Babushka Approved

Last night my pal and I unpacked and split up our tin of Bulgarian surplus ammo. It was awesome. There was an "Inspected By..." paper mostly in Cryllic that I cannot even begin to understand, the tin opened like some kind of eastern bloc sardine can, and the rounds were wrapped in little packages of 10. I kid you not. 300 rounds, each group of 10 gift-wrapped with a little commie bow of proletariat twine. I had read about this on a website I frequent (theboxotruth.com) but it was still a little startling. You totally CAN picture scarf-clad babushka grandmas wrapping bullets on an assembly line.

Birthday Bonanza

Cayden is making a brown plate the most arduous way possible, using every color in the rainbow.

So Big

Cayden recently got his first backpack (Buzz! Lightyear! ) with a Christmas gift-certificate to Toys-R-Us and looks unbelievably old. As he is fond of telling us, "I'm not a little boy. I'm a big boy". Yes you are son, heartbreakingly and wonderfully big.

Spring Break is Near

I'm hoping by the time it's over to have found my desk again.

Drafting Table

Drafting tables, for the sake of teaching drafting, are a thing of the past. Even at my high school the kids do their drafting on CAD (Computer Aided Design). Accordingly the drafting tables at my school are mostly used as portable desks and being 50 years old they have taken some abuse. Ok, a lot of abuse. So when I found out that I would be hosting a student teacher this winter I formulated a plan to refinish one of the destroyed drafting tables and put it in the back of my room as a spare teacher desk.

I picked out one that still had its footrails and brought it home for reconstructive surgery. At first I figured I'd do the whole thing but due to space and tool constraints I settled for just pulling off the work surface, refinishing it, and then reattaching it.

The sanding wasn't too bad. I started with a 50 grit belt sander to tear off the top layer of shellac, pencil, sharpie, and amateur scrimshawing. I then switched to a random orbital sander with 100 grit, then 220, and then hand sanded the final before painting on 4 coats of water based polyurethane.

Then I stuck it on its legs and brought it back to school. All told it was a quick and dirty refinishing of a pretty basic piece of wood. That being said, the wide grain and blond color of the wood (maybe maple?) underneath the original stain and shellac is very pretty and it makes a nice addition to my classroom.

not the one i refinished but a good example of the condition of these desks

mine had a few more sharpie renditions of reproductive organs

Indoctrination Complete

Cayden at breakfast this morning: "Mamma! That's the NPR song! NPR is good radio. I like to hear the words the boys and girls are saying on the radio."

965.7 miles to Mt. Katahdin

We had to take advantage of the copious snowfall of last week so we went out to the AT today to do some snowshoeing. On the way out Cayden established what would constitute an emergency so that we could go get water from the water tower. He likes water towers a lot.






Me: " If there were 4 squirrels would that be an emergency?"
C: " If there were 4 squirrels and the firetruck ran them over, then they would be squashed."
Me: " Would that be an emergency?"
C: "Yes."

Snowmageddon

I think the snow of the last 48 hours is the most snow I have ever seen fall at once. Not counting the blizzard of '76 for which I was two years old and stuck at my teacher's house.

CH2S (Thioformaldehyde)

Yesterday Cayden came running out of the back room with a shrink wrapped unopened video in his hand. He asked me to identify it for him but I had no idea where it came from. "Can you tell me what movie this is?" he repeatedly queried me. "Um, I've never seen that movie before in my life kiddo, sorry."

2 hours later while picking up in the spare room I found the scattered remains of wrapping paper all over the floor and the mystery became clear to me. I brought the paper into the kitchen and related the following conclusion to JD while Cayden listened on: "Hey Mommy, somebody found the present from Nana & Pop-Pop up on the table in the spare room so then somebody went and got their stool and then somebody decided that the present was for them so then somebody unwrapped the present."

With no guile whatsoever the kid immediately yelled "It was Cayden Hoyt Henry Sprayberry!"

Snow Woes

Waking up to 8" of fresh snow is very exciting for everybody. Until we actually get outside that is.

