The Lorax

Perhaps it was reading classic Dr. Suess The Lorax that started me thinking about our environmental impact. Then, I just happened across the China edition of National Geographic and thought how similar the images in the tales were - though one was as real as the other fanciful.

I still clearly see myself in a classroom at Gulf Breeze Elementary as the lights are switched off and the projector started up for a viewing of The Lorax. Its always been one of my favorite stories.

A few months ago I found out that Dr. Suess spent many years here in San Diego (in La Jolla). When you see the wondrous purple and red flower-filled trees, plants of all shapes and sizes, you have to wonder how much the scenery here influenced him. I don't find it too far-fetched.

Peanut sits quietly as we read The Lorax. She stops me to ask where the bears, birds and fish go. And Why Mama? Why do they go? I try to explain that we have to share the trees, fields, sky and waters with the animals and take care not to use too much ourselves.


Lorax in Suessville.

Talking Dirty

We were grocery shopping the other day when Peanut starts to tell me a story about Cat & Mouse who we know from a library book.

Cat & Mouse were going to school. Cat ate Mouse's snot! From her nose!!!

Yewwww. Yuck.

Then Cat made a poo-poo!!

Lovely.

Its amazing the phases children go through. Peanut, unfortunately, hasn't been around too many other children the past few months as we moved and I haven't able to place her in a preschool yet. So, I can't blame this one on the influence of some other potty-mouthed children. Papa & I don't talk like this. Peanut has just discovered the joys of grossing her parents out -- all on her own. I'm so proud.....

Virtual Fridge Door: Humpback Whale

Whales, whales and more whales. Peanut drew a whole stack of them - this was the best. Its specifically a "mama humpback whale" she told us. Note the eyelashes around the huge eye that make it a mama :-)

Usually we have to cut them out, but this one she left intact. She's very picky about how her pictures are cut out -- right on the line, no extra white paper allowed!

Virtual Fridge Door: Spaceship

Peanut drew this picture of spaceship at the library after story time about astronauts, space travel and planets. You can see the astronaut faintly in the background - he was on the flip-side. Peanut just decided to do the additional drawing after she colored the astronaut.

Virtual Fridge Door - Dinosaur Bones

The "Virtual Fridge Door" is especially for the grandparents who can't come by and see what Peanut & Tex have most recently created.

We've been searching for dinosaur bones in our backyard for a week or so; ever since we attended a dinosaur themed story time at the library and brought home a collection of dino stories.

Peanut takes her bucket and shovel and heads off to scrounge through the undergrowth for fossils in the form of rocks, sticks and leaves. Tex often tags close behind not quite sure what he's supposed to be doing, but doing it anyway because Big Sis is.

Here I gave her some cardboard and glue so she could put her dinosaur back together - the arrangement is completely her own.

Mother's Day

I had a very nice Mother's Day -- a collection of cards were part of my wake-up, papa had brought home flowers & pastries from the Swedish Royal Bakery and we spent the day among the flowers at Carlsbad's Flower Fields.

Ever since I had Peanut & Tex I've gained a new perspective on my mom, my upbringing and who I am today.

My mom raised two children mostly as a single parent which I now can imagine was an exhausting role. She did it without a family network around her since we lived in Florida far away from her connections in Finland at a time when an international phone call was only for emergencies and very special occassions.

As we all as parents must do at some point or another - I find myself channeling my mom. But, I hope more for the positive values she modeled and the self confidence she instilled.

I want Peanut & Tex to be nature lovers who feel responsible for maintaining and contributing to the Earth's well being. I always knew that I wanted my children to grow up running bare foot outdoors searching for ladybugs, snails and other creatures. I hope they grow up admiring the beauty around us and wondering about the amazing events of nature.

I want my children to respect themselves and others in their actions, words and intentions.

I want to encourage my children to be creative thinkers able to express themselves in arts, crafts, music, words and any other channel they can imagine. I hope they will believe in what they create and feel passionate about its value.

I want them to fall in love with books, stories, poems, tales, newspapers, magazines -- and the Internet as a way to discover new places, ideas and answers to their questions.

I want them to value education.

Its a long list and I could go on, but in these areas I am thankful to have a mother who has shown me how to teach these things. And, most of all, I'm thankful to her for raising me surrounded by these beliefs.

A Boy and his Cow

"Boooooo, Moooooooo" Tex suddenly called out one day and pointed to a black & white stuffed cow.

Since then, "Boo" has been his lovey. I don't know what inspired his attachment and why he fixated on this toy, but it is somehow appropriate.

