First love

I thought it was the cutest thing ever when Calvin learned to say "I love you" in sign language to me and Brandon. However, I wasn't so sure how I felt about it when he said it to a little girl in a cute pink sweater at the park today. Brandon is going to have a talk with him.

Shoe Size 20

Brandon and my sister were discussing large shoe sizes and in what situations they would be willing to wear opposite genders shoes. Heather and I guessed Brandon's size 14 feet would probably be quite large in women's. When we told Brandon he probably wore size 20 in women's shoes he immediately wanted a pair just so he could say he wears size 20. Anyone know where we could pick some up? I'm guessing we'll have to custom order those.

Another Finished

Remember that competition awhile back? You might think it has taken forever for me to complete these little paintings, but really I am done 6 months early. I hope everyone likes what they got. If not, oh well, that's part of the rules, right?



p.s. if you haven't received your prize yet, I still have to send out the monkey to Heather, the elephants to Marybeth, and the ducks to Ashley. And they are all about 6 x 6, so if they are matted they will fit well in a standard 10 x 10 (scrapbook size) frame.

The Completed Toy Box

There it is. Finished. It's cool to have something in our home that Brandon and I worked on together to make for Calvin.

remote difficulties

Ever since we moved to our new place the remote for our dvd player no longer works. Since the dvd player has only 3 buttons on it that has left us reliant on our universal remote to do anything more than press play. However, finding the correct code has been tricky. For now we are working with code 1087, which makes our dvd do things, but not what the buttons say. (see post-it) We feel like we are at full functioning level with the remote and can select any option we need to with our code sheet.
For example, last night we were watching a movie that was a little hard to understand. No problem, we pressed left arrow and subtitles showed up. If someone walked in and said, "hey, I missed chapter 17, can we go back?" to which I would reply, "why, of course" and hit 5 and then 1. Piece of cake.

Layers of Learning

I have a friend that participates in this great blog where some home schooling and education minded moms share ideas of how they teach their kids in creative ways, including how to elaborate on the ideas depending on how much you want to get into the subject. I really liked this video they posted a little while ago about government.

I don't do a whole lot of teaching, but I have been tutoring a couple girls in a few subjects, mostly math. They both struggle with fractions (who doesn't?) so I have been looking for ways to make it visual as my friend suggested.

I made some pie crust that we rolled out into several small circles and would use a pizza cutter to divide them up and I would ask her questions about the fraction, have her write it out, and then add some of them together, etc. She had a lot of fun with it so I felt pretty successful.

The next week we made pizza because I knew we would need a lot of fractions to work with the recipe. As she added ingredients I would ask her about the different measurements and how to get the amount we need. (ie: 1/4 tsp. to make 1/2 tsp.)
After it was cooked we cut up the pizza and I asked her more questions about how the slices in terms of fractions.
While the dough was rising we went over some concepts using this site and then she played some games on the computer from this website. Some of them were too complicated. She did really well with the balloon game, the flower game & the butterfly game was her favorite.

So if any of your kids have a hard time with fractions this year, there are some ideas for you. And LOTS of ideas at layers-of-learning.blogspot.com

Successful partying

On Saturday night we went to Brandon's work party. It was a nice dinner and live music and lots of awesome prizes, like a plasma screen or a foosball table. Brandon even won something! A crock pot. ooooh. Although the crock pot isn't that exciting, it was still cool to win.

Selfish

I'm not sure if I understand selfishness. I feel like everything I do is coming from a selfish perspective, even the stuff that seems like I'm doing service or being generous. I don't think I would go out of my way to help other people if I felt lousy for it. Even if the task is a miserable one, I still feel better about myself for being a good person. I can't think of anything I do that doesn't have a selfish intent. Or anything anyone does for that matter. There must be something I'm missing.

