Got puppets???

I'm on my next-to-the-last phone call this a.m. with a parent coach I've been working with (she's the friend of a friend, getting the last hours of coaching in for her certification--so I'm getting free coaching!!)...we're talking about ways to avoid conflict but still get our little ones to do the things we need them to do. She mentioned that there have been research studies done which show that children listen to/pay attention to puppets 10x more than to a parent. (she's going to send me the research links eventually) 10 times! She suggested using puppets as transitional aids like keeping one in the bathroom to get her to brush her teeth longer, etc.

So today, after I mentioned it to BikeBoy, two different times he used his plain old hand as a puppet (a la Oobi) and Munchkin immediately did what the "puppet" told her to do! It was almost freakish!So...bring on the puppets!!! I'm gonna keep 'em all over the house and I'm definitely gonna put one in my coat pocket for our next trip to the "market-store."

Methinks thou dost protest...

I calmly sent Munchkin to her room yesterday for being repetitively disrespectful. After a few minutes I heard her singing over and over, "We sha-do-ver-caaaah-ah-um, we sha-do-ver-caaah-ah-um." (translation: we shall overcome) Hmmm...should I be worried? :D

Happy Family Day, Munchkin!

Hard to believe but it was 4 yrs ago this very day that our sweet Munchkin arrived from S. Korea and was placed into my arms.

It was a beautiful sunny day but cold and windy. Her plane was a few minutes late. When "P," her escort, approached me I could see Munchkin was sleeping and looked pale so I couldn't cry (which I was expecting to do!) since I was worried she was sick. He assured me that she had been awake and cooing all the way from LA and had just a short time ago fallen asleep. She stayed asleep as I held her for the first time then passed her to BikeBoy. I still remember how good she smelled and how soft her skin was when I kissed her precious cheek. How wonderful it felt to hold this tiny person whom I had only seen in two pictures for the past 9 weeks and dreamed about for years prior to that.

She slept until all the paperwork was done and BikeBoy and I carried her back to the car...the wind woke her up. She proceeded to hold my hand and chew my finger all the way home.This weekend we celebrated (hence the trip to see "Goodnight, Moon") and yesterday I took her to the Build-a-Bear store to make a stuffed animal to go with a Korean hanbok I found on their website. She made a cat (a Hello Kitty one...she is a huge cat lover and usually has tiny "Smelly Cat" with her at all times)! Today is mostly a regular day but grandma wants me to pick up 4 big carnations to give her after school and we may try to go out to supper, too.

I always write her a long letter on this special day, too, that tells all her big achievements during the past year, her likes/dislikes/friends, etc. I also list my hopes for her for the future. I'm going to try my hardest to write letters to her foster mom and her birthmom (birthmom's letter will only go into Munchkin's file in Korea...in case she ever goes back to the orphanage looking for info)...will include a picture or two, too.

And I profusely thank her birthmother for making such a hard decision but one which gave such hope to her daughter and such joy to my life.

First school concert...

OMGosh. Munchkin had her first concert w/her preschool this week. Unbelievably cute. She wandered out on stage (after about a 30 foot gap between her and the person in front of her!) and sat on the risers with her class. The school sang 2 songs all together...the Hello Song and another (I'll have to look it up in the program later) then her class did two songs by themselves: "I Can Tap My Toes" and "We Shall Overcome." Then all the other classes performed a couple of songs then the whole school ended with: "Puff the Magic Dragon," "Yellow Submarine," and the "Goodbye Song."

Munchkin sang all her songs plus sang along with many of the other classes' songs! She wandered over to another class (on her belly!)...climbed onto another level of the risers...lifted up her dress and played w/her bellybutton...spread out on the floor in an unladylike position and took off a shoe. It was cute, nerve-wracking, and freaking hilarious all at the same time! At the end she did a huge bow! She was very proud of herself and so were BikeBoy and I. Very proud. I cried the minute she started singing...thinking how big a girl she is, how fast it is all going, how very soon she will be walking out the door to college (well, okay, not really THAT soon but...). (insert big sigh)

She's the best. :)

Froggy on the Potty...