I quickly tried to introduce Kitty-Cat as a back-up to Boo. Afterall, both these toys are black & white and fairly similar. Tex seems happy with the idea. Both help soothe him to sleep and when he's feeling a bit unsure. He loves to twirl his finger around in Boo's ear and use Kitty-Cat's tail to brush along his eyebrows. If these make him feel better, than I'm happy for him.

Peanut also honed in on her beloved Pooh Bear around the same age. Though now that she's three, Pooh & Blanket have been displaced by imaginary friends that easily go and appear where she is. I think this is a great development! We no longer have to worry about losing a precious friend or having to separate Peanut from her lovey for its much-needed bi-weekly wash. She'll just hold out her empty hand and say guess who's here, mama? It maybe Ice Cream Truck, it may be a Bee, there is a whole cast of characters to choose from.

As different as night & day

A very late night and a very early day that is.

Peanut takes after her papa and is a night owl. We've always had her bedtime around 7:30 - 8:00 pm so she gets enough sleep and we get a chance to spend some quiet time in the evening. Though were it up to Peanut, she'd be bouncing around until well past 10 pm. Now, I know why it was so tough for us to get her to bed peacefully when she was a baby - she just wasn't ready to go!

Lately, she's built up her arsenal of stalling techniques and usually isn't in bed until around 9 pm! First there's bath time. Then after racing around naked for a while, she selects a nightgown. Then she wants to "play for a little bit". Recently, she's started asking for an evening snack. This to be followed by stories - "only 5 books tonight mama" she imitates Olivia the pig. Then, its potty time which usually requires her to go through another book. With that over, its time to brush and floss her teeth. Well, finally into her room and in bed! Then its "I need fresh water". Followed by "tell me the belly-button story" and finally good night.

In the meantime, little Tex has shut-down when the clock struck 7:30 pm. If mama & papa are not watching the time in the evening and we are all still downstairs after 7 pm, Tex has been known to head for the staircase himself and start to go up cause he wants to go to bed. He can barely keep his eyes open after bath time and we only on the rarest occassion hear a peep (OK, in his case, banging on the wall) of protest. He's been that easy to put to bed since the very first night he was home from the hospital. I remember being so amazed that he didn't need anything to settle down.

But, come 6:00 am, Tex is raring to go. While going to bed was a dream, waking up has never been pleasant. Tex basically turns on - opens his eyes and mouth to start screaming right away. Even though I'm a morning person, this has been one of the most difficult transitions since he arrived. There is nothing gentle, forgiving or relenting about his wake-up yell. It demands you wretch yourself from bed immediately and see what he needs. Plus, we know Peanut is not a morning person so we want her to sleep as late as possible.

Tex isn't one for cuddling with us in bed. We try to bring him in in hopes gaining a few more minutes of rest, but he's interested in banging on the window, wiggling about and getting us downstairs to get him breakfast -- NOW!!!!!!!!

Love - All

As long as I can remember my dad has played tennis. He tried many times in my childhood to get my sister and I interested. It never really stuck. Maybe it was too slow, required too much skill to be exciting; or maybe I had too many other activities vying for my time.

For an embarrassingly long time since I became an adult, I've intended to sign up for a tennis class. FINALLY - I've done it! Its just with the local community activity center, but we've got a great coach (my dad got to play my coach and said so ;-)) and I'm having lots of fun. I can see how the game becomes addictive.
Grandy is also keen to get the next generation out of the court and has already bought Peanut her first racquet when she was about a year old. There must be something to it. Grandy bounced the ball around on the racquet when we visited him and the next time Peanut saw him many months later, the first thing she did was turn around, run out of the room to her room and return holding her tennis racquet.

During their visit here last month, Grandy took us all out for a little training session. It was Papa's first time on a tennis court and it was hard to break out of the squash playing mold as you can tell by the "I'm going to send this one into orbit" look of determination on his face.

Happy Birthday Peanut!

Our sweet little lady turned three yesterday!! Amazing how she has grown -- we are so lucky to have her in our lives.

We marked the special day with a batch of papa/Peanut cupcakes (which she no longer calls 'tuptakes') with decadent papa-made frosting consisting of butter, sugar and a sprinkling of cocoa powder. Yum!

For her birthday, we got Peanut her own little 2.5 gallon aquarium, now home to three guppies: Yellow Fish, Blue Fish and Red. They flit about among the seaweed and neon-pink flowers, hiding in the princess castle and gazing down at their hopefully-not-too-blindingly pink rocks at the bottom :-) I'm officially in charge of the health and well being of our newest family members.