Serious Progress

Warning: this post is entirely about bodily functions that are not good dinner conversation. So, for months now when people ask me if Cayden is potty-trained, I look them in the eye and say, "He's not wearing diapers?". Which is a fancy way of saying no. He picked up peeing on the potty pretty readily, and honestly we probably transitioned him out of diapers a little too soon. But, if you cloth diaper there is not much difference between washing four pairs of pants a day and 8 diapers a day, and his teachers are on board with experiential learning. Cayden had a good learning curve because his teachers would have him change his own pants and underwear (to the best of his ability), and that started ti cut into his play time. He has been paying more and more attention to his body, and honestly only has an accident once or twice a week at school now (more on the weekends because we sometimes forget to remind him to go). Pooping on the potty has been a little bit of a different story. It is really hard for him because there is such random reward. Your average 2 year old will always have at least a little pee to put in the potty, but you can't really summon a poop on command. So, we kind of backed off that front because he was getting really frustrated. We settled for having him tell us when he had a poop accident, and told him that acknowledging a poop as soon as it started would help him learn when it was going to happen. And it looks like this may *gasp* have actually worked. For two poops in a row, Cayden has announced that he is going to poop on the potty, gone to his potty, and done the deed! Granted he has made the announcement about 10 times, and only two resulted in a poop, but he is consistently trying instead of getting sad and frustrated when "it won't come out!". It is a little weird to be proud of him for this, but learning this skill has required Cayden to work on some emotional maturity and patience that he just didn't have 4 months ago. I think that we may actually be able to retire the diaper laundry bin by this summer, an event that will be accompanied by an entire bottle of champagne on my part.

Had it coming...

C: runs into kitchen crying
J: What's wrong Cayden?
C: Toku hit me!
J: Were you poking Toku?
C: NO!
T: What were you doing when Toku kit you?
C: I was tickling him. Just a little bit. I am going to go tell Toku no hitting.
C: runs into living room Toku! No hitting! ROAR!!!

Tyson Likes his Christmas Present

Of course, I didn't get a picture of his previous round. His grouping was a *little* less spectacular.

Wait For It...

That's right! It's a disposable recycling bin!

Son of a Knitter

"That's a Y Mommy. Y is for Yarn."

Eating My Hat

I discovered a great game this summer with my Dad. You pick up a Williams & Sonoma catalogue and commence mocking the absurdly specific and expensive tools they have. Take Exhibit A : really? A 100$ hot chocolate maker? Have you people never heard of a microwave? Or a cooktop? However, much to my chagrin, I have found a thoroughly superfluous 'cook's tool' that I want: the potato glove. I know, I know. I am not normal.

Hawks attack Cows....who knew?

To go along with his deep and abiding interest in communication is Cayden's new obsession with telling stories. Whenever JD or I are telling a story to each other in his presence he asks what we're talking about and listens carefully to our explanation. So obviously this has led to him telling us his stories.

Another First

Saturday, 5 December 2009.

The Emergence of Testosterone

This week has seen a significant shift in the imaginative play in our household. For many weeks, we have been little kitty and mommy kitty. We talk in high voices and giggle and are very cute. Now we are seeing increasing occurrences of dinosaurs. Little dinosaurs roar and yell and stomp. They do not giggle, they spit. Happily, they still like to snuggle with mommy dinosaurs ("snuggle" = a little dinosoar crawling sweetly into my lap, then sudden flailing and roaring while the mommy dinosaur rapidly ejects the baby dinosaur in a futile attempt to avoid injury).

You have to draw a line somewhere

C: (snatches at my nose) I got your nose!
J:  (continuing game) I got your ear!
C: I got your nose!
J: I got your other ear!
C: I got your nose!
J: (snatches at the top of Cayden's head) I got your free will!
C: No, Mommy. Don't take my free will. Put my free will back!

Tiny Post

Not an extensive holiday photo post, I know.

A very difficult puzzle. Although it doesn't look it.

Waiting for the Orange Line.

Priorities

"Mommy, we love ourselves. We love each other. And that's our coffee."

Fashion Cayden Strikes Again

"Mommy, I want those pants. The camo pants. (picks desert-camoflogue pants up out of laundry). But I don't see the camels though. Mommy do you see the camels?"

Sprayberries and Swine Flu

Cayden came down with a nasty fever 102/ 103F on Friday, and pretty much didn't leave our side for 14 hours. The next morning we settled him onto the couch with some Thomas movies and he stayed there, dozing in and out of consciousness for the whole day on Saturday. We managed to keep him hydrated and by Sunday morning his fever broke. I don't think it was actually swine flu, because that seems to be much more virulent, but Ty and I were worried enough about it on Friday night to bring him into our bed and exile ourselves to a fitful night. Sounds like a stressful weekend, but it turns out that when our whiney two year old is in a fever delirium, he becomes a delightful, charming, and snuggly little boy. Happily/ sadly he is back to whining and crying for such dire offenses as offering to make him breakfast, so I think the flu-danger has passed.

