It's back-to-school time here in the dry, crispy, 100-degree, high fire danger state of the country that keeps producing governors who want to be president.
Antiwhine is the incredible smile on Sweet's face when I told her she was going back to school next week.
Whine is the incredible amount of whining and fit-throwing she has been doing over *any* new item (cup, bedspread, activity).
The Mini related antiwhine is the potty! and the words! She's making incredible progress without much effort on my part. She only had two wet diapers all day, and no dirty ones. Everything else was in the potty!
The Mini related whine is her new, sporty black eye. She ran into the corner of the end table on Saturday. (Bonus antiwhine: I now have the pediatrician's cell phone number!)
What are the back-to-school whines around your places, pixies? No school yet? Haven't been to school in years and don't intend to return? No matter. All whines accepted.
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64 comments:
w: vertigo
aw: umm, hmmm.
aw:i guess it's at a tolerable level? maybe? so far?
w: Neighbor Boy just said that he's really tired and ready for bed. At 8:15. granted, he didn't want to do something I wanted him to do before bed, but still, I am a bit nervous about this....
aw: i have great kids and a great husband?
I guess sometimes you just have to fall back on the big things you are grateful for, when you can't see the forest for the trees.
--Neighbor Lady
NL, glad your forest is there, but sorry the trees are looming so large.
May I please bring a whine that will probably give pixies the heebie jeebies?
oh sure, amy. All whines welcome, but thanks for the warning.
TRIGGER WARNING: HEEBIE JEEBIES MAY OCCUR IF READING AMY'S WHINE.
Go ahead, Amy.
Now I'm dying of curiosity over here. Hurry up, Amy, and whine!
We forgot garbage day last week and now there are little fruit-fly like bugs swarming in our garage and a few in the house. Yuck.
No baby yet. Very uncomfortable, not sleeping well, ready to hold my baby.
Bored out of my mind at work - I was perhaps too efficient at getting other people to take over my work early. At least I only have to show up two more days (plus today).
We had a condo open house this weekend and nobody showed up. No showings scheduled either. But hey - at least it's clean!
Dear Baby: Mama is ready. Let's get this show on the road. xoxxo
JenR's an early contender for old skool with the garbage whine.
NL -- oy, vertigo. Hope you are feeling better soon!
Amy, don't tease us like that!
Esperanza -- you'd be a contender for Mullet, were you not host, for the state "that keeps producing governors who want to be president." If it's all the same to you, Texas can keep him. :)
W: My mailbox place gave me a pickup slip for a package, but lost the package. During my several calls to follow up, the employees complained that they would have to search the *whole place* (SIGH), but I only really got action when one of them asked what was in it. Something important was in it, from a court, and they had delivery confirmation. I could almost see the clerk blanching over the phone, his career flashing before his eyes. They had efficiently labeled my box with the wrong mailbox number.
Aaammmmyyyyy -- where's teh promised whine? Yes, we are all in touch with our inner 8 year olds.
East coast Pixies -- hope everyone's OK after the quake. Y'all don't get them very often, but I want to assure you that 5.9 or so is impressive even to californians.
Earthquake!!!
Was standing outside my son's school when it happened. We all looked around for the delivery truck...and then realized that trucks don't rattle the ground for 30 seconds.
6.0, centered in Mineral, VA (I am not making that up).
So far, no injuries or significant damage that I know of.
Very tippy top of National Cathedral took some damage.
really good there is no more significant damage reported, liz. i'm sure there will be things tossed in stores and kitchens, etc., but that is all replaceable.
i'm having small flashbacks to loma prieta (6.9); we were staying with my sister, a lot of furniture tipped over and all the glassware went flying, and the power and phone went out. my kids were 9 months and 2. we were all, "oh, it's just an earthquake. it's OK, it'll be over soon." didn't find out until we finally got the kids to bed how much destruction there was. my son really enjoyed the power outage; he kept singing the happy birthday song because we were using candles. (having first shut off the gas, to avoid fires.) quite a time.
never has my calm mommy voice come through so well. internally, my sister and i were saying "OH HOLY SHIT, IT'S A BIG ONE!" as we made sure we were all in places where things couldn't fall on us.