Peanut remains a princess fan though fish, sea otters and whales come in a very close second. She carries on all sorts of conversations and imaginary games with her sea-life "friends" through out the day. If she's not dancing about, she loves to be outdoors digging in the sandbox, looking for snails or worms, or best of all -- at the beach! However, she still is a very sensitive little girl who doesn't like loud noises or potentially scary sights. And, if anyone has any ideas on how to get someone this age to sit still and eat an entire meal -- PLEASE -- let me know.

To make us laugh at the grocery store, she likes to take the cucumbers and stick them up to her ear -- "look mama! I have a cute-bunder in my ear, hahahaha!"

Breaking the Thumb Habit

Almost as soon as she could, Peanut put her thumb into her mouth. It gave her peace, it made her happy and it helped her sleep through the night. Pacifiers were spit out with a venegence that sent them popping loudly into the side of her cardboard KELA-box bed. Her choice was her thumb.

And, its been that way ever since.

Now, as she approaches her third birthday, I thought it was time to start weaning off her thumb. Sure, the pediatrician suggested I try it earlier, but the last year was filled with so much change for her from a new little brother to two new homes, I thought if her thumb helps her through it, that's fine with me. Her dentists have never made an issue of the thumb-sucking, but I think the sooner she can stop, the easier it will for all of us.

We started with a small talk about saving thumb for only bedtime. Then, we added some incentive to it -- the Princesses would reward her for her hard work. Yes, once again, I've recruited our friends Pink Princess (aka Sleeping Beauty), Cinderella, Ariel and Jasmin to help our cause.

Every morning, Peanut finds a little surprise from the princess who visited during the night: a coloring page and stickers dedicated to the princess. These lovely ladies also place a sticker on her wall poster and promise bigger rewards for the weekend.

So far, its worked like a charm. Peanut carefully puts her hands in her lap even in the car -- a very tempting place to suck your thumb. Sometimes she literally bursts into tears with longing, but fights the urge. I am extremely proud of her...as are the princesses.

Saving Pennies for a Rainy Day -- or Princess Crown

For a while now Peanut has been keen about "paying" for items when we go to the store or even the library.


I usually just use plastic, so I thought we might need something to help begin instilling the idea of money. And, when you can combine it with an art project - all the better!


Michael's carries a triple-pack of these porclein piggy-banks waiting to be decorated. An example piggy at the store had been graced with a pink fluffy tutu, pink paint and pink eyelashes, so unsurprisingly, Peanut also wanted her piggy to be PINK!


After we painted it, we talked about collecting coins for it, saving the coins to take to the bank or to take to the store to buy something. Peanut decided she wanted to buy a new princess crown to replace the one she broke. Though I would have liked her to be saving for a book or something along those lines, I have to respect her choice.


So, every evening when papa comes home, Peanut runs to jump into his arms and to ask "Papa, did you bring me some money?" He usually digs out some coins which have to be shared with little brother. Peanut is persistent about her income and her piggy is happily jingling already.

Its a start. We may not have yet really covered how to "earn" money, but she is getting the idea that you have to gather a pile together to take to the bank or to the store. I suppose we can work
on the details later.


Since Peanut & Tex each got a piggy, I thought Papa and I could use one for ourselves. Its saving pennies for a special vacation treat. This piggy has golden eyelashes, golden toe-nails and golden wings.

Temporary Art

Peanut likes to sit out on the balcony with her chalkboard to draw.

But, to see what she's created you have to be quick.

Almost immediately after she's drawn her piece of artwork, she announces "Its old" and wipes it away.

Mainely about vacation

We did it -- our first four-member family vacation is complete! We rented a house on a quiet cove in Surry, Maine, near Acadia National Park. Loaded up the mini-van (again, just an amazing modern invention) and headed up I-95 and down some smaller roads. The landscape was serene and reminded us in many places of Finland.

My favorite sightings were the items for sale along the way. Usually just a handpainted sign (Firewood $3, Cucumbers $2.50, Bathouses $10.00, or just stuff "FREE") marked the opportunity.

My only wishes for the week were:

• lots of time for Peanut to play outside in the yard and on the beaches



• time for the four of us just to hang out without moving boxes (to be packed or unpacked) in the background



• visits to Acadia National Park (notice I didn't actually say 'hike', 'tour' or otherwise deeply engage ourselves -- just visit enough to see it)



• lobster and blueberries

So, all in all, an excellent week! Well, I suppose I had also imagined quiet days of relaxation,but that was just silly. With two little ones, vacation is just home life, but away from home. So, there are tantrums, cooking, shopping and little voices crying out in the middle of the night.

