tessa's birthday party. Tessa's mom, Helen, told me to go off and relax and come back later, so I dropped off some food I'd made for Emily, the head of the Oregon Area Jewish Committee -- she is very ill with a mysterious sickness so I made matzo ball soup and challah -- and then dashed into the grocery store for some yogurt and unsweetened iced tea that I forgot to ask Drew to buy yesterday. And then I ducked into Starbucks, ordered some extra hot hot chocolate and sat down to read the NY Times. Ah! Bliss....
Tessa said Rachel had been the nicest person at her party, and Rachel responded by giving her a big hug. We then drove to Doug and Linda's to pick up some of Jack's and Andrew's old books and a very cool cash register that has a solar calculator built in -- I can't wait to teach Rachel about money and math, and this explains why the boys are so adept in math -- and then we all went out to dinner at Fuddrucker's. Rachel ate a hot dog and most of a cup of fruit, so I bought her an M&M cookie that one of the restaurant workers was kind enough to give me for free. (Rachel also spent a lot of time hugging Linda and being very friendly to the boys. It's nice to see her give her affection so freely). Rachel napped on the way home and was so tired that I didn't want to wake her up to wash her face and brush her teeth so I just undressed her, put her nightgown on and got her quickly to bed by the astonishingly early hour of 8:45. I rationalized that she needs the extra sleep and, yes, I was eager to watch Downton Abbey. So sue me.
***
This morning Rachel crawled into bed with me and told me about a dream she'd had: "I dreamed that you and I and Tia Daniella were all little girls together living in the same house. ("And Valerie, too?" I asked. "Yes, Valerie too," she answered.) She continued: I was the oldest and you were all the same age, like two years younger. We all played together nicely." There was more but I forgot. It sounded like a very sweet dream!
***
I mentioned the possibility of us talking to Grandma and Grandpa today (we didn't connect, but hopefully we'll do so next week). "I miss Grandma!" Rachel said mournfully. "I haven't seen her in a long time. I can't WAIT until Passover!"
Neither can I.
Then we headed to the Southwest Community Center for Tessa's birthday party. Tessa's mom, Helen, told me to go off and relax and come back later, so I dropped off some food I'd made for Emily, the head of the Oregon Area Jewish Committee -- she is very ill with a mysterious sickness so I made matzo ball soup and challah -- and then dashed into the grocery store for some yogurt and unsweetened iced tea that I forgot to ask Drew to buy yesterday. And then I ducked into Starbucks, ordered some extra hot hot chocolate and sat down to read the NY Times. Ah! Bliss....
Tessa said Rachel had been the nicest person at her party, and Rachel responded by giving her a big hug. We then drove to Doug and Linda's to pick up some of Jack's and Andrew's old books and a very cool cash register that has a solar calculator built in -- I can't wait to teach Rachel about money and math, and this explains why the boys are so adept in math -- and then we all went out to dinner at Fuddrucker's. Rachel ate a hot dog and most of a cup of fruit, so I bought her an M&M cookie that one of the restaurant workers was kind enough to give me for free. (Rachel also spent a lot of time hugging Linda and being very friendly to the boys. It's nice to see her give her affection so freely). Rachel napped on the way home and was so tired that I didn't want to wake her up to wash her face and brush her teeth so I just undressed her, put her nightgown on and got her quickly to bed by the astonishingly early hour of 8:45. I rationalized that she needs the extra sleep and, yes, I was eager to watch Downton Abbey. So sue me.
***
This morning Rachel crawled into bed with me and told me about a dream she'd had: "I dreamed that you and I and Tia Daniella were all little girls together living in the same house. ("And Valerie, too?" I asked. "Yes, Valerie too," she answered.) She continued: I was the oldest and you were all the same age, like two years younger. We all played together nicely." There was more but I forgot. It sounded like a very sweet dream!
***
I mentioned the possibility of us talking to Grandma and Grandpa today (we didn't connect, but hopefully we'll do so next week). "I miss Grandma!" Rachel said mournfully. "I haven't seen her in a long time. I can't WAIT until Passover!"
Neither can I.
Fantasia!
I believe the real reason I got pregnant was so I could introduce my child to the wonder of "Fantasia." I will always remember Mom taking me and Daniella to a theater to watch it (that must have been around the time it was re-released in theaters in the 1960s/70s). I've seen it several times since and the scene that always scared the bejesus out of me was "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," when Mickey Mouse tries out a sorcerer's spell on some brooms to get them to do his work for him, and then ends up under an ocean (actually, a tsumani). Rachel dealt with that part just fine; it was the Pastorale Symphony and the scene with the lava spewing out of the mountains (before the dinosaurs) that made her leap into my lap and hide her eyes. I couldn't blame her, it's still kind of scary.