Jackson Hole

We just got back from a fun vacation to Jackson Hole with Brandon's family. It was a surprise vacation for Brandon's dad to celebrate his 70th birthday with all of Brandon's siblings and their families. We stayed at an awesome house and did lots of great outdoor stuff. Great weekend.
And as far as I know, that is the last of our many vacations this summer. It has been awesome. New York & D.C. with friends, then the ocean in Washington with my family, Jackson Hole with Brandon's family. I have a feeling next summer might be kind of lame compared to this one.

Trouble

We are loving our new apartment. However, there are always some things that aren't exactly the way you'd like them, right? For example, the fixtures around the place are new and nice, but the door handles are a PROBLEM. They are so convenient to open, so convenient even a one year old can open them! It takes some effort, some standing on his toes, but he has opened a few doors now and he loves it. And I don't.

Brick, Wood, Sheep, Wheat, & Ore

Some of you may remember my post about Cupcakes of Catan awhile back. We had some friends visiting from out of town and it seemed like a good occasion to make it happen. You might be wondering - did it make the game a little tricky? yes. did it take awhile time to make? yes (which was fun as well). Was it worth the extra effort? YYYYeeeesss!a few added notes: If you can't tell from the pictures, it's graham crackers for wood, twizzlers for brick, & neccos with red gel icing for the numbers. I had an old art board I threw some paint on for the water. We used skittles for houses, gummy bears for cities, cut up air heads for roads and a picture of a thief on a toothpick for the robber. Good times... if only we had won!

Broiler Bandits

That is what Brandon has named us, with the plan that we will accidentally take the broiler pan from the oven out of every place we ever live in. Right now we have three broiler pans. Although I plan to return one to the apartment we just moved from. Hopefully we'll get by okay with just the two.

non-blogging

We just got back from a great time at the ocean with lots of family, and to keep things interesting, this week we are moving. It's a whole 15 minutes away from where we live now. So who knows when we'll be internet ready at the new place? Blogging may or may not be scarce...
In the meantime, here is a great site that I am very attached to financially: mint.com It's a website that will connect to all your financial accounts, like banks & credit cards, and instead of going to multiple sites to try and keep track of what you spend where, it tells you in nice little charts and graphs. It can even send you emails when you go over the budget you set up. Love it.

Sewing

I recently borrowed my sister in law's sewing machine for a little bit and I was able to cram in all kinds of mending. Pretty much the entire pile that we have accumulated since we got married almost 3 years ago. One pair of pants turned to shorts, long skirt turned to a short one, 5 long sleeve shirts turned into short sleeves (Brandon always busts out of the elbows somehow), 4 pillows covered, 3 sweaters with holes patched, a skirt & shirt re-hemmed, one skirt turned into a bag, and I sewed a small bag for Calvin since he always tries to carry around my purse and the diaper bag, etc. Now he has one his size, that of course he has no interest in.

Toy Box paint options

Here are some of the things we put in Calvin's room, so whatever design we choose for the toy box it will be in these kind of colors. This is what I have so far, try to image them in more accurate colors and a lot nicer.

Toy Box style A:
Toy Box style B (aquarium):
Toy Box style C:

Feel free to voice your opinion on the poll ->

Special Popsicles

I bought some plastic containers to make homemade popsicles. You know, pour in some OJ or yogurt, etc. However, the company seems to be advertising for use of green pepper popsicles. Seriously? Who designed their packaging? The person was either confused, thinking perhaps the pepper was a lime?? Or maybe they only had two images available on their computer and decided apples and green peppers look appealing enough. I guess it works. I bought them, didn't I? Maybe green pepper popsicles are better I think. Green eggs and ham, right? Can't knock it 'till you try it? ....no, I don't think so.

Done

Brandon proved us all wrong and finished the toy box in a week. Now how long will it take for me to paint it .....?? I'll post some samples and maybe take a poll on some ideas.

Time to draw

Since Calvin is one now and has enjoyed playing with his friends' magna doodles, I figured it was time we got him one of his own. Sometimes I forget it's his toy though and he has to pull it out of my hands. He will be starting art lessons soon...