Maine moves at a leisurely pace and it was a relief to melt into it. Our cove home was off the main drive, down a dirt road and secluded. Ahhhhh...To me, any vacation home that you have to take a dirt road to is just fantastic! We had the cove to ourselves and could wonder how the tides never seemed to rest. As soon as it had risen to the top of the beach, you could almost perceive it starting to go out again until 15 feet of stones, mussel shells, seaweed and granite rocks would be exposed.

Acadia National Park is pretty 'la-de-da' as far as parks go. Rockefeller (The Rockefeller) invested much time and money into it, designing a driving route with stops at the key sights. Perfect for us! We also enjoyed the near mandatory Popovers and Strawberry Jam at the Jordan Pond Lake House, arriving just at opening time to be seated with a view of the mountains.

Our vacation ended abruptly the eve Peanut put on Tex's socks, raced around on the wooden floors and slipped, busting open her lip and injuring her teeth. Calls to the local clinic and seemingly only dentist in town who was booked for the next 4 weeks, left us with an hour drive to Bangor to go to the Penobscot Health Center. There the dentist told us all four top teeth were loose and mentioned such terrible solutions as their removal.

Luckily, a follow up visit here in the area found the teeth more stable. We won't know more until the months pass as Peanut was terrified of the X-ray machine and would not allow it to get close enough to get an image. This made me think, I need to find a good local pediodontist and take Peanut in for check-ups just so she's familiar and we have a doctor who will see us in an emergency because they don't all do that unless you are already a patient! It made me miss Dr. Rozas in Coppell.

Butterfly Place

Peanut being a girl, loves butterflies.

So, earlier this week we went to walk among the fluttering creatures at the Butterfly Place with a friend back from our playgroup in Texas who had moved up here more than a year ago!

The Butterfly Place is a privately owned indoor atrium where hundreds of butterflies float freely through (or sometimes just sleep in the middle of the walkways) their mini tropical forest.

What I didn't count on was how unnerving it could be to have a butterfly with an 8-inch wingspan come diving at you (Ok, it wasn't really diving, just fluttering) so you could really see the legs and fuzzy body. Maybe I hadn't had enough sleep the night before and maybe I'd had one too many cups of coffee that morning, but I was almost ducking and diving my way through the atrium.

Peanut's been talking about the butterflies all week and evidently the man who told us about the caterpillars also made an impression since she often mentions him, too.

Tex also had a good time, gazing up at the skylights on the ceiling and certainly seeing some of the butterflies (they were so big!) especially the one that landed right next to his toes in the stroller.

Did you know that each butterfly species caterpillars can only eat certain types of leaves? I did not! I thought was the flowers that attracted butterflies, but as the Caterpillar Man told us, its the trees.

Prettiest in Pink

I don't know how it has happened, but Peanut has turned into a pink princess fanatic.

The other day, she was pretending to play golf (papa's newest love). When papa asked her if she would like a set of clubs and balls too, she replied "How about pink ones? Pink princess ones?"

On our trip to pick out curtains for Tex's room, Peanut chimes in "I need pink curtains". She already has some cutesy curtains for her room. Granted, they are not just pink.

As we strolled through the toddler clothing department, "How about a dress? A pink one?"

And, it was with the motivation of princess stickers and underwear that Peanut was encouraged to start using the potty (even though its only white!).

Her favorite Disney princess? "The pink one" = Sleeping Beauty.

I had really hoped to keep the princesses out of our lives for another year or more, but somehow their allure is irresistible. In trying to figure out how they slipped in, I think it all started with Ms. Christie's Dancing DVD where a ballerina dressed as a butterfly first caught Peanut's eye. This then lead to her picking out what she called a "dancing dress" with butterfly wings for her 2nd birthday present. Perhaps princesses just looked like little girls who always got to wear pretty ("plilly") dancing dresses!


But, the PINK!!! Its all Peanut.

A.W.O.L. or just M.O.T?

Its been a busy month for us! Graduating to "Mother of Two" has been a big leap, but I feel I'm getting my bearings.

Just today, I headed out for an unplanned and unexpected diaper run with both Peanut and Tex. Any new mom will know that "unplanned" and "unexpected" with new babies is a feat. It was only the second time I hit the road on my own with them. It still takes some logistical juggling for me, but I did it without breaking a sweat.