What got me was that even after all these years, Fantasia remains one of my favorite movies and, simply, one of the most amazing feats of animation ever brought to screen. You can see that Pixar was heavily influenced by it. "Every cell is HAND-DRAWN," Drew reminded me, and it is truly incredible how beautifully the music is imagined by Disney's artists.
Rachel was enchanted by it; she dropped her pizza on the floor three times because she totally lost concentration eating (Saturday is turning into family movie and pizza night, which is fine by me) and then she was inspired to change in to a fancy ruffled slip that goes with a dress she has and dance to the Nutracker portion of the movie.
But the best part was when she looked at me and squealed, "Now this is MY favorite movie, too!" and I could have died, happy, just at that moment.
What got me was that even after all these years, Fantasia remains one of my favorite movies and, simply, one of the most amazing feats of animation ever brought to screen. You can see that Pixar was heavily influenced by it. "Every cell is HAND-DRAWN," Drew reminded me, and it is truly incredible how beautifully the music is imagined by Disney's artists.
Rachel was enchanted by it; she dropped her pizza on the floor three times because she totally lost concentration eating (Saturday is turning into family movie and pizza night, which is fine by me) and then she was inspired to change in to a fancy ruffled slip that goes with a dress she has and dance to the Nutracker portion of the movie.
But the best part was when she looked at me and squealed, "Now this is MY favorite movie, too!" and I could have died, happy, just at that moment.
Friday, January 11, 2013
what a week!
It started out as being not so great -- the Africa story I'm working on is proving to be a bear to write, and there are other personnel issues at work I'm trying to sort through -- but today was terrific. I got the news that Willamette Lawyer, the magazine I edit, got two awards -- bronze for overall presentation and silver for writing -- from CASE, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. It's the industry group to which all university communications people belong. So, I'm thrilled!
Naturally I was more than willing to tell Rachel a story tonight. Actually, it's the continuation of the story of Sam, a little boy who loves ballet but his dad disapproves; he wants him to play sports. (The character is very slightly based on Sean Savoye, the brother of a childhood acquaintance of mine named Sam. Sean played the prince in American Ballet Theatre's production of The Nutcracker -- or maybe it was City Ballet, or the Joffrey, can't quite remember). When we last left Sam, he had seen The Nutcracker with his mommy and LOVED it. Tonight, he decided he wanted to take ballet lessons but knew his dad would disapprove, so he enlisted the help of a teacher and took ballet lessons after school and ended up auditioning for The Nutcracker. He asked the three people he was auditioning for -- one man and two women -- if he could please please perform to some music instead of just doing first position and plies, and they said yes, and he danced so beautifully that at the end the two women had tears running down their faces and the man said he could have the part if he wanted it, and Sam was very happy except...now he had to tell his dad. And that's where we ended it. Rachel was so distressed that she made me pinky promise to tell her the rest of the story sometime this weekend.
***
Next weekend we're visiting Amanda and Jenn for a hockey game (actually Rachel will go to the game; Drew and I will go out to dinner). Tonight I jokingly asked Rachel if we could come to the game and she said no, then said sure.
"Daddy, do you want to sit next to your sister?" she asked.
"Not particularly," Drew answered.
"Daddy!" Rachel yelled. "Your sister's not even boring!"
"That's OK," Drew said. "She understands that I don't like hockey."
***
I told Rachel that there's one more cookie left for her to eat this weekend of the two cookies I brought home from an event my chorus is running for the next few weeks. Unfortunately one of the cookies crumbled.
"That's OK," Rachel said, "'cause it'll feel like I'm eating MANY cookies! A hundred, a million, a jillion, a killion!"
Drew told her she had an excellent attitude. I agree!
Naturally I was more than willing to tell Rachel a story tonight. Actually, it's the continuation of the story of Sam, a little boy who loves ballet but his dad disapproves; he wants him to play sports. (The character is very slightly based on Sean Savoye, the brother of a childhood acquaintance of mine named Sam. Sean played the prince in American Ballet Theatre's production of The Nutcracker -- or maybe it was City Ballet, or the Joffrey, can't quite remember). When we last left Sam, he had seen The Nutcracker with his mommy and LOVED it. Tonight, he decided he wanted to take ballet lessons but knew his dad would disapprove, so he enlisted the help of a teacher and took ballet lessons after school and ended up auditioning for The Nutcracker. He asked the three people he was auditioning for -- one man and two women -- if he could please please perform to some music instead of just doing first position and plies, and they said yes, and he danced so beautifully that at the end the two women had tears running down their faces and the man said he could have the part if he wanted it, and Sam was very happy except...now he had to tell his dad. And that's where we ended it. Rachel was so distressed that she made me pinky promise to tell her the rest of the story sometime this weekend.