Tonight Munchkin needed to do a poop. It's the physical therapist in me that makes her poop on her little potty since she can keep her feet flat on the floor (it's ergonomics, dontcha know...easier to push, etc.). She sits on the potty in her bathroom and I go surf the web 'til she's done. A few minutes go by and I hear, "Mama...I'm done." I enter her bathroom to find her squatting ON her potty (her feet are on the seat of the potty as she squats over the tiny bowl) and she is saying, "I'm a froggy! Ribbit! Ribbit!!"

LOL! WTF makes kids do the things they do???!!! :)

Guitar Heroes...

I got BikeBoy the Guitar Hero PS2 game for Xmas...it has been the most fun game ever! Christmas afternoon, while Munchkin napped in my arms, BikeBoy played it for 2.5 hours then he and I played it another 2 hours after she went to bed that night!

It's basically a game with a guitar as the controller but the guitar has no strings...just 5 buttons for "frets" and a little bar you strum with your right hand. The game has an amazing rock soundtrack and as each song plays the "music" scrolls in front of you with a "band" playing in the background. The music is really notes of different colors to match the colors of the frets and it basically tells you when and how long to play each note. There are about 30 songs and each one has 4 levels, beginner to expert. I have only played mostly the beginner songs and a few of the next level (whatever it's called). It is incredibly fun and I love, love, LOVE it when I get more points than BikeBoy! You get scores for overall %-age of notes you played correctly, most consecutive notes, and the response you get from the crowd (you can get boo-ed off and "fail" the song). So now I have some new songs that I've been exposed to: The Exies "Hey You," Burning Brides "Heart Full of Black," and Sum 41's "Fat Lip." They're all pretty hard rock (one of my preferred genres) but I had heard none of these before we played this game! It just rocks and totally fulfills my fantasy of ever being a rock star (and I didn't have to become a heroin addict to do it!). If you have a PS2 I highly recommend this game! :)

Sleeping companions...

Last night Munchkin said she didn't want to sleep alone. When I refused to sleep with her or let her sleep in our bed (she does sometimes but I didn't want to start another new trend) she said she wanted more of her stuffed animals. So...she slept with 23 of them. Yup. Twenty-freakin'-three! Mostly stuffed kitties but a few puppets and a couple of baby dolls...even her metal cat alarm clock was under the covers! What a hoot! Tonight she wanted the same crew and proceeded to tuck them each in under various layers of her sheet/blankets! What a cutie!

BikeBoy's ball-buster of a commute...

It took him 6 hours! Yes, SIX hours to go about 8 miles last night. It had snowed about 4 inches max but the roads were icy, snowy, gridlocked. When he got to the bottom of our hill (we live on a plateau and the hill is the last mile before our development; it's probably between 10 and 14% grade, I'm guessing) they closed the road. People were ditching cars everywhere along the way home and walking but he only had his dress shoes on so he couldn't ditch and walk! They reopened the road to 4WD vehicles (he has a 4WD Jeep Wrangler) and he was able to make it up.

This morning on his way back to work he passed between 30 and 50 cars abandoned on that same hill...some were intact but just pulled to the side of the road, others were face down in the ditch or crashed into other vehicles. The road was one lane wide in some spots due to all the deserted vehicles. YIKES.

School was closed today so Munchkin had no pre-school and I had to call in "off" to work myself. We'll go out soon and play in the snow (a rare event here in the PNW). Of course, Munchkin's snow saucer is in the garage loft about 3 feet higher than I can reach when I stand atop our highest stepladder...how in heck did BikeBoy get it there in the first place???? Guess we'll be sliding on our butts or on cardboard today!

The rollercoaster ride begins!!!

We have made the official decision...we are pursuing the adoption of a second daughter!!! :) This time we are headed off to China as we are too old for Korea's program now. I am so excited yet haven't told many people IRL...I don't dare get my hopes up as I know the process will take at least two years and there are so many hurdles. What if something comes up in our physicals which would rule us out? What if China changes its rules again (it just made significant changes in December 2006 which take place in May of this year)? What if, what if, what if? I guess I won't believe it until we get our referral and even then it won't seem real until the three of us are over in China to meet our fourth family member. So begins the long wait and the long paperchase! I'm sooooo happy!!!!! :D

The big wind storm...