Chicken pox?!

Calvin woke up this morning with spots. Gradually more & more have appeared and I was thinking it was some kind of allergic reaction, I mean, kids these days get vaccines for chicken pox, right? So they don't get it anymore? Then my friend reminded me that they get the vaccine at their one year appointment - which was last week. And it takes about a week for it to show up. They said it's common to have a "reaction" to the vaccine. The "reaction" is the chicken pox.
It's suppose to be less contagious getting it from a vaccine and it's suppose to be more mild (let's hope!). It should be gone in a few days or so. However, the time he was most contagious was before today and guess who has never had the chicken pox - Brandon.
UPDATE: So the spots kept getting worse & worse and started looking more bizarre than chicken pox, so I took him to the doctor and it's not chicken pox, just some virus he most likely got from one of his vaccines. It doesn't change much besides the fact that he's not contagious now, and he is going to be looking a lot worse than chicken pox.

Toy Box

We have been looking around for a good deal on a toy box and Brandon has decided to make one for us. He says it will be really simple and then I can paint it and make it look cool. My only question is: Will Calvin still be playing with toys when this project gets finished?
You can make your guess at the poll on the side ->

Sweat Fest 2009 Champion

Sweat Fest was a big success. A lot of us slacked off towards the end, but the ones that stuck with it lost some impressive weight. As a group we lost around 185 pounds. The winner was our friend Reid who lost 14% of his body weight! It was great to be part of something that helped my friends & family & me to be healthier.
Maybe we'll have to do the competition again sometime. Or another sort of competition. Any ideas? What else would be a fun thing to compete in?

Morning run

This morning when I was running by this old guy he pointed to where I was coming from and said, "Someone called and they want you to start over!" You could tell he thought he was pretty funny and says it to every runner that looks exhausted. (as I most definitely did) Still, I laughed and it made me stop thinking of the misery of running for a little bit.
Later I ran by this guy & girl outside some very nice apartments getting ready to start a run together. I swear that guy had just put on cologne. He must have been a little too worried about how he was going to smell once he started sweating. Face it guy, that is NOT going to help.

1 year old!

Our baby is one today! Several pictures can be seen here.

Swimming Lessons

Calvin gets so excited to get into the pool. While we wait on the side for our turn he likes to clap for the other kids. I like that he is learning things, but one of the things they have us do in class is gradually dip more and more of their face under the water and now Calvin likes to dip his own face in the water as well. And then drink the water.
And by the way, I have decided the best thing about two piece swimsuits is going to the bathroom. Boys wouldn't understand.

Politely screaming

Calvin has been learning a little bit of sign language lately. Some of the words he seems to get the concept, other ones it's more mimicking. For example, when he screams (which he has discovered a new volume level of this past week, I'm sure the neighbors are enjoying that) we'll put our finger over our mouth and say "sshhh". Instead of realizing that putting our finger over our mouths means he needs to be quieter, he thinks it means, I am upset and I am screaming. So now when Calvin screams he screams with his finger over his mouth. Not catching the concept. (Sorry, I would post a picture, but the camera is MIA)

New List

Calvin has put a countless number of things in his mouth now, there is no end to that list. However, it seems there is a new list that is forming. It's called "What Calvin has put in the toilet" We try to keep the bathroom door closed at all times, but occasionally it is left ajar and Calvin seems to know the exact moment when we are not paying attention to him that he can sneak in there. So far the list includes:

hands
hair brush (twice)
wooden spoon (attempt only)

Fanny packs: Rebuttal

Here is my sister's response to the previous fanny pack post.

p.s. I think she voted on the poll twice

Taking Jiffy Lube down

The clutch went out in our car, lame, right? We took it into the shop and it turns our our transmission is shot too. Some fun. The mechanic told us the cause was lack of transmission fluid. There was only a couple ounces of transmission fluid when there should be two quarts. hmmm. That's funny, we just had the transmission fluid checked and filled a few months ago by Jiffy Lube. Maybe there was a leak? Not according to the mechanic, no leak evidence whatsoever.
So we've been talking with the Jiffy Lube manager and he's trying to claim there was a leak anyway. Even though a couple times he said, maybe we checked the fluids, maybe we didn't. He said if they didn't check it all they would reimburse us for was the service that wasn't performed. Is it just me, or does that sound ridiculous? They didn't put any transmission fluid in the car, therefore the transmission goes out, and it's not their fault? I've never been to court before, but this seems like a good time to try it out.