***
Next weekend we're visiting Amanda and Jenn for a hockey game (actually Rachel will go to the game; Drew and I will go out to dinner). Tonight I jokingly asked Rachel if we could come to the game and she said no, then said sure.
"Daddy, do you want to sit next to your sister?" she asked.
"Not particularly," Drew answered.
"Daddy!" Rachel yelled. "Your sister's not even boring!"
"That's OK," Drew said. "She understands that I don't like hockey."
***
I told Rachel that there's one more cookie left for her to eat this weekend of the two cookies I brought home from an event my chorus is running for the next few weeks. Unfortunately one of the cookies crumbled.
"That's OK," Rachel said, "'cause it'll feel like I'm eating MANY cookies! A hundred, a million, a jillion, a killion!"
Drew told her she had an excellent attitude. I agree!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Bad Mommy, Part 2
After Drew's strong hints that he would really, really like me to make chocolate chip banana bread, I decided to enlist Rachel's help tonight in making it. We stopped at Fred Meyer's on the way home because I'm also making dinner and a cake for the executive director of the Oregon Area Jewish Committee, who is battling a mysterious ailment and has been hospitalized for almost a week.
By the time we got home I had to rush to get dinner on the table, it got late, and Rachel on Tuesdays empties all the garbages, so by the time we got finished it was time to get ready for bed. She was really, really upset that she couldn't help me bake but stopped crying when I agreed to her sad request for "a Mommy cuddle."
She otherwise was quite cheerful about going to bed. I returned to the kitchen and started baking and then discovered something...I was lonely. Baking is so much more fun when Rachel is helping me in the kitchen! I felt so bad that I saved the beaters from the chocolate chip cake to give her tomorrow morning.
Then I thought, what the heck, and went into her room. She was lying in bed (it was 10:15) and I handed her the chocolate covered beater. When she asked me why, I told her I felt bad we didn't get to bake together and lonely without her in the kitchen, so I was bringing her the beater as an extra special treat that will NOT BE REPEATED. "Remember this when you're with your therapist someday," I ordered, and she smiled and licked all the chocolate away. She looked really, really happy.
Maybe I'm not a bad mommy after all. At least I'm full of surprises!
By the time we got home I had to rush to get dinner on the table, it got late, and Rachel on Tuesdays empties all the garbages, so by the time we got finished it was time to get ready for bed. She was really, really upset that she couldn't help me bake but stopped crying when I agreed to her sad request for "a Mommy cuddle."
She otherwise was quite cheerful about going to bed. I returned to the kitchen and started baking and then discovered something...I was lonely. Baking is so much more fun when Rachel is helping me in the kitchen! I felt so bad that I saved the beaters from the chocolate chip cake to give her tomorrow morning.
Then I thought, what the heck, and went into her room. She was lying in bed (it was 10:15) and I handed her the chocolate covered beater. When she asked me why, I told her I felt bad we didn't get to bake together and lonely without her in the kitchen, so I was bringing her the beater as an extra special treat that will NOT BE REPEATED. "Remember this when you're with your therapist someday," I ordered, and she smiled and licked all the chocolate away. She looked really, really happy.
Maybe I'm not a bad mommy after all. At least I'm full of surprises!
Monday, January 7, 2013
Rachel the grownup
In the last two weeks it seems as if Rachel has become even more mature, as if she's taken a step or two forward. Tonight she kept asking me if I needed help doing anything, and she insisted on coming downstairs and helping me put my laundry in the washing machine. It's getting to the point that I really have to be careful about doing housework around her because she'll invariably offer to help and then get very upset if I can't give her a job to do.
That may abate somewhat when I put together a family chore list at the end of this week, which is one of my New Year's resolutions for 2013.
She also is a great conversationalist. She has started saying things like, "most 4 and a halfs don't do..." to show us how grown-up she is. Tonight she said, "Amanda's 5 and she can't even read her My Little Pony books."
That struck a wrong chord with me, so I told her I wanted to talk to her about something. "Let's have a conversation!" she exclaimed, and I told her that not every kid has parents who love books and read to their kids all the time, and that it's OK to say things like she did about Amanda to me and to Daddy, but not to tell other kids that. "I won't, because it will make them feel bad," she said, and she seemed to get the message. Everyone has a different talent, I told her -- maybe Amanda is good at sports. "Amanda takes soccer lessons every Friday!" Rachel said, and I told her that that may be Amanda's talent, and that as she grows up she needs to respect everyone's talent even though it may be different from her own.
***
"When I grow up I'm gonna be a Sweet Adeline," Rachel said at dinner tonight. "And I'm gonna stand next to you on the risers."
"I would LOVE it if you stood next to me on the risers!" I exclaimed.
"And then we can smile at each other when Ryan's not looking," she added. "Because we don't want to be kicked out of the chorus!"