Hi Res Berry

It seems that in every photo I have of my kid lately he's wearing his Lightning McQueen jacket. Grandpa Spray and Grandma Ellen have a knack for clothing that he loves to death.

Fashion Cayden

I think Nascar jackets and too short sweater pants could take off...

Scariest Vegetable Ever

One of the joys of belonging to a CSA is trying to figure out what to do with mystery vegetables. Exhibit A: the celeriac root.

We're Steam Trains

I snuck up on Tons O'Fun yesterday and filmed some pretty exciting train action.

Working with Cayden in my lap

J (reading aloud while typing): all information in the nervous system
C: nervous system
J: is made available through transduction
C: transduction
C: I said transduction. I'm goood at saying transduction
C: Now can we look at cars mommy kitty?

Overheard from the Kitchen: episode 2

C (in living room playing): God Dammit! god dammit, god dammit.
C (comes into kitchen and looks at me): Um, yeah (I kid you not, he said, "Ummm, yeah"). I dropped something on my foot and said god dammit.
J: Do you want boo-boo kitty?
C: Um, yeah.

Overheard While Making Breakfast

Thomas the Train (via C): Emily, should we be rascally?
Emily the Train (via C): Why should be be rascally?
Thomas: Because it's fun!
Emily: Okay
C: Whoah! Thomas and Emily are being rascally!!!
Thomas and Emily (presumably being danced around the couch): rascal, rascal, rascal, rascal, rascal...

Raising Children with Tyson

J: Cayden, why are you upset?
C (whining/ upset): Daddy is going to sit on me.
J: Honey, when Daddy says things like that he is teasing. Daddy is not really going to sit on you.
C (escalating into a loud whine): Yes he iiiiisssss!
J (walks into kitchen): Ty, he thinks you are actually going to sit on him
T: That is awesome.

Surrender

I've watched Toku move kitty beds two times this afternoon. Apparently he has given up and is letting Alia sleep on his face.

The Big Phat Spider

Apparently he's learned how to sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" at school. Who knew?

Fire Trucks

Last weekend we tripped up to Yale to see some good friends who were in New Haven for the weekend. Cayden got to see his pal Ian and we took them to a fire station for the afternoon activity. A great time was had by all.



Bonus Extra video of Cayden driving the Fire Truck in question.

So Cute and So Stinky

For the second morning in a row, I was woken at 5:20 a.m. by a softly whispered, "Mommy? Can I come in?". This is shortly followed by Cayden, complete with bedtime paraphernalia, snuggling up to me and removing all the body heat I worked so hard to generate. This morning he told me, "I have my lobster AND Mr. Chocolate". After tucking the sundry visitors into the covers and snuggling up to my dozing little boy I thought to myself, "This is awesome, but it really is time to wash that bear".

Changing of the Guard

J: Do you want Mr. Chocolate for bedtime?
C: No, just my nighttime lobster
J: Okay, hop in bed
C: hops in bed, lays down, then frantically pops his head up
C: Mommy! Mommy! I forgot my bedtime penguin! I forgot! I forgot the bedtime penguin!

Will Mr. Chocolate stay permanently relegated to the foot of the bed? Or *gasp* be moved to the closet? Just who will win the snuggle-buddy battle: bedtime-penguin or nighttime-lobster? All these questions and more will be answered in the next episode of Bedtime for Bonzo...

Saying Goodbye to Karl

We took a bonzai trip to Detroit last weekend because our friend Karl died of skin cancer the week before. He was a remarkable man, and it was a heart breaking weekend. But, in the bizarre way of funerals, it was also fun. We got to hug stocky, and experience the loving insanity that is the stockhausen family. Ty spent a while (attempting to) help Stocky get Karl's bike running, which is the cause of the blue cloud in the above photo. We got to cry and laugh and witness. The one good that comes out of these experiences is the renewed perspective shift . Which is my long winded way of telling you, our friends and family, we love you all.

Chocolate on the move

Quote of the Day

C: Mommy I want a different song
J: Do you want some Ella Fitzgerald
C: Yeah
J: launches into "Black Coffee"
C: less than 20 seconds later: Mommy where did the elephant go?