Back about 3 weeks ago we had a HUGE windstorm here in the PNW. Hurricane force winds. Pelting rain. Sheets, actually. The power went off on a Thursday night 12.16 and then at 1:15 am Friday, as BikeBoy, Munchkin and I were tucked in our big bed, we heard a "crack" then a "creak" and BikeBoy and I looked out the window in time to see foliage headed our way! I screamed a blood-curdling scream just as the tree hit our house with a "thud" just above our bedroom window then proceeded to continue its fall, landing with a louder "thump" between our house and the neighbors' house. I snatched Munchkin up and the three of us ran downstairs as fast as we could and huddled in the internal hallway with blankets and pillows the rest of the night.

Munchkin didn't wake up until we were settling in then she says, sleepily, "What're we doing down here?" BikeBoy and I didn't get any rest the entire night...just lying there listening to branches and trees near and far falling all over the place.

Our house only suffered external damage (broken gutter, torn off window screen, etc.). The neighbors' house suffered the same plus a broken roof support beam. We were lucky. We dodged a bullet, BikeBoy says! The tree was about 80 feet tall, a type of cedar tree, I think. It must've been old...I haven't counted its rings yet but, at its base it was approx. 10 feet in circumference.

The neighborhood looked like a war zone as did most of our town and surrounding towns. Driving around the first few days we had to be prepared for alternate routes because power lines and trees were down everywhere. Our power remained out for 2.5 days but some people were without power for 9-10 days! We were scrambling to find firewood and fire logs. It was cold, about high 30s during the time this happened. I was sooooo glad when the power came back on!!!

That's just the quick synopsis before I forget some of the details!

Mama's Special Words...

Munchkin has now decided that Mama says certain words that she shouldn't say. Words like "stupid" or "sucks." I never say them directed towards Munchkin or even another being but I do use them directed at situations which are out of my control or something that I'm not happy about.

Today I decided that those are now Mama's Special Words. Much like Mama and Daddy can drink soda and Munchkin cannot until she's a big girl. That some grownups drink alcohol and Munchkin cannot until she is a grownup. There are now words that Mama can say which Munchkin cannot.

I also decided that, when she is a little older, I want her to know my whole list of "Special Words." Just for the occasions when she needs them. She's small, she's Asian in a predominantly White community, she was adopted...there are lots of reasons she may get picked on later (along with all the typical things kids get picked on for!). I want her to be able to use these words judiciously when necessary! What the heck...the f-word, the s-word, the mf-word, the g-d-words, the j-f-c-words, the a-word! Let her have them all at her disposal! Yeah! That's my girl! ;)

Innocent toots...

Munchkin was on my lap tonight, watching Lady and the Tramp...suddenly she lets out the world's longest toot...it was truly never-ending. She then says, "'Cuse me, Mom." Then she sniffs the air and says, "Pretend I'm a skunk."

What a freakin' funny kid I have! :D

My mom will be alone on Thanksgiving.

She has been invited to her step-(notso)DD's house but doesn't want to go. She said she will tell them she is going to her sister's (not true as her sister and her family is all headed north to her own son's camp and they have not invited my mom--I'm sure they would invite her if they knew she'd be alone). So, Mom's dh can go to his dd's house and mom will "go for a nice ride" and fix something good for lunch instead. That bums me out...breaks my heart, really...that my mom will be alone on such a special holiday. I asked her if she could come out here but she says she really can't...would have to arrange assisted living for her dh and there isn't time and it's a lot of $$. We can't go there ($$$ and time issues, too). So, that's the way it's gonna be this year. :(

No mama should ever...

have to bury her child. I don't care how old the child was...whether stillborn or middle aged or older...no parent should have to suffer this loss.