***
We were discussing our plans for two weekends from now when we'll head to Seattle on Saturday so Rachel can attend a hockey game with Amanda and Jenn and Drew and I can go out to dinner at a place nearby. We'll stay with Amanda and Jenn and head back on Sunday.
Rachel's summary of the weekend: "You'll go out to dinner and talk about the law school and what kind of cereal you like. And I get to go to an exciting HOCKEY game! Yay! I get to eat POPCORN!"
Clearly she believes she will have a better time than we will!
***
"You know why I love the Northwesterns?" Rachel said. "'Cause they wear purple! And purple is my favorite color!"
I explained that Northwestern students are called Wildcats and not Northwesterns. She wasn't buying it.
"You call them Northwesterns, 'cause, like, they're all in a group!"
***
"When I get older and you're at a bookstore and you want something, call me," Rachel instructed me tonight. "And I'll put a tag on it and it'll have no price on it, 'cause it'll be free. 'Cause you're my parents."
That may abate somewhat when I put together a family chore list at the end of this week, which is one of my New Year's resolutions for 2013.
She also is a great conversationalist. She has started saying things like, "most 4 and a halfs don't do..." to show us how grown-up she is. Tonight she said, "Amanda's 5 and she can't even read her My Little Pony books."
That struck a wrong chord with me, so I told her I wanted to talk to her about something. "Let's have a conversation!" she exclaimed, and I told her that not every kid has parents who love books and read to their kids all the time, and that it's OK to say things like she did about Amanda to me and to Daddy, but not to tell other kids that. "I won't, because it will make them feel bad," she said, and she seemed to get the message. Everyone has a different talent, I told her -- maybe Amanda is good at sports. "Amanda takes soccer lessons every Friday!" Rachel said, and I told her that that may be Amanda's talent, and that as she grows up she needs to respect everyone's talent even though it may be different from her own.
***
"When I grow up I'm gonna be a Sweet Adeline," Rachel said at dinner tonight. "And I'm gonna stand next to you on the risers."
"I would LOVE it if you stood next to me on the risers!" I exclaimed.
"And then we can smile at each other when Ryan's not looking," she added. "Because we don't want to be kicked out of the chorus!"
***
We were discussing our plans for two weekends from now when we'll head to Seattle on Saturday so Rachel can attend a hockey game with Amanda and Jenn and Drew and I can go out to dinner at a place nearby. We'll stay with Amanda and Jenn and head back on Sunday.
Rachel's summary of the weekend: "You'll go out to dinner and talk about the law school and what kind of cereal you like. And I get to go to an exciting HOCKEY game! Yay! I get to eat POPCORN!"
Clearly she believes she will have a better time than we will!
***
"You know why I love the Northwesterns?" Rachel said. "'Cause they wear purple! And purple is my favorite color!"
I explained that Northwestern students are called Wildcats and not Northwesterns. She wasn't buying it.
"You call them Northwesterns, 'cause, like, they're all in a group!"
***
"When I get older and you're at a bookstore and you want something, call me," Rachel instructed me tonight. "And I'll put a tag on it and it'll have no price on it, 'cause it'll be free. 'Cause you're my parents."
Sunday, January 6, 2013
SHE'S READING!!!
At Noah's birthday party last night, our friend Amy gave me some books that her own kids learned to read from when they were Rachel's age (actually, probably a little bit older). She noticed them this morning and while Drew was getting dressed and ready to get soup ingredients (I made Scotch broth with kale and sausage and macaroni soup to get us through the next two weeks), she and I cuddled in bed and she insisted on reading to me. She had brought in the books Amy gave us (they are thin books with very basic sentences), and started...reading!
"Mat sat. Sam sat. Mat sat on Sam. Sam sat on Mat" is how these books go, and Rachel astonished me by reading every single word! The ones she couldn't get right away she was able to sound out. I was so proud and stunned....she will definitely be reading chapter books my kindergarten if not before. My little girl reading! I can hardly believe it.
Now that we have the beginnings of literacy, we need to work on numeracy. Drew took care of that tonight while I was making soup -- he took Rachel downstairs and taught her how to write 1 to 100 on the computer. He has also taught her to play "Old Maid," and I foresee many winter evenings by the fire when we'll all be locked in fierce combat over card games, board games and storytelling. Oh, she is just delightful to be around these days!
Rachel was also very patient when we dragged her around to multiple furniture stores in a quest to replace our falling-apart kitchen chairs. We didn't find anything and will resume the hunt next weekend. We thanked her profusely for being so cheerful (even if she did get a bit too cozy with one saleswoman and started giving her a hug when we really wanted to be left alone to ponder our decision in peace). As I told Drew, thank goodness we're not in our 20s and tasked with furnishing a house, because then poor Rachel would have to come with us every weekend to look at furniture and she'd get so bored.