The Boo-Boo Kitty

Our dear friend Kendra once told me about the Boo-Boo Bear, a magical bear-shaped ice pack that can comfort children's wounds and stem the tide of bandaid requests for barely bumped body parts. We have been looking for a similar item for a while, and at target this weekend we found this:

Astonishingly Cayden bumped his knee that very afternoon. I gave him the boo-boo kitty, and it was love at first sight. He spent 5 minutes fixing Percy's hurt wheel and Emily's sore tender. I was running around the downstairs getting us ready to go to the Great Allentown Fair when Cayden comes into the kitchen holding his boo-boo kitty and looks at me with a confused/ anxious expression. "Mommy, I just, I need....... gets down on all fours and whacks his head on the floor....Mommy I bumped my head!....proceeds to apply ice pack to own forehead"

I'll be honest, I doubt breaking into hysterical laughter was the ideal parenting move, but there was nothing else I could do.

The Brick Wall at the End of the Tunnel

We have started the potty training saga, which mostly consists of changing his clothing as often as we changed his diapers. He does look mighty cute in dinosaur undies though.

Don't Smile Me!

I'm not sure where he got his aversion to being filmed but he doesn't like it too much anymore.

Final Kitchen Video

Alrighty. The kitchen is done. I've spent the last couple of days working at a snail's pace on the finishing touches. Molding, trim, plinth, outlet covers... you know, the really annoying stuff that nobody enjoys.

In order to complete all of it I had to jury-rig my compressor so that I had a working brad gun (see first frame of the video). Unfortunately that involved disabling the safety mechanism that shuts a compressor off when it reaches maximum capacity. So as a nod to safety precautions I placed the compressor between my brick house and my neighbor's brick house and hoped that should it explode it would not send shrapnel through anyone's window and inadvertently decapitate anyone in the area. I also kept a pretty close eye on the gauges.

So there you have it. Next project: underground squash court.

Discovering Physics

Cayden is shouting into the box making echoes. Really he is revelling in the ability to shout without anybody telling him to use his indoor voice.

Find of the day

I love summer bug season.

Beach Tour '09

Since last Friday Cayden and Daddy have been here in RI whooping it up and hitting the ocean. I'll give a full report when I get back but here are a couple of preliminary photos.

Cayden hard at work at Horseneck Beach in MA.

Cayden and Vavo

The Boston kids and Sor after the Revs embarrassed themselves at Gillette.

The camera was LASHED to the boat for this self-timed shot.

Wok being luxuriously recreational.

Pretty pretty backsplash

Orange Agate is a drool-worthy wood

Kevin and Erin delivered Abby to us over the weekend, and Kevvy helped Ty finish out the opening in our wall. Turns out two unsupervised boys will spend much more on finish wood than I ever would. I am glad they did because I LOVE it.

Backsplash and Outlet Covers

Ok, the latest installment in my Kitchen Video series. Enjoy.

Dishwashers RULE

All the counters are down, the sink is in, the plumbing is set, and the dishwasher is running. Let me reiterate, The Dishwasher Is Running. Yeah baby.

Counter Space

With the electrical connections to the range and cooktop made (Thank You Dad!!) I installed the West and South counters and will be tacking them down today.

East Side

Alrighty, the East Side of the Kitchen is pretty much installed. Still needs some final electrical connections but most of the grunt work is done over there.

Sexy Hardware

The latest in sexy Ikea hardware....

Cabinetry Day 2

The battle continues...

The Defurminator

Isn't he charming?

C: Mommy, what you doing?
J: I'm getting ready for work.
C: Mommy, what you doing?
J: I'm making myself look gorgeous.
C: Noooo! Mommy not look gooorgeous.

Cork Floors: Check

This weekend was a strange mix of old and new. Jordanna and I listened to NPR, demo'd a kitchen, had impromptu plumbing sessions, repaired some frightening construction, and installed a floor. For us this is like an extended date. It took us back to the heady days of Tucson remodeling and Yuri Gagarin. And then all of a sudden Cayden would come running through the construction zone trailing Nana or PopPop and we would remember that we actually live in PA and have a kid.

In point of fact, we would have gotten NOTHING done this weekend if JD's parents hadn't driven up Friday night to watch Cayden all weekend. They entertained him solidly from Friday evening till about 7pm on Sunday. I think I spent a total of 2 hours with my kid this weekend. That being said, we tore out our kitchen and began the remodel in earnest. As the pictures below will attest to.

Post cabinet demo, during the floor leveling

Tim chillin in the makeshift kitchen

For some reason our shopvac wasn't working very well...

JD's job was to trowel out adhesive, my job was to cut and lay tile

The finished product

Cementitious floor filler rocks

Photo Update

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Alrighty then, two posts in 20 minutes, I'm the man. Here's a random photo dump. Enjoy.

Flash and Sor on the 7th hole fairway.

Christening the new Woodchuck glass.

He VERY seriously reads his Car and Driver at the table.

Mommy reads to Cayden on the potty.