A picture of the earthquake devastation in DC. I have no idea how we'll ever be able to pick up the pieces.
(GRIN)
liz for a grace under pressure prize. ;)
More damage reported at Nat'l Cathedral (tallest point in DC). Mineral, VA and other areas reporting damage. No deaths or serious injuries reported as yet.
Sorry! Didn't mean to tease! I had to go to work, and the kids AND husband are sick with colds, so The World Is Collapsing Everywhere!!! Oh noes!
Before the heebie jeebie whine, I want to say I hope everyone is okay. I think we could all do with a little less Earthquake! Same Great Natural Disaster, Now With East Coast Goodness! ((hug))
Amy, you're teasing AGAIN!
What's up with that?!?
:)
Neighbor Lady
***HEEBIE JEEBIES ALERT***
FOLLOWING WHINE MAY INDUCE HEEBIE JEEBIES IN THE FOLLOWING: pixies who don't like bugs, pixies who don't like spiders, pixies who like the inside of their homes bug-free, and many others.
So, my front door is framed by two side lights and a large window over the top. We have a deep porch, so bugs gather right up by the door, much to the delight of the bats. I appreciate the benefit that creatures like bats, birds, toads, frogs, and spiders offer, so when a large wolf spider made her nest in the corner of the window over the door, I was willing to let her stay IN SPITE OF REALLY REALLY REALLY NOT LIKING AT ALL VERY MUCH teh spiders.
Now, I've read Charlotte's Web. I know what happens to female spiders when they reach A Certain Age, and I recognized the tell-tale male wolf spider carcass in the web about a week ago. Egg sack *any* minute, right? So I did what so many spouses do around the world every day -- I told my partner to Get Rid Of It (TM). Naturally, I was much relieved when I looked up a few days ago and she wasn't in her web nest.
Imagine my horror when I thanked my husband for Getting Rid Of It (TM) and he said he never did anything.
She's just.... GONE....
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AAAAAAAAAAHHHH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!
Now I can't sit in my living room without periodically looking up at the window over the door at the empty web nest and wondering where she is and where her millions and millions of babies are...
i'm voting for the bats, amy. (although personally, faced with such a situation, i would count on my vacuum cleaner + extension nozzles before i'd count on Nature doing its thing. or any dudes who happen to be related to me.)
true anecdote: my son wanted to adopt a tarantula, harriet, who ended up serving 9 awesome years as a classroom pet. we got her for summers, and learned something odd: tarantulas store semen until they are ready, which apparently is after the school year is over. there was a very large egg sack, 9 months after adoption. my son was calling all his friends, thrilled that everyone could have tarantulas. mama ate her babies, all 98,000 of them, and continued her career making 1st graders say EEEK! the end.
p.s. -- i think you're all good since you didn't see an egg sack.
Some responses, kathy a., in no particular order:
1. How did Harriet manage to come by the semen? Was there a Mr. Harriet?
2. With all due respect, I kind of doubt the bat thing because wouldn't the spider have to be moving around for the bat to see her?
2b. I also kind of doubt it because this exact scenario played out last year as well. Same timeline, everything. (Spider gets big, male carcass shows up, spider disappears.) No, I did not learn my lesson. Yeah, I know... *hangs head*
3. I don't know why I didn't think of the vacuum + extension. I've done that before with inside spiders.
4. ZOMG, SRSLY??? SHE ATE *ALL* OF THEM???
Also, did I mention she was huge? Like, a 2" leg span. What bat is going to eat that thing?
*shudder*
we never met mr. harriet, but concluded there must have been one.
i exaggerated a little. most of the spiderlings never hatched. we had the enclosure sealed up well, and i was considering extermination options, but those that hatched were gone by morning. we all concluded it was not meant to be, and cleaned the cage (while son made condolence calls to his pals). it's rough territory when a spider also plays the part of a pet.