Also today, we Skyped with Tia Daniella, Valerie and Zhou Zhou. More comparing of toys and clothes -- both girls changed outfits once -- and eventually the parents had to put a stop to all the stuff that our kids were bringing out. Those little girls are so cute, even if they drive us batty.
***
Cute Rachel saying of the weekend:
Drew offered to clean up tonight after I spent two hours making the two soups. I tried to protest, but he shut me down.
"Mom, you clean up two nights a week," Rachel said. "You need to let Daddy clean up the rest of the time."
We were marveling at how she's growing up in a house where the women AND then men cook and clean, and Drew asked Rachel, "what if a boy asked you to marry him but he said he didn't want to do any cooking or cleaning and he expected YOU to do all the cooking and cleaning? What would you say?"
Rachel's response?
"I would NOT marry him."
I could only respond thusly: by pumping my fist in the air and yelling, "Yay! High five!" After Rachel high-fived me, I said, "My work here is DONE."
"Mat sat. Sam sat. Mat sat on Sam. Sam sat on Mat" is how these books go, and Rachel astonished me by reading every single word! The ones she couldn't get right away she was able to sound out. I was so proud and stunned....she will definitely be reading chapter books my kindergarten if not before. My little girl reading! I can hardly believe it.
Now that we have the beginnings of literacy, we need to work on numeracy. Drew took care of that tonight while I was making soup -- he took Rachel downstairs and taught her how to write 1 to 100 on the computer. He has also taught her to play "Old Maid," and I foresee many winter evenings by the fire when we'll all be locked in fierce combat over card games, board games and storytelling. Oh, she is just delightful to be around these days!
Rachel was also very patient when we dragged her around to multiple furniture stores in a quest to replace our falling-apart kitchen chairs. We didn't find anything and will resume the hunt next weekend. We thanked her profusely for being so cheerful (even if she did get a bit too cozy with one saleswoman and started giving her a hug when we really wanted to be left alone to ponder our decision in peace). As I told Drew, thank goodness we're not in our 20s and tasked with furnishing a house, because then poor Rachel would have to come with us every weekend to look at furniture and she'd get so bored.
Also today, we Skyped with Tia Daniella, Valerie and Zhou Zhou. More comparing of toys and clothes -- both girls changed outfits once -- and eventually the parents had to put a stop to all the stuff that our kids were bringing out. Those little girls are so cute, even if they drive us batty.
***
Cute Rachel saying of the weekend:
Drew offered to clean up tonight after I spent two hours making the two soups. I tried to protest, but he shut me down.
"Mom, you clean up two nights a week," Rachel said. "You need to let Daddy clean up the rest of the time."
We were marveling at how she's growing up in a house where the women AND then men cook and clean, and Drew asked Rachel, "what if a boy asked you to marry him but he said he didn't want to do any cooking or cleaning and he expected YOU to do all the cooking and cleaning? What would you say?"
Rachel's response?
"I would NOT marry him."
I could only respond thusly: by pumping my fist in the air and yelling, "Yay! High five!" After Rachel high-fived me, I said, "My work here is DONE."
Birthday party!
Rachel went to her friend Noah's birthday party yesterday (this is the Noah that she has been sighing about lately and wanting to marry). She said sadly tonight at dinner that she wished him a happy birthday but he didn't say thank you, so maybe that's it for the marrying thing. We did have a good time at the indoor playpark where it was held -- at one point they turned out the lights and turned on the colored disco-like lights, and Rachel was very poetic in her description of how they looked (unfortunately I didn't write it down in time).
Then we ended up having another movie and pizza night -- the movie Rachel chose was a second version of Cinderella in which the wicked stepmother, Lady Tremaine, ends up altering history with her magic wand so that the prince falls in love with Anastasia, Lady Tremaine's biological daughter, instead of Cinderella, and Cinderella has to undo the magic and reunite with the prince (with help from her mouse friends Jaq and Gus Gus). The movie was actually pretty engaging. Rachel has expressed and interest in watching Star Wars and Enchanted, and I can't wait to see those again, so movie nights are getting more and more entertaining at our house. If high-definition/big screen TVs get low enough in price, we may look later this year to replace our aging TV set. We'll see....
The best part of last night was watching Drew and Rachel dance to the music that played over the credits. Rachel also danced for a while last night while Drew did some cleanup work in the basement and I got rid of some junk mail. I cannot express how happy I get watching her dance (in the basement it was to the music of The Nutcracker). She has such a serious expression on her face, as if she's concentrating really hard to get the steps right, and when she danced with Drew, I tried to memorize every step she took so I could remember it on her wedding day, when she does a daddy/daughter dance and I'll have a vision of her as she was last night, dancing in her striped pony dress in our attic when she was a preschooler.
