Lucky in Oz

Signed, Sealed ... Delivery in Process

We signed closing documents on the sale of our house today. How do you spell relief? S-O-L-D. We had to go to a notary at the US Consulate. What I had intended to post was all about my huge relief at having the house sold, blah, blah, etc. etc. But. The experience at the consulate totally trumps all that. Oh. My. God. It was so bureaucratic and inefficient that I almost had an allergic reaction. I have mentioned a couple times my involvement with Lean / Kaizen; it used to be professional, now it is just a hobby. I am going to be awake all night trying to remove waste and get some flow going in that consulate process. Even Guy, an engineer who is the antithesis of engineer-y (he is Random - capitol R) looked at me aghast as we were scanned yet again (seriously, they put bar codes on our chests and kept aiming scanners at us) and went through another metal detector, and went to window 6 then to the cashier then back to window 6 and hey! another scan! They could only check in 5 people at a time (homeland security says 5?) – so we waited outside the door looking longingly at the computer check-in kiosks ... 6 of them. We went in in batches (ack! batches!) of 5 regardless of what kind or time of appointment. Oh man. I am feeling itchy. Maybe I am having a reaction just reliving it. Maybe my parachute is the colour “Toyota Production System” ... who knows. All I can say is I cannot go through a process like that and not spend the next six hours obsessing about how to make it better. Unless, that is, I have shiraz to distract me. And luckily, a bunch of the moms from school are meeting for dinner tonight here. So, what was supposed to be a celebratory glass of vino (or three – I am taking the tram so as to be able to swill with abandon) for me will instead be anaesthetic. Oh. The title reference? We went separate ways after the consulate (shiver) – me to school to get Kid and Guy to a meeting in the City and I entrusted the package of documents to him. I know! But he promised to be careful. And he was. I got a text that it was safely in the hands of the good people at FedEx. Phew.

Solid Food

It's not uncommon to read about "first solid food" on a mom blog. Unless, that is, it is the MOM eating it. I had a cold two weeks ago. It morphed over the course of about eight days leaving me with a sore throat ... that got worse and worse and worse as I dragged myself out of be for work EVERY DAY LAST WEEK. (Are you listening? I had to go to work every blessed day! As you may or may not know, I normally work part-time ... some of it from home. 40+ hours onsite at the office every week, week after week? How do you people do it?! I was leading a Kaizen event (I'm now certified! Yay! Want to hire me in Australia (part-time of course) to continuously improve and eliminate waste from your processes?!) so I though my malaise was just due to my system being shocked by the "up at 6; at work by 8; stay til 5" routine.) I began to suspect something else was going on as the week progressed and it got harder and harder to swallow, then talk, then stay upright. By Friday I was subsisting on smoothies and soup-without-big-chunks ... my glands were swollen, my ear ached, my jaw hurt (And here is the truly weird symptom ...) BUT ONLY ON THE RIGHT SIDE! Very strange. But I comforted myself with the Google-assisted self-diagnostic musing that it couldn't be strep because that would be my whole throat - not just one side. I saw my doc Friday afternoon. (Love Pac Med – I called at 11:30 and was in by 2:45.) She concurred it probably wasn’t step though did a rapid culture (negative) and agreed that the one-sidedness was odd, though not unprecedented. She said probably viral, but let’s check in next week and take it from there. I was ok with that. I’m not one to demand antibiotics. Resistant bacteria freaks me right out. I won’t even use anti-bacterial hand soap. So … long story short (what, it’s too late for that?) 24-hours later I was lying in bed drooling. My throat hurt so much I couldn’t even swallow my spit! Plus, the ear, the jaw, etc. etc. The doc on call called in amoxicillin and told me I could take my OTC pain-killer every 2 hours. And voila! Yesterday I was back on solid food. Turns out that the culture that the doc did Friday did after all grow some bacteria. (Not the strep throat kind (I was right!) but something else that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.) So, that’s what I’ve been up too lately! (FYI, if you cannot eat solid food and want something besides sweets (honestly, I was so so sick of ice cream – canyabelieve it?) my top suggestions are refried beans & mashed avocado – bon appetite!)

Old and boring.