Thinking of Doreen today on this second sad "anniversary." Thinking of my Aunt (Clint's mom) whose 48 yo son died last Wednesday and she buried him Sunday--the day before his 49th birthday. Thinking of my godmother (Eddie's mom) who lost her younger son in 2005 when he was just 53. Thinking of my SIL who lost an infant (Josh) to SIDS in 1980. And too many others...

None of this should have happened. Don't know what more to say.

Food is not my friend.

Why can't I just accept the fact that eating well and healthfully does not entail gorging myself on Halloween candy/chips, etc.? As background, I started WeightWatchers Online in mid-May of this year and have since lost about 33 lbs. Well, for the past 5 weeks or so I've either plateaued or gained weight so I'm now at just 30 lbs under my beginning weight. I had company for 2 weeks in October (my mom!) and we ate out a lot...then there were 4 birthday parties in October, 6 if you count celebrating Munchkin's birthday at home and at school as well as her bday party itself. Then we had my grad. school friends over and I had to try a taste of everything everyone brought. Then the time has changed and days have shortened which makes it hard to get out for my 5x/week walks. Then Halloween came along...it was a cold night and we only had about 1/3 the number of Trick-or-Treaters as usual. I had bought mostly healthful treats this year but there was some chocolate and I have proceeded to eat most of what was leftover. Uuuggg. Or should I say *burp* instead! Or maybe *oink* would be more appropriate.

I do feel addicted to bad foods...I don't gorge myself on apples, obviously ('though I do love apples!)...I will eat 10 Hershey Kisses but can only make myself eat one apple. For Weightwatchers 5 Hershey Kisses equal the same amount of points as 3 apples. Which would fill me up more? Three apples. Which would really taste delicious and yummy? HERSHEY KISSES, of course.

So...I will try to get back on track tomorrow. I haven't been journaling my food choices and I found that was a key factor in my weightloss success...if I see it written down it's much harder to deny that I ate it. I wish I didn't like food. I wish I hated pizza. I wish chocolate made my stomach turn. (well...if the wish fairy is reading this, I don't REALLY wish any of those things but you KWIM!!)

Plus, I'm only about 13 lbs away from my goal weight...my blood pressure has decreased, I've dropped 3 sizes, etc. The changes are great and I have to focus on this instead of just feeling deprived of junk foods. Junk foods that taste delicious but will shorten my life and cheat me out of time w/Munchkin and BikeBoy (who looks great BTW...he has lost a bunch of weight, too, and now has the physique of Lance Armstrong).

INXS and other musical ramblings

Remember when JD Fortune won RockStar: INXS? I wonder how their tour is going. I saw them when Michael Hutchence was still alive and they were pretty cool. I like JD a lot but I just listened to some audio clips on their website and not many of the songs reached out and grabbed me, KWIM? But, I still really dig "Pretty Vegas" and would download it if it's available somewhere besides iTunes (my MP3 player doesn't do iTunes!).

If there's one thing I'm really looking forward to it's taking Munchkin to some rock or blues shows in the near future. She already loves all kinds of music (except country...good girl!). She will sit through a children's symphony concert for 45 min and she lets me pretty much play any rock in the car. I listen to myriad things on Syrius Radio in the Jeep...alternative, spectrum, hair bands, classic rewind, blues, buzz saw...she doesn't seem to dislike any of them. She really loves Aerosmith, though! Very funny! Even when she was a baby and I used to play one of their CDs to rock (pun not intended!) her to sleep. I have missed going to shows myself so it will be good to get back out there occasionally w/Munchkin in tow (wearing earplugs of course!).

OMG! I have found a pizza blog!!!

I was in heaven reading it tonight! This blog even includes PICTURES of pizzas the blogger eats. YUMMY. And he includes a link to his other website with a listing of best pizza places all around the country (to which I have already added 2 listings!!).