And then, of course, I'll start to cry.
Then we ended up having another movie and pizza night -- the movie Rachel chose was a second version of Cinderella in which the wicked stepmother, Lady Tremaine, ends up altering history with her magic wand so that the prince falls in love with Anastasia, Lady Tremaine's biological daughter, instead of Cinderella, and Cinderella has to undo the magic and reunite with the prince (with help from her mouse friends Jaq and Gus Gus). The movie was actually pretty engaging. Rachel has expressed and interest in watching Star Wars and Enchanted, and I can't wait to see those again, so movie nights are getting more and more entertaining at our house. If high-definition/big screen TVs get low enough in price, we may look later this year to replace our aging TV set. We'll see....
The best part of last night was watching Drew and Rachel dance to the music that played over the credits. Rachel also danced for a while last night while Drew did some cleanup work in the basement and I got rid of some junk mail. I cannot express how happy I get watching her dance (in the basement it was to the music of The Nutcracker). She has such a serious expression on her face, as if she's concentrating really hard to get the steps right, and when she danced with Drew, I tried to memorize every step she took so I could remember it on her wedding day, when she does a daddy/daughter dance and I'll have a vision of her as she was last night, dancing in her striped pony dress in our attic when she was a preschooler.
And then, of course, I'll start to cry.
Friday, January 4, 2013
My sous chef
Rachel and I did a good job mowing through most of the leftovers in the fridge while Drew was in Seattle last week. Result: we actually have room for soups, stews, bread, etc.
With that in mind, I decided to make challah last night. It's a four-hour process, so I had to start almost as soon as I walked in the door. Rachel, of course, insisted on helping.
She did a great job of folding over and kneading the dough. She also is very proud of herself for breaking apart the eggs (I crack them, since she's still too intimidated to do so, and then she breaks apart the eggshell. So far she has done a great job avoiding any shell spillage into the mix!). And once I measure out the ingredients, she pours them right in. AND she does a really good job of mixing the dough while holding onto the bowl with one hand! Really, we are getting the point where she will soon be ready to cook on her own, or at least prepare the dough for baking.
It really was lovely making challah on a cold night, with Bach in the background and Drew telling Rachel how proud he was of her. Plus the challah turned out great! I am getting better and better at braiding it. We are almost halfway through one loaf already; there is only one left in the freezer. Looks like I'll have to make it every week!
***
This morning before I left for work, I checked my work e-mail and read Drew some of the nice messages I've gotten about the magazine. A few minutes later, Rachel came in with her toy flip phone and announced, "Gosh, I have a lot of messages, too!"
The first one she read aloud went something like this: "Dear Rachel. I can't wait to take you to the Land of Sweets. We'll see lots of beautiful dancing. Love, Mommy."
And the second one from Kimono (a My Little Pony Character): "I'd like to invite you to a birthday party. It starts at 10. Love, Kimono."
I love that one of her text messages was from Mommy!
With that in mind, I decided to make challah last night. It's a four-hour process, so I had to start almost as soon as I walked in the door. Rachel, of course, insisted on helping.
She did a great job of folding over and kneading the dough. She also is very proud of herself for breaking apart the eggs (I crack them, since she's still too intimidated to do so, and then she breaks apart the eggshell. So far she has done a great job avoiding any shell spillage into the mix!). And once I measure out the ingredients, she pours them right in. AND she does a really good job of mixing the dough while holding onto the bowl with one hand! Really, we are getting the point where she will soon be ready to cook on her own, or at least prepare the dough for baking.
It really was lovely making challah on a cold night, with Bach in the background and Drew telling Rachel how proud he was of her. Plus the challah turned out great! I am getting better and better at braiding it. We are almost halfway through one loaf already; there is only one left in the freezer. Looks like I'll have to make it every week!
***
This morning before I left for work, I checked my work e-mail and read Drew some of the nice messages I've gotten about the magazine. A few minutes later, Rachel came in with her toy flip phone and announced, "Gosh, I have a lot of messages, too!"
The first one she read aloud went something like this: "Dear Rachel. I can't wait to take you to the Land of Sweets. We'll see lots of beautiful dancing. Love, Mommy."
And the second one from Kimono (a My Little Pony Character): "I'd like to invite you to a birthday party. It starts at 10. Love, Kimono."
I love that one of her text messages was from Mommy!
Goofy kid
Drew and I were discussing what needs to be done around here this weekend (Rachel has a birthday party to go to on Saturday afternoon, and we plan to spend Sunday looking to replace our kitchen table chairs, which are, literally, falling apart). Plus I'm trying a new recipe this weekend: Scotch broth.
Yeah, the holidays and my Africa trip are definitely over. Time to get back into a routine.