That's what we are. Also, I'd rather get a babysitter and go out when there aren't hundreds of drunks careening around the roads. So, we rang in the new year by snuggling on the pull-out couch and watching Charlotte's Web. (Kid wrote in her journal today (Ms Bindergatern asked them all to do jornals during break - using "best guess" spelling ... ) "January 1, 2008. Las nit I woched a DVD.") I had worst night sleep in maybe ever and woke up all achy and stuffy. I know the pull-out couch is queen size - like our bed - but somehow we don't all fit on it the same. (By "all" I am including the dog.) At one point Guy had his side and on mine: I was "S" shaped and dog was tucked into the lower curve and Kid was in the upper ... snoring. Alas. Anyway, happy 2008. May you sleep well.

Watch This

Parents of little girls, this is pour vous (we're going to Paris next week ... I'm practicing).

I've been thinking a lot lately about Kid, her growing interest in make-up and jewelry and "looking more beautifuller", etc. She spends a lot of time brushing her hair and putting on sparkly cherry flavor lip-gloss. If you know me, you know I am, um ... natural? I've never worn a lot of make-up. About the most I can manage is tinted moisturizer, pressed powder, blush and mascara. I have given up on full-blown lipstick. Can. Not. Not. Lick. It. Off. My preferred alternative is Neutrogena® tinted lip balm (Oprah has her "O List", I have my "Lisa O List" and this is on it. Love it. And! It has a sweet, fruity flavor!) One would think that having gone to a girls' boarding school I'd have learned the finer points of cosmetics application. Isn't that how those girls spend their evenings? Latin homework and girly girl stuff? Au contraire! (Practice, practice.) Truth be told, we were all kind of tomboyish. No boys meant no dressing up and preening for ... boys. So no, I never learned how to use liners of any makeup variety (lip, eye). Never learned how to use hot rollers. Never had an "up do" until a couple weeks ago. (I did! For a wedding! It was pretty! 41-years-old and my first French Twist - ooh la la.) What was my point? Kid. She's into prettiness and I am a little dismayed. I want her to have the freedom to play (because after all, she's five and that is what it still is - PLAY) and experiment. A wonderful thing bout being a girl / woman is the power to transform oneself with a little Bobbi Brown (or, in her case, Bonnie Bell) and Bumble & Bumble. I don't want to just say pshaw! to the whole make-up thing since she is INTO it and (a) I don't want to invalidate her feelings (it just seems kind of mean to tell anyone – especially your most favorite person ever – that what they like is lame) and (b) it sends just as strong a message to deny something as to embrace it. So, I am trying to fall somewhere between Jon Benet's mom and the Waldorf types that only let their girls wear "the colors of nature" – nature in their parts apparently being the woods because pink and purple are banned (true story). But it is a wide spectrum and sometimes struggle with just what messages I am sending … not to mention the messages that Everyone Else (read: society) is sending.

Cartoonish

Half Changed World posted this:

- with a request for captions. My comment was "I don't have a pithy caption - but my immediate thought when I saw the cartoon was "holy shit, that was us!" My husband and I - since our daughter was born - each work part-time schedules so we can each be home a couple days / week. Our weeks have always had a lot of moving pieces - him, me, one day or so of daycare, activities like swimming or gymnastics. While I have always felt lucky that we share parenting and wouldn't want it any other way, it does involve a lot of juggling and hand-offs."

Funny - I had just been thinking about this today. I was on the way from the Y to Maia's to drop Kid off there for a playdate. (Really it was Rachel throwing me a lifeline - Guy is on day 8 of a 13-day trip to Japan - she assumed I could do with a couple hours "off" and offered to take Kid for the afternoon. Love her!) Kid asked if it would Maia's mom or dad home for the playdate. It occurred to me that Kid has no idea that in many, if not - still - most, houses it is the mom at home during the day every day while the dad goes to work. In her world, dad stays home a few days and mom stays home a few days. Except of course when dad is in Japan. In which case mom stays home, working on the computer, continuously saying "five more minutes, please be patient."

Lazy Sunday

We have one of these:

I was trying to explain that when I was little we didn't have CDs, we had these - RECORDS. It felt so "we walked 5 miles to school backwards through the snow ... " that I just stopped mid-sentance and left the room to let her enjoy this - to her - new technology without my pathetic editorial. I had dragged a pile of albums out of the basement and she's settled on "Lovely Rita" as her new favorite song and is playing it over and over. There is a lot for kids to love on Beatles records, for sure.