This after Munchkin and I tried a new pizza place today. I read reviews of it and they said it was deep dish similar to Pizzeria Uno/Due in Chicago (we used to frequent Due's when we lived there). I would definitely agree...most similar to PU that I've had outside Chicago. Chunks of tomato spread on top of cheese resting on a yummy crust. The crust wasn't exactly like PU's but the rest was bringing back memories. In fact, we ordered a small and I ate half of it there, brought two more pieces home and ate them before supper! Oooopppsss...so much for weightwatchers today. Well...heck...it was Halloween three days ago and I've been eating candy, too. Tomorrow???? Must reform. Must reform. Must reform... :)

Anyway, got me to thinking about my all-time fav pizza places and they are (in no particular order!):

~Pizzeria Due, Chicago, IL
~Ray's, The Village at 6th/11th in NYC (Over a 1/4 lb of cheese on every slice, stand at the counter and do some people-watching while you munch your slice...it's the Village...eventually the whole world will walk by)
~John's, on Bleeker in The Village, NYC
~Pine Lake Pizzeria, Sammamish, WA (the only one on this list I've never actually eaten AT...only delivery!)
~The Pizza Place, North Bend, WA (the one that is similar to PU/PD)
~Pizza Experience, Tacoma/Fife, WA
~The Pizza Joint, Portland, ME (when you get 'shrooms on your pie they are piled high like a mountain!)
~Bertucci's, Brookline Village, MA
~Dino's, Brookline Village, MA (they also have great Greek salads)
~Two-Fisted Mario's, in Denver, CO (Lodo)
~BeauJo's, Denver, CO (gotta love the extra thick edge of crust served with honey for dipping!)
~Katie Downs', Tacoma, WA (pizza is very good but the location, sitting on Commencement Bay, is even better...probably the prettiest location on this list)

And two which are, unfortunately, closed:
Al Capones in Kenmore Square, Boston, MA circa 1979
Alfieri's, Portland, ME circa 1985

And in 2003 (I think) I found out I could get two whole Ray's pizzas shipped overnight to BikeBoy (when we lived in Denver) for his birthday...in dry ice from NYC...for about $45 so I did it. Boy was it gooooooood. Of course, they stopped doing that so now we'll have to go there and get it ourselves but that's another story (not like I don't already have a gazillion reasons to go to NYC!).

If you didn't know that I was a pizza afficionado before--you do now!! Mmmmm...I'm hungry now! I think the best thing about pizza is that it is comfort food to me. There are two kinds of pizza: good pizza and great pizza. (okay...I confess...I lifted that from somewhere but I agree with it!) I've never had a bad slice. Pizza is so consistently good but varies so widely in flavor from place to place. And it's convenient...you can grab a slice on the run if you have to. What's not to like????

What are YOUR favorites?

Moms' Night Out...

My neighborhood Mom friends has a monthly get together. Each month we take turns organizing some kind of event...can be just drinks at someone's home, dinner out, whatever. I hadn't made it to one yet but November was my turn to organize so I chose to go to a tea house for tea/scones. Five of us ended up going tonight and it was really nice. The tea (black jasmine) was delicious and the raspberry scone was good. It was not as fancy as attending a "high tea" but it was 7:00 pm so that's not what we wanted anyway. It was relaxing and the conversation and company were both good! I will definitely try to go again!

My cousin, Clinton...

...died yesterday. He was 48...would have turned 49 next Monday. He had diabetes since childhood and had been on kidney dialysis for the past several years but I just saw him in August and he was doing well. They believe he died in his sleep of a heart attack yesterday afternoon while napping. He leaves 4 kids--youngest 16. I wish I had known him better but I do know he was a gentle heart, a kind man. I'm so sorry for his family, especially his kids and his mom.

I love you, Clint.

KAAN Newsletter in today's email...

I love this newsletter...always learn something new or read something interesting. In today's letter I saw a link to a new website for Korean Adoptees and their families. I lurked a bit--feeling somewhat odd because most of the posts were by teenaged KADs and some of them were not warm/fuzzy. I felt a bit sad reading some of the posts, I guess. Hoping Munchkin doesn't feel anger at me for "taking" her out of her country of birth. For making her a part of a family which consists of only herself (at the moment!) and two caucasian parents.

http://www.koreanadopteeforums.com/forums/index.php

More later as Munchkin is waking! :)