Really? Vacuum? Don't you then have heebie jeebies thinking of Harriet and her babies crawling around the vacuum cleaner bag?
the vacuum cleaner is the best invention ever, so far as bugs are concerned. don't know about your vacuum cleaner bags, but the interior of mine is not conducive to life. (and if i ever felt creepy anyway, it's cheaper to toss the old bag and move on. always keep spare bags.)
Do not get me started on the potty/lying whines from today. Just to be clear, the potty itself was not telling lies. The lies were regarding the potty and the need thereof.
Let's focus on the fact that I haven't changed a dirty diaper from Mini in two whole days.
And that preschool starts soon.
Those are good things to think about.
The Republicans in my county have voted for Dick Black. He won a three way primary with less than 40% of the vote. Forget spiders and their millions of babies, this man defines heebie jeebies.
I'm offline for the week, but wanted to stop in and wish all the best for the folks in the earthquake area. My goodness. I have never experienced such an event, but it must be awful. Sending good pixie wishes to all.
Also, I'll second the instruction to Baby to, ahem, come on out and meet your family!! Any time now......*tapping fingers on table*
Amy: Um, EW!!!!!!
Whine: Canada lost the best Prime Minister we never had. Jack Layton was the Leader of Canada's Official Opposition party, the New Democratic Party. His charisma and passion for social justice will be sorely missed.
Esperanza - I think the potty training mojo is finally rubbing off. we're running 50-75% success around here. And preschool starts in 2 weeks. Please work out...
The earthquake is unbelievable, no matter how many times I look at the US map of geological activity.
Must admit I breezed through the spider stories. I can't hear you. la la la.
Life feels v unbloggable. Some good, some bad.
Ewwww, spiiiiders!
Maybe the spider mrs. went off somewhere else (like in the woods?) to have her egg sac time....?
Wishing you much luck with the waiting...
Also, I agree that thinking about spiders in vacuums is even more heeby-jeebyish.
shudder.
--Neighbor Lady
aw: chocolate cake...yummm
sue, layton sounds like he was a wonderful man.
liz, condolences.
esperanza, you are right in the middle of the potty-training version of the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. sarah, glad there is progress on that front!
mmm, NL -- chocolate cake....
Yuck.. The garbage may have started it, but the case of peaches on the counter has made the bug problem worse. They have somehow gone from not ripe on Monday to soft and some too-soft today. Bugs abound. I'm grossed out. My mom is dealing with it. I would present her with chocolate cake for her trouble, but she hates chocolate.
Hates Chocolate?
HATES. Chocolate?
Does not compute.
Must agree with Liz re: chocolate.
To the extent that I am still a professional, there are some unbloggable professional whines that involve decisions that hurt people I care about. Sigh. Sorry for the vague.
Improvements for Sweet in the potty department today. Not so much for Mini, but I'll cut her some slack, as we were out running errands and--hey--she's only 1 1/2.
liz - I don't understand it either. But I do appreciate the extra slice of wedding cake I usually get to share with my Dad whenever we all go to a wedding!
My wedding cake was white chocolate. Made by my sister's sister-in-law. Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard.
First, I also have a fun true spider story: I lived in Erie, PA the summer after my sophomore year at college. I arranged my summer lodging arrangements online and found what the site called an "Efficiency Apartment" for $180 a month, in 2002 dollars. It turns out that the "efficiency apartment" was really "one third of a trailer." Yes, at one point in my life, I lived in the lesser half of a duplex trailer. Not even a doublewide.
Anyway, as hard as it is to imagine, my one third of a trailer does not come with air conditioning, and Erie has a massive drought and heat wave going on, prompting me to install a box fan in the window. Soon enough, I notice my walls are now inhabited by legions tiny, almost microscopic spiders. Being a bugophobe at the time, I shrieked like a girl and began smushing them, and promptly woke up covered with mosquito bites the next day. After a week of this ritual, I finally relented and let the spiders stay, and remained bite-free for the rest of the summer. I now love spiders dearly. They are among my favorite creatures.
