tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52938412054976567562024-02-06T18:29:44.965-08:00Spare MindyChelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-53086565489261794732015-10-03T18:02:00.000-07:002015-10-03T18:02:23.730-07:00Lonely Motherhood
I’m sitting on the couch leaning on a pillow
with my crossed feet up taking up as much couch as I can
because I can
only during this sliver of time after bedtime
before I succumb to complete exhaustion
I already fell asleep at 6:30
leaned back against the couch and nodded off
trying in vain to read ScienceNews twelve hours into the day
with the kids bouncing chasing laughing right Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-92208299004924160492014-06-27T21:23:00.003-07:002014-06-27T21:27:29.551-07:00Two Ninety Nine
what if it were my real job?
then would it be okay that they mindlessly eat breakfast
during the second hour
of Tom & Jerry?
while I sit here nourishing myself on waffles and the laptop
surely, I can justify the $2.99 download
if it’s childcare for work
what about for unpaid work?
housework?
to read to eat my breakfast in peace?
for pursuing a passion?
multiply the Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-49851190323248676372014-06-27T21:17:00.002-07:002014-06-27T21:22:16.684-07:00The Difference
I looked her up online
she’s a real one
looking for clues to the how
how can she do it?
with three?
there’s a picture of her desk online
it’s just a slightly messy desk on hardwood floor in the
middle of the house with evidence of
kid stuff all around
not a special office hideaway retreat space dedicated quiet
clean
a lot like my desk, house, hardwood floors
kid stuff all
around
so I Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-55783014776982531582012-07-07T11:39:00.000-07:002012-07-07T11:39:12.501-07:00UglinessSCENE: Drying off Turtle after his shower, rubbing the towel on his wet hair.
Me: You are soooo cute! [smothering with kisses] But I would still love you even if you were ugly!
Turtle: No you wouldn't!
Me: Yes I would! (because I don't want him to think that my love is contingent upon his good looks godforbid something happen and he becomes disfigured and worries that I Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-16313168093640609282012-07-05T11:25:00.001-07:002012-07-05T11:26:01.745-07:00The Myth of the Put Together MomI can't tell you how many times I am out and about and see these really put together moms that make me feel so frazzled and frumpy. You know the ones. Standing in line at Starbucks in their freshly washed form-fitting black yoga pants and cute colorful top with coordinated earrings, silky recently trimmed hair pulled back into an easy pony, stylish purse over their arm, spring in Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-81953527285855723382012-06-29T23:01:00.000-07:002014-06-27T21:18:57.222-07:00I Have Been Writing...I have been writing
appointments and post-its, endless post-its
I have been taking the time to write notes to summarize meetings that take time away from me
I have been writing
how to spell certain words and what we're out of
I have been writing
emails to take care of things
the kids' names on labels
to do lists
I have been writing
lesson plans and html code and letters to the teacher
I Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-24908774176200829412012-06-18T21:49:00.001-07:002014-06-27T21:18:28.913-07:00There Has To Be A Better Way!An undated neon green post-it of mine reminds me that many months ago I wanted to write about how I was so overwhelmed by the sheer process of just getting ready to get all of us out of the house each morning.
I was regularly carrying the following things out to the car each morning: my work bag with laptop and charger and important papers and calendar and all the purse-y stuffChelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-71204857797818793352012-06-18T21:19:00.001-07:002012-06-29T23:04:14.560-07:00Is That With A Capital S?Today Turtle and I were engaged in my Supermom-designed-home-summer-literacy-program, which consists of dragging him around town doing errands and trying to get him to read street and building signs out the window when we are at red lights. We saw a sign that said "Safari Camp" and I asked him if he knew what safari meant.
His answer: "Yeah, it's that place that you go to go on Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-59041804797811789942012-06-18T21:01:00.001-07:002012-06-29T23:03:28.924-07:00What I Learned in KindergardenOn the last day of kindergarden, my mom asked Turtle what the three most important things were that he learned this year. He thought and thought and said
"math...."
silence: more thinking
"...reading..."
more silence: more thinking
"...and...writing"
The 3 "R's"! We eyed each other and cracked up. I swear, this wasn't scripted! I'm not sure Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-56238624314639920322012-06-18T20:47:00.001-07:002012-06-29T23:06:17.386-07:00When Everything is OverdueI'm trying really hard not to cry at the fact that my last post was nearly a YEAR ago.