Anyway: Rachel piped up: "So my suggestion is, sweep the house, sit by the heater and rest...and paint the telephone."
And then she collapsed in a fit of giggles.
***
Also tonight, Rachel finished her dinner lickety-split.
"Guys, can we chat?" she asked. "Since I finished my dinner."
"What do you want to chat about?" Drew asked.
"I want to tell you what I did at school," she said.
"When I asked you before what you did at school, you said 'nothing' and that you hid under a table!" Drew said, exasperated.
"I played with the refrigerator," Rachel said. "And I made a letter."
Yeah, the holidays and my Africa trip are definitely over. Time to get back into a routine.
Anyway: Rachel piped up: "So my suggestion is, sweep the house, sit by the heater and rest...and paint the telephone."
And then she collapsed in a fit of giggles.
***
Also tonight, Rachel finished her dinner lickety-split.
"Guys, can we chat?" she asked. "Since I finished my dinner."
"What do you want to chat about?" Drew asked.
"I want to tell you what I did at school," she said.
"When I asked you before what you did at school, you said 'nothing' and that you hid under a table!" Drew said, exasperated.
"I played with the refrigerator," Rachel said. "And I made a letter."
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Rachel commentary
Rachel said so many goofy things this New Year's, it's hard to keep track. Here are some of them:
"ahh...." she sighed, several times. "I'm imagining Noah."
(Noah is the son of my friend Sarah. Rachel is going to his 6th birthday party on Saturday. She insists that she wants to marry him. I told Sarah that I dibs Thanksgiving and Hanukkah; she can take all the other holidays).
"You know what I'm going to do at his party?" Rachel asked. "I'm going to hug and kiss him."
When I opened my mouth to suggest he may not welcome that, she said quickly, "but I'm going to ask his permission first."
Atta girl!
***
On the way home tonight, Rachel started talking about the wedding dress that the bride at the Space Needle wore. She was disappointed it didn't have a veil.
"It's not as pretty as YOUR wedding dress," she said.
"Well, you can wear my wedding dress someday," I said.
"Nahh," she said matter-of-factly. "I'd like my own dress."
"Well, I was saving my dress for you," I said, a little hurt.
"I can get a new dress for my first husband," she said, "and wear your dress for my second marriage!"
Uh, sure, kid.
"ahh...." she sighed, several times. "I'm imagining Noah."
(Noah is the son of my friend Sarah. Rachel is going to his 6th birthday party on Saturday. She insists that she wants to marry him. I told Sarah that I dibs Thanksgiving and Hanukkah; she can take all the other holidays).
"You know what I'm going to do at his party?" Rachel asked. "I'm going to hug and kiss him."
When I opened my mouth to suggest he may not welcome that, she said quickly, "but I'm going to ask his permission first."
Atta girl!
***
On the way home tonight, Rachel started talking about the wedding dress that the bride at the Space Needle wore. She was disappointed it didn't have a veil.
"It's not as pretty as YOUR wedding dress," she said.
"Well, you can wear my wedding dress someday," I said.
"Nahh," she said matter-of-factly. "I'd like my own dress."
"Well, I was saving my dress for you," I said, a little hurt.
"I can get a new dress for my first husband," she said, "and wear your dress for my second marriage!"
Uh, sure, kid.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Wow, can't imagine a better way of ringing in the New Year than with family. I'll try to remember everything that we did:
On Saturday we drove up to Anne and David and Grandma Jean's (after an unwelcome long wait at Jiffy Lube and various other errands I was determined to take care of before we left) and got there around dinnertime. Rachel was ecstatic to see everyone, especially "Uncle Airplane," as she has taken to calling David, and we ate David's steaks with gusto.
On Sunday we hung around the house, playing games, until Anne and I decided we really needed to take a walk (and the weather was reasonably cooperative), so off we went. Rachel whined so much that we finally let her stay home, as Grandma Jean graciously offered to watch her while we went to Marymount Park, a lovely one near the house. It felt odd to be just us four in the car and on the hike, kind of like a double date night but in the middle of the day. The walk through the park was gorgeous, and by the time we got back I was in the mood for hot chocolate, which we had, and then David made his awesome homemade pizza.
The next day, Dec. 31, Drew had to work so Rachel and I -- after sleeping until the highly unusual hour of 10:30 a.m.! -- went to the Pacific Science Center. We saw the best holiday laser light show EVER -- lasers to the sounds of Christmas and New Year's music (there was even a dreidel song, yay!) and Rachel and I lay on the floor of the auditorium and just looked up, marveling at the whole thing. Really, it was absolutely incredible, worth the price of admission alone. Rachel also explored a computer in the tot area of the museum, where we spent a fair amount of time. I don't think she's quite into the science exhibits yet, although she did like one that tested her sense of smell and another that showed depictions of the constellations.