Second, I clearly lack the maturity to be a Wednesday Whining commenter, as I can't read "Dick Black" without laughing. "Dick Black." huh huh. Huh huh huh. He's officially my new favorite Republican. John Boehner, you had a good run.
My whine: The Colts signed Kerry Collins today, which signals that Peyton Manning probably will not be ready for the season opener, which signals horrible, unwatchable losses, for those who don't speak Sports.
My Anti-Whine: I now have no reason to feel bad about not being able to afford TV next month.
embrace your inner 12 year old, Andy. I giggled too.
If you're wondering what Dick Black looks like, I highly do not recommended doing a Google Image Search of his name.
I mean, I have a hard time believing any of these people are Republican politicians. Will the Real Dick Black please stand up?
...ok, I'm done now. I have more, but I'm done.
Fly trap score:
Apple cider vinegar in a bowl with plastic wrap - 0 (loser!!)
Apple cider vinegar, slightly warmed, in a bottle with a funnel on top - 1
Beer, in a bottle with a funnel on top - 1
Bowl accidentally left in sink full of water and dish soap foam - 6
Check back tommorow for the riveting details - I just filled two sinks and a couple of cups with more dish soap/water/foam... we'll see what happens.
Come on over to my politics blog and click some of the links. He is truly aptly named. But, yes, best not to google him. Unless you add, I kid you not, the words "pl@$tic fetus", replacing the @ and $ with a and s.
BTW, some of my comments are from my phone, which has a different account. Thus no gravatar.
So very many heebie jeebie shudders going on right now. Potty training, spiders, flies, ugh.
Still 13 days until the first day of school here. *sigh*
We do have a major thunderstorm moving through the area and keeping the kids awake but enthralled. I'm about ready to call it a night but I still have so much to do tonight!
Anonymous of last week's medical whine, checking in.
Went to the doc today. She was baffled, but asked for urine and blood to test. Urine confirmed that I am not pregnant, and I'm not sure what all is being run via the blood. Doc did say that she wants to check my thyroid (she's Jamaican, so what she actually said was "tie-roid")and send me for a barium assay. Delightful, no?
The only anti-whine that I can come up with is that in the last four months or so, I've lost 30 pounds. That's good in my book, but alarming to the doc. Too rapid for the time frame, and may be symptomatic of Whatever The Hell Is Wrong With Me.
So, I was sent home with instructions to wait for a call about the assay, and I can pick up a prescription tomorrow to help with the nausea. Even the doctor agreed that vomiting 12 times in one day is not normal mode of operation.
Thanks for all the good thoughts and wishes. I will keep you posted.
oy, days -- 2 more weeks? sending chocolate, stat. :)
((( anonymous ))) no no no, 12 vomits is not right. so glad you went to see the doc, even if whatever the heck it is might be scary. sending many hugs and good thoughts. xoxoxoxo
andy has an exceptional spider story, definitely award-worthy.
and i'm not googling his political comments, but am pretty sure that if i did, i'd be spitting the beverage of choice all over the place. liz's don't-g00gle makes me anxious just contemplating what might turn up. ugh.
JenR is definitely scoring in the war against fruitflies. go, team, go!
nominating liz for the demon award, for suggesting white chocolate wedding cake and not passing it.
Somebody want to delete that?
Morning fruit fly score:
Apple cider vinegar in a bowl with plastic wrap - 0 (loser!!)
Apple cider vinegar, slightly warmed, in a bottle with a funnel on top - 0 (the one escaped. kicking myself for not getting rid of it last night)
Beer, in a bottle with a funnel on top - 1
Bowl accidentally left in sink full of water and dish soap foam - 6
2 sinks, one bottle, and a bowl of foamy dish soap - 0 (boo.)