Which means a year's worth of writing (here or elsewhere) basically hasn't happened. I have a stack of not-followed-through-on post-its to show for it, others that I went ahead and tossed because they made me too pressured, guilty, and sad, and yet more ideas forever swirling around in my head, mostly Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-4967525630601859132011-07-21T22:32:00.000-07:002011-07-21T22:39:38.950-07:00Camping With Kids: Why It’s Worth ItFor the past decade a group of family and close friends have trekked up North each summer into giant redwood territory near Eureka to camp for a few days along the Eel River. When it all started, it was a bunch of young adults, for the most part untethered and able to keep it simple. As the years have passed, many of us have gotten hitched and had kids, which has expanded the group size as wellChelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-53772695164344496092011-07-18T12:00:00.000-07:002011-07-18T13:02:03.660-07:00Ramblings on Gender DifferencesI was looking at back to school backpacks for kids last night online and you had to click boy or girl before the website would display your backpack choices. At McDonald's you have to tell them boy or girl when you order a Happy Meal so they can give you the correct toy. When grocery shopping with 3 month old Fox wearing a plain white onesie, baby admirers needed to know boy or girl before theyChelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-50667738282310381082011-07-17T21:16:00.001-07:002011-07-17T21:21:32.845-07:00F*&n UpdateMy boys returned from a bike ride this afternoon and shared the story of the unleashed pitbull who was growling and running toward them and how they had to yell at the dog and, later, the owner. Best part of the telling? Turtle (gravely): Mommy, the dog was so mean and scary that Daddy had to say fucken.Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-8187490475422620392011-06-25T12:29:00.000-07:002011-06-25T14:13:27.201-07:00Out of the Mouths of BabesA week ago we were at the park with Granny & Grandpa and Turtle decided to bring 73 Hot Wheels (yes, he counted) in a bucket to play with. At one point, I am sitting on a bench nursing Fox and he is behind me racing Hot Wheels in the grass. I can vaguely hear the familiar sound effects and exclamations and constant narration that goes along with major Hot Wheels races, but I'm kind of Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-31703484497759519612011-06-25T11:58:00.000-07:002011-06-25T12:29:03.864-07:00Free Range Challenge #2You might remember my dilemma a couple months ago when I finally decided to go to the bathroom alone, leaving my 5-year old in the coffee shop by himself while I did so. Well, this week I was faced with the other side of the coin. We were settling in at the public pool and I had just begun nursing Fox. Turtle's lessons were soon to begin when he realized he needed to pee. Uh... okay... I'm notChelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-32846622033204319542011-05-10T06:30:00.000-07:002011-05-10T06:42:52.753-07:00Quarters of ConversationTwo of my most favorite pieces of descriptive writing. Oh, that I could learn to write like this! "Around the watchers, the city still made its everyday noises. Car horns. Garbage trucks. Ferry whistles. The thrum of the subway. The M22 bus pulled in against the sidewalk, braked, sighed down into a pothole. A flying chocolate wrapper touched against a fire hydrant. Taxi doors slammed. Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-2588988981583842542011-05-05T10:19:00.001-07:002011-05-05T10:20:47.914-07:00What Should Your X-Year Old Know?A friend sent this to me and I think it's great. You know all those "What your 5-year old/kindergartener/2nd grader should know" books? Here's the answer to what your kid should know.Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-73662787698613743862011-04-15T08:57:00.000-07:002011-04-15T09:23:17.335-07:00Sick of Nesting(photo credit: http://myheelsarehigherthanyours.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html)I can't stand it anymore. My due date is tomorrow and she still isn't here. If she doesn't come by Tuesday morning, I have to have the dreaded appointment where my doctor & I discuss induction. My first day of maternity leave was April 4, 12 days ago, not that I'm counting. The first couple of days were Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-19725493070603653792011-03-26T07:39:00.000-07:002011-03-26T08:51:17.568-07:00Free Range ChallengeOne morning last week Turtle and I went on a date to Starbucks where we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast over the newspaper together. After some time, I needed to go to the bathroom and was confronted with a decision that was a new one for me to make as a parent. A year ago, no question, I would have to bring him to the bathroom with me, hoping the staff didn't clear away our table since we Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-15821805009710409102011-03-23T11:33:00.000-07:002011-03-23T12:05:02.791-07:00Turning 40Last night I greeted Backtire and Turtle as they climbed out of the car to say "Happy Birthday" to me and give me hugs. I thanked Backtire for the card and gift he had left for me to find that morning. Turtle's bottom lip started to quiver as his eyes got sad and he said "but I want to get you a present for your birthday." Tears began... Oh no! We had both failed to make a point to ensure Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-46585680862290030022011-02-18T10:52:00.000-08:002011-02-18T11:10:09.943-08:00Teaching Evolution to ChildrenLast night, Turtle was talking to his dad about the dinosaurs in the puzzle he was piecing together and mentioned that the T-Rex was a “bad guy”. Daddy corrected him pointing out that just because an animal is a meat-eater, that doesn’t make it a bad guy, that’s just how it needs to eat. Turtle clarified saying the reason it was a bad guy was that it ate people. To which both of us quickly Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-47695278792862928972011-02-14T10:50:00.000-08:002011-02-14T16:01:20.105-08:00The Birth of A Stereotype(image credit: http://writingya.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.html)Turtle came out of his room in his red Valentines shirt and wearing a baseball cap backwards this morning. I commented that he looked really cute in the hat and he said:"Mom, did you know that bullies wear their caps backward?""Oh, really?""Yes, if they have caps.""How do you know that?""I've seen pictures of bullies in some Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-87789314138659512262010-10-29T13:32:00.000-07:002010-10-29T13:46:19.329-07:00Frustration Free Packaging!(Photo stolen from Amazon's website)3 years ago, I posted a rant about my frustration with toy packaging. I'm happy to report that Amazon is trying to help us and the environment with their new "frustration free packaging". They are working with certain toy manufacturers to have the toys packaged as simply as possible inside a plain cardboard box that is sturdy enough for the toy to be shipped Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-64538345498761460482010-09-03T11:04:00.000-07:002010-09-03T11:12:18.495-07:00I Vote for ExtinctionYou don't still use these, do you? Learn More.Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293841205497656756.post-88841171311643402652010-08-15T22:11:00.001-07:002010-08-15T22:48:40.929-07:00"Girls Can't Do It"Team sports don't do much for me. I've always been more of an X-Games kind of girl. I was a skater in another lifetime, am into street and dirtbikes, still love to rollerskate (quads only!), and recently took up BMX along with my son. Two years ago, I fought a lot of anxiety and self-doubt to even make it around the track for the first time. After much practice, I gained confidence, got Chelseahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16327352634931863764noreply@blogger.com0