When we got home, I set about making mustard chicken (a favorite of everyone's; I've made it at the yurt before) and we timed it so that everything was ready as soon as Drew arrived from writing his end-of-the-year stock market story. Rachel went quite willingly to bed at 10 and the rest of us stayed up to watch
"The Usual Suspects" and then we turned in shortly after midnight.
Today we watched the taxslayer.com Gator Bowl and SAW NORTHWESTERN WIN ITS FIRST BOWL GAME SINCE 1949!!! It was EPIC. We taught Rachel how to say, "Go U NU!" and there is nothing more charming than hearing a preschooler holler that during a particularly critical moment of the game. We sadly said our goodbyes around 1:30, then went to the Space Needle because I had attempted to take Rachel there yesterday but they were closing it because they planned to shoot fireworks off the top for New Year's Eve.
Today was definitely the better day to go to the Space Needle -- it was a cold but absolutely clear, sunny day and we could see for miles around. Rachel took her little bear, Sawyer, (a gift from Grandma Jean), and we took the elevator to the top. Rachel complained about having to wear her coat outside (I swear that kid has the same internal body temperature as her dad) and just as we came back in we saw...a wedding! It was a man and a woman and a pastor, not much of a wedding party, and we got to watch the short ceremony. The woman was wearing a gold skirt and jacket embroidered with pearls and she was carrying a single rose; the groom was in a tux with a white rose on his jacket, and the pastor mentioned that they both were recovering from addictions. What a lovely way to start the new year! You could go to the Space Needle your whole life, I told Rachel, and never see a wedding, and we got to see one today.
I'm taking that as a good omen for 2013.
On Saturday we drove up to Anne and David and Grandma Jean's (after an unwelcome long wait at Jiffy Lube and various other errands I was determined to take care of before we left) and got there around dinnertime. Rachel was ecstatic to see everyone, especially "Uncle Airplane," as she has taken to calling David, and we ate David's steaks with gusto.
On Sunday we hung around the house, playing games, until Anne and I decided we really needed to take a walk (and the weather was reasonably cooperative), so off we went. Rachel whined so much that we finally let her stay home, as Grandma Jean graciously offered to watch her while we went to Marymount Park, a lovely one near the house. It felt odd to be just us four in the car and on the hike, kind of like a double date night but in the middle of the day. The walk through the park was gorgeous, and by the time we got back I was in the mood for hot chocolate, which we had, and then David made his awesome homemade pizza.
The next day, Dec. 31, Drew had to work so Rachel and I -- after sleeping until the highly unusual hour of 10:30 a.m.! -- went to the Pacific Science Center. We saw the best holiday laser light show EVER -- lasers to the sounds of Christmas and New Year's music (there was even a dreidel song, yay!) and Rachel and I lay on the floor of the auditorium and just looked up, marveling at the whole thing. Really, it was absolutely incredible, worth the price of admission alone. Rachel also explored a computer in the tot area of the museum, where we spent a fair amount of time. I don't think she's quite into the science exhibits yet, although she did like one that tested her sense of smell and another that showed depictions of the constellations.
When we got home, I set about making mustard chicken (a favorite of everyone's; I've made it at the yurt before) and we timed it so that everything was ready as soon as Drew arrived from writing his end-of-the-year stock market story. Rachel went quite willingly to bed at 10 and the rest of us stayed up to watch
"The Usual Suspects" and then we turned in shortly after midnight.
Today we watched the taxslayer.com Gator Bowl and SAW NORTHWESTERN WIN ITS FIRST BOWL GAME SINCE 1949!!! It was EPIC. We taught Rachel how to say, "Go U NU!" and there is nothing more charming than hearing a preschooler holler that during a particularly critical moment of the game. We sadly said our goodbyes around 1:30, then went to the Space Needle because I had attempted to take Rachel there yesterday but they were closing it because they planned to shoot fireworks off the top for New Year's Eve.
Today was definitely the better day to go to the Space Needle -- it was a cold but absolutely clear, sunny day and we could see for miles around. Rachel took her little bear, Sawyer, (a gift from Grandma Jean), and we took the elevator to the top. Rachel complained about having to wear her coat outside (I swear that kid has the same internal body temperature as her dad) and just as we came back in we saw...a wedding! It was a man and a woman and a pastor, not much of a wedding party, and we got to watch the short ceremony. The woman was wearing a gold skirt and jacket embroidered with pearls and she was carrying a single rose; the groom was in a tux with a white rose on his jacket, and the pastor mentioned that they both were recovering from addictions. What a lovely way to start the new year! You could go to the Space Needle your whole life, I told Rachel, and never see a wedding, and we got to see one today.
I'm taking that as a good omen for 2013.
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