Fanny packs, seriously?

My sister (who can name herself if she chooses) came over the other day and was browsing on our computer and calling everywhere because she was so anxious to buy a fanny pack. She picked out a blue plaid one and asked what I thought. I figured laughing would communicate sufficiently everything I needed to say. She claims they are coming back, along with other 80's trends like neon colors. Am I out of it? Or is she? see poll on the side for voting options -->

Competition Update: 22!

Our competition officially has a title now. (thank you Brandon) And a logo. And we have 18 participants so far. We're hoping to have 20 by the end of the week so the prize would be $100. (another update: we now have more than 20) If you want to join in the fun... just read the directions again below.

Weight Competition

I think losing weight is a great idea for me. Anyone else with me on this? Who would like to compete for cash? This is the deal:

1. Monday June 1st - Tuesday June 30th Whoever loses the largest percentage of weight wins.
2. Entry fee is $5, winner take all. Email me (theillustrator at gmail) to let me know you're in and I'll send you my address. The money must be received by June 1st to participate.
3. Email me your current weight on June 1st and your final weight on the 30th.
4. I won't share any info except how many people enter, and who wins with their weight loss percentage.

I think it would be great if 10 people or so enter. I am very motivated by money and I could use $50 and less flab. So if you're thinking about it, pull out an envelope, throw in a handful of ones and make it happen. Feel free to throw in more money if you feel inclined to do so : ) Tell your friends, just let me know you know them so I'm not mailing my address to random blog stalkers.
If delivering a baby is going to be part of your weight loss plan, you do not qualify to participate. May the person who sweats the most win.

Swim time

I just signed Calvin up for a parent/ baby swim class with 2 of his baby buddies. His swim shorts are a little big, but I think they'll work just fine. Maybe next summer too since they almost go to his ankles.

Purse wearing

Calvin has recently shown an interest in wearing my purse, although it turned out to be trickier than he thought to put on:first many tries to get it over the head:
lot's of twisting and pulling...
I think I got it Mom.

First ER visit

Calvin had his first trip to the ER last week. So sad. He was cruising around in our bedroom when he fell and hit his head on our metal bed frame. He screamed at first but he must not have been in that much pain because we were at the ER for 5 hours and the first hour he spent walking around the waiting room smiling at everyone. Apparently he was oblivious that he had a decent size gash in his head. Luckily the picture is a little blurry so you can't see how gross it really looked.
Then next 4 hours he just slept since it was pretty late. As much as I wanted to tell someone he is only 10 months old and should be a priority, it's hard to say that there is any hurry when he is happily playing or sleeping. So eventually the doctor had time for us and sedated Calvin for his 4 stitches.
Here he is the next day with the Camp Rock band aids we got for him. It was either that or Disney Princesses, the High School Musical ones cost more.

Vacation

We had a great time on our vacation. It couldn't have been better. It's nice planning a last minute vacation because you even know the weather forecast while you're booking your flights. We love our friends for letting us stay with them and run around DC & NY with us. We saw a lot of impressive sights, those cities are stocked. Although we saw so many amazing places, I'm pretty sure Calvin's favorite part was chasing around Battle, our friend's cat.Calvin also loved meeting strangers everywhere we went. Whenever we got onto a subway, the ferry, the plane, the bus, many more subways, he would stare at someone and smile at them until they would smile back. We talked to a lot strangers on our trip because of him, it was very entertaining.
(many many more pictures featured on the picture blog)