UPDATED: We went from the Beatles to the Nutcracker (to which she danced a lovely pas de deux with a stuffed pug while costumed in a piece of gold sparkly fabric from the remnants bin at Joanne's) to the Pippin soundtrack, which I fear will be a permanent fixture on the turn-table unless it gets "lost" ... which is looking more and more likely. (Are you aware of the term earworm? Are you aware of the Pippin tune "Magic to Do"?) Gosh! It just struck me! She is like a queeny gay guy - with her love of show tunes, drama, gold sparkly fabric and - this was so obvious, why did I never realize before? - rainbows!

Puyallup [Pew-AL-up ... Really, I swear.]

Well, we did it. I had never done it before - and was pleasantly surprised! It was fun! We spent most of our time here and here. I have photographic evidence - will provide as soon as I find the camera cable.

Summer in the City

It was really really hot here for a few days. Really nice - but HOT! Hey, did I mention the heat? It reached 88 … in our house. The heat wave coincided with a birthday-party-palooza. Saturday was Oliver & Isabelle's party at the beach at Seward Park. Kid had just finished her first swim lesson session as an Eel at the Y. It was a special summer session: a half hour every day for four consecutive days. (Though truthfully, she was only in the water for about 45 seconds on the first day … then she refused to “coperate and ticipate” and we went home for an extended “quiet time.” The rest of the week went off without a hitch.) She definitely progressed more in that one session than she had in her previous Pike sessions. But a day at the beach with 12 of her friends?! Exponential progress I tell you. They were in the water (and the weeds – man that beach is weedy!) ALL DAY LONG. With only a brief break for cake. We then went home and fell asleep watching Calliou in the basement – the whole family. Including the dog. Next day we were off to Alice’s party at Ravenna Park. She had a bouncy house! Afterwards Kid and I went and played at Meridian Playground on the way home. That evening was our community potluck BBQ in Mount Baker Park. Notice a theme here? Parks, parks, parks! It is times like this that I so appreciate the amenities of this, our emerald city. Playgrounds, dog parks, wading pools, swimming beaches (with lifeguards, and noodles!) bike paths, hiking trails … even our very own front yard. It really is an embarrassment of riches. I have little tolerance for folks who live here and complain about their taxes. Hmmm … ok, I don’t really know anyone in Seattle who complains about taxes (it's true, what you hear – we’re a bunch of pinko bleeding hearts). Anywho. It was hot. But! I spent the better part of three sultry days lazing on the grass in public parks watching my Kid alternately splash and cavort. And I did some cavorting myself. These are days, my friends.

Actually, know what, I am just going to go ahead and paste in all the damn lyrics – rather than leave a vague reference – since it is so apt. Here you go. Happy Wednesday.

These are days youll remember. Never before and never since, I promise, will the whole world be warm as this. And as you feel it, youll know its true that you are blessed and lucky. Its true that you are touched by something that will grow and bloom in you.

These are days youll remember.
When may is rushing over you with desire to be part of the miracles you see in every hour.
Youll know its true that you are blessed and lucky.
Its true that you are touched by something that will grow and bloom in you.

These are days.

These are the days you might fill with laughter until you break.
These days you might feel a shaft of light make its way across your face.
And when you do youll know how it was meant to be.
See the signs and know their meaning.
Its true, youll know how it was meant to be.
Hear the signs and know theyre speaking to you, to you.

Phew!

BTW, I logged on to TypePad to post a while ago and got distracted by this. Strangely entertaining.)

And so ends another week of single-parenting. Guy has been in Africa since Sunday. Yes, Fathers' Day. But it's ok. We celebrated. Actually, we celebrated twice, for he had me convinced that Sunday the 11th was Fathers' Day. I was like, whatever. I went out and dutifully purchased donuts - the traditional celebratory food of the Luckys. (He got me donuts on Mothers' Day. I told him I would retaliate by giving him a salad on Fathers Day. But! I didn't! Such a good wife!) And we went camping - he loves camping so it was a Fathers' Day gift of sorts. Here are Guy and Kid scarfing down.