I'm thinking that the brownie batter remnants in the soapy bowl helped it attract the flies. Alas, I am out of brownie mix and that seems wasteful anyway. Other ideas?
Thank you, Spammer, for playing. Your post has been deleted.
Sheesh.
I would have passed some white chocolate wedding cake had I had any left, 15 years later.
I can always ask my sister's sister-in-law (there's gotta be a better way to express that relationship) to make more, right?
Jen R., brownies are not to be wasted on fruit flies, but heck, if they're attracted to the remnants of the batter, then you have a reason to make brownies!
Anon, I hope that you feel better, and that the reason behind the worrying symptoms ends up being relatively harmless and easy to deal with.
....insert long pause here while I dither over posting links to the horribleness that is the politician Dick Black, vs the images you get when you google his name...which are similar to what you now get when you google Santorum.
I ultimately decided not to post links in case the click throughs get followed back here.
When I used to work in a fruit fly research lab, we actually fed the flies a yeast mixture, which is what they normally eat. (wild yeast on rotting fruit). So maybe a little yeasty soapy water would help?
--Neighbor Lady
oh dear "fruit fly research lab" ... I suppose they have to exist, but wow. I suppose "mosquito research lab" would be worse!
JenR -- OJ + vinegar is what daughter is using.
liz -- i visited your political blog and explored from there, and bleah. yuck. oy. gag. i guess the hopeful point is that mr. black has already provided a great deal of ammunition.
Actually JenR, it was really cool. Fruit flies make an amazing genetic model system and lots of genes that end up being important in humans were discovered first in fruit flies--Cool stuff. So, no, the idea of mosquito research lab--that definitely gives me the heeby-jeebies, but in our research lab the flies were all nicely sorted and contained.....
Removing self from science soap box and going back to dealing with all the CSA veggies.....
;)
Neighbor Lady
Indy signed Kerry Collins??? ZOMG COLTS, NOOOO!!!!!!
Thank goodness I'm not a Colts fan. Of course, the fact that we are (by geographical default) Lions fans doesn't really help either.
Sorry all, for spiders, mysterious and concerning vomit, and all other heebie-jeebie or unbloggable whines.
AW: I've "gone dark" (so Ja*k Bauer, yes?) since returning from Tennessee - as in, no checking of email, no Fb, just the occasional stop by WW. I feel like I'm living on Caribbean time....the days are just slower and less stuff is packed into my brain. It's been a lovely way to spend the last week of my vacay.
W: I'm concerned for plenty of friends not only on the East Coast, but also in Southern Ontario where tornadoes and storms have been wreaking havoc for days. I could find out lots of info on fb, but I just can't get myself to do it.
The trip, as great as it was, just sucked the energy out of me. I'm pretty sure it was the air travel, b/c the event itself was extraordinary.
W: I have two trips requiring air travel in September. Oh, yippee! One is for work, the other for the next round of Botox injections at the pain clinic. The second one, despite air travel, is a definite Anti-Whine.
Cannot. Come. Soon. Enough.
Ice.
***and.....scene.*****
ouchie, sue. hope the headache is better. giggling about "going dark." sounds so mysterious!
nominate NL for a science guy award. :)
dipped my toes into some legislative lobbying recently, because someone i've known my whole life is politically connected to someone we wanted to reach. and yay, he happened to be having lunch with the legislator, and gave a good pitch, and i got just the nicest warm letter! only to learn that the bill has gone to legislative purgatory. drat. much admiration for liz, who wades political waters all the time.
Keep whining...awards will come. Last night got eaten by a big sewing project. Maybe tonight?
esperanza, going back to your post -- we also had a lot of fit-throwing with transitions, like back to school. my kids are adults now, and one is better at transitions; the other is better at taking advantage of opportunities, even if that means bonus transition angst. i feel like such an old person, making those observations. which i never ever say out loud. not where either can hear me.
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