Compare this to the first time I went to the grocery store alone with Peanut in Finland. I thought the whole venture through very carefully several times and even planned the exact time to head out between feedings, diapers, etc. I was a nervous wreck as I moved her carry-cot out of our apartment into the elevator.

This time around, I've got some experience under the belt and am a bit more relaxed.

We've had a lot more going on around here than just bringing Tex into our lives. We'll soon be leaving the Big D for the home of the Big Dig -- Boston! Peanut's papa has taken a new position up there and we are already hot & heavy into the "relo" (as those in the biz call it!) process. Our home is for sale, movers are making estimates and I'm thinking I should have kept those snow boots!!!

Sweet & Sassy Cutie Cut

Today Peanut went for her first real haircut.

Until now we'd been trimming at home - mostly on the increasingly rare occasions when she fell asleep in the car we'd bring her in and put her into her unused feeding chair and attempt a bang snipping. Then, there have been the random clumps we've had to cut out from the back when she twirls her hair into an impossible to open knot. Anyway, her hair was getting pretty wild so it was time to call in the pros.

There are several hair places that cater strictly to kids around here:
A haircutting place within the Stride Rite store on Macarthur/Round Grove in Lewisville though I've only heard of negative experiences from moms about this location.

Another place also on Round Grove in Lewisville across from Gymboree. This one has gotten much more positive reviews.

Cool Cuts for Kids with tips on how to make that first appointment a good experience.

Peanut went to Sweet & Sassy in Southlake where they offer much more than just haircuts. You can book the place for little girly parties and opt for a mini-manis and mini-pedis! We went in as soon as they opened in the morning so it was quiet.

Peanut got situated in a toddler-sized barber stool and had a sparkly pink wrap snapped around her neck. Pooh bear was safely situated underneath. The whole cut took all of 10 mins. A few spritzes of water and snips here & there. A dusting of glitter spray completed the styling. Peanut even got a glitter star put on her cheek and selected a lollipop on her way out :-)

The stylist was very child friendly and has a 15 month old herself so she knew how to talk to Peanut and keep her calm. I opted for a regular "Cutie Cut" ($13.95) rather than the "Baby's First Haircut" package which would have include an official photo, certificate and locket of hair for $19.95.

Leave Stunt Baby at home for Corteo

Most evenings Peanut is given to taking flying leaps off the sofa into what she assumes will be her papa's awaiting arms. She doesn't always give warning. You just happen to see a toddler come flying through the air in the corner of your eye and somehow your arms react quickly enough to catch her! Such trust in her parents!

Cirque du Soleil has set up its big top in Fair Park for its touring performances of Corteo. On our last date night we went to catch the 4:00 pm show. I love Cirque du Soleil for all that it brings together in one night - live music, humans doing extraordinary things with their bodies, comedy, drama and just the feeling of watching a surreal painting come to life in front of your eyes.

As we walked towards the entrance I saw several toddlers coming into the show and wondered if Peanut would have enjoyed it. It was literally under a big tent, outdoors. We stumbled in a little late and were completely blinded by the total darkness of the interior. What a scene! I think Peanut would have been mesmerized; a little frightened, but just mesmerized by the show. I also think she would have gotten wayyy too many ideas about how you can fly through the air and bounce off many ordinary objects :-)

My first call to the Poison Control Center

If you have a poisoning emergency, call
1-800-222-1222.

I suppose it was bound to happen, Peanut got into something she shouldn't have. Fortunately, it was just a tube of our fluoride toothpaste and she didn't consume too much of it.

I had left her in our bathroom while I went to her room to get a change of clothes. When I walked back in, she had pulled her stool over to the counter and had her toothbrush on the counter, one hand on an open tube of toothpaste and a finger from the other hand in her mouth, clearly coated in the sparkly blue stuff.

I didn't know how much she had eaten, but clearly it wasn't more than 1 - 2 teaspoons. I decided to call the poison control center anyway since I wasn't sure what a really dangerous amount to consume would be or how I would be able to tell if she had had too much.

I had to look the number up on line....

My call was routed straight to a local office and after a list of informational questions (who I was, my zip code, baby's name, weight, age, medications, allergies), we got down to why I was calling. I was advised to give Peanut 4 oz of milk and to watch for abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea.

They called me back in an hour to follow up. Luckily, Peanut was fine. Turns out fluoride toothpaste is really a concern when you consume 4 oz or more -- that's nearly half the tube.

I'll know for next time and am spending some time this afternoon to clean off our counter tops a bit better.