  

Notice, in the background, the bags that Kid has packed for going backpacking. Traveling light? Not! Let's zoom in for a closer look-see:

  

The Luckys never go camping without cocoa! Anyway, back to me, whining about my week. It was long. Kid went to "camp" every day. AT NINE AM for chrissakes. (She is still trying to figure out why we call it camp ... it is AT her preschool and most of the kids in her group were in her class - really the only difference is the daily slathering of sunscreen as far as she can tell ... and the NINE AM start-time.) But that just covered the mornings. So, I was able to get some work done and get into the office only by patching together the camp thing with playdates and daycare. I tried to take it pretty easy on myself - make it fairly stress-free-ish. We ate out a lot, which = less cleaning up the kitchen, loading & unloading the dishwasher, etc. (Went back to Tamarind Tree tonight, per Kid’s request. Before you go getting all impressed that my three-year-old was jonesing for Vietnamese food … I think it was really the lime soda in the fancy glass that she was interested in.) But, man! If this single-parenting thing was a way of life - rather than just a few days of boot camp here and there - and I wouldn't be able to go out o eat every night and beg & borrow childcare from sympathetic friends as a matter of course ... yikes! Makes me appreciate my Guy, for sure. Not sure that he actually deserved two Fathers' Days though.

Milestones & Random Nada

Never got around to posting last week. It was a big week here at house of Lucky! Dog graduated from "Puppy I" at Seattle Dog Training. He learned how to play nicely with other puppies as well as sit, stay, down, stand ... and his grand finale trick was SHAKE! (We had to teach a trick - using clicker training - as homework for the last class. Since he is so "agile minded" (the trainers words - I swear) he learned how to shake paws in about 10 minutes. We're so proud.) He'll be starting "Puppy II" in a few weeks.

Kid graduated from "Pike" to "Eel" in her YMCA swim lessons. (Seattle-ites: I want to say: from "Pike" to "Pine" - know what I mean?) Her dad took her for this last session so I didn't get to witness the progress. She's not swimming on her own yet - but can motor along with floaties on. "Pike" is the first stage after Water Babies (where the parents are in the water with the babes). It was very exciting to start classes where mom / dad just sits on the side and watches. But it is mostly all about getting more comfortable in the water. There was a little boy in her class last "Pike" session (she did two - back to back) that I swear was so thin and pale he was transparent. It made me shiver just to look at him sitting next to the pool. And actually that is as close as he got on some days - next to. He barely dipped his toes. And when the teacher did encourage him to get in, he practically levitated in his apprehension to get wet. So, I am guessing that he's doing another "Pike" session. My Kid, as in nearly all things was pretty much textbook in her progression. And so now she's an Eel.

Hmmm. What else is going on around here ...

We went backpacking last weekend. Will post detailed review of the trip along with photos once I find the card reader. Quick summary: Kid and Guy got to have pudding (or, as we say around here, "puddin") two nights in a row - so they were satisfied. Quin discovered his inner nature dog and got to sleep in the tent with us, so he was ecstatic.

Guy is off on another business trip - RSA and Zimbabwe. Kid and I went downtown yesterday on the bus to Nordstrom to get her some new shoes. I usually get her shoes online here (I heart Zappos!) but I had no idea what size she is. She has just exploded - up and out, all parts, head to toe - in the last couple weeks. (Isn't that the way it goes? Just when I've inventoried all her summer stuff - clothes, shoes, swimsuits - and decided she's all set ... she has a major growth spurt. Alas.) Turns out her feet are a size and a half bigger than any of her shoes. No wonder she has a blister on her heel from hiking. (A BLEEDING OWIE! Those are a major event around here ... since you don't get a band-aid for a non-bleeding owie.) So, I got her these. Aren't they adorable? Took her the rest of the day to lean to walk in them but she got a ton of compliments (and they did not exacerbate her bleeding owie).

Last night I was having a beer with dinner (spinach enchiladas with beans & rice) and Kid asked me to save some beer for her for when she's a grown up and can drink it. She said, with a confidence she often displays which I would not have thought possible for a not-yet-four-year-old, "it'll be just a few weeks and I'll be all grown up!" I corrected her and explained it will be more like a few years. And she calculated, "yeah, I have to go to preschool, then kindergarten, then third grade then college." Wouldn't that be great? If we could just